thing qd he to recoÌ„pence such great benefites towards you al with the cost of alitel fraÌ„kinsence He shewed the Percians custume to be both religious and wyse in worshipping there kinges as gods thinking ther defence saueguard to consiste in the maiestie of ther prince He said that Hercules bacchus wer defied wheÌ„ they had once ouercome the enuie of such as liued â— ther time And meÌ„ that come after do easely beleue such thinges as haue bene confyrmed by there predecessours And if any of you qd he will sticke at this matter ye shal se me the fyrste that at the kinges comming in shall fall downe grâ—ueling on the earth and worship him Which president others ought to folow spicially men of moste wysdome that should alwayes be ensample to others in doing their duities towards their Prince His tale tended direcly agaist Calistenes whose grauitye and prompte libertye of speaking was hatefull vnto the Kinge for he thoutht him the man which only had stayed the Macedones that ells would redely haue done to hym that honor Herupon euery manes eies were inurned towardes Calistenes The worde of Calisâ—enes which â—â—ter silence made said in this wise If the king were present Cleo to heare thes thy words yt shuld not be nedeful then to auÌ„swer the for he him self wold make request that he might not thus swarue out of his kind into the custumes of straungiers Nor he would not suffre that thou shouldest deface bring in the obloquie enuye of men with such thy parnicious flattery hys noble actes brought to passe with suche fâ—â—icetyâ— and good fortune But because he is away I for hym will thus aunswere the. There is no frute sone rype that will continew long This I meane by the deuine honours whiche whiles thou goest about to geue vnto the kyng thou takest his honour from hym There is a time required that men shoulde beleue hym to be a god for that gift hath alwayes bene geueÌ„ to great meÌ„ When they are once dead by suche as came after theÌ„ I wyshe vnto the kyng immortalitie after his death that his life may be long and his estate continual But sanctifieng is a thing that sometime doth followe â— man but it doth neuer accompany him Thou diddest reherse ensamples of the defyeng of Hercules and Bacchus Thinkest thou that thei were madde goddes vpoÌ„ drinke and by the decre of one dynner the nature of Alexanders manhode must be remoued from our mortall eyes before the fame can bring hym into heauen Are not they goodly goddes Cleo that thou and I can make Would the kyng trowest thou be content to receiue of vs the aucthoritie of his godhedde I haue great desire to proue thy power If thou canst make a good first make a kynge It is muche more easy to geue a worldly kingdome then the possession of heauen Thinkest thou Cleo that the immortall goddes will heare the without disdayne or suffre these thy wicked deuises to take effecte they would we shouâ—â— holde vs coÌ„tent with the customes of our fore fathers and for my part I am not ashamed of my couÌ„trey nor I requiâ—e not to learne after what maner I should honour my prince For in mine opinion we acknowledge him sufficiently to be king and victorer of whome we receiue lawes to liue vnder Calistenes was fauourably hard of all men as the persone whom they counted the recouerer of their vniuersall libertie He did not only in his tale paynte out suche flatterers but also liuely expressed the opinion of the Macedons specially of suche as were auncient men to whome the exchaunge of their olde vsages were greuous The kyng was nothyng ignoraunt of the wordes that had passed betwyxt them for he stode behynde a particion of the hall and heard all the matter He sent word therfore to Hages and Cleo that at his comming in they should moue the straungers only to fall downe and worship hym after their countrey custome And after a whyle the kyng as though he had bene about some matters of importaunce returned agayne into the feaste then the Percians fell downe and worshypped him after suche sorte as was deuised But Policarpon that sat aboue the kyng at the boâ—de Polycarpon asked one in skorne that touched the grounde with his chyrine why he kyssed no harder With whiche wordes he moued Alexander to yre wherof he was euer vnpacient So that he sayd vnto Polycarpon It is thou that disdaynest to honour me shall I be mocked of the alone He aunswered that it was not seamely that a kynge should be skorned nor yet a subiect be dispysed With whiche worde the kyng plucked hym from the table and threwe him downe to whome he sayd failyng grouelynges vpon the earth Loo hast thou not done thy self that before thou diddest skorne in an other man therupon he commaunded him toward so brake vp the feast Polycarpon being thus punished was afterwardes pardoned But Calistenes whose contempt stobburnes the kyng had long grudged at grounded his displeasure then more deaper vpon whome there chaunsed shortly after an apt occasion to be reuenged It was a custome as it hath bene sayd before amonges the noble men of Macedon to put their sonnes when they were past their childhode in seruice to the king as pages to doe necessary busines about his persone Their vsage was to watche nightly by course at the chambre dore where the kyng lay The concubines were brought in by them by an other way then where the guarde watched Thei likewise receiued the horses of the gromes of the stable and brought them to the king when he leped on They alwayes were about the kyng both in hunting and in battail and were brought vp in the study of liberall sciences The chiefest honour was geuen vnto them because they might sitte and eate with the kyng none had power to correct theÌ„ with stripes but only the king himself This company was like a masse or store from wheÌ„ce al the capitaines and gouernours of the Macedons did come From thence came their latter kynges whose lynage the power of the Romaynes long after did extinct A treason conspired against Alexander Harmalaus one of that nombre because he had striken a hore whome the kyng had thought to haue striken him self was by his commaundement beaten and scourged with roddes whiche rebuke he toke greuously and coÌ„playned to Sostrates his frende that was one of the same company Sostrates Whiche seing the body torne wherunto he had so great affeccion and peraduenture offeÌ„ded also with the kyng before for some other cause Stirred so Harmolaus whiche was prouoked sufficiently alredy that eche gaue faith to other to find a way to destroye the kyng Whiche they executed not with any chyldishe proceding but wysely agreed to bring Nycostratus Antipater Asclepiodorus and Philotas into the felowship of their coÌ„spiracie And afteawards they ioyned vnto them more Anticles Elaptonius Phimanes But the
was it no meruaill though he could not obstayne He turned towardes him and said thou vile slaue hast thou now found out a time mete to disclose the treason that lyeth in thy harte and therwyth all pulled out hys sworde to haue slaine him if Bessus had not straight waye come and the other Bactrians about him and letted his purpose they pretendyd to be sory for the matter But mindid in very dede to bind him if he had continued in his purpose In the meane season Nabazzanes escaped away and Bessus folowed after who imedialy dyd seperate the bandes they had charge of from the rest of the armye bicause they would vse them apart to their purpose Whē thei were departed Artabazus framed his talke according to thestate of the time then present and beganne to pacifie Darius wyth wordes putting him in remembraunce howe hys case was suche that it behoued hym to beare quietly the folishnes or rather the error of hys own men For asmuch as Alexander was at hande ouer sore an enemy for thē though there were no discord nor disobedience But if we shal be at variaunce qd he when he doth pursue vs our matters shal stand in very euil plight Thereupō Darius enclyned some what to Artabasus aduise though he was determined to remoue yet bicause he parceiued euery man to be troubled in mind remained still in the same place But he him selfe was so astoined with sorowe and disperaciō that he kept him self close and came not forth of his pauilion Wherupon the campe being without gouerment the hedes not consulting togither as they did before there rose amonges them great diuersitie of opynions and mocions of mynd Which thing when Patron sawe that was capetaine of the Greake souldiers he wylled his men to put on their armour to be in a redines to do as they should be apointed The Percyans encampyd by them selues and Bessus remained amonges the Bactrians practising to cary away the Percians into Bactria and to leue Darius signifieng to them the riches of that region yet vntouched and the perell they were in if they remayned styl But they were al in maner of one opynion that it was ouer great an offence for them to forsake their prince In the meane season Artabasus executed the kinges offence and went amongs the Percians in their lodginges admonishing and exorting them sometyme aparte and otherwhile all togithers and lefte them not before it apeared that they would do as the king would haue them That done with great paine difficulte he parsuaded Darius to take hys meate and to set hys mynd vpon hys busines But Bessus and Nabarzanes were so gredy to get the gouernement into their handes that they resolued to put in excution the thing they had longe conspired betwyxt them For so longe as Darius was in sauegard thei could not hope to cōpasse nor atteine so great powre and auctoritie The maiestie of a king is had in so great veneraciō amōges those nacions that at hys verie name they vse to assemble togither And the reuerens of Darius former fortune caused them to beare the like obedience to him in his aduersitie The greatnes and powre of the countreies whereof Bessus and Nabarzanes had the rule not being inferior to any other nacions in that parte of the world either in armour men or largenes of their territory gaue a great encourage vnto their wicked disposicions in attempting of this matter Which possessing the third part of Asia were able to make as great nombre of men as Darius before had loste In confidence wherof they not only dispised Darius but Alexander purposing when they were once become lordes of that countrey to reenforce from thence againe the powre of thempire mainteine the warres against the Macedōs Whē they had long deuised debated these thinges they determined to take Darius by the Bactriā souldiers which were at there cōmandiment then to send word to Alexander that they reserued him on liue to deliuer him vnto his hādes And if so be that Alexāder should nor accept their doing whiche in dede they doubted then ther purpose was to kill Darius and with their powre to flie into Bactria But for somuche as they sawe that Darius could not be taken openly seing there were so many thousādes redy to aide him And fearinge also the fidelitye of the Greakes determined to work by sleight the thing that they could not bring to passe by force Their deuise was lo coūterfeit a repentance of their former doinges in excusing vnto the king the feare they were in And in the mean season they sent certaine to practise with the Percians to proue their mindes The souldiers were tossed to fro with hope and feare Sometime thei thought that by leauing of ther king they should cōmit them selues to manifeste ruyne and destruccion and againe they remembred what entertaynment was promised them in Bactria that lay open for them where they should be receyued with such giftes and riches as they coulde not wel imagien Whiles Bessus Nabarzanes were bearīg of these thīges in their heades Artabasus came vnto them declaring howe Darius was wel pacefied and that they might of they would be in the same estate and degre with him that they were in before Therupon thei fel to weaping and purging of them selues requiring Artabasus that he would take vpon him the defence of there cause and cary their requeste and submissiō vnto the king The night was cōsumed in this kind of busines When it was day Nabarzanes wyth the Bactriā souldiers stode at the entrey of the kinges lodging colouring hys preuy treason with a solempne pretence of doing his dutye Darius caused warnyng to be giuen for his remoue and so mounted vpon hys chariot after his accustumed manner Nabarzanes and the other traytores fell vpon the ground to worshipe him and shed teares in token of repentaunce notwithstanding that they determined shortly after to put him in fetters mens nature is so apart to dissymulacion Darius being of a simple and gentle nature was enforced through their behauor not only to beleue that they pretēded but also caused him to weape for ioie yet that could not cause the traitors to alter ther porpose Whē they parceiued what kynd of man and what maner of prince they went about to deceiue Darius doubting nothing of his peril that was next at hand made al the haste he could to escape Alexander whom he only doubted Patron Patron that was captaine of the Grecians commaunded his souldiers to put on their harneys which they caried before in trusses and to be ready and attēt to euery thing that should be appointed thē For he vnderstanding the treason that Bessus went about folowed the kinges chariot seking occasiō to speake with him And Bessus doubting the same thing would not departe frō the chariot but folowed rather as a watche then a wayter Patron therefore hauing taried long interrupted oftentimes as he
bitter death But I whiche number not my yeres but my victories haue liued longe if I will weye the giftes of Fortune For beginnynge mine Empire in Macedonia I haue Greace in mine owne handes I haue subdued Thrace and the Illirians I raigne ouer the Triballes and the Medeans possessynge an Asia that lye betwixt Hellespont and the redde Sea and nowe am not farre from the ende of the worlde the whiche I determined to visite and to make open to men a newe nature and a newe worlde I passed out of Asia into Europe in the moment of an houre and beynge but .xxviii. yeres olde hauyng raigned but nine am become victorer of both regions Do you thinke it then mete that I should nowe ceasse from winning of that glorye wherunto I haue onelye addict my selfe No I wil neuer ceasse but whersoeuer I shall haue occasion to fyght I shall thinke my selfe to be in the Theatre where the whole worlde dothe beholde me I will geue nobilitye and fame to places that be obscure And will laye open to all Nacions those countreys that nature hath remoued furdest froÌ„ them In doynge wherof it shall be gratefull for me to ende my lyfe if Fortune will haue it so I am come of that stocke that I ought to desire many thinges before longe lyfe I praye you to remembre that we be come into those countreys where the name of a woman is muche celebrated for hir vertues What cityes did Semiramis builde what nacions did she subdue and what great workes did she accomplishe We are not yet become equal to a woman in glory and yet you woulde haue me to be satisfied of laude The Gods be fauourable vnto our purpose for there remaine for vs yet greater thinges to do And it is the next way to make those countreys we haue not yet touched to become ours if we esteme nothing to be of small valure where as there is anye occasion to winne glorye Let it be your care onelye to preserue me from ciuill conspiracie and treason of mine owne people then there be no aduentures of the warre shall put me in feare Philippe was more sure in the front of the battaile abroade then in quiet tarians at home He oftentimes auoyded the force of his enemies but he coulde not eschue the violeÌ„ce of his owne subiectes And if you coÌ„sider the ende of other Kynges you shall count more that haue bene slayne by their owne menne then by anye forayne power But bicause there is an occasion nowe offered me to vtter the thing I haue longe conceaued in my minde It shall be the greatest fruite I can receyue of my actes and of my trauayles if my trauailes if my Mother Olympiades when she departeth this lyfe might be consecrated to immortalitie If she departe in my tyme I wil do the thing my selfe But if I shall be preuented by Death remember you to perfourme that I haue determined And therupon he dismissed his frendes from him and continued manye dayes in the same place Whiles these thinges were a doynge in India the Greake souldiours that hadde lande and habitacion appoynted them at Catabactra throughe a sedicion that chaunsed amonges them A rebellion of the Grekes whiche Alexander had planted at Catabactâ—s rebelled againste Alexander Notsomuche for anye hatred they bare hym as for feare of punishemente For they kylled diuers of their chiefe rulers and assemblynge in force togethers toke the castle of Bactria that was negligentlye kepte and procured the Bactrians to rebell with them Athenodâ—rus Athenodorus was the chiefe amonges theim who toke vpon hym the name of a kynge not so muche for the desire of the kyngdome as by aucthoritye to make him selfe of power to conueye hym selfe and others home into his countrey Bycon But one Bycon of his owne nacion became his enemye and conspirynge agaynste him did bidde hym to a banquet where he was slayne by one Boxus Macerianus The nexte daye folowynge Bicon assembled the Greakes together perswadinge theim that he slewe Athenodorus but in hys owne defence whose purpose was to haue destroyed him But there were some that perceiued his policye and suspicion was spreade amonges the rest So that the Greakes fell to armes of purpose to slea Bycon But suche as were chiefe mitigated the wrathe of the multitude and contrary to his expectation was deliuered from that presente peryll Yet he coulde not be so contented but wythin a while after conspired againste them that saued his lyfe whose falsehode knowen they toke bothe hym and Boxus determinynge that Boxus shoulde be put to death out of hande and that Bycon shoulde ende hys lyfe by tormentes As they were tormentinge of him the Greake souldiours sodainelye in a furye for what cause it is vncertayne ranne to Armes the noyse of whom beynge hearde wyth them that had the charge of Bycon did let him at libertye fearynge that the rumoure hadde bene made for his deliuerye He as he was naked came runninge amonges the Grekes where as they were assembled whose miserable estate so sodainelye chaunged their minds that thei willed him immediatly to be set at liberty By thys meanes Bicon beynge twise deliuered from death returned into his countrey with the Grekes leauynge the Colonye wherunto he was appointed by Alexander These thinges were done in the coÌ„fynes of Bactria and Scythia In the meane season the kynge of the two nacions whyche we spake of before sent an hundred Embassadours vnto Alexander whiche beynge men of goodly personages ridde in wagons semely appaireled hauing garmentes of linnen clothe embroydred with golde and empaled with purple They declared that the cause of their commynge was to yeld them selues their citye their countrey and their libertye whiche thei had kepte inuiolatelye by so many ages to his wil appointmeÌ„t Of which their submission the Gods thei said were aucthours not any fear for thei were coÌ„teÌ„ted to yeld theÌ„ selues before thei had proued their power with him The kynge called a counsayle receiued theÌ„ vnder his protection appointing to theÌ„ to pay such tribute as they before paied to the ArachosiaÌ„s And besides to seÌ„d two thousand fiue hundred horsemen to serue hym in his warres all whiche thinges they perfourmed obedientlye This done he made a great feast wherunto he inuited those Embassadours and his Lordes He vsed therin sumptuous preparation ordeinynge C. beddes of golde to eate vpon which beyng set a small distaunce one from another were drawen about with curteynes garnished with golde and purple In that feast there was shewed and sette forthe all the excesse and voluptuousnes which either by long custome was vsed among the PerciaÌ„s or by corruption of their old vsages taken vp amonges the Macedons the vyces of both those nacions beynge there mingled myxed togethers Dioxippus There was at that feast one Dioxippus of Athens a notable champion by reason of his excellent force well knowen vnto the Kynge whome certayne enuiousse and malicious Persones