curiously many workes which he can not imitate which because they can not speake are called mute or dumbe and vnreasonable creatures And although men are more sociable yet little would the similitude of nature which is amongst them auaile them vnto this societie if they did not vnderstand one an other and would rather chuse to conuerse with the dumbe creatures of diuers kinds then with other strange men which they vnderstand not Speech then being so necessarie to a ciuil man who by reason alone can not haue the companie of an other and being naturally giuen him to declare the conceits and affections of his mind notwithstanding it commeth to passe that the words are not alwaies and euery where the same as the thinges are vnto which they are imposed but do chaunge from countrie to countrie and from time to time according to the vse and custome of those that speake beeing receiued and vnderstood amongst them by their owne agreement and consent From whence proceedeth this varietie of Languages amongst men dispersed ouer the whole habitable earth being so spacious in length and bredth th one not vnderstanding thother but by signes or interpreters But if as there is in all men one first principle of reason and one common interiour intelligence it were possible that there were also but one common tongue to serue in arts and contracts they would loue one another better by the ceasing of that discord which commeth by the diuersitie and ignorance of tongues and employ that time in knowledge of things which they are now constrained to bestow in learning of words Diodorus the Sicilian following the auncient Philosophers hath written that men at the beginning had the sound of their voice confused and not to be vnderstood but that by little and little making distinction they named euery thing by his name And for asmuch as they were then dwelling in diuers partes of the world they did not vse all one speach and language whence it came to passe that they had also different Characters and letters Moses declareth in Genesis how the language of all the earth was confounded in the building of the tower of Babel wherehence hath proceeded the diuision of Nations and the beginning of the diuersitie of Tongues by the pride and presumption of men As in trueth it is a punishment for sinne that we haue so many which are changed vncessantly at the pleasure of the common people forging daily new words by the birth of which the former must needes decay Euen as the seasons of the yeare do spoile the earth of her flowers and fruites and do after cloath it a new with others Likewise time maketh words to fall and vse maketh new to spring in their places and graceth them making them to be in request vntill that being by age consumed by little and little they come also to die because that in the end both we and all things that are ours are mortall But such change and varietie commeth ordinarily of the mingling of diuers Nations and of great faires and armies where are people of diuers languages who assembling and communing together do continually forge new wordes which do either endure or perish according as of custome they are accepted or reiected And howbeit that speech is natural vnto men yet do they not speake but artificially nor do they learne it but in hearing others speake first their mothers and their nurses and afterwards the common people Wherefore it behoueth that the first which imposed names on things hauing no other of whom they might learne them did miraculously learne them in that tongue wherein the nature and trueth of things agreed with their originals and Etimologies which men euen to this present haue endeuoured to seeke in all tongues in the significations of words The Hebrewes attribute this honour to their tongue which they account the first and most auncient of the world Herodotus writeth that Psamneticus King of Egipt being desirous to know which was the first language gaue two young children of poore parentage to a Shepheard to be kept forbidding any word to be spoken in their hearing but commaunded they should be kept a sunder and that at certaine howers there should goates be brought to giue them suck which he did for a desire he had to heare what word these children would speake first And it hapned after two yeares when the Shepheard opened the doore to come in to the children they fell downe both at his feete and holding vp their handes pronounced this word Bec which is as much to say as Bread in the Phrygian tongues And so it was found that the Phrygians were more auncient then the Egyptians and their language the first Vitruuius the Architect speaking somewhat grossely of this matter saith that while men dwelt yet in the forrestes in some of the thickest places the trees shaken by the force of the windes and beating violently one against an other stroke fire wherat those that were neere being astonished fled and afterwards comming neere again when the noise was stilled they found that great commoditie came to the bodie by the heat of the fire and putting wood into it so maintayning it they called the rest and shewed vnto them by signes the good that came of it In this first assemblie their voices issuing diuersly out of their brests the words were made as they offred themselues by the which signifying oft the same things they began to speak at aduenture so formed the languages amongst them Pythagoras did attribute soueraine wisdom to him which first found out names for euery thing And Plato affirmeth in his Cratilus that it was done by a power more then humaine for in trueth man could not of him selfe without the helpe of God discerne innumerable thinges contained in the world by their proper names which otherwaies had remained vnknowen I say the Heauen his parts and mouings the fixed and wandering Starres the Elements with their qualities wyndes raines haile snowes thunders and other meteors birds beasts fishes herbs plants trees graines minerals stones pearles their natures and properties seas gulfes climates hauens ports isles riuers lakes pooles lands countries people nations villages hamlets townes and cities The inward and outward partes of the bodie sences and their obiects odours sauours smels and tasts maladies and their remedies infinite humaine actions victuals garments lawes magistrates iudgments gouernments ceremonies warfare reuenewes moneies so many arts and occupations with their instruments so many persons with names and surnames the affinities and alliances betwixt them The controuersie also in times past hath bin great amongst the learned whether words were imposed at the will and pleasure of them that speake or els by art and natural reason The varietie and continuall mutation which is seen in tongues made some think that this imposition was casual and arbitrarie founded on the consent and custom of men Others said that sithence the names are as instruments ordained to present things vnto vs which do
others And whereas the whole publicke reuenew was diuided into three partes they tooke the first portion to thend to employ it in administration of sacrifices and on their necessities They were called neere vnto Kings to giue counsaile in matters of consequence both they and their children being exempted from subsidies and holding the secoÌ„d place to the king in honor dignity Thother portion of the reuenew appertayned to the Kings who employed it on the warres and on maintaining their estate and traine and in recompensing such as deserued whence it came to passe that the people was not any way oppressed with tributes and new subsidies The third part was receiued by the nobles and other men of armes wherein they were all exercised to the end that by such intertainement they should be the readier to vndertake all military hazards and that lyuing better thereby and more at ease they should be the more enclined to beget offspring of their bodies whence it came to passe that the Countrey being peopled by theis meanes had no need of forraine Souldiers They neuer learned any base or mechanical science but gaue themselues wholy to armes which exercise was taught from hand to hand by the father to the sonne Concerning their arts and handycrafts the Egyptians workes were very wel wrought and euen come to their perfection for the Artisans of Egypt employed themselues onely about workes which were permitted by the Law or which they had learned of their fathers And it behoued euery one to showe to the gouernour from yere to yere whereof he liued Otherwise for default of so doing or not shewing his manner of liuing to be iust and reasonable he was led presently to death And whereas that Countrey was more stored with people then any other of the world and furnished with such excellent Artisans their kings haue built such great Cities as Thebes and Memphis and erected and made meruailous pyramides temples labyrinths â—epultures colosses obeliskes and other like workes the greatest amongst men which enuious age thorough so long tract of time amongst so many changes of Lordships could not yet consume Furthermore the countrey of Egypt hath alwaies seemed to be the most excellent of all others as well for that it is meruailously strong and wel bounded as for the pleasing beauty of the whole Countrey For on the West side it hath the great deserts for defence and a part of the wylde Lybia which is not only difficult to passe ouer but very daungerous also for want of waters and barennes of all other thinges Towards the South it is enuironed with the scluses of Nilus and with the mountaines adioyning And to come downe from the higher Ethiopia for the space of three hundred leagues the riuer is not easily nauigable nor the way by land easy to be vndertaken if it be not by a king or with great prouision of victuals On the East side it is fortified with the sameriuer and with a deepe and hollow marish ground more then twelue leagues in length being betwixt Syria and Egypt On the North it is enclosed with a Sea which hath no hauens and where it is very difficult to finde landing Being by this meanes very safe and strong it was first grouerned by the natiue Kings of the Countrey after by the Ethiopians Persians Macedonians Romains Greekes Caliphes Soudans and at this day by the Turkes Amongst all the Kings borne in the countrey or aliens which euer raigned there SESOSTRIS was the most mighty most magnificent hauing excelled in valiancy and felicity not onely the Assyrians and Persians but also the Macedonians and Romaines His father being aduertised by reuelation of his greatnes to come to the end to make him worthier to rule the Monarchy of the whole worlde he assembled togither all the children that were borne on the same day with his sonne caused them al to be instructed in the same discipline with him thinking that being so brought vp togither they would loue one another the more be the better help to one another in the wars First of al then going against the Arabians with an army of these being hardned with pain accustomed to sobriety he brought vnder his obedieÌ„ce al that nation which was free at liberty before then the greatest part of Lybia being yet very yong lifted vp in courage by the succes of this expedition he applyed al his fantasy to make himselfe Lord of al the world gathering togither an army of sixe hundred thousand foot foure and twenty thousand horse eighteen thousand chariots for war foure hundred ships on the red sea finding out first the vse of galleis ouer all whom he appointed Capitains the most part of those which had bin brought vp with him as is fayde accustomed vnto warre and from their youth giuen to vertuous exercises With this great force hee conquered on the one side Ethiopia and all the Isles of that Countrey and all the Sea-coast towardes the Indies on the other side Asia the great ouercomming not onely those nations which were afterward ouercome by Alexander but also many other whom Alexander neuer came vnto For he passed the riuer Ganges marching here and there thorough out all the Countrey of the Indians vnto the great Ocean and trauersed all the Scythians countrey vnto the riuer Tanais which deâ—ideth Asia from Europe Then going therehence into Thrace he was constrained by the difficulty of the places and thorough want of victuals to make an end of his enterprise setting vp diuers pillars in the conquered Countries some with the likenesse of a man others with the secret parts of women signifying thereby the valiancy or cowardize of the vanquished people Returning into Egypt with all the prisoners whose number was infinite and the spoiles of the conquered Countries he decked the Temples of Egypt with the most precious things which he had brought and hauing recompensed his souldiers which had well followed and serued him from that time forward the whole Countrey was much enriched Being at quiet he did also many great and excellent things seruing for the ornament and safety of Egypt as to raise mounts on which the townes were placed which before were low seated to th end that the men and beastes might remaine in safety during the increase of the riuer make great diches and chanels in the Countrey going from Memphis to the Sea to cary victuals more easily and readily fortifie those places where the enimies might enter on the land of Egypt making their entrance more difficulte by multitude of diches build a great wall toward Syria and Arabia from Peluse to the City of the Sunne fourescore and fourteene leagues in length But hee exceeded all other magnificence in this that when the nations which hee had ouercome and those to whome hee had giuen kingdomes as also the Capitaines which hee had ordained for the guard of his prouinces were come into Egypt at the time appointed to offer their gifts
danger For ALEXANDER in the Countrie of the Oxydraces hauing gotten vpon the wall of the enemies before all the Macedonians seeing himselfe alone and abandoned of all because the ladders were broken of a great audaciousnes leaped downe into the Towne amongst his enemies where being grieuously hurt in the stomack and the neck euen as he began to fall was succoured by his people who for feare of losing him had broken the gates CESAR also being in Spain against the yong Pompey and seeing his men afraied in such sort that they durst not fight ran alone into the midst of his enemies and hauing receiued in his shield aboue two hundred shot sustained the brunt till such time as his men for shame and feare of him came to succour and reskue him And after this maner their first euill prognostication put them in danger of death But the second made them both to die outright For Apollodorus fearing the force of Alexander and of Hephestion Pythagoras who was a great diuiner after Apollodorus had made sacrifice hauing beheld the entrailes of the beast that was sacrificed bad him that he should not stand in feare of them for both of them should die within a little time And after that Hephestion was dead Apollodorus fearing least some should practize the death of Alexander reuealed vnto him the prognostication whereof he made but a sport and demaunded of Pythagoras what was signified by that which he had seen who aunswered him that it betokened death whereat laughing as afore he praised Apollodorus as his friend for that he gaue him warning and the diuinour for the confidence and assurance which he had in his art The like almost hapned vnto CESAR as he went vnto the senate where he was slaine for when it was told him that his infortunate sacrifice signified death he aunswered that the like befel him when he was in Spaine the diuinour then replying that he was then also in great danger and that now the signes were more mortall then they were then to shew that he had some confidence in the diuinour he set him to sacrifice againe till such time as he saw that he taried ouerlong in doing thereof and then all angry he went into the Senate where he was slaine The like hapned also to ALEXANDER comming back with his armie out of the Indies into Babylon for as he drew neere the Citie the Chaldees warned him that he should forbeare for that time to enter into the Citie to whom he aunswered reciting a verse to this effect Who is the good deuinour that thinketh well Afterward being admonished by the Chaldees that if whatsoeuer be fell he would needs go into the Citie with his armie he should not turne his face toward the West but should go round about the Towne turning on the East side he was content to please them therin But finding a marish in his way that hindered his passage being angry and mocking at them he turned towards the West and went into the Towne out of which being afterwards gon forth and come in a boat on the riuer Euphrates and after on that of Pallacora into which Euphrates falleth to certaine great lakes which are at the mouth of these two riuers in such sort that they make the land of Assyria almost all nauigable purposing to inclose the mouth of those said riuers with a wall he iested as is said at the prognostication of the Chaldees because he was come out of the citie and had nauigated safe and sound But neuerthelesse being entred into it againe he ended his daies there shortly after So hapned it vnto CESAR who meeting in the morning the verie same day that he was slaine with the diuinour which had foretold him that he should not escape the day of the Ides of March said to him laughing that the Ides were come and yet notwithstanding he was slaine the same day By this meanes both of them made no account of the prognostications and yet towards the prognosticatours they shewed not any anger and died both according to their prognostications Moreouer they were both verie studious of vertues and of the sciences both in the Greeke Latine and strange languages ALEXANDER took paines to vnderstand the learning of the Brachmanes who are reputed the most learned amongst the Indians as the Mages are among the Persians CESAR also going thorough the kingdom of Egipt with Cleopatra laboured to vnderstand to know the sciences of the Egiptians whereby he afterwards ordered many things wisely at Rome For the course of the yeare which was il ordained by reason of the odde monethes and daies called Intercalares because they tooke it according to the course of the Moone he altered it by the course of the Sunne as did the Egiptians It hapned also vnto CESAR that none of those which conspired his death escaped but were slaine all by his successours as ALEXANDER had also done to them that had slaine his father A COMPARISON OF IVLIVS CESAR and Augustus with Romulus and Numâ— AS ROMVLVS had many troubles in the founding of Rome and was entangled with many warres being constrained to fight with those that opposed themselues to the foundation of his Towne And then NVMA succeeding had leasure to assure the increase thereof So IVLIVS CESAR hauing obtained by many trauailes and dangers the Monarchie that he so much desired and so earnestly affected he left it to OCTAVIAN his nephew and heire troubled with partialities who had meanes to confirme it in fiftie and six yeares which he raigned and to establish the Countrie in great concord causing the Temple of Ianus to be shut after the battaile at Actium as it had â—in in the time of Numa that all occasions of warre might be extinguished and quenched A COMPARISON OF ROMVLVS with Cyrus Theseus Arsaces and Semiramis who founded Cities and kingdomes or Monarchies AS CYRVS presently after his birth was exposed vnto beasts to be deuoured and left in the midst of a forest where a bitch gaue him suck and was after saued by a shepheard so was ROMVLVS also cast forth and sucked a sheewolfe and was fed by a woodpecker till such time as the shepheard Faustulus had found him and caried him home in safetie And in like maner SEMIRAMIS was left in a desert place full of rockes where shee was fed by the birdes for a season and afterwards found by the shepheards which nourished and brought her vp THESEVS and ROMVLVS were begotten by stealth and not in lawfull mariage and it was bruted of them both that they were borne of the seed of the Gods founding the two noblest Cities of the world th one Rome the other Athens SEMIRAMIS also who founded Babylon was begotten out of lawfull mariage And as ROMVLVS whiles he spake vnto the people vanished away sodainly and it was giuen out that he was taken vp into heauen and that from thenceforth in steed of a good king he would be a gracious god vnto the Romains So
They held in most straight subiection all the people of Egypt and of Suria forbidding them to haue any weapons or to ryde on horsebacke They were not aboue sixteene thousand but they intertained many seruants vnder them and being men of great force and hardynesse they had not only tamed many bordering nations and beaten the Arabians but also made many warres against the Turkes enuying their prosperitie of whome they remained often victorious and were seldome or neuer vanquished by them But when as they were deuided and bandded in partalities Selim the Turke defeated them in two battailes killing in the first the SOVLDAN SAMPSON who was gone into Suria with an armie to helpe the Sophi then prosecuting his victory he went into Egypt against him that was chosen SOVLDAN in steed of him that was dead whom hee tooke and made him ignominiously to bee caryed on a poore Camell with his face backwardes all alonge the great streete of Cair and to bee hanged at the gate of that Citie doubling his power by the Conquest of such a state much reuerenced by those of the religion of Mahomet and redoubted because of the valyance of the MAMMELVCS whoe were massacred in suche sorte that there name is almost extinguished There remayne yet other great kingdomes of this time as of NARSINGVE in the Indies and of PRESBITER IOHN in Africke called Lacâ—gue Negus of the ABYSINS being baptized and circumcised Christians and of the MOSCOVITE in the north a Christian also but after the Greeke maner The king of Narsingue which is of the auncient religion of the Bramines yeldeth to no king of the world in riches power and magnificence intertaining forty thousand horsemen of ordinary and foure hundred elephants fitt for war with infinite dromedaries Touching PRESBITER IOHN he commaundeth ouer innumerable nations different in colours and hath vnder him forty kings tributary His landes and seigniories extende toward the West more then twenty daies iourney and he hath gold shut vp in a caue enough to buy the moitie of the world and the quantity is euery day increased and multiplied without taking any thing from it In the spacious kingdome of Ethiopia being so large neuer did the kings sonnes or brothers moue any sedition for the state nor defiled their hands in one anothers bloud but the line of the bloud royall is alwaies conserued by rare hap and neuer yet communicated to any other kingdome whatsoeuer Christian Hebrew Sarazen or Pagan They say it was once reuealed to one of their kings in a dreame that if he desired to haue his kingdome long maintained in peace and vnity he must locke vp all his children which were a great number on a mountaine and that he must keep onely him that he would haue to succeed in his kingdome and this custome remained eternally to his posterity as a thing ordained of the heauens Otherwise that one part of Ethiopia which is so large would come to reuolt against the heire and put him in danger of his life and of his state The king being awaked was meruailously astonished with this nouelty not knowing where he might finde this mountaine Wherefore he had another vision reuealing vnto him that he shoulde marke thorough out al his countrey where he should see goates on the top of rockes so high that they seemed readie to fâ—ll and this should bee the place where he should shut in his children Which the king hauing put in execution the mountaine was found to be of a meruailous height and greatnesse wherein the children of Presbiter Iohn were locked vp and carefully kept for there is no lesse paine to them that come out therehence or which drawe therehence any of those that are shut vp then death hee onely remaining free that ought to raigne by his birth-right or which seemeth the most capable to succeed in that dignity Those which are shut vp doo neuer come forth except it so fall out that Presbiter Iohn depart without heires of his body to inherite the crowne For then they take out him that is next it whome they know to be the worthiest Also the great KNES or king of Moscouie is a great landed man in the North whose dominion is about three monethes iourney in compasse of ground and he possesseth innumerable people nations prouinces duchies principalities and seigniories which the Emperours of Moscouia haue gotten one after another by armes or by other meanes offered them from time to time as Wolodimeria Nouingorod Plescouia Smolenk Tuner Iugaria Permia Viakia Belgaria the lower Nouogorodia Ceruigenia Rozar Volokde Rezomia Rostomi Cazan Ostrakan and others which it woulde be tedious to recite because of the rudenes of their names They say that of all his Lordships there are seuen principall wherehence he can bring forth for a need seuen hundred thousand men of warr all on horsebacke namely out of Plescouia a hundred thousand Nouingorode a hundred thousand Tuner a hundred thousand which are the greatest seigniories that he hath out of Smolenk a duchie vsurped on the king of Poland an other hundred thousand and a hundred thousand out of the Duchy of Moscoâ—ia where is situated the great city of Mosko the seate of the prince The bounds of his empire goe a great way into Asia as far as the Caspian sea neer the lands of the Sophi And hauing won a battaile against the King of Sueuia he is entred into the countrey of Liuonia where Germany beginneth on this side and hath there conquered Riga and Riuallia two great cities pertaining to the maister Duke and Knights of the Teutonian or Dutch order He exceedeth in seuerity and rigour of commanding all the Monarches of the worlde hauing gotten such authority ouer his subiects as well ecclesiasticall as secular that he may dispose at his pleasure of their liues and goods no man daring to gainsay him in any thing They confesse publickly that the will of their prince is the will of God and that all whatsoeuer he doth is done by the diuine prouidence Therfore they name him the Porter of Paradice the Chamberlaine of God and Executor of his will By this meanes is he become so mightie within a little time that all his neighbours which are the Tartarians Sueuians Polonians Liuonians yea and the Turkes themselues doe redoubt him It would be an infinite labour to propose here all the kingdomes and Empires that haue bin or are in reputation But it shall suffice to haue touched such as are best knowen namely those that haue ioyned wisedome with power whereunto this present discourse tendeth The end of the Ninth Booke OF THE POWER LEARNING and other Excellence of this age The Tenth Booke AS the Tartarians Turkes Mammelucs and Sophians haue gotten into the East by their valiancy the glorie of Armes So haue we in these partes towards the West recouered within these two hundred yeares the excellency of Learning and set vp the studies of the scienences after they had long time remained in a manner extinguished
of golde and other good things by them discouered And the Portugales going towards the south beyond the Capricorne haue come to our Anteces prouing all the middle Zone to be inhabited that is to say all that space of ground which is vnder the Zodiack betweene the two tropicks against the opinion of Aristotle and the auncient Poets Afterwards they trauersed toward the Indies and went to our Antipodes obtayning a dominion ouer them Moreouer Paulus Venetus Ludouicus Romanus Franciscus Aluarez Ioannes Leo and others trauailing by land thorough all the coastes thereof haue giuen vs knowledge of infinite Mediterranean or midland coūtries which were not knowen before In such sort that we may truely affirme that the world is wholy manifested at this day and all mankind entierly knowen for now all men may communicate one to another their commodities and supply their mutual wants as inhabiting all the selfe same citie and common wealth of the world A COMPARISON OF THE RICHES of the time present with that of the times past IT is certaine that this age hath bin much enriched and accomodated with many new things seruing not only for necessitie but also for pleasure ornament and magnificence by the foresaid nauigations and discoueries For besides the sugers pearles spices strange and medicinable herbes trees and fruites there haue bin found many mynes of fine Gold towards the South especially in the countrie of PERV where all the vessell and vtensiles of houshold are of gold which hath bin brought into Spaine and dispersed afterwards ouer all Europe But there is no smal difficultie in iudging whether the riches of this time be comparable to that of the time passed For it seemeth that the Auncients were richer when we call to memorie the vnmeasurable quantitie of gold which SARDANAPALVS the last king of the Assyrians consumed at his departure out of the world the riches of the kings MIDAS and CRESVS of PYTHIAS the Bythinian who at his owne charges feasted the Armie of Xerxes and presented him with a great Vine of gold the great treasures found by ALEXANDER in the conquest of Persia. The abundance of gold that was in Iewry in the time of SALOMON the excessiue expenses of ANTONIVS and CLEOPATRA the wealth of CRASSVS a Citizen of Rome accounting no man rich if he could not intertaine an Armie with his reuenew the spoiles which IVLIVS CESAR got in the Gaules and the giftes which he gaue vnto many to draw them to his side The prodigalitie of the Emperours Claudius Caligula and Nero The possessions of Pallas Callistus and Narcissus bondmen And of SENECA the Philosopher who being but priuate men exceeded the publike reuenew of many kings at this day accounted to be verie rich Notwithstanding we vnderstand that the great CHAM of Cathay and PRESBITER IOHN vse a kind of husbandrie neuer before practized togather gold and siluer vnto them and to keepe that which they haue gathered do continue togather in so great quantitie that they haue enough to buy all the rest of the world For th one not vsing money made of any Mettall but either peeces of paper or the rinds of Mulberie trees marked with his Emperial marke The other graines of salt or pepper cornes which they cause to be valued as money they draw to themselues all the gold and siluer of the Countrie and cause it to be melted and then lock it vp in strong places without diminishing of it at any time In such sort that they seem to exceed in wealth all other Princes both auncient modern that were euer renowmed for their riches The kings of PERSIA were not so good husbands which gaue money his course to and fro both of gold siluer in their Countrey that which they drew vnto thēselues they caused to be melted cast into earthen barrels and when the vessels were ful they made them to be caried vp down to follow their Court when they had any need they broke as much as they had vse of They say that the reuenew of the great SIGNOR amounteth to twelue or fifteen Millions of gold wherwith he intertaineth so many men on horseback and on foote by land and by sea in his Court and on his frontiers which do neuer want their pay and yet notwithstanding by good husbandrie laieth vp euery yeare great store of gold and siluer in his treasure house and in the seuen towers of Constantinople Of long time there hath not bin any Lord richer vnder the degree of a King or an Emperour then COSMVS de MEDICIS the first of that name being a Florentine A COMPARISON OF ARTISANS and of workes THE excellent Artisans and exquisite workes are commonly found amongst rich folkes who are curious to haue faire houses moueables garments armes harneis pleasures and delights But poore men are suffised with supplying of their wants Wherefore in those Countries where all riches do abound and namely in great Cities do frequent all kind of workmen which are verie good at this day comming neere to the Auncients in some workes and in others excelling them The GREEKES for a time excelled in all occupations Then the ITALIANS who are ordinarily absolute in whatsoeuer they giue themselues wholy vnto The ALMAINS work wonderfully in all kind of Metalls The FLEMINGS in Paynting and Tapistrie The FRENCHMEN are most industrious to imitate that which they see exactly done elswhere and to represent it afterwards The EGIPTIANS of Cair are verie wittie honouring and esteeming aboue all others the Inuentours of any braue noueltie But the CATHAYANS or CHINOIS haue this perswasion of themselues that they surpasse all men in dexteritie working so liuely that their workes do not seeme to be made by mans hand but by nature her selfe A COMPARISON OF THE MANERS of this present Age with the former IT is an old complaint that maners waxe euery day worse and worse If it were so then men should ere this haue come to the heigth of iniquitie and there should now be no more integritie in them which is not true But we must think that there is a vicissitude and an interchangeable course between vice and vertue which arise and fall by turnes and are oftentimes opposed one against an other as contraries that they may be the better knowen and more easilie discerned Inest enim rebus omnibus quidam velut crbis vt quemadmodum temporum vices ita morum vertantur nec omnia apud priores meliora inquit Tacitus sed nostra quoque aetas multa laudis et artium laudanda posteris tulit It is credible that this complaint hath first proceeded from old men who hauing passed the flower of their age which was full of ioy and gladnes when they come to their extreme old age wherin is nothing but sorow and sadnes they wish againe for the pleasures of youth seeing their sences become feeble and all their members weakned Sometimes also being dispised or neglected of those that erst had honoured them and
sciences begin grow are changed and preserued by care diligence remembrance meditation and are lost by negligēce slouth forgetfulnes and ignorance it being a thing most requisite that trueth should remain amongst men It behoueth of necessity that the first being abolished others should come in their places and that the old bookes being lost there should be made new For as other things being subiect to mutatiō haue need of continuall generation to renew themselues and to maintaine eche of them his kinde So must learning also be prouided for by seeking of new inuentions in steede of those that are lost by changing that which is not well and by supplying that which is wanting to the end that it be not decayed but amended from day to day For the worlde being made of two things whereof the one are perpetuall and others mutable and corruptible It is certaine that those which are perpetuall as the heauen the sunne the moone and thother starres remain constantly alwaies in one selfe same estate But they that are moueable doe begin and end are borne and die do increase diminish vncessantly endeuouring notwithstanding as much as they may to come neere and participate of eternity not by remaining alwaies one and the same as doethe superiour and diuine thinges but by continuing their kindes by the meanes of generation which is an immortall worke in this mortalitie So the plants and all liuing creatures which cannot endure long by the necessity of the matter whereof they are made renew themselues continually procreating by budds and seeds their like In such sort that by the order of nature the yong do alwaies succeed vnto the old and the liuing to those that are deceased their kinds by this meanes remayning immortall But men being indewed with a diuine and immortal soule do aspire more to such perpetuity and immortality endeuouring to remedy that infirmity which they know in themselues Namely such as haue their bodies most fruitful by begetting of children by whom they hope to perpetuate their name and lynage Others that haue their minde better instructed by bringing forth such fruits as are proper thereunto as vertues sciences learned and elegant writinges and other such fruits more noble more admirable and more durable then those of the body which they prefer before children and for which they voluntarily expose themselues to all labours and dangers neither sparing their parsons nor their goods Therhence ariseth in good wits the insatiable desire of honor stirring them vp day and night not to content themselues with base and casual things but to seeke by vertuous deeds to recompence the shortnes of this life by the memory of all posterity Therehence proceedeth the wonderfull desire of making themselues knowne of leauing a good opinion of them and getting an immortal renowne And by how much the better they are the more they striue to come to this point of immortalitie which they do so long for For those most excellent personages woulde not haue trauailed as they haue done in times passed without the hope which they had to be praised and renowmed as now they are Such were the auncient Poets Oratours Historiographers Physicians Philosophers and Diuines who haue brought forth so many bookes which bring them immortall glory as they themselues being immortall do teach vnto others pietie iustice equitie declare the secrets of nature both in heauen in earth teach the disciplines containe Histories ful of examples giue remedies against maladies and other innumerable helpes and meanes without which we should liue worse then beastes hauing neither religion learning nor ciuility Such were the LAWMAKERS who begat LAWES and maners of gouernment giuing to people honest and durable maners of liuing Such were the LAWIERS who haue ordered the busines contracts and Cases of particular parsons expounded the Satutes and ordinances showing the reason of them aduertising how they ought to be kept renewed or abrogated Such were the valiant CAPTAINES who did heroycall deedes for the defence and libertie of their countrey founded Empires and monarchies and builded cities forgetting all other pleasures to the end to leaue an immortall memory for the time to come Such were many notable parsonages who for hauing showed excellent inuentions and exercised al vertues haue bin greatly admired euen to the deifying of some of them And if we mislike barennes in the body with greater reason ought we to detest it in the minde and aspire to the like immortality and renowme the desire whereof is naturally giuen to all parsons to serue for a spur to prick them forward vnto honest actions The husbandman hateth the fruitles ground and the husband a wife that is barren And all doe commende him more that by husbandry augmenteth his good then him wich maintaineth it only in that estate which is falne to him by succession So in like maner it suffiseth not to know by the book without bringing forth something of our selues whereby to helpe the truth Plato saith that the Greekes haue bettered that which they receiued from the Barbarians Cicero is of opinion that the Italians haue of themselues better inuented then the Grecians or made that better which they borowed of them And why should not we endeuour to do the like amending that which the Barbarians Greekes Romaines haue left vnto vs There is no want of good wittes so that they be wel instructed Peraduenture there are more in one place then in another but there are found some euery where as in this countrey of ours where nature hath shewed her selfe as fauorable as any where els creating vs not inferiour to any others in situation fertilitie commodity of countrey goodnes of wits ciuility of maners equity of Laws gouernment and continuance of Monarchie dexterity both in liberall and mechanical sciences variety of all things either growing within the countrey or brought from other places multitude of publicke schooles well priuiledged and richly founded for the institution of youth and intertainment of Professours and Teachers Wherefore if all men do thinke that the future belongeth vnto them they that are Learned must not be negligēt in obtaining of that by the durable monuments of Learning which others do pretend and seeke by workes of small continuance But they ought to trauaile to their power if not in respect of men who show themselues oftentimes ingrateful towards their benefactors and enuious of the present vertue yet at the least for the honour of God Whose wil is that we should carefully preserue the arts and sciences as also all other things necessary for life and deliuer them ouer from time to time to our posterity by learned and elegant writings in good matters giuing light to the obscure credit to the doubtful order to the confused elegancy to the vnpolished grace to such as are left of noueltie to the old and authoritie to the new FINIS
fewer in Asia which is come to passe by reason that these two last parts of the world haue had one or two soueraignties but few cōmon weales But Europe hath only had certain kingdoms but infinite cōmon weals Men become excellent make shew of their vertue according as they are employed aduanced by their Prince or cōmon wealth It is thē likly that where are many potentats there wil also be found many valiant men and fewe where there are but few potentats In Asia are found Ninus Cyrus Darius Artaxerxes Mithridates and a few others to beare them company In Africke are named leauing out the antiquitie of Egipt Masinissa Iugurtha and the Captains bred by the common wealth of Carthage the which yet in respect of Europe are but few For asmuch as there are excellent ones in Europe without number and more would be if those other were named which by the malignity of the time are forgotten For the world hath ben there most vertuous where there haue ben most great estates fauourers of vertue either for necessitie or some other humane passion There haue ben therefore few excellent men in Asia because that prouince was wholy vnder one kingdome which by the greatnes thereof remaining for the most part idle they could not there become excellent men for managing of affaires The same is also in Africk where likewise there haue bin few saue only in the common wealth of Carthage This being also obserued that there are more excellent personages found in common weales then in kingdoms in the which vertue is honoured and in kingdomes suppressed whence cometh to passe that in a common wealth the vertuous are cherished and in a kingdome not regarded Wherefore he that shall consider Europe shall finde it to haue bin full of common weales and principalities which for the feare they had one of the other were constrained to keepe in vigour the military orders and to honour and esteeme of such as were best skilled therin For in Greece besids the kingdome of Macedony there were many common weales in euery of thē were bred most excellent men In Italy were the Romains Samnites Toscans and Gaules Cisalpins France and Germany were ful of common weales princes likewise Spaine And although in comparison of the Romains there are few others named that coms to pas by the malignity of writers which follow fortune and honour none but the vanquishers But it seemeth not likely that amongst the Samnites and Toscans which maintained warres 150. yeres against the people of Rome before they were ouercome there were not many excellent men and likewise in France and Spaine But that vertue which the writers do not celebrate in particuler men they extoll generally in the whole nations exalting euen vnto heauen their obstinate defending of their liberty It being true then that where are most estates there arise most valiant men It followeth necessarily that where there are fewest there vertue from hand to hād diminisheth because there remaineth lest occasion to make mē vertuous Wherefore the Empire being since increased and hauing extinguished all the common weales and Seigniories of Europe and Africke and the greatest part of those of Asia it left no way nor meanes vnto vertue any where but at Rome so that there began to be few excellēt men in Europe as in Asia which vertue came since euen to his last ouerthrow forasmuch as all vertue being reduced vnto Rome when it was once corrupted euen almost all the world came to corruption therewith And the Northren nations were of power to come and spoile this Empire which had extinguished the light of others vertue and could not maintaine his owne Although then that by the inundation of these barbarous nations it was diuided into many parts yet the former vertue could not yet spring vp againe by reason of the difficulty which there is for a time to resume the former orders being ouerthrowen also because the maner of liuing at this day considering the christian religiō doth not imposethe same necessity of defending our selues which was in anciēt time For then those mē that were ouer come in war were either slain or els remained in perpetual bōdage leading a miserable life The conquered lāds were left desolate or els they draue the inhabitāts being spoiled of their goods like fugitiues throughout the world Insomuch that those which in wars were ouercome endured al extremity of misery Being moued with this fear mē alwaies held military exercise in vigour honored such as excelled therein But at this day this feare for the most part is taken away for there are few of the vanquished slaine they remaine not long prisoners the way being easy to deliuer them And although Cities should a thousand times reuolte yet are they not destroied but the men enioy their goods and the greatest euil they feare is an impost or taxe wherefore they will not submit themselues to the military orders and entirely beare the charges of the warre to preuent these dangers which they do not much feare since the prouinces of Europe are reduced to so fewe heads in respect of the time past All France being subiect to one king Spaine to another and Italy diuided into partes In such sort that the weake Cities are saued by associating them selues with the vanquishers and the other estates by the foresaid reasons do not feare their vtter ouerthrow Touching the Almaines and Switzers because there were amongst them many common wealths and Seigniories being iealous of their estates and constrained to maintain them by exercise of armes they haue brought forth whatsoeuer is good at this day in Military discipline in these parts Moreouer men in their food and norishment are no lesse different according to the diuersity of countries then in other things eche countrey hauing his peculiar meates and a seueral kinde of dressing preparing sauouring saulcing rosting and boyling them And in eche season of the yere nature yeldeth newe meates both by sea and land As then there are found diuers sorts of food so are there also diuers maners of liuing both of beasts and of men For being not possible for them to liue without nourishment the difference thereof maketh their maner of liuing to be diuers and different So that of beastes some liue in heards and flockes other seperated here and there as is most expedient for purchase of their liuing And some of thē feed on liuing creatures others on fruits others on euery thing so that nature hath seuered their liues according to the commodity and choice of these things But for as much as naturally euery creature hath not pleasure in the selfe same but some delight in one thing and some in another for this cause doe the liues of them differ which eate liuing creatures and which feed on fruits Likewise there is a great difference betweene the liues of men The Idler sort giue them selues to pasturage feeding on tame beasts without paines or trauaile but
tributes which they ought him if it hapned that he went to the temple or passed thorough the towne he made fower of them to be tyed and fastened to his chariot in steed of horses declaring thereby that none of the other kings or famous Capitaines was to be compared to him in vertue seeing he had ouercome them all His glory and renowne was so great that long time after he was dead when the Persians held the kingdome of Egypt and Darius the father of Xerxes would haue placed his owne statue aboue that of Sesostris in the City of Memphis the high Priest of Vulcan gainsayd him publickly saying that yet his acts were not like to those of Sesostris who had subdued as many nations as he and amongst others had ouercome the Scythians whom Darius could not any waies endamage and therefore it was not reason that his offering should go before that of a King whom hee had not gone beyond in great exploits Which words Darius taking in good part and reioycing at his so liberall speach said that he would indeuour not to be inferiour to Sesostris in any thing if he liued as long as he had done praying the priest to compare their yeres with their deeds and that it should be a testimony vnto him of his vertue After Sesostris in my opinion Ptolomeus Philadelphus deserueth greatest praise by the fauour and aduancement which he gaue to all arts founding that most famous schoole in Alexandria the head City of his kingdome to communicate to all students the sciences which before were only managed by Priests and handled in the Egyptian tongue which he caused to be translated into Greeke where he assembled from all parts learned men to teach them proposing them honourable rewards there built he that magnificent Museum which he endewed with good reuenues for the intertainment of Scholers and erected in it that most famous Library furnished with seuen hundred thousand volumes which foundation was after augmented by the Romain Emperour and continued euen till the Mahometans vsurped that kingdom whence they banished both the Greeke tongue and the auncient Egyptian with their sciences though they had bin there continued almost three thousand yeres especially the knowledge of celestiall motions and of naturall thinges amongest the variable accidents of so many monarchies as of the Ethiopian the Egyptian Assyrian Median Persian Macedonian Parthian and Romain OF THE POWER OF THE Assyrians and learning of the Chaldees IN ASSYRIA raigned in olde time many Kinges borne in the same Countrey whose names and deedes are both abolished by long course of yeres But he amongst them which first got learned men to writ his deeds was NINVS who being by his nature enclined to warre and greedy of glory subdued the first nations by force and inuested himselfe with the monarchy stretching out his dominions farr and wyde thorough out Asia with an incredible army of seuenteen huÌ„dred thousand foot 2. hundred thousand horse ten thousand sixe hundred chariots armed with hookes by meanes whereof he subdued in seuenteene yeeres all the nations bordering on the bankes of the East sea and their neighbours as the Egyptians Phenicians those of the inner Syria Cilicia Pamphilia Lycia Caria Mysia Lydia Troada Phrygia which lyeth on the Sea Hellespont the Countrey of Propontida and Bithinia Capadocia and the other nations which border on the great Sea not leauing any vnconquered from Nilus to Tanais He added besides to his estate the Cadusians Tapyres Hyrcanians Dranges Deruices Carmanians Coronians Rombians Vocamians Parthians Persians Susians Caspians Bactrians and many others which it were too long particularly to recite Then his army retorning into Syria he chose a commodioâ—s place to builde a City which as hee had surmounted all other Kinges in glory of his great deedes hee purposed to make so great that there was neuer afore the like thereof in greatnesse neyther coulde there euer since bee founde suche another And assembling from all partes great number of workemen with the prouisions necessary for such a worke he built his Citie on the riuer Euphrates making it not altogether square nor equally compassed on all sides of alike length but longer on two sides then on the other two and each side of the long wall was twenty miles in length and a side of the lesser wall not much lesse then twelue miles so that it had in all three score and two miles in circuit And without doubt Ninus was no whit deceiued of his intent for there hath no Citie sithence bin found of so great compasse neither of such sumptuousnes beautie and magnificence Then to make it populous and well inhabited hee compelled the Assyrians especially those of the richer sort to make their abode there and of other neighbour nations receiued such as would come thither ordayning that the Citie in memorie of him should be called NINIVIE After whose death SEMIRAMIS his wife held the kingdome of Assyria showing her selfe as magnificent in riches conquests and triumphes as euer any man had bin It is said that being a little girle she was cast into a desert full of rockes where there was a great number of birdes which by gods will nourished and preserued her bearing vp the child with their winges and feeding her with milke and after with cheese which they stole from the shepcotes adioyning which being discouered by the shepheardes who found their cheeses to be gnawen and perceyuing the child to be of excellent beautie they offered her to their gouernour who hauing no children brought her vp carefully as if she had bin his owne afterwards being growen by reason of her beautie and good behauiour she came to the knowledge of king Ninus hauing holpen him by her dexteritie to take the Citie of the Bactrians so that he fell in loue with her and maried her Yet was not her death lesse admirable then her strange nourishment for after she had made great Conquests buylded sumptuous edifices assailed the Indians with an armie of three Millions of foote fiue hundred thousand horsemen and a hundred thousand chariots as hath bin said and at her returne giuen order for gouernment of her kingdom she vanished away and was transported sodainlie as hath bin beleeued amongst the Gods Some faine that she was turned into a Pigeon and that she flew away with a great number of birdes which came into her chamber Desiring to match or to goe beyond her husband in glorie and magnificence shee vndertooke also to buyld the Citie of BABYLON assembling artisans from all partes as Cutters Caruers Masons and workmaisters for this effect and making prouision of stuffes necessarie for so great a buylding which to make vp and finish shee caused from all Nations to come to the number of three Millions of men and built her Citie on both sides of the riuer Euphrates which passed thorough the midst of it ouer which shee made a bridge halfe a mile in length and of thirtie foote in bredth and two palaces at the two
children to bee safe kept to the King of the City of Niniuy Concerning the PERSIAN Monarchy CYRVS who founded it had infinite wealth hauing spoiled all Asia where he got fiue hundred thousand talents of siluer which is the greatest summe or quantity of siluer that was euer found gathered togither at one time rysing to three hundred millions of crownes and a sixth part ouer which are fifty milions And it is not to be meruailed that he had so much for he got into his power the treasure of CRESVS of DAVID and SALOMON the auncient riches of Assyria which were translated into Media and of many other Countries As DARIVS the first of that name ordained the tributes they might come to ten milions of gold euery yere besides the gifts of great value which were giuen by the nations subiect vnto him and without speaking of such as were exempted The Queene had certaine townes and prouinces assigned her for her intertainment one furnished the attire of her head another this or that ornament which wealth was alwaies augmented by the Kinges that followed euen to Darius the last in so much that in his raigne it was already become intollerable in destiny and to luxurious and was therefore the ruine of him and of his estate For in the conquest which Alexander made hee founde meruailous great Treasures in diuers Countries of his kingdome namely at Susa and Persepoli as Quintus Curtius writeth one hundred and seuenty thousand talents of siluer in masse sixe thousand in Damasco an other summe in Babylon and fifty thousand talents of purple Strabo writeth that the most common opinion was that there were found forty thousand talents in Persia besides that which was elswhere and that some esteemed the whole at nine-score thousand talentes which is an incredible summe and as great as hath euer bin numbred or gathered after that foresaid treasure of CYRVS For the hundred thousand talents are esteemed at threescore milions of Crownes and the fourescore thousand remaining woulde come by this estimation to more then forty millions which would be in al about a hundred millions This king vsed to make bankets to such as were of best reckoning in his Court to the number of fifteen thousand and for euery supper he appointed in expence of table fower hundred talents valued at twelue score thousand Crownes The bed wheron he slept was sumptuously set forth and couered with a vine of gold in maner of a grate or lettice enriched with precious stones hanging like clusters of grapes He had at his beds-head in treasure fiue thousand talents of gold and at his beds-foote alwaies three thousand talents of siluer Such was the dominion and riches of the Persians whereunto their power was correspondent for CYRVS assembled an armie of six hundred thousand fighting men on foote six thousand on horseback and about two thousand chariots of warre DARIVS the first of that name going to fight against the Scythians led eight hundred thousand men XERXES came into Greece hauing by sea fiue hundred and seuenteen thousand six hundred men by land a Million seuen hundred thousand foote and fower score thousand horsemen with twentie thousand Africans Arabians to whom there ioyned of Europe three hundred thousand the whole multitude comming to aboue two Millions six hundred seuenteen thousand fighting men Since that time the PARTHIANS obtayning the Empire of the East and ruling ouer all Asia between the red sea and the Caspian came not to so great riches and power as the PERSIANS for the greatest force which I find they euer had was of Cxx. thousand men on foote and horseback notwithstanding they found themselues so strong that being in three warres assailed by great Romain Captaines in the vigour and flower of their Empire amongst all the Nations of the world they not onely remained equall but also were sometimes superiours The length of all INDIA from the East vnto the West is of seuenteen hundred Leagues and from the North to South of two thousand Leagues It excelleth aboue all others in beautie fertilitie being diuided into many parts by the riuers which do water it Where is found great quantitie of Gold Siluer Brasse precious stones and all other things concerning riches and delicacies STAVROBATES raigning there in the time of SEMIRAMIS who inuaded it indeuoured to exceede the forces of the ASSYRIANS opposing as mightie an Armie against her as she had brought with her being three Millions of foote and fiue hundred thousand horsemen and constrayned her to retire with great losse of her people and without doing any thing The ETHIOPIANS beleeued that by reason of their deuotion towards their Gods they were neuer wholy ouercome by any straunger and therefore remaine alwaies free At this day PRESBITER IOHN raigneth there farre and wide hauing fortie kings tributarie and commaunding ouer infinite people of diuers colours of whom shal be spoken hereafter in due place The SCYTHIANS faine that in old time in their Countrey there was borne of the earth a virgin which was a woman from the nauel vpward and the rest a snake who begate a sonne called SCYTHA which named the SCYTHIANS after his owne name hauing made himselfe the most triumphant Prince of all that euer were before him And that amongst the successors of this king there were two brothers of great vertue who did many thinges worthie of praise whose lyne being long time greatly increased by vertuous acts and militarie aduentures subdued the Countries beyond the riuer Tanais euen vnto Thrace And turning afterward their armies on the other side came as farre as the Nile of Egipt making themselues Lords of all the people between them stretching out their dominion from the great Ocean which is toward the sunne rising euen to the Caspian sea and to the poole Meotis Of these people thus fortified and increased many Nations haue discended and amongst the rest the Sares Massagetes Assyrians Medes and Parthians Then the Lordship of the SCYTHIANS fayling through length of time that the women called AMAZONS began to raigne there whose power and vertue was so great that they subdued not onely the Nations neere vnto them but also a great part of Europe and of Asia The greatest fairest and most magnificent Cities of the world were NINIVIE and BABYLON in Assyria THEBES and MEMPHIS and afterwardes ALEXANDRIA in Egipt But the Medians transferring to them selues the Empire of the Assyrians destroied and razed the Citie of Niniuie carying to ECBATANA a citie of Media all the gold and siluer and other ornaments which they found there In like sort the Persians taking the Empire from the Medes caried away all the riches which they found in Babylon and the castels palaces and other ornaments and singularities were either distroied by them or consumed by succession of time The same Persians in the time that Cambyses conquered Egipt did not onely transport the ornaments of the singularities of Egipt into Asia but also their artisans by whose
seeme the more to resemble the auncients by ymitation endeuour to bring into vse such pagan fictions not considering the Christian religion in the which they are brought vp free from all such superstition the maners of their time whereunto al writers both in prose and verse ought especially to accommodate themselues After the said Poets came the PHILOSOPHERS which began in the raigne of Cyrus as hath bin touched heretofore and they wrote at first almost al in verse as the former and diuided themselues into two sects th one being called Ionicques thother Italiques Thales being born at Miletum in Ionia was the author of the Ionian sect Pythagoras the Samian dwelling at Crotona in that part of Italy which was called great Greece instituted the ItaliaÌ„ whose sectaries folowers were called of him Pythagoreans teaching their doctrines by numbers and figures After Thales succeeded Anaximander and after Anaximander Anaximenes to him Anaxagoras to Anaxagoras Archelas to Archelas Socrates On thother part to Pythagoras succeeded his son Telanges to him Xenophanes after him Permenides after him Zenon the Eleatian and Melissus To Zenon Leucippus to Leucippus Democritus to Democritus many amongst whom are celebrated Nauciphanes and Naucides and other renowmed in both sects euen to PLATO and ARISTOTLE who abolished these sects bringing in others of the Academicks and Peripateticks supplanting the renowne of those which had begon them as the Macedonian Alexander supplanted the glory of Cyrus and of the kings his successours by ouerthrowing the Persian Monarchy But the greatest glory of the GREEKS began at the expedition which XERXES king of Persia had vndertaken against Greece who by his inestimable power which he brought with him amazed it much and put the Grecians in the greatest feare that euer they were knowing wel that this war was vndertaken against them to bring them al in bondage and seeing that already all the Grecian cities seated in Asia were become subiect and seruile they expected that those of Greece should not escape with any better condition And on the contrary the war hauing had a far other end then was looked for they not only found theÌ„selues out of danger of seruitude but got great glory therby and there was neither towne nor city but was become so rich that all the world wondered how things were so come to passe contrary to that which euery one expected For from that time fifty yeres forwards Greece alwaies increased meruailously in felicity their prosperity and wealth made arts to florish In such sort that we find that the most excellent workmen that euer were in the world liued in that time there Also the sciences namely Philosophy went then wonderfully forwards Eloquence also was much aduanced throughout all Greece but especially in Athens For in that time were these excellent Orators Pericles Gorgias Thrasimachus Hippias Prodichus Protagoras Isocrates Lysias Demosthenes Eschines Antipho Andocidas Hiperides Dinarchus Iseas Lycurgus Demades Demetrius the Phalerian HISTORIOGRAPHERS Herodotus Thucydides Xenophon Philistius Ephorus Theopompus Timeus Calistenes TRAGICAL POETS Eschylus Sophocles and Euripides COMICAL Cratinus Aristophanes Eupolis Menander Philemon and Diphilus STATVARIES Lysippus Chares Phydias Polycletus Praxiteles Câ—esias Dinomenes Cymon Miron IMAGERS Lysistratus Dibutades PAINTERS Apelles Protogenes Polygnotus Parrhasius Aristides the ThebaÌ„ Paralius Xeuxis ARCHITECTS Dinocrates who built Alexandria in Egypt Ctesiphon of Crete the teÌ„ple of Ephesus Philon the Citadel of AtheÌ„s GRAVERS Alcamenes Agoracritus Scopas Briax Timotheus Leochares Pythis MVSICIANS Timotheus Anaxarchus Damon Aristoxenus ARITHMETICIANS Nicomachus the son of Aristotle Euclide a GEOMETRICIAN Eudoxus an ASTROLOGER for PHILOSOPHERS the last of the Pythagorean sect already named euen to Socrates who was the first amongst all the Greek philosophers which withdrew philosophy from the heauenly natural contemplation wherin al the former were busied applied it to gouernment of houses cities comon wealths accounting the knowledge of heauenly natural things to be difficult and also when it was obtained to be little helpful vnto good life wherefore he gaue himselfe especially to treate of maners of vertues of vices entierly of good euil After Socrates successiuely florished Plato Aristotle Theophrastus Xenocrates Polemon Crantor others both Academicks Peripateticks Zenon the Stoick whom succeeded Cleanthus the Epicure the spirits of the Greekes euery day increasing vntil the raignes of Philip and Alexander in which times al things came to their excellency and as it were ful perfection wherhence eftsoones they fell and much sooner then they were mounted vp Concerning the Art Militarie Philip Alexander of Macedonia did not only surpasse al the great Captains of their time in knowledge experience of war prowes magnanimity fortune succes of conquest although there were many famous meÌ„ in their age as Epanimondas Pelopidas Thebans Timotheus Conon Chabrias Iphicrates AtheniaÌ„s not loÌ„g before Pausanias Lysander Agesilaus Lacedemonians Timoleon of Corinth but also those of the times of the Persian Median wars as Themistocles Aristides Cymon Miltiades afore them Conon Myronides Pericles some other Grecians and in Sicilie Gelon the sonne of Diomenes For who so wil compare the vertues of al them with the deeds glory of Philip and Alexander he shal find their vertue and renowne more excellent then of thothers and that they haue left them a great space behinde PHILIP at his beginning hauing but smal meanes made in the end his kingdome more mighty and more redoubted then any other Lordship of his time in all Europe and finding at his comming to it the kingdome of Macedon handmaid and tributary to the Illyrians he made it ere he dyed Lady and mystresse of many Cities diuers Countries and Nations bordering about her He made himselfe by his owne vertue to be chosen Chiefetaine general of all Greece the Grecian Cities voluntarily submitting themselues to his gouernement And after he had ouerthrowen by force of armes those which had sacked and spoiled the temple of Apollo at Delphos and had made free the accesse of the Oracle he obtained a place and voice in the Counsaile of the States of Greece called the Amphictyones which was giuen and graunted him for reward of his vertue and deuotion showed towards the Gods Then hauing subdued to his will the Illirians Pannonians Thracians and Scythians hee vndertooke to ouerthrowe the Empire of Persia. Following which deliberation he sent his army before into Asia where he set at liberty the Greeke Cities that were seated there But being ouertaken by death he could not make an end of his enterprise but left to his sonne and successour Alexander such and so great power that de had no need afterwards else where to seeke any ayde or succour to ruinate the Empire of Persia. All which great things he did not with the fauour of fortune but by his owne onely vertue being a very wise Prince especially in matter of warr valiant
into the state of his house the traine of his Court into the Senate or counsaile the course of Iustice managing of his reuenewes administration of prouinces entertainment of forces both by sea and by land that Empire long maintained it selfe and prospered meruailously therewith Being then in his greatest glorie and power hee held first of all in the Brittaine Ocean manye partes and on the other side from the pillars of Hercules all the Islandes and Portes peoples and Nations which are in this Sea as farre as it is nauigable on the one side and the other Of which Nations the first on the right hande are Mauritanians bordering on the Sea likewise the Countrey of Lybia euen as farre as Carthage After them hygher and farther of the Numidians and the Countrey of Numidia and beyond them all the rest of Lybia which stretcheth out vnto the Syrtes togither with the City of Cyrene Then are the Marmarides the Ammonides and those which hold the marish of Marienna consequently the great citie of Alexandria togither with all the whole countrey of Egypt euen to the easterly Ethiopia and going downe along the riuer of Nile by Pelusium vnto the sea And after retourning along the banke thereof the countrey of Suria Palestina and yet higher a part of Arabia and the Phenicians and farther into the land the Cilisyrians bordering on the riuer Euphrates Farther on the sea the Palmyrians amongest sandie deserts which are on the said riuer of Euphrates And yet farther the Cilicians neighbours to the Surians and the Cappadocians with a part of Armenia the lesser Moreouer all the nations dwelling neer the sea Euxinus all along the coast In regard of mediterranean or vpland countreys towards Armenia the great the Romains ruled not ouer them neither imposed any tribute on them but gaue and confirmed their kings vnto them Therehence comming from Cappadocia euen to the Ionian sea is the great Chersonesus in the which are on the right hand the prouinces and nations of Pontus and Propontida of Hellespont and the Egean sea On the left hand the sea of Pamphylia and of Egypt And beyond those the Pamphilians Lycians Phenicians and Carians euen to Ionia Moreouer the Galathians Bythinians Phrygians and Mysians being aboue the Pontick sea and farther into the maine land the Pysidians and Lydians al which nations were subiect to the Romains And passing yet farther by Hellespont they ruled ouer the Mysians dwelling in Europe and the Thracians on the sea Euxinus Neer vnto the countrey of Ionia there is the gulfe of the Egean sea and that of the Ionian then the sea of Cilicia and the Tyrrhen sea reaching euen to the pillers of Hercules within which reach which is from Ionia vnto the Ocean sea there are many nations and prouinces which were subiect to the Romains that is to say the whole countrey of Greece Thessaly Macedony and all the other quarters belonging to the prouince of Thrace the Illyrians Peonians and the territory of Italy which is for the most part enuironed with the Ionian Tyrrhene seas and stretcheth it selfe by land vnto the coūtrey of the Gaules hauing on the one side the mediterranean or midland sea on another the northern Ocean and on thother the riuer of Rhene and yet farder is all the countrey of Spaine all along the Atlantick sea euen to the pillars of Hercules In regarde of those which are farther into land they passed not into that part of Africk which hath on the one side the west Ethiopia on thother the desert countrey of Lybia which is not inhabited for the exceeding heate and hath nothing but monsters and wild beasts vnto the East Ethiopia These were the limits of the Romain Empire on the side of Ethiopia and of Africk On the side of Asia the riuer Euphrates the mountaine Caucasus the beginning of Armenia the great and the Cholches dwelling neer the sea Euxinus the rest of the Euxine sea On the side of Europe the riuers of Rheine and of Danubius wherof the one that is the Rhene entreth into the Ocean the other into the Euxin sea And notwithstanding the Romains also ruled ouer some nations dwelling aboue the Rhene and ouer the Gethes which dwelled beyond Danubius and were called Dacians Touching the Isles all those which are within the mediterranean sea which are called Cyclades Sporades Hyades Echinades Tyrthenides or others whatsoeuer they are about Lybia Ionia Egypt or elswhere on the sea which the Greeks call the great Islands as Cypres Candie Rhods Lesbos Euboe Sicilia Sardignia Corsica Maiorca Minorca and all other great or little were subiect to the Empire of Rome And on the coast of the northren sea they held vnder their obedience the greatest and the best part of the Isle of Britayne So many nations prouinces did they subdue vnto their obedience by order of discipline good counsail strength courage vertue pacience and perseuerance of the Italians when they taught to fight with the best military discipline in the world which they vsed in rising incamping marching fighting wel armed ordered resolute to ouercome or to die Especially the footmen in which they had more confidēce then in their horsemen foūding their principal strength on then Then for the maintenāce of their Empire safety they had 200000. men ordinarily intertained xl thousand horse CCC Elephants apt for war two thousand Chariots furnished and ouer and besids iij. hundred thousand harnesse of prouision which is for their force on land Touching that on the sea they had about two thousand ships a thousand and fiue hundred galleis of fiue and sixe oares with furniture accordingly eight hundred great Vessels for pompe and to cary their Emperours guilded and richly wrought both at the forecastle and sterne an inestimable quantity of gold and siluer in treasure hauing almost an infinite reuenew consisting in yerely rents in customes and subsidies and in tributes which we call taxes and tallages which they leuied on so many Countries lands and Seigniories Of which reuenew it is not possible to make any certaine estimate or account no more then of other Empires and kingdomes absolute wherof the reuenewes increase or diminish according to the disposition of their affaires and will of the Soueraigne Lords imposing and taking away subsidie at their pleasures Such was the excellēcy of the Romains in arms Touching that of Learning CICERO without controuersie deserueth to be the first named amongst them who giuing himselfe to ymitation of the Grecians hath represented in his writings the vehemency of Demosthenes the abundance of Plato and good grace of Isocrates hee not onely got by studye that which was excellent in eche of them but of him selfe also hath produced many vertues or rather all by the most happy felicitye of his immortall vnderstanding borne by some guift of the diuine prouidence to the end that Eloquence in him might showe all her forces For who coulde teache more dilygently or moue more earnestly who was euer
armes now into Spaine against Sertorius now against the Pyrates vnder colour of pacifying the sea He pretended these causes to th end he might continue his power What led him into Africk and into the North against Mithridates and into Armenia and against all the kings of Asia but onely an infinite desire of increasing in greatnes seeming only to himselfe that he was not great enough What did put Iulius so far forward into these publike euils glorie and ambition and a desire which he had without measure to excell aboue others He could not suffer one to be before him where the common wealth endured two What think you that Marius being once Consul indeed hauing taken away by force the six other Consulships when he defeated the Theutons and the Cymbrians and when he pursued Iugurtha thorough the deserts of Africa did aduenture these dangers by the instinct of vertue These men mouing all things were also moued themselues after the maner of whirle-winds which carrie away whatsoeuer they catch and thereby become more impetuous and can not be stil. Hauing then bin mischieuous vnto many they finally feele in themselues their pernicious mischiefe whereby they haue bin hurtfull vnto many The same Seneca It is all one saith he whether Cato ouercome or be ouercome in the battaile of Pharsalia The good being in him which could not be vanquished when his partie was ouercome was equall with the good which he should haue caried victorious into his Countrie haue pacified the affairs Wherefore should it not be equall seeing that by the same vertue euill fortune is ouercome and good fortune well ordered The vertue can not be greater nor lesser It is alwaies after one sort But Pompey shal lose his armie but the honest pretence of the common wealth and the Senate with the chiefest Lords of Rome following the part of Pompey being placed in the first rank of the battaile shall be ouerthrowen in one onely battaile and the ruines of so great an Empire shall be dispersed ouer all the world one part shall fall into Egipt an other into Africk an other into Spaine This miserable common wealth can not all fall at one time Let them do all they can The knowledge of the places doth not help the king Iuba in his kingdom nor the obstinate vertue of his subiects and the fidelitie of the Vticians being broken with so many euils faileth And should Scipio be abandoned in Africk of the fortune of his name It was already prouided that Cato should receiue no harme And yet he was ouercome Certainly the calamities were verie great in that conuersion of the world and there were strange aduersities mingled with the prosperities There was neither Countrie Citie Lordship or personage any whit renowmed but endured much The ruine of Carthage first presenteth it selfe which Citie seuen hundred yeares after it was founded had bin so flourishing and excellent in all things had borne rule ouer so many seas and lands and Islands and ships and so much riches and so many armes as nâ—ne more and had courage more then any other Fourteene yeares after the Numantines being besieged by Scipio AEmilian seeing that for want of victuals they were not able any longer to endure the siege themselues burned theiâ— Citie of Numantia and killed themselues part by the sword part by fire part by poison Cicero nameth Carthage and Numantia the two astonishments of the people of Rome Shal I tel how Syracusa was spoiled Corinth rased Antioch and Hierusalem taken Athens besieged and sacked Marsâ—illes borne in triumph how Rome saw her Senate flying her treasures taken away Alexandria found Cesar fighting in her and her king the yong Ptolomey dead how Thebes in Egipt was destroied Thirteen towns in Peloponesus swalowed vp with an earthquak wherwith Caria Rhodes also were shaken How ther came extraordinary inundations of the sea of riuers and of raines of tempestuous winds Monsters hideous in all nature signes in the aire comets eclipses of the sun and of the moone and other horrible things in the celestiall motions whereof ensued famins plagues and other diseases which were before vnknowen Cicero writeth that there appeared then not onely fierie impressions by night in the heauen flashes of of lightning and tremblings of the earth but moreouer that the thunder fell on the high towers of the Temples many Images of the Gods were remoued out of their places many statues of famous men throwen downe the tables of brasse wherein the Lawes were ingrauen were melted The Image also of Romulus the founder of Rome who was made as he were sucking and waiting at the tears of the wolfe striken with thunder Shall I tell of fower-score thousand Romains and their allies defeated by the Cymbrians and a hundred fortie thousand Cymbrians slaine by the Romains the armies of the Heluetians and Germains ouerthrowen the bondmen vp in armes and allies mutining And not onely the good townes and mightie armies did suffer but also the rich seignories and noble kingdomes were distroied the free nations either trauailed with warres or were brought vnder subiection As the Spanish French British Germain Pannonian Illyrian Armenian and Thracian Italie it selfe after it had about some fiue hundred yeares valiantly defended it selfe was in the end subdued Moreouer there were scarce any famous men either in armes or learning but either receiued notable iniuries or suffered violent death Scipio Africanus being returned out of the Senate was found the next day stifled in his bed which was thought to haue bin done by his neerest kinred Hannibal being driuen out of Italie and banished Africa poisoned himselfe in the Court of king Prusias The king Mithridates being besieged by his sonne Pharnaces slew himselfe and Pharnaces was in a moment ouercome by Cesar. Antiochus the great was depriued of the greatest part of Asia whereof he thanked the Romains And the king Prusias cald himselfe their slaue Perseus the last king of Macedonia was ouercome led in triumphe and died in captiuitie and one of his sonnes was the scribe of the magistrates Tigranes king of Armenia prostrated himselfe before Pompey and asking pardon he lifted him vp and put the Diademe on his head which he had throwen downe Ptolemey king of Cypres threw himselfe head-long into the sea knowing that by the instance of Clodius the Tribune Cato was sent thitherto carie away his treasures Syphax Iugurtha and Iuba being great kings in Africke ended vnhappely Sertorius was slaine by treason Marius flying from Rome in extreme danger of his life hid himselfe in the marish about Minturnes and went to sea in a squiffe without victuals to the fortune of the windes and the waues afterwards being returned he died being three score and ten yeares olde and almost mad His sonne slew himselfe at Preneste Sylla died eaten with wormes and lyce Crassus being ouercome beyond Euphrates by the Parthians was slaine as he parlied on safeguard Pompey was beheaded in the shore of Alexandria Cesar
murdred in the senate-house Cato Brutus Cassius Antonius were slain by their owne hands Cleopatra the last Queene of Alexandria was strong to death with an Aspe Cicero twice banished and his head and hand cut off with which he had written his Philippicks Mark Varro proscribed Nigidius exiled So many horrible things came to passe at that time that the verie remembrance of them striketh feare and horrour into me THE FALL OF THE POWER Learning and Eloquence of the Romaines THE Romaines then which for a time had meruailously profited liuing in libertie after that by the factions into which they were fallen they were brought into seruitude vnder the rule of one Monarch they waxed worse and worse by little and little decreasing the exercise of Armes and studies of learning And howbeit by the vertue of some good Princes the Empire seemed in some sort to rise againe yet was it the more brought low and afflicted afterwards by the loosnes of others the honour and venerable excellencie of this soueraine dignitie being transferred from the auncient families of Rome to strangers of all nations yea euen to certaine base and vicious persons who came to it by force and by corruption of whom the most part were slaine by the greedie souldiers which had created them and others were ouerthrowen by themselues Which disorders continued till such time as the Empire fatally approching to his end was abandoned for a pray to the barbarous Nations For these Emperours vnaduisedly thinking to fortifie themselues by the mercenarie and auxiliarie armes of strangers whom they sent for to their succour and seruice weakning the proper and naturall forces of the Empire which their auncestours had vsed in the getting of it they drew ere they were ware of it many of the Northren nations into the countries lands and seigniories of their obedience Moreouer by transporting the principal forces and riches from Rome to Bizantium diuiding of the Empire into the East and West they weakned much In such sort that the West was first distroied and then at length also the East which remayning vnited might haue long and almost perpetually resisted all inuasions Then was lost the puritie and elegancie of the Latine tongue the Italians leauing to speak Latin and in like maner the disciplines written therin came to contempt and ignorance and all liberall and Mechanicall arts were corrupted as is easie to iudge by the workes of this time yet remayning of diuers sorts And although in this mingling there fell out great things and strange meruailes yet met they not with men to gather them diligently and to write them worthely but they whole remained either buried in the darknesse of ignorance or wrapped vp in confusion or depraued by barbarisme which endured in Europe about a thousand yeares But howbeit that common weales haue their naturall conuersions fatall periods and prefixed times of continuance It seemeth notwithstanding that the chiefe cause of the ruine of the Romain Empire ought to be attributed to CONSTANTINE surnamed the great who transported the seate thereof out of Italy where it was begon and growen vp chaunged the fourme of gouernement in which it had bin maintained sithence Augustus time casserd the Pretorian souldiours made the fees hereditary which the men of armes before possessed onely for a time or during their life at most created newe Magistrates and ordained newe Lawes altering in a little time all the auncient forme of gouernement For Dioclesian being dead Maximian Maxencius and Licinius slaine who had bin all Emperours at the same time with Constantius associated by them when this CONSTANTINE the sonne of this Constancius and his successour in the Empire sawe himselfe alone peaceable Monarch he bethought him for the perpetuating of his memory and celebrating of it the more to build vpon the straight of the sea and the farthest part of Europe next vnto Asia in the place where Byzantium stood before a great citie equall in all things vnto Rome which he beautified with the same priuileges liberties dignities and honors To the end that by the force thereof the Empire toward the East might bee vpheld against the Persians whose power at that time was great and terrrible as in the west it was maintained against the Germains by the meanes of auncient Rome He would that these two cities should be reputed as one and that the citizens of th one as of the other should in like maner be chosen Consuls of whom th one should be resident here and thother there He ordained that there should be foure prefectures of the pretorie or Courts of soueraigne authority next vnto the imperiall by which all the affaires of the Empire should be ordered two for the west of Italy and of Fraunce two for the East of Ilyrian and of the Orient And in liew of the fifteene legions ordained by Augustus and intertained by his successours for defence of the Empire on the Riuers of the Rhene and of Danubius he there built certaine Castles and Fortresses putting in them but weake garrisons yet thinking neuerthelesse that they woulde bee strong enough to stop the courses of the Northren nations which he tooke to be altogither ouercome by the great victories which he had obtained ouer them Wherin he was greatly deceiued for as much as these barbarous people seeing the frontiers of the Empire weake and euill garded stayed not long from winning them entering into the prouinces of the Empire which they ouerran and inuaded miserably namely the Ostrogoths and Lombardes of Italie the Visigoths Aquitaine and Spaine the Frenchmen and Burguignons the countrey of Gaules the Vandales Bethicke and Africke Finally Rome which was called before the head and light of the worlde and subduer of countries was besieged taken spoyled and destroyed many times Which euils according to the saying of Ezechiel came out of the North which hath alwaies bin so fertile of men that not onely it hath filled with inhabitantes the wast wildernesses and huge Forestes of that quarter but also hath accustomed to cast out innumerable people which haue possessed Asia and Europe ouerthrowing the auncient estates to establish new But I retourne to the Empire which THEODOSIVS the first of that name held last entierly both in the East and West afterwards deuided it between his two sonnes HONORIVS and ARCADIVS vnder whom began the foresaid afflictions by the disloyalty and blinded ambition of Ruffinus and Stilicon their gouernours THEODOSIVS the second son of Arcadius was the last that may truely be called Emperour of the west vntill Charlemaigne Whiles Martian and Valentinian raigned GENSERICVS the Vandale who had intelligence with ATTILA king of the Hunnes made him come out of Pannonia into Gaulewith fiue hundred thousand men where he was fought with by the Romains Goths and Frenchmen It is not red that there were euer two greater armies any where opposed one against the other nor which fought more obstinately in such sort that there were slaine a hundred and fourescore
the time of thirteen yeares Let vs rather compare the fortune with fortune of one man with another and of Captaine with Captaine How many Romain Captaines can I name that neuer had contrarie fortune in battaile One may see in the Annales of the Magistrates and in the Calenders the battailes of the Consuls and of the Dictatours whose vertue and fortune neuer brought any displeasure to the people of Rome And they are more admirable then Alexander or any other king hauing not bin Dictatours some of them aboue ten or twentie daies and none aboue a yeare The leuies of men haue bin hindered by the Tribunes they went often to warre after the season and haue bin sent back againe before it by reason of the Comices or Parliaments The yeare hath bin spent in preparations for enterprises The temeritie or malice of a Collegue hath caused hinderance or domage and when matters haue bin euill managed he hath bin succeeded by another They haue taken new or ill disciplined souldiers But certainly kings are not onely free from all hinderances but also Lords ouer time and busines and with their counsels they draw all things after them and do not follow them Then inuincible Alexander had waged warre against inuincible Captaines and had put in hazard the like pledges of fortune but there had bin more danger on the Macedonians side which had but one Alexander not onely subiect to many perils but also seeking of dangers The Romains had many equall to Alexander inglorie and greatnes of exploits which might liue or die according to their destinie without the publike interest Iâ— remaineth to compare armies with armies either in number or kind of men of armes or multitude of auxiliaries Then at that time by the number taken of the Citie they were found two hundred and fiftie thousand heads Wherefore in the reuolt of the allies from the name of the Latines there were leuied well neere ten legions of Citizens Often times there were fower or fiue armies at a time in Hetruria and Vmbria the Gaules being also their enemies They made warre in Samnia and against the Lucans Then afterwards he should haue found all Italie with the Sabines Volsces Eques and all Campania and a part of Vmbria and Etruria the Piscenians Marsians Pelignians Vestines Apulians and all the coast of the Grecians inhabiting on the inferiour sea from the Thracians vnto Naples and Cannes and from thence to Antia and Hostia either mightie with the Romains or subdued by them He should haue passed the sea with his old Macedonian souldiers not exceeding the number of thirtie thousand on foote and fower thousand on horseback almost all Thessalians for this was his strength If he had ioyned with them the Indians and other Nations they would rather haue bin a hinderance then any helpe vnto him Moreouer the Romaine armie in their owne countrie might easily haue new supplies and the armie of Alexander would haue waxen old as it hapned afterwards vnto Hannibal The armes of the Macedonians were the buckler and the iaueling called Sarissa The Romains vsed a shield which was greater to couer the bodie and a speare somewhat rougher either to strike or throw then the pike The footemen both of th one and thother keeping firmely their rankes but the vnmoueable Macedonian phalange was of one sort and the Romain squadron manyfold and compounded of many parts easie to sunder or ioine as neede required Touching their work there is none like to the Romain nor better to endure trauaile Alexander if he had bin ouercome in one battaile would haue made an end of the warre But what armes could haue quailed the Romain whom Candie and Cannes could not quaile Surely if he had prospered in the first encounter he would haue bin gon to the Persians and Indians and to the cowardly nations of Asia as the brute is that Alexander the king of Epirus feeling himself wounded to death said comparing the state of the warres made in Asia by this yong Prince with his When I call to mind how in the first Punick warre they fought twentie and fower yeares against the Carthaginians with mightie fleetes by sea I then think that the age of Alexander could not haue suffised for one war and peraduenture the Carthaginian state being allied with the Romain by auncient lyne and the feare being alike against a common enemie might haue ioyned two such mightie Cities in armes and men and then he might haue bin intangled with the Punick and Romain warre at one time The Romaines assaied the Macedonian enemie not vnder Alexander neither when the forces of Macedon were whole and entier but against Antiochus â—hilip and Perses not onely without any losse but also without any danger Let it not be euill taken that I say and let the ciuil warreâ— cease we haue neuer failed neither in places of aduantage or disaduantage when soeuer we had to deale with an enemie on horseback or on foote and in open warre The souldier loden with armes may well feare the man at armes on horseback the arrowes and thick forests the crooked and vneasie waies but he hath beaten back and shall beate a thousand bands more heauily armed then those of the Macedonians and of Alexander prouided that the loue of peace wherein we liue remaine still amongst vs and the care of ciuile concord A COMPARISON OF POMPEY THE great with Alexander Hercules and Bacchus according to Plinie BVT it pertaineth to the honour of the Romain Empire and not to the victorie of one only man to recite all the titles and triumphes of POMPEY the great hauing attained to the glorie of the deedes not only of Alexander the great but of Hercules also and the father Bacchus Sicile then being recouered where he began to do seruice to the common wealth following the partie of Sylla and then all Africk being subdued and brought vnder obedience and his surname of great being taken therhence being a Romain knight that which neuer before hapned vnto any he was caried in a triumphant chariot and by and by going toward the West and hauing erected many trophees in the mountaines Pyrenees he reduced vnder obedience eight hundred three score and sixteene Townes between the Alpes and the extremities of the farthest Spaine thorough the magnanimitie of his courage making no mention of Sertorius And the ciuil warre being extinguished which moued all the strange warres he againe led the triumphant chariots being a Romaine knight and so many times Emperour and Captain before he was souldier Then being sent to all the seas and beyond toward the East he brought back his titles to his Countrie after the maner of such as ouercome in Combats and sacred games who are not only crowned them selues but crowne their Countrie also attributing to the Citie these honours at the Temple of Minerua which he dedicated of his pray after this maner Cn. Pompey the great Emperour hauing ended the warre which endured thirtie yeares hauing defeated put to flight
SEMIRAMIS hauing giuen commaundment to all the gouernours of the prouinces of the kingdom of Assyria that they should be obedient to her sonne as to their king she vanished sodainly and it was beleeued that she was translated among the Gods The people of Rome buylded a Temple vnto IVLIVS CESAR neer vnto the place where his body was burned after his death and worshipped him as a God thinking that the Comet which arose then was his soule translated into heauen And if it were lawfull to mingle trueth with fables and diuinitie with humanitie MOSES which receiued so much grace and fauour of GOD as to speak vnto him and to be chosen to bring the children of Israel out of the miserable bondage of Pharaoh and to giue them the Law and forme of liuing he was soone after his birth exposed in a basket of bulrushes neere to the riuer Nilus and after miraculously saued by the kings daughter who brought him vp and adopted him as her sonne And when he died and was buried his sepulture was neuer afterwards knowen of any God by the mouth of his Prophet Esay calleth CYRVS who founded the kingdom of Persia his king two hundred yeares before he was borne promising to hold his right hand and to helpe him to take the strong Cities to subdue mightie Nations and to humble the kings of the earth And chose him amongst all the Princes of the Gentiles to reedifie the Temple of Ierusalem and to restore the people of Israel to their Countrie wherhence they had bin driuen out a long time ARSACES hauing conquered and established the kingdom of the Parthians was no lesse celebrated of them then Ninus and Semiramis of the Assyrians Cyrus of the Persians Alexander of the Macedonians Romulus Iulius Cesar and Augustus of the Romaines In remembrance and honour of whom the succeeding kings which raigned in that state were called of his name Arsacides as the Romain Emperours are called Cesars and Augustes in the honour and memorie of Iulius Cesar and Augustus A COMPARISON OF THE ROMAIN warfare with the Parthian Carthaginian and Assyrian THE militarie exercise of the Carthaginians was principally in matter of the sea By reason whereof they made little reckoning of footmen but gaue some order for horsemen because they were serued by strangers and mercenaries The Parthians vsed not any footmen neither fought in any order but by skirmishes confusedly and vncertainly On the contrarie the principall force of the Romaines consisted in their footmen and they fought close in rank and order neuer forsaking that place wherein they were appointed resolute to ouercome or to die The great champaignes and large countries which the Parthians inhabited far from the seas and where there are but few riuers being far distant one from an other were verie fit for their horsemen to run swiftly from one side to thother Where on the contrarie the Romaines being laden with armes could not keeping their order make hast without damage in such places where they found neither vittailes nor waters Who by militarie discipline and exercise surmounted the multitude of the Gaules the greatnes of the Germains the strength of the Spaniards the riches and cauteles of the Africans the wisdome and subtelties of the Grecians albeit they were lesse in all things then these Nations sauing in the art and exercise of warre And hauing gotten the seignorie of a great part of the world when their Empire was mounted vp to the highest of the wheele in the time of Augustus it began then to turne and to go downwards when the Citizens of Rome were left out of the hostes which the Emperours gathered and that they relied on the force of the mercenaries and of such as they had before ouercome And howbeit the great vertues which were in Augustus and his good wit preserued and vpheld the Maiestie of the Empire as long as he liued yet his successours learned of him to intertaine others in pay besides the Romaines as Gothes Lombards Germains Frenchmen Spaniards and others whereof came the ruyne of Rome for asmuch as the Emperours following kept an host of strangers called the Pretorian neere the walls of the Citie of Rome which maner albeit at the first it seemed for their aduantage yet in the end it was their ouerthrow For this number of souldiers disposed of the Imperiall dignitie at their pleasure beeing armed in the place against naked and vnarmed people Also the other armies which were in Gaule Germanie Pannonie Suria Africke and elswhere would be of aucthoritie whiles th one of them named one to be Emperour and an other named another in somuch that there were sometimes two or three pretēding at one time who thinking ech to consume the other consumed the Empire which had cost so much in the obtaining But considering that almost all the Emperours were of strange Nations as also the souldiers which had created them that made them to care lesse for the conseruing of it then if they had bin borne of the Citie Then aswel those which were elected Emperours as they which had chosen them marched against the Citie with the same mind as they would against their enemies doing in these changes many spoiles and murthers aswell on the Emperours themselues as on the Senatours and other great persons Whereas if the institution which the Romains had in the time whiles their vertue liued had bin still maintained which was to make their warres with their owne people and not to hire strangers nor to admit their neighbours or allies into their campe in greater number then they were themselues their Empire had not bin diuided neither transported out of their hands neither their Citie many times destroied and abandoned as it hath bin For by maintaining their former maner of fighting they should haue auoided all these inconueniences and haue comen alwaies happely to a good end of all their enterprises as they did as long as they were serued of their owne Citizens Moreouer the Romains failed greatly in the intertaining of their ordinarie armies and prolonging of general militarie charges which fault was a great furtherance to the ouerthrow of the common wealth and destruction of the Empire But the kings of Assyria changed euery yeare their armies and their Lieutenants generall prouiding wisely by such changing that the souldiers and Captaines could not so readily vnite themselues one with the other to conspire against them For the people that are continually exercised in armes and hardned vnto labour are more couragious and the Captaines which commaund alwaies ouer the same armies make them partial to themselues and draw them oftentimes from the obedience of their common wealth or the seruice of their Prince as it hath bin discoursed more at large before speaking of the Assyrians Besides they yet made an other fault no lesse then the former changing the simplicitie of the Romains into the proud ceremonie of the barbarous kings For whereas the first Emperours accomodated themselues to the Romaine libertie not
vntill the thirteenth which raigneth at this present hauing one after an other from the father to the sonne gathered together two Empires aboue twentie kingdoms and a great number of Cities in Asia and Europe gotten aswell on the Mahometists as on the Christians without euer losing any thing that they had taken They hold all that was in old time called Arabia Egipt Suria Mesopotamia Chaldea part of Persia and of Media Assyria Adiabena part of the greater Armenia and all the lesser and a part of Cholches which they call Mengrelles All Asia the lesser containing Cilicia Cappadocia Pamphylia Galatia Caria and Phrygia And in Europe a part of the Sarmatians or Getes the Dacians Mysians Thracians Macedonians Greeks Albaneses Dalmatians Pannonians Hongarians Iaziges and Metanastes In Africk Argier Tripoli and Tunez This vnmeasurable power so renowmed and terrible at this day vnto all the world is growen vp from so small a beginning as hath bin said to such heigth and reputation in the space of two hundred and sixtie yeares by their wise conduct in peace and in warre by sobrietie patience obedience concord diligence order valiancie abundance of men horses and armes and by meanes of the good militarie and politick discipline which they carefully obserue which hath made them to prosper with the hinderance of their neighbours being loose and corrupted or infected with seditions Peraduenture they are not entirely such as they haue bin as all impaire with time and being inriched with their victories gotten on the Persians are become more pompous in their apparell and harnes then they were before as prosperitie and riches depraueth people But as they change their maner of liuing so their fortune also will change and whereas they now beat others they wil also be beaten as they haue begun to be not many yeares sithence at the battaile which they lost at Lepanto against the Venetians which is the greatest aduersitie that euer they receiued sithence they passed into Europe Likewise VSVN-CASSANVS was a souldier vnder Tamberlain who restored this new kingdome of Persia. He being aduertized that there was in his countrie a Lord called Harduel of the race of the Prophet and the bruit that ran among the Persians of his holines and learning especially in the law whereof he was a Doctour and in Astrologie wherein he meruailously excelled he gaue him his daughter to wife of which mariage came the SOPHI ISMAEL Harduel then being more assured and hartned by this royal alliance tooke vpon him with the aide of Techel Cusilbas to bring in new expositions and ceremonies into the Alcoran following Haly who was preferred by them before Mahomet Whereat IACOB the sonne and successour of Vsun-Cassanus being angry banished him and his sonne because he feared that by the fauour of his adherents vnder colour of reforming the Religion he aspired to the estate When the SOPHI who at the time of his banishment with his father was but a child was waxen great hereturned by force into Persia setting vp the Sect which was begun by his father and was afterward left off for feare And vnder this pretence he drew much people to his part and conquered in few yeares the Seignorie not only of Persia but also of Media Armenia and Assyria finding at his returne Aleuant and Morat-Champ the sonnes of Iacob and his cozins at warre together whereof th one he slew in battaile and constrained thother to flie into Arabia wherefore he remained peaceable possessour of of the state But because his vncle Iacob was deceased before he might be reuenged of him he burned his bodie Of which inhumaine deed being reprehended by his Mother he put her to death or killed her himselfe And notwithstanding was called SOPHI which is asmuch to say as holie hauing gotten not by any merite of his owne but by the goodnes of his father this name which hath remained to his heires being reputed heires by the Turkes This SOPHI by the sodain successe of his conquests put all the East in feare spreding his renowme ouer all the habitable earth To whom the Tartarian Zagathain opposed himselfe warring continually against him and Selim Ottoman who assailed him with a mightie armie a good waies within his owne kingdome tooke and spoiled Tauris his chiefe Citie and wan the memorable battaile of Chalderan where were slaine many both of the one side and thother and the two chiefes were hurt the Turkes remayning victorious only by reason of their artillerie which at that time was vnknowen to the Persians After Selim defeated in an other battaile the Souldan who would haue holpen the Sophi which were the two greatest victories that hapned within these fiue hundred yeares Sultan Soliman following the footsteps of his father returned thither and got on the Sophi Damasco in Assyria and the imperiall Citie of Bagdet being the auncient seat of the Caliphat of Chaldea ouerthrowen by the Tartarians as also that of Caire hath bin distroied by the Souldan For they which beare the name now in both Cities haue but the titles putting the SVLTANS in possession without medling at all with the state who doing thus receiue because of their pretended right three thousand Seraphes to the end to retaine after that maner some forme of the former religion The soueraintie whereof is not gouerned any more by them but by Muphtis as hath bin said who are as Patriarches and Superintendents in diuine matters and Iudges in cases of conscience whom the SVLTANS hold nere about their persons or in the principall Townes of their estates So by the ruine of the Latin kingdome in Hierusalem and of the Egyptian Caliphat the estate of the SOVLDAN began in Egypt and Suria instituted by Syrracon and Saladine which was hereditarie vntil Menescala who ordained the MAMMELVCS amōgst whom it hath long time bin electiue Neuer was there seen nor heard a more strange or detestable kind of gouernment then that of the MAMMELVCS being al Christians reheaged and of seruile condition which tyrannically commaunded ouer the Egyptians and Surians being free vsing miserable indignities and cruelties towardes them In so much that such power deserued rather to be called seruitude then Lordship The MAMMELVCS then were taken when they were little boyes from the countrey of the Circasses neere to the Temerinde or black sea then brought and sold as slaues into Egypt Where some selected of them were nourished and hardened vnto paine and trauaile by continuall exercise of armes And such as were found to bee the best were enrolled in the order of the Mammelucs and to them succeeded from hand to hand not the sonnes of the Mammelucs deceased but others nourished and chosen after the same maner to whom pertained the honours and profits of the state which they deuided among them not committing the gouernments of prouinces and conductes of armies but to those that were experienced whose vertue was knowen and who had passed all the military degrees and by them and from amōg them was the SOVLDAN chosen
and sciences THE VICISSITVDE of Townes SOme Towns and Cities begin others end others increase others diminish cōming of little to be great of great little some are ouerthrowen by warres others by sedition others by long peace turned into loosenes or by pompe and prodigalitie pernitious to great riches or by casuall chaunces of fire inundation of waters or Earthquakes or els by old age which consumeth all things Niniue so great so faire and sumptuous was distroyed by Arbaces and the Medians Carthage by Scipio and the Romaines By tract of time the greatest part of Babylon hath bin turned vnto tillage and at this day is nothing or els hath chaunged his name Athens is reduced into a little village Troy into Champaigne Ierusalem so famous throughout the scripture hath bin often distroied and reedified Thebes was sometime the fairest Citie not onely of Egypt but of the whole world the magnificence of which was diminished by the increase of Memphis And that of Memphis by the edification and augmentation of Alexandria holden for the chiefe or second Citie in the world Rome began when Babylon ended and Constantinople is growen vp by the spoile of Rome the Empire being transported thither with his chiefe forces and riches Lions first scituated on a hill was burned then reedified below Elice and Buria drowned In auncient time there were in Candie 100. Townes which are now reduced vnto three On the contrarie in Germany there were no Townes there are at this day the fairest the strongest and best gouerned that are any where The Arabians and Tartarians march by great troupes representing great walking cities In other places are seen veriefaire Cities which were not in former time As Cair Alep Tauris Mosko Prague Cracouia Nugradia Antwerp London Lishbon Paris Roan Mexico in Temistiten Venice Cambalu Quinzay Meace in Gyapan Malach and Ormus THE VICISSITVDE OF COMMON Weales Kingdomes and Empires THe first and chiefest forme of Ciuil gouernment is a Monarchie erected naturally which by good establishment begetteth a Kingdom or Roialtie but when a Roialtie falleth into those vices which are neerest i◠as into Tyrannie of their abolition ariseth Aristocratie which is commonlie chaunged into Oligarchie And when the Communaltie reuengeth the iniustice of the Gouernors there followeth a Democratie by the outrages and iniquities whereof is againe erected the Ochlocratie Such is the naturall reuolution of gouernments according vnto which the estate of the common wealth is chaunged and translated and againe returneth to the same Yf the vertue of commaunders were alwaies alike the affaires of men would go better and more certainlie without being transported to and fro and incessantly altered for aucthoritie is easilie maintayned by the same meanes by which it is gotten but where for diligence idlenes for continencie and equitie couetousnes and pride do take place there the fortune chaungeth with the maner of their lyuing Wherefore the Kingdoms and Empires are translated continually from the lesse apt and able to those that more chaunging from familie to familie and from nation to nation As by the variable course of the Moone is gouerned the great Sea mouing or appeasing his waues aduauncing or withdrawing the flowing and the ebbing of the tydes so are by the vnstabilitie of fortune and mens want of wisdom publike states increased diminished exalted abased changed destroied conuerted and put ouer from some vnto others those that are best gouerned hauing their power more assured and durable then the rest and yet none being perpetuall for asmuch as they are corrupted in length of yeares whatsoeuer good orders there are at the beginning if heed be not carefully taken in reforming them often and reducing them as much as is possible to their first integritie We see that a Lordship well founded doth prosper a time by the goodnes of the gouernment and goeth from good to better drawing in a right line towards the midst or the highest of his true politique course afterwards declineth from high to low or from the midst to the extremitie True it is that where th one endeth thother beginneth and is aduaunced by the ruyne of the former or many smal are reduced into one great and that great one diuided into lesser THE VICISSITVDE AND variety of Tongues LIkewise the Tongues words writings and Characters are continually changed hauing no better hap then other humaine things which do change ordinarily with their words namely maners of liuing both publike and priuate customes meates lawes habits and garments edifices buildings armes engines and instruments They haue a beginning continuance perfection corruption and alteration Some are altogether lost others do spring out of the former beeing corrupted and mingled others after they haue bin long time disanulled are restored They are maintayned with their proprietie sweetnes and elegancie with the sciences which are written in them thorough the power and greatnes of Empire and by religions with which meanes they are largely spread abroad in diuers Countries and endure long as also they are lost by the contrarie THE VICISSITVDE of Artes. BY the same order and interchangeable course the Arts and Sciences being small at beginning do augment by little and little and come vp to their perfection whether after they are once come they fall eftsoones and finally perish thorough the slouth of men or by the calamitie of warres long continued or by the tyrannie of barbarous people Then when they haue bin a while let downe they arise againe and successiuelie recouer their former strength Which hath giuen occasion to some excellent Philosophers and Astrologers to thinke that the same Sciences haue sundrie times bin inuented before time out of minde and lost againe as they may be againe also in time to come seeing that power and wisedom leaue not long each other but ordinarily keepe good companie together As I haue obserued within these three thousand yeares to haue falne out fiue or sixe times at certain seasons finding the excellency of armes and learning to haue bin first in Egipt Assyria Persia and Asia the lesser consequently in Greece Italie and Sarasmenia and finallie in this age in which we see almost all auncient liberal and Mechanical arts to be restored with the tongues after that they had bin lost almost twelue hundred yeares and other new inuented in their places Wherein shal be employed all the discourse ensuing depending on the former which we will begin with the Tongues with which are preserued and lost all humaine arts and affaires The end of the first Booke OF THE VICISSITVDE AND varietie of Tongues The second Booke GOD creating Man gaue him for a great and excellent gift the vse of Reason and Speech and by these two prerogatiues hath separated him from other Creatures But reason would little helpe him and would lesse appeare in him if he could not by speech expresse that which before hee had conceiued in his mind for the beastes seeme to yeeld vnto him rather in speech then vnderstanding doing finely and
their defect haue bin often changed and augmented how should they then satisfie another In somuch that it seemeth to some to bee a thing impossible that a people hauing a peculier tongue of their owne should vse strange letters but with great difficultie as we see in the Dutch and English vsing Latin letters and in the Turke and Persian which vse the Arabian As also they are of opinion that the historie of one Nation can not conueniently be written in another language then that of the same countrie induced to think so by the Romain historie which being written in Greeke seemeth no more to be Romain especially where there is question of customs lawes magistrates moneyes reuenewes and ceremonies wherein the Greeke tongue being otherwise rich and plentiful seemeth rude barbarous where the latin is fine and eloquent The same is befalne to the Greek Historie written in the Latin tongue and likewise to the French made by Gaguinus Paulus Emilius and others representing little and ill to the purpose the affaires of Fraunce in a strange language vsed onely now a daies in schooles whereas Froissard Monstrellet Phillip de Commines Guill and Martin du Bellay are found large and conuenient But to th end not to digresse from our commenced purpose I will returne to speake of Letters The Hebrewes and Latines haue twentie and two The Slauons and Iacobites two and thirtie The Armenians 38 The Abissins or Ethiopians 47 The Arabians 31 The Chaldeans 28 The Latins Greeks and other inhabitants of Europe and the Indians of Malabar hauing peculiar letters of their owne do write from the left side towards the right The Hebrewes Chaldees Arabians and generally all the Asiatickes and Africans from the right to the left imitating the mouing of the Heauen which is from the right hand to the left and is most perfect according to Aristotle approching neerest to the vnitie which of Plato is called the motion of similitude or of vniformity The Cathayans or people of China Iapania from aboue downe-wards saying that therein they follow the order of nature which hath giuen to men their heads placed aboue and their feete below Diodorus the Sicilian writeth that in a certaine Island found towards the South by Iambolus thinhabitants did not write from one side to thother as we do but drew their lyne straight from aboue downwards hauing 28 letters in number according to the signification which they giue them Other maners of writing there can not be except one would write a crosse or ouerthwart The Eastern and Southern nations do vse points the Greekes their abbreuiations the Latines their titles the Egiptians in holy things did vse the figures of beastes for letters which they called Hierogliphicks The most Auncients did write in the rynde or barke of trees and in tables and leaues of wood others in Palm-leaues according to the commoditie of their countrey others in lead Their missiue letters or Epistles were written in tables or waxe the Lawes and other durable things were engrauen in brasse or copper They did write also in fine linnen cloth Themperor Commodus vsed the fine bark of the Linden tree called of the Latins Tylia or Philyra Others the rynds of a little tree called Papyrus growing in the marishes of Egipt which were thicker from whence came the name of Paper vsed at this present which is made of old raggs of cloth steeped along time in water and braied in the mill after brought into a kind of past which being stretched out on a gredyron of brasse to thend to drie it being put betwen locks of woll and pressed after it is a little dried becommeth fine smooth thin white paper we vse Parchmin also more strong durable then paper which is made of sheepskins goatskins and calueskins coried and dressed by the Leather-dressers and parchminmakers Herodotus in his Terpsichore witnesseth that they vsed these skins to write on in his time And Iosephus saith that the holy Scriptures were first written in them M. Varro thinks they were first found out at Pergamus a Citie of Asia from whence they yet take their name at such time as the two kings Ptolomeus and Eumenes erected their Libraries enuying one the other Diodorus the Sicilian writeth that the letters of the Ethiopians were made after the likenesse of sundrie beasts and the extremities of diuers members of man and of diuers instruments and tooles of artificers and their intentions words were not expressed by composition of sillables or letters but by formes and figures of Images whose signification remained vnto them by vse in the memorie of men for they would set downe a Kyte a Crocodile a mans eye a hand a face and other such like things The Kyte signified a thing soone done because he is one of the swiftest birds and this character is properly applied to home affaires which are speedily dispatched the Crocodile did note some euil thing the eye an obseruer of Iustice and a gard or watchman of the bodie the right hand with the fingers stretched out betokened libertie or liberalitie and the left hand closed was hardnes and greedines After this maner the figures of other parts of the bodie formes of certain instruments did notifie some other thing amongst those Ethiopians who retayning it thorough long practize in their memorie did readily vnderstand what the said figures ment and signified Those of Malabar and other Indians dwelling between the riuer of Inde and Ganges do yet at this day write in palm-leaues either greater or lesser according to the matter which they intend to write In whole ones they write such things as they would haue to endure long as the affaires of their Religion and their Histories the other things of lesse consequence in a quarter or half quarter aswell on th one side as thother And when they haue written a great number meaning to ioin them in books they fasten them betwene two bordes in steed of those forels or couers which we vse after as we sow our leaues so do they tie theirs with strings to the said couers For their missiue letters it suffiseth that the leaf be writteÌ„ and rolled vp in it self in steed of sealing of it they bind it with a thred of the palm it self They vse to writ with an instrumeÌ„t of yron or wood sharpned passing lightly ouer the leaf not percing it and imprinting the characters of their letters in such sort that they may write on both sides Thother writings more permanent as foundations of Churches are â—â—t in Copper or grauen in stone Peter Martyâ—a Milanois historian writing of the difcouerie of the new found lands made by the Castilians saith that the inhabitants of Collacuan brought into Spaine amongst other gifts certaine bookes written in the fine inner ryndes of trees which are found betweene the wood and the thicke vttermost barke And that they are taken sometimes of willowes or of Alders which they couered with course cloth and fastned together with
while they are young or by honour which is nurse of all arts whatsoeuer and the rewards which are proposed for the learned and expert therein THE Babylonians dwelling in spacious plaines and hauing nothing to hinder them the whole sight of the heauens they placed all their studie in obseruing of the Starres The like hath bin done by the Egiptians who haue alwaies their aire cleare without cloudes And by reason of the yearely ouerflowing of the riuer Nilus which couereth and watereth their Countrie they were constrained to bestow some time on Geometrie The Phenicians being giuen to marchandize inuented Arithmeticke and dwelling neere the Sea began first nauigation which the Castilians Portugals and Englishmen bordering likewise on the sea haue brought to perfection It was vnseemly amongst the Arcadians not to be skilfull in Musick which they learned not for pleasure and delight but for necessitie to thend to make sweete and gentle by custome that which was rude in them by nature by reason of the coldnes of the aire whereof we participate in our birth and by their continuance of trauaile in tillage pasturage and brutishnes of life Eloquence flourished at Athens and at Rome because that by means therof they were aduanced to honours and wealth In Augustus time who took pleasure in Poetrie euery one made Verses and all were Musitians vnder Nero. The nations which desired to be great and grow vp by armes haue directed their Lawes and exercises to dominion honouring and recompensing valiant men and dishonouring and punishing the cowardes Such were the Scythians Egiptians Persians Thracians Lacedemonians Candians Gaules Iberians Macedonians and Indians accounting all noble and gentle that made profession of armes and the artisans base and seruile At this day in Turkie where all is reduced vnto force euery one applieth armes being assured that in well doing they shall be aduanced in pay reuenew and publick charge as also the punishment is certaine there for cowardize The greatest part of good witts in France applie themselues to the Ciuil Law and to the practize of it for the profit which they find therein and for the honour of innumerable offices of iudgement ordayned both in the soueraigne meane and inferiour iurisdiction being both profitable and honourable The Hetrurians which had their aire grosse and thicke subiect to thunders inuented the diuination by lightning The Arabians Cilicians and Phrygians being great shepheards inuented that diuination which is made by entrailes of beastes or by the voice of birdes Philosophie hath bin professed in Greece full of subtle and sharpe wiâ—ts Architecture began in Asia by the abundance of wealth and leasure of the great Kings there hauing neede of large and ample houses for intertainment and magnificence of their Courts Afterwardes it flourished in Greece whence it was banished and from thence passed into Italie recouering his ripenesse there namely vnder the Emperours who as they had subdued the rest of the world by armes would also surmount them in wonderfull buildings with incredible expences The Ethiopians by the abundance of all good herbes and vigorous simples which grow in their Countrie inuented the naturall Magick obseruing by it the wonders hidden in the secret proprieties of thinges their agreements and contrarieties Plato in his Charmides and his first Alcibiades maintayneth that Zoroaster the Bactrian and Zamolsis the Scithian made profession therof Then it was transported into Persia where it remayned long as we will declare hereafter when we speake of the Persians and of their Mages BVT as following the generall disposition to vertue there haue alwayes bin heere and there some making profession of wisedome as the Druides in Gaule and in great Britayne the Chaldees in Assyria the Brachmanes and Gymnosophistes in the Indies the Mages in Persia the Priestes in Egypt the Philosophers in Greece the Pharisees in Iurie the Theologians or Diuines in Christendome yet antiquitie hath giuen the first praise of Letters to the Ethiopians attributing the inuention to them which they communicated with the Egiptians their neighbours where they haue bin augmented from thence they came to the Libians Babylonians and Chaldeans consequently to the Greeks then to the Romains the Arabians Italians Frenchmen Almains Englishmen Spaniards and Polonians ON which course of letters if we think attentiuely as far forth as is possible to consider all the time past and to call to mind againe the memorie of so many yeres ouerslipped repeating from thence where in histories beginneth the age of people and of Cities that is to say about three or fower thousand yeares since men began to write bookes we shall find that there hath not bin any Authour amongst the Gentiles more auncient then Homer And that letters haue not bin sithence with like earnestnes followed nor in all times and countries equally esteemed but onely in certaine famous ages which we may tearme Heroicall In the which humaine power and wisdom keeping companie one with the other men haue commonly seen the art Militarie Eloquence Philosophy the Mathematicks Physick Musick Poetrie architecture painting caruing and grauing to florish together and to fall together as it hath especially hapâ—ed in the kingdoms of Sesostris Ninus Cyrus Alexander of Augustus and Traian of the Arabians and Sarazens and in this age in the which after they had bin long time a sleepe they haue bin wakened againe and haue recouered their former strength which is not to say that there haue not hapned many other admirable euents in other seasons but these are most notable in the which many extraordinarie maruailes haue met together in matter of armes and of letters and which haue most similitude betweene them as it will appeare in reciting of them WHERFORE is it so come to passe rather at these times then at others and what reason can we giue thereof to th end the better to vnderstand the present consideration being of so great waight and long deduction It seemes to some that we ought not to maruaile that in an infinite space of time as fortune turneth and varieth diuersly there hapneth by casuall chance some accidents like vnto others For be it that there is no certaine number set downe of accidents that may fall out fortune hath fruitful matter enough to produce effects resembling one an other or else be it that humaine chances are comprehended in a determinate number there must needs sometimes happen like cases considering that they are brought to passe by the same causes and by the same meanes Others say that in length of yeares are certaine periods of the whole world and in th one that all arts do grow in reputation and in the other do fall and come to be neglected Others attribute it to honour and to rewards which are more proposed at one time then at an other for 〈…〉 uch as by good intertainment all men are induced to vertue And assayi 〈…〉 nder a reason wherefore many notable personages meete in the same 〈…〉 or little distant th one from thother and
plenty of all good things without pain or trauaile aud were driuen from thence for their disobedience and that of them two ioyned in mariage haue proceeded all men dispersed ouer all the habitable earth But Saint Augustine considering that of the fiue zones set downe by the auncient Astrologers and Cosmographers there were but two esteemed temperate and inhabited and that from the one it was thought they could not passe to the other by reason of the heate which was in the midst called the burning zone and that if it were so it must follow necessarily that the Antipodes came not of Adam he chose rather to deny that there were any Antipodes then to fall into any absurd impietie or to gainesay learned antiquity in this point But it is certaine both by the auncient and modern nauigations that there are Antipodes as those of Taprobana are to the Spanyards which is knowen by the aspect of heauen appearance of the starres hyding of our pole and eleuation of theirs hauing as hath bin said euery thing contrary vnto vs Sommer and Winter day and night East and West THE GREEKS in their fables said that Vulcan being amorous of Minerua shed his seed on the land of Athens from whence spong the Athenians who therefore vaunted themselues that they were borne of their owne land without taking any original elswhere vnderstanding by the earth al matter and by Vulcan the fire which moueth the earth and quickeneth it and that Ceres after the rauishment of her daughter Proserpina hauing wandered long throughout the world came into their Countrey where she showed them the vse of wheate wherehence afterward it was manifested to all men that their City hath not onely communicated such meanes of liuing to the indigent but also was the first that established lawes and set downe gouernment and that in part it inuented the arts seruing for necessity and pleasure and in part hath approued them or made them better and more exquisite obtaining the honour of Philosophy by which all theis things haue bin either inuented or amended and of eloquence which first tooke beginning in Athens and hath there bin brought to perfection that City hauing gotten by wisedome and eloquence such excellency and reputation that her Scholers were Maisters of others and that the name of Greeks was no more a name of a people or nation but of reason and vnderstanding and that the partakers of their learning were more esteemed Greekes then those which participated of the same nature with them At this day the wandring ARABIANS boast themselues to be the first of the world hauing neuer bin mingled with other nations and hauing kept entier as they say the nobility of their bloud BVT OMITTING all these disputings and boastings of nations all fantasies and humaine reasons of Philosophers we will rest our selues on the certainty of holy scripture touching the creation of the world and of mankinde And concerning the discourse of armes and of letters which are here in question we wil begin it by the Egyptians who being ingenious and valiant seeme to haue bin the first that haue excelled in wisedome and power from whom the Greekes drew almost all their knowledge which we vse at this day hauing not onely in estimation but also in admiration both Egypt and the Egyptians OF THE POWER LEARNING AND other excellency of the Egyptians AMongst others Isocrates that most excellent oratour praysing Busiris who made choise of that Countrey to raigne in as the most commodious of all the world writeth thus for considering other places not to be conueniently situated in respect of the nature of the whole world but that some are too much subiect to raine and others otherwaies molested and that region to be in the fairest seat of the earth and most abounding in all sorts of good things and enuironed with the riuer Nilus as with a naturall wall which not onely keepeth but fatneth it being inexpugnable to straungers that assaile it and much profitable to those which dwell neere it by the waterings and other commodities which they receiue of it whose industry also he hath made almost diuine in matter of tillage For by his meanes they haue both raines and drouthes in their disposition which are bestowed by Iupiter elswhere Their felicity is so great that if one consider the excellency and goodnes of the Countrey and their spacious fields he will thinke they inhabite the maine land if the commodities wherewith it aboundeth which are caryed out and those which not growing there are brought in thither from other places he will think that they dwell in an Island For the riuer running here there and watering it thoroughly doth furnish them with two meruailous commodities Busiris then began where wise men ought to begin choosing a faire place which supplied all things needfull for the inhabitants aboundantly Then diuiding them by orders and estates he appointed some for sacrifices others for handy crafts and others for warfare thinking that ordinary necessities and commodities ought to be furnished by tillage and by trades but that the protection of them was most assured by the exercise of armes and deuotion towards the Gods Accomplishing then all the perfection required in a good law maker he ordained that euery of them should alwaies exercise one trade knowing that they which change oft cannot vnderstand any thing well nor do any thing perfectly but those which are alwaies conuersant about the same things do commonly excell Whence it is come to passe that the Egyptians in euery art do excell so much all other Artisans as good workmen are wont to excel the vnskilful and ignorant Moreouer they obserue so good order in administration of their kingdome and al other publicke gouernment that the most famous philosophers disputing of such affaires prefer the gouernment of Egypt aboue all theirs Also to him we must refer as to the principal authour the study and exercise of wisedom for he so aduantaged the priestes first that they might maintaine themselues in chiefe place with the holy reuenues that afterwards great holynes being by their lawes required of them they might liue temperatly and being exempted from warfare and other charges they might rest in quiet THEY enioying then this commoditie haue inuented Physicke to helpe the body not that which vseth dangerous medicamēts but those which may as safely be taken as the daily meates and neuerthelesse are so profitable that they which vse them are seene to be lusty and able of body and to liue long And for medicine of the minde they haue proposed the exercise of Phylosophy which can make lawes and search out the nature of thinges Hee committed to the auncienter sort the best charges and perswaded the yonger leauing pleasures to giue themselues to Astrologye Arithmetick and Geometry which faculties are thought by some to be profitable in many things The others indeuour to show that they follow vertue earnestly Their piety and deuotion towards the Gods is worthy of great
Arians taxed at CCC In the seuenteenth the Paricanians the Ethiopians of Asia CCCC In the eighteenth the Manineans Sarpites Atlarodians CC. In the xix the Mosches Tibarenes Macrosians Mosinicians Mardians CCC In the xx were the Indians which because they were a verie great multitude paied more tribute then al the other nations namely CCClx. talents of gold Al these sums which were paid in the Babilonian talent of siluer being referred to the Euboick talent came to nine thousand fiue hundred and fortie talents And the gold of the myne being multiplied by thirteene to fower thousand six hundred and fower score Euboick talents and was leuied on Asia and some part of Africk Then he raised an other tribute on the Isles and Nations of Europe hauing stretched out his dominion as far as Thessalie Persia was freed from all payments and the Ethiopians sent onely certaine presents as from three yeares to three a bushell of gold from the myne two hundred fagots of Ebony fiue hundred blacke boies and xxij Elephants the greatest that could be found The Cholchois and Caucasians from fiue yeares to fiue one hundred young boies and as manie girles The Arabians euery yeare a present of incense weighing a thousand talents The meanes which he vsed to keepe his Treasures was thus He caused the gold and siluer to be melted and cast into earthen barrels then when the vessell was full he made it be remoued vp and downe with his Court and whensoeuer he wanted money he broke or cut out therof as much as he would Touching his husbandrie and care for the intertayning of such power and riches first this king was most carefull of Armes ordayning himselfe in each gouernment both the victuals and paies which were to be distributed to his souldiers aswell strangers as his natural subiects thoroughout his garrisons and seeing the musters in person Where such as were found to haue fulfilled the appointed number of their men and had best mounted and furnished them with armes were aduanced in honours and inriched with great gifts On the contrarie he chastised such as failed or were giuen to picory putting others in their charges Moreouer he visited himselfe as much as he might the Countries vnder his obedience endeuouring to vnderstand their estate and those which he could not see he caused to be visited by some trustie persons sent for that purpose Where he found the Countries well peopled and the lands diligently husbanded full of corne trees and fruits he rewarded the Princes or Gouernors with great gifts and augmented their charges But those whose countries were found desert or euill inhabited by reason of their rudenes insolencie or negligence he punished or discharged them being no lesse carefull to haue his Countries well ordered by the inhabitants then to haue them kept in safetie by the garrisons and caring no lesse for his reuenewes then his armes and proposing as great a reward to the diligent labourers as to the valiant warriours We read that then when the king of Persia was in his greatest glorie and reputation that his Maiestie was highly exalted and magnificently adorned with august and venerable aucthoritie that his royall seat being established at SVSA or ECBATANA he retyred himselfe out of the sight of men into his pallace being verie faire and richly decked with gold siluer yuorie and other exquisite things In the which were many galleries and halls one within an other many dores compassed betweene them and separated by spaces and the commings to them shut and closed with gates of brasse That there were many Princes and Lords appointed in their seuerall places and some garding and seruing his person some looking to those that came in and out at the gates some receyuours and treasourers others Captaines and men of warre some hunters and faulconers and others ordayned vnto other offices as â—se and necessitie required Moreouer the Satrapes or Princes went and came to and fro gouerning the whole Empier of Asia beginning in the West at Hellespont and ending in India toward the East Herodotus showeth by iourneis and lodginges that from Sardes in Lydia to Susa in Mennonia which was the Kinges seat it was three Monethes iourney It is written also in the booke of Hester that ASSVERVS king of Persia raigned euen from the Indies vnto Ethiopia ouer an hundred twentie and seauen prouinces writing to euerie prouince according to the Stile thereof and to euerie people in their owne language In the meane time the king termed by them their Lord and God saw and vnderstood all things by meanes of postes ordayned in all the Countries vnder his obedience and spies dispersed here and there and secret Intellegencers so that being so many Officers they did euery one in his charge indeuour himselfe in such sort that their Lord knew incontinently whatsoeuer new thing hapned euen from the frontiers of his gouernment to the place of his residence which was in the midst of his kingdome dwelling the winter in Babylon because the aire there is verie mild and temperate the three monethes of the Spring-time in the Towne of Susa and the two monethes of great heat in the Citie of Ecbatana In such sort that by this changing of Countries what season of the yeare so euer it were he was alwaies in a time like vnto the spring He was warned euery morning when he waked to feare God and to see to those affaires which God hath committed to his charge The intertainment of the Queene was correspondent to this greatnes and magnificence for many prouinces were allotted her for the furnishing thereof which were called diuersly according to the vse whereunto they were appointed As one was the Queenes girdle an other her vaile and so likewise the rest according to those ornaments which they furnished As soone as his first sonne which was to succeede in the Crowne was borne all his subiectes celebrated this day and afterwardes euery yeare thorough out Asia they solemnized the feast of his natiuitie Then the child was giuen to be nourished to the Eunuches which held verie honourable places in the Court and their principall charge amongst others was to make him faire and well proporcioned by composing and ordering his partes conueniently Then when he was come to seuen yeares hee learned to ride and began to goe on hunting At the fourteenth yeare of his age hee was instructed by Masters called the royall Paedagogues or Tutours which were fower chosen amongst all the Persians the chiefest of age and sufficiencie that is the most wise iust temperate and valiant The first taught hym the Magicke of ZOROASTER consisting in the seruice of the Godds and kingly manners The second warned him to bee all his life true and veritable The third that hee should not bee supplanted by any cupidity or desire The fourth was to make him without feare to the end he should not be subiect to cowardise and pusillanimitie But howbeit these things were well and religiously instituted yet were
yet more then all the rest was the small valure and the cowardize of the Tyrant with the hate and euill will which was borne him of all those whom he vniustly detained in bondage and seruitude All which causes at the same time concurring together made these things come to effect which would be otherwise incredible Was it not a strange case to see the Athenians and Lacedemonians who had so long time sought for the superioritie to come themselues into the subiection of the Macedonians who before was tributarie to the Illyrians And the Citie of Thebes which had sometimes aspired to that principalitie burned rased and distroied in one day and the Citizens thereof sold as slaues and brought into bondage On the other side there was not then any man excellent in knowledge but indured much SOCRATES the father both of moral and politike Philosophie falsely accused of not beleeuing in the Gods of corrupting youth was condemned and executed by poyson But his condemnation being found vniust the people repented it soone after considering how great a personage they had wrongfully put to death and were so mutinous against them which were the cause thereof that finally they put them all to death also without hearing their defences and allegations PLATO was sold by pyrats and in danger of his life in the Court of Syracusa XENOPHON was banished Athens ARISTOTLE constrained to depart fearing least they would deale with him as they did with Socrates DEMOSTHENES poisoned himselfe with the poison which he caried in his ring because he would not yeeld himselfe to the mercie of his enemie Antipater DEMETRIVS the Phalerian retired himselfe to the king of Alexandria where he died of the byting of an Aspe EVRIPIDES into Macedonia where he was deuoured by mastifes So many strange accidents there were in that season PLVTARCH writeth that in his time GREECE was so brought to naught that scarcely altogether could it make three thousand men of warre which the onely Citie of Megara-sent in times past to the battaile of Platea In such sort diminished it by succession of time being diâ—sided into many common weales ill agreeing amongst themselues impouerished by sedicions and warres infected with curious sects in philosophie and the most of them pernicious as of the Epicures Cynickes Cyrenaickes Eretrickes Megarians and Pyrrhonians sometimes subiect to the Kings of Macedonia sometimes to those of Syria and Asia sometimes to Mithridates sometimes to the Romains which ruled it a long time after to the Emperours of Constantinople and last of all to the Turkes vnder whom it is brought into miserable bondage being depriued of the arts of the auncient nobilitie and of the faire Cities which it was wont to haue A COMPARISON OF THE AVNCI ent Greekes with the Egiptians Assyrians Persians and Indians PLATO in his Menexemus and his Politicks writeth that they called in Greece all the other Nations barbarous which had not any communion of liuing or of language with the Grecians and that they accounted them all seruile Aristotle in the first of his Politicks alleageth the Poets which said that the Greekes should rule ouer the Barbarians as if a Barbarian were the same by nature that a seruant is And Demosthenes in his third Olynthiack that it was fit that the Barbarians should be subiect to the Grecians Plutarch saith that Alexander did not as Aristotle his Master counsailed him which was that he should show himselfe to the Greekes as a father and behaue himselfe towards the Barbarians as a Lord And that he should haue care of the one as of his friends and kinsfolkes and serue himselfe of the others as of plants or of beasts which if he had done he had filled his Empire with banishments which are alwaies secret seeds of warres and factions and verie dangerous partialities But he accounting that he was sent from Heauen as a common reformer gouernour and reconciler of the world those whom he could not bring in by perswasions of reason he constrained them by force of armes and assembled the whole world of many estates into one and mingling together the liues maners mariages and kinds of liuing he commaunded all men liuing to account the habitable earth their Countrie and his Campe to be the castle and dongeon all the good folkes to be of kin one to the other and the euill and wicked onely to be straungers And moreouer that the Greeke and the Barbarian should no more be distinguished by their cloake nor by the fashion of their target nor by the high hat but should be marked and discerned the Greeke by vertue and the Barbarian by vice reputing all the vertuous to be Greekes and all the vicious Barbarians accounting moreouer the garments common the tables common as also the mariages and maners of liuing being all vnited by the mixtion of bloud and communion of children Strabo in the first of his Colmographie is of the same opinion that this difference ought rather to be made by vertue and vice because there were many Greekes wicked and euill and many Barbarians good and ciuil as the Romains and Carthaginians who gouerned very well their common weales Plato in his Epinomides affirmeth that the Greekes inhabited a Region most apt of all others for vertue and that the praise thereof consisteth chiefely in this that it is in a meane betweene heat and cold Whereunto Aristotle agreeth saying in the seuenth of his Politicks that the Greeke nation is both couragious and ingenious as inhabiting in a meane betweene the North and the South which made it to perseuer in libertie and to be well gouerned and that it might commaund the whole world if it had but one gouernment We will compare it then vnto the former and first of all in power then afterwards in learning and other excellencie in many arts and workmanships THE POWER AND EMPIRE of Greece HE that will read what the Athenians Lacedemonians and Thebans did from the time of the war which king Xerxes made against them which was the beginning of their great glorie and prosperitie till the raign of king Philip the sonne of Amyntas shall find it a long time during which they fought more amongst themselues for ambition of rule one ouer the other then they did against straungers to augment their Empire and to preserue their libertie And some of them for couetousnes of getting a new Lordship in Sicile ouerthrew themselues some others which went into Asia to conquer got no great thing there but returned soone againe And in deed although the power of the Greekes hath bin trauailed in many great warres yet did it neuer firmely establish any Empire out of Greece The Grecians for a time were mightie enough and made proofe of their forces for keeping of their libertie and to shew themselues inuincible But in the time of the said Philip and his sonne Alexander their estate and affaires began to decline Before the deeds of the Macedonians were little esteemed and they were subiect alwaies
in old time contended with the Greekes in matter of armes and of learning who surmounted the elegancie of the Greek tongue by subtil breuitie of speech being most ingenious to vnderstand al subtilities and conueiances of talke and readie to aunswere to arguments proposed vnto them in discoursing conueniently of great affaires wherof they gaue pertinent resolutions without difficultie or delaie They vsed also wise prouerbs and profound riddels not that they vnderstood the subtilities of Chrisippus or of Aristotle or that they had learned this knowledge of Socrates or Plato or Demosthenes for they neither studied Philosophie nor Rhetorick but they did it by the naturall goodnes of their mother wit and sharp vnderstanding wherein the Indians were taken to be better then the Persians And the Nomades of Syria and Arabia verie apt and exquisite to find out the trueth and to refute falshood who euen at this time without hauing giuen themselues to learning do speake verie sufficiently of Astrologie alleaging verie apparant reasons of their sayings which they haue vnderstood by long obseruation and deliuer them from the father to the sonne successiuely and augment them continually THE ELOQVENCE Of the Greekes ELoquence was borne in Athens where also it was fostered and bred and brought vp to his perfection In somuch that in that Citie were seen at onetime ten excellent Oratours of whom Demosthenes appeared to be the best As touching strangers they vsed not any Rhetoricke to circumuent the Iudges or to turne them from the trueth but decided the causes by the bills or writings of the plaintife and defendant who might make their replication or reioinder without disguysing the deeds with faire words or cloaking the trueth with affections And when it was needfull to deliberate in counsaile of state on publike affaires they speak their opinions in few not holding or troubling the assemblie with affected and tedious words THE GREEKE POESIE THere is no Nation which hath had more sorts of Poesie nor more or better Poets then Greece For besides the Heroicks which haue written of diuers matters of warres of naturall philosophie Astrologie Physick Bucolicks and Georgicks there hath bin a great companie of Tragicks Gomicks Elegiacks Lyricks Iambicks Dithyrambicks and Epigrammatists such as elswhere haue not bin found the like saue amongst the Romains and Italians who wrote after imitation of them Of whom shall be spoken hereafter in comparing them together THE GRECIAN HISTORIE IT is naturall to all Nations to seeke out their antiquities and to preserue the memorie of publike affaires by reason wherof there are histories found euery where But whereas others haue contented themselues with bare Annals or Chronicles discribing simply the times persons places affaires the Grecians haue added therunto the ornaments of eloquēce Especially Herodotus and Thucydides hauing surpassed all others that euer medled with writing of histories except peraduenture they oppose vnto them Salust and Liuie of the Latines who after them haue worthely acquited themselues in this kind of writing THE NOBILITIE OF AVNCI ent Greece THe Greekes in old time and namely the Lacedemonians and Corinthians accounted the Artisans base as we haue said heretofore and onely those noble which exercised armes Herodotus doubteth whether they tooke this custome of the Egiptians seeing the Thracians Scythians Persians Lydians and almost all the Barbarians vsed the same The Egiptians endeuoured to proue that the Athenians were discended of a Colony of Scytes a people of the countrie of Egipt as is told in the Timaeus of Plato and rehearsed by Diodorus the Sicilian because that in the townes of Greece the people was diuided into three parts according to the custome of Egipt For the first order of the citie was of the nobles who being giuen aboue all others to the sciences were the more esteemed being therein like to the Priests of Egipt The second was of those to whom lands had bin diuided and assigned to th end they might the better giue themselues to armes for defence of their Countrie like vnto those of Egipt who were inuested with fees and which did wage the souldiers for the warres at their charges The third order was of the meaner sort of people and of Artisans who being giuen altogether to Mechanicall arts furnished many necessarie workes for the whole Communaltie THE ARTISANS AND WORKES of the Grecians THe Artisans of Greece were no lesse excellent in their workes then the learned in their professions and many of them did write of their misteries of whom the most famous in diuers arts haue bin before recited Neuertheles Herodotus in his second booke speaking of the Labyrinth of Egipt and of the Pyramides saith that if any one would make comparison of the buildings fortresses works which were then in Greece he should find that they were all of lesse labour and expence then this labyrinth And albeit the Temple of Ephesus and that of Samos deserued to be reckoned of yet the Pyramides exceeded tongue and pen considering that one of them was equall to all the buildings of the Greekes and yet notwithstanding the Labyrinth surmounted the Pyramides But that the artificial poole of Meris neer vnto which it was seated yelded yet greater meruails Moreouer Diodorus the Sicilian affirmeth that the best cutters caruers of Images that were in Greece learned their measures and dimensions of the Egyptians who amongst al other nations did not measure the composition of statues by the eie but did them by compas to th end that the statue might be made of many and diuers stones gathered into one body obseruing the measures proportions A thing in deed worthy of admiration namely that many Artisans in diuers places should so well agree in one measure that one onely Image entier and perfect should be made by them being separated one from another somtimes of twenty somtimes of forty stones The end of the fifth Booke OF THE POWER WARFARE LEAR ning Eloquence Poesie and other excellence of the Romains The Sixth Booke WE will now come to the ROMAINS who in their time obtained the excellence in armes in learning and in all workmanships But euen as after the going of Xerxes into Greece which put the Grecians in the greatest feare that euer they were the war hauing had an other end then was expected they not onely found themselues out of danger but also got great glory thereby growing meruailously from that time forward in all felicity riches and excellency of all arts So the Romains after the second Punick warr and voiage of Hanibal into Italy which troubled them much remayning there sixteene yeres with a mighty army in which time he wan many battails on them and came euen to the gates of Rome where he might also haue entered if he had knowen how to vse the victory the Romains then being brought to the greatest extremity that euer they were being vanquished by the Carthaginians and seeming to haue giuen ouer the glory of armes vnto them yet this long and cruel
had done who seeing the yong yeres of Remus and considering well the markes of his countenance togither with the time when his daughters children were cast out began to suspect that he was one of them by his age so well agreeing thereto And being in this doubt Romulus and Faustulus came vnto him by whom he was aduertised of the trueth of all Then being auenged of Amulius whom they slew they placed Numitor in the kingdom and afterwards founded the citie of Rome ROMVLVS then the first Prince authour and founder thereof hauing composed it of Countrey people and neaâ—heards had many trauailes in doing thereof and found himselfe intangled with many wars and many daungers being constrained to fight with those that opposed themselues to the rising and foundation of this City and to the increase of this people newly planted Then afterwards as his natiuity preseruation and nourishment had bin maruailous his end was no lesse For as he spake vnto the people sodainly the weather was ouer cast and the aire was horribly chaunged The sunne lost entierly his light and there were terrible thunders impetuous winds stormes and tempests on euery side which made the coÌ„mon people to hide themselues here and there in corners But the Senatours kept themselues togither Then when the storme was past the day cleared and the weather become faire the people assembled againe as before and went to seeke their king and to aske what was become of him But the Lords would not suffer them to enquire any farther but admonished them to honour and reuerence him as one that had bin taken vp into heauen and who thence forward insteed of a good king would be a propicious and fauourable God vnto them Moreouer Iulius Proculus one of the Patricians accounted a very honest man who also had bin a great familiar friende of Romulus affirmed that as he came from Alba he met him on his way greater and fairer then euer he had seen him armed all in white armour bright shyning as fire and that being afrighted to see him in such sort he asked him wherefore he had abandoned his orphane city in such infinite sorowe To whoÌ„ Romulus answered It pleased the Gods from whoÌ„ I came that I should remain among men as long as I haue remained that after I had built a city which in glory and greatnes of Empire shall one day be the chiefe in the world I shoulde returne to dwell in heauen as before Wherefore be of good cheere and say vnto the Romains that in exercising of prowes and temperance they shall attaine to the height of humaine power and as for me I will be henceforth a God Protector and Patron of them whom they shall call QVIRINVS The auncients recited many such meruailes in the which there is no apparance of trueth endeuouring to deifie the nature of man and to associate him with the Gods It is is very true saith Plutarch that it were euil and wickedly done to deny the diuinity of vertue but yet to mingle earth with heauen were great foolishnes being a thing most certaine that after death the soule which is the ymage of eternity remaineth only aliue and retourneth to heauen wherhence it came not with the body but rather when it is farthest remoued and seperated from the body and when it is cleane and holy and holdeth nothing any longer oft he flesh Therefore it is not necessary to go about to sende against nature the bodies of vertuous men with their soules vnto heauen but we ought to thinke and firmely beleeue that their vertues and soules according to nature and diuine Iustice become saincts of men and of saints demy-Gods and of demy-gods after they are perfectly as in sacrifices of purgation cleansed purified being deliuered of al passibility and mortality they become not by any ciuile ordinance but in trueth reason liklyhood entier perfect Gods receiuing a most happy glorious end But NVMA the second king succeeding vnto Romulus had time and leasure to establish Rome and to ensure the increase thereof by meanes of the long peace which hee had with all his enemies which was to Rome as a store-house of all munition for the wars which folowed after and the people of Rome hauing exercised themselues at leasure and in quiet and rest by the space of xliij yeres after the wars which they had vnder Romulus they made themselues strong enough sufficient to make head against those which afterwards opposed themselues against them Considering that in all that time there was neither plague nor famine nor barrennes of the earth nor intemperatenes of winter or sommer that offended them as if all these yeres had bin gouerned not by humane wisdome but by the diuine prouidence For he gaue out that the goddesse Egeria was in loue with him that lying with him she taught him how to rule and gouerne his common wealth Numa then taking the city of Rome as in a turbulent tempest and in a sea tormented troubled with the enmity enuy and euil wil of all the neighbor nations and bordering peoples and moreouer exercised in it selfe with infinite troubles and partialities he extinquished and asswaged all angers and all the enuies as euil and contrary windes giuing meanes to the people being but newly planted and scarcely yet established to take roote and to fasten their footing by augmenting leasurely in al safety without wars without sicknes without peril without feare or any other hinderance whatsoeuer For in all his raigne there was neither war nor ciuil sedition nor attempt of nouelty in gouernment of the common wealth yet lesse enmity or enuy perticularly against him or conspiracy against his person forgreedines of rule And not only at Rome was the people softned reformed after the example of the Iustice clemency goodnes of the king but in all the Citieâ— also round about began a meruailous change of maners no otherwise then if it had bin a sweete breath of some wholsome and gracious winde that had breathed on them from the side of Rome to refresh them and there stole sweetly into the harts of men a desire to liue in peace to labour the earth and to bring vp their children in rest and tranquility and to serue and honour the Gods After these two raigned fiue kings at Rome and in TARQVIN the last for hate of his pride and not of the royall authority was the gouernement chaunged Rome being from that time foorth gouerned by two annuall CONSVLS and by the SENATE vnder the authoritie of the people Then from the Consuls it came to the rule of TEN MEN from whom it retourned back againe to the CONSVLS And whereas there were opposed vnto them two military TRIBVNES of equall power they were within the yere deposed and gaue place to the CONSVLS And albeit they vsed in the great affaires of the common wealth to create a DICTATOVR with absolute authority for the time neuerthelesse the Consulary
himselfe with the shape of a man was borne of the Virgin and came forth of her wombe both visible Man and God inuisible promised by the Law and the Prophets the master of trueth and cleanser of Idolatrie correctour of malice and renewer of our depraued nature to th end to restore such as beleeued in him to their auncient puritie and innocencie corrupted by the forfaiture of the first man He gaue sight to the blind speach to the dumbe straight going to the lame healed incurable diseases cast out euill spirits fedd with fiue loaues and two fishes fiue thousand persons turned water into wine went safely on the waters as on the land commaunded the sea the winds and the tempests raised the dead to life and liued himselfe againe after he had bin wrongfully crucified and killed by the Iewes By which miracles he shewed himselfe to be the sonne of God establishing his Church and christian Religion in steed of the Mosaical and Pagan Which hath alreadie endured more then fifteene hundred yeares and shall neuer haue end hath passed alreadie to the Antipodes and hath bin manifested to the East and West Indians yea euen amongst the sauages lately discouered towards the South which before were vnknowen to all antiquitie and among the farthest people of the North by meanes of the Sueuians and Moscouites In somuch that at this day we may affirme that his word hath bin heard in all parts of the habitable earth as he had ordained vnto his Disciples enduing them with the grace of the holy Spirite and power to do miracles as he had done before and with the gift of tongues with perseuerance pacience and constancie against all torments and persecutions A thing indeed admirable and the like whereof neuer hapned to any King Law-maker or Philosopher Grecian or Barbarian who contented themselues to set downe and cause to be receiued in their countrie and language the institutions and Lawes which they esteemed good and profitable But Iesus Christ not as a mortall man seruing himselfe with poore fishermen for his Disciples whom he would haue from that time forward to bee fishers of men hath manifested his Gospell by them thorough out the whole world and before all people inioyning them to shew from him the true way of saluation and of beleeuing in GOD the Creatour of all thinges Such was the progresse and aduauncement which they made in their ministerie that in a little time they induced the Nations by their preaching to leaue their auncient idolatries and to receiue Christ as GOD they established schooles and auditories of the Christian doctrine and then were Temples buylt to the Apostles and Martyrs in the most famous Cities of the world at Rome Alexandria and Antioche thorough out Egipt and Lybia Europe and Asia Beginning then when the Romain power was come to his soueraign greatnes and glorie vnder Augustus the peaceable ruler of innumerable Nations when the kingdom of Egipt was extinguished which had endured almost time out of mind and the nation of the Iewes brought vnder bondage and subdued and the Lordships of the Syrians Cappadocians Macedonians Bythinians Grecians Illyrians Africans Spaniards and Gaules were vnder the Romaine Seigniorie which we must think did so fall out by the diuine prouidence of God to the end to make the same worke the more easie which otherwise must needes haue bin verie difficult if all these Nations had remained in diuision and discord But by meanes of the vnion of them vnder one great Monarchie they accomplished with lesse feare and danger their proposed enterprise God preparing them their way and brideling the harts of the superstitious by the terrour of that most mightie Empire Cornelius Tacitus writeth that such had bin the perswasion of men that it was contained in the auncient learning of the Priests that about this time the East should preuaile and that such as came out of Iewrie should raigne which was verified in the spirituall raigne of Iesus Christ whose Ghospell doctrine and religion hath bin preached thorough out the world God then seeing malice infinitely increased and the worshipping of false Gods dispersed thorough all the whole world in such sort that his name was alreadie almost out of the memorie of men and that the Iewes themselues to whom onely his diuine mysteries had bin reuealed and promises made of his holy alliance giuen ouer to vaine superstitions hauing left the true Religion whereunto they refused to returne being reprehended and admonished by the Prophets at this time ordained for the redemption he sent his sonne the Prince of the Angells vnto men to thend to diuert them from wicked and vaine worships and to induce them to know and to reuerence the true God bringing back their soules from folie vnto wisdom from iniquitie to iustice and from impietie to a right beleefe Such and so notable at this time was the mutation both in gouernment and in Religion BVT as the Romains were climed to the top of humane power and wisdome by labour industrie so were they straightwaies corrupted by riches and ouermuch libertie degenerating from the former integritie prowesse learning and eloquence Whereof I can not render any better reason then by their owne authours men of good credit and aucthoritie To thend saith Seneca that ye may vnderstand how much the witts of men do euery day decay and by I know not what iniquitie of nature and procliuitie vnto vice eloquence is gon backe All whatsoeuer the Romain eloquence hath to oppose vnto proud Greece it florished in the time of Cicero All the good wits which brought any light vnto our studies were borne then Sithence that time it hath alwaies impaired either by the loosenes of the time which is most pernitious vnto good wits or that the reward which was proposed for so goodly a thing being lost all the trauaile and paines hath bin bestowed on dishonest exercises or els by some destinie whose enuious law is perpetuall ouer all things so that being come to the highest they returne to the lowest faster then they went vp The good wits of slouthfull youth doe languish and do not applie themselues to any honest exercise Slouth and negligence and dexteritie in things that are pernitious which is worse then either sleepe or negligence haue possessed their mindes The delight of singing and dauncing holdeth the effeminate and of dressing their haire and fitting their speach vnto womanish daliances and exceeding of women in corporal delicacies and tricking themselues with vncleane cleanlynes which is the brauerie of our youth Who is there among the yong folkes ingenious or studious enough or rather man enough Being softned and effeminated they remaine of necessitie as when they were first borne corrupting the chastitie of others and negligent of their owne The Gods will not suffer so much euill as that eloquence should come to such people which I would neuer so much admire if she did not make choise of the minds on which she bestowed her selfe Cornelius
Tacitus writing of famous Oratours saith Tell me the cause why we are so farre from the former eloquence since it is but six score yeares from the death of Cicero to this present And a little after who knoweth not that eloquence and the other arts are fallen from their auncient glorie not for want of men but by the slouthfulnes of youth and negligence of parents and ignorance of teachers and forgetfulnes of the auncient customes Which euils being first begun in the Citie haue bin eft soones dispersed thorough Italie and all the prouinces The eloquent men of this time commit foule and shamefull faults in euery woord of their ordinarie speach shutting vp eloquence into little sence and smal sentences as if she were banished from her kingdome Whereas in times past being richly deckt with all arts she filled the breasts now being clipt and curtailed she remaineth without ornament without honour and as if she were without ingenuitie and is learned but as some base discipline This we account to be the chiefe and principall cause why we are so far gon backe from eloquence And the same author againe in the xvij of his Annales saith Before the affaires of the people of Rome were written with like eloquence libertie but sithence the battaile of Actium that the benefit of peace required all things to be reduced vnder the power of one then ceased these great witts and the trueth was vtterly lost first by ignorance of the state of the common wealth which was strange vnto them then by flatterie or hatred of those that ruled Plinie in his second booke I meruaile saith he that the world disagreeing and being diuided into kingdoms that is to say into parts so many persons haue imploied themselues to search out things which are so difficult to find In such sort that at this day euery one in his countrie knoweth some thinges more truely by the bookes of such as were neuer there then by aduertisement of the originaries And now that we inioy so happie a peace and haue an Emperour that taketh so great pleasure in the sciences and in new inuentions men are so far off from inuenting any new thing that they scarce learne the inuentions of the auncients The rewards were not then bestowed in greater abundance by the greatnes of fortune and yet more men imployed themselues in searching out of these things not expecting any other reward then to help their posterie But mens maners are waxen old and not the rewards And the sea being open on all sides and safe landing in all coasts many do nauigate but it is to gaine and not to learne whiles the mind being blinded and altogether giuen ouer to auarice doth not consider that it may more surely and safely be done by learning The same Authour saith in his thirteenth booke As the world is communicated by the maiestie of the Romaine Empire who would not think the life of man accomodated by the intercourse of things and by the societie of a happie peace And yet notwithstanding there are found but few which know that which the auncients haue left So much the greater was their studie and their industrie more fertile About a thousand yeares past shortly on the beginning of Letters Hesiodus gaue precepts vnto husbandmen who hath bin followed of many which hath increased husbandrie amongst vs for as much as it is good to consider not onely that which hath bin sithence inuented but also that which the auncients inuented before the memorie whereof is lost by our sluggishnes whereof we can alleage no other causes then those that are publick of the whole world Surelie other customes are come in sithence and mens witts are busied about other exercises They are onely giuen to questuarie and gainfull arts Before the Empires of nations were shut vp in themselues and therefore were they constrained by the necessitie of fortune to exercise the gifts of the mind Innumerable Kings were honoured by the Arts and preuailed by them thinking by them to obtaine aide and immortalitie wherefore both the rewards and works abounded The inlargment of the world and plentie of things hath bin hurtfull to posteritie Sithence the Senatour began to be chosen by his reuenew the Iudge to be made by the reuenew and that nothing hath so much commended the Magistrate and Captain as his reuenew Since that corrupting bribes were authorized the purchase of offices became very gainful that the only pleasure was in possessing much the prises of life are vanished and the arts called liberall of the great benefit of libertie haue fallen out to the contrarie and men haue begun to profit onely by seruitude and slauerie some worshipping of it in one sort and some in an other yet all notwithstanding aspiring to the same hope of profiting The chiefest haue rather respected the vices of another then their owne vertues Wherfore pleasure hath begun to liue and life is perished And the same in his xxv booke I can not sufficiently admire the diligence of the auncients who haue left nothing vnsearched and vnexperimented not retayning to themselues that which they knew to be profitable to posteritie on the contrarie we indeuour to hide and to suppresse their labours to depriue those good things of life which are gotten by others So certainly do they hide it which know any thing being enuious of others And â—eaching it vnto none do think thereby to authorize their knowledge So far are these maners from inuenting any new thing wherwith to be helpful to life the chiefest and soueraine labour of good wits being come vnto this to reserue to themselues the deeds of others and to let them perish Which is not to say that there haue not bin sithence any learned and eloquent men but that they are much differing from the former in proprietie puritie facilitie and elegancie of speach not comparable to them in vnderstanding iudgement and knowledge As in Italie Seneca called by the Emperour Claudius sand without lyme and a besome vnbound The two Plinies the Vnkle accounted the most learned of his time and the Nephew a famous Oratour who were men of great credit and authoritie Tacitus and Suetonius Historiographers Lucan Persius Sylius Italicus who was Consul the last yeare of Nero Statius Iuuenal and Martial Poets Cornelius Celsus exercised in all sciences Quinctilian a Rhetorician Aulus Gellius Iulius Hyginus an Astrologer Polemon and Scaurus Grammarians Aburnius Valens Tuscianus Vindius Verus Vlpius Marcellus Arrianus Tertullianus Saluius Iulianus L. Volusius Mecianus Papinianus and his auditours Vulpianus Tarnucius Palernus Macer Terentius Clementius Menander Arcadius Rufinus Papyrius Fronto Anthius Maximus Hermogenianus Africanus Florentinus Triphonius Iustus Callistratus Venuleius Celsus Alphenus Sabinus AElius Gordianus Triphonius Proculus Modestinus Pomponius and Africanus all excellent Lawiers In GREECE ASIA and ALEXANDRIA of EGIPT Plutarch and his nephew Sextus Musonius Apollonius Tyanaeus of CHALCEDONIA Lucian Galen the Physician Epictetus the Stoick Fauorinus Arrianus Herodianus and
Iosephus Historiographers Appian a Poet. Iulius Pollux and Harpocration Grammarians Herodes Atticus and Apolonius Rhetoricians Alexander Aphrodiseus a Peripatetick which made the first Commentaries on Aristotle who before was more praised then vnderstood of the learned Out of whose schoole came Themistius Ammonius Simplicius Philoponus and Olympiodorus all Commentatours on Aristotle About the same time the Mathematickes arose vnto their soueraigne excellencie by the industrie of Claudius Ptolomeus a Mathematician of incomparable knowledge and the best that euer was in this profession who hath surpassed all the auncient Egiptians Chaldeans Persians and Grecians and hath not had his like sithence hauing expounded more diligently then any other the whole discription of heauen of the earth and of the sea correcting the errours of the former and their instruments and declared the whole with verie likely arguments and euident demonstrations The Romains for a time were verie good both in peace and in warre modest iust and valiant especially after the warres which they had against the Tarentines and the king Pyrrhus vntill the third Punick warre There was not then amongst them any dissention of the Nobles or commotion of the people All there care was to augment and increase their Empire without respect of their particular profit At what time there florished in the common wealth Curius Fabricius Coruncanus Metellus Fabius Scipio Marcellus Paulus and Lepidus whose magnanimitie and prudence in warre and moderation in peace was admirable Then the common wealth was verie good and holy for asmuch as pouertie and sparing were then in estimation and the three kinds of gouernment were found there so equally ordained and established so conueniently that one could not say whether the state were an Aristocratie or a Democratie or a Monarchie The power of the Consuls was manifestly monarchical and royal that of the Senatours Aristocratical and the popular estate wholy Democratical And there was such an agreement and band between them against all fortune that one could not any where find a better estate of a common wealth For if any common feare came from abroad and forced them to succour one an other then the power of this common wealth was so great and such that they wanted nothing for their defence and they applied themselues all both in publike and priuate to execute in due season their deliberated enterprises In such sort that they were sometimes reputed inuincible On the contrarie if being deliuered from the publike feare of strangers they became insolent by domestical peace and abundance of goods accustomed themselues to idlenes and delights and that by this means the one part would be Masters ouer the others rule beyond reason They had so well prouided a remedie for it by the mutuall bridle and hinderance which they were one to another that no one could break out of rank or lift vp himselfe aboue the rest but were euery one constrained to remain in his charge But after that by labour and iustice they were increased had ouercome the cruel Nations and mightie kings They were eft soones corrupted peruerting the order wherin they liued before and becomming proud and auaricious exceeding in gluttonie and whordom and dissolute in al superfluities delicacies And then they were diuided into parcialities and factions by occasion wherof they caried armes weapons into the temples publik assemblies killing sometime the Tribunes somtime the Consuls and other principal persons of the city Wherhence ther arose dishonest quarrels without order therhence followed the contempt of lawes and of iudgments And reenforcing the euil day by day they began to plot manifest enterprises against the coÌ„mon wealth to bring the great armies forceably into the coÌ„mon wealth which were gathered of fugitiue condemned persons And although by their saying they did it but against their aduersaries neuertheles in very trueth it was against the coÌ„mon wealth because they inuaded the city as enemies cruelly killed such as they met or persecuted theÌ„ with banishmeÌ„ts abominable proscriptioÌ„s not omitting any detestable deed Which seditions began by the two Gracches Saturnin and Drusus furious Tribunes then were diuers times renewed between Sylla and Marius Pompey and Cesar and continued by Mark Antonie Octauian and Lepidus against â—assius and Brutus and finally being raised againe betweene M. Antonie and Octauian who were brothers in law caused the change of the common wealth into a Monarchie the stoutest amongst the Romains being either slaine in battailes or by proscriptions and the others being wearied with the ciuile warres and greeued with the gouernment of the Senate and of the people thorough the dissention of the Lords and auarice of the Magistrates For as this age nourished most excellent persons in all vertue and knowledge so did it also bring forth more vicious then any time before and authours of execrable mischiefes The age of Cato saith Seneca brought forth many worthy to be borne in Cato his time as there were then as wicked as euer were and vndertakers of the greatest mischiefes It was requisite that there should be of the one and the other To th end that Cato might be knowen it behoued there should be some good men to approue and allow of him and some euill against whom he might proue his force and vertue The same Seneca saith No age hath bin without blame and if one consider the libertie of euery age I am ashamed to tell it but men neuer sinned more openly then afore Cato The same Authour M. Cicero saith he betwixt the Catilines and Clodians betweene the Pompeyes and the Crasses whiles he is tossed vp and downe with the common wealth and the gouernment failing he was caried away and perished therewith Cicero writing of Pompey and of Cesar Thone and thother saith he hath sought to make himselfe Lord and not to make the Citie happie and honest and Pompey neuer left the towne till he could no longer keepe it nor abandoned Italie till he was driuen out of it but he thought at the beginning to moue all lands and seas to stir vp the Barbarian kings to draw into Italie the cruell nations armed Do you not think there might be some agreement made betweene them yes now it might be done but neither th one nor thother hath this end to make vs happie They would both of them raigne And the same Authour Certainly both the one and thother is miserable who haue alwaies had lesse regard to the safetie and dignitie of their Countrie then to their owne domination and priuate commodities And in the same place whose alliance and fidelitie in wicked agreement you see what mischiefe it hath brought forth The same Cicero saith that Cesar was by nature and inclination cruell but that he counterfaited clemencie because that vertue seemed popular And Seneca Neither vertue nor reason saith he perswaded Pompey to vndertake either foreine or ciuile warres but being caried away with a foolish desire of his owne greatnes he caried
thereon it wil bee founde by true reason of Cosmography that they neuer possessed the twelfth part of the earth ZENON the first authour of the secte of the Stoickes ymagined an vniuersall forme of gouernement tending to this that all men should not liue by townes peoples and nations being separated by particular lawes rightes and customes but that they should account themselues fellow citizens and that there was but one sorte of life as there is but one world no otherwise then as if it were but one flocke feeding vnder one shepheard in common pastures PLATO also wished that there were on earth but one king as there is in heauen but one God to th end that the humaine gouernement might therein resemble the diuine which Lord of the world as a true shepheard of mankind should loue al men indifferently as his naturall subiectes maintayning them with good maners lawes iudgements and assured entercourse both by sea and lande so great a prince not bearing enuy to any person and hauing no occasion to enlarge his frontiers by ambition which would be the cause of ceasing so many enmities warres slaughters spoiles and robberies happening amongst men through the pluralitie and dissentions of gouernements Which matters being by them grauely and magnificently propounded are much more easie to bee wished then effected considering the diuersity of tongues dissimilitude of maners and customes varietie of sects and vanity of opinions that raigne amongest men and make them to lose that loue which is wished amongest them hindering the establishing of one vniuersall common wealth of all and consequently a Monarchie of people so much differing in estimation of diuine and humaine right and the religion and seruice of God One man alone can not possesse all the earth the greatest part of it being drowned by the sea and in some places where it is vncouered of waters being vnhabitable thorough excessiue heate or cold And if he should possesse it hee would straight forget himselfe in so great authoritie and libertie and become proud beyond measure waxing tyrannicall and insupportable as it happened to Cambyses to Nero to Sesostris to Attila to Tamberlan and to Alexander the great who thorough extreeme ouerweening would be accounted and called the sonne of God and for his insolencie was poisoned by his most familiar friends and as it happened to OCTAVIAN AVGVSTVS who suffered Temples to be consecrated to him and diuine honours to be giuen him in his life time Considering also that there is a certaine measure and proportion of greatnes in Townes Cities and States euen as in liuing creatures plantes and instruments which when it exceedeth loseth his nature and vse As it befell vnto this ROMAINE EMPIRE which being clymed vp to an incomparable greatnesse and inestimable wealth did fall est soones into great calamities and was finally ouerthrowen as others had bin before it which we wil compare togither setting downe their similitudes and differences A COMPARISON OF THE ROMAIN Empire with the Assyrian Median Persian Macedonian and Parthian AMongest the great auncient kingdomes the ASSYRIAN was excellent in nobility mighty in armes large in compasse of land and in continuance admirable which being augmented by Belus Ninus and Semiramis and enlarged by the spacious countries of Asia was the first that amongest all other Empires which it farre exceeded obtayned the name of an established Monarchie and for the space of a thousand three hundred and threescore yeres vnder thirtie eight kinges florished greatly After followed that of the MEDES which vnder nine kings continued CClxj yeres well gouerned in peace and warre Then raigned the PERSIANS who hauing added Egypt vnto their dominion and increased their strength and riches when they had prospered two hundred and thirtie yeres they lost their state vnder Darius their fourteenth king From that time forwarde the MACEDONIANS by the successe and conduct of Alexander obtained the rule ouer Asia which they lost one hundred and twenty yeres after giuing occasion by their ciuill dissentions to the Parthians in the East and to the Romaines in the West to increase and grow great Then the Romaines towardes the West seasing the Macedonian Seigniorie which though it were great indeed yet was but weake by the diuision of the princes who had parted it betweene them established the greatest and fairest Empire that euer was For if all the famous Monarckes amongest the straungers bee compared vnto the Romaine Emperours there will not bee founde any amongest them that haue done greater thinges either in peace or warre or that haue more enlarged their Empire and longer maintained it The AssyriaÌ„s went not out of Asia The Medians endured only cclx yeres the Persians hauing ouercome the Medes obtained almost al Asia but when they assailed Europe they little preuailed And the Persians being ouerthrowen the Macedonian Empire was greater then al the former but it endured but a whiles For incontinently after the death of Alexander being deuided into many Lordships it was easily supplanted by the Romaines And although it were very â—arge yet it went not into spacious Africk sauing where it reacheth vnto Egypt neither possessed all Europe being bounded on the north with the countrey of Thrace and towards the West with the Adriaticke sea But the ROMAIN EMPIRE extended into Europe Asia and Africk from the Orcades and Thule on the one side Spaine and Mauritania on the other euen to the hill Caucasus and the riuer Euphrates and the higher Ethiopia trauersing the countrey of Egypt and of Arabia euen to the East sea being the first and only which to this present hath made the East and West his limits and hath endured longer then any other excepting the Assyrian Touching the PARTHIAN which was at the same time when the Romain opposed against it being encreased with the ruines of the Macedonian in the East as the Romain was also in the west albeit it was very great and terrible vnto all the East as comprehending eighteene kingdomes betweene the Caspian and the red sea and being far stretched out towarde the Indies and famous by many ouerthrowes which it had giuen to the Romaines as namely by the death of Crassus and shameful retreat of Antonius yet obtained it but one part of Asia and receaued some kings from Rome which being begon by Arsaces endured only cccclxiij yeres vnder twenty and seanâ—n kings And the second PERSIAN also was of no greater circuit which was set vp by the Persian Artaxerxes hauing ouercome in three battailes and in the end slaine Artabanus the last king of the Parthians and ended cccxiij yeres after it was restored being ouerthrowen vnder Hormisdas the xxviij king by the Arabians THE BIRTH OF ROME AND CONTI nuance thereof compared to the foure Ages of mans life AS the Astrologers say that cities haue their reuolutions and prefixed times of continuance which is knowen by the situation of starres at the day of their natiuities For this cause Tarucius a Romaine in the time of Cicero and of
the fourme placing of the presses and maner of vsing them of wetting the paper laying on taking off and drying the leaues then reducing them into volumes reuiewing and correcting of the impression whereof we haue spoken before and whereby there is more dispatched in one day then many diligent writers could do in one yeare By reason hereof the books which before were rare and deare are now become more common and easier to be had For it seemeth to haue bin miraculously inuented to make learning and good letters to liue againe which were in a manner dead The inuention thereof is attributed to the Germaines and began at Mentz therehence it was caried to Venice and afterwardes spread ouer all Christiandome and so brought vnto his perfection by Nicholas Genson Aldus the Iuntes Frobenius Badius Robert Stephens and others Notwithstanding the Portugues traficking about the farthest of the East and of the North into China Catay haue brought therehence bookes written in the language and writing of that countrie saying that they haue vsed it there a long time Which hath made some to thinke that the inuention thereof was brought therhence thorough Tartaria and Moscouia into Germany and so communicated to thother Christians to whom by the diuine prouidence hath bin especially reserued the consummation of diuine and humaine wisdome The Mahometists depriued of this grace do vtterly reiect printing not vsing it amoÌ„gst them neither suffering any to bring them bookes written of their affaires in Arabian and printed else-where The second praise ought to be giuen to the inueÌ„tion of the Sea-mans compas consisting of a Rose and a needle of steele which being touched or rubbed with an adamant or loadstone showeth alwaies the point which is answerable to the place where wee ymagine the pole Artick Aristotle vnderstood not this propertie nor Galen nor Alexander Aphrodiseus nor Auicen the most curious obseruers of natural things For if they had knowen such a miracle of nature and so profitable a meanes of sayling they would sure haue made mention thereof in their bookes hauing stood so much vpon others of much lesse importance It was also vnknowen to the Romains who suffered so many shipwrackes fighting on sea against the Carthaginians and vnder Octauian they lost a great fleete of Vessels against Sextus Pompeius By means hereof al the Ocean hath bin sailed ouer innumerable Isles found out and a great part of the continent or maine land discouered towards the west and the south vnknowen before of the Ancients and hath therefore bin called the new world and not onely bin ouercome but also conuerted by the Christians The enterprise being begon by Columbus a Genouese Vespucius a Florentine men of excellent vnderstanding and exquisite iudgments deseruing no lesse praise then Hercules of Greece that was so famous and afterward continued by the Castilians being emulatours of the same honour and desirous of gaine Whereof some haue bin swallowed vp into the huge sea not being yet thoroughly knowen and others eaten by the Cannibals leauing a piteous remembrance of their audacious enterprises But there are three that hauing had more fauourable fortune haue made famous discoueries namely Cortese of the kingdome of Mexico and of the great Citie Themistiten seated builded and peopled like vnto Venice Pizairus of Peru and Cuscu riche in golde and Magellan of the Moluccaes where the spices grow At the same time the Portugales parting the world with the Castilians by the same knowledge of Nauigation passed the Atlantick sea and the Canaries winning in the vtter Barbarie many Townes on the Sarazens Then crossing the line heretofore termed the burning Zone and â—alsely esteemed to be desert they haue gone beyonde the tropicke of Capricorne conquering Brasil and other countries Afterwards drawing towards the East they went along all the coast of Africk and the banke of Ethiopia surmounted the gulfes of the Arabian and Persian seas and being come to India hauing ouercome by armes the kings of Cambaya Canonot Calecut building in their countries fortresses thereby to safegard the traficke of the East whereof they made them selues maisters And farther passing ouer the riuers of Ganges and Indus they trauailed as far as Taprobana and to the golden Chersonesus making the king of Malache their tributary From whence setting saile towards the North they went to China and Catay where they made an ende on this side of their Nauigation entering into amity and confederacy with the great Cham to thend to haue liberty to traficke with safety in his countrey which before was not accessible but with apparant daunger of death vnto strangers In such sort that by our industry al the world is at this day knowen wherof a great part that had so long remained vnknoweÌ„ the vttermost parts of the East West North South do coÌ„municate togither the men that are separated with so many seas so distant and different visiting one another by meanes of nauigation being made safer and easier by this Inuention I would willingly giue the third place to great ORDINANCE and ARTILERY which hath made all other auncient military instruments and engines of war to cease al which it exceedeth in impetuosity violence quicknes were it not that it seemeth to haue bin inuented rather for the destruction then the profit of mankind being an enemy to generous and couragious vertue which it spareth no more then the rest but breaketh and bruseth whatsoeuer it encountreth First it was inuented in Germany by a blower in Alchimie wherhence it hath bin transported ouer al the world seemeth at this day to be brought almost to his perfection sithence the meanes is found to discharge by volies many pieces togither which batter and beat downe al places how strong soeuer they are in situation height or thicknes of wals rampires The Canon at the first was called a Bombard for the noise which it maketh and Morter which was of yron bound with many pieces heauy and vnweldie shooting huge bullets of stone with a great quantitie of powder made of salt-peter sulpher and willow coales proportioned the inuention whereof hath bin no lesse admirable then of the Canon it selfe After in steed of yron succeeded brasse whereof at first were made great peeces laied on wheeles yet more maniable then was the mortar giuing them bullets of yron vnto which haue bin guien names of birds and other liuing creatures which haue apparance of terrour as Coleurines Serpentines Basilisks Sacres Faulcons and other appellations imposed according to the diuersitie of their measures formes and cariages at the pleasure of those that made them or of the Princes which commaunded them Sithence there haue bin made some lesser lighter and maniable to shoote with bullets of lead as muskets caliuers harquebuzes pistoles and pistolets But because the noise and violence of the Canon hath bin fitly expressed by the Poet Fracastorius I will here insert his Verses Continuò caua terrificis horrentia bombis Aera flammiferum tormenta
with a little bread halfe baked and rice with the pouder of flesh that is dried in the sunne â—â—eir drink is faire water being forbidden to drink wine in the Campe. Such a law had in ancient time the Carthaginians in war as Plato faith But the Turks besides this politicke discipline haue their religion also which maketh them the more fearefull to offend There was neuer elswhere the like obedience because there is not amongst them any company about x. men but hath his head the inferiours are alwaies obedient to their superiours Their s 〈…〉 in such a multitude is meruailous so many souldiers being kept in order by signes of the hand of the countenance without speaking any word In so much that oftentimes in the night they let their prisoners escape for feare of making noise There is none so hardy as to bring any woman into the army nor to vse the company of any They play not at dicâ— nor cards nor any other plaies of hazard for mony neither do they blaspheme God in any sort but name him at al times with great reuerence The two cases which they punish most greeuously are quarrels and thefts Marching thorough the countrey in the summer season they dare not for their liues to go amongst the come spoil it They despise death thinking that it is predestinate vnto euery man and the day of his death writteÌ„ in his forehead which it is not possible to auoid which maketh them more bold and aduentorous as also the punishment recompence which are present for them that do well or euil For whereas punishment and reward doe vphold al coÌ„mon weals as Solon said honor reproch are the two wings of vertue presently amongst them after the fight is done he that hath acquited himselfe wel is rewarded by increasing of his pay and he that hath done euill hath his head cut off or els remaineth for euer dishonored They neuer lodge in the townes neither when they come neer them do they permit any to goe lye there for feare of iniuries and seditions obseruing military discipline very strictly to th end that while they are in caÌ„pe they be not vsed vnto delicacies which in times past haue destroied mighty kingdoms and corrupted the most warlike Nations Moreouer to auoide ydlenes the Othoman Princes haue accustomed from two yeres to two yeres to make wars in some place to the end to exercise their men of war which otherwise being dispersed here and there in the prouinces would consume and come to be of little worth There is no nation with whom the Turkes haue had any different but they alwaies ouer came them besides the Tartarians Notwithstanding although the great Seignior aboundeth in men and in all things requisite for warres more then any other Monarch of our time yet for all that he aduentureth nothing rashly and obtaineth more victories by dexterity and taking opportunities then he doth by force He knoweth the maners of those with whoÌ„ he hath to deale procureth theÌ„ other enimies to thend to distract to weakeÌ„ their forces causing the situation of the countries to be set downe before him in a model which way he is to march wherto encaÌ„pe with his army to fight or to retire seldome going into any countrey but when it is deuided and that he hath fauour and intelligence with the one partie He accustometh when he goeth about any long or difficult iourney and where the couÌ„trey is vneasie to draw artillerie to cary it in pieces and then towards the bounds of the enemy or when he hath passed the euil way to cast and melt it When he conquereth by armes any new 〈…〉 trey he ouerthroweth by and by all the vnnecessary fortresses destroieth the cities and iourneth them into poore Hamlets extinguisheth wholly the great ones and the nobles suffering the common people to liue in that religion which they had before All his great power consisteth in his 〈◊〉 called commonly spachis and in his footemen which are called Ianisaries The Spachis haue as much pay in time of peace as in warre and are abouâ— the number of two hundred thousande comprehending as well the ordinary ones of the Court and house of the Prince as the subiects or Beglerbeis Moreouer there are threescore thousand aduenturours named Achangis to whom the Turkes and Tartarians do ioine when they are called But there is no strength among the Turkes more assured or more galant then that of the Ianisaries which can after the maner of the Macedonian Argyrâ—spides in old time being disposed into a phalange sustaine and breake all the assaults of the enemies and neuer were ouercome togither Amurath the second of that name first ordayned them and by their helpe wan the great battaile at Varne where Lancelot the king of Hongaria and Polonia was slaine His sonne Mahomet tooke Constantinople by assault and Baiazet Methon Selim vanquished the Sophi the two Souldans Soliman obtained many victories in Asia Africk Europe Their weapons are either â—ows or long harquebuses which the most part handle very wel shorter pikes then those with the Lansquenets and Switzers vse a Cymeter and a little battaile-axe They fight stouâ—ely both by sea and by lande They take the sonnes of all the Christians that are subiect to their Seignior which he commaundeth to be taken from three yeres to three or from foure to foure and maketh them to be brought vp very poorely and to lye on hard ground to th end to harden them to trauaile and accustome them to liue in the field All the Turkes goe with such courage order and alacrity to the warre especially when it is for defence of their religion that when they assemble to go thither one would thinke they were rather going to a mariage then to the campe Scarsely and with much a doo will they stay for the prefixed time of marching but doe commonly preuent it It dislyketh them much to remaine at rest without warr accounting themselues happy when they die not in their houses amidst the teares of their wiues but in fight amongest the Lances and arrowes of their enemies not lamenting for the losse of those which die in that maner but reputing them holy and praying for them in all their assemblies To preuent manslaughters which they haue in great detestation they carieno weapons in the Court nor in the Townes or in campe saue when they are to fight but lay them on camels or mules or keepe them within their tents They care not for the colde of Winter nor the heate of Sommer nor for any other incommodity of the aire or of the weather They feare not the roughnesse of places or length of the waies they content themselues with a little and doe not lode themselues with vnprofitable baggage making great iourneyes without fainting thorough their trauail They showe great staiednesse in their manners auoiding lightnesse in their deedes gestures apparell and speaches There is no curiositie vanitie oâ—
thousand and amongest others Theodorick king of the Gothes ATTILA being retourned into Pannonia after this ouerthrow leuied a new armie and came furiously into Italy where he forced sacked and burned Aquileia and many other places And as he purposed to goe to Rome the Pope Leo the first of that name came vnto him and did so much by his intreatie that he not onely changed his purpose of going to Rome but also leauing Italy he retourned into his owne countrey He was a fatall Tyrant vnto Europe and became in a little time very mighty calling himselfe arrogantly the scourge of God but his power was estsoones lost by the discord of his children On the other side GENSERICVS king of the Vandales went out of Spaine into Africk where he made no lesse wast then Attila had done in Europe he tooke Carthage and Hippona of whence Saint Augustine was Bishop who dyed there during the siege lamenting the ruine of the Empire and distruction of the Churches Therhence he sailed into Italy with a mightie army and went vnto Rome which hetooke and spoiled And being won by the praiers of Pope Leo who before had appeased Attila he did not put it to fire and sword Whereby it appeareth that the Empire toward the west was very weake which many Emperours of small renowmne held one after another who dispatched one another by treasons and secrete practises without remaining long Amongest whom there was a certaine AVGVSTVLVS who voluntarily quitted the Empire and led a priuate life His name seemeth to haue bin fatall because that the Empire which began at AVGVSTVS ended in him at Rome At the same time ODOACER RVGIAN went with a great army of Herulois into Italy where he obtained the gouernment Against whome ZENON the Emperour sent Theodorick king of the Ostrogoths who ouercame him in two battailes and in the end slew him remaining Master of Italy which he and his successours enioyed about threescore yeres wherehence the Emperor IVSTINIAN thrust them out entierly by the Eunuch Narses as he draue the Vandales out of Africk by Bellisarius From that time forth the Greek and Lombard HEXARCHES tore and mangled Italy till they were put downe by the Frenchmen and that by the prowes and felicity of CHARLEMAIGNE the peace was there restored But by reason of these inuasions made by so many diuers nations one vpon an other there came wonderfull mutations into the world of tongues buildings habits customes lawes Magistrates offices maners of liuing publick and priuate of the military discipline of armes engines instruments with their words and names This notwithstanding and although learning and eloquence diminished by little and little there were many learned men both Greeks and Latins such as the estate of that wretched and troublesometime could bring vp Namely those which are called the doctours of the Church as GRECIANS Eusebius Athanasius Cyrillus Gregorie Nazianzen and Basil the great being Bishops both of them noble and brought vp togither as fellow Scholers at Athens Theodoret Gregorie of Nicene Epiphanius Nectorius Iohn Chrysostome Patriarches of Constantinople Apollinarius of Antioch and Damascen all Thelogians or Diuines Before whome were Clement of Alexandria Iustin Martyr Aristides and Athenagoras there florished moreouer Appian and Dydimus Grammarians Libanius a sophister Plotinus Iamblichus Maximus Porphyrius and Proclus Philosophers Oribasius Paulus Egineta Etius Physicians Procopius Agathias Philostratus Historâ—ans The LATINS were CypriaÌ„ Tertullian Arnobius Lactantius Hilarius Ambrose Hierome Ruffin Augustin many other Theologians Ausonius Claudianus Iuuencius and Prudencius Poets Seruius Donatus Priscianus and Diomedes Grammarians Victorinus a Rhetorician Sextus Rusus Aurelius Victor Trebellius Pollio Quintus Curtius Vopiscus Lampridius Spartianus Capitolinus Idacius Eutropius Ammianus Marcellinus Paulus Orosius Prosper Aquitanicus Cassiodorus Sidonius Apollinarius Iornandus Paulus Diaconus Methodius Gregorie of Tours Antony the Monke Historiographers Vegetius who hath writteÌ„ of the art Militarie Tribonian a Lawier by the coÌ„mandement of Iustinian gathered the writings of the ancient Lawiers called the Pandects which only remain with vs of antiquity Afterwards he did the like by the edicts ordinaÌ„ces of the Emperors coÌ„prised before in iij. volumes namly the Gregorian Hermogenian Theodosian gathered them into one volume called the Code or book of Iustinian Symmachus Boecius were in the temple of Theodorick a king of the Goths called Veroâ—ensis who put them inhumanely to death Symmachus was an Oratour Boetius a Philosopher who was exercised in al parts of Philosophy and in Mathematicks so happy both in verse and prose that it is hard to iudge whether he were the last that spake Latin or the first that did vndertake to restore learning and eloquence decaied Laurentius Valla calleth him the last of the learned men For sithence we haue not had any but Saint Gregory Beda and Bernardus Clareuallensis In so much that learning remaineth as it were dead the world going into a great silence and ignorance The troubles also and varieties were no lesse in matter of religion then of Empire For wheras sithence the resurrection of IESVS CHRIST those which made profession of his Gospell had bin by the space of three hundred yeres cruelly persecuted with diuers sorts of horrible torments by the Emperours Nero Domitian Traian Seuerus Maximinus Decius Valerianus Aurelian Dioclesian and Maximinian Finally CONSTANTINE embrasing our religion vndertooke against his brother in law Licinius Caesar for the protection thereof a great war and more important then was that betweene Pompey and Caesar or between Octauian and Antony In which the question was not onely of Empire as in the other but also of religion namely whether the world from that time forward should be subiect and obedient to Christian Emperours who would ouerthrow the religion of the Gentils or els vnto the Emperours of the Gentiles who would vtterly roote out Christianity whereof ensued one of the chiefest mutations that euer was CONSTANTINE thorough the grace of God remaining victorious who caused the worshipping of false Gods to cease shut vp their temples and set the Christians in security permitting them freely and publickly to pray vnto the true God and to build Churches vnto which he assigned reuenewes for the maintenance of Preachers and Ministers and would haue them receaued vnto honours and magistrácies notwithstanding their profession This quarrel being scarse appeased the heresie of Arrius arose the most pernitious that euer was for the rooting out of which CONSTANTINE assembled that famous counsaile of Nicene But yet two yeres before his death at the perswasion of his sister Constance hereuoked Arrius againe out of banishment The which was cause of great scandal especially betweene his sonnes the Emperours CONSTANS and CONSTANTIVS of whom the one was an Arrian and the other an Orthodoxe or true Christian. Amongst whom thus disagreeing there were counsailes held against counsailes and the one disanulled by the other confessions against confessions creedes against creedes two Bishops different in euery city and
double seruice in the churches double mutining continually accusations defences banishments and martyrdomes Which disorder endured a long time this discord being spread far and wyde thoroughout the world yea euen amongst the Gothes Vandales Lombards who vnder this pretence committed execrable cruelties and innumerable spoiles On this scandal happened an other yet worse then the former For IVLIAN their cosin and successour comming to the Empire when Christiandome seemed cleane deliuered of Paganisme he set it vp againe denying the faith of IESVS CHRIST whereby he got the surname of an Apostata He took away the reuenews graunted by Constantine to the churches of the Christians and forbad the schooles vnto children depriuing both the teachers and learners of their maintenance He killed many that made profession of christian Religion depriued others of their charges as Iouinian Valentinian and Valens tooke away their goods from others saying in mockery that by making of them poore he made it easier for them to go into paradice because it was written in their bookes Blessed is the poore for vnto such belongeth the kingdome of heauen He exhorted the Iewes to restore their maner of gouernement for hatred of the Christians and to reedifie the Temple Hee wrote bookes against the Christian doctrine which he said was repugnant to common sense and did take away the bands of humaine society but his furie passed as a cloude for he raigned onely nineteene monethes dying of a hurt in the war which he made against the Persians In whose place IOVINIAN was chosen Emperour by the armie who brought matters into a better state The destruction of the Iudaick and Delphick Temples happened at that time which portending the ruine of both those religions abated much the insolence of the Iewes and of the Pagans and assured and comforted the good Christians Afterwards the Gothes Vandales Lombardes Arrianizing as we haue said afflicted Europe and Africk almost two hundred yeres ruinated the Empire of the West Which they that were reputed wise men amongst the Gentiles seeing said that this desolation proceeded of the changing of the auncient religion wherein the Empire had bin nourished increased and maintained long and that the Gods being angrie sent such calamities for reuenge of their contempt Against whom S. Augustin opposed him selfe writing his bookes of the city of God to refute them On the other side the Nestorians Eutichyans and Manichees troubled all the East The Persians destroyed Asia and Africk their king Cosroe publishing an edict that whosoeuer would saue his life should renounce that God that was crucified Then the Sarasens entierly exterminated the Persians with their language and religion Moreouer the Emperours of Constantinople beating downe the Images and statues of the temples were excommunicated by the Popes of Rome Who forbad them thoroughout Italy to pay them any tribute or to put their pictures in their coine cōmanded that their names should be omitted in their masses and publick praiers refused their edicts commandemēts letters making them to lose that which they had remaining in the west to assure thēselues against them and aganst the Lombards who had seazed on the Hexarchat of Rauenna they sent for Charles Martel Pepin who were Frenchmen of the house of Austrich to their succour whose strength authority renowme at that time was great And consequently they created consecrated crowned CHARLEMAIGN Emperor of the west calling him Augustus Cesar three hundred and twenty yeres after the Emperors were ceased in Italy He deliuered Italy from the Lombards Germainy from the Hongarians Gaule of the Sarasens with the victories which the grand-father and his Father wan of them He went twice into Spaine and ouercame the Saxons And as he was learned in Greeke and Latin being no lesse a fauourer of learning then a louer of armes he ordained the Vniuersitie of Paris which hath bin sithence the most famous of the worlde and most florishing in all Artes hauing serued for a refuge for the studies of learning which are waxen cold in Asia vtterly lost in Greece decaied in Italy and driuen out of Egypt and Africk So this magnanimous and victorious prince ioyning togither the greatest prouinces of Europe was a Monarch protector of the peace religion lawes iudgements and disciplines By such occasion was the Empire restored to the west which had first his seat in France thē in Germany where from hereditary it is become electiue and in proces of yeres by euill ordering is so much diminished and impouerished that there remaineth nothing but the shadowe of a great name and vaine title The princes Electours holding the imperial lands with their rents reuenewes customes and commodities horded vp and the principall countreyes being franchised by the Emperours who haue giuen them priuileges to gouerne freely their common weales Concerning Italy which was the chiefe and ancient patrimony of the empire it is either possessed by the Popes which hold Rome that was wont to be the proper seat of the Emperors and many other places or by the kings of Naples or by the Venitians or by the dukes of Milayne Florence Ferrara Mantua Vrbin and other potentates sequestred from the empire The Isles of Sicilie Sardigna Corsica Maiorca Minorca and Sauoye also are cut off Thus hath the Empire by succession of time bin distracted and dissipated Sithence the ruine whereof the world hath not had his vertue so vnited But many kingdoms are lifted vp ech in his countrey as towards the west that of France Spaine and Portingale In the North England Denmarke Sueden Moscouy Polonia Hungaria In the East Persia Narsingue China or Cathay In the South that of the Soudan of Presbiter-Iohn Tuniz and Fez and elswhere many seigniories and communalties which acknowledge none but themselues The end of the sixth Booke A COMPARISON OF THE ROMAINS with the Egyptians Assyrians Persians Greekes and Parthians in power warfare learning language Eloquence Poesie and workes of other arts The Seuenth Booke NAture hauing placed ITALIE in a middle seat between the south and the North hath as much or more fauored the ITALIANS as any other people on the habitable earth making them not onely strong comely and couragious but also ingenious and prudent And consequently excellent in maners lawes artes and workemanships By meanes of which singularities and prerogatiues they got in auncient time the greatest Empire that euer was and yet not of such largenesse that it comprehended the whole worlde which neuer happened hitherto neither is euer possible to come to passe For on the North side they neuer ruled ouer all Germany and great Britaine neither ouer Norway Sweueland Moscouia Lituania and Scythia Neither towards the south ouer Ethiopia and the higher Africk where the Blackmores inhabite neither in the East ouer India China Catay Giapan and Taprobana which Easterly parte hath the riuer Tygris for a fatall bound without speaking of the lands lately discouered in the West in so much that looking considerately
Mark Varro being a friend to them both and a great Philosopher and Mathematician after the manner of the Chaldees by the cunning of Astrologicall calculation cast the natiuity of Rome from the day wherein Romulus first began it which was the ninth of Aprill betweene two and three of the clocke in a pastorall feast called Palilia and rehearsing her passed aduentures foretold those that were to come The same Varro a very learned man and one who read the Romaine histories as much as any Romain that euer was writeth that the continuance of Rome was foreseene and knowen by the twelue Vultures which at the foundation thereof flew ouer Romulus namely that it should be of twelue hundred yeres euery vulture signifying an age or a hundred yeres and that in his time be had heard of one Vectius Augur that Rome should attaine to twelue hundred yeares seeing it had escapeâ— one hundred and twentie in which te 〈…〉 it was taken spoyled and destroyed many and sundry times The times of the continuance therof were diuided into ages after the similitude of mans life wherof the first which is called infancy or childhood weâ— vnder Romulus who founded it and brought it vp The puerilitie or boytâ—ie vnder the other Kings who augmented and instructed it in good manners customes lawes and disciplines But being growen vp vnder Tarquine it would no longer endure the yoâ—â— of subiection vnder proude domination and from that time forwarde chose rather to be obedient vnto lawes then vnto Kings Then the striplings age being ended in the ende of the Punicke warre and the strength more setled it entered into the age of manhood for hauing distroyed Carthage which of long time had bin her enemie she stretched out her seigniory by land and by sea into many countries till such time as wanting matter of foraine warre shee abused her strength employing it to her owne destruction Then was her first olde age when being afflicted with ciuile warres and oppâ—â—ssed with inwarde euils she fell againe into a Monarchy and came to another childhood or infancie And remained in vigour till the time of Traian of the Antonines and of Theodosius the first and then became aged vnder Honorius and Arcadius and the 471. yeares after that the Monarchie had begunne in Augustus it finished in Augustulus being vtterly lost in respect of Italy A COMPARISON OF ROME with Babylon and Constantinople TO this purpose it is obsermed that ROME and BABYLON had almost a like beginning increase continuance and ending such affaires being disposed by the ineffable mysteries and profound iudgements of God and not happening casually or by humaine power In such sort that vnder a like disposition of time BABILON fell and ROME arose Thone suffered the Lordship of strangers and thother despised that of her owne citizens Thone as it were dying left the heritage and the other growing acknowledged her selfe heire And then when the Empire of the East died the Empire of the west was borne And as BABYLON eleuen hundred threescore and foure yeres after it was built was by Arbaces the Median dispoiled of her kingdome and depriued of her king In like maner ROME after she had as many yeres endured was assailed and taken by Alaricus king of the Gothes After this maner was the beginning of BABILON and ROME alike their power alike their greatnes alike their time alike their good and euil alike their downefal alike and alike their destructioÌ„ We may say as much of CONSTANTINOPLE the heire of them both which about xj hundred sixtie and foure yeres after it was built by Constantine who called it new Rome was taken spoiled and depriued of the Greeke Empire and of her Emperour by Mahomâ—â— king of the Turkes wherein hath bin obserued a singular me 〈…〉 that as it was built by Constantine the sonne of Helen so it was also conquered by the Turkes vnder another Constantine the sonne of Helene A COMPARISON OF THE ROMAIN common wealth with the Lacedemonian and Carthaginian AS a Common wealth which is well ordained to endure a long time ought not to be single or of one kinde onely but must also haue the vertues and properties of others assembled in hit to th end that nothing therein be vnduely or vnproportionably increased which may make it to fal into the euill that is next it and consequently come to ruine for this cause Lycurgus instituting the LACEDEMONIAN common wealth mingled therein a Monarchie Aristocratie Democratie so conueniently that it remained almost seuen yeres in the same maner retayning still the integritie of his first institution In the which the king the Ephori and the Senate had their preheminences and powers in such sort intermingled and balanced togither that one could not well discerne vnder what kind of gouernment it was established The CARTHAGINIAN common wealth was thus ordained from the beginning It had kings the Aristocratie â—e power of Senatours and the commons hauing also their preheminence in things appertaining to them In such sort that as touching the assembling of the three estates it resembled the Lacedemoniâ—n Also the ROMAIN had these three estates so equally and conueniently tempered that one could not say whether it were an entier Aristocratie or a Democratie or a Monarchie Considering the power of the Consuls one would haue iudged it Monarchical and â—oial regarding that of the Senators Aristocratical and respecting that of the people Democratical But the Seigniory being seized on by the Emperours they first tooke from the people the authoritie of medling in publicke affaires and transported it to the Senate then reduced that of the people and of the Senate to their absolute power The Lacedemonian was sufficient onely to conserue their owne and to keepe their libertie but insufficient to augment and to enlarge their Empire wherein the Romain was most excellent For the Lacedemonians assaying to conquer the principalitie of Greece they sodanly put their liberty in danger where the Romains after they had brought Italy vnder their obedience subdued in a little time a great part of the world being abondantly furnished with all preparations requisite for such an enterprise Touching the Carthanginian then when it began to haue wars with the Romain it was in declining and the Romain in his vigour seeing that all common weales haue a certaine augmentation and vigour and afterwardes a diminution For Rome florished then especially in order of gouernment The people in Carthage had vsurped to much authoritie in the Counsails At Rome the Senate conducted the greatest part of the affaires which prospered the more for being gouerned by the wisest and by such conduct they finally ouercame the Carthaginians Besides that the Italians are of a more excellent nature then the Lybians both in shape of body and in hardinesse of courage and that the Romains were serued by their owne nation which were taught to war with the best discipline in the world The Carthaginians vsed none but straungers and mercenaries putting all