the images of certaine chiefe priests Bishops in such forme maner as euery one had led his life where by orderly discent issue they shewed vs in what maner y ◠sonne had euermore succeeded his father in y ◠office of priesthode reciting euery one of their images vntill they came to the last Heerein also they disliked y ◠speach of Hecataeus y ◠sought to fetch his progeny frō y ◠xvi god making him another account of his kinsfolke allies shewing him how absurd a thing it was disagreeing from reason for a man to deriue his issue frō a god For which cause in reciting the genealogies they disprooued his account in this wise relating howe each of these images were in theyr speach named Pyromis which name they tooke by discent the sonne frō the father by line all course to y ◠nūber of 345. whose pictures were standing in y ◠same oratory These Pyromes as they termed thē were such mē as had no affinity with y ◠gods neither coulde chalenge their progeny of any one of the chiefe nobles potentates being such as y ◠Grecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an honest simple wel meaning mā Of which sort were al those whose monumēts were extant in y ◠place very far frō being allied w t any of the gods Before these mē y ◠gods thēselues were rulers in Aegypt hauing their dwelling and abode together with mē Notwithstāding being many in number they gouerned not the countrey all at once but some one of thē for a time or ech in course til at lēgth y ◠scepter came to the hāds of Orus sonne of Osiris whom the Graecians call Apollo The last yongest of al the gods by the Grecians account are Hercules Dionisius Pan. Albeit Pan with the Aegyptians is a grandsire god one of the most auncientst among them in the nūber of those eight y ◠are y ◠chief principal Hercules is reckned in y ◠nūber of y ◠xii meaner saints Dionisius among those y ◠are called y ◠iii. saincts issued of the xii former From Dionisius who is said to be the sonne of Cadmus by Semele vnto this our age are 6000. yeares From Hercules sprong of Alcmena to this time welny 9000. From Pan sonne of Mercury begotten of the Lady Penelope vnto these daies wherin we liue the time is not so long as frō the Troiane war to wit 8000. yeres or there aboutes In all these thinges we leaue it free to euery ones fancy to follow what he will our selues best liking of the cōmon opinion which is generally receiued of all men For if these gods beeing renowmed with great fame in Graece had there also wasted the whole course of their age as Hercules descended of Amphytrio Dionisius of Semele Pan of Penelope happily some man would haue sayde that the Aegyptians had worshipped some other gods whiche beeing of the same name with these before mentioned were notwithstanding in time long before them Nowe the Graecians themselues confesse that Dionisius being begotten by Iupiter was no sooner borne but he cleaued fast to his fathers thigh and was caryed away by hym into Nyssa which is a towne in Aethyopia neere vnto Aegypt Of Pan they make shorte worke as ignorant in what parte of the worlde after his birth hee was broughte vp and nourished Whereby it is easily coniectured that the names of these gods came of later dayes to the eares of y ◠Graecians and that accordyng to that notice they began to frame for eache of them a cradle in Greece as though they had beene borne there planting more vpō hearesay then certaine truth Thus farre we haue followed the sayings of the Aegyptians from hencefoorth minding to set downe the consente of others wherein they accord with the people of Aegypt as concerning such things as were done in that countrey adding thereto such matters as our selues haue bene beholders of eyewitnesses The last King beeing as before was mentioned the priest of Vulcane leauing the seate imperiall void by his death y e Aegyptians being now at liberty yet vnable to liue without the aid of gouernemēt chose vnto thēselues 12. princes deuiding y e whole lād into so many partes These 12. ioyning betweene thēselues mutual kindred affinity exercised the authority office of Kings establishing mutuall league couenaunts that none should incroch or gather vpō another but holding himselfe satisfied with an equall portion should liue in friendship and amity with the rest which their league agreemēt they sought by so much the more diligence warines to confirme strengthen for that in y e first entrance to their kingdomes a prophecie was geuen out that who so dranke of a brasen mazer in the temple of Vulcane should be King alone ouer the whole lād When the sacred rites and ceremonies obserued in striking of league making couenāt were duly accomplished it liked thē all to leaue some cōmon monumēt or worke behinde thē to the continuance of their memories which they did making a labyrinth or maze somewhat aboue the poole called Maeris toward the city much more greater famous thā y e brute goeth This I beheld with mine eies being named The Maze of the Crocodyles for if a mā would frame his cōiecture according to the report which y e Graecians make therof measuring the walles beauty of y e work after their account certes he shal giue but a beggerly iudgemēt of so sumptuous magnificent a building For albeit y e temple of Ephesus be an excellent worthy monumēt the church or religious house of Samos yet are they nothing in respect of y e pires in Aegypt one of y t which may well stād in cōparison w t all y e renowmed works of Greece and yet euē these are far excelled surmounted by y e labyrinth In this princely monumēt are 12. most fair sumptuous haules whose gates opē opposit ech against other 6. stāding north neere adioing together y e other 6. south garded about w t y e same walls The roomes and lodgings therein conteyned are of two sorts some lower wrought cellar wise vnder the ground other aboue these being together in number three thousand and sixe hundred Of such roomes as were situate in the seconde story our selues had the full sight and viewe speaking no more therof then we beheld with our eyes following in the rest the report of others forsomuch as the vnder buildings were kepte couert from the sight of all that were trauellers because in them lay the tombes of those Kings that were the founders of that place with the bodies and dead carkasses of the sacred Crocodyles Thus of the neathermost house we speake by hearesay of the lodgings aboue viewing with our owne eyes more straunge wonderfull miracles then could be wrought by the helpe of men for the sundry turnings
gaue no gyftes offered no sacrifice esteeming them vnworthy of any reuerence hauing geuen out a false verdite And such as had pronounced him guilty to these as to the most true gods whose Oracles were agreeable to iustice hee perfourmed the greatest honour hee coulde deuise Besides in the City of Saïs hee made a porche to the temple of Minerua a worke of great admiration and farre passing the rest both in heights and bignesse so great is the quantity of the stones that were employed in the building Hee erected besides in the same place diuerse Images of a woÌ„derfull size the pictures of many noysome and pestilent Serpents Hee layde there also many huge stones to the repayring of the temple parte of the which were digged out of the stone quarryes by Memphis other of great quantity brought from the city of Elephantina which is distant from Saïs 20. dayes sayling Moreouer that which is not the least wonder but in my minde to bee reckoned amongst the chiefest hee brought from Elephantina an house framed of one stone in the cariage whereof 2000. choyse men of the Mariners of Aegypt consumed three yeares The roufe hereof on the outside is 21. cubyts longe 14. cubits broad eight cubites highe being on the inside 22. cubytes in length and in height 5. This house is set at the entring into the temple geuing this reason why it was not brought into the church for that the chiefe Mariner when he had gotten it to that place as wearie wyth hys dayes worke tooke respite and breached him selfe whereat the King being very much mooued bad him leaue of work not permitting him to labour any longer Some say that one of those which were busied in heauing of the stone with leauers to haue bene bruised to death by it and that this was the cause why it stoode without the Pallace By the same King were erected sundry temples built by arte very exquisitely and cunningly whereof one hee made sacred to Vulcane before which lyeth a great Image with the face vpwarde in length seuenty fiue feete being spread along vppon a pauement of stone in the selfe same place on eache side this Image stand two carued monuments of stone twenty foote in quantity Like vnto this is another stone in Saïs lying in the selfe same maner In like sorte the great temple in Memphis so gorgeous and beautifull to the sight of all that behold it was the handiwork also of y e same King Amasis In the time of this Kinges gâ—uernmente Aegypt floryshed in all wealth being greatly increased aswell by the ryches which the ryuer yeeldeth as in other reuenewes which the people receyue by the countrey which at the same time was so populous that there were then inhabited 20000 cityes Likewise by this Kinge it was enacted that euerye one should yearely render accounte to the cheife president of the countrey howe and by what maner of trade hee gayned his lyuinge being alwayes prouyding that such as refused to doe it at all or beeinge called to a reckoninge coulde shewe no lawefull meanes howe they spent their tymes should for the the same cause bee adiudged to dye Which lawe Solon borowing of the Aegyptians did publish it in Athens and is by them for the profite thereof most religiously obserued Amasis vppon good affection hee bare to the Grecians besides other benefittes franckly bestowed on them made it lawefull for all such as trauayled into Aegypte to inhabyte the City Naucrates And such as would not abyde in that place hauinge more mynde to seaâ—aring for the vse of Marchaundize to those hee gaue lybertye to Plant aulters and builde churches So that the greatest and most famous Temple in all the land is called the Grecian temple The Cityes of the Greekes by whose charge and expence this temple was builte in Aegypte were these of the countrey of Iönia Chius Teus Phocoea Clazomene amongst the Dorians foure Cities Rhodus Cnydus Halicarnassus Phaselus one City of the people of Aeolia namely Mitylene To these Cityes of Greece is the Temple belonginge by whom also are founde and mayntayned certayne Priests to serue in the same There are other townes besides in Greece that haue some righte to the Temple as hauing contributed some thinge to the vse of the same Howbeit the Temple of Iupiter the people of Aegina built of their owne proper cost No City toke parte with Samos in setting vp the Pallace of Iuno the Milesians alone tooke vppon them to erect the Temple of Apollo Besides these there are no other monuments built by the Grecians which remayne extant in Aegypt And if by fortune any of the Greekes passe into Nylus by any other way then that which serueth to lande from Greece hee is fayne to sweare that hee was constrained agaynst his will byndinge him selfe by oath that in the same Shippe hee wyll speede him selfe into Canobicus another Channell of the Ryuer so called and if by contrarye wyndes hee bee hindered from arryuinge there hee muste hyre caryage by water and so ferry the nexte way to Naucrates In such sorte were the Grecians tyed to that City beinge by reason of their trafique thyther had in principall honoure Nowe whereas the Pallace of Amphiction whiche is nowe at Delphos beeing straungely pearyshed by fyre was gone in hande with a freshe vppon price of three hundred tallentes the people of Delphos which were leauyed at the fourth parte of the charges straying aboute all countryes gathered very much being chiefly assysted by the Aegyptians Amasis the Kinge bestowinge on them a thowsande tallents of Asume and the Grecians that were abyding in Aegypt twenty pound Moreouer with the Cyrenaeans Prynce Amasis entred friendship and strooke a league of fellowship with the same insomuch that he thought meete to enter asâ—yaunce with them taking a wife of that countrey eyther for affection he bare to the women of Greece or in respecte of hys loue to the Cyrenaeans His wife as some say was the daughter of Battus sonne of Arcesilaus as others reporte of Critobulus a man of chiefe credite and regarde amongst those with whome he dwelt His Ladies name was Ladyce a woman of surpassing beautie with whome the King beeing in bed was so strangely benummed and daunted in courage as if he had bene an Eunuch not able to execute any dutie of a man wherat the King himselfe beeing greately agast feeling himselfe frollicke in the company of other women and so faint to hys Lady Ladyce on a time began to taunt her in these tearmes Can it be thou filthy and detestable hagge that by any meanes I should refrayne from doing thee to the most miserable death that can be deuised which hast thus inchaunted and bewitched my body In faith minion I will coniure this diuell of yours and assure thy selfe if thy lucke be not the better thou shalt not liue two dayes to an ende The poore Lady standing stiffely in her owne defence and nothing preuayling to appease his fury
haue done more eloquently in englishe then our Authour hath in Greeke but that the course of his writing beeyng most sweete in Greeke conuerted into Englishe looseth a great parte of his grace Howsoeuer the case standeth Gentlemen if it be not so well as it might be I would it were better than it is wishing the best albeit I can not attayne to the best yet least I condemne my selfe before I neede I wil stay vpon the censure and opinion of others when the time shall come Till when and euer leauing you to God and the good successe of your affayres I ende Your very friende B. R. HER ODOTVS HIS FIRST BOOKE INTITLED CLIO HER ODOTVS beyng of the citye of Halicarnassus in Greece wrote and compiled an history to the end that nether tract of time might ouerwhelme bury in silence the actes of humayne kynd nor the worthye and renowned aduentures of the Grecians and Barbarians as well other as chiefly those that were done in warre might want the due reward of immortal fame The Persian wryters witnes y e first cause of debate controuersie to haue comen by y e people called Phaenices who sayling from the redde sea into this of Greece inhabityng the selfe same regions which at this tyme also they holde and retayne gaue themselues to long vagaries and continuall viages by sea In which season by trade of marchaundise brought from Aegipt and Assyria as in many other countries so also they arryued at Argos Argos at the same tyme was the most noble and famous city in Greece Whither the Phaenices directyng their course after they were come and within the space of foure or fyue dayes had made a good hand and riddaunce of their wares It fortuned certayne women in whose cōpany was the Kings daughter whose name was Io. borne of Inachus to approach the shore in mynde to suruay and contemplate the wealth and substaunce of these outlandish Marchauntes Now in the meane season whiles the womē were busye and attentiue in praising such thinges as their fancy lead them the Phaenises ranne violently vppon them and hauing caught Io with some others they rest exceedingly affryghted and flying through feare incontinently wayghed ancōre and sayled into Aegipt By these meanes the Persians record that Io first came into Aegipt not as y e Phaenices reporte that this was the first cause and beginning of iniuryes It chaunced afterward that certaine Greekes whase names they knew not taking shore lauding at Tyrus in like manner made a rape of the kinges daughter named Europa These were the people of Crete otherwyse called the Cretenses By which meanes yt was cardes and cardes betwene them the one beyng full meete and quit with the other But in processe of tyme the seconde trespasse was also made and committed by the Grecians who passinge in a galley by the riuer Phasis to Aea a city of Colchis and hauing finished the affayres and busines for which they came caryed away Medea daughter to the King whom the noble gentleman her father eftsones reclayminge by an Harold of peace and demaunding punishment and reuenge on the trespasser the Grecians made answeare that as by themselues no correction was done for the rape of Io. euen so would they also in this cause goe voyde of smart and escape scotfree After this in the secōd age ensuing Alexander the sonne of Priamus hauing notise and aduertismēt of these thinges was greatly desyrous to steale and puruay himselfe a wife of the Grecians notfearyng the rigour of Iustice or anye manner pey or chastisment which they before had vtterly refused to beare and sustayne Hauing therfore gotten Helena and conuayed her away it seemed good to the Greekes to clayme by embassage restitution of the rape and iustice on the rauisher vnto whom the stealth of Medea was obiected and answeare made that it was not meete for them to require eyther losse or law which in former tyme would be ruled by neyther Thus the tyme hetherto passed on by mutuall pillage betweene them But of those things which insue and follow Vpon these y e Persians affyrme the Grecians to haue bene the chiefe authors who first inuaded Asia by the power of warre then euer themselues attempted the rule and domiminion of Europa Reputing it the poynt of rude and grose iniury to steale away women and the signe of a greater folly to pursue the losse of them since no wyse man would set ought by those that without their owne assent and free wil could neuer haue bene stolne For this cause the Persians alleadge how lightly they valued the losse of their Ladyes whereas the Greekes on the other syde for one silye danie of Lacedemonia furnished a huge nauy and comming into Asia subuerted and brought to ruine the kingdome of Priamus Since which tyme they haue alwayes thought of the Grecians as of their heauy frendes esteeming themselues somewhat allyed to Asia and the nations of Barbaria but the Grecians to be strangers and alyens vnto them And as touching the course proceding of these things the Persians report on this manner adding hereto that the first cause of tumult and contention betweene them arose by the ouerthrow and destruction of Troy With whose assertions the Phaenices agree not aboute the Lady Io. Whom they flatly denye to haue bene caryed by them into Aegipt in manner of a rape shewinge howe that in theyr abode at Argos shee fortuned to close with the mayster of a Shippe and feelynge her selfe to bee spedde fearynge and doubtinge greatlye the feueritye cruell tyrannye of her Parentes and the detection of her owne follye Shee willynglye toke shyppe and fledde strayght awaye Such are the recordes of the Persians and Phaenicians of the truth wherof I meane not to discusse Onely whom I fynde to haue done the first harme and iniurye to people of Greece of hym I determine to speake proceding orderly w t the declaratiō aswell of small cityes townes of meaner fortune as of those that are populous wel frequented for so much as many cityes which former ages haue knowne right ample and wel peopled are now fallen to a low ebbe and contrariwyse those which in the compasse of our memory were greate haue heretofore bene much lesse wherefore knowing the tenor of humayne felicity to be eftsones varyable and neuer at one stay my purpose is to vse the examples of eyther kynd Craesus a Lidian born descended of Halyattes was King of those countryes that lye within the riuer Halis which flowing from the South part of the worlde betweene the Syrians and the Paphlagonians right against the North wind breaketh into the sea called Euxinam Of al the princes Barbarian of whom we haue vnderstanding this same Craesus was the chiefe that made some of the Greekes tributary and other his friendes he subdued the Iones Aeoles and Dores that dwell in Asia concluding with the Lacedemonians a friendly league
The Persians therfore inrowling and wrapping y t dead body in waxe they afterwardes interrupt and lay it in the graue The Magi do much dissent and differ from other men beyng also vnlyke and diuerse in their customes from the priestes of Aegipt For the Aegyptian Priestes refuse to defyle and pollute themselues with the slaughter of any creature sauing of those which they sacrifyce to the Gods But y t Persian Magi are not squemish or dainty to imbrew their haÌ„ds in the bâ—â—â—d of any liuing thing what soeuer onely excepted a man or a dogge esteeming it in maner of a conquest to be noted for a common kyller and destroyer of Ants Serpentes byrdes wormes and such lyke wherin they greatly glory Sufficeth it now of the Persian fashions and order of liuing to haue spoken hetherto eftsones making recourse to that from the which we haue somwhat digressed The people of Ionia Aeolia hearyng y â— Lydians with so smal endeuour and welny without blowes to be conquered by the Persians put in ambassage to Cyrus certayne of the chiefe peares of either couÌ„trey offring to staÌ„d at y â— same coÌ„ditioÌ„s to hym as they did before tyme to Craesus To whose suite humble petition Cyrus made answeare by this similitude or apology A certayn fisher quoth he beholding in the sea great plenty of fyshe began to play very pleasuÌ„tly on his pype suâ—yosing y â— at the sweete sound of his harmony y â— â—ish would haue leaped out to the land but frustrate of his hope in a great heathe cast his nets into y â— sea iuclusâ—g a geate number drew to shore where seyng them leape and play vpon the dry ground Nay now quoth he you dauÌ„ce to late seyng y t when I pyped before you refused to come Which speech he vsed for that hauing before tyme disdayned his gentle offer beyng sollicited by him to reuolt from Craesus to the Persians Now when they sawe the worlde chaunged the euent of thinges not answearable to their expectation they made offer of their seruice and signifyed themselues ready prest to do hys commaundements wherfore moued with displeasure agaynst them with this briefe answeare he sent theÌ„ away The people of Ionia hearyng this repayred euery one to their owne cityes to fortify and make strong their walles Hauinge before by a generall counsayle or Synode assembled themselues in Panionium where they all mett sauing the Milesians whom Cyrus receyued into fauour vnder the same condition as he had taken the Lydians to the rest of the Ionians it seemed best by common consent to send legates into Sparta aswel to certify the Lacedaemonians of their present estate as to craue implore their assistance The people of Ionia vnto whoÌ„ the temple of Panionium doth belong haue their places of residence and abode so pleasaunt and delectable that what for the excellent temperature and myldnesse of the ayre and deuyne benefyte and commodity of the mountaynes there is no people in all Greece comparable vnto them For neither the hygher region nor the lower nether y e East coÌ„meth nor y e west approacheth any thing nere to y e excellency therof y e one beyng for y e most part very coulde or to much ouergone w t water y e other that is to say y e higher coast burnt vp pestered w t heat and dust The laÌ„guage vsed in Ionia is not all one but reduced and brought to 4 sundry propertyes formes of speech Myletus y e chiefe city amongs theÌ„ bounding to the south after y t Myrus Pryene situated in Caria vse all one tosig But y e cities in Lydia to witt Ephesus ColophoÌ„ Lebedus Teos Clazomenae Phocaea albeit they agree not in speach w t the places forenamed yet betweene themselues they speake alike The residue which are three two are Isles Samus Chios one in the mayne called Erythrae doe differ much in phrase and manner of wordes Chios Erithrae iumping in one the other which is Samus challenging vnto it selfe a diuerse strauÌ„ge form of language from the rest wherbyit is euident that theyr speach is qualifyed by 4 sundrye differences Of these people were the MILESIANS who vnder coloure and pretence of feare came to league and couenant with Cyrus As for those cityes that were incompassed by the sea they had lesse cause to feare more to liue in greater security then the rest Both for y t the Phaenecians were not yet tributory to the seat of Persia and the Persians theÌ„selues were vnaccustomed to sea battels vsed no shippes The same for no other cause then that they knew the Graecians to be weake and mightles and of all the rest the Ionians to be of least power and smallest valure withdrew alienated themselues from the other cityes in Ionia Foras much as setting Athens aside there was noe citye of principal fame in all that toast So y t both other regions there inhabitaunt and also the Athenians flatly renounced to bee called Ionians many of them beynge ashamed of the name wheras coÌ„trariwysethe 12 cities are not alitle proud therof greatly vaunting themselues vnder the tytle of Ionians wherefore hauinge once called them selues Paninoi they built also atemple intytling it after their owne name Panionium decreeyng and consenting neuer to admitte any other to the society and felowship of the same Neyther was ther any very desyrous to be made pertakers therof sauing the Smyrneans The lyke thing happened to the Dorienses that inhabite Pentapolis which before was called Heya polis who by the generall decree and ordinaunce of the rest arenot suffred to inioy the libertyes of the palaice Triopium Excluding therfore certayne of theire owne natyue people For the violation and breach of a law or priuilege belongiÌ„g to the temple For in the games of Appollo Triopius certayne three footed stooles beynge appoynted for hym that wan the price which neuertheles it was not lawful to cary out of the temple but in the same place to make dedication therof to the god one Agasicles of Halicarnassus attayning the victorye strayned cursye with the law and taking away the stole with him caryed it home to his owne howse For which deed y e 5 other cityes Lyndus Ialissus Cameirus Cos and Cindus sequestred Halicarnassus beyng the sixt from the right and freedome of the temple leuiyng a mucle or peine vppon the whole citye for the bold enterprise of their valerous champyon Agasicles howbeit the Ionians seeme vppon good ground and iust consideratioÌ„ to haue parted their countrey into 12 cityes refusing to amplify and augment the number beyng iust so maney partes of Peloponnesus wherin that tyme they dwelt euen as now also the Acheans who draue and expelled the Iones out of theyr proper seat are iustlye deuyded into so many partes The first and principall whrerof is named Pallena after whiche are recounted Aegyrae and Aagae perpetually washed and moystned with the pleasaunt streame of the riuer Crathis
which is also called Italicus In the next place are reputed the cityes Bura and Helice whether y e Ionians discomfited in battayle by the Achoeans fledde for succoure next vnto Helice are these Aegion with the people called Rhypes also the Patrenses Pharenses and the city Olenus by the which scowreth the swift and maine riuer Pyrus Last of al Dyma and the Trytaeenses that dwell in the middle tracte of the region These are the 12 seuerall and distinct parcels of Achaea which afore tyme were held and possessed by the Ionians who for the same cause onlye and none other kept the number of twelue Cityes without desyre to multiplye or increase the same Whom precipuallye notwithstandinge and aboue others to call Ionians yt were great madnes since the people Abantes also are of the proper lineage and naturall stocke of Ionia which neuertheles haue estranged themselues from the name of Iones Lykewyse the Minyans intermedled and mingled with the Orchomenians the Cadmaeans Dryopians Phocenses Molossians Arcadyans Pelasgians Dores Epidaurians many other nations confused and ioyned one with another Of which number they that went out of the court or castell of Athens named Prytanêum and reputed themselues the noblest and most principal of the Iones at what tyme being singled from the whole multitude of the Athenians they went to dwel in an other prouince had with them no wiues of their owne in steed whereof they vsed certayne women of Caria whose parentes they had before tyme slayne By reason of which slaughter y e dames of Caria toke a solemne vow which they likewyse caused their daughters diligeÌ„tly to obserue neuer to sit at meate with theyr husbandes nor cal them by their own names For that hauing cruelly murthered their fathers their first husbandes their sonnes they had also haled theÌ„ poore widowes much agaynst their willes to their vnchast and fylthy couches All which thinges were done at the city Miletus in Ionia Furthermore the kinges of Ionia and such as weare aduaunced to the sumpreme regiment of the countreye were partly of Lysia comen of the lyne of Glaucus sonne of Hippolochus and partly selected and chosen out of the Citye Pylus drawing theyr progeny from Codrus sonne of Melanthus Notwithstanding the name and tytle of the Ionians they most willingly holde and embrace of whom wee spake before and in very deede are naturally so how beit not they onely but all the rest which comming of the Athenians kepe and solemnize the festiuall dayes called Apaturia are subiect to the selfe same name Which custome of celebration is vniuersally held and obserued of all besydes the Ephesians and Colophonians who by means of a murder committed are prohibited and restrayned therefro Now it is meete we know that Panyonium is a certayne holy and religious place in Mycale inclyninge to y â— North dedicated by the whole countrey of Ionia to Neptune syrnamed Heliconius Mycale is a promontory or high place lyinge in the firme lande towardes the sea the waâ—e syde wherof pertayneth to the ysâ—e Samus To this mountayne the people called Iones assemble and gather togeather to perfourme the ceremonies of immolation and sacrifyce which they call by the name of the place Panionia It is to be noted also not onely in the solemnity of Ionia but in the feastes religious dayes of al the Graetians how like vnto the name of the Persians they end all in a letter We haue heard then of the cityes of Ionia what how many in number they are it followeth that wee speake of those that are in Aeolia which are these Cumae which is also called Phryconis Larissae Newalle Teuus Cylla Notium Aegyroessa Aegaea Myrina Crynia And these eleueÌ„ were the auncient cityes of Aeolia Hereunto was added in in tyme past Smyrna a city belonging to this regioÌ„ which now hangeth as it were betwene the Ionians and Aeolians and is reckned for part of neit her Otherwyse as we see both the nations had bene equall in the number of cityes All the townes of Aeolia are spred in the mayne in power and dominion going beyond the Iones but in the temperate calmnesse of the ayre comming farre behynde them The occasion meanes wherby they lost Smyrna was this Hauing entertained the Colophonians dryuen from their couÌ„trey by ciuil tumult and sedition the people of Ionia bearyng grudge and malice towardes them lay in diligente wayght to surpryse and take their city Which thinge they did at such tyme as the Smyrneans were busied in the solemnising of Bacchus festiuall which they vsually kept w tout the city The Iones therfore when euerye one went out stale priuely into the city and shuttinge the gates held possession by vyolence Which thinge beyng knowen and spedy helpe yelded from al partes of Aeolia they fel to condition y â— restoring to the Smyrneans all their necessaryes and mouable goods yt shoulde bee lawful for them to hold the city in peace wherunto the contrary part hauing geuen theire consent it was agreed by the eleuen cityes of Aeolia to deuyde the rest betwene theÌ„ eueryone making choyse of their owne citizens Such therfore and so many in number are y â— cityes of the maine excepting those that inhabite Ida which are not referred to the former accompt This also Lesbos is impeopled with fyue sea Cityes planted in ylandes hauing once also possessed the sixte called Arisba with the Methymneans seduced and withdrew from the rest as alied to themselues in kyndred and lyneage There was also a citye founded in Tenedos and an other in the place called the hundred Iles. Now the people of Lesbos and Tenedos with the rest of the Graecians inuyroned by the sea had no cause to bee dismayed or troubled But the other cityes of the land determined to take such part as the Iones did and to follow them Wherefore the ambassadours of both nations in short space landing at Sparta they chose one Pythermus a Phocaean to be the mouth of y t rest and to reueale their suite to the Lacedaemonians who at y t fame of the ambassadours arryuall flockinge together in greate heapes Pythermus stoode forth in many wordes moued the Lacaedemonians to imploy their ayd assistance to succour the rest but they geuing litle eare to his talke w t out purpose to moue one foote in the behalfe of Ionia sente them away Pythermus and his company in this wise repulsed made speedy returne to Ionia Howbeit the Lacedaemonians desyrous to vnderstand the successe of Cyrus and the Graecians sent forth a bragandyne or shippe of espyall to prye and listen how all thinges wente Who beyng sodaynlye driuen to shore at Phocae a spyed one Lacrines the stoutest champyon in the rout of Sardis wher king Cyrus made his abode to geue hym to witt from the Lacaedemonians that he should not endamage or abuse the Grecians any way vnder payne of theyr heauye wrath and displeasure Cyrus hearyng the bold message of Lacrines demaunded
othe they closed the seconde tyme with their enemyes with whoÌ„ they persisted in valiaunt fight so longe as one man of their number remayned alyue All the Lycians which are called by the name of Xanthians and forreiners and arriued from straunge places except 40 familyes which by fortune at y e same tyme being oute of the city escaped death By this meanes came Xanthus into the handes of the Persians In like manner also the city Caunium was taken by them whose people for y e most part followed the example of the Lycians Harpagus therefore hauing added to the seate of Persia all the cityes the lower the superiour and hygher partes thereof Cyrus by his owne proper Mart and valiauncy had ouercome and vanquished leauing no part of the same free and vnsubdued Wherefore in presence we will leaue of to speake of the rest of their noble actes deedes letting passe many things wittingly for desire to reueale and displaye those thynges which to them selues were most labour some and difficulte and deserue to bee prynted in eternall memory Now when king Cyrus had brought into his power all the nations that lye in the mayne he leuied his whole streÌ„gth against the Assyrians There be many and great cities of Assyria but aboue all one especiall and pryncipall both in defence and dignitie surmounting the rest by name Babylon where after the occasion and ruine of Nynus was planted the seate and palace of the greate kinge This citye had the foundation and being in a wonderful huge playne and was builte and contriued into a foure square forme euery side thereof conteining in length an hundred and twenty acres Whereby it is euidente that the circuit and compasse of the whole city amouÌ„ted to the summe of 480 acres of grounde so greate and of so huge bygnes and amplitude was the mighty citye Babylon Moreouer within the walles faire and beautifull passing measure garnished set forth with rych and sumptuous buildings as no Citye whereof we haue notyce approacheth any thinge to the incomparable dignity of the same First of all it is cast about and incompassed with a wyde and deepe Ditch filled and implet with water in the nexte place is raysed a wall 50 royall cubits in thyckenesse and 200 in heigth a cubute royall contayninge three fyngers more then the vulgare common cubyte which we vsually follow in measuring It shall not be impertinent to y e matter to shew and declare to what vse seruice the earth was imployed which was cast and voyded out of the trench as also in what maner and forme the wal was builte Of the clay cast out and clensed from the ditche were drawed and framed certayne brickes which arysynge at length to a great multitude they were dryed and burnte in a kill or fornace Afterwardes closing the same togeather with morter betwixt euery thirtith course or row of brickes they layd y e â—oppes of canes or reedes dipped and steeped in boylyng lyme and first of in this manner they curbed and garded about the brinckes of the mote w t a list or hemme of brickes obseruing also the selfe same arte in the frame and workemanship of the wal On the toppe of the wall along the edges and margentes therof were built cituated certaine smal howses one story hygh facing and ful opposite one to an other betweene euery of the which was so much space and distance as a carte might haue gone betweene them Through the walles ther opened an 100 broad gates for passage and ingresse into the citye all of brasse with postes and hynges of the same Eyght dayes iourney from BabiloÌ„ is placed a city called Is fast by the which floweth a riuer of no great bygnes named also Is caryinge his streme into y e floude Euphrates This seely brooke scowreth through his chanel greate plenty of lyme wherof they had principall vse in the buildyng of the walles of Babilon Of the forme and description wherof sufficeth it thus to haue spoken How be it it behoueth vs to vnderstande that the citye Babylon ys cutt and sundered in twayne by the mayne streame of the rithe xiuer Euphrates which is very great deepe and swift of course and taking hys fyrst yssue from the mountaynes of Armaenia breaketh at the length and emptyeth yt selfe into the red sea The partition of the walles made by the intercourse of y e riuer shootes bppon the bankes on eyther syde which are breasted out and fortifyed with a countremure of bricke to kepe the waters from flowing into the citye The Citye it selfe is replenished with houses four storyes in heighte beyng also deuyded as it were chekered into sundry streets and lanes some leaÌ„dyng long wayes other some crosse and ouerthwort at the end of one streete openeth a brasen dore through the wall and countergard of the ryuer whereby the people haue accesse to the water And this wall is in defence of the citye agaynst the vyolence of the floud Moreouer in either part and region of the citye there is another wall not much inferyour in strenghe albeit in thicknesse somewhat lesse then the former One of these in y e one parte of the citye incloseth aboute the stately court and resyaunce of the Prince exceeding strong and of a mile compasse Likewise in the other parte of the Citie is a wall in the circle and closure whereof is conteined the Temple of Iupiter Belus wherevnto entry is made through the wall by mighty brasen gates standing yet in this our age to the open view and beholding of trauaylers This wall is built in maner of a quadrangle foure-square being on euery side two acres long In the middest of the Temple standeth a towre of sound worke very firme and solide without vaut or holownesse a furlong thicke and as much high on the top of the which was planted another towre which in like manner vphelde and vnderpropped the third wherevppon likewise were fiue other turrets placed each taking hys ground and foundation from the top of another On the outside of euery towre do winde certaine degrees of steps or stayres leading to the top or highest part of the same In the midway vp the stayres are framed certayne seates or benches for those that go vp to rest and breathe by the way In the top or supremity of the highest turret is another Chappell within the whiche is placed a bed decked with most costly and sumptuous furniture besides the which standeth a beautifull table of fine gold In this sacred house or vestry no image is erected neyther doth any creature lye in the same saue one woman alone beeing of the same countrey as the Priests of Babylon affirme and such a one as it pleaseth the god to choose for his owne dyet Who do also constantly reporte albeit I am hardly brought to beleeue it that the god himselfe entring into the Temple taketh vp his lodging in that chamber Like as also it falleth out at Thebes
dayes of this prince that Rhodope flourished but vnder the gouernement of Amasis many yeares passing from the tyme of those princes that planted the pyres to the dayes and age of Rhodope This gallaunt dame was by countrey a Thracian borne the bondmayd of one Iadmon whose abiding was in the land of Samos in the city of the god Vulcane who in the tyme of her bondage was fellowseruant with Aesope the inuenter of fables to whome this smooth minion had a monethes mind and more for which cause being giuen out by y e oracle at Delphos that it mighte be free for any man to slay Aesope that would and take pennaunce for his soule for his faulte committed there was none found that would put him to death but the nephew of Iadmon that came by his sonne who was also named Iadmon whereby we may gather that Aesope was a slaue and vassall to Iadmon The death of Aesope wounded Rhodope with so great feare that she tooke her flight foorthwith into Aegypt accompanyed by one Xanthus a Samian where she set foorth her selfe to the sale of such as rather then Venus should be shut out for a Sainct thought it no idolatrie to worship idols Whiles shee abode in Aegypt shee was redeemed and acquit of her seruitude by one Charaxus who purchased her libertie by a great summe of money This Charaxus was of the countrey of Mitilene sonne of Scamandronymus and brother to Sappho the notable poetresse By these meanes came Rhodope to be free and remayned still in Aegypt where she wanne so great credite and liking of all men that in shorte space she grewe to maruellous wealth beeing such as farre in deede surmounted the degree of Rhodope but yet amounted not to the buylding of a pyre By the tenth parte of whych her substaunce it is easie for any man to gesse that the masse and summe of money which she had gathered was no suche myracle as it is made to be For studying to be famous and remembred in Greece she deuised a worke which had neuer bene imagined or geuen by any other which in remembrance of her selfe she offered in the temple of Delphos Wherefore of the tenth parte of her riches which she sente to the temple she commaunded so many yron spittes to be made which were imployed to the rosting of oxen as the quantitie of the money woulde afoorde that was sente thyther by her These spittes at this present stande behynde the aultare whiche the people of Chios erected iust oueragainst the temple Howbeit such arrant honest women as are fishe for euery man haue in no place the like credite as in the city of Naucrates Forsomuch as this stalant of whome we speake had her fame so bruted in all places as almost there was none in Greece that had not hearde of the fame of Rhodope After whome there sprang vp also another as good as euer ambled by name Archidice whose vertues were blased very farre but not with like fame and renowne as her predecessour with whome Charaxus was so farre gone that retyring home to Mytelene he was almost besides himselfe as Sappho maketh mention inueyghing in verse agaynst hys folly We haue thus far digressed to speake of Rhodope we will now returne to the text agayne Next after Mycerinus ensued the raigne and dominion of Asychis by whome as the priests report was consecrated to Vulcane a princely gallerie standyng to the East very fayre and large wrought with most curious and exquisite workemanship For besides that it had on euery side embossed the straunge and liuely pictures of wilde beastes it had in a manner all the graces and sumptuous ornaments that coulde be imagined to the beautifying of a worke Howbeit amiddest other his famous deedes this purchased him the greatest dignitie that perceyuing the land to be oppressed with debt and many creditours like to be indamaged by great losse he inacted foorthwith that who so borrowed aught vppon credite shoulde lay to pledge the dead body of his father to be vsed at the discretion of the creditour and to be buryed by him in what manner he woulde for a pennaunce to all those that tooke any thing of loane prouiding moreouer that in case he refused to repay the debt he should neyther be buryed in the tombe of his fathers nor in any other sepulchre neyther himselfe nor the issue that should descend and spring of his body This prince desiring to surpasse all that had bene before him left in memorie of himselfe an excellente pyre built all of clay wherein was a stone set ingrauen in these wordes Compare me not to the rest of the pyres which I surmount as farre as Iupiter excelleth the meaner gods for searching the bottome of the riuer with a scoupe looke what clay they brought vp the same they employed to the building of me in such forme and bignesse as you may beholde And this did Asychis imagine to aduance the fame of himselfe to the time to come After whome the scepter was held by one Anysis a blynde man inhabiting in a city called after his owne name Anysis In time of whose raigne Sabbacus King of Aethyopia inuaded Aegypt with a mightie power Where at the poore blinde King greatly affrighted crope priuily away and gayned a priuie couert in the marrishe places of the countrey leauyng the gouernement to Sabbacus his enemie whiche ruled the same 50. yeares whose actes are mentioned to haue beene these If any of the Aegyptians made a trespasse he neuer vsed to do any man to death for his offence but according to y e quantity of his fault to enioyne him to arrere make higher by forreine supply of earth and stone some parte of the city wherein he dwelt for which cause the cities became very high and eminent being much more loftely situated then before For first of all in time of Sesostris such earth as was cast out of the trenches which were made to geue the water a course to the cities that were farre off was employed to the eleuation aduancing of the lowe townes and now agayne vnder this Aethyopian they had increase of fresh earth and grew to be very high and lofty Amongst the rest the noble city of Bubastis seemeth to be very haughty highly planted in which city is a temple of excellent memory dedicate to the goddesse Bubastis called in our speach Diana then the which albeit there be other churches both bigger and more richly furnished yet for the sightly grace and seemelynesse of building there is none comparable vnto it Besides the very entrance and way that leadeth into the city the rest is informe of an Ilande inclosed round about with two sundry streames of the riuer Nilus which runne to either side of the path way and leauing as it were a lane or causey betweene them without meeting take their course another way These armes of the floud are eache of them an hundred foote broade beset on both
promises to abide with him which being by him in like sorte obteyned with this fresh supply of forreyne ayde and the helpe of such Aegyptians as fauoured his cause he prouided against the rest of the princes Hauing the whole gouernemente alone he made in the city of Memphis certayne porches sacred to the god Vulcane lying vpon the South winde and oueragainst the porches a fayre large haule dedicated to Apis wherein the god Apis at suche time as he appeared was releeued and nourished This place was beset round with stately pillers and ingrauen with sundrie similitudes and imbossements of beastes foules and fishes Wherein also in place of some pillers are planted diuers fayre images of no lesse then twelue cubites in bignesse To these forreiners of Caria and Ionia by whome he was holpen in his warres Psammetichus gaue certayne manner places to dwell in lying on each side of the riuer Nilus called the Tentes whereof beeing possessed he performed all such promises besides that were couenaunted betweene them Moreouer he put vnto them certayne yong impes of the Aegyptians to be instructed in the Greeke language from whome by discent of issue came those which are now interpreters in Aegypt and vse the Greeke tongue A long time did the people of Ionia and Caria inhabite those places lying against the sea somewhat aboue the city of Bubastis situate at the mouth of Nilus which is called Pelusiacum from whence they were afterwardes translated by King Amasis into the city Memphis to gard him against the Aegyptians After the Greekes were thus setled in Aegypt the people of Greece had traffique thither by which meanes such affayres as were atchieued in that countrey from Psammitichus following are certaynely knowne of vs without any errour These were the first that inhabited Aegypt being of a diuers language from the homelings In like manner from whence they fleeted thither the reliques of their ships wherein they came the olde postes and groundreels of their houses were shewed me And these were the meanes whereby Psammitichus obteyned the dominiou of Aegypt As touching the oracle or seate of prophecie we haue made many wordes and will make more as of a thing most worthy to be mentioned This oracle is planted in the temple of the goddesse Latona in a great city named Butis standing against the mouth of Nilus which is called Sebenniticum into the which they haue entry that from the vpper parte of the sea cut against the streame In this city also are the temples of Apollo and Diana and the great pallace of Latona wherein is the place of diuination hauing a gallery belonging to it tenne paces high Heerein suche things as might lawfully be seene and deserued greatest admiration of those I meane to make report In this temple of Latona is a small chappell framed of one stone whose walles beeing of equall heigth were in length forty cubites which semblably was coped ouer the top with another stone beeing foure cubites in thickenesse Wherefore of all those things that were pertayning to the temple there was nothing that deserued greater woonder then this little chappell Next to this is an Ilande called Echemmis standing in the middest of a deepe and wide lake a little besides the chiefe temple whiche the Aegyptians suppose to swimme and to be borne vp of the waters Howbeit I neither sawe it swimme nor mooue maruayling very much if it were true that an Iland should be caryed in the waters In this Ile is planted the temple of Apollo a greate and sumptuous building lykewyse three rewes of aultares and many fayre palme-trees some very kynde and bearing fruite other fruitelesse and barren The Aegyptians also render a cause of the swimming of this Ilande saying thus that at what time Latona which is one of the eyght saints that are of greatest antiquity amongst them dwelt in the city of Butis whereas nowe the oracle is helde she tooke the sauegard of Apollo commended vnto her by his mother Isis and preserued hys lyfe in the same Ilande beeyng at that tyme stedfast and immoueable when as Typhon made so diligente searche in all places to finde out the sonne of Osyris For heere we must vnderstande that thys people imagine Apollo and Diana to be the children of Dionisius and Isis and that Latona was but theyr nourse and bringer vp that delyuered them from perill Apollo in the Aegyptian tongue is called Horus Ceres hath the name of Isis Diana of Bubastis from whence Aeschilus the sonne of Euphorion drew his opinion which alone of all the rest of the poets maketh Diana daughter to Ceres after which euent the Ile say they became loose and was marked to floate and mooue in the water Psammitichus gouerned in Aegypt 54. yeares 29. of the which he spent in the asseige of the great city of Syria which at length he subdued This city is called Azotus which of all the cities that euer wee hearde of susteyned the longest assaulte Insuing the raigne of Psammitichus the gouernemente of the countrey fell to Necus hys sonne by whome first of all was the channell digged that leadeth to the red sea whyche afterwardes was cast afreshe and made deeper by Darius the Persian The length of thys course was foure dayes sayling the breadth such as two reasonable vessels of three oares apeece might well sayle in it together The water which is deriued from Nilus into this channell floweth into it alittle aboue the city Bubastis against a towne of Arabia named Patumon and so continueth hys course vnto the red Sea They beganne first to digge from the playne of Aegypt towardes Arabia for all the countrey aboue the playne is filled and occupyed wyth a course of greate mountaynes neere vnto the citie Memphis wherein are many pittes and quarries of stone wherefore from the roote of thys mountayne is the channell deriued continuing a long course towardes the East vntyll it come to the place where the hyll parteth in twayne whyche distaunce and separation betweene the mountaynes openeth to the South regions and leadeth to the narrow seas of Arabia In the digging of thys course there perished an hundred and twentie thousande of the people of Aegypt When thys enterprise was halfe done Necus brake off and lefte it vnfinished being discouraged by a prophecie that tolde hym that hee toyled for the profite and behoofe of a Barbarian The Aegyptians tearme them all Barbarians which are of a sundry language Necus therefore leauing hys worke vnfinished applyed hys studie to the prouision of warre gathering souldyers and preparing a fleete of warring Shippes some of the which were builte at the North Seas others in the strayghtes of Arabia at the red Sea some tokens whereof are yet to be seene in the same places Thys Fleete he employed in hys affayres continuallie so long as it fitted hym to the vse of warre Forsaking afterwards the Sea and giuing himselfe to battailes by the land where in a conflict with the
hys hand she priuely placed behynd the same dore from whence Gyges afterwardes arysing bereaued Candaules of his life and obtayned both hys wyfe and his kingdome Whereof also Archilocus Parius who was liuing at the same tyme maketh mention in a verse named lambie Trimeter To bee short Gyges proclaymed himselfe kyng and was established in the gouernment by the oracle from Delphos For when as the Lydidians greatly disdayning at the heauy lotts of Candaules arose and were all in armoure they came to agreement w t them that mayntayned the cause of Gyges that wherehe was pronouÌ„ced kyng by y e oracle he should raygne in peace if otherwyse the supreme authority should bee restored to y e bloud of Hercules Counsayle beynge demaunded of the oracle the gouernment and principall authoritye was assygned to Gyges Albeyt Pythia miÌ„gling hony w t gall threatned a reuenge to come vpon y e son of Gyges nephewes nephew or fift in line all discent from himselfe which sayng neither the Lydians nor their princes any thing regarded vntil such tyme as the end had confirmed it Gyges beynge in full possession of the kyngdome sent many giftes to Delphos to the Temple of Apollo whereof the greater part were framed of siluer and besides the siluer a mightye summe of Gold How beit amonges diuerse his presentes one is most worthy memory to wit 6 dishes of golde offred by hym wayghing thirty talentes which were safely garded in the close treasurye of the Corynthians Albeit to speake truth the treasure wee speake of was not proper to the people of Corinth but rather to Cypselus the sonne of Aetion In this manner was Gyges the first king of the Barbarians of whom we haue notice that presented any gyftes at the temple of Delphos saue only Mydas sonne to the noble Gordius and king of Phrigia For Mydas also consecrated a sumptuous chayre of estate wherin he was accustomed to sit and administer iustice very princely and beautiful to behold which was kept and coÌ„serued in the same place where y e golden dishes of Gyges lay The gold and siluer offred by Gyges was termed by the people of Delphos Gygeum or Gygades taking the name of the geuer Beyng setled in hys emperiall dignitye he warred agaynst Myletus and Smyrna and toke the city Colophon by force of armes neither any other act besides this was atchieued byhim albeithe raigned thirty eyght years we wil therfore passe froÌ„ him to hys some named Ardyis who as heire apparaunt to the crowne succeeded his father in the state royall Ardyis conquered the Prienensis and inuaded Miletus in the tyme of whose raygne the people called Cymmerians dispossessed of their owne seats by the Scithians surnamed Nomades came into Asia and adueÌ„turing vpon Sardis the seate of prince Ardyis toke the Citye excepting onely the towre and chiefe castle of defence Ardyis hauyng ruled the kingdome forty nyne yeares then left yt afterward vnto hys Sonne and Heire called Sadyattes who gouerned the same the space of twelue yeares After him the Scepter descended to Halyattes who ioyned battayle with Cyaxares sonne of Beioces and hys people the Medes banishing the Cymmerians out of Asia Moreouer by the same was the Citye Smyrna surprised lying neere vnto Colophon lykewyse the famous Citye Clazomenae valyauntlye assayled wherfore notwithstandynge his noble courage was daunted and he was forst to depart destitute of his hope other thinges also were done by hym in tyme of hys warfare verye worthye of memory which are these following In his warre with the Milesians left vnto hym by hys father he practised thys meanes in beâ—ieging the Citye In time of haruest the grayne beyng ready for the sickle he sent in his army marching with the sound of fluites and pypes which beyng comen into the fieldes of the ennemye their houses they left vntouched onely wasted the trees and fruictes of the region which done they eftsoones retyred to the place from whence they came For the Milesians hauing intelligence of their ennemyes approach forsooke theyr city and dwelling houses and fled to the Sea so that it behoued not the ennemy to stay there hys dryft and purpose in not spoyling the mansion places of his aduersaryes was onele this that the Milesians hauing place wherin to dwell might returne agayne from the Sea to till and sow the grounde which might geue him occasion to râ—enter with his power and bring their labours to none effect In this manner hee inuaded the countrey for terme of xi yeares wherein the Milesians suffred two notable foyles The first in Lemeneium a place so called in their owne countrey The second in a certayne field named Meander Sixe of these eleuen yeares did Sadyattes the sonne of Ardyis raygne in Lidya and beginning the Milesian warre troubled his enemyes by perpetuall inuasions and often conflictes For other fyue years hys sonne Halyattes main tayned the quarel receyued of his father In all the tyme of this warre none of the people of Ionia gaue succour to the Milesians saue onely the inhabitauntes of Chios who hauing before tyme bene ayded by them in the battayle which they fought with the Erythaeans shewing mutuall goodwil sent them now a supply in their like extremityes In the xii yeare Halyattes despoyling the fieldes in lyke sort as before it chaunced that whyle the corne was on fyre a great tempest arose caried the flames violently to y e temple of Minerua surnamed Assessia burnt y e pallaice of y e Goddesse welnigh to the ground Which thing at that present was lightly regarded of hym but being with his army returned to Sardis he fell sicke and beyng much enfeebled with the vehemency of his maladye whether of his owne heade or by the counsayle of others moued thervnto sent to Dephos to the God for the recouery of his health welfare when the messengers were come Pythia refused to geue them answeare before they had repaired the temple of Miuerua which the fyer had consumed at Assessum This I heard with myne owneares at Delphos whyle I there soiorned Hereunto y e Milesians adde besydes y e Periander the sonne of Cypselius hearing what answeare Haliattes had geuen hym by the oracle in all hast possible dispatched a messenger to Thrasibulus theÌ„ King of Miletus his faythful familiar frend to admonish him to workesome deuyse how to delyuer himselfe hys countrey from the perpetual molestation of his enemyes Halyattes hauing receiued these nowes sent incontinent to Miletus for composition of a truce till such tyme as the temple was renewed and erected agayn The ambassadoures being arriued Thrasibulus which knew the cause of their coÌ„ming and vnderstoode the purpose of Halyattes framed this deuise what Corne soeuer was in the city ether of his owne or in the possession of others he commaunded it all to bee brought into the Market place and there to be layed in one heape This done he gaue in especial charge to all the citye
and deuoured in hope the whole gouernment and empyre of Cyrus Wherfore he returned a messeÌ„ger w t a fresh present to Pythia and for euery one their abyding whom he hadde intelligence to be verie many 2. ounces of Gold For which his magnificent bounty the people of Delphos to shew themselues thankefull agayne yeelded hym the chiefe preheminece in counsayling the oracle the principall place in sitting and a perpetuall priuilege of a voice suffragie for any man that should be adopted into the society of Delphos on this maner Craesus powred out his presente vppon the temple of Apollo solliciting the God by a third demaund for that hauing tryed the oracle to be true hee now tooke his pentworthes in aduyse and counsayle His question at this tyme was dyrected only to know how longe hee should enioy the kingdome of Persia whom Pythia answeared in these wordes VVhen seate and Scepter of the Medes vppon a mule shall light To stony Hermus valiant lyde addresse thy speedy flight It shall be then no shame to flye And yeld to such an enemy With these verses Craesus was much more delyghted then with the former assuredly hoping that y e tyme should neuer be wherin a Mule should gouerne the Medes in stid of a man and for the same cause neyther hee nor his heyres should at any tyme be driuen to forsake the kingdome His next care was how make frendes and copartners of those which among thee Grekes were of greattest might noblest mind whoÌ„ by curious enquyry he fouÌ„d to be the LacedaemoniaÌ„s Athenians y t one beyng y t most exceleÌ„t amoÌ„g y â— Dores y â— other in the Nation of the Iones without coÌ„parison chefest Of these 2 nations ther hath ben an auncient and grounded opinion as concerning their virtue Wherof the one toke their begynning and original of Pelaâ—gos the other of Helen or Grece The later of these two neuer altered their soyle but alwayes kept the same place of abode The other making often charge wandred very much For in the tyme of king Deucalion they helde a coast called Phthiotis and vnder Dorus the sonne of Hellen a certayne region bounding vppon the mountaynes Ossa and Pyndus by name Istyaeotis from whence beyng cast out and chased by the Cadmeans they inhabited a place in Pyndus which theycal Macedonus How beit fleeting agayne from thence into Driopis they came at length to Poloponesus were surnamed the nation Doricke What toung or language the Pelagians vsed I cannot certaynly affyrme but by gesse yt seemeth to haue bene the verye same that those Pelasgians vse which somewhat aboue the Tyrrhenians possesse y t city Crotona in time neighbours to them whom the now call Dores at what tyme they peopled a region in Thessalye the like may be gathered by those PelasgiaÌ„s that built the city Plaecia and Sylax and were in league felowship with the Athenians By these I saye wee may rightly coniecture that y e language which was then in vse which the Pelasgians was very grosse and barbarous For the Cretoniatae Platiens differ in speech from those that lye next them but betweene themselues they vse both one toung and euidently declare that they kept the selfe same phrase and manner of talke since their first comming into those countreys So that if al the people of Pelasges were such they also that dwelt in Attica and the rest of the Pelasgian cityes whatsoeuer that chauÌ„ged their name at their first arriual into Hellen forgat also let slip out of memory their mother tounge But the Greekes themselues as I iudge haue without chaunge from the beginning retained the same kynd of language and wheras beyng seuered distinguished from the Pelasgians they wer very weake and feeble in might of a smal and tender beginning they grew to great increase by concurse of many nations and huge multitudes of the Barbarians repayring thither In lyke sort I suppose that the people of Pelasgos beyng barbarous remayned at a stay without amplifyinge and augmenting their strength and gouermnent Craesus therfore had notice that the countrye of Attica was inhabited by these people and at that time iniuriously dealt withall and kept in subiection by Pisistratus the son of Hipocrates who ruled then as a Tyrant at Athens hys father beyng a priuate man and bearyng no rule in the coÌ„mon weale whilst he beheld the games at Olympus yt chaunced hym to see a verye straunge and most wonderfull miracle For hauing prepared sacrifyce to the Goddes the chalderne filled with flesh and water without any fyre vnder it boyled and played in such sort that the water ran ouer the brymmes of the vessayl which thing ChiloÌ„ a Lacedaemonian vewing who then happily was present gaue him counsayle in no wyse to marye a wyfe that was a breeder or of a fruitful wombe and if so be he were already maryed hee willed him to forsake and renounce his wyfe thyrdlye if by her he were indued with a man childe to make ryddaunce therof and conuay it away But Hipocrates geuing litle care to his tale begat afterward Pisistratus who in the broyle and controuersie betweene the inhabiters of y t shore chiefe wherof was Megacles sonne of Alcmaeon and the people of the playne who had to their captayne Lycurgus sprong of Aristolades made a third tumult seeking and affecting a tyrannicall and vnlawful gouernment and gatheryng togeather a company of rebellions and seditious persons vnder preteÌ„ce of ayding the people of the mountains wrought this subtiltye hauing wounded him selfe and hys mules he came flynging amayne into the market place w t his charyot as on new escaped from his enemyes whom they as he fained taking his iorney into y â— couÌ„trey soughte for to haue slayne For this cause he made humble sute and petition to the peoplefor y â— gard and defence of his body hauing tryed himselfe to be a valeaunt Captayne in the voyage and setting forth agaynst Megara at what tyme being generall of the army he toke Nysaea and atchieued other famous valiant actes The people of Athens induced to beleue hiÌ„ appoynted for his sauegard custody certain choise tryed men of the citezens who being armed not w t spears but w t clubs were always wayting attendant on him w t whoÌ„ Pisistratuâ— geuing a violent assault to y â— town chiefe hold of the city toke it by y t means vsurped y t empire of y â— Athenians Neuertheles w tout chauÌ„ge or alteratioÌ„ of magistraties or lawes obseruing stil y t same forme of gouernment he adorned beautified the City in excellent manner But he had not long enioyed yt when as the souldiours of Megacles and Lycurgus came to a truce and conspiring togeather cast him out of the city In this manner did Pysistratus first aspire to the chiefe rule of Athens which he was eftsones constrayned to leaue before his tyrannye had taken roote They
tyme was not long after but hys aduersaryes renewed their quarel and fell at varyaunce and debate a fresh wherwith Megacles being tyred dispatched an harrold of peace to Pisistratus offring him his daugher in meryage with condition of the kingdome Which hee not refusing they deuysed a meanes to restore him againe in myfancy very fonde and ridiculous especially yf these men beyng of the number of the Athenians who had the name to be the most wyse and prudent people of the Graetians pleased themselues onely with a deuise so foolish and base There lyeued in the Trybe of Paean a woman named Phya of stature foure cubits high wanting three fingers furnished with seemly beauty whom hauing arayed in coÌ„pleite harneis they placed in a Charyot gallantly attyred to the shew in which habite as she passed through y â— streets of the citye there ranne some before hir cryinge ye people of Athens receyue willingly Pisistratus againe whom Minerua esteeming worthy the greatest honor amongest men hath in her owne person brought back into the tower The citezens supposing it had bene the Goddesse indede bowed themselues and honouryng her admitting agayne Pisistratus for their liefe soueraygne Pysistratus hauinge in such sort recouered the kingdome vppon a couenant made with Megacles toke his daughter to wife But hauing 2 yosig youthes to his sonnes and hearyng moreouer the whole lineage of Alcmaeon to be atteinted and guilty of an hainous cryme agaynst y â— Goddesse vnwilling for that cause to haue any children by his new wife accompanied with her vnlawfully and agaynst nature which beyng a long tyme by her concealed and kept secrete at last eyther vppon demaund or of her owne free will she reuealed it to her mother who also made her husband acquaynted with the matter Megacles taking in ill part the slaunder contumelie done hym by Pysistratus brought him in displeasure hatred with y â— souldiours which thing he perceiuing fled y â— couÌ„trey and came to Eretria to aske counsayle of his sonnes Amongest whom the sentence of Hyppias seeming to be the best wher by he was incited once again to lay clayme to the kingdom they made a gathering throughout all cityes with whom they had any smal acquayntance many of the which made liberall contribution especially the Thebans In fyne to comprise the matter in breefe y e time was come al things were in a readines for his returne For ouâ— of Pâ—â—oponnesus there resorted to him certaine Arguies marching vnder pay a captayne of Naxos named Lygdamis who of his owne accord made offer of his seruice being very wel furnished w t men and money which gaue theÌ„ great alacrity and encouragmeÌ„t to go forward in their attempts In so much as setting forth from Eretria the II. yeare after his flighte from Athens fyrst of all he toke the citie Marathon in Attica wher hauing incaÌ„ped his army there repayred to him diuers seditious felowes out of the city out of al y â— tribes very many who liked better a tyrannical empyre theÌ„ a free state Whlst Pisistratus leuied many for his affaires held himselfe at Marathon y â— Athenians which kept within the city made light of the matter vntil such tyme as hearing him to be dislodged froÌ„ thence to draw towardes y e citye they put themselues in array and went forth to encounter hym Wherfore with might and mayne they valiauntye set forward to mayntayne and defend their liberty agaynst the enemy Likewyse Pisistratus and hys confederates came fiercely agaynst the city till both the armyes met ioyntlye in one fielde where approachinge neere vnto the Temple of Mynerua Pallenis and disposinge all hys Armye in order there came vnto him Amphilytus Acarnen a prophet who being inspired with a deuine motioÌ„ vttered this oracle in verse The bayte is layed the nets are cast The fish inclosde shall play apace VVhen Phoebe from the glistring Skyes In view reueales her golden face Which Pisistratus perceiuing to be a prophecye of hys good successe immediately gaue the â—â—cet and encountered y â— Athenians which were come forth of the city who hauing then newly dyned and beyng partly set to dice partly taken with sleepe welny without resistaunce he put them to flight and wanne the field Neuertheles in the pursuite he found out a way how nether the Athenians might be spoyled in such sort neyther yet ioyne themselues and come togeather agayne to his further trouble Wherefore hauing caused certayne of his seruauntes to mount on horsebacke he sent them spedely after the people to bid theÌ„ bee of good courage and euery one to depart to his own house Whervnto the willingly obaying Pisistratus raygned the thyrd tyme in Athens establishing fortifyiÌ„g the tyranny as wel by supply of forrayne power as by reuenues of hys money which he leuyed partly from his owne countrey men and in part also from the riuer Strymon In like manner the children of those men that yeelded not the fyrst but bare the brunt of the battell he toke in hostage and sent them ouer to Napos which Isle after he had conquered brought in subiection he committed the gouernment administratioÌ„ therof to Lygdanus hauing heretofore also halowed purged the Isle Delos according to the oracle which hee clensed in this sort Out of all those places that weare with in the view and prospect of the temple he caused the corses and deade Bodyes to be digged vp and buryed in another place of the Island In this wise some if the Athenians beyng slayne in battayle other fled away togeather with the houshold and family of Megacles Pisistratus obtained y t seat roial whom Craesus vnderstode at the same tyme to beare rule in Athens He heard moreouer that the Lacedaemonians hauing escaped a scowring were triumphant conquerous ouer y â— Tegeates For in the raygne of Leon and Hegesicles princes of Sparta the Lacedaemonians hauing right good euent in al their enterprises and affaires were commonly repulsed and fayled by the Tegeates The selfe same before tyme were the most disordered and lawlesse people of the Graetians vsing no coÌ„munity or felowship eyther betwene themselues or with straungers Notwithstanding they were reduced to a more orderlye kynd of gouernment by Lycurgus a maÌ„ of approued virtue amongest the people of Sparta Who comming to the oracle at Delphos and being entered into the teÌ„ple Pithya saluted him in these termes VVelcome vnto my pallace noble knight Beloued of Ioue and those that rule aboue For God or man to blase thee out aright In doubtful waues my wandering mynd dothmoue Yet to the first by force I do enclyne And deme thy state not earthly but diuyne Some are of opinion y t the lawes and statutes which are now in force with the Lacedaemonians were vttered told him by Pythia Howbeit themselues affyrme that Lycurgus beyng both tutor and vucle to young Leobotuâ— Kynge of the Spartans brought these ordinances
of this history shalbee declared Craesus therefore moued with displeasure requyred of the Oracle whether he might proclaime war agaynst Persia hauing receiued a double deceitful answere deeming it to make w t him went out w t his army to assaile fight against a certain part of the PersiaÌ„ dominioÌ„ And approching neare to the Riuer Halis as I iudge hee trailed and convewed ouer his armye by brigges built vppon the water but as some of the Graecians affyrme hee passed the ryuer by the means of Thales Milesiê° who deuised another way For Craesus standiÌ„g at a bay vncertayn what way to passe the water for asmuch as the brygges which are now made for passage as then were none at al Thales Milesius being then in the campe inuented a meanes to chauÌ„ge the course of the water and cause the ryuer that ranne on the righte side of the army to flow on left Hee made therefore to bee dygged a mighty deepe trench or dytch begynninge aboue the tentes and procedinge in compas lyke a Mone on the backside of the host whereinto the water hauing issue froÌ„ the proper chanel became so low and fleet that the ryuer on both partes was passable easy to be waded Some holde opinion that the olde course of the riuer was hereby wholly altered and became drye from whom I dissent For by what meanes the regresse of Craesus into Lydia could the armye haue retyred ouer Craesus hauing recouered the other syde of Halis came into a part of Cappadocia named Pteria safely situated and neere adioyning to the city Synopis that lyeth to the sea Euxinum where hauing encamped his whole power hee spoyled and foraged the mannours and ferme places of the Syrians subduinge also and sacking the city Pteria More ouer he vanquished many other cityes rouÌ„d about casting out the Syrians that neuer offended hym wherof Cyrus hauinge aduertisement gatheryng an armye of the myddle part of hys countrey came out to meete him notwithstanding first he sollicited the Iones to reuolt from Craesus which they refusing hee marched on forward and encamped agaynst the Lydians Where the Armyes beyng in viewe the one Armye to the other and hauinge geuen signes of defyaunce they ioyned in force and cruell battayle wherein many beynge slayne on eyther syde and Nyght drawyng very nere they blew the retrayte the victory remayning on neyther part But Craesus laying for his excuse the small number of his men as farre exceeded by Cyrus in multitude of Souldiours the next day following the Persians abstaining from battayle he moued his campe and repayred backe to Sardis in mynd to summon and call out the Aegiptians according to couenaunt with whose king Amasis he had concluded a league before euer he attempted the Lacedaemonians purposing besides to challenge the helpe of the Babilonians promised and auowed to him by league and composition Not forgetting also to clayme the assistaunce of the Lacedaemonians appoynting them a day to bee present at Sardis that hauing made a generall assembly of all his power and taken his ease that winter he might ymmediatlye at the beginninge of the next springe lay charge to the kingdome of Persia by a new and fresh assault Whilst hee leueled at this mark he sent abroad heroldes to his league fellowes and friendes with earnest requeste that the fifte moneth after they would come togeather and mete at Sardis Lyke wyse the souldiers stipendary which hee hyred and conducted to ayde him agaynst the Persians he disseuered and sent away nothing doubtinge least Cyrus with whom so short tyme before he had fought euen hand with out disuantage should aduenture to come nere approche to Sardis In this sort reasoning the case and debating with himselfe yt fortuned that all the suburbes places conterminate to the city were filled with aboundance of Snakes and Adders which the horse leauing their pasture foode swallowed greedily and in moustruous sort eate vp and deuoured Which Craesus adiudging as it was to be a tokeÌ„ on premonstration of some 〈…〉 to come sente to the Southsayers 〈…〉 The messengers y â— went were 〈…〉 y â— sence and signification of 〈…〉 they neuer brought newes therof to Craesus who before their returne to Sardis was taken captyne The wyse men Telmisses declared vnto them y â— Craesus should be set vppon with a forrayne army which shoulde vanquish and subdue the towne borne and natural people of the countrey alleaging that y â— snake was the child of the earth properly bred and ingen dred of the grouÌ„d but the horse an enemy and a forrainer This meanyng and exposition the Telmisses sent backe agayne to Craesus but now captiue altogeather ignorant of these thinges which befell vnto hym and also to hys Citye Sardis Cyrus a certayned of the determination of Craesus that presently after the conflict at Pteria hee was in purpose to disperse scatter his army thought it expedient in al hast possible to remoue hys host to Sardis to intercept and preuent his ennemy or euer he could assemble the Lydians agayne which aduise he altogeather allowed put in practise and spedely arryuing into Lydia with his power was hymselfe a messenger unto Craesus of his comming Craesus cast into a greate pensiuenes and anguish of mynd to se himselfe so farre deceiued of his accompt notwithstanding put the Lydians in array to battayle At that tyme there was no nation in the worlde neyther in value might neyther in haughty courage magnanimity equall and comparable to the Lydians who commonly warred on horseback as most expert nymble in ryding weaponed with speares of a meruailous length The field wherin the fight was committed lyeth before the citye Sardis through the which both other ryuers haue a pleasaunt and delyghtsome course and chieflye the famous ryuer Hellus flowynge into the mayne streame called Hermus which taking hys yssue and first head from the sacred Mountayne of the holye mother Dyndimena ys caryed wholly into the Sea not farre from the City Phocyas In this field Cyrus beholding the Lydians prepared to the battayle and greatly dreading the prowesse and puissaunce of theyr horsemen determined by the counsayle of Harpagus the Mede to put in execution this straunge deuise hauing gathered together all the Camelles that folowed the Army and disburdened them of theyr loades of corne and vessels wherewith they wer charged he caused certain meÌ„ to sit on them apparelled in a robe accustomably worne of of the Persian Horsemen Whome in this sorte attyred hee gaue in charge to march in the forefronte of the battayle aagaynst the horsemen of the Lydians After these incontynently followed the footemen and in the laste ranke were placed the horsemen into whych order and aray hauing directed and contryued his Armie he straightly commauÌ„ded them to spare none of the Lydians but whomesoeuer they found to make resistaunce him to dispatch and slay presently Craesus onely excepted towards whome he warned
that no violence should be shewed how peruerslie soeuer he behaued himselfe This charge geuen he caused his Camels to proceede forward agaynst the Lydian ryders to this ende for that a horse is very much afrayd of a Camell and can neither away with the sight of him nor abyde his smel Which pollicy he founde out to defeate Craesus of his greattest hope whose chiefest confideÌ„ce he knew to be placed in the streÌ„gth and virtue of his horsemen Asigne of battayle beyng geueÌ„ and the armies comming to the close the Lydian coursers what with the sight and sent of the camels fledd backe and retyred violently which clean discouraged Craesus and put him out of hope But the Lydians nothing abashed therat as hauing learned the cause alyghted spedily and buckled with the Persians on foote tyll at length manye fallyng on ether side they were forced to flye and gard them selues with the walles of the city beyng inuyroned by the PersiaÌ„s with a siege which siege Craesus supposing to put of and delay for a long time sent other messengers from y e walles to his freyndes and confederates hauinge by the first set downe and prefyned the fift moneth ensuinge for the tyme of their assembly Contrariwise by these he requested and desyred mature and speedy ayde beyng held at a baye and inclosed within the walles and gates of hys citye The messengers vndertoke a speedy course as well to other nations as to the Lacedemonians his assured frendes It fortuned that at the same tyme there fell a strife and contention betwene the men of Sparta and Argos about a certayne field called Thyrea which grounde albeit properly belonging to the Arguies was vnlawfullye helde backe and retayned by the Spartans For what land soeuer in the mayne bendeth and inclyneth toward the West as farre as Malea is peculier and appertinent to the Argiues with the tytle also and dominion of certayne Isles in the number wherof is reckoned Cythera Therfore the people of Argos gathering an army for the recouerye of theire owne territory and freedome they fel to condition for the matter to be tryed out by coÌ„bratry of three hundred choise men on eyther syde consenting and agreeing that the right of the lande should follow the victorers Prouiding moreouer that both the armyes should forsake the field and retyre home least beynge presente they might be moued to succour y e part that was most distressed The couenant ratifyed and confirmed betwene them they departed each to theyr owne cityes The partyes syngled out and delected from both armyes remayning behynd gaue byter assault each to other continued the combate til such tyme as of sixe hundred there were left but three men alyue the battayle beynge interupted and broken of by the nere approach and comming of the euening The remayneÌ„tes were these Two of the Argyues Aleinor and Chromius who in manner of conquerours hastened their steps to Argos one of the Lacedaemonians named Othryades who dispoyling the deade bodyes of the Argyues caried their weapons to his tentes keping himselfe in his due order and array The next day the cause beyng known the people of both Cityes were present in y e field laying equall clayme to the victory The Argyues for that the men on their syde escaped and remayninge aliue were more in number The Lacedaemonians for that the Argyues fled the field and their men onely abode behynde taking the spoyle of his slayne enemyes Incontinently fallyng from sowre woordes to sad blowes many were lost on both partes and the conquest atchieued by the Lacedaemonians Since which time the people of Argos shauing their heads wheras of necessity before time they nourished their hayre made a law with a solemne and religious vowe neuer to suffer their lockes to grow or their women to weare gold before they had recouered the field of Thyrea On the other side the Lacedaemonians decreed from that tyme forward to goe long headed contrary to their former vse custome But Othryades the onely suruiuour of 300. Spartans moued with shame and greefe that the rest of hys coÌ„pany were vanquished by the Argyues w t his owne handes ended his owne lyfe in the field of Thyrea Whyle these thinges were fresh at Sparta the Lydian herauld arryued to intreat ayde and helpe for Craesus whoÌ„ they hauing heard thought meete without delay to assyste and succoure him Wherâ—â—ore puttynge themselues in a readines and being at the point to take shipping to Sardis there came another messenger with newes that the wall bulwarke of the Lydians was scald and Craesus himselfe takeÌ„ alyue Wherat the Lacedaemonians greatly greued esteeming themselues to haue suffered no small losse altered the intent of their purposed voyage Furthermore the conquest and winning of Sardis was in this sort Cyrus hauing layne at a siege the space of 14. dayes sent coursers about his army and propounded a great reward to him that first scaled y e city wall which beyng oftentimes in vayne enterprysed by the whole armye when the rest were quiet a certain Mardane by name Hyraeades sought speedy meanes to ascend and clymbe the wall on that part which was naked and vndefended of the Lydians neuer fearyng or suspecting least the citye should be taken on that side which for the roughnesse and craggines therof was demed inuincible On which syde onely Meles first kynge of Sardis had not lead hys bastard sonne Leo The wise men of Telmisses holding opinion that vppon what part of the walles soeuer this Leo passed they shoulde become inexpugnable and not to be vanquished Meles therfore by all partes of the citye walles wherby any daungerous assault mighte laye to the Towne lead and trayned hys vnlawful sonne omitting that syde only which lieth toward Tmolus for that he thought it to be of power and strength sufficient agaynst the vyolent charge and counterpease of the enemy From this part the Mardane Hyraeades hauinge marked a Lydian descending the day before to recouer his helmet thither tombled downe considered with hymselfe and began to attempt the lyke After whom followed other of the Persians who consequently wer pursued by the rest in great routes and multitudes By which meanes y e citye Sardis was taken and sacked Amids this distresse and 〈…〉 eame misery ther chauÌ„ced to Craesus a verye rare and straunge miracle hauinge a dumbe sonne of whom wee made mention before hee toke greate care and wroughte all meanes possible whyle hys kingdome flourished to recure his malladye approuinge and trying aswell other thinges as also the aduyse and sentence of the oracle To whose demaund Pythia made this aunswere Thou vnaduysed Lydian King what makes thee take such care To yeeld vnto thy silent sonne the freedome of his toung The gayne God wot is not so greate thou mayst it wel forbeare The day drawes on when he shall speake for which thou nedes not long Now the walles beynge taken a certayne souldiour of y e Persians came vyolently towards
Craesus to haue done him to death not supposing him to haue bene the king Whom he perceyuinge neuerthelesse regarded not the daunger making no difference whether hee perished by sword or otherwyse The dumbe sonne seeyng the imminent perill of the King hys father and fearynge his death brake out in these wordes sayinge Hold thy handes Good fellow slay not king Craesus Which beyng the first wordes that euer he spake hee had alwaies after the ready vse and practise of his toung Thus Craesus and hys city Sardis after he had raygned 14. years and abiden so many dayes siege fell into the hands and power of the Persians hauing lost a great kingdome accordyng to the voyce and sentence of the oracle beyng in this sort apprehended he was brought to king Cyrus who causing his hands feete to be clogged with great waighty giues of yron set him in y e midst of a woodpile made for the nonce accōpanied w t 14. children of the Lydians determinīg to offer these first fruites to y e Gods ether for perfourmāce accōplishment of some vow or for profe or tryall whether any of the Gods vnto whose honor seruice he vnderstode Craesus to be greatly addicted woulde saue deliuer hī frō y e fyre These things are cōmonly spred reported of Cyrus In this most yrksome lamentable case whiles y e kynge of y e Lydiās stode on y e heape or pyle of fagots he bethought hymselfe of the words and saying of Solon who lead by the diuine instinct of some heauenly influence had told hym before that in the number of the liuinge there was no man so singular that might be named happy Wherof beyng admonished in his mynd and fetching from the bottom of his hart a deepe and streyning sigh by report wept bitterly three sundrye tymes cryed out aloude vppon the name of Solon which Cyrus hearing willed the interpreters to aske hym whom he called vppon To whom Craesus made no an sweare at all vntil such tyme as beynge compelled by constraynt he sayd I named him whom I had rather then al the wealth in the worlde hee had lykewyse talked with all those who beynge placed in the hyghest degree of honoure haue the chiefe gouernment of the kingdomes on Earth which woordes for that hee vttered not halfe playnlye and to the cleare and perfyt vnderstanding of those which were attentyue and listened vnto hym they vrged him a fresh to make a recytall therof agayne At whose instant and importunate halinge beynge now constrayned to begynne his speech anew he told them how a long tyme synce Solon an Athenian arriued at his court who beholding his infinite treasure aboundance of wealth made verye light accompt thereof as a thinge of smal and base value in so much that whatsoeuer he had spokē and pronounced of hym the same in due measure had fallen out and comen to euent Which thinges neuerthelesse were not peculiarly spoken by hym but generally of the whole nation and company of men and chiefly of those which please themselues here on earth in a pleasaunt dreame and singular cōtentment of happy blisse Whyles Craesus spake these thinges and the fagottes had taken fyre on euery syde Cyrus vnderstandynge by the expositers of the Lydian toung what he had said was moued with compassion knowinge himselfe also to bee but a man who was now in hand to frye another to death by fyre that of late dayes was nothinge inferiour to himselfe in power and prosperitie And fearing vengeaunce for the same and consydering the instable course and fickle flower of mans affayres commaunded with all diligence the fyre to be extinguished and Craesus with the rest of his company to bee set free But they stroue in vain the fyre hauing taken such vehement holde that it seemed vnquencheable and not to bee ouercome In this place the Lydians recounte that Craesus knowing kyng Cyrus his minde to be chaunged seeing euery man endeuoure to abate the rage and furie of the flame howbeit nothing at all profiting he lyfted vp his voyce cryed to Apollo for succour that if euer any giftes offered by him had ben pleasaunt in his sight he would acquite and deliuer him from this presēt daunger As he was pitifully shedding his teares in plainte and lamentation to the God sodainly the skye being faire the weather smoth and calme the daye was ouercaste and shadowed with the darke vale of dimme and duskie cloudes which breakynge out into maine showres cleane put out and quenched y e fire Herby Cyrus perceiuing that Craesus was a vertuous mā and reuerenced the Gods he saued him from the fyre demaunded him the question saying Tell me now O Craesus whose counsaile was it to inuade my country and became of my friend myne enemy Certes quoth hee G Kinge I haue done this to mine owne great losse and thy gayne the God of the Graecians incyting and leading me hereto who was the cause that I warred agaynst thee For no man is so franticke to desire warre rather then peace when as in tyme of concorde the sonnes bury the fathers but in warre the father carieth the sonne to hys graue Howbeit it seemed good to the God to bringe these things to passe which hauinge saide Cyrus placed him by and hadde hym in great honour and reuerence and stedfastlye beholding him greatly wondred with the rest of his company All which while Craesus in a deepe muse and profound studye sat stil without speaking any worde But sodainly lifting vp his head and vewing the Persian souldiers spoyling and ryflyng the citye Whether shall I speake my mynd noble Cyrus sayde hee and vtter that I thinke or holde my peace at this present and say nothinge But beyng lycenced to speake freely and without feare he asked him saying Wherin is al this company so busily cōuersaunt or what seeke they to do of a truth quoth Cyrus naught else but to pole and dispoile the city and make a hand of thy riches and treasure To whom Cresus answeryng neyther do they wast my city mighty prince sayd he nor consume my goods for the righte of these thinges is no longer myne but they are thy goods which they trayle and lugge aboute and al this wealth pertayueth to thee vpon which wordes the king aduysinge hymselfe drewe Craesus asyde from the company and demaunded of him what he thought meet to be done in this case Who replyed saying For asmuch as it hath pleased the Gods to make mee thy ser 〈…〉 I hold it my duty whatsoeuer I shal perceiue more then thy selfe to make thee priuy and a counsaile therto The Persians quoth he are a croked generation and of nature peruerse and stubburne yet neuertheles verye bare and beggerly whom if in this sort thou securely permit to ryg and ransacke cityes and recouer store plentye of wealth I feare me that as euery one groweth to greattest aboundaunce hee will sonest slipp
all to intermedle and deale with anye causes alleagynge y e it was smally to hys profite to spend whole dayes in determination and arbitrement of other mens causes omitting the care of his owne houshold and priuate affayres Wherfore robbery spoyle vyolence and all kynde of villany beyng now more freely and with greater impunity in eeuery place committed then euer before the Medes assemblyng a general counsayle begaÌ„ to deliberate and consult as touching the state and condition of theircommon weale Where as I am brought to thinke the friends and familiars of Deioces consideratlye and ofset purpose spake in this sence It cannot be say they that in this corruption lewdnes of manners we should long enioy and abide in our countrey Goe to then let vs appoynt and ordayne ouer vs a kinge that our laude may bee gouerned by good lawes wherby it may be free for euery man quietly to dispose of hys owne affayres and haue no cause to feare lest by the aâ—homination and outrage of wicked and pernicious maners we be cast out and dispossessed of our owne seats By which woordes the Medes indured to couch submit themselues to a kyng they began to consider whom they might electe and chose for the soueraygne lord of their libertye Which there doubt the name remembrance of Deioces straight wayes cut of who by general consent and one voyce of the whole multitude was named and approued kynge And beyng aduaunced to the chiefest dignity he coÌ„maunded forthwith a pallace to be erected and built vp seemly for the maiesty and magnificient estate of a prince Moreouer y e choyse should be made of stronge and likelie men for the gard and preseruation of his body Which the people of the Medes willing to gratify him by their proue and ready obedieÌ„ce immediatly perfourmed raysing a mighty and sumptuous court notably fenced and garnished for his safe abode situated also in y e part of the countrey which he best fancyed leauing it free and his owne liberty to select and picke out of the whole countrey of y e Medes such as he thought meete for the defence and care of hys health Deioces in full autority and power of a kyng compelled them also to founde a city which beyng by them accordingly furnished fortifyed they might haue y e lesse regard of their smal homely cotages which thinge the people willingly agreeynge to he enuyroned and fensed in a citye with stronge and mighty walies which is now called Ecbatana where one wall â—oundeth vpon an other in such manner that the onely compasse of the one cleane encloseth and whollye conteyneth the other euery one in lyke maner excedinge each other in height Whereunto the nature of the place gaue no small aduauntage as hauinge his reise and rearynge towardes the pitch of a hyll How bee it farre more greate was the helpe of art and industry of man hauing wrought seuen seueral closurs and countermures nere adioyning the one to the other In the last circuit wherof was the pallace of the king togeather with the treasure of the city The scope compasse of the last and greatest incloseth welny as much space or more as the wall of Athens The batlement of the first wall is coloured with whyte the seconde with blacke the third with redde the fourth also with blew or skye coloured the fyft with yellow the two last beyng coped with battlementes the one of siluer the other of gylt The pallace of the king beyng as we haue heard strengthned and corroborated with defence and munition he commaunded the rest of the people to dwell assyde on euerye part rounde aboute prouiding moreouer that no maÌ„ at any time should haue accesse or entraunce to his person but that all thinges should be done by messages to and fro in so much that the king seldome or neuer came vnder view or sight to any Aboue this it was held neyther seemely nor lawful for any man to laugh or spit in presence of the prince or anye other These thinges are therefore practised and obserued by the Medes that those which wer his equalles before of approued courage and valiancy might not haue any cause by seyng hym to be greeued at his dignity and consequentlye to brew treasoÌ„ against hispersoÌ„ but coÌ„trarily being abridged of his sight coÌ„pany y t might come into opinion y t the king was no part of his people but a maÌ„ singled sequestredfroÌ„ y e rest of the multitude â—erew t Deiocos hauinge garnished and set forth his maiesty in perfyte manner autorized setled himselfe in his empyre he ministred iustice w t great rygor and seuerity They which were in plea controuersye one with an other put their causes in wrytinge and by a messenger sent them in to the king which wheÌ„ he had determined he subscribed his iudgement and sent them back agayne executing iustice on this manner In other thinges he held another order yf happily he had intelligeÌ„ce of any that had done wroÌ„g or iniury toan other sending for him he put him to a payne accoring to the measure of his offence to which end he had dispersed diuers espyalles to prye and watch throughout the whole Realme Thus the whole nation of the Medes fell to the rule gouernment of Deioces wherof himselfe was the only principal Appertinent to the tytle and seate of the Medes are thus many seuerall peoples The Busans Paratacenians Struchates Arizantyns Budyans Magians All which were vnder the soueraignty of the Medes After y e decease of Deioces whose raygne continued the terme of 53. yeares his sonne Phraortes tooke vppon him the gouernmente Who not content to be kynge of the Medes alone moued warre vppon the Persians and made them subiect to the power of Media and hauing the rule and dominion of both nations the people of the which were mighty and valyaunt he subdued also Asia muadynge dyuers other countryes now one and then another tyll at length hee came to geue assault to the Assyrians I meane those that whylom were chiefe of al the rest but at that instant renounced and forsaken of all theire Subiectes by rebellion Neuerthelesse of themselues in very good estate Agaynst whom Phraortes vnder taking a voiage the 22. yerre of his raygne was slayne in battel and the most parte of his armye put to the swoord After whose death Cyaxares hys sonne and Nephew to Deioces came to the crowne who hadde the name to be of greater prowesse and might in warre then any of his auncestors Wherfore he distinguished into â—andes trowpes the people of Asia and fyrst of all arranged his army into an order of Spearemen horsemen and bowmen whereas before all were confused and out of aray This is hee who warred with the Lydians at such time as the day was turned into night and who hauinge purchased the fauour of all Asia that lyeth about the ryuer Halis mustered a power of men agaynst
the city Ninus aswell to take reuenge of his fathers death as to vanquish and destroy the citye But in the meane tyme whyle hee foyled the Assyrians in the field and held them at bay within the citye hee was of a sodaine incountered with an huge army of the Sâ—ythians lead and guided by Madyis their kinge successor to his father Protothias Who hauinge driuen the Symmerians out of Europe brake from thence into Asia and beynge in quest and persute of those whom they had flighted in battel came into Media The distauÌ„ce betweene y e two riuers Maeotis Phasis eueÌ„ vnto the countreye of Colchis is 30. dayes iorney for a light footman but betwene Colchis the land of the Medes the way is short the trauell easye one onely region lying betwene them which is the countrey of the people called Saspires which after wee haue passed the next stepp is into Media NotwithstaÌ„ding the ScythiaÌ„s toke not this course but fetcht a compasse about another waye towardes the vpper regions leauing the mount Caucasus on their ryght hand The Medes entring battell with the Scithians were by them vanquished and lost the tytle and superiority of all Asia Wherfore the Sâ—ythiaÌ„s surprising y e dominioÌ„ of Asia went from thence the next way into Aegipt but arryuinge in Siria Palaestina they were met by Psammitiâ—hus Prince of the Aegyptians by whose gentle intreaty and greate rewardes they were stayed from goyng anye further wherefore retyring backe agayne after they were come to y e citye Ascalon in Syria many of them passed by quietly without offer of damage or iniury howbeit some drouping behynd rifled the chappel of Venus Vrania beyng of greatest standing and antiquity amonges all the temples that were euer erected to that Goddesse for the Pallace of Venus in Cyprus toke oryginal of this as the Cyprians themselues testify The temple also extant at Cythera was built by y e Phaenicians which were a progeny and ofspring of the Syrians But the Goddesse moued with wrath agaynst those that wrought the spoile and pillage of her temple punished both themselues and all those which came of them with the feminine sicknes Which thing the Scythians also graunt who are easily brought to confesse that the cause was such and none other why they are tainted and infected with this disease Neither is it hard for those that trauayle into Scythia with their owne eyes to behold them which are thus diseased whom the Scythians call Enareas that is execrable and accursed Asia therfore was held by this people 28. yeares for which tyme proudly and iniuriously exercysing gouernment they made wast and hauocke of al. For beside the ordinary pension of tribute they exacted so much of euery one seuerally as theyr pleasure was to rate them at Wherwith also hardly satisfied they committed spoyle and robberye throughout all the countrey Wherfore Cyaxares and his people the Medes intertaining the most part of them with sumptuous feastes and all sortes of delicious and dayntye fare watching their time when the Scythians were ouerladen with drinke they set vppon them and flue them By which meanes recoueryng the empyre with all that they had before they toke also the citye Nynus The which in what sort it was by them taken and howe they brought vnder their rule all the AssyriaÌ„s saue only Babylon it shall else where be declared Nowe when as Cyaxares had raygned 40. yeares and reclaymed the kyngdome from the Scythians he ended his life Astyages hys soÌ„ne ruled in his stede of whose loynes issued a goodly gentlewoman named Mandâne whom hyr father on a night dreamed to haue let her vryne in so great aboundaÌ„ce y t to it filled the whole citye and couered Asia w t a maine floud The meaning wherof after he had learned of the Magi who had skil to lay opeÌ„ interprete dreames atteynted with exceeding feare hee resolued to marye his daughter beyng now of ripe yeares to none of the noble bloud of y e Medes which might seeme worthy of her persoÌ„ but to a certayne Persian named Cambyses whoÌ„ he knew to be of a good house and of nature remisse and quiet Albeit with him selfe in farre lesse accompt then a meane maÌ„ of the Medes The same yeare he had placed his daughter with Cambyses hee saw another vision no lesse straunge then the former wherein ther seemed vnto hym out of the wombe of his daughter to grow a vyne that ouerspread shadowed all Asia and hauing knowledge what it meant immediatly sent for his daughter from Persia where shee abode to whom beyng greate with childe and neere the tyme of her deliuery hee assygned a strayght and diligent watch in full purpose to destroy that whatsoeuer shee had brought forth into the world beynge geuen him to vnderstand by the wyse Magi the interpretors of dreames that the yssue of his daughter should raygne in hys â—leed Which thing Astyages carefully noting presentlye at the byrth of Cyrus sent for Harpagus his most familiar and faythfull counsayler and the onely solicitor and dealer in al his affayres To whom hee sayde on this manner My good and trusty seruaunt Harpagus I straightlye warne thee not to neglect y e charge I shal lay vpon thee nor in any wyse to delay the speedye dispatch and accomplishment of the same Beware thou dost not deceiue me and take hede least reposing thy trust in other to do it for thee thou bee a cause vnto thy selfe of grieuous reuenge Take this litle bratte of my daughter Mandâne and tary it home with thee to thyne house and slay it which done take order also by some secrete meanes to see it buryed to whom hee answered Most noble Prince your maiesty at no time enioyned ought to Harpagus that he scorned to doe and shall hee from henceforth neglect your hestes Be it your wil and pleasure I shall do it it is my dutye deuoyre to perfourme it Which hauing sayd the young infant was deliuered into hys handes in a rych and coastlye mantle whom hee receyuing departed home to his own house the teares trickling downe his cheekes for sorrow Whether beyng comen hee opened to his wyfe all the wordes that had passed betwene himselfe and the king who began to demaund him in these wordes And what then my lord are you mynded to do Certes quoth he albeit I am commaunded by Astyages yet whyle I liue wil I neuer be brought to commit so detestable a villany be he neuer so madd and tenne hundred times more enraged then he is at this present both for that this pore seely brat is of myne owne kyndred and allyance and then because Astiages himselfe is now olde and without issue of a man child After whose whose death if by fortune his daughter should aspyre to y t crowne whose sonne I am charged to bereaue of his life what else could I hope for but the most cruel and miserable death that coulde bee deuysed
Neuerthelesse for myne owne safetyes sake I hold it necessarye this childe shoulde dye yet not by anye of myne but by some of the kinges owne seruantes Hys talke ended forthwith he sent a messenger to y t heardman of Astyages whom he knew wost coÌ„ueniently to be resident in such pastors and hils as were haunted and frequented w t wyld beastes The heard mannes name was Mitradates whose mate in bedde and fellow in seruice was a poore laye woman named in the Greeke toung Cyno which signifyeth a Bytch in the Median lauguage Spaco Spaca in the commoÌ„ vse of their speech being the right name for a vitch The pastours where hee grased his cattell were borderyng to the foote or bottom of a desert mountayne lying to the North syde of Eobatana and to the Euxine sea al that coast of the land of Media which tendeth towardes the people Saspires beinge very hygh full of hils and forrestes but the rest much more low and playne The heardman receyuing the messuage and repayring to the house of Harpagus after he was comen thither he began to salute hym in these wordes Gentle syria quoth he it is the kinges wil you take this litle infante and laye hym in the most wilde and desert place of the woods where he may soonest bee deuoured Which wordes his maiesty coÌ„maunded me to say vnto you with this greeting moreouer that if in case thou make not speedy dispatch of it but by some meanes saue it and kepe it aliue thyselfe in sted therof shalt dye the death Which thing also that it might be done without deceipt he gaue me in precyse charge with myne owne eyes to behold the child dead with which wordes the poore soule toke the babe and returned the same way hee came to his base and simple cottage Now it fortuned that all that day his wife laye in traueile of childbyrth and as the Gods would haue it in the meane space whyle her husband went to the city was deliuered of a sonne beyng very sollicitous and careful one for another Mitradates for y t safe deliuerye of his wifet Cyno for the good successe of hyr husband who besides custome was sent for by Harpagus Beyng returned home with great ioy receaued of his sorrowful wyfe she curyously demaunded of hym what the cause might be that in such post hast he was summoned by Harpagus to come to the city To whom he sayde my deare wyfe at my comming to the city I both heard and saw that which I woulde to God I had neuer seene nor it had bene done by our Lordes and maysters All y t house of Harpagus resounding with teares and yellyng with most pitifull outcryes and lamentation Wherinto after I was entered all agast astonied for fear I beheld a comly younge chyld lying in the middes of the house quaking and cryng wrapped in a rich mantel of gold and diuerse colours whom Harpagus hauing espyed me commaunded me to take by and by and cast it out in the mayne forrest for a pray and spoyle to the sauage and rauenous beastes addynge moreouer y t Astyages charged me so to do with great threats and menâ—cinges if I should do otherwyse The child I toke and haue brought with mee supposing it to belong to some one of the court for that I would neuer haue thoughte it to haue bene of the kinges owne bloud Notwithstanding I maruayled much to see that so rychly arayed with gold and sumptuous attyre as also what it might meane that Harpagus and all his family so bitterly wayled in extreame wae and heauines Now in the way I was acertayâ—ed of all the matter by a seruauÌ„t that brought me out of the city and deliuered the child into my handes who told me it was the sonne of Mandane our kinges daughter begotten of Cambyses sonne of Cyrus and that Astyages commaunded it should bee slayne and this is he Wherwithall he vnfolden the mantle shewed the child to his wyfe The selye woman beholding the young babe to be fayre and beautiful and of body large and well proportioned fell downe on her knees and bathinge her husbandes feete w t her lukewarme teares she besought him in no wyfe to imbrue his handes in the bloud of an infant so goodly and well fauoured Who alleaging that it could not be otherwyse because that Harpagus would send his seruauntes to see it dead and that himselfe should bee miserably tormented to death The woman which by thys tyme had set abroach a new deuise begaÌ„ a fresh to counsaile hym saying If there be no remedye but needes thou must lay it out yet heare me once agayne follow my counsayle how thou mayst craftely dispense with the kings commauÌ„dement and saue the childe This day haue I brought forth a young infant which was stil borne and dead in y t wombe Take yt therfore and saying it out in the desert let vs kepe and foster this in the steed so shall it neither be knowne y t thou hast disobayed the king and our selues shall gayne the heauenly ioy of so goodly an infant By this meanes my good husband both our dead chyld cast out in this kynglye vesture shall enioy a royall and princely sepulcher and this poore seely innocent that is assygned to dye shall be preserued and kept aliue Which deuyse fytted the neatheardes humoure so wel that without any longer deliberation hee put it in practise Wherfore giuinge to his wyfe the childe which he was mynded to haue slayne his owne bratte that was still borne gallantly decked in the others aray he toke and layd out in a most wilde and wast mountayne Which done the 3. day after he had cast it forth leauyng another to ouersee the neat he posted him to the city to the house and mansioÌ„ place of Harpagus geuing him to vnderstande that the child was dead and that for more assurance he myght behold it wher he lay who sending with him certaine of his seruauntes in whom he reposinge geatest affyaunce willed them to take view thereof who fyndyng it to be so as they thought in steede of Mendanes sonne toke the heardmaÌ„s child and buryed it Now the other youÌ„g brat y t was after called Cyrus was brought vp and cherished by y t grasiers wyfe who notwithstanding as yet did not call hym Cyrus but by some other name The child arryuing to the age of tenne yeares descryed his progeny and opened hymselfe by this deed and sportyng in a village where the hearde grased and beynge at sporte and playe with his equalles hee chaunsed by the other children his playfellowes to be choseÌ„ kynge The boy incontinentlye limittynge to euerye one hys propre charge toke vppon him lyke a younge Prince in dede ordaining strayght some of them to builde housen and others to garde hys Bodye and to attende vppon his person one for the steward of his court another for his legate and ambassadour to forreine countries lastly such a one
of certayne Grecians that stode about him what maner of fellowes the Spartans were and how manye in number which after he vnderstode he made hym this answeare Verily my friend sayde he I neuer stode in awe or feare of those which in the middest theyr citye haue avoyde place wherby mutuall othes fayned vowes and protestations they defraude cosine each other whom if the Gods spare me life I wil one day cause to leaue of the regarde of other mens miseryes and bewayle theire owne Which wordes were vttered by Cyrus in mockage and derision to all the Grecians for hauing such wyde and wast marketplaces for open sale and marchaundise For the Persians neyther haue any such place for exchauÌ„ge and chapmandry neyther are troubled at any tyme with buyinge or selling After this leauing the rule and gouernment of Sardis to one Tabalus a Persian and hauing in like maner geueÌ„ one Pactyas a man of the countrey of Lydia in charge with the goods of Craesus and the rest of the Lydians accompanied with Craesus he toke hys voyage toward Ecbatana the chiefe citye of the Medes and hauing no greate regarde of Ionia albeit they were fyrst to bee dealt withall as scanning more sedious in his heade touching the Babilonians Bactrians Sacans Aegiptians all which he determined to assayle by warre hee sent agaynst the Iones some other of of his capteynes Being newly departed from Sardis Pactias caused the Lydians to rebell from Tabalus and the Persians and hauing in hys custodye all the wealth and tresure of Sardis he toke sea and leauied a power of hyred souldiours procuring the helpe and supply of all the cityes lying on the shore Who beyng moued by his earnest intreaty ioyned with him and remouing hys tentes to Sardis forced Tabalus to take the tower for hys defence and sauegarde where he planted his army in a siege against him Tydings hereof beynge brought vnto Cyrus who was yet in his iourney he turned himselfe vnto Craesus and spake on this maner When wil it be O Craesus quoth he that I shall be quiet haue nothing to do wil the Lydiaus neuer leaue of to trouble me and themselues in such wyse were I not best to make slaues of them and kepe them vnder by miserable thralldome and bondage For in this that I haue already done I am not vnlike to hym that hauing slayne the father taketh pity on the children Forasmuch as I haue led thee awaye captyue beynge more then a father to the Lydians and restored to themselues theyr city againe So that I cannot but greatly maruayle what cause mighte moue them so sodaynly to cast of obedience and become disloyall Craesus fearyng least in his fury he would haue beateÌ„ down and defaced the city began thus and sayde most worthye Cyrus thou hast spoken very well and wisely yet neuer thelesse it behoueth thee to moderate thyne anger and not to suffer a citye of so great fame and antiquity to be wholly ouerthrowen whiche the Gods doe knowe is all togeather innocent both of the former offences that were done agaynst thee of the presente treason which is now in hand the first trespasse o kinge I did my selfe and I smart for it the second hath Pactyas done and let him feele the price of it But to the Lydians noble prâ—â—ce shew mercy compassyon and fynd some meanes by infeebling their strength to preuent their courage and to take from them all occasion of treason heareafter Commaund therfore that no man amonges them be founde to keepe any war like weapons in his house ordayninge besides that auorde their coats they weare cloakes drawing on their feete pumpes and buskins inioyne them to bringe vp their children in playing on the cithren in singing in keping of tauernes and vintninge houses and vndoubtedlye thou shalt see that of valiant men and warlike people they will shortely become effeminate and like vnto women y t there shal be no cause to feare least euer hereafter they rise agaynst thee These things Craesus put into his head thirking it better for the Lydians to liue in this sort then to bee comonly solde for salues and vassals knowing that if in case he had not framed a very reasonable deuyse he could neuer haue remoued Cyrus from his purpose It is also to bee thought that he feared least the whole nation of the Lydians should be cleane rooted out and destroied by the PersiaÌ„s if escaping this at any tyme hereafter they sought to rebel Cyrus right glad at the counsayle and deuyse of Craesus gaue him promise to do thereafter wherfore callinge vnto him Mazares a captayne of the Medes hee warned him to charge the Lydians with the accomplishmeÌ„t and perfourmance of all those thinges that Craesus had told hym with a straight coÌ„maundement to let none of those escape vnsold for bondmen which had accompanied the Lydians in the assault of Sardis As for Pactyas the principall he commauÌ„ded himto be taken and brought aliue Which thinges after he had left to the discretion of Mazares hee proceeded immediatly towardes Persia his natiue countrey Nowe Pacyas hauing knowledge that the army drew nere raysed the syege and fled to Cumae whom Mazares spedily arriued at Sardis and hearing him w t the rest of his company to be vanished away Fyrst of al bound the Lydians diligeÌ„tly to perfourme all those things that Cyrus had commauÌ„ded In the next place sending messengers to Cumae to wil them to render and yeld vp Pactyas The Cumaeans toke counsayle togeather decreed to send Branchyde to y e God inguiring of him what was best to be done For as much as in y e place rested an oracle very auncient of long continuance which seÌ„blably y e people also of sonia Aeolia did vse and frequent This prophecy was situate in a certayne field of the Milesiâ—ns about the hauen Panormus whether y e Cumaeans at this time sent for aduise in their affayres demauÌ„ding what they might do in this case y t might seme most acceptable and approued to the gods Answere was made y e Pactyas should be restored to y e Persians which the people hearyng and thinking it wisedome to obay the oracle were fully mynded so to do Howbeit the more part of theÌ„ bendyng inclyning hereto one Aristodiâ—us borne of Heraclides a man of no small accompt amongs theÌ„ either for y t hee beleued not y e oracle or mistrusted y e messengers y t were sent vnto it earnestly w t stood it tooth naile in no wise suffring y e Cumaeans to obay the voyce suggestion of y e God whervpon it came to passe y e other messengers were sent the seconde tyme to wit y e priestes religious meÌ„ of the citye Aristodicus himselfe making one of the company who beyng come to the place where the god held his seate humbly besought hym in these wordes Ther came vnto vs O king a certayne Lydian named Pyctyas prostrate in all humility pitifully crauing
beseeching vs to saue assist him froÌ„ the vyolent cruel hands of his spyteful enraged enemies we albeit dreading the might power of y e Persians yet haue not deliuered him vntil we vnderstoode of thy diuine wisedome what pertained to vs to doe in so doubtful a case Hauing ended his speach he receaued y e like answere as before y e Pactyas was to be yelded into y e hands of the PersiaÌ„s wher w t all Aristodicus being angry of set purpose wrought this fact As he walked about y e temple certain youÌ„g sparrowes other birds y t built there he toke out of their nests sodaynly a voice was hard out of the inner part of y e temple saying thou wicked malicious wretch what makes thee in this sort to spoile y e nests of my innoceÌ„t suppliantes wherunto Aristodicus answeryng o king quoth hee dost thou so greatly fauour and regard those that flye vnto thee for succour and yet biddest the Cumaeans to delyuer Pacty as into the handes of hys enemyes To which the God replying Truly sayd he I bid you all goe to the deuil and neuer hereafter to sollicite this oracle about the restoring of your suppliantes The Cumaeans certifyed of this last answeare determined nether to giue vp Pactyas to be slayn of the Persians nor yet by keeping him stil to bring Cyrus to the subersion and ruine of their citye Wherefore they sent him secretly away to Mytelaeane But Mazares in lyke sort making challenge of him from thence the Mitylinaeans couenaunted vppon a certayne pryce to surrender hym Which notwithstanding I dare not auouch and verifie for that the matter came not to full issue and perfection The people of Cumae vnderstaÌ„dyng in what distresse Pacctyas was at Mytilaene sent a barke to Lesbos where hee went a borde and was spedely landed at Chyus where hauing taken sanctuary in the gardian temple of Minerua he was neuertheles haled out violently by the Chians geueÌ„ to his ennemyes The Peraeans gaue in reward to the citye Chius a certayne field of Mysia named Aetarnaeus right ouer agaynst Lesbos By this meanes was Pactyas in warre with the Persians when oportunity serued to be geuen into the handes of Cyrus Neuerthelesse of the fruites and increase of Atarnaeus for a longe tyme after the people of Chius neyther made any barly cakes to offer to the gods nor wrought any paast of y e meale thereof for iunkets banquetting dishes And in briefe what soeuer the ground yeelded they flatly abolished from the seruice and worship of the gods Pactyas beyng betrayed by the Chians Mazares without further delay lead his army agaynst those that had ministred ayde to hym in gettyng the city and conqueringe the Pryenses he began to wast and depopulate the fieldes of Maeander geuing the whole pray and booty to his souldiours Which done in semblable manner he gaue the onset to Magnesia and lastly attached with extremitye of sicknes finished hys lyfe In whose steed Harpagus who was also a Mede guyded the army This was hee whom king Astiages intertayned with a banket of his sonnes flesh and by whose meanes Cyrus before tyme aspyred to the estate royall To hym the chiefe gouernment of the army was nextly committed who comming into Ionia intrenched many cityes and tooke them For hauing first of all compelled theÌ„ to vse the refuge and defence of their walles he raysed bulwarkes agaynst their townes and with small force caused them to yeelde In which manner he wanne Phocaea the chiefe city of the Iones the people whereof first of all the GreciaÌ„s wanâ—ered on y e sea in long and ample voyages fynding out and discrying both the countreyes themselues Adria Tyrrhenia Iberia Tartessus and the nerest cuâ—â— also and rediest way of nauigation to the same At which tyme they had in vse no beaked or snowâ—ed shippes armed with a pyke or stemme of iron but smaller and lighter vessels driuen with ê oeres apâ—ece These at their first arryual to Tartessus were very welcome to y e king whose name was Arganthonius and by whom the kingdome had bene gouerned 80 yeares liuing by the space of 120. Who made so passyng much of the Phocaeans and shewed them so curteous intertaynment that he left it in their power to chose any part of his kingdome to inhabite wherevnto not able to allure them by any perswations and hearyng by them how the power of Harpagus dayly increased hee gaue them an infinite summe of moneye to inuyron and compasse about their citye with a wall The circuit of their wall beyng no small number of furlongs in scope and compasse framed compacted of greate and huge stones layd togeather w t singuler cunning by this meanes was y e wall of the Phocaeans builded Agaynst whoÌ„ Harpagus incaÌ„ping his power gaue fierse mightye assault to the city giuing them vnderstanding withall that it should suffyce and content him if they would throw downe but one fortres or gardure of their wall for himself to build an house on But the Phocaeans abhorryng nothing more then seruitude losse of liberty required of him one dayes deliberation in the cause and for that whyle to reclayme his armye from the walles Harpagus albeit as he sayd hee verye well knewe what they meant to do neuerthelesse graunted them space to breath and bethinke themselues The army goyng from the city forth with the people of Phocaea with their wiues and children and all their substaunce tooke sea in shippinge besides all the ymages of theyr temples and gyftes offered to the gods sauing those that were of iron or stone or onely paynted and wrought in colours Which done with al their caryage they sayled into Chius Phocaea left desolate without any liuig creature in it was y e next day takeÌ„ by the Persians The people wher of hauing cheapened of y e Chyans y e Iles Oenusiae who refused to sel them fearing least y e mart and custome of marchandize shoulde bee translated from their owne Ile thither departed thence into Cyrnus Where twenty yeares before lead by a certayne prophecye they had founded a city named Aetalia Whyle these things were doyng Argathonius the Tarcesian kyng dyed But y e Phocaeans holdyng their course toward Cyrnus turned out of the waye and came to their old citye where they sâ—ue the garison and power of the Persians planted there by Harpagus for the possession and custody of the Citye Cursinge banning those with most blasphemous and execrable speaches which should seeke to leaue theyr companye and turne behynd Wherewithall taking a fiery wedge of hoat iron they cast it into the sea deepely vowing neuer to returne to their city Phocaea before the iron rysinge from the bottome of the water should â—â—ote aloft and swimme one the toppe Howbeit launchinge towardes Corsica the halfe part of the rowt were moued with a great longing and desire of their countrey and the maners and customes therof insomuch that
many of them without regard of their oth returned backe to Phocaea Others lead with a greater care of theyr late â—ow leauing the Iles Onusae went strayght to Cyrnus Where beyng come on shore for terme of 5 years they ioyned felowship with other their countreymen which before tyme were shed from the city to inhabite that place making ordinaunce and appoyntment of diume seruice and honoure to the Gods Neuerthelesse beyng accustomed in manner of enimyes by open pillage to spoyle and destroy the fields of their neighbours round about the TyrrheniaÌ„s and Carthaginians determined by common consent to encounter them by power of warre hauing furnished to the same end a fleete or Nauye of threscore shippes The lyke number on the other syde beyng prouyded by the Phocaeans wel stored and replenished with souldiours they set forth to meete the enemy in the sea called Sardonium Where ioyninge in battell the Phocaeans obtayned a victory much lyke vnto that of Cadmus For of threscore vessels fourty beyng sunk and ouerwhelmed in the sea the other twenty were so mangled and torne and the noses and stemmes thereof blunted and beaten backe that they serued afterwards to small vse Retiring therfore to Aetalia they toke theyr wiues and children with the rest of their wealth asmuch as coulde wel lye aborde and remoued from Cyrnus to Rhegium The men wherewith the drowned shippes were filled loke how many escaped the water and came into the handes of their enemies which hapned to many at their coÌ„ming to land wer stoned to death Insuing which murder they cattell people of the Agilleans as manye came into that place where the men of Phocaea were stonned were ether scorched and blased all with lightning or attached with extreame furye madnes For which cause the Agylleans willing to make satisfaction for the offence sent to Delphos where Pythia commaunded them to do all those thinges which they hold and obserue to this houre annuallye perfourminge to the Phocaeans that were stayne the solemne pompe of funerall exequies with a game of wrastling and exercise of the body Such was the euent and successe of those people after they for sooke their countrey soyle Of which rout and companye they which escaped the dynt of battel and cut the Seas to Rhegium planted a city in y e Fielde of Oenotria called Hyêla beyngtherto moued by the aduyse of one Posidoniates a manne very well esteemed and thoughte of in all the lande of Phocaea In this manner did Fortune deale with those that dwelt in Ionia The very lyke thing chaunced to them that held the city Teios whose towne by meanes of a vulwarke cast vp agaynste the walles veynge at a poynte welnye vanquished and ouercome by Harpagus they passed the seas into Thracia fynishinge the citye Abdêra in the same place the fouÌ„dation and grounde whereof was fyrst layed by Temesius Clazom enius How bee it not inioyinge the fruite and due guerdon of his labour hee was driuen thence and expelled by the Thracians Albeit the menne of Teios in the selfe same citye of Abdêra haue hym in honour and reputaâ—ion of halfe a God These people onely of the whole natioÌ„ of Ionia moued with hate and disdayne of bondage left the places where they all were naturallye resyaunte and soughte forrayne and strauÌ„ge countries The rest remayninge except the Milesians tooke heart at grasse and foughte both stoutlye and valtauntlye in the behalfe of their landes and liberty But the fortune of warre proceedynge agaynst them they came into captiuitye And abydinge still in theire owne seates dyd as they were commaunded Onely the Milesias who were in league with Cyrus and the Persias as wee sayd before were quiet and voyde of trouble By this meanes was Ionia the second tyme bereaued spoiled of theire libertye The people of the Iles perceyuinge the mayne land to bee all vnder the dominion and rule of the Persians fearyng the worst yelded themselues to Cyrus to be at his pleasure Now the Ionians albeit in very miserable estate and condition yet osyng their olde haunte and accustomed meetinge at Panionium the fame is that one Bias a Prienian gaue them such counsayle as had they pursued it with diligence they had liued in the most happy and blisseful estate of all the GreciaÌ„s His aduyse was this that the people of Ionia abandoninge their owne howses places of habitation should imbarke themselues to Sardinia and there for their whole multitude to build and erect a city to be helde and inhabited by them al in general which doyng they might cast of the yoke of y e Persians and hauing in their dominion the griatest and most principall of all the Iles might also hold y e chiefe rule dominion ouer all the rest This was y e couÌ„sayl of Byas to y e pore afflicted Iones Not much inferyour to this was the graue aduise and sentence of Thales whereby he prouoked and styrred vp the people before their captiuity to the institution of one generall parliament to be coÌ„monly held at Teios both for that y e city was fixed in the midle part of the region and that the other Cityes rounde aboute mighte neurrthelesse bee reckened as tribes appertineÌ„t therto This was y e holesom doctrine wyse couÌ„sayl geuen by these 2 learned sages to y e people of Ionia Harpagus after his tryumph ouer Ionia directed hys power agaynst the Caryans Caunians and Lysians leading with him the Iones and Aeoles Of which number the Carians forsoke the Iles to come dwell in the mayne For in auncient tyme they were vnder the authority and gouernement of Minos bearyng the name of Lelages at what tyme also they were resident in the Ilandes w tout rent or pension of tribute as far as I can learne by y e diligent scrutiny hearsay of times forepast consumed onely they weare leauied at a certayne number of shyppes furnished and prepared with men of armes as often as it semed good to the Prynce Moreouer King Mynos inioying a very large ample Oilion very fortunate in the euent of warre The nation of Caâ—ia was exceedingly aduauÌ„ced aboue the rest in royall fame dignity of whom the Gretians borowed three principall thinges first found out and deuised by them It was their inuestion to weare a Crest or Cope on their Helmets to paynt and set forth their Targets in gallant shewe brauery of colours last of all the steele or handle of the shielde came likewise froÌ„ theÌ„ whereas before they vsed no steeles but hanging them about their neckes and right shoulders with lystes and thonges of leather they moued and guyded them to and fro Along time after the Caryans the Dores also and Iones chaunged the Isles with the mayne or continent and rowsâ—ed theÌ„ there all which things are affirmed of y e Carians by the people of Creta From whom the Caryans themselues doe greatly dissent and swarue in opinion coÌ„stantly auouching how from the beginning and
pleasaunt recreation vntill the case was too plaine that the enemies were within the walles Such therfore were the meanes whereby the City Babylon was first of all taken and surprised by warre As touching the power and value whereof we will shewe many testimonies this one especiall and of manyfest euidency The whole coast which is vnder the gouernance of the great King being leuied at a certayne rent to finde the Prince and his armie I meane besides those reuenewes and pensions which euery moneth in the yeare are duely payde and yeelded to the Crowne at the fourth part of thys rent or subsidie is the region of Babylon rated alone the other eyght partes beéing gathered and contributed out of the whole Countrey of Asia so that the puissance and hability of this region is equiualent and matchable to the third part of Asia The seigniorie also and principality of this part which the Persians call a Satrapy that is a Dutchy or Countey doth in great measure exceede all other prouinces that are vnder the protection of the great King For so much as Tritechmas sonne of Artabazus whome the King made his Lieutenant and principall ouer this Countrey had duely rendered vnto him for tribute euery day in the weeke more then eyght gallons of siluer according to the Persian measure called Artaba which exceedeth by three quarts the measure that is vsed in Attica which they call by the name of Medimnus Moreouer he had a stable of couragious and lusty coursers for the saddle besides those which were purposely kept and managed for the vse of warre to these were added eight hundred stalions or stone horses with sixteene thousand maares which were couered by those horses one stalion being reserued and admitted to the couering of twenty maares Besides all this so great a multitude of dogs or mastifes comming of the kinde and breede of India were belonging to him that four great townes standing in the plaine of Babylon stoode at no other reuenue then to find and maintayne a company of curres All whiche things were peculiar and appertinent to him that was the viceroy or president of Babylon In the countrey of Assyria they haue small store of rayne suche graine as the land yeeldeth beeing euermore watered by the floud not after the maner of Nilus in Aegypt which of his owne accord riseth ouer the bankes and giueth moisture to the fields round about but partly by the labour and haÌ„ds of men partly also by brookes and ditches deriuing the water throughout their ground For through all the region of all Babylon euen as in Aegypt also are drawne many trenches and ditches the greatest whereof is nauigable and caryeth ships bearing to that coast where the sunne is at a stand in winter and reacheth from Euphra-‑ reacheth from Euphrates to the floud Tigris neere vnto the which was planted and situated the city Ninus This soyle for corne and all kinde of grayne is the most battle and plentifull of all others being very barren and naked of wood wherein especially the figge tree vine and olyue could neuer prosper or come to any proofe but for seede and tillage so fruitefull and aboundant that it neuer fayleth to yeeld increase two hundred fold and if the ground be very well taken and the yeare fauourable it multiplieth to three hundreth times as much as was cast into the earth The eares of their wheate and barly are more then a handfull broade Likewise y e small seede of Millet or Hirse together with the graiue of India called Sesamum to what exceeding growth and tallnes they arise in this countrey that almost they seeme in manner of mighty trees albeit I assuredly know could iustly affirme yet I will rather keepe silence knowing that those which hath bene already spoken of the greate encrease of their graine are suche that they far surmount aboue the coÌ„mon credit and vsuall course of nature They vse no kinde of oyle but such as is made of the seede Sesamum Palme trees are coÌ„mon with theÌ„ in euery place of the countrey many of the which beare fruite are very fertile Parte of this fruite they turne and employ to foode and sustenaunce making wine and honny of the rest The trees themselues they prune and manure not vnlike theyr figge trees Some of these palmes as they vse also to do in other the Graecians call male trees the fruite wherof they eate not but only bind it to the fruite of the female trees whereof breedeth a small woorme or flye which with her sharpe and forcked nebbe biteth through the fruite of the female palme whereby it commeth to ripenesse and maturity being otherwise wont to drop off and decay before it arriue to full growth and perfection For of the fruite of the male palme is bred and produced this little worme such as come also of a wilde figge tree Let vs now proceede vnto that which next after the city it selfe is in my fancy the straungest mirrour and wonder of the whole region The vessels wherein they are accustomed to passe downe y e streame to Babylon are made circlewise and of round compasse drawne ouer on the outside and couered with leather for the people of Armenia whose countrey lyes aboue the Assyrians hauing hewed smoothed out of willow certaine round vessels very hollow and deepe they cast ouer a paast or couering of leather applying them both to the vse of houshold affayres to contemne licour in such like and also to rowe in and passe the water They haue neither head nor tayle that a man may poynt at with his finger there to be the nose and forepart of the shippe and heere the hinder part or sterne but are contriued into a circulare forme like a buckler or target The bottome of these vessels they matte and fence with strawe or rushes wherevpon laying their chaffer and merchandise they commit themselues to the water Theyr chiefest cariage is small roundlets or firkins of wyne makyng the caske it selfe of the leaues of palme The vessels are gouerned by two seuerall rothers at the which two men continually stande and are attendaunt the one whereof drawes the sterâ—e towardes hym into the shippe the other thrusteth from hym outwarde These kynde of shippes are maruaylous greate and very capable albeit some of them be of smaler making then other The greater sort are of power to carry the waight of fyue thousand talentes In euery of which there is one liue Asse at the least and in the bigger three or foure Beeyng landed at Babylon and hauyng made theyr marte of suche thynges as they broughte they sell also the woodde of theyr Shyppes wyth the strawe rushes and suche lyke loadyng backe theyr Asses with the skinnes which they driue home before them into Armenia forsomuch as to saile vpwards against the course of the riuer it is not possible for them by reason of the swiftnesse and violence of the strcame which is the cause also that they make
their vessels not of wood but of skinnes After they are returned to Armenia they make prouision of other ships all one in similitude and fashion with the former such are the vessels wherein the Assyrians ferry downe the water to Babylon Now for their habite and attyre it is on this manner Their vsuall custome is to go clothed in two garments one of linnen downe to the feete another of wollen drawne vppon the same aboute their shoulders they cast a cloake of whyte coulour In their showes following the custome of the whole countrey they vse all one fashion not much vnlike the Thebane slippers Their hayre very long tied and bound vp behinde with a coyfe In all partes of their bodye embaulmed with sweete oyles and precious oyntmentes On their fingers they we are a signet bearing in their hāds a slender rod in forme of a scepter very skilfully and artificially wrought on y e top whereof is carued either an apple a rose a lilly an eagle or some such like thing being accompted wickednesse with them and against all lawe to carry a rod or scepter without such an ensigne on the top And thus much for their attyre The lawes which they vse are these One most commendable and for the singulare wisedome and commoditie thereof greatly to be regarded Likewise another which if I be not deceiued the people Eneti comming of the Hlyrians do commonly practise throughout their whole lande Once in a yeare they obserued this custome The virgins that were arriued to the due time and estate of marriage they assembled all into one place fast behind these stoode a great multitude of yong men and batchelers When all were come and the company was hush there arose vp a common cryer proclayming seuerally the sale of euery one to suche as were minded to buy them and in the first place shee that was the paragon and most beautifull damosell of all the route was in like manner first published and set forth to be sold whom some one or other hauing purchased with a great summe of money she that was next in beautie to the fairest was next priced with a condition annexed that they whiche bought shoulde also marry them Suche therefore of Babylon that were of good wealth and wanted wines bought vp the brauest wenches euery one speeding best for beautie that badde best for the beautifull The basest sorte of yonkers that were not so deyntely toothed contenting themselues with the homeliest lasses chose rather to take a good nutbrowne wench with a dowrie with whome to practise the daliaunces of Venus The market being made of the best and fayrest incontinently the most vggly and foulest drosse of the company was by the voyce of the crier cyted to appeare whome he set foorth and propounded to the liking of any who with the least expence and sinalest charge that might woulde be contente with a wife In which sort she standeth til there step foorth a mate that will holde himselfe satisfied with a sluttishe wife and a slender dowrie euermore making a gayne of those vppon whome nature and the heauens had largely bestowed theyr graces and treasures whereas with the rest that were eyther impotent lame or in part of the body disfigured or generally sluttish and ylfauoured they endowed with a portion of goodes the sooner to procure and get them husbands Neither was it free and indifferent for any man to place and dispose his daughter to whome he would nor for the byer without sufficient warrant or suretie of his good vsage of hir to take hir away but hauing brought such as should plight their faith and honestie in his behalfe that he should vndoubtedly vse hir in place of his wife he tooke hir with him whereof if by fortune they coulde not agree the law commaunded that the money whiche was geuen for price of the virgine should be eftsoones restored to the buyer wherein the custome was not so strict and seuere but that a couple of contrary villages might match together and enter the estate of mariage one with another the man alwayes rendering a certaine summe and price for his wife if she were worth the buying This law was very well and wisely ordeyned by them which within a while after lost his force and was vtterly neglected albeit in later dayes they coyned a new deuise that no man should abuse or any way iniurie a woman nor carry hir away into a strange citie for the citie being taken and themselues shamefully intreated by their enemies in so much that the most part of them had wasted their goodes and substance the poore lay people that were in great extremity and want of sustenāce caused their stocke y e care of their honesty chaste liuing set apart to purchase lucre by the common vse of their bodies Another law and statute they had of equal prayse and commendation with the first whereby it was prouided that all persons possessed with any griefe or disease should be caryed out and layd in the open market place to the end that vsing no Physicions euery one might giue their verdit of their sicknesse and maladie As euery one therefore approcheth neare vnto the diseased if at any time they haue had triall and experience of the like payne and distresse eyther in themselues or in other they let not to minister connsaile to the sicke prescribe such order dyet as hath bin heretofore either profitable to themselues or wholesome to other vtterly abhorring from all lawe and ciuility to passe securely carelesly by the feeble not to enquire the state and maner of his griefe They esteeme it no small blisse to them to be buried in sepulchers resembling very narrowly the custome of the Aegyptians in funerall sorrow and lamentation for the dead As oft as they haue society and fellowship with their wiues placing themselues in seates one ouer agaynst another the men take sweete perfume and burneth it the women likewise doing the very same At the drawing neere of the euening they wash and wrinse themselues very cleane not attempting to touch any thing with their hands before they haue thoroughly cleansed and purged the filth from their bodies which thing is in vse likewise with the Arabians The selfesame Babylonians acquaint themselues wyth an order full of all abhomination and wickednesse All the women of their nation once in their whole liues resort to the Temple of Venus where abandoning their chastity they giue vp themselues to be defiled and corrupted by straungers howbeit such women as are of great reputation and haue wealth at will disdeining to sit and accompany with the rest are drawne to the temple in charlots or litters cast ouer and couered with a vale of leather whether being come leauing the trayne of their meyny and seruants behinde them they place themselues in seates before the gates of the palace which is the common vse of all such as are of high degree Within the Churche they sit in greate multitudes bound
lymitation which is from the coaste of Plynthines to the poole named Selbonis wherevnto reacheth an ende of y ◠great mountayne Cassius on this side therefore Aegypte is sixety scheanes which conteyne the number of myles before mentioned For with y ◠Aegyptians such as are slenderly landed measure their groūd by paces they which haue more by furlongs vnto whom very much is allotted by the Persian myle named Parasanga lastly such as in large and ample possessions exceede the rest meete their torritory by Schoenes The measure Parasanga contayneth thirty furlongs the Schoene three score whereby it cōmeth to passe that the lande of Aegypt along the sea is 3600. furlongs from this parte towarde the citie Heliopolis and the middle region Aegypt is very wyde and broade a playne and champion countrey destitute of waters yet very slimie and full of mudde The iourney from the sea to Heliopolis by the higher parte of the region is welnigh of the same length with that way which at Athens leadeth from the aulter of the twelue gods to Pisa and y ◠palace of Iupiter Olympius betwene which two wayes by iust cōputation can hardly bee founde more then fifteene furlonges difference for the distaunce betwene Athens and Pisa is supposed to want of 1500 furlongs fiftene which number in the other of Aegypt is ful complet and perfit trauayling from Heliopolis by the hills you shall finde Aegypt to be straight and narrowe compassed banked on the one side by a mighty hill of Arabia reachinge from the North towardes the South which by degrees waxeth higher and higher and beareth vpwards toward the redd sea In this mountayne are sundry quaries out of the which y t people of Aegypte hewed their stone to builde the Pyramides at Memphis one this side the hill draweth and wyndeth it selfe towarde those places whereof we spake before The selfe same mountayne hath another course from the Easte to the Weste stretching so farre in length as a man may trauayle in two monethes the Easte ende hereof yeldeth frankincense in great aboundaunce likewise one the other side of Aegypt which lyeth towardes Africa there runneth another stony hill wherein are builte certayne Pyramedes very full of grauell grosse Sande like vnto that parte of the Arabian hill that beareth toward the South so that from Helyopolis the wayes are very narrowe not passing foure dayes course by Sea The spate betwene the mountaynes is champion ground being in the narrowest place not aboue two hundred furlongs from the one hill to the other hauing passed this straight Aegypt openeth into a large and ample widenesse extendinge it selfe in great breadth such is the maner and situation of the countrey Furthermore from Heliopolis to Thebs is nyne dayes iourney by water being seuered from each other in distance of place foure thowsand eight hundred and sixty furlongs which amounteth to y ◠number of foure score and one schoenes of the furlongs aforesayd three thowsand and sixe hundred lye to the sea as wee declared before Now from the sea coaste to the city Thebs are 6120. furlonges of playne ground from Thebs to the city Elephantina 820. Of all the region and coūtrey Aegypt whereof wee haue spoken the most parte is borow 〈…〉 ground wherein the waters heretofore haue had their cour 〈…〉 for all the whole bottome which lyeth betwene the two mountaines aboue the city Memphis seemeth to haue bene a narrow sea much like vnto those places that lye about Ilium Teuthrania Ephesus and the playne of Meander if it be not amisse to bring smale things in comparison with greater matters forasmuch as none of those ryuers which held their passage in the places forenamed are worthy to be mentioned where any one of the seuen streames of Nylus are brought into talke there be also other floudes not comparable in bignesse to Nylus which haue wrought straunge effectes and wonderfull thinges in the places where they haue runne amongst whom is the famous ryuer Achelous which flowing through Acarnania into y t sea of the Iles Echinades hath ioyned the halfe parte of the Iles to the mayne and continent In the countrey of Arabia not far from Aegypt there is a certaine arme or bosome of the sea hauing a breach issue out of the red sea the length whereof beginning at the end of y t angle or creeke continuing to y ◠wyde mayne is foure dayes sayle the breadth easy to be cut ouer in halfe a day in this narrow sea the waters ebbe flow raging and roaring exceedingly against a forde or shalow place wherat the streame beateth with great violence such a like creeke I suppose to haue bene in former ages in the lande of Aegypte which brake out from the North sea and continued his course towards Aethyopia like as also the Arabian sea whereof we haue spoken floweth from the south waters towards y t coasts of Syria both which straights welnigh in their furthest corners concur meete together being separrted by no great distaunce of groūd were it then that y t ryuer Nilus should make a vent shed it selfe into the narrow sea of Arabia what might binder but y t in 200000 yeares by y t cōtinuall daily course of y t ryuer the creeke of the salt waters should be cleane altered become dry for I think it possible if in 10000 yeares before me sundry ryuers haue chaūged their courses left the groūd dry whereas first they ran an arme of the sea also much greater then y t may bee dryuen besides his naturall bosome especially by the force of so great a streame as the riuer Nilus by whom diuerse things of greater admiration haue bene brought to passe The reporte therefore which they gaue of the soyle I was easely brought to beleue aswel for that y t country it selfe bringeth credite to the beholders as also y t in the very hills mountaynes of the region are found a multitude of shel fishes the earth likewise sweating out a certaine salt and brynishe humour which doth corrupt and eate the Pyramides Agayne it is in no point like to any of the countryes that lye next vnto it neither to Arabia Lybia nor Syria for the Syrians inhabite the sea coaste of Arabia being of a blacke and brittle moulde which commeth to passe by the greate store of mudde and slimy matter which the ryuer beinge a flote bringeth out of Aethyopia into the lande of the Aegyptians The earth of Lybia is much more redde and sandy vnderneath The moulde of Arabia and Syria drawe neere to a fatte and batile claye beynge vnder grounde very rockye and full of stone Lykewyse for proofe that the Region in tyme past was watery ground the priests alleadged how in the time of kinge Myris his raygne the floud arysing to the heighth of 8. cubits watered the whole countrey of Aegypte lying beneath Memphis scarse 900 yeares being past expired since the death
and decease of Myris whereas at these dayes vnlesse it swell and increase 15. or 16. cubits high it cōmeth not at all into y t coast which aforesaid coast if accordingly to y e fall of y e riuer it grow still in loftynesse and become higher the earth receyuinge no moysture by the sloude I feare y e Aegyptians themselues that dwell beneath y e lake Myris both other also the inhabitants of the lande of Delta will euermore be annoyed with the same plague and inconuenience whych the Gretians by their accounte are sometimes like to abyde For the people of Aegypt hearing that the whole countrey of Greece was moystned and watered by the seasonable fall of rayne and showers not by floudes and ryuers lyke vnto their owne they prophecy that y e day would come when as the Greekes being deceyued of their hope would all pearishe through famine and hunger meaning that if y e gods did not vouchsafe to send thē raine in due season from whome alone they haue their moysture the whole nation shoulde goe to wracke for want of sustenaunce Thus farre is pleased them to descant of the fortune of Greece Let vs nowe consider in what estate and condition they stand them selues if then as we sayd before the lowe countrey of Memphis for in these is the gayne and increase of grounde seene waxe augment accordingely as in former times our friendes of Aegypt shall shew vs the way what it is to be famished and dye by hunger if neyther theyr land be moystened by the sweete and timely showres of rayne nor by the swelling and rysing of the riuer For as now they haue an especiall aduauntage aswell of all men els as of the rest of their countreymen y t dwell higher in that they receiue the fruite and increase of the ground without eyther tilling or weeding the earth or doing ought els belonging to husbandry wherefore immediately after the ryseing of y e waters y e earth being moyste and supple the ryuer returned agayne to his olde course they sowe scatter their seede euery one vpon his owne ground territory wherinto hauing driuē great heards of Swine that roote and tread the grayne and moulds together they stay till the time of haruest attending the increase and gaine of their seede Being full growne and ripened they send in their hogges afresh to muzle and stampe the corne from out the eares which done they sweepe it together and gather it If we follow the opinion of the people of Ionia as touching the land of Aegypt who affirme that the true countrey of Aegypt is in very deede nothing else saue the prouince of Delta which taketh his name of the watchtowre or Castle of espiall made by Perseus testifying besides that by the sea coast to the salt waters of Pelusium it stretcheth forty scheanes in length and reacheth from the sea toward the hart of the region to the city of the Cercasians neere vnto which y e riuer Nilus parteth it selfe into two seueral mouthes the one whereof is called Pelusium the other Canobus and that all the other partes of Aegypt are belonging to Arabia and Africa we might very well inferre and prooue heereof that the countrey of Aegypt in former times was none at all For the land of Delta as they say and we easily beleeue was grounde lif◠voyde and naked by the water and that of late yeares also and not long ago wherefore if they had no countrey at all what caused them so curiously to labour in the searching out and blazing of their auncienty supposing themselues to be the chiefe of all people the knowledge and intelligence whereof was not worth the two yeares triall and experiment which they wrought in the children I my selfe am fully perswaded that the Aegyptians tooke not their beginning together with the place of Delta but were alwayes since the first beginning and originall of mankinde whose countrey gayning ground and increasing by the chaunge and alteration of the riuer many of them went downe from the high countrey and inhabited the low places for which cause the City Thebes and the countrey belonging thereto was heeretofore called Aegypt the circuite and compasse whereof is 6120. furlongs Be it so then that our opinion accord and consent wyth truth the Graecian writers are in a wrong boxe but if they speake truely yet in other matters they recken without theyr hoste making but three partes of the whole earth Europa Asia and Africa whereas of necessity Delta in Aegypt should be accounted for the fourth sithens by their owne bookes it is neyther ioyned with Asia nor yet with Africa For by this account it is not the riuer Nilus that diuides Asia from Africa which at the poynt and sharpe angle of Delta cutting it selfe into two sundry streames that which lyes in y e middes should equally pertayne both to Asia and Africa But to leaue the iudgement and opinion of the Greekes we say and affyrme that all that countrey is rightly tearmed Aegypt whiche is held and possessed by the Aegyptians euen as also we make no doubt to call those places Cilicia and Assyria where the Cilicians and Assyrians do dwell In like manner according to truth Asia and Africa are disseuered and parted betweene themselues by none other borders then by the limits and boundes of Aegypt Howbeit if we followe the Graecians all Aegypt beginning at the places called Catadupae and the city Elephantina is to be diuided into two partes which draw their names of the regions wherevnto they are adioyned the one belonging to Africa the other to Asia For the riuer Nilus taking his beginning from the Catadupae so called and flowing through the middes of Aegypt breaketh into the sea running in one streame til it come to the city of the Cercasians and afterwards leuering it selfe into three sundry chanels The first of these chanels turneth to the East and is called Pelusium the second Canobus the third streame flowing directly in a straight line kepeth this course first of all scouring through the vpper coastes of the countrey it beateth full vpon the point of Delta through the middest whereof it hath a straight and direct streame euen vnto the sea being the fayrest and most famous of all the rest of the chanels and is called Sebennyticum From this streame are deriued two other armes also leading to the salt waters the one being called Saiticum the other Mendesium For as touching those braunches and streames of Nilus which they tearme Bolbitinum and Bucolicum they are not naturally made by course of the water but drawne out and digged by the labour of men I followe not the fantasies of mine owne brayne nor imagine any thing of my selfe for that the countrey of Aegypt is so wyde and of such amplitude as we haue described it I appeale to the oracle of the god Hammon which came into my minde beeyng in study and meditation
causeth it to ascend into the superiour regions where the windes receiuing it dispearse the vapours and resolue them againe which is chiefely done by the South and Southwest winde that blowe from these countreys beeing stormy and full of rayne Now the water drawne out of Nilus by the sunne doth not in this sort fall downe agayne in showres and drops of rayne but is quite spent and consumed by the heate Toward the ende of winter the sunne drawing towards the middest of the skye in like manner as before sucketh the water out of other riuers which is the cause that being thus drawne vntill much rayne and showres increase them agayne they become fleete and almost drie Wherefore the riuer Nilus into whome alone no showres fall at any time is for iust cause lowest in winter and bighest in sommer forasmuch as in sommer the sunne draweth moysture equally out of all riuers but in winter out of Nilus alone this I take to be the cause of the diuers and changeable course of the riuer Heereof also I suppose to proceede the drynesse of the ayre in that region at such time as the sunne deuideth his course equally so that in the high countreys of Africke it is alwayes sommer whereas if it were possible for the placing and situation of the heauens to be altered that where North is there were South where South is North the sunne towardes the comming and approach of winter departing from the middest of heauen would haue his passage in like sort ouer Europe as now it hath ouer Africke and worke the same effects as I iudge in the riuer Ister as now it doth in Nilus In like maner the cause why Nilus hath no mist or cloude arising from it according as we see in other flouds I deeme to be this because the countrey is exceeding hote and parching being altogether vnfit to sende vp any vapours which vsually breathe and arise out of cold places But let these things be as they are and haue bene alwayes The head and fountayne of Nilus where it is or frō whence it cōmeth none of the Aegyptians Graecians or Africans that euer I talked with could tell me any thing besides a certaine scribe of Mineruas treasury in the city Sais who seemed to me to speake merily saying that vndoubtedly he knewe the place describing the same in this manner There be two mountaines quoth he arising into sharpe and spindled tops situate betweene Syêne a city of Thebais and Elephantina the one called Crophi the other Mophi from the vale betweene the two hilles doth issue out the head of the riuer Nilus being of an vnsearchable deapth and without bottome halfe of the water running towardes Aegypt and the North the other halfe towardes Aethiopia and the South Of the immeasurable deapth of the fountayne the scribe affirmed that Psammetichus King of the Aegyptians had taken triall who sounding the waters with a rope of many miles in length was vnable to feele any ground or bottome whose tale if any suche thyng were done as he sayde made me thinke that in those places whereof he spake were certayne gulfes or whirlepooles very swift violente and raging whiche by reason of the fall of the water from the hilles would not suffer the line with the sounding leade to sinke to the bottome for which cause they were supposed to be bottomlesse Besides this I coulde learne nothing of any man Neuerthelesse trauelling to Elephantina to behold the thing with mine owne eyes and making diligent inquiry to knowe the truth I vnderstoode this that takyng our iourney from thence Southward to y e countreys aboue at lēgth we shall come to a steepe bending shelfe where y e ryuer falleth with great violēce so y t we must be forced to fasten two gables to each side of y e ship in that sort to hale and draw her forward which if they chaunce either to slip or breake y e vessell is by and by driuē backwards by y e intollerable rage violēce of y e waters To this place frō y e city Elephantina is four daies saile whereaboutes y e riuer is ful of windings turnings like the floud Meander and in lēgth so cōtinuing twelue scheanes all which way the ship of necessity must be drawne After this we shall arriue at a place very smooth and caulme wherein is standing an Iland incompassed rounde by the ryuer by name Tachampso The one halfe heereof is inhabited by the Aegyptians the other halfe by the Aethiopians whose countrey is adioyning to the Southside of the Ile Not farre from the Iland is a poole of woonderfull and incredible bignesse about the which the Shepheards of Aethiopia haue their dwelling whereinto after we are declined out of the mayne streame we shall come to a riuer directly running into the poole where going on shore we must take our voyage on foote the space of forty dayes by the waters side the riuer Nilus it selfe beeyng very full of sharpe rockes and craggy stones by the which it is not possible for a vessell to passe Hauing finished forty dayes iourney along the riuer take shipping againe and passe by water twelue dayes voyage till such time as you arriue at a great city called Meroe which is reputed for the chiefe and Metropolitane city of the countrey the people whereof only of all the gods worship Iupiter and Bacchus whome they reuerence with exceeding zeale and deuotion Likewise to Iupiter they haue planted an oracle by whose counsayle and voyce they rule their martiall affayres making warre how oft soeuer or against whomesoeuer they are mooued by the same From this city Meroe by as many dayes trauell as yee take from Elephantina to y e same you shall come to a kind of people named Automoly which is to say traytours or runnagates the same also in like manner being called Asmach which emporteth in the greeke tongue such as stande and attende at the Kings left hand These men being whilome souldyers in Aegypt to the number of eyght thousand and two hundred they reuolted from their owne countreymen and fled ouer to the Aethiopians for this occasion Being in y e time of King Psammetichus dispersed and diuided into sundry garrisons some at the city of Elephantina and Daplinae Pelusiae against the Aethiopians other against the Arabians and Syrians and thirdly at Marea against the Africans in which places agreeably to the order and institution of Psammetichus the Persian garrisons also did lie in munition hauing continued the space of three yeares in perpetuall gard and defence of the lande without shift or release they fell to agreement amongst themselues to leaue their King and countrey and flye into Aethiopia which their intente Psammetichus hearing made after them incontinently and hauing ouertaken the army humbly besought them with many teares not to forsake by suche vnkind and vnnaturall wise their wiues children and countrey gods vnto whose plaint and intreaty a rude roystrell
in the company shewing his priuy members made this aunswere wheresoeuer quoth he these be there will I finde both wyfe and children After they were come into Aethiopia and had offered themselues vnto the King of the soyle they were by him rewarded on this manner Certayne of the Aethiopians that were scarsely sound harted to the King were depriued by him of all their lands and possessions which he franckly gaue and bestowed on the Aegyptians By meanes of these the people of Aethiopia were brought from a rude and barbarous kind of demeanour to farre more ciuill and manlike behauiour being instructed and taught in the maners and customes of the Aegyptians Thus the riuer Nilus is founde still to continue the space of foure monethes iourney by lande and water lesse then in which time it is not possible for a man to come from Elephantina to the Automolians taking hys course and streame from the West part of the world and falling of the sunne Howbeit in this place I purpose to recite a story told me by certayne of the Cyraeneans who fortuning to take a voyage to y e oracle of Ammon came in talke with Etearchus King of the Ammonians where by course of speache they fell at length to discourse and common of Nilus the head whereof was vnsearchable and not to be knowne In which place Etearchus made mention of a certaine people called Namaâ—ones of the countrey of Afrike inhabiting the quicksands and all the coast that lyeth to the east Certayne of these men comming to the court of Etearchus and reporting dyuers strange and wonderfull things of the deserts and wild chases of Africa they chaunced at length to tell of certayne yong Gentlemen of theyr countrey issued of the chiefe and most noble families of all their nation who beeing at a reasonable age very youthfull and valtant determined in a brauery to go seeke straunge aduentures as well other as also this Fiue of them being assigned thereto by lot put themselues in voyage to go search and discry the wildernesse and desert places of Africa to the ende they might see more and make further report thereof then euer any that had attempted the same For the sea coast of Africa poynting to the North pole many nations do inhabite beginning from Aegypt and continuing to the promontory named Soloes wherein Africa hath his end and bound All the places aboue the sea are haunted with wilde and sauage beastes beeing altogether voyde and desolate pestered with sand and exceeding drye These gentlementrauellers hauing made sufficient prouision of water and other vyands necessary for theyr iourney first of all passed the countreys that were inhabited and next after that came into the wylde and waste regions amongst the caues and dennes of fierce and vntamed beastes through which they helde on theyr way to the west parte of the earth In which manner after they had continued many dayes iourney and trauelled ouer a great part of the sandy countreys they came at length to espy certayne fayre and goodly trees growing in a fresh and pleasaunt medowe wherevnto incontinently making repayre and tasting the fruite that grewe thereon they were suddenly surprised and taken short by a company of little dwarfes farre vnder the common pitch and stature of men whose tongue the gentlemen knew not neither was their speache vnderstoode of them Being apprehended they were lead away ouer sundry pooles and meares into a city where all the inhabitauntes were of the same stature and degree with those that had taken them and of colour swart and blacke Fast by the side of thys city ranne a swift and violent riuer flowing from the Weast to the East wherein were to be seene very hydeous and terrible serpents called Crocodyles To this ende drew the talke of Etearchus King of the Ammonians saue that he added besides how the Namasonian gentlemen returned home to theyr owne countrey as the Cyraeneans made recount and how the people also of the city whether they were broughte were all coniurers and geuen to the study of the blacke arte The floud that had his passage by the city Etearchus supposed to be the riuer Nilus euen as also reason it selfe giueth it to be For it floweth from Africa and hath a iust and direct cut through the middest of the same following as it should seeme a very like and semblable course vnto the riuer â—ster Ister beginning at the people of the Celts and the city Pyrene the Celts keepe without the pillers of Hercules being neere neighbours to the Cynesians and the last and vtmost nation of the westerne people of Europe deuideth Europe in the middest and scouring through the coast it is helde by the Istryans people so named and comming of the Milesians it lastly floweth into the sea Notwithstanding Ister is well knowne of many for that it hath a perpetuall course through countreys that are inhabited but where or in what parte of the earth Nilus hath his spring no man can tell forsomuch as Africa from whence it commeth is voyde desert and vnfurnished of people the streame and course whereof as farre as lyeth in the knowledge of men we haue set downe declared y t end of the riuer being in Aegypt where it breaketh into y e sea Aegypt is welny opposite directly set against y e mountaines of Cilicia froÌ„ whence to Synopis standing in y e Euxine sea is fiue daies iourney for a good footemaÌ„ by straight euen way The Ile Synopis lyeth iust against the riuer Ister where it beareth into the sea so that Nilus running through all the coast of Africa may in some manner be coÌ„pared to y e riuer Ister howbeit as touching y e floud Nilus be it hither to spokeÌ„ Let vs yet proceede to speake further of Aegypt both for that the countrey it selfe hath more strange wonders then any nation in the world and also because the people themselues haue wrought sundry things more worthy memory then any other nation vnder the sunne for which causes we thought meete to discourse more at large of y e region people The Aegyptians therefore as in the temperature of the ayre and nature of the riuer they dissent from all other euen so in theyr lawes and customes they are vnlike and disagreeing from all men In this countrey the women followe the trade of merchandize in buying and selling also victualing and all kinde of sale and chapmandry whereas contrarywyse the men remayne at home and play the good huswiues in spinning and weauing and such like duties In like manner the men carry their burthens on their heads the women on their shoulders Women make water standing and men crouching downe and cowring to the ground They discharge and vnburthen theyr bellies of that which nature voydeth at home and eate their meate openly in the streetes and high wayes yeelding this reason why they do it for that say they such things as be vnseemely and yet
first that euer made the gods to be borne and sproong of certaine progenies like vnto men assigning to euery one a byname proper and peculiar honours sundry crafts and sciences wherein they excelled not leauing so much as the fauour and portraytour of any of the gods secrete and vndeseried As for suche poets as are saide to haue gone before these they seeme to me to haue liued after them The first of these things I meane the names of the natures celestiall to haue bene planted in Greece in such sorte as hath bene declared the priests at Dodona do iustly witnesse Now for this of Hesiode and Homer to be no other wyse then is said I pawne mine owne credit Furthermore of y e oracles in Africke and Greece the Aegyptians blaâ—e this rumor and principally such as are employed in the seruice and ministerie of Iupiter Thebanus by whome it is sayde that certaine men of the Phaenicians comming to Thebes state priuily from thente two women accustomed to minister in the temple of Iupiter one of the which they sold in Lybia the other in Greece by whose meanes and aduise it came to passe that in each countrey the people created an oracle Heereat somewhat abashed and requesting earnestly how and in what manner they came to knowe this they made we aunswere that leauing no corner vnsearched whereby to come to knowledge of their women and not able to finde how they were bestowed newes was brought at length of their plight and condition Thus farre was I certified by the Thebane prelates wherevnto I deeme it conuenient to adde such things as were notified vnto mee at Dodona by the priests there who vndoubtedly affyrme how in times forepast and long ago two blacke pigeons tooke theyr flight from the countrey of Thebes in Aegypt scouring with swift course through the sky one of the which fortuned to light in Africa the other in that part of Greece where Dodona is now situate where pointing vpon a mighty â—all beech she was heard to speake in a voice humane like vnto a man warning the people to erect an oracle or seate of diuination in that place being so thought good and prouided by the destinies Whiche admonition the people taking as well they might to come by the instince and motion of the gods did as they were commauÌ„ded by the done In like manner it fell out that in Lybia the people were stirred vp and inâ—ensed by the other done to the planting and erection of a seate propheticall named the oracle of Ammon being also coÌ„fecrate to the name of Iupiter These things we receiued of the credite and authoritie of the Dodoneans confirmed and established by the generall consenteÌ„ of those that had the â—ase and charge of the temple Of these women priests resident in the temple of Dodona the eldest most auncieÌ„t had to name Promenca the second Timareta the third and yougest Nicandra Neuerthelesse of these matters such is my iudgement If any such religions and holy women were by stealth of the Phenicians transported and caryed away into Lybia and Greece I condecture that the one of these was sold at Thesprotus in that parte of the region which earst was in y e possession of the Pelasgians and is at this present reputed for a portion of Hettus where hauing serued certayne yeares in processe of time she brought 〈…〉 diuine ceremonies of Iupiter vnder some beach tree growing in shoaâ—e coaÌ„stes For what could be more likely conâ—emente then for her to establish some monument in the sacred honour of Iupiter in whose seruice and religion she had bene long time conuersaunt at Thebes in Aegypt Which her ordinance at length grewe into the custome of an oracle The same beeing perfect also in the Greeke language discouered vnto them in what sort the Pheniâ— anâ— had likewise made sale of hir sister to the people of Africa The sacred and deuoute women of Dodona resyaunt in the pallace of the great god Iupiter seeme for none other cause to haue called these Aegyptian pufiâ—s two doues then for that they were come from harbarous countreys whose tongue and manner of pronouncing seemed to the Graecians to sounde like the voyce of bites And whereas they shewe that in time the doâ—e began to vtter playne language and speake like men â—aught else is meant heareby then that she vsed such speech as they knew and vnderstood being so long esteemed to emusate and follow the noyse of birds as she remained in her harbarous kind of speach and pronunciation For how is it credible that a pigeon in deede could haue â—â—urped the voice and vtteraunce of a manâ— and alleadging yet further that it was a blarke doâ—e they argued her more playnely to haue bene a woman of Aegypt the flower of whose beauty is a fayre browne blew â—anned and burnt by the fyery beames of the sunne Agayne the oracles themselues that of Thebes and this of Dodona are welâ—ye in all poyntes agreeable Thspeake nothing of the maner and order of southsaying in the comples of Greece whych any man with halfe an eye may easily discerne to haue bene taken from Aegypt Let it stand also for an â—â—â—ent and vndoubted verity that assemblies at festiuals pompes and pageants in diuine honour talke and communication with the gods by a mediatour or interpretour were inuented in Aegypt and consequently vsed in Greece Which I thinke the rather for that the one is old and of long continuance the other freshe and lately put in practise It is not once in a yeare that the Aegyptians vse these solemne and religious meetings but at sundry times and in sundry places howbeit chiefly and with the greatest zeale deuotion at the city Bubast in y e honour of Diana Next after that at Busiris in the celebration of 〈◊〉 feast where also standeth the most excellent and famous temple of Isis who in the Greeke tongue is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to wit Ceres Thirdly an assembly is held in the city Sars in the prayse and reuerence of Minerâ—â— Fourthly at Hâ—liopolis in honour of the sunne Fiftly at Batis in remembraunce of Larona In the sixt and last place noâ—hâ— city Papsâ—â—is to the dignity renowne of Mars Moreouer sucâ— of this people as with encyre and affectionate zeale most religiously obserue these astat Bâ—bastis behaue and beare themselues on this maner Certayne shippes being addressed wherein infinite numbers of men and women fayle towards the catâ— in the meane season whiles 〈◊〉 be in voiage on y e water certaine of the womeÌ„ play vpoÌ„ drums taders making a great found noyse y e men on pipes Such as want these implemeÌ„ts clap their hands straine their voice in singing to y e highest degree At what city soeuer they ariue happely some of the women of â—â—tinue their mirth disporâ—on y e timbrels some other raise reuise wold at the daâ—â—es of the city beyond
measure 〈◊〉 trau 〈…〉 â—aunce motionly other cast vp their clothes openly discouer and being anâ—he in shame doing this in all those cities y t are neere adioyning to the riuers â—iâ—iâ— Being assembled gathered together at Bâ—bastis they honouâ— the feâ—â—h day with 〈◊〉 all solemnity making large â—ffringâ— to Diana wherein is greater or 〈◊〉 〈…〉 of grâ—pâ— wiâ—eâ— thâ—â— all the yeare besides To this place by the 〈◊〉 of the countrey are want to repay â—â—7000 〈…〉 en wo 〈…〉 〈◊〉 fides thildreÌ„ and thus they passe the time at Bubastis Now in what maner they solemnize y e sacred day of Isis at y e city Businis we declared before where in the 〈◊〉 age is after y e deeper furnaÌ„ce accomplishment of y e sacrifice to whip â—to 〈…〉 ge theÌ„selues 〈…〉 In mind table wise and y t not one or 〈…〉 many thousandes of â—ache degree both men women â—nouor the lesse by what meanes or where with al they beate vexe their bodies in this sort I may not disclose Howbeit such of the people of Carâ—a as soiourne make their abode in Aegypt stricken with a deeper remorse of sinne in this point of zeale 〈◊〉 go beyond y e Aegyptiâ—â—s in that they hackle slice their forehead with kniues daggers where 〈…〉 it is plainely 〈◊〉 to vnderstande that they come of forreine nations and not of the homeborne naturall people of the land Inlike manner meeting as before at the city Sais there to accomplishe the rites and ceremonies due to the day at the approche and neere poynt of the euening they furnish and beset their houses with torches and lampes which being replenished with pure oyle mingled with salte they giue fire to the weike and suffer them to continue burning till the next morning naming the day by the feast of lampes Such as resort not to this feast do neuerthelesse at their owne homes giue due honour to the night placing in euery corner of theyr house an infinite number of tapers and candles the custome being not only kept at Sais but spread and scattered throughout the whole region But for what ende this night is helde solemne by lighting of lampes a certayne mysticall and religious reason is yeelded which we must keepe secret At Heliopolis and Butis onely sacrifice without execution of any other ceremonies is done to the gods Likewise at Papremis they remyne the same custome of diuine seruice and worshipping as in other places At the sunne going downe certayne chosen men of the priests being few in number and seriously held and busied about the image the most parte standing before the dore of the temple armed with clubs as much as they can weilde ouer against whome on the contrary side other more then a thousand meÌ„ of the number of those that come to worship all strongly furnished prepared with bats in their handes The day before the feast the picture or image framed of wood is by meanes of a few assigned to the ministery and cure of y e woodden god conueyed out of a small temple made of light timber gorgeously gilded into another sacred and religious house being thither drawne by the minister themselues vppon a wayne of foure wheeles wheron the temple itselfe is placed the image also conteined therein Drawing neere to y e temple with their cariage the clubbes standing before the dore wyth threates cruell manaces forbid theÌ„ to enter incoÌ„tineÌ„t y e band of men oueragainst them toÌ„ming with might maine to assist the image and encounâ—â—ing with those that kept the temple laye on suche escapeth without hys crowne crackt in manye places Wherein also I suppose that many men miscarry and came short home albeit they flatly denie that of a wound so taken any man euer perished The homelings and peculiar people of that countrey alleadge this reason of the battell In this temple saye they did sometimes inhabite the mother of the god Mars who seeking at the estate of ripe yeares against the lawe of nature to haue society with his owne mother tooke the repulse and was reiected by her ministers that knew him not whereat the god storming in great rage purchased ayde out of the cities adioynaunt and made way perforce to the greate discomfiture and dammage of those as sought to resist him for which cause they yet solemnize to Mars a feast of broken pates and brused costards enacting moreouer by the vertue of their religion that no man should haue carnall copulation with a woman in the temple neyther attempt to set his foote within the dores of any suche house of religion vnlesse after the fleshly knowledge of women he first wash and cleanse his body wyth pure water whiche custome onely taketh place amongst the Graecians and Aegyptians beeing the vse in other nations to accompany with their women in the churches and palaces of their gods and also presently after such secret actes without any regard of purifying themselues to rush into the houses of diuine honour making no difference betweene men and other brutish and vnreasonable creatures For it is seene say they how other things that haue life and sence meddle themselues each with other euen in such places as the gods were worshipped which if it were a thing so odious and displeasaunt in the eyes of the higher powers no doubt the beastes themselues would eschue and auoyde it whose doings together with their iudgement I flatly disalow Howbeit vnderstand we that as well in these things whereof we haue intreated as in all other the Aegyptians are led with a singular superstition Aegypt also itselfe albeit it abutte and poynt vpon the countrey of Lybia yet is it not ouermuch pestered with beastes Such as the lande bringeth vp and fostereth are reputed holy and by no meanes to be violated or harmed by any some of which haue their nouriture and foode together with the people of y e soyle othersome are more wilde fierce and intractable refusing so gently to come to haud The cause of these things why creatures vnreasonable are so highly honoured of this people I may not without breach of piety reueale which things of set purpose I haue endeuoured to conceale and keepe secrete vnlesse by the necessary course of the history I haue bene brought to the contrary Furthermore about the beastes that breede and multiplye in the region suche is their order Generally they are helde with a most tender and reuerent care for the mayntenaunce and fostering of them in whiche kinde of honour for it is accounted a greate honour with them to haue regard of beastes the sonne euermore succeedeth the father To these brute creatures all such as are resident in the cities of Aegypt performe and pay certayne vowes makyng humble supplication to some one of the gods in whose patronage and protection that beast is which thing they accomplish after this manner Shauing the heads of their sonnes eyther
wholly in halfe or for the most parte they waigh the hayre in balaunce setting agaynst it the iust weight in siluer whiche done they deliuered it to him that hath the charge and ouersight of any suche cattell by whom are bought heere with small peeces of fishe which they giue the beastes to eate and such is the meanes whereby they nourishe and bring them vp The sâ—aying of any of these done of malice and set purpose is present death to the killer but committed by chaunce a muleâ— or peâ—ne at the discretion and arbitriment of y e priests To kill an hauke or the bird which is called Ibis is losse of life in what sort soeuer it be done Such beasts as are tame and come to hand hauing their food together with meÌ„ albeit they be many in number yet wold they much more increase were it not for y e straÌ„ge nature of cats in y t countrey The feamale hauing once kitled alwayes after eschueth the male keeping her selfe secrete and couert from him which the Aegyptians seeing kill y e kitlings vse theÌ„ for foode The feamale bereaued of her yong ones and finding her nest empty is by that meanes brought to submitte hir selfe to the bucke beeing of all creatures most desirous of increase In time of fire or suche like misfortune the cats are mooued with a certaine diuine kind of fury inspiration For the Aegyptians behauing theÌ„selues securely in the appeasing extinguishing the flame the cats lie couertly in waight sodeinly coursing towards the place mount and skip quite ouer the heads of the people into the fire at which chaunce whensoeuer it commeth to passe the Aegyptians are extreamely sorrowfull In what house soeuer there dies a cat all of the same family shaue their eyebrowes but if a dog dye their head and body A cat dying is solemnely caryed to the temple where being well powdered with salte she is after buried in the city of Babastis A bitch is euermore buryed in the same city where she dieth yet not without the honour of a sacred tombe burying their dogges after the same sort and chiefly houndes of the malekinde whiche they most of all others esteeme and set by Likewise small serpents called in their tongue Mygalae and haukes of all kinde if they fortune to dye they take and bury them at the city Butis Beares such as be halowed wolues not much bigger then foxes are couered in y e same place where they be found dead The nature also of the Crocodyle is thys Foure monethes in the yeare and chiefly in the winter season it liues without meate And albeit it haue feete like a land beast yet hath it a nature middle indifferent liuing as well in the water as one drie land Her egges she layes on the shore where also she couereth hatcheth the same biding the most part of the day abroade on the dry land but all the night tyme in the water being much more hoate then the cold deawe that falleth in the night Of all creatures I iudge none of so small slender a beginning to waxe to such huge and infinite greatnesse the egge at the first not much bigger then a goose egge which measure the broode it selfe exceedeth not when it fyrst commes out of the shell howbeit in durance of time it growes to bee monstrous surmounting the length of seauenteene cubites The Crocodyle hath eyes like a swine teeth of passing bignesse accordyng to the measure and proportion of her bodye extendyng and bearyng outwarde beeyng also very rough and grating lyke a sawe and of all other creatures is only without a tongne the selfesame contrary to the nature and property of all other beastes hath the neather most chap stedfast and without moouing and champeth her foode with the vpper iawe Her clawes are very strong and great a scaly skynne and aboute the backe impenetrable that no weapon be it neuer so sharpe can pearce it In the water as blinde as a moale on lande of an excellente sharpe and quicke sight Liuing in the water it commeth to passe that her mouth is euermore full of horseleaches No foule or beast can abide to see or come nye a Crocodile saue only the bird Trochilus with whome she is at a continuall truce for the singular commodity she receyueth by him For the Crocodile at what time she forsaketh the water and commeth out onlande her quality is with wide and opened mouth to lye gaping toward the West whome the bird Trochilus espying flyeth into her mouth and there deuoureth and eateth vp the horseleaches which bringeth such pleasure to the serpent that without any hurt in the world she suffereth the bird to do what she will To some of the Aegyptians Crocodiles are in place of holy creatures to other prophane and noysome which chace and pursue them as most odious and pestilent beastles Those that geue honour to them are such as inhabite about Thebes and the poole of Maeris who are wont commonly to traine vp a Crocodyle to hand and make it tame being in all poyntes so gentle and tractable as a dogge At whose eares they hang gemmes of singulare price likewise golden eareings hampering a chayne to the forefeete This tame one they cherish and bryng vp with great care setting very much by it while it liueth and being dead they powder the body with sault and lay it vnder the ground in a vessell accounted holy Vnlike to these are the people dwelling at Elephantina who be so farre from thinking so reuerently of suche venemous serpents that for hate they stay and in disdayne eate them The Aegyptians call theÌ„ not Crocodyles but Champsi this name being brought vp by the people of Ionia for that in shape they resemble those Crocodyles which amongst them ingender and breede in hedges Diuers are the meanes whereby they are taken yet amongst other deuyses this one seemeth to mee most worthy rehersall Such as laye for them and seeke all wayes to take them bayte their hookes with Swynes flesh and cast it into y e myddest of the ryuer immediately standing on the shore they beate a younge porkling and cause it to cry exceedingly which the Crocodile hearing followeth the cry and drawing neere to the place findeth the bayte and swalloweth it vp at one morsel Being fast intangled and drawne to lande they first blinde and stop vp hir eyes with clay and rubbishe which causeth hir to lye still and suffer all thinges quietly which otherwise they coulde neuer obtaine and come by without much a doe Likewise the Ryuerhorse a beast so called in all the borders of Papremis is reputed holy being of this shape and figure He hath foure feete clouen in sunder and houed like and Oxe a flat nose and taile and Mane like an Horse teeth apparaunt standing out in sounde and cry neighing so like a horse as may be in hignesse resembling a mighty
Bull of so grosse and thicke an hyde that being well dryed they make thereof Darts of exceeding strength and stiffnesse There be also founde to breede in the ryuer certaine beastes much like a Beuer and liue like an Otter which in Aegypt are of great accounte and thought holy In the same degre of sacred honour are all kinde of scale fishe and Eeles Such is also their opinion and reuerence towards birds and fowles of the ayre as wilde Geese such like There is also an other bird of whom aboue all other they think most diuinely called a Phoenix which I neuer saw but protrayed and shadowed in coloures For the coÌ„meth very seldome into that countrey as farre as I could heare say by the Heliopolitans to wit once in 500. yeares and that also when hir parent or breeder dyeth If she be truely drawne by the Aegyptians this is hir forme and bignesse hir feathers partly red and partly yealow glittering like Golde in forme and quantity of the body not much differing from an Eagle Of this Phoenix Aegyptians haue bruted a straunge tale which I can hardly credit saying that the Phoenix flying from Arabia to the temple of the Sunne in Aegypt carieth in hir tallaunts the corps of hir dead sire embaulmed roled in Myrrhe which she accustometh to bury in that place Adding also the maner whereby she inureth hir selfe to cary so great a burthen First she gathers a great quantity of Myrrhe and works it into a lumpe as much as shee canne well beare whereby to make cryall of hir owne strength After this perceyuing hirselfe able to weylde it shee maketh an hole with hir Beake in the side of the balle framing it very hollow and empty within wherein she incloseth the body of hir breeder This done and the hole cunningly filled vp againe she poyseth the whole masse in hir tallaunts and finally she transporteth it to Heliopolis to the temple Pallace of y e Sunne so skilfully handling hir cariage that the Myrrhe body and all waygheth no more then the whole balle did before This they mention as concerning the Phoenix Knowe wee besides that in the region of Thebs in Aegypt there vse to haunte a kinde of Serpents had in dyuine worshippe of body sinale nothing norsome or hurtfull to men These haue two hornes growing out of their heads euermore dying are laide in Iupiters temple vnto whom they are holy and consecrate In Arabia there lyeth a place of no great distaunce from the city Batis whether I went of purpose hauing heard of certayne wynged Serpents there to bee seene And being come I behelde the ribbes and bones of Serpents in number welnigh infinite and not to bee reckoned whereofsome were greater and some lesse The place where the bones are layde is a sinale and narrowe bottome betweene two Mountaynes opening into a wyde and waste champion The speech goeth that out of Arabia at the poynte of the Sprynge many hydious and terrible Serpentes take their flght into Aegypt which y e fowles called Ibides meeting with straight wayes kill and deuour them by which meanes y e soile is rid deliuered of a great plague For this cause y e bird Ibis whereto the Arabians likewyse accorde is had in great price and estimation of the Aegyptians The fashion protrayture of this bird is such hir feathers as black as I eat long shanks like a Crane an hooked beake much about y e bignes of a Daker hen And in this sorte is the fowle bis rightly figured that killeth y e Serpents as they come into y e land There is also another of these which are brought vp liue amongst men hauing a sinale head a slender necke white plumed in all partes of the body sauing in the head necke the hinder parte of y e wyngs and the taile which are of a dark black hue the legges â—yll in all poynts like y e other The Serpents themselues in forme and making and much like to y e pestilent infectious beast Hydra that liueth in y e water They haue wyngs not of feathers but of smothe and naked skin like vnto the wings of a Bat or Reremouse But let it suffice vs hyther to to haue continued y e discourse and hystory of such beastes as with this people are had in chiefe and principall honour exhibiting towards them a certayne religious holy and diuine worship Now it vehoueth vs to know that such of the Aegyptians as dwell in the corne Countrey are most of all conuersant in descrying to the posterity the acts affayres of auncient momory and of all the nation the most famous principall Whose kinde of lyuing is after this maner Thrise euery moneth they cleanse and purifie them selues both vpwards by vomitting downewards by purginge hauinge especiall regarde of their health and welfare euermore supposing all maladies diseases to grow and arise of the meate which they eate For otherwise the Aegyptians are of all men liuing the most sounde and healthfull except y e Libians the cause whereof I iudge to proceede of the immutable constant course of y e yeare which with them neuer varieth but falleth out alwayes alike the greatest cause of defect sicknesse in men arysing of the chaung mutability of y e same Their bread is coÌ„tinually made of fine wheat their wyne for y e most part coÌ„pound of barley the conntry bearing no vynes at all They liue by fish partly raw and dryed agaynst the sunne sometimes powdred with salt Likewise by raw byrds well salted as Duayles Duckes and other smale fowle In like maner of other Creatures that haue neere affinity either with fish or fowle they make their prouision and furniture rosting some and boyleing other The rych and wealthy men of the lande in greate assemblies haue an vsuall custome that by some in the company there shoulde bee caryed about in a smale coffine the liuely expresse image of a deade man one or two cubits in length which hauing shewne and reuealed to all that are presente hee sayth thus Beholde here and amiddest thy pleasure and delighte remember this for such a one after thy death shalt thou bee thy selfe Such is their order in feastes and banquets contenting them selues alwayes with the customes of their owne countrey and refusing to be ruled by straunge and forraine maners Amongst whom are diuerse fashions very conuenient and well appoynted in the number of these an excellente Poeme or Ditty which the Grekes call Lynus And in truth meruayling at other thinges in Aegypt I am not a litle amazed at this whence the name of Lynus should come The Songe they seeme to haue kept retained from all antiquity Lynus in the Aegyptian gibberishe is called Maneros who as they say being the onely sonne of their firste Kinge was surprised and taken away by vntimely death whom the Aegyptians bewayle and lament in
being compassed about with dry matter was suddaynely by the treachery of his brother set on fire which he perceiuing toke counsayle with his wife then present how to escape and auoyde the daunger The woman either of a readier wit or riper cruelty aduised him to cast two of his sixe children into the fire to make way for him selfe and the rest to passe time not suffering him to make any long stay he put his wyues counsayle in speedy practise made a bridge through the fire of two of his children to preserue the rest aliue Sesostris in this sorte deliuered frō the cruell treason and malicious deuise of his brother first of all tooke reuenge of his trecherous villany and diuelish intent in the next place bethinking himselfe in what affayres to bestowe the multitude which he had brought with him whome afterwards he diuersly employed for by these captiues were certayne huge and monstrous stones rolled and drawne to the temple of Vulcane Likewise many trenches cut out and deriued from the riuer into most places of the countrey whereby the land being aforetime passable by cart horse was thencefoorth bereaued of that commodity for in all the time ensuing the countrey of Aegypt being for the most parte playne and equall is through the creekes and windings of the ditches brought to that passe that neyther horsse nor wayne can haue any course or passage from one place to another Howbeit Sesostris inuented this for the greater benefite and commodity of the lande to the ende that such townes and cities as were farre remooued from the riuer might not at the fall of the floud be pinched with the penury and want of water which at all times they haue deriued and brought to them in trenches The same King made an equall distribution of the whole countrey to all his subiects allotting to euery man the lyke portion and quantitie of ground drawne out and limited by a fouresquare fourme Heereof the King himselfe helde yeerely reuenewes euery one being rated at a certayne rent and pension which annually he payd to the crowne and if at the rising of the floud it fortuned any mans portion to be ouergone by the waters the King was thereof aduertised who forthwyth sent certayne to suruey y e ground and to measure the harmes which the floud had done him and to leauy out the crowne rent according to the residue of the land that remayned Heereof sprang the noble science of Geometry and from thence was translated into Greece For as touching the Pole and Gnomon which is to say the rule and the twelue partes of the day the Graecians tooke them of the Babylonians This King Sesostris held the Empyre alone leauing in Aethiopia before the temple of Vulcane certayne monuments to the posteritie to wit certayne images of stone one for hymselfe another for his wife beeyng eache of them thirtie cubites the foure images also of hys foure sonnes beeyng each of them twentie cubites apeece In processe of time when the image of King Darius that gouerned Persia should haue bene placed before the picture of Sesostris the priest of Vulcane which serued in the temple woulde in no wise permit it to bee done denying that Darius had euer atchieued the like exploites that Sesostris had done Who besides the conquering of sundrie other nations not inferiour in number to those whiche had beene ouercome by Darius had also brought in subiection the most couragious and valiaunt people of Scythia for whyche cause it were agaynst reason to preferre hymselfe in place before him vnto whome he was inferiour in chiualry whiche bolde aunswere of the priest King Darius tooke in good parte and brooked welynough Sesostris dying the seate imperiall came to hys sonne Pheco who beeyng bereaued of hys sight vndertooke no voyage of warre but remayned quiet in his kingdome The cause he was stricken blynde is sayde to be this At what tyme the waters of the floud increasing by reason of a mightie raging winde had drowned the lowe countreys eyghteene cubites deepe The Kyng inraged at the vnaccustomed swelling of the ryuer tooke hys darte and discharged it into the middest of the waters for whyche hys vnrcuerent facte the fame is that hys sighte incontinente was taken from hym and hee became blynde the space of tenne yeares In the eleuenth yeare there arose a prophecie in the city Butis that the tyme of hys miserie was nowe exspyred and that hys syght shoulde eftsoones bee restored agayne if in case hee washed hys eyes in the water of a woman whych neuer knewe man but her owne husbande For further proofe of thys phetis medicine the Kyng beganne first wyth hys owne wyfe whych working not the effecte he looked for he tryed many others but all in vayne lastly lighting vppon a poore seely woman that had neuer woorshipped more Sainctes then one hee speedely recouered hys sighte agayne and causing all those whome earst he had prooued to be gathered into one citie the name whereof was called Reddclodd he set fire to the towne and consumed them all The King thus healed and freely acquited of hys former miserie began to be deuoute increasing the temples of the gods with giftes of exceeding value All which deserue for theyr excellencie to be had in memorie and chiefly those that he offered in the temple of the Sunne which were these two mighty great stones which the Aegyptians in theyr tongue called Obeli in fashion like a spit or breach 100. cubites long and in breadth 80. Next after hym the kingdome descended to a certayne man of the citie Memphis whose name in the greeke language was Protheus to whome the Aegyptians erected a temple which is yet to be seeue in Memphis very fayre and beautifull garnished wyth rich and singulare giftes On euery side whereof dwell the Phenices a people descended of the Tyrians whereof the place taketh the name and is tearmed the tentes of the Tyrians Within the temple there is standyng the house of Proteus called the court of straunge Venus vnder which name is meant as I deeme Helena the daughter of Tyndarus who as a guest agaynst her wyll kepte resyaunce for a tyme in the court of Protheus and was tearmed the straunge Venus in as much as the other Venus who hath many temples in Aegypt is neuer called by the name of straunge Heereof entring talke with the sacred order of the priestes they discoursed vnto me that Alexander hauing stolne Helena from the Spartanes and speedyng hymselfe homewarde by the sea called Aegeum by constraynte of weather was driuen into the Aegyptian seas and perforce againste his will was cast ashore in Aegypt His ariual was at y e mouth of the floud Nilus called Canobicum at y e porte whiche the inhabitants tearme by y e name of Trachex In this place is situated a temple to Hercules where vnto if any mans seruaunt or vassall flye and get vppon hym the holy markes
The citie taken when Helena could not be founde and the same aunswere was rendered the Graecians as before they gaue credite at length to theyr wordes and sente Menelaus into Aegypt to the courte of Protheus whether beeyng come and declaryng the cause of hys arriuall to the Kyng he gaue him greate entertaynemente restoring vnto him hys Lady with all his treasure without any manner of losse or imbeselment Neuerthelesse Menelaus for all this courtesie and royall vsage which he had receyued at the handes of the King gaue him but a poupe for his labour dooyng to the countrey this iniurie for a farewell For indeuouring to depart thence and wayting a fauourable wynde to fit hys purpose by meanes whereof he stayde a long tyme in Aegypt to knowe the state of hys voyage what fortune should thereafter betide vnto hym he tooke two children of the Aegyptians slewe them and paunched out theyr bowels whereby to take view of his future successe Which beyng knowne and perceyuing hymselfe to be mortally hated and pursued of the inhabitauntes he sped hym thence into the Isles of Africa lying ouer against them from whence also makyng as good haste as he coulde the Aegyptians heard no more tydyngs of hym Of all these things they were partly informed by the knowledge of hystories beeyng much more certayne of such thyngs as were done in theyr countrey Thus farre the priestes of Aegypt proceeding in discoursing of Helena whereto I adde thys surmize of myne owne that if Helena had beene in Troy no doubt for ought that Alexander could haue sayde or done she had beene deliuered to the Graecians For who woulde thynke that Kyng Pryamus wyth the residue of that lignage were so madde that to the ende Alexander might enioy the delighte of hys Lady would imperill theyr owne lyues and theyr childrens with the flourishing estate of so famous a citie In whych fond opinion if in case they had bene at the beginning yet vndoubtedly they woulde haue recanted at length when as many valiaunt souldyers of the Troianes and two or three of the Kings owne sonnes if any credit may be geuen to the poets were most lamentably slaine by the Graecians in fight By these things I am driuen to coniecture that if Helena had beene in their keeping Pryamus to rayse the siege from the walles of hys city woulde willingly haue wrought meanes to restore her agayne Neyther was Alexander heyre apparaunt to the crowne so that his father beeyng crooked wyth age the administration of the kyngdome shoulde rest in hys gouernemente one there was betweene hym and home namely hys brother Hector as well in number of yeares hys elder as in noblenesse of mynde hys better whome it behoued not to smooth vp his brother in hys filthy leachery seeing such imminent perill to threaten not onely himselfe but also the whole kyndred and nation of the Troianes But it was the iust plague of God inflicted vppon them for their wickednesse that they shoulde neyther delyuer Helena whome they had not nor be credyted of the Graecians to whome they fayned not to the ende all men myght learne that they whyche stryke wyth the swoorde shall be beaten with the scabberde being euermore seene that vpon greeuous iniuries the gods alwayes powre downe greeuous reuengements Thus much I thought conuenient to speake of mine owne fancye After the deceasse of Protheus Kampsinitus tooke vppon hym the rule of the countrey who in memorie of himselfe lefte behynde hym certayne porches of stone planted westward agaynst the temple of Vulcane right ouer agaynst the whych stoode two images of fyue and twentye cubites in length One of the which standyng northerly they call sommer and the other lying to the west they tearme winter contrary to all reason and order This King in aboundance of wealth and plenty of coyne so farre excelled all those that came after hym that none coulde go beyonde him no not approch neere vnto hym in that kynde wherefore desirous to possesse hys goodes in safetie hee builte hym a treasurie or iewellhouse of stone one of the walles whereof bounded vpon the outsyde of hys courte In framing whereof the workeman had wrought thys subtile conueyance one stone in the wall hee layde in that sorce that a man might easily at pleasure plucke it in or out which notwithstanding serued so fittingly to the place that nothing coulde be discerned When the building was finished the King caused his treasure to be brought into it minding henceforth to be secure and to lay aside all feare of misfortune In processe of time this cunning artificer lying at the poynt to dye called vnto him his two sonnes and disclosed vnto them in what manner he had prouided for theyr good estate in leauing a secret and most priuy passage into the Kings treasurie whereby theyr whole lyfe myght be lead in most happy and blessed condition In briefe hee shewed them all that was done by hym delyuering them the iust measures of the stone that they mighte not bee deceyued in laying it agayne whych the two yong youthes well marking thought from that tyme forwarde to be of the Kings counsayle if not of hys court and to become the priuy surueyers of hys iewell-house Theyr father beeing dead they made no long delay to put in execution theyr determinate purpose but repayring to the court by night they found the stone which with small force remoouing it from the place they sped themselues wyth plentie of coyne and so departed In shorte space after the Kyng entering hys treasurie and fyndyng the vessels wherein hys money lay to be somewhat decreased was exceedingly amazed not knowing whome to accuse seeyng both hys seales whyche he had set on the dore vntouched and the dore fast locked at hys commyng thyther Howbeit repayring sundrie tymes to beholde hys wealth and euermore perceyuing that it grewe lesse and lesse deuised with hymselfe to beset the place where hys money lay with certayne greens or snares to entrappe the theefe in These subtile merchaunts accordyng to theyr former wont approching the spring head where they had dronke so oft before one of them wente in and groaping for the money was so fast intangled in a snare that for hys lyfe hee wist not how to shifte but seeyng hymselfe in these braakes hee called hys brother to whome he disclosed hys euill happe willing hym in any wise to cut off hys head least beeyng knowne who hee was they both myght bee serued wyth the same sauce His brother hearing hys counsayle to be good did as he bade hym and fitly placing the stone as hee founde it departed home bearyng wyth hym the head of hys slayne brother The nexte day the Kyng opening hys iewell house and espying and headlesse theefe surprised in a ginne was woonderfully astonied seeing euery place safe and no way in the world to come in or out at In this quandary vncertaine what to thynke of so straunge an euent be deuised yet to
and windings leading from one chamber to another did wonderfully amaze and astonish my wits Out of the great haules we go into certaine parlours wherehence the way leadeth in other bedchambers next vnto which are situate diuers secrete lodgings that open into the sixe great haules standing on the contrarie parte of the court all which are coped ouer aboue with wrought and carued stone incompassed also with a wall of most fayre and beautifull stone ingrauen with sundrie sorts of pictures Euery one of the haules are layde with smooth white stone beautified on each side with a goodly course of pillers To one corner of the Laberinth is adioyning a pyre or towre of stone being fortie paces wherein are the pictures of many straunge beastes hewne out and carued of stone To this towre is a way vndermined in the ground Notwithstanding for all the wonders that are to be seene and marked in the Laberinth the poole called Maeris neere bounding vnto the same hath in our iudgemeÌ„t sundry things thereto belonging of farre greater admiration The compasse of this ponde is three thousande sixe hundred furlongs and sixty Schoenes as they tearme them conteyning alltogether as much space as the sea coast of the countrey of Aegypt The length of the poole lyeth North and South being in deapth where it is highest fiftie paees Now that it hath not sprong naturally in that place but rather hath bene wrought and digged by the trauell of men this is an euident proofe for that welnye in the middest of the ponde are planted two mightie towres of stone appearing fiftie foote aboue the water and beeing as much vnder On the toppe of ech towre is a great image wrought of stone sitting in a chaire of maiestie so that the towres conteyne in heigth an hundreth paces An hundreth full paces do make a furlong of sixe acres A pace conteyneth sixe feete or foure cubites A foote is foure times the breadth of the hande The water of Moeris is not naturally flowing from any spring belonging thereto the grounde beeyng exceedyngly patched and drie but is deriued from the riuer the water hauing recourse into the poole euerie sixe monethes by ebbing and flowing The sixe monethes wherein the water is retyring out of the ponde the multitude of fishe which is there taken increaseth the Kings fiske euery day by a talent of siluer and at suche time as it refloweth agayne it bringeth aduantage of twentie pounde a daye Thys poole the inhabitants affyrme searcheth through the vames of the earth and sheddeth his waters into the Syrâ—s or quicke-sands of Africa vndermining a secrete course into the mayne land towarde the countreys of the West fast by the side of an huge mountayne which appeareth ouer the city Memphis Now forsomuch as I could not discerne how all the molde should be bestowed that was cast out of the poole at the firste making thereof being desirous to knowe what was become of it I questioned with the inhabitaunts of those places as touching the same whose answere was that it was employde to the rampeiring of the bankes of Nilus and much of it throwne downe the riuer whose speach obteyned the more credite wyth me for that I remembred the like thing to haue bene done at the city Ninus one of the chiefe cities of Assyria In this city it fell out in auncient time that certayne good fellowes wanting siluer determined to visit the Kings treasurie who at that time was Sardanapalus abounding with infinite summes of treasure which for that it lay safely garded vnder the earth in houses vndermined for the purpose these yonkers aforesayde beginning at their owne houses made a way vnder grounde directly leading to the pallace of the King voyding all the mold which they digged into the riuer Tigris by night which floweth fast by the city vntill they had brought their enterprise to passe After the same manner it fell out in Aegypt in casting the lake of Maeris sauing that the one was digged by night the other by day but in this also the greatest parte of the boyde earth was cast into Nilus and dispersed by the streame And in this manner say the Aegyptians was the poole of Maeris firste made Now when as the 12. Kings of Aegypt had practised equity euery one within his owne territory they drew together at a certaine time to do sacrifice in Vulcans temple where as y e maner was y e last day of y e festiuall the priest ministred wine vnto theÌ„ in certaine chalices of gold reserued for the same vse where happily missing of his number hauing but xi cups for xii princes Psammitichus standing last tooke from his head a brasen costlet and for want of a cup dranke therein In lyke maner fel it out with the rest of the princes that euery one was there presente in his headpeece of brasse In thus doyng it was deemed that Psammitichus meante no crafte or legerdeâ—ayne but had a playne simple meaning Howbeit it could not sinke with the rest but that he did it of purpose and comming in mind of the oracle that was geuen them that whosoeuer dranke of a brasen chalice should vsurpe the whole empyre alone weying his facte and finding that it was committed by errour they thought it not meete to put him to death but depriuing him of the greatest parte of his dominion banished him into the marrish countrey with especiall threates that he should not meddle with any parte of the countrey besides Notwithstanding Psammitichus hauing put to flight Sabbacus the Kyng of the Aethyopians and chased hym into Syria after this conquest was acquit of hys exile and restored agayne by those Aegyptians which are of the tribe of Sais wherefore once agayne vsing gouernement wyth the rest of hys confederates for the olde grudge of the brasen helmet they forced him to take the fennes agayne Recounting therefore with himselfe y e great despight they had wrought him determined eftsoones to reuenge his cause vpon those y t had pursued him speeding a messenger to the oracle of Latona in the citie of Butis which of all the seates of southsaying is of greatest truth aunswere was giuen him to be of good courage he shoulde haue helpe inough by brasen men that shoulde arise from the sea Which prophecie for the strangenesse thereof could hardly sincke into his braines to make him hope for the helpe of brasen souldyders Not long after certayne pyrates of Ionia and Caria proling alongst the seacoastes for their pray were by constraynte of weather driuen vpon the shores of Aegypt where going on lande all in armour of brasse a certayne Aegyptian ranne to Psammitichus in the fennes and for that he had neuer before seene any in the like array he tolde him that certayne brasen men were sproong out of the sea to waste and despoyle the countrey Psammitichus reknowledging the truth of the prophecie foorthwith ioyned himselfe in amitie with the rouers inducing them by great and large
Syrians at a place named Magdolos he wanne the renowne of the fielde and after the battayle was ended tooke the greate city Caditis And beeyng very neate and fine in hys apparrell he sent a sute of hys brauest array to Apollo in Branchidae a certayne field of the Milesians In the ende after he had held the Kingdome seauenteene yeares hee then died leauing the title of his soueraignety to Psammis his sonne During whose raigne a certayne people called Helus sent messengers abrode into all regions to giue them to vnderstand how by them was deuised a game in Olympus of greater admiration and equitie then by any that euer had vsed that place supposing that the Aegyptians who had the prayse of wisedome aboue all nations could not better or more iustly dispose of these matters then themselues When they were come into Aegypt and had told the cause of their arriuall thither the King assembled such of the Aegyptians as were most excellent for graue and sage advice aboue the rest To whome when the Helians had made discourse of all those things which they had ordeyned in the setting foorth of this noble combate and had asked the Aegyptians if they could deuise anything better after deliberation had of the matter they asked the Helians whether they had inacted that citizens should mayntayne the controuersie against strangers or otherwise who aunswered that it was indifferently lawfull for all to striue of what countrey soeuer he were wherto the Aegyptians replyed that it coulde no wise stande wyth iustice forsomuch as one citizen would shew fauour to another by that meanes by partial dealing do iniurie to those y t came frō farre so that in case they would order y e matter with more equity and for that cause had arriued in Aegypt it were better to make the game for strangers alone not suffering any of the Helians to striue These things the Aegyptians put into theyr heads and sent them packing Psammis hauing raigned full out sixe yeares and making a voyage of warre into Aethyopla incontinently dyed After whome succeeded his sonne Apryes the most fortunatest of all the princes that had ruled before him excepting Psammiti 〈…〉 his great graundfire gouerning the countrey 25. yeares During which time he warred vpon Sydon and fought with the people of Tyrus by Sea Howbeit fortune owing him a despight she payde him home at length the cause where of we withriefely touch at this present deferring a more ample discourse of the same till we come to speake of the affayres of the Punickes When as therefore vndertaking a iourney against the Cyrenians he had suffered great losse of his men the Aegyptians cōtinuing hatred against him denied their allegeaunce rebelled supposing y t he had betrayed their liues on purpose to the end that with more security he might gouerne those y t remained For which cause in great disdayne aswell such as forsooke him returned home as also the friends of these y t had died in the battell stoode at defiance with the king renoūceing all duties of subiection Apryes witting hereof sent Amasis to treate peace with them who when he came in many words had rebuked their disloyalty one of the Aegyptians standing behinde him clapt a Costlet on his head saying hee had done it to make him King Amasis nothing discontent herewith was no soner proclaymed King by the rebells but forthwith he put himselfe in a readinesse to encounter with Apryes Apryes vnderstanding this sent one of the Aegyptians named Patarbemes a man of approued vertue with especiall charge to bring to him Amasis alyue Who arryuing speedely at the place where hee was tolde him the Kinges pleasure Amasis sittinge on horse backe and incouraginge those that were about him commaūded Patarbemes to bring Apryes vnto him Patarbemes once agayne willing him to make speede to the King who had sente for him hee answered that hee woulde come with all speede possible sayinge that the Kinge shoulde haue no cause to complayne of his slacknesse for hee purposed god willing to bee with him shortely and bringe him more company Patarbemes perceiuinge by his maner of speache and dealinges what hee was mynded to doe thought with as much speede as hee coulde to geue notice to the King and being returned Apryes in a great rage for that hee had lefte Amasis behinde him without any woordes by and by commaunded his Nose and his Cares to bee cut of The rest of the Aegyptians that followed the Kinges partes seeing this that so worthy and renowmed a man should without cause suffer so great shame and reproche amongst them without any delay fled ouer to the rebelles and came to Amasis Apryes increasing his fury put in armoure all such as of forrayne countries were hyrelinges in his hoste which hee had of Iönia and Caria aboute thirty thowsande men and marched agaynst the Aegyptians Hee had in the City Saïs a very great gorgeous Pallace The armyes therefore of bothe parties incamped agaynst other at the City Memphis there to abide the lot and euent of the battayle Nowe the people of Aegypt are diuersly addicted amongst whom are to bee marked seuen sundry Trades and kindes of lyuing which are these Priests Souldiers Grasiers Neate-heardes Salesmen Interpreters Maryners so many kindes bee there of this people taken of the Trade or crafte which euery one followeth Likewise the souldiers are called Calasiries and Hermotybies dwelling in certayne regions For the whole countreye of Aegypte is distinguished into certaine territories The coastes of the Hermotybies are these Busiris Saïs Chemmis Papremis and the halfe parte of the Iland Prosopis otherwise called Natho In these quarters are inhabyting of the souldiers Hermotybies 160. thowsande none of the which geue themselues to manuary artes or any trade of gayne but wholly practise the science of armes Moreouer to y e Calasyrians are assigned these regions Thebana Bubastiana Aphthitana Tanitana Mendesia Sebenitana Athribitana Pharbaethitana Thmuitana Thnuphitana Anysia Myecphoritana which tribe possesseth an Iland lying against the City Bubastis The tribes of the Calasyrians when they are mustered to the most yeelde to the warre two hundred and fiftye thowsand men which are neuer trained vp in any thing but in feates of Chiualry the Sonne learning of his father Which custome whether the Greekes tooke from the Aegyptians or borowed it from els where I can not certainely say seeing that in Scythia Persia and Lydia and welnigh all the countreyes of the Barbarians the basest sorte of Cityzens are such as exercise handicraftes and their children of leaste accounte and they best regarded which are leaste conuersante in the same especially such as are employed in the fielde The same maner also doe the Grecians obserue and chiefly the Lacedaemonyans and euen amonge the Corinthyans craftsmen and such others are debased to the lowest degree To these gentlemen souldiers this chiefe honour is assigned aboue all sortes of men sauing those
onely that are busied in the seruice of the Sainctes that to euery one of them is allotted twelue portions of singuler good grounde exempt free from all kinde of Tribute and Pension and seuerall to their owne vse and behoofe Each plot of grounde contayning euery way an hundred cubyts by the Aegyptian measure A cubyt amongst the Aegyptians is equall to that which they vse in Samos A thowsand of each company aswell of the Calysirians as Hermatybians did yearely geue attendaunce to garde and defend the Kinges body To whom besides the profite reuennewes of their land were certayne Farme-places geuen to each man one Moreouer for their lyuery fiue pound of tosted bread two pounde of Beefe and a gallon of wyne which were duely serued to them euery day When as therefore Apryes on the one side with his stipendaries and on the other side Amasis with an huge army of the Aegyptians were come into the City Memphis they closed bartaile where the hyred souldiers of Apryes acquited them selues very valiauntly till at the length being fewer in number they were put to flight Apryes was perswaded that neither god nor the diuell coulde haue ioynted his nose of the Empyre hee seemed so surely to haue strengthned it to him selfe Neuerthelesse in this fight hee was foyled taken a liue and caried to his owne courte in Saïs where Amasis kept him more like a Prynce then a prysoner for the time that hee lyued At length the Aegyptians murmuring againste him that hee did not well to reserue a liue a mortall enemy both to himselfe and the whole country he delyuered vp Apryes into their handes Whom they immediatly toke strangled buried him in the sepulcher of his father in the temple of Minerua neere vnto a certayne Oratory at the lefte hand as you enter in Being the vse with the people of Saïs to burie all such as out of their tribe haue attayned to the kingdome within the temple For the toumbe of Amasis is placed vppon the other side of the Oratory contrary to the Sepulcher of Apryes and his Progenitours Likewise in one place of this Temple is a fayre Chamber builte of stone beautyfied with sundry Pyllers ingrauen like vnto Palme-trees being otherwyse very sumptuously and royally garnished In the middest of the Chamber are two mayne Posts betwene the which standeth a Cophine There is also a toumbe in the same the name whereof I may not descry without breache of Religion At Saïs in the Temple of Minerua beneath the Churche and neere vnto the walle of Minerua in a base Chappell are standinge certayne greate brooches of stone whereto is adioyninge a lowe place in manner of a Dungeon couered ouer wyth a stone curiously wroughte the Vaute it selfe being on euery side carued with most exquisite arte in biggnesse matchinge with that in Delos which is called Trochoïdes Herein euery one counterfayteth the shadowes of hys owne affections and phantasies in the nyghte season which the Aegyptians call Mysteryes touchinge which god forbid I should aduenture to discouer so much as they vouchsafed to tell mee In lyke manner of the Decrees of Ceres which the Grecians terme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say the publishinge of Lawes and Ordynances of these matters I dare not bee very francke in speakinge no further then religion wyll permit This is certayne that the Daughters of Danaeus were the firste that brought this custome oute of Aegypte and made it knowne to the women of Pelasgos But afterwardes mislyked of the Dores it was vtterly abolyshed and lefte off in all the Countrey of Peloponnesus sauinge of certayne Arcadians whom the people of Peloponnesus lycensed to contynewe in the Countrey by whome the same order was retayned Apryes being dead Amasis raygned in his steede being of y e Tribe of Saïs and trayned vp in a City named Suph In the first entraunce of his raygne the Aegyptians set lyght by him and had him in greate contempte being spronge of no Noble house but arysinge of the common troup of the popular sorte Whose goodwill Amasis soughte to reconcile rather by pollicy then seuerity Being therefore infinitely riche he had amongest other his treasure a Basen of cleane Golde wherein both him selfe and his Guestes were wont to washe their Feete This Bason hee caused to bee beaten into the forme Image of a god and set it vp in a fit place of the City The Aegyptians repayringe to the place bowed themselues in great reuerence vnto the Image which Amasis hauing learned by his friendes assemblinge the people tolde them that of the same Basen wherein him selfe and many other of the Aegyptians had bene wonte to vomite pysse washe their feete and all such base exercises was framed the god that they so greatly honoured saying that his owne present estate was not much vnlyke vnto that Bason for albeit before time he had bene one of the basest degree of the people yet now being their Kinge hee ought of ryghte to bee had in honour Whereby the Aegyptians weare so allured that they thought it meete afterwards to obeye their Prynce Who afterwards obserued this Custome in dealinge with the affayres of the realme from the morninge vntill the places of assembly and common meeting were filled hee sat vppon all matters that were brought before him spending the rest of the day amongst his companyons in swilling drinking such broade and vnseemely iesting as if hee had bene some common rybauld or Vyce of a playe Whereat his friendes aggrieuinge rebuked him in these or such like termes Most worthy Prince it is a great blemish to your name to liue so wickedly more meete it were for you to sit in a Throne of maiesty and decide the causes of your subiects whereby the Aegyptians might knowe them selues to bee gouerned by a worthy Prince and your fame bee increased throughout all the lande To whom hee answered They that owe the Bowe knowe best when to bend it which being alway bent becommeth so weake that it is altogether vnfit for those that shoulde vse it euen so it fareth with those that â—yreing themselues with continuall paynes geuing no intermission to their cares they are sodenly bereaued either of their right minde or their perfit members This king whiles hee lyued without honour was geuen to bibbing and scoffing without measure neuer greatly minding his affayres and as ofte as hee wanted to serue his turne and to yeelde supply to his pleasures he sought mayntenance by filching and stealing whereof if happily hee were at any time attached his maner was to stand stoutly in deniall of the thing and defiance of y e person for which cause being many times brought to the Oracles and places of southsaying hee was sometime conuicted by them and at other times acquited Wherefore hauing attayned to the kingdome which of the gods soeuer had acquited him of theft he had no regard to their temples did no honour to them
vowed within her selfe to the goddesse Venus that in case it might please her to inable Amasis to performe the duties of an husband and accompany with her the same night she would dedicate an image vnto her at Cyrenae Hir prayers being heard Amasis became so frollicke that before the morning they arose the best contented folkes on the earth euer after that finding hymselfe so apt to enioy the delightes of his Lady that he tooke greatest pleasure in her company and loued her most entirely of all other Ladyce remembring her vowe she had made to Venus thought good to performe it and framing a most beautifull and curious image she sente it to the city Cyrenae which stoode vnperished vnto our dayes being placed by the citizens without the towne The same Ladyce Cambyses King of Persia vanquishing Aegypt vnderstanding what she was sent her without any manner shame or violence into her owne countrey By this King Amasis were many giftes distributed of singulare price and value To Cyrenae he sent the image of Minerua garnished all ouer wyth gilt and his owne personage most curiously shadowed by a Paynter Likewise to the city Lindus he gaue two images of the goddesse Minerua wrought in stone with a linnen stomacher most excellently imbrodered by arte Moreouer to the goddesse Iuno in Samus two pictures expressing her diuine beautie of most exquisite workemanship Which bountie he exercised towards the Samians for the great friendship he bare to their King Polycrates the sonne of Aeaces But to the city Lyndus why he should shewe hymselfe so franke and liberall no other reason serued sauing that the fame wente that the great temple of Minerua in Lindus was builded by y e daughters of Danaus after they were knowne and had escaped the daungers intended against them by the sonnes of Aegyptus These and many other excellente giftes were dispersed and giuen abroade by King Amasis By whome also the city Cyprus which was deemed of all men inuincible and had neuer before beene vanquished by any was conquered taken and brought vnder tribute FINIS The contrey of the author The first cause of discention betvvene the Grecians and Barbarians The rape of Io. and her ariual into Aegipt Europa stolen by the Greeks in reuenge of Io. Medea caried avvay by IasoÌ„ at vvhat tyme he vvonne the golden fleecè at Colchis The rape of Helen vvherof arose the Troyan vvarre By so much the greater is their folly that fight for vvomen by hovv much the greater their liberty is to be vvel ridde of them The pleasaunt history of Craesus sonne of Haliattes the first of the BarbariaÌ„s that coÌ„quered any part of Grece Greece consisted of foure kind of people the Iones Aeoles Dorus LaccdemoniaÌ„s The right Aeres apparant to the crovvne of Lidia vvere the Heraclidans Mernade vver the family and succession of those kinges vvherof Cresus came The royall family of the kinges of Lidia before the Heraclidans came of Lydus of whoÌ„ the countrey was named Lydia The Parentes of the Heraclidans Hercules Iardana By what meanes the empire came to the stocke of Craeâ—ns The best poynt of a Woman to be vnknowne A due revvard of doting The diuil in old tyme a diposer of kingdomes since the Pope Pythia a vvomaÌ„ that serued the deuil in his temple at Delphos gaue out oracles to such as demauÌ„ded them Delphos a city in the couÌ„trey of Phosis one a mouÌ„tayne of Grece called Paâ—nassê° here vvas the famous temple of Apollo vvher the deuil gaue craracles The Actes of Giges vvrought by him in tyme of his raygne The yeares of his raygne 38 Ardyis sonne of Gyges second king of the stocke of the Mernadans The tyme of his raygne 49. yeares Sadiatâ—es 3. king raygned 12. yeares Haliattes king 4. The actes and aduentures of Halyattes The Story of Arion Haliattes rayned 57 yeares Glancus Chius the first that inuented to vvorke in iron Solon trauayling froÌ„ Grece came into Lidia to the court of Craesus of vvhose vvealth and felicity hee gaue iudgement as follovveth The example of an happy Tellus The Gods offended at the insolency of Craesus bereaued him of his deare son Atis The dreame of Craesus as concerninge his sonnes de 〈…〉 Adrastus for killing his brother vvas exiled his couÌ„try A vvylde Bore haunting in Mysia VVhom destenies vvil haue die he shal be the busie vvor ker of his ovvue peril Atis sâ—ayne by Adrastus Adrastus slevv himselfe vpon the tombe of Atis. Apolloin these verses telles the ambassadours vvhat their kinge did that day The meaning of the oracle The sacrifice of Craesus to A pollo his giftes also vvhich he dedicated in the â—aâ—ple Craesus demauÌ„ ded of the oracle vvhether he might make vvarre a gaynst Persia or not A doubtful ansvveare the meaniÌ„g vvherof is expounded in the next page He is somevvhat to hasty that leaps ouer the stâ—le before he comes at it The meaning of this oracle is expressed The originall of the Lacedae monians and Athenians The miracle of the Greeke nation Pi 〈…〉 a 〈…〉 rauntin AtheÌ„s by vvhatdeuise he attay 〈…〉 d the gouernâ—eÌ„t The subtilty of of Pisistratue to attayne the kingdome Pisistratus depriued of his kingdome A deuise made by Pisistratus to recouer the kingdome Pisistratus bani shed out of AtheÌ„s the seâ—d tyme. A propâ—â—cy of Pisistratus â—â—s victory Pisistratus the 3 time king Lycurgus the lavvgeuer of the Lacedaemonians An oracle in the prayse of Lycurgus A deceyptful oracle that fell out othervvise theÌ„ the vvords import An oracle describing the place vvhere Orestes vvas buryed The meanes hovv the tomb vvas diseried The story of Craesus beyng interrupted The vvise couÌ„sayle of Sardanis geuen to king Craesus in his settinge forth agaynst Persia The riot ofth PersiaÌ„s vvheÌ„ce it came The limites of Media and Lydia Th. causes of Craesus his voi age agaynst Persia A prety discourse shevviÌ„g the meanes hovv Craesus Astyages came to be of a kinne The Scythians excellent in shoting The day turned into night Labynetus sonne of Nitocijs The maÌ„ner of makiÌ„ga league betvvene the Lydians and Medes The meaning of this place of Astyages his captiuity is declared more at large The deuyse of Thales Milesius to passe the riuer CoÌ„pare vvith this place the apologi of Cyrus to the ambassadour of Ioma A miracle forshevving the destruction of Sardis The meaning of the miracle The Lydians couragious in battaile and expert in ridiÌ„g A singuler deuise of Harpagus to vanquish the Lydian ryders A horse very fearful of a camel A ariefe discourse of a coÌ„bat fought betveene the Argyues and Lacedaemonians for a piece of ground ThevvynniÌ„g of thcitye Sardis The cause vvhy the vvals of Sardis vvere inuincible Craesus his dumbe sonne spake to saue his father The oracle verifyed Fol. 15. Craesus acknovvlegeth novv the sentence of Solon to true that no man is perfyte happy that maye bee miserable The vvisedom and merciful nature of Cyrus in yeldinge Craesus pardoÌ„ Apollo by a
shovvre of rained deliuered Craesus from the fire A reason vvhy peace is more to be desired then vvarre Craesus seynge to vvhat passe the oracle had brought him desireth leaue of Cyrus to chide vvith the deuil Apollo his ansvvere to Craesus his accusation Craesus is punished for the fact of Gyges that slue Candaules his mayster Applye to this place theoracle geuen fol. 25. PantaleoÌ„ Craelus his brother by the fathers syde sought to defeat him of the kingdome Of the couÌ„trey of Lydia a briefe narratioÌ„ of such things as therin are vvorthy memory Halyattes his tombe in Lydia The maydes in Lydia get their ovvne dovâ—â—ye by continuall vvhoredome The lavves of the people of Lydia The first coyners of siluer gold A famine in Lydiacontinuing the space of 18 yeares Chesse play dice and teâ—â—se deuised by the Lydians A colonye dravvne sene into Hetruria The people Tyrrheni in Vmbria sproÌ„g of the Lydians The genology of the kinges of Media from Deioces to Cyrus Media held by the Assyrians The pollicy of of Deioces to get the kingdome of Media Nothingvvinâ—e heredite so sonne asiustice and vpright dealyng The buildinge of the famous city Ecbatana The reason vvhy no man might haue accesse to the king of the Medes The seuerall countries of Media are these 6. Deioces raiged â—3 yeares Phraoâ—â—es the 2. King The Persians made subiect to the Medes by Phâ—aortes restored to their liberty by Cyrus Phraortes slayne by the Assyrianâ— the 22 yeare of his raygne Câ—axares 3. The day turned into night The most auncient temple of Venus Asia held by the Scythians 28. yeares Cyaxaresraigned 40. yeares Astyages 4. vn der vvhose raygne is conteyned the famous story of Cyrus The 2. dreams of Astyages conceâ—ning his daughter Harpagus deliuereth the child to the kinges neatheard to lay out in the desert Mitradates moued by his vvife laid out a dead child of his ovvne in sâ—eed of Cyrus Cyrus brought vp by the grasiers vvife Cyrus descryeth his progeni and causeth himselfe to be knovven Cyrus his bold ansvveare to Astiages Harpagus examined about Cyrus Harpagus his sonne slayne â— dressed in a barket Harpagus feeding of his ovvne childe Cyrus by the counsayle of the vvisemen vvas senthome to his parentes Cyrus receiued of his parentes The cause of the fable that Cyrus vvas said to be brought vp of a Bytch Harpaguâ—conuayghed a letter to Cyrus in the belly of an hare The letter The deuyce of lying to moue the Persians to rebellion The Persians rebell Harpagus leading the army of the Medes ioyneth his vvhole povver vvith Cyrus agaynst Astyageâ— Astyages hangeth the vvise men for counsayling him to let Cyrus goe Astyages takeÌ„ captiue Astyages raygned 35. yeares The celebration of their birth day in Persia The regard of good maners The maner of their consultation The people of Greece offer themselues to Cyrus todohomage The difference of speach in Ionia Of the cityes of Aeolia The losse of Smyrna Mazares dyiÌ„g Harpagusvvas made generall in his steed The counsai of Byas to th people of Ionia A discourse the Carians The people of Gâ—ydus their originall An experience vvrought for the tryall of antiquitie It vvere a question if a man should bee taught no language in vvhat tongue hee vvould speake Heliopolis the city of the Sunne The vvisest people in AEgypt The 12 monethes of the yeare first fouÌ„d out by the Aegyptians The names of the 12 gods Aulters Images and Temples inuented by the Aegyptians Menes the first kinge that euer raygned A Egypte for the most parte couered vvith vvater The maner of the Aegyptians measures AEgypt nexte the sea coaste 3600. furlonges The description of the countrey of AEgypt A mountaine The straunge effects of certayne ryuers By vvhat proofeâ— the couÌ„trey of Aegypt is argued to haue bene couered by vvaters In AEgypt it neuer rayneth but their lande is vvatered by the ouerflovve of Nilus The maner of husbandry amongst the AEgyptians Hogs be the best husbands in Aegypt and the vvorst in England A confutation of the opinion of the Iones concerning Aegypt The course of the riuer Nilus The names of the chanels of Nilus Pelusium Canobus Sebennyticum Saïticum Menedesium Bolbitinum Buâ—olicum A story touching the description of Aegypt An oracle in Afrike Hovv much of the land Nilus ouerflovveth The cause and time of the rising of the riuer Nilus sendeth foorth no miste A refutation of the Grecians as touching the same things vvithin fiue dayes after snovve falleth rayne That there is no sea called Ocean The true opinion of these things The cause vvhy the South and Southvveast vvind bring rayne Ister a great riuer in Europe The spring of the riuer Nilus vnsearchable The tvvo mountaynes Crophi and Mophi The City Meroe The souldiers of Aegypt forsooke theyr ovvne countrey The tricke of a knaue A slory touching the spring of Nilus A voyage vndertaken by certayne yong gentlemen A City inhabited by Necromancers The description of the riuer Ister Aegypt the most vvonderfull nation in the vvorld The lavves and customes of the people of Aegypt The daughter bound to nourish her parents in need The good felovvship in Aegypt vvher the good man and his hogs dine together The vse of grayne is very â—lender in Aegypt The manner of casting of account Their letters or charecters Cleannesse in auyre vvithout pride The custome of the priests Their dyer The orders of priesthood The manner of trying the bullocks that are sacrificed vvhether they be cleane or othervvise The order of sacrificing The head of the beast that is sacrificed is accursed A lavv greatly honoured in Aegypt The maner of burying kyne vvheÌ„ they dy The cause vvhy some of the Agyptians vvill kill no sheepe Whence the Ammonians drevv theyr name The name of Hercules taken from the Aegyptians The Kings of Aegypt could make at their pleasure gods The tvvo temples of Hercules in Greece The reason vvhy in some partes of Aegypt they vvil kill no goates A Goate closing vvith a vvoman Hogs of all beasts vvurst accounted of Hogheards of basest account Svvine sacrificed to Liber and Luna Superstition oft times runneth into most filthy deuises Melampus the first founder of this ceremonie in Greece In the time of Herodotus the name of Philosophers vvas straunge The beastly deuises of the paganes Cabiri the three sonnes of Vulcane Dodona somtime the chiefe oracle in Greece The beginning of the pagans gods The beginning of the oracles in Africke and Greece A tale of tvvo pigeons Inuentions of the Aegyptians The feastes of Diana Isis and Minerua The feast of the Sunne The celebration of Latonas feast and Mars The maner of such as repaire to the festiuall of Diana The feast of lampes A combate of priests The cause of this combate The feast of broken pates A reason dravvne from the vse of beastes to defend the maners of men The manner of the Aegyptians touching the beastes of the land The great regard of haukes The nature of catsin Aegypt Mourning for
at a priuye signe to fall to feasting tipling and quaffing betweene themselues aboue measure Which thing he deuysed to the intent the Sardian embassadours beholding so greate plentye and aboundance of grayne and vewing the people in such wise to disport them selues with al kynde of pleasure and delight might make report therof to y e kinge his soueraigne which fell out accordynglye For the ambassadours taking diligent view of all thinges they saw and dispatching their ambassage to Thrasibulus made speedy recourse to Sardis And as I am geuen to vnderstand hereof onelye proceeded a conclusion of peace betwene them For Halyattes supposinge the Milesians to bee oppressed with greate want and penury of grayne at the returne of hys legates hard other newes then hee looked for After this a league was established betweene them of mutuall hospitality and fellowship and in steed of one temple Halyattes caused 2 other to be sumptiuously built at AssessuÌ„ beyng after restored to hysful and perfect strength Such was then the maner of the warre that Halyattes mayntayned agaynst the people of Miletus Periander the some of Sypselus who aduertised Thrasibulus of the oracle was king of Corinth in whose raigne there happened by report of hys people with whom also y e cityzens of Lesbos do iustly accord a miracle right straunge and wonderful Arion Methimnaeus sitting on the backe of a Dolphine by safe and easy conduite arryued at Taenaros hauing the name to bee the most excellent and skylfull musition on the harpe of those â—ymeâ—â— by whom also chieflye was inuented named and taught the kynde and forme of verse called Biâ—hyrambus The fame is how this Aryon hauing a loÌ„g tyme bene resident in the court of Periander was greatly desyrous to passe the Seas into Italye and Cicilie wher beyng growen in wealth and flowinge with infinite summes of money was lead by a desire of retyring backe into hys owne countreye and determyne to in ship himselfe at Tarentum for the speciall credite and good lyking he had to the men of his owne nation hyred a Corinthian barck to returne in which hauing a gall of pleasant wynde and beinge nowe without kenne of Lande the Maryners were all in mind to haue borded Aryon to enioy his money which thing y e pore harper perceyuing freely offred to depart from his wealth if therewith satisfyed they would shew mercy on him selfe and spare his life How beit finding theÌ„ cruelly bent not to bee moued with anye tears but y t either he must kil himselfe be buried on y e laÌ„d or fling hiÌ„selfe hedloÌ„g into y e mids of y e sea he besought theÌ„â—sibly y t since it semed them best to deale so roughly w t him they would graunt him liberty in his richest aray to sing a song wherto they gladly yeldiÌ„g as beyng not a little ioyful to lend their eares to the chiefest and most famous musitioÌ„ then liuing on the earth He weÌ„t from them apart into the middest of the shippe wher hauing decked his body w t most pretious and costlye furniture he framed his voyce to the sweete and melodious verse named Orthium which no soner had he brought to an end but al his pompe glorious arayment he threw himselfe headlonge into the Sea the shipmen held on their course to Corinth Arion receyued by a Dolphin was in perfect safety landed at Taenaros froÌ„ whence so arrayed as he was he framed his steps towarde Corinth to the seate and pallace of the king wher hauing entred a discourse of his strauÌ„ge case incredible fortune y e king supposing him to ouer reach coÌ„mitted him immediatly to close ward wher no maÌ„ might haue accesse vnto hiÌ„ After that diligent serch was made for the mariners who beyng apprehended and curiouslye questioned with about Arion made answere that his abode was aboute Italy and how at their comming from thence they leaft him in florishing estate at Tarentum at which words Arion preseÌ„tly appearing draue them into such a quandarye that hauing no colour of excuse they were compelled perforce to confesse the truth These thinges are verifyed by the men of Corinth and Lesbos Ther is yet to be seene at Taenaros a huge massy monumeÌ„t wrought of brasse Arion sitting on y e back of a Dolphin Howbeit Haliattes prince of Lydia hauing entred the warre with the Milesians gouerned the kingdome 57 yeares finished his dayes who second of that linage after the due recouerye of his strength offred at Delphos a piece of siluer plate of value incomparable and a smal dish of yron curyously wrought a thinge no lesse wonderful to behold then ought that hath bene dedicated in the temple of Apollo being the handy worke of Blaucus Chius who first found out the meane to worke in yron After the death of Haliattes the sceptor descended vnto Craesus his sonne beyng then at the age of thirtye and three yeares This Kyng mynding to haue a fling at the Grecians began first of all and encountred with the people of Ephesus who beyng inuyroned by hym with a siege gaue theyr Citty to the Goddesse tying a rope from the temple of Diana to the walles of the Towne Betweene the olde citye that was besieged and the Temple was the space of 7. furlonges These were the first that Craesus began to quarel with amonges the Grecians After this he began by piecemeale to be doyng with the seuerall cityes of Ionia Aeolia pretending agaynst each diuerse and sundrye causes some very weighty and of due regard other meeretrifles and very friuolous Now when he had subdued the Grecians in Asia and made them tributory to his seat hee determined to furnish a nauy agaynst the inhabitauntes of the Isles To the framing wherof when all things were in readynesse some say that Bias Prienaeus other that Pittacus Mitylaeneus comming to Sardis was demaunded of the Kinge what newes in Greece who shaped him such an answeare that it gaue him small courage to proceede in his enterprise The people of the Isles O King sayd hee haue made prouision of a thousande horses in full purpose to come agaynst thee and thy citye Sardis Craesus thinking he had spoken truth Would God quoth he it might once take them in the brayne to war on horsebacke against the sonnes of the Lydians who taking his talke by the end proceeded saying Most noble Prince it is thy desire to meete with these Sea fishes flooting on shore and what dost thou think they more greedy wish and long after then to take thee and thy Lidyans waueryng and tossing in the water to gleike the one the other syde for so many Grecians become subiect pentionarye to thy kingdome Wherwith Craesus verye much delighted for that he seemed to haue spoken wisely chaunged his mynd and made a friendly league with the people of Ionia that held the Isles in processe of tyme hee became conquerour of al those which are within the ryuer Halis For besydes the