not the courage to return to their habitations too hastily much less to attempt any thing against Nebuchadnezzar but lived as miserable out-laws until the end of the seventy years which God had appointed for the desolation of their Countries as well as of the Land of Judaea When by a long course of Victory Nebuchadnezzar had brought into Subjection all the Nations of Syria and the bordering Arabians in such wise as that no enemy to himself or Friend to the Egyptian was left at his back that might either impede his proceedings or take advantage of any misfortune that might befall him then did he forthwith apply himself to the Conquest of Egypt upon which those other Nations had formerly been dependants Of this expedition and the Victorious issue thereof the three great Prophets Isay Jeremy and Ezekiel have written so plainly that it s altogether needless to seek after any other authority to confirm the same Long before it was prophesied by Isay that the King of Assyria or Babylon should lead away the Egyptians Prisoners and the Ethiopians Captives young and old naked and barefoot even with their buttocks uncovered to the shame of Egypt Isa. 20. 4. But Ezekiel and Jeremy as their Prophesies were neerer to the time of execution so they handled this Argument more plainly and precisely For Esekiel tells us cleerly that Egypt should be given to Nebuchadnezzar as wages for his great service which he had done against Tyre Ezek. 29. 18 19 20. He recounteth also in particular all the chief Cities in Egypt saying that these by name should be destroyed and go into Captivity yea and that Pharaoh and all his Army should be slain by the Sword Ezek. 30. 4 10 c. Chap. 32. 2 c. And the Prophet Jeremy saith thus Behold I will visit the common people of Noe and Pharaoh and Egypt with their Gods and their Kings even Pharaoh and all that trust in him and I will deliver them into the hands of those that seek their lives and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar King òf Babel and into the hands of his Servants Jerem. 46. 25 26. Josephus accordingly saith that Nebuchadnezzar in three and twentieth year of his Raign and in the fifteenth year after the destruction of Jerusalem did Conquer Egypt and kill the King thereof appointing a Vice-Roy to Govern it And it is evident that his Victories which followed his Conquest of Syria were such as did more enlarge his Dominions than all his former Wars had done For Ezekiel in his Thirtieth Chapter reckoneth up besides the whole Country of Egypt Phut and Lud with other Nations that may seem to have reached as far as into Mauritania which were conquered by him and added to his Empire And truly it is worth observation how Pharaoh King of Egypt was infatuated by God who thought himself most safe in his own Country by reason of the well-defenced situation thereof and therefore very unwisely suffered his enemies to make a cleer way to his own doors by the Conquest of all his Friends and Allyes in Syria For as the labour of this business did more harden than weary the Chaldean Army so the confidence and vain security of the Egyptians relying upon the difficulty of the passages which the enemy was to make through the Arabian Desarts and the great advantage which the River Nilus afforded did little avail them when the War came on Yea it did much astonish them as may justly be thought in the time of execution It being usually seen that the hearts of men fail when those helps deceive them in which they had reposed more confidence than in their own Virtue and Valour Until this time the Kingdom of Egypt had flourished under the Rule and Government of the Pharaohs for above the space of one thousand four hundred and eighty years But from this time forward it remained forty years without a King under the subjection of the Babylonians and then at lenghth it began to recover by little and little the former greatness Yet so that it was never dreadful unto others as it had been God having said of that people At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the People whither they were scattered and I will bring again the Captivity of Egypt and will cause them to return into the Land of Pathros into the land of their habitation and they shall be yet a base Kingdom It shall be the basest of the Kingdoms neither shall it exalt it self any more above the Nations For I will diminish them that they shall no more rule over the Nations and it shall be no more the confidence of the House of Israel Ezek. 29. 13 14 15 16. For whereas it had been said of Pharaoh I am the Son of the wise the Son of ancient Kings Isa. 19. 11. and whereas they had Vaunted the River is mine and I have made it Ezek. 29. 9. The Princes of Egypt now became fools the River failed them the King himself was now taken and slain and that ancient Linage was quite extinguished Of any Wars made by Nebuchadnezzar after such time as he returned from the Conquest of Egypt we read not except that against Ninive the destruction whereof was foretold by the Prophet Ninive indeed had been taken long before by Merodoch and together with the rest of Assyria made subject to Babylon Yet was it left under a peculiar King who rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar as Jehoiakim and Zedechias Tributary Kings of Judah had done was made partaker also of the same ruin That the destruction of Ninive followed the Conquest of Egypt is clear by the comparison which Nahum the Prophet made between this City that was to fall and the City of Noe in Egypt which was fallen already Nabum 3. 8 c. Art thou better than populous Noe that was situate amongst the Rivers that had the waters round about it whose Rampire was the Sea and her wall was from the Sea Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength and it was infinite Put and Lubin were her helpers Yet was she carried away she went into Captivity Her young Children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets and they cast lots for her honourable men and all her great men were bound in chains Thou also shalt be drunken thou shalt be hid thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy c. This Great Monarch having thus spent his younger days in inlarging his Dominions he betook himself to rest that he might reap the fruit of his former labours and the first thing that he applied himself to was to beautifie his Imperial City of Babylon adding a new City to the Old which he compassed about with three Walls and made in them stately Gates And neer the former Palace he built a New one more stately than it wherein he raised stone-works like unto Mountains which he planted with all manner of Trees He made
in providing for the Assyrian War but much of it in setling the Estates which he had already purchased Ctesias also tells us that during this time Cyrus invaded Scythia and being victorious over that Nation he took Amorges their King Prisoner But being in a second Battel overthrown by Sparetha the Wife of Amorges himself was taken Prisoner and so one King was released for the other Gobrias about this time a Nobleman whose only Son the King of Babylon in his Fathers life time had in a hunting match villainously slain together with his Friends revolted to Cyrus It s very probable also that no small part of those troubles which sprang up in the lower Asia grew soon after Cyrus his departure with his Victorious Army before the Conquest was fully established For after Cyrus was returned out of Asia the less many Nations which were formerly conquered by Croesus and now by Cyrus revolted from him Against whom he imployed Pactias and then Harpagus who first reduced the Phocians under their former Obedience and then the rest of the Greeks that inhabited Asia the less as the Jonians Carians Aeolians and Lycians who very resolutely according to the strength they had defended themselves But in the attempt upon Babylon it self it s not to be questioned but Cyrus imployed all his Forces having taken order beforehand that nothing should be able to divert him or to raise that Siege or to frustrate that work upon which he did set all his rest And great reason there was that he should improve all his Policy and strength unto the taking of that City which besides the Fame and reputation that it held as being the Head of an Empire which depended thereupon was so strongly fortified with a trebble Wall of great heigth and surrounded with the waters of Euphrates that were unfordable and so plentifully Victualled for many years that the Inhabitants were not only free from fear and doubt of their estate but through their confidence they derided and despised all the Projects and power of their Besiegers For not long before Nicotris the Mother of Belshazzar a witty and active Woman foreseeing the storm that was ready to fall upon Babylon from the Medes to hinder their passing the River by Boats into Babylon She turned the River Euphrates which before ran with a strait and swift course drawing it through many winding Channels which she had cut for that purpose whereby she made it to run more slowly than formerly it did and then she raised a huge Dam upon each side of the River and up the River from the City-ward she digged a vast Pond which was every way three or four hundred Furlongs wide into which she turned the River thereby leaving the old Channel of the River dry which done she fell to work and fenced the Banke within the City with Brick-walls and raised the Water-Gates answerable in every point to the rest of the Walls which were made on the farther side of the Channel round about the City She built also a stately and Magnificent Bridge of Stone in the midst of the City which joyned to the Kings Houses that stood on each side the River and having finished all her Works and Fortifications she turned the River out of the Pond into its right Channel again And now came Cyrus to invade the Country of Babylon and appeared before the Walls of the City and there challenged the King to a Duel or single Combat but he refused it At this time Gadatas a Noble man of Babylon whom Belshazzar had gelt upon a jealousie that he had of him with his Wife fell over to Cyrus in revenge whereof the Babylonians sallied out and fell upon his Lands but Cyrus set upon them and routed them At which time the Cadusii whom Cyrus had appointed to bring up the rear of his Army unknown to Cyrus set upon a Country lying neer to the City but the King of Babylon falling out upon them cut them all off Yet Cyrus quickly revenged the Death of his men and then came to an agreement with Belshazzar to hold truce with the Plough-men on both sides and the War to go on between the Souldiers only After which passing beyond the City he took in three of their Forts and so returned into the confines of Assyria and Media and thither upon his invitation came his Uncle Cyaxares and was by him honourably received and entertained in a Pavilion that had been the King of Assyrias and Winter now approaching they entred into consultation to provide things necessary to maintain the Siege The only hope of Cyrus with his Medes and Persians who despaired of carrying by assault a City so well and strongly fortified and manned was in cutting off all supplies of victuals and other necessaries Whereof though the Town was said to be stored sufficiently for more than twenty years yet might it well be imagined that amongst such a World of People as dwelt within those Walls one great want or other would soon appear amongst them and vanquish the resolution of that unwarlike multitude Yet in expecting that success of this course the Besiegers were likely to endure much hardship and travel and that all in valn if they did not keep strict watch and sure guards upon all the Avenues and Quarters of it Which that he might the better do he caused presently a vast trench both for bredth and depth to be cast round about the Walls of the City casting the earth ever towards his own Army and made store of Bulworks all along upon it for his Guards to be upon and then dividing his whole Army into twelve parts he ordered that each of them should watch his Moneth by turn And yet this was a very hard work considering the vast circuit of those Walls which they were to gird in having neither men enough nor yet sufficiently assured to their Commander the consideration whereof Ministred unto the Babylonians matter of good Pastime when they saw Lydians Phrygians Cappadocians and others quartered about their City to keep them in who having been their Ancient Friends and Allies were more like to joyn with them if occasion were offered than to use much diligence on the behalf of Cyrus who had as it were but yesterday laid upon their necks the galling Yoke of servitude Whilst the Besieged were thus pleasing themselves with this foolish-fansie and vain mirth the ordinary forerunners of sudden calamity Cyrus who by God that set him on work was made strong valiant constant and inventive devised and by the labour of his men digged so many Channels as were capable of receiving the Waters of Euphrates and so to draw the same from the Walls of Babylon that thereby he might make his approaches the more facile and assured which when by the labour of many hands he had performed he waited for a fit time wherein to put in execution what he had designed For he had left in each of the
to his People He also it was who intending to make War upon Egypt that he might have the more assistance therein from the Grecians he sent his Ambassadours into Greece to induce them to make a general Peace among themselves upon these terms that every City should from thenceforth live according to their own Laws and should have no Garrisons amongst them This motion all the Cities of Greece embraced save only the Thebans as you may see in the Life of Epaminondas THE LIFE and DEATH OF ALEXANDER the GREAT KING OF MACEDONIA A LEXANDER surnamed the Great was the Son of Philip King of Macedonia and of his Queen Olympias He was born on the sixth day of our June called by the Macedonians Lous Upon the very same day that the Temple of Diana in Ephesus was burned down whereupon the Priests Magicians and South-sayers ran about the City crying that some great Plague and mischief to Asia was surely born that day Three Messengers came to King Philip presently after he had won the City of Potidaea upon the same day who brought him great News the first that Parmenio his General had won a notable Battel of the Illyrians the second that his Horse had won the prize at the Olympian Games and the third that his Wife Olympias had brought him a Son that was named Alexander born at Pella in Macedonia Philip being marvellous glad to hear these Newses the South-sayers much added to his joy assuring him that his Son that was thus born should be invincible He had naturally a very fair white colour mingled with red which chiefly appeared in his face and breast His Skin had a marvellous sweet savour and his breath was very sweet which sheweth his excellent constitution He was naturally hot and Cholerick which made him to be addicted to drink and hasty and yet was chast withall His Father was very careful of his Education and therefote gat for him excellent Tutors as Leonidas which had the chiefest Government of him Then Lysimachus an Acarnanian and Aristotle the Best Philosopher of his time to whom Philip allowed a very honourable stipend He delighted much in hunting divers kind of wild Beasts and playing at the Staff On a time while he was young Ambassadors were sent to his Father from the King of Persia and it fell out that Philip was in some journey out of his Kingdom Alexander therefore intertained them familiarly not using any childish questions to them nor enquiring about trifling and trivial matters but what distance it was from one place to another and which way they went into the higher places of Asia Also about the King of Persia himself how he behaved himself towards his enemies and what power he had c. insomuch as they were ravished with delight to hear him judging him to be of great Courage and of a Noble mind and one that was like to attempt great enterprises When at any time news was brought him that his Father had taken some famous City or had won some great Battel he was no whit glad to hear it but would say to his Play-fellows Sirs My Father will do all I shall have nothing left me to Conquer with you that will be ought worth Upon a time Philonicus a Thessalian brought a brave Horse called Bucephalus to sell unto king Philip demanding thirteen Talents for him and they went into the Field to try him But the Horse was found to be so unruly and churlish that they which should have ridden him said that he would never be made serviceable For he would let no man get upon his Back nor abide any of the Gentlemens voices that were about Philip but would yerk at them with his heels whereupon Philip being afraid bad them take him away as a wild untamable and unprofitable Beast which they had done accordingly had not Alexander that stood by said O Gods what a Horse do they turn away for lack of skill and courage to handle and break him Philip heard what he said but held his peace Alexander often repeating those words and seeming sorry that the Horse should be sent back Philip said Why doest thou control them that have more skill and experience than thy self and that know better how to handle a Horse than thou doest Alexander answered and yet me-thinks I could handle him better than all they have done But if thou canst do no more than they replied Philip what wilt thou forfet for thy folly I am content said Alexander to forfeit the price of the Horse Every one laughed to hear his answer and the match was made between the Father and the Son Then ran Alexander to the Horse and took him by the Bridle and turned him towards the Sun It seems he had observed how mad the Horse was to see his own shadow which was before always before his eyes as he sturred too and fro Then Alexander speaking gently to the Horse and clapping him on the back with his hand till he had left his fury and snorting softly let fall his Cloak from him and lightly leaped on his back and so gat up without any danger and holding the reins of the Bridle hard without striking or stirring the Horse made him to be gentle enough And when he perceived that the fury of the Horse was calmed he put him forward and began to Gallop Then he put him to his full carrier spurring and switching him Philip at first seeing his Sons confidence began to fear lest he should catch any hurt But when he saw him readily to turn the Horse at the end of his carrier and shewing bravery for what he had done all the Spectators gave a great shoot for joy and the Father fell a weeping for joy and when Alexander was alighted from the Horse his Father went and kissed him saying O Son thou must have a Kingdom that is meet for thee for Macedonia is not sufficient for thee Considering also that he was not to be rigorously dealt with and that by gentle means and perswasions he could make him do what he would he ever sought rather to perswade than to command him what he would have done Alexander in these his younger days was very mild and of a patient disposition insomuch as being told that some of his Friends used in secret to speak against him he said Regium est malè audire câ—m benefeceris It s a Kingly thing to hear ill when one doth well King Philip being dead his Son Alexander succeeded being a Prince no less Valiant by Nature than by Education being well instructed and inriched with all sorts of Learning He began his Reign in Macedonia four hundred and seventeen years after Rome was built being himself about twenty years old Upon this change of the King the neighbour Nations whom Philip had oppressed adventured to endeavour the recovery of their former liberty by force of Arms the young years of Alexander giving some hope of prevailing and his
back and the other with great fury ran to charge the enemy in the Flank and soon they were come to the Swords point At the first because either side fought desperately the Victory for a time stood doubtful but at last Epaminondas his Troop brake in amongst the Lacedemonians and slew most of those that were about Cleombrotus Yet while the King was alive he kept back the Thebans from the Victory being accompanied with all the flower of his Army who fought very valiantly about him But after he fell dead to the ground having received and given an infinite number of wounds then thronged they together on all sides and there was a bloody and cruel fight about his Body where were heaps of men slain one upon another and though Epaminondas did all that possibly he could yet the Lacedemonians made such resistance that at last they forced the Thebans somewhat to give back whereby they conveyed the Body of the King out of the press But this continued not long For Epaminondas both by his words and example did so raise up and encourage the hearts of his men that they fought like Lions and gave so fierce a second charge upon their enemies that they wholly routed them and made them flie for life and Epaminondas fiercely pusuing the flying enemy made a great slaughter of them and obtained the most glorious Victory that ever Captain won having in a pitched Field overcome the most Noble and warlike Nation of all Greece and that with a far smaller number of men than his enemies had He also rejoyced more in this than in all his other Victories because it happened to him in his Fathers life-time and he often used to say that of all the honest and happy Fortunes that befel him nothing joyed his heart more than that he vanquished the Lacedemonians at Leuctres his Father and Mother living to see it and indeed he that day did not only preserve their lives but of all his Citizens besides the Lacedemonians having fully resolved utterly to destroy the Thebans Epaminondas used at all other times to come abroad fine and neat and with a pleasant countenance but the next day after this Battel he came out very sad heavy and pensive and when his Friends asked him whether he had heard any ill news which occasioned this posture he said No but said he I perceive by my self yesterday that being overjoyed with the Victory I obtained my heart was more elvated than it ought and therefore to day I correct that joy which yesterday exceeded its due bounds He knowing that it was the manner of the Spartans as much as possible to conceal their losses he suffered them not to carry away all their dead Bodies together but every City one after another by which it appeared that there were four thousand of them slain But of the Boeotians there were not found above three hundred dead This Battel was fought in the beginning of the second year of the hundred and second Olympiade The Lacedemonians having by this overthrow lost the greatest part of their honour which they had maintained so long yet lost not their courage but to keep their youth still in heart and to take away all fear from such as had escaped they sent Agesilaus with an Army into Arcadia who was contented to take a few small Towns of the Mantineans and so to return home again Some say that Lycomedes Captain of the Arcadians making an inrode neer to Orchomene slew in an encounter Politropus Captain of the Lacedemonians and two hundred Spartans with him which provoked the Lacedemonians against them and thereupon the Arcadians finding themselves too weak for them they sought alliance and aid from the Thebans Sure it is that these two States were now at enmity which occasioned the Arcadians and Thebans to joyn together who with their Allies being led by Epaminondas entred into Laconia with an Army of forty thousand men besides thirty thousand others that followed the Camp At this time the Athenians sent Captian Iphecrates with twelve thousand men to aid the Lacedemonians But before their coming Epaminondas was entered into Laconia and had sacked all the Country which had not been wasted by any enemy for six hundred years before The Spartans seeing their Country thus plundred and destroyed were desirous to have gone out with such Forces as they had but Agesilaus would not suffer them telling them how dangerous it was for them to leave their City and to set upon such a potent and numerous enemy This made them quiet and Epaminondas in the mean time marched with his Army towards the River Eurotas which at that time was risen very high because of the Winter rains He endeavoured all he could to draw forth Agesilaus to a Battel who beholding Epaminondas a great while marching with his Army in Battel aray along the River side at the Head of his Troops he wondered at his boldness and Valour but would by no means adventure out of his Fort So that when this Army had plundred all Laconia Epaminondas led them back again with a very rich Booty And though Agesilaus was commended for preserving his City in safety yet Epaminondas had by this inrode and especially by his Victory at Leuctres so impoverished the Country that Sparta could never after recover that loss nor grow into that reputation and power which it had before Yea notwithstanding the aid sent by the Athenians and the skill and experience of Iphecrates Epaminondas returned with his Army intire as he came Epaminondas that he might keep the Lacedemonians still underfoot and heap new troubles upon them gave Counsel to the Arcadians and their Allies to reedifie and replenish with People the City of Messina which the Lacedemonians had long before destroyed and when all the whole Councel had given their consents to it he forthwith by diligent enquiry sought out all that had been ancient Inhabitants in that City and in the space of eighty five Days having repaired the ruined Houses he raised again one of the most Noble and ancient Cities of Greece and left there a strong Garrison for their security This gat him as much if not more love and honour than any other service which he had ever done The Lacedemonians being freed from a great fear by his departure made an agreement with the Athenians leaving to them the chief command by Sea and reserving to themselves that by Land And afterwards by the assistance of the Athenians and that aid which came to them out of Sicily by little and little they recovered their Towns again The Arcadians to stop their proceedings assaulted the City of Pallene in Laconia and taking it by storm put all the Garrison therein to the Sword and then razed the Town and plundred all the Country there abouts And expecting that the Lacedemonians would seek revenge they sent for aid to the Thebans who sent Epaminondas and the other Counsellers to assist them with
fill his Purse with money he judged him unworthy to be a Souldier Upon a time he understood that his Target-bearer had received a great sum of money for the ransom of a Prisoner whereupon he said to him Give me my Target and go thy ways home and buy thee a Tavern wherein to spend the rest of thy life for I perceive thou wilt no more like an honest man put thy self in danger in the wars as formerly thou hast done because now thou art grown rich and wealthy Though Epaminondas was thus virtuous and unblameable in his life yet the aforementioned Meneclides would never cease contending and reproaching of him and one day he went so far as to upbraid him because he had no Children and was not married and that he magnified himself more than ever King Agamemnon had done To this Epaminondas answered Thou hast nothing to do to counsel me to marry and in this respect there is never a man here whose advise I would less make use of than thine and this he spake because the other was taken notice of to be an Adulterer And whereas thou thinkest that I envy the fame and renown of Agamemnon thou art fouly deceived Yet let me tell thee that whereas he was ten Years in winning one City I on the contrary by putting the Lacedemonians to flight in one day have delivered not only our own City but all Greece from their slavery But thanks be to you My Lords Thebans speaking to all the Assembly by your assistance I did it and thereby overthrew the power and government of our insulting enemies Yet after all his brave deeds both he and Pelopidas were ill rewarded for all their good service by their ingrateful Citizens For at their return from Laconia they with some other of the six Counsellers were accused that after the time that their Government was expired they retained their power four months after the time appointed by the Law With much ado Pelopidas was quitted But Epaminondas willed all his other Companions to lay the fault upon him who by his Authority forced them to it and instead of excusing himself he told them all the brave exploits which he had done at that time Adding withal that he was willing and ready to die if they so pleased Provided that they wrote upon his Tomb that Epaminondas was put to death because he had compelled the Thebans against their wills to burn the Country of Laconia which in five hundred years before had never been plundered That he had repeopled the City of Messina with Inhabitants two hundred and thirty years after it had been laid wast by the Lacedemonians That he had brought all the People and Towns of Arcadia to be as one Body in League together and had set all the Greeks at liberty and all these things said he we did in that Journey The Judges when they heard this worthy and true defence they all arose from their seats and laughed heartily and would not take up their Balls to Ballot against him But for the second accusation to wit that he had shewed favour to the Lacedemonians for his own particular honour he would make no particular answer to it before the People but rising out of the Theater he passed through the Assembly and went into the Park of Exercises Upon this the People being incensed against him refused to chuse him into Office as they had wont to do though there was a great need of him and created other Counsellers to go into Thessaly and the more as they thought to despite him they commanded him to go that expedition as a private Souldier which he refused not but went very willingly Pelopidas being sent a second time into Thessaly to make peace between the People and Alexander the Tyrant of Pheres was by this Tyrant not regarding that he was an Ambassadour and a Theban committed to Prison together with Ismenias Upon this the Thebans being justly offended sent an Army of eight thousand Foot and five hundred Horse against him howbeit under the conduct of unskilful Captains who wanting judgment to use their advantages thought good to return home without doing any thing But as they went back Alexander being stronger in Horse than they pressed hard upon their Reer killing some and wounding others so that the Thebans knowing neither how to go forward nor backward were in great distress and that which aggravated their misery was that their Victuals were almost spent Being thus almost out of hope ever to get home in safety Epaminondas being at that time a common Souldier among the Foot both the Captains and Souldiers earnestly intreated him to help to redress this disorder He thereupon chose certain Footmen that were light armed and all the Horsemen and with these putting himself into the Rere of the Army he so lustily repulsed the Enemy that the rest of the Army afterwards marched in great safety and still making Head as occasion served and keeping his Troops in good order he at last brought them all well home This brave Act Crowned him with new Glory confounded his enemies and made him well spoken of every where and by it he obtained the love and good will of the Citizens who set great Fines upon the heads of those Captains who had behaved themselves so unworthily in that expedition And now the People seeing that by so many worthy deeds he had stopped the slanderous mouths and confuted the accusations of his ill willers they chose him again their Captain General to conduct a new Army into Thessaly At his coming all the Country wonderfully rejoyced only the Tyrant with his Captains and Friends were exceedingly dejected and possessed with fear being Thunderstruck with the fame of so Noble a Captain and his Subjects had a good mind to rise up against him hoping that they should shortly see the Tyrant fully recompenced for all the wicked and cursed deeds that he had done amongst them Epaminondas when he came into Thessaly preferred the safety and deliverance of his Friend Pelopidas before his own Honour and Glory and fearing lest Alexander when he should see himself and his State in danger to be overthrown should in his rage revenge himself upon Pelopidas he therefore purposely drew this War out in length marching often about him but never setting upon him in good earnest often seeming to make preparations and yet still delaying and this he did to mollifie the heart of this Tyrant and not to provoke to the danger of his Friend the inhumane and unbridled passion of this cruel Bloud-sucker Yet he being a Monster compounded of cruelty and cowardliness was so afraid of the very name and reputation of Epaminondas that he presently sent some to him to excuse his fact and to crave Peace But Epaminondas was not willing that his Thebans should make Peace and Alliance with so wicked a man only he was content to grant him a Truce for thirty Days upon the delivering to him
effeminate than before About this time Hannibal sent his Brother Mago to Carthage vvith the joyful nevvs of this great Victory He told the Carthaginian Senate vvith hovv many Roman Generals his Brother had fought hovv many Consuls he had chased vvounded or slain Hovv the Romans vvho never used to shun a Battel vvere novv grown so cold that they thought their Dictator Fabius the only good Captain That not vvithout reason their spirits were thus abated since Hannibal had slain above two hundred and six thousand of them and taken above fifty thousand Prisoners He told them how many States in Italy followed the Fortune of those great Victories He told them that the War was even at an end if they vvould follovv it close and give the Romans no time of breathing He wished them to consider that the War was carried into an enemies Country that so many Battels had diminished his Brothers Army that the Souldiers that had deserved so well ought to be well rewarded and that it was not good to burden their new Italian Friends with exactions of Mony Corn c. But that these must be sent from Carthage Lastly he caused the Gold Rings taken from the Fingers of the Roman Knights that were slain to be powred out before them which being measured filled three Bushels This errand of Mago for the present found extraordinary good welcome And large supplies vvere voted to be sent to him But his old enemy Hanno obstructed them and the too much Parsimony of the Citizens was the cause that there was very little done and that which was done came too late However Mago brings the news of the great supply which was decreed to be sent which much rejoyced Hannibal and his new confederates The Spring drew on vvhen the supply was expected but there came no more than a few Elephants and Hannibal was forced to rest contented with them Then did he take the Field and sought to make himself Master of some good Haven Town that might serve to intertain the Carthaginian Fleet when it should arrive with the supplies For this end he sent Himilco who by the help of his good Friends the Brusians won Petilia he won also Concentia and Crotan and the City of Locri and many other places only the Town of Rhegium over against Sicily held out against him The Romans at this time were in such a case that Hannibal vvith a little help from Carthage might have reduced them to great extremity But his own Citizens suffered him to languish with expectation of their promised supplies which being still deferred from year to year caused as great opportunities to be lost as a Conqueror could have desired But whatsoever Hannibal thought he was faign to apply himself to his Italian Friends and to feed them with Hopes and to trifle way his time about Nola Naples Cumae c. being loath to weaken his Army by a hard Siege that was to be reserved for a vvork of more importance Many offers he made upon Nola but always vvith bad success Once Mercellus fought a Battel with him there under the Walls of the City having the Citizens to assist him vvherein Hannibal lost a thousand men which was no great marvail his forces being then divided and imployed in sundry parts of Italy at once At this time T. Sempronius Gracchus and Q. Fabius Maximus the late famous Dictator were chosen Consuls But Fabius was detained at Rome about matters of Religion or Superstition rather vvherewith the City vvas commonly especially in the times of danger very much troubled so Gracchus alone vvith a Consular Army waited upon Hannibal amongst the Campanes not able to meet him in the Field yet attentive to all occasions that should be presented The Slaves that lately had been Armed were a great part of his followers These and the rest of his men Gracchus continnally trained and had not a greater care to make his Army skilful in the exercises of War than in keeping it from quarrels that might arise by their upbrading one another vvith their base condition Gracchus at this time had a bickering vvith the Capuans upon whom he came at unawares and slew above two thousand of them and took their Camp but staid not long to rifâ—le it for fear of Hannibal that lay not far off By this his Providence he escaped a greater loss than he brought upon the Capuans For vvhen Hannibal heard hovv things vvent he presently marched thither hoping to find these young Souldiers and Slaves busied in loading themselves vvith the Booty But they were all gotten safe into Cumae which so angred Hannibal that at the earnest request of the Capuans he assailed it the next day Much labour and vvith ill success he spent about this Town He raised a Woodden Tower brought it close to the Walls thereby to assault it but they vvithin built a higher Tower vvhence they made resistance and found means to set Hannibals Tower on fire and vvhilst the Carthaginians were busie in quenching the fire they issued out charged them valiantly and drove them to their Trenches The Consul vvisely sounded a retreat in time or Hannibal had requited them The day following Hannibal presented Battel to them but Gracchus refused it Seeing therefore no likelyhood to prevail he raised his Siege and departed About this time Fabius the other Consul took the Field and recovered some small Towns that Hannibal had taken and punished the Inhabitants severely for their revolt the Carthaginians Army vvas too small to Garrison all the Towns that had yielded to them and withall to abide as it must do strong in the Field Wherefore Hannibal attending the supply from Carthage that would enable him to strike at Rome it self vvas driven in the mean time to alter his course of War and instead of making as he had formerly done a general invasion upon the vvhole Country he vvas faign to vvait upon occasions that grevv daily more commodious to the Enemy than to him When Hannibal vvas gone to Winter into Apulia Marcellus vvasted the Country of the Hirpines and Samnites the like did Fabius in Campania The People of Rome vvere very intentive upon the Work they had in hand they continued Fabius in his Consulship and joyned vvith him Cladius Marcellus Of these two Fabius vvas called the Shield and Marcellus the Roman Sword The great Name of these Consuls and the great preparations which they made put the Campans in fear that Capua it self should be besieged wherefore at their earnest request Hannibal came from Arpi and having comforted his Friends on a sudden he fell upon Puteoli a Sea-town of Campania about vvhich he spent three days in vain there being six thousand in Garrison vvherefore he left it and marched to Tarentum vvherein he had great intelligence In the mean time Hanno made a journy against Beneventum where T. Gracchus met him Hanno had vvith him about seventeen thousand Foot Brutians and Lucans
Pompey's Enemy was the first man that moved that Pompey might be chosen Consul alone For said he by this means the Common-vvealth shall be rid of present trouble or it shall be in bondage to an honest man It vvas expected that Cato vvould have opposed this motion but rising up he told them that he vvould not first have made this motion but seeing it vvas propounded by another he thought it meet and reasonable to be follovved For said he Its better to have an Officer to command whatsoever he be than to have none at all and that there was none so sit to command in so troublesome a time as Pompey All the Senate consented hereto and ordained that Pompey only should be Consul and that if he savv it needful to have the assistance of an other he might name whom he saw good yet not till two months vvere past Pompey being thus made Consul alone he carried it very friendly unto Cato and thanked him for the honour he had done him intreating his assistance in the execution of his Office Cato replied that he had no reason to thank him for what he had done he had not done it for his sake but out of his respect to the publick good and that if he asked his counsel in any thing he would give it him privately if not that he would openly speak that which he thought best Pompey then married Cornelia the Daughter of Metellus Scipio the late Wife of young Publius Crassus slain with his Father in Parthia This Lady was of excellent beauty and gifts well learned skilful in Musick Geometry and Philosophy she was modest and sober free from brawling or foollish curiosity Her Father was Noble both by Birth and deportment Yet many disliked Pompey's marrying so young a Wife and giving himself to Feasting and Jollity when he should have looked to his Consulship in so troublesome a time Pompey proceeded sharply against those that by Bribery and indirect means came to their Offices He made Laws and Ordinances for the administration of Justice and himself dealt uprightly in all things and took order that Judgment should be administred with silence safety and gravity But when his Father in Law was accused he sent for three hundred and sixty Judges home to his House praying them to help him which the accuser of Scipio understanding let fall his suit Plancus also being accused Pompey contrary to the Law spake in his commendation whereupon Cato who was one of the Judges stopped his Ears saying that he would not hear an offender praised being contrary to the Law Plancus was condemned by all the Judges to the great shame of Pompey Yet otherwise he set all things in good order and chose his Father Scipio for his fellow Consul for the five last Months Then he caused the Government of his Provinces to be assigned to him for four years more with commission to take out of the Treasury a thousand Talents yearly for to defray the charges of his Wars Caesars Friends seeing this moved that some consideration might be had of him also who made great Wars for the Commonvvealth and by his good service had deserved either to be chosen Consul again or else that they should prolong his charge and Goverment that no other successor might reap the fruit of his labours Much stir arose about this matter But Pompey said that he had received Letters from Caesar by which he requested a successor and to be discharged of this War adding that he thought it fit they should grant him the priviledg to demand the second Consulship though he was absent This Cato stoutly withstood saying that leaving his Army he must return home as a private man and in his own Person crave recompence of his Country Pompey replying nothing hereto made many think he bore no great good vvill to Caesar the rather because he had sent to him for the two Legions which he had lent him under colour of his War against the Parthians Though Caesar smelt his design yet he sent his Souldiers and rewarded them liberally About this time Pompey fell dangerously sick at Naples whereof he yet recovered again and the Neapolitans sacrificed to the Gods for his recovery the like also did their Neighbours round about and it ran so generally through Italy that there was no City or Town wherein they did not make open Feasting and rejoyced for many days together The infinite number of People also which went to meet him out of all places was such that there was not room enough for them all but the High-ways Cities Towns and Ports were full of People Feasting and sacrificing to the Gods for his recovery Divers also went to meet him that were Crowned with Garlands casting Nosegays and Flowers upon him Yet some thought that this was the cause of the civil Wars that ensued For hereupon he grew so proud to see himself thus honoured that forgetting his former Government he began to despise Caesar thinking that he could easily overcome him when he pleased Besides Appius that brought him his two Legions from Caesar out of Gaul reproached much his doings there and gave out many foul words against Caesar. For he said that Pompey knew not his own strength who might overcome Caesar with his own Legions for that when they saw Pompey they would forsake Caesar and turn to him These flattering Speeches made Pompey so secure that he laughed them to scorn who were afraid of War and such as said that if Caesar came to Rome they knew not how his power could be resisted he smilingly bad them take no thought for if he did but stamp on the ground he could fill Italy with Armies both of Horse and Foot out of all places In the mean time Caesar increased his Army and drew neer to Italy and sent some of his Souldiers daily to Rome to be present at the election of Magistrates and many of those that were in Office he wan with mony amongst whom was Paulus one of the Consuls whom he drew to his side by giving him fifteen hundred Talents The like he did to Curio a Tribune of the People by paying his vast debts and he gained thereby Mark Anthony who was engaged for a great part of Curio's debt A Captain also sent from Caesar being at the Senate door and understanding that they would not prolong Caesars Government as he desired clapping his hand on his Sword he said Well! this shall give it him Curio requested in the behalf of Caesar that they would either cause Pompey to disband his Army or else licence Caesar to have his Army as well as he For said he being private men they will either agree between themselves or both being of like strength neither will seek any alteration for fear of the other But Marcellus the Consul opposed this hotly calling Caesar Thief and saying that he would proclaim him an open Enemy to Rome if he did not disperse
the way you must understand that about forty years before the Father of this present King of China had conquered this City and Countrey from the Tartars and had so planted the same with new Colonies that but few of the Tartarians remained except only in the flat Countrey and some small walled Towns who all came with their Keys and willingly submitted to Tamerlane whereby he had great plenty of victuals in his Army which made him hope for good success there being nothing that doth sooner overthrow great Armies than the want thereof Thus was Paguinfou besieged round the footmen lying within a flight-shoot the Walls the Citizens and Souldiers using their best endeavour for their defence and Tamerlane doing the like for their offence Axalla having viewed a great Suburb which was in length almost half a League supposed that the Citizens kept no watch there and therefore acquainting the Emperour with his purpose in the first watch of the night his men being all ready with scaling Ladders he assaulted the same in sundry places and after a great fight entred and cut in pieces at least eight thousand men which were within the same yet on one side where they expected to be assaulted he lost many of his men The taking of this Suburb did greatly astonish the Citizens who observing the valour of the Tartarians began to suspect their own safety By this Suburb there ran a River which being now under the command of Axalla he stopt all provision from going to the City In the mean time the King of China's Army approached which was very great whereupon the Emperour determined to go in person and meet him with the greatest part of his Horsemen but to leave most of his Foot to continue the siege being very desirous to take the City for the accelerating whereof he caused his Engines for battery to approach as Rams and such like so that the City was assaulted on two sides very couragiously and in the end through the valour of Axalla who gave an assault with twenty thousand of his best Souldiers he won the Wall and at the command of the Emperour lodged there who desired rather to have the City by Treaty than storm the City being great and rich and the Enemy but thirty Leagues from thence and therefore he feared lest his Army should be found in disorder and knowing also that rich Souldiers never fight well Besides he intended to draw out of that wealthy City such things as he stood in need of and to make it his Magazine for the time to come Yet though the Wall was won the Enemies wanted not heart to defend themselves valiantly hearing that their King was coming for their relief but it so happened that an Engine shooting a bullet slew the Governour whereupon the Citizens were so discouraged that they resolved to yield saving their lives and the Souldiers to march away with Horse and Arms. The conditions were admitted and there came out of the City eighteen thousand Souldiers almost all the Inhabitants remaining behind This siege had lasted two months and the City had in it at first thirty thousand Souldiers Axalla had the honour of winning this City and therefore was made Governour of it and all the Country belonging to it but he beseeched the Emperour to bestow it upon some other Person reserving for himself the hope of his Master in whose fortune he would take part This gave great content to Tamerlane who much desired the service of Axalla and upon his refusal the charge was conferred upon the Prince of Thanais with the Title of Vice-Roy Then did Tamerlane give notice of his affairs to the old Emperour and having paid his Souldiers and setled all things in the best manner he could he marched forward and taking a general Muster of his whole Army Horse and Foot he found them to be diminished ten thousand men only And so with his Army he spent one whole day in Prayer calling upon the immortal invisible invincible and incomprehensible God and then went directly to meet the Enemy who was at Sintehu with all his own and the forces of his Allies and as soon as he received news that Tamerlanes Army was advanced over the River of Chulifu the King of China marched directly towards them with great magnificence There was nothing to be seen in his Army but Gold and precious Stones He himself usually rode in a Chariot whereof every part shone with Gold Pearls Rubies and Diamonds He was of the age of about three and thirty and had been brought up in pleasures and not under the bloody Ensigns of Mars So that he was very insolent in threatnings brava does and defying to the Battel He often accused Tamerlane for surprizing him before he was ready not giving him warning c. The rumours of his riches so fired the spirits of the Tartarians that they longed to be at the Battel and so both sides hasted forwards and in the way there was a City called Tunichevoy surrendred to Tamerlane which afforded him much refreshing for his Army And thus the two Armies drawing near together Tamerlane made choice of a place in his judgment most advantageous for the Battel and having set down to Odmar the Order which he would have to be observed he longed to see his Enemy Then did he send before him five or six thousand Horse as Scouts under Calibes and himself went with them and having viewed the great confused Army of his Enemies which came continually forward he commanded Calibes to retire himself so soon as they drew near to him And bring saith he this great cloud to me which I hope soon to disperse and so retiring to his Army he encouraged them assuring them of the Victory He placed all his Foot-men which were about a hundred and twenty thousand along a Mountain planting great store of Artillery for their guard Many of his Foot-Souldiers were armed after the Christian manner who were all commanded by Axalla His Horsemen were in a Battalia in a great plain who upon any disadvantage could retire to the assistance of the Footmen the Horsemen were eighty thousand Calibes with the Scythians were in the Avantguard being thirty thousand Horse who were to receive Odmar when he should retreat from the Enemy as he was commanded thirty thousand more were appointed for Odmar and Tamerlane himself remained in the Arrear at one of the Wings of his Footmen His purpose was to let that sixty five thousand Horse under two such Gallant Captains to break the force of the Enemy hoping after them to have a good market causing his Foot to march forward and reserving with himself twenty thousand of his best Horse who of themselves were able to make a new Battel if any mischance should befal the former For he understood that it was the custom of the Kings of China to enclose themselves in the midst of their Chariots with their Footmen and not to
Tamerlane greatly rejoyced yet without insolency and vaunting but rather with the countenance of such an one as judged the event of Battels to be alwayes doubtful saying sometimes That a small number well conducted did carry away the victory from the confused multitude Three dayes after he stayed at Buisabuich causing his souldiers continually to march forward who at two places passed over the River Euphrates which he did the rather to maintain his Army upon the spoil of the Enemies countrey chusing rather there to attend Bajazets coming then amongst his friends and allies All the Cities that yielded to him in the way as he marched he favourably received the other that refused to submit themselves to his obedience he used with all extremity especially the great and strong City of Sebastia where certain of the forerunners of his Army were by the Turks that kept Garrison in it cut off and slain and to despite him the more the City gates were set open in contempt of him Whereupon being justly offended he sent out certain Tartarian Horsemen charging them upon pain of his displeasure so to behave themselves against their Enemies that at his coming up to them he might find either the City taken or at least the Gates shut up against him And he had his men at so great command that no danger was unto them more dreadful than his displeasure neither did he punish any thing so severely as cowardize Now the Turks in Sebastia seeing these Tartarian Horsemen marching towards the City making little account of them because their number was not great issued out to meet them where they were so furiously charged by these few Horsemen that they were glad to retire and for hast to shut the Gates against some of their own men lest the Enemy should have entered pell mell with them which Turks were there slain at the Gates of the City Shortly after came Tamerlane with all the rest of his Army and sat down before the City where he lay still seven days not making any shew of violence at all The defendants because the City was of great strength thought that his purpose was by a long Siege to distress the same But about the eighth day the Towers and Walls being undermined in sundry places suddenly fell down leaving large breaches for the Enemy to enter wherewith the Turks being dismayed surrendred the City to Tamerlane in hope so to have saved their lives but he caused them all to be buried quick and the City utterly to be razed and then calling the Governour whose life he had spared for that end he bade him go and tell his Master what had happened to his strong City of Sebastia and what himself had seen there of which Tragical action when the Governour had made report to Bajazet he demanded of him whether of the two Armies he thought bigger or stronger for he had now assembled a mighty Army of three hundred thousand Horse and two hundred thousand Footmen whereunto the Governour having first craved pardon answered That it could not be in reason but that Tamerlane had the greater Army for that he commanded over far greater Countries wherewith proud Bajazet being offended replied in great Choller Out of doubt the sight of the Tartarian hath so affrighted this coward that he thinks every Enemy to be two As Bajazet marched forward he heard a Country Shepherd merrily pleasing himself with his homely Pipe as he sate on the side of a Mountain feeding his small flock whereupon he stood still and listned to him to the admiration of many and at last brake forth into these words O happy Shepherd which hadst no Sebastia to lose bewraying therein his own discontentment and yet withal shewing that worldly bliss consisted not so much in possessing of much subject unto danger as in enjoying content in a little devoid of fears The rest of the Cities as Tamerlane marched forwards warned by the destruction of Sebastia yielded to him the Citizens whereof he used courteously especially the Christians whom he set at liberty for the Greek Emperours sake whom he sought therein to gratifie But Tamerlane had not gone far into the Turks dominions before he was certainly informed that Bajazet was coming against him with a mighty Army and was now within thirty Leagues of him which caused him from thence forward to march with his Army more close together Axalla leading the Van sent forth Chianson Prince of Ciarchan with four thousand Parthian Horsemen to get knowledg of the Turkish Army and where Bajazet lay as also what manner of Countrey it was beyond Sennas and if he could learn any thing thereof to make relation of it to him This Prince of Ciarchan was Tamerlanes near Kinsman a man of great reputation and next to Axalla in whose absence he had the command of the Avantguard who also sent before him another Parthian Captain with five hundred Horsemen who having advanced about ten Leagues and surprized Sennas was certainly informed there of the state of Bajazets Army which was now at Tataeia and so marching forward which Tamerlane being informed of commanded him not to retire from that place till he saw the arrival of the enemy and thereof to give him advertisement every hour resolving himself to pass on no further being encamped in a fair large plain which was very advantageous for him his Army being bigger then Bajazets which made him make choise of those large plains His Army also being compounded of sundry Nations he considered that he was not to fight against the Chinois a soft effeminate people as of late but against the Turks a most warlike Nation and well acquainted with all manner of fights and warlike stratagems and therefore he judged it necessary to proceed warily against them Upon this consideration he presently sent for Axalla with him to view the said place and to have his opinion whether it would be advantageous for him to stay there or no Axalla not misliking his choice of the place yet withal advised him to keep Sennas as long as possible he could and accordingly he sent word to them at Sennas that when they could keep the place no longer they should set fire on it and so retreat and this he did that the Enemy should have no desire to encamp there but to march forward to those plains where Tamerlane desired to fight the rather because he was stronger in Horse than Bajazet Accordingly the Prince of Ciarchan sent out a hundred Horse toward the Turks then divided he the rest of his Forces into two parts commanding the former that as soon as they perceived the Enemy to pursue the hundred Horse whom he had commanded to fly disorderly before them that they should receive them into their Squadrons and so retire altogether He in the mean time with the other part stood close in a Valley near unto a Wood-side wholly unseen where having suffered two thousand
all manner of merchandise as well for delight as necessity By these Ambassadours the Greek Emperour yielded his Empire together with his Person unto Tamerlane as his most faithful Subject and Vassal Which as he said he was bound to do for that he was by him delivered from the most cruel Tyrant of the World as also for the long journey he had undertaken for his sake and the discommodities he had endured with the hazard of his Person and loss of his Subjects which could not be otherwise compensated but with the offer of his own and his Subjects lives to him which for ever he therefore dedicated to his service with all the fidelity and loyalty that so great a benefit might deserve besides that his so many virtues and rare endowments which made him famous through the world did oblige him the more hereunto and that therefore he would attend him in his chief City to deliver it into his hands as his own together with all the Empire of Greece Now these Ambassadours expected no less than to fall into the bondage of Tamerlane judging that which they offered to be so great and delicate a morsel as that it would not be refused especially of such a Victorious Prince as was Tamerlane and that the acceptance thereof in kindness and Friendship was the best bargain they could make therein But they received at answer from this Worthy Prince far beyond their expectation For he with a mild countenance beholding them answered thus That he was not come from so far a countrey nor undertook such pains for the enlargement of his Dominions big enough already too base a thing for him to put himself into so great danger and hazard for but rather to win honour and to make his name famous to future Posterities And that he would make it appear to the World that he came to assist their Master as his Friend and Ally at his request and that his upright intentions therein were the greatest cause that God from above had favoured him and made him instrumental to bruise the head of the greatest and fiercest enemy of mankind that was under heaven and therefore to get him an immortal name his purpose was to make free so great and flourishing a City as was Constantinople governed by so noble and ancient a House as the Emperours That he had alwayes joyned Faith to his Courage which should never suffer him to make so great a breach into his reputation as that it should be reported of him that in the colour of a Friend he should come to invade the Dominions of his Ally That he desired no more but that the service he had done for the Greek Emperour might remain for ever engraven in the memory of his posterity to the end they might for ever wish well to him and his Successors by the remembring the good he had done for them That he wished that long might the noble Emperour live happily to govern his estate and that before his return he would so well consider of the establishing of the same as that he should not lightly fall into the same jeopardy Easie it is to judge what joy the Ambassadours did conceive upon hearing this so gracious an answer from the mouth of Tamerlane who rather than he would break his Faith refused an Empire offered him together with one of the stateliest and magnificentest Cities in the World After the testification of their joy and thankfulness these Ambassadours were by the command of Tamerlane royally feasted by Axalla having all the honour done to them that might be And one of them being sent back to carry this unexpected news to the Emperour filled both him and all the City of Constantinople with exceeding joy and gladness which both he and all his subjects testified by making of Bonefires and other signs of joy and pleasure And the Emperour the more to shew his gratitude by the advice of his Counsellours passed over the streight into Asia to see Tamerlane in Prusa and in person himself to give him thanks who hearing of his coming and being glad thereof presently sent Prince Axalla to meet him and to certifie him of the joy he conceived to have the good hap to see him as also to conduct him to Prusa where those two great Princes with the greatest magnificence that might be met and so spent one whole day in conversing together and the Greek Emperor the next daytaking his leave was by Tamerlane with much honour conducted out of the City Now had Tamerlane himself conceived a great desire to see the famous City of Constantinople from which he was not now far yet would he not go thither as a Conquerour but as a private person which by the means of Axalla was accomplished and he thereinto by the Greek Emperour privately received and with all familiarity possible entertained the Emperour shewing unto him all the rare and excellent things that were contained therein and the other Greek Princes devising all the means they could to do him pleasure and them that were with him who were all in a manner cloathed after the Greek fashion The Greek Emperour was curious to shew him all the beautiful Gardens along the Sea-coast and so privately conducting him about spent five or six dayes with all the mirth that might be Tamerlane by the way often saying that he had never seen a fairer City and that of all others considering the scituation of it it was right worthy to command all the World He wondred at the costly buildings of the Temples the fair engraven Pillars the high Piramides and the excellent Gardens afterwards saying often that it nothing repented him to have undertaken so long and dangerous a journey if it had been only to preserve so notable a City from fire and sword In the Greek Emperour he greatly commended his mild nature and courtesie who knowing that above all things he took pleasure in fair serviceable Horses gave unto him thirty of the fairest strongest and readiest that were possibly to be gotten all most richly furnished He sent likewise great Presents to all the Princes and great Commanders of the Army and bountifully caused to be delivered to them all things which he thought necessary for the Army So after these great kindnesses and a strict bond of Friendship made and by solemn Oath confirmed by these two great Princes Tamerlane with great contentment took leave of the Emperour and returned to his Army at Prusa wherewith now at pleasure he spoiled and wasted all the dominions of Bajazet in Asia no man daring to make head against him The Winter now drawing on Tamerlane dispersed his Army into divers Provinces of the lesser Asia expecting daily when some of Bajazet's sons or great Friends should make suit to him for his deliverance but none came most fearing the fierce nature of Bajazet who if he had been delivered was like enough to have taken severe revenge upon all that forsook
as Tamerlane's Army approached to it By this unexpected coming of the Sultan the great City that before was ready to have revolted was again confirmed in his obedience to the great prejudice of Tamerlanes affairs For to remain long before it was impossible through want of Victuals for so great an Army in an Enemies Countrey Yet this discouraged not Tamerlane from approaching to it and with all his Army to encamp near unto the same having caused a great Trench to be made for the security of his Horsemen and therein to lodge his Army more safely during which time he caused divers attempts to be made as well to try the enemies confidence as to see how the people of the City especially the slaves which in that populous City are in great numbers were affected towards him who indeed were glad to see the state of his Army and the proud Mamelukes still put to the worst but farther strirred not During this siege he thought good one day to draw forth his Army before the City to try whether the enemy had any mind to come to a battel as also to view his own Forces and so indeed to seek occasion to fight hoping that if the Sultan should come forth with his Army some revolt might happen at the same time in the City as well by the slaves unto whom by secret Spies he had promised liberty as by the Citizens themselves who were much discontented with the insolency of the Mamelukes and by whom Tamerlane by the same Spies had made it known that he came not to hurt them but to deliver them from the tyranny of his and their enemies But standing thus in Battel array none stirred out of the City neither was there any tumult raised within according as he expected For the Sultan being plentifully provided with all things in that rich City resolved to weary out Tamerlane by lying still and not to put all to the hazard of a battel Tamerlane perceiving his Design yet resolved not to depart till he was Victorious whereupon he thought fit also to attempt him in his greatest strength and in the heart of his greatest City though it could not be done without great hazard such confidence had he in the Valour and Multitude of his Army Now his purpose was first to take one of the Cities for Caire is divided into three and therein encamping himself by little and little to advance forwards as he could find opportunity Upon this resolution he commanded a strong assault to be given and having conducted his Footmen to the place chosen by him for the onset for the City was not Walled but only fortified with Ditches and Trenches he commanded the Prince of Thanais with fifty thousand men to begin the Assault even in the face of the Enemy which he most valiantly performed which occasioned a great and terrible fight Axalla in the mean time deeming as the truth was that the Sultan had drawn the greatest part to his Forces to that place fetched a compass about and in another part of the City with small resistance passed the Trenches where he presently left thirty thousand men to fill up the Ditches thereby to make way for the Horsemens entrance himself with the rest advancing forwards against twenty thousand sent by the Sultan to oppose his farther passage the Prince of Thanais being at the same time almost beaten back by the Mamelukes But the Ditches being presently levelled ten thousand Horsemen entred who charged upon the backs of the Mamelukes where the Sultan himself was there were likewise seconded by ten thousand more sent in by Tamerlane himself following after with all his power Hereupon the Sultan retreated into a second strength which he had made in the next City This fight continued full seven hours wherein were slain of the Sultans men above sixteen thousand and of Tamerlane's between seven and eight thousand Tamerlane being well contented that he had dislodged his enemy and gained one of the Cities caused a retreat to be sounded hoping the next day to win all the rest as indeed he did For the next morning the Prince of Thanais storming the Trenches in one part as Axalla did in another the Sultan after a great fight finding himself hardly pressed by the obstinate Enemy and unable longer to hold out retreated abandoning the City and encamping himself along the River Nilus resolving to retire to the City of Alexandria his second strength and only refuge which Tamerlane suspecting followed after him with his Horsemen who only were in order and some few Foot hardly drawn from the City which their fellows were in plundering Tamerlane promising them both to regard and reward their good service Against these the Sultan upon a narrow cawse-way had opposed twelve or fifteen thousand men to favour his passage who being of his best Souldiers maintained their ground stoutly the place being much for their advantage yet at length their enemies still increasing and pressing hard upon them they were forced to cast themselves into the great River and made a most honourable retreat every man having his Weapon in one hand and swimming with the other hand to the farther Bank The Sultan flying with about eighteen thousand Horse the rest being either drowned or dispersed is said to have comforted his flying men by telling them they were not men but gods that had vanquished them Divers of the Mamelukes that were taken Prisoners being brought before Tamerlane were by him courteously used and asked if they would be content to serve him seeing their Master was fled and gone This they all utterly refused whom notwithstanding for their fidelity Tamerlane set at liberty to go again to their Master being no less desirous to be admired by his Enemies for his Goodness and Bounty than to be feared for his Force and Valour The wonderful wealth of this so great and famous a City became a prey to his Souldiers who for the space of twenty four hours had the spoil thereof At the end of which time every man was straitly charged by open Proclamation to retire to his Quarters Tamerlane would not suffer any of the Citizens to be taken Prisoners and such as were he released and so leaving ten thousand good Souldiers with many others that followed his Camp for the Guard of the City and taking with him all such persons as he thought might hurt him he caused his Army to pass over the River and to follow the Sultan to Alexandria that so his Victory might be compleated Axalla hasted before with the Avantguard to hinder the Sultan from gathering up his Forces together The rest of the Army was conducted by the Prince of Thanais Tamerlane himself with an infinte number of Boats and many Souldiers to attend him went by Water greatly delighting to behold that fair River of Nilus sometimes running with a swift course other sometimes very calm and scarce moved The Citizens of Alexandria
Osnabourg Hildesem and Halberstad But though he gave the Bishops power of Governing yet the Nobles did not altogether loose the power of administring in Publick affairs At last because the Saxons revolted again he removed ten thousand of them with their Wives and Children into Brabant and Flanders and sent some French to inhabit their rooms Charlemagne lived fifteen years after that he had united the Roman Empire to the French Monarchy yet not without many troubles For Grimoald Duke of Beneventum sought to disturb Italy in the behalf of the Lombards but Charles prevented it betimes imploying against him his Son Pepin a worthy and valiant Prince and Grimoald being vanquished was entreated with all mildness and being restored to his Estate he became afterwards a very affectionate and obedient Servant to Charlemagne who was a prudent Conquerour that knew as well how to use as how to get a Victory After this it followed that for some attempts made by the Venetians against the Empire of Charlemagne in the behalf of the Emperour of Constantinople or as others say upon the false information of Fortunatus Patriarch of Grado that Charlemagne commanded his Son Pepin King of Italy to make Wars against them which he acordingly began with great resolution and took the Cities and Fortresses which the Venetians held within the main land and at length besieged the City of Venice it self both by Sea and by Land to the relief whereof the Greek Emperour sent a Fleet about which Authors agree not for some say that Pepin wholly took Venice Others say that he only took some Islands thereof and that the place wich is called Rioalte defended it self How ever it was this War continued long Obeliers and Becur two great Personages being the chief Commanders for the Venetians At last Peace was concluded betwix them and the Venetians had liberty to live after their own Laws and customs and the Venetians won great reputation for being able to defend themselves against so potent and victorious an Enemy Charlemagne would have the Country which he had conquered from the Lombards to be called Lombardy that by retaining their Name he might somewhat sweeten their servile condition in the ruin of their estate But now Charlemagne finding himself old and broken and his Children Valiant Wise and Obedient he resolved to make his last Will and Testament wherein he divided his Kingdoms between his three legitimate Sons to wit Charles his Eldest Pepin and Lewis In which he made his eldest Son Charles King of the greatest and best parts of France and Germany To Pepin he gave the Kingdom of Italy and Bavaria with some other Provinces And to Lewis he bequeathed Provence and that part of France which bordereth upon Spain together with some other Provinces But all succeeded after another manner than he attended God the Soveraign disposer of Kingdoms having decreed otherwise to dispose thereof He endeavoured also to reduce all his Kingdoms under one Law making choise of the Roman Laws above all others both for the dignity of the Empire and because they seemed to him to be most just and equal But the French being loath to alter any thing in their customary Laws desired and obtained of him that they might be governed by the same So as Gaul Narbonne which comprehends Daulphine Languedoc and Provence do use the written Laws as the ancient Provinces of the Romans and the rest of France observe their customary Laws It afterwards happened that a great Fleet of Infidels which inhabited Spain with the aid and assistance of some Africans invaded the Isles of Sardinia and Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea for the defence whereof the Emperour Charlemagne sent commandment to his Son Pepin that he should send thither against them a valiant Captain whose name was Bucaredus who took so good order as that he drove those Infidels out of those Islands and slew five thousand of them in one Battel And with no less good success the Emperour undertook another War against the Dukes of the Bohemians and Polanders which is a part of the ancient Sarmatia who infested the Countries under his Dominions against whom he sent his Son Charles with great Forces of Burgonians Saxons and Germans And this young Charles imitating his Father Warred valiantly and with discretion against them and coming first to a Battel with the Bohemians led by Leo their Duke he overcame them as he did also at other times and at last he slew Leo their Duke the like success he had also against the Polanders so as at length they all became his Fathers Subjects And for these Victories of Charlemagne he was so much feared and renowned through the World that a great King of the East and Amurath the greatest of all the Mahomatists sent their Ambassadours with rich Presents unto him desiring peace and friendship and the like did all Christian Kings Charlemagne thus living with honour and in tranquillity Godfrey King of Denmark which was a dependance of the Realm of Germany and part of Charles his Portion as was hinted before made War against him This Godfrey was a mighty Prince and commanded over a large mighty Dominion and with great Forces came into Friesland and Saxony where he did great harm Against whom the Emperour addressing himself though he was now Old and unweildy speedily departed with a great Army but by the way news was brought him that King Godfrey was dead and that his Army was returned into their own Country And upon the same day news came also that his Son Pepin who had raigned in Italy in great prosperity was dead in the City of Millan which was an occasion of great grief to the old Emperour Then did he return to the City of Aken or Aix unto which place Ambassadours came to him from Hermigius who succeeded Godfrey in the Kingdom of Denmark humbly desiring Peace The like came also to him from the Emperour of Constantinople and others also from Ambulat a King of the Moors who raigned in a great part of Spain to all which he returned gracious answers and granted their Petitions withall giving hearty thanks to God for that he was generally so well esteemed of But after this Sunshine another storm returned as the Clouds return after the rain For it pleased God to take away another of his Sons called Charles who lay on the borders of Germany for the defence thereof so as now his whole hope rested in his third Son Lewis Thus man purposeth and God disposeth Thus the Sons die before the Father Thus we see the greatest cannot free themselves from the common calamities of mankind Thus both great Kings and great Kingdoms have their Period Crowns have their compass Kingdoms have their date Fortune her frowns Felicity her fate Thus Charlemagne lost his Children and his great Empire her best support under God For these two Princes like Stars of the greater magnitude did shine bright by inheriting their
and therefore despised all the Arguments used by Sandanes to the contrary who desired him to consider aforehand that he provoked a Nation inhabiting a barren and Mountanous Region a People not covered with the soft silk of Worms but with the hard skins of Beasts not fed with meat to their Fancies but content with what they found Drinkers of Water and not of Wine and in a word a Nation Warlike Patient Valiant and Prosperous over whom if he became Victorious he could thereby enrich himself in nothing but Fame in which he already excelled and if by them he should be beaten and subdued so great would his loss appear of all things which the world makes account of that the same could neither be hastily recounted nor easily conceived Notwithstanding this solid and seasonable Counsel Croesus having prepared a powerful Army advanced with the same toward Media but in his passage he was retarded at Pterium a City in Cappadâ—cia of great strength which whilst he attempted both by power and policy to take and Conquer Cyrus came on and found the Lydians encamped before it Neither of these Champions were inferior to other either in strength or opinion For out of doubt Croesus as he excelled any Prince of that age in Riches and ability so was he not inferiour unto any in Territories and Fame that then lived But Kingdoms and Commonwealths have their increase and Periods from Divine Ordinance This time was the Winter of Croesus his prosperity the leaves of his flourishing estate being ready to fall and that of Cyrus but in the first Spring and Flower the God of all Power had given a date to the one and a beginning of glory to the other When these two Armies were in view each of other after divers skirmishes had passed between them the Persians and Lydians began to joyn together and encounter each other in gross Bodies and as either of them began to retreat fresh supplies were sent in from both their Kings And as the Persians had somewhat the better of the day so when the dark vail of night had hidden each Army from the others view Croesus doubting what success the rising Sun might bring with it quitted the Field to Cyrus and with all speed possible retreated towards his own Countrey and taking the next way thither he recovered Sardis the first City of Lydia and his Regal Seat without any pursuit made by Cyrus to retard him where being arrived and nothing suspecting Cyrus his approach or any other War for that Winter he dismissed his Army and sent the Troops of his sundry Nations to their own Provinces appointing them to re-assemble at the end of five Months acquainting his Commanders with his intent of renewing the War at the time appointed The morning being come Cyrus finding that the Lydians were departed put his Army in order to pursue after them yet not so hastily and at their heels as to be discovered But getting good intellegence of Croesus his proceedings he so ordered the matter that he presented not himself before Sardis till such time as Croesus had disposed of his Army and sent them to their Winter Quarters His coming 〈◊〉 altogether unlooked for and unfeared he had opportunity enough to surround Sardis with his Army wherein Croesus had no other Companies than the Citizens and his ordinary Guards insomuch as after fourteen days Siege Cyrus took the City by Storm and put all to the Sword that made resistance Croesus now having neither Arms to Fight nor Wings to fly in this common calamity he thrust himself into the heap and multitude of his miserable Subjects and had undergone the same lot with the rest of the vanquished persons had not a Son of his who had been dumb all his Life before by the extremity of Passion and Fear cryed out to a common Souldier who was with a drawn Sword pursuing his Father that he should not kill Croesus Hereupon he was taken and imprisoned and despoiled of all things but only the expectation of Death Shortly after he was bound with Fetters and Placed upon a large and high pile of Wood to be burnt to ashes thereon To which when Fire was set and kindled Croesus remembring the discourse which long before he had with Solon the Athenian Lawgiver he thrice cryed out O Solon Solon Solon and being demanded what he meant by the invocation of Solon he at first used silence But being urged again he told them that now he found that true which wise Solon had long since told him That many men in the race and course of their lives might well be accounted Fortunate but no man could discern himself to be happy indeed till his end Of this his answer Cyrus being speedily informed and thereby being put in mind of the mutability of Fortune and of his own mortality he commanded his Ministers of Justice speedily to withdraw the Fire and to save Croesus and bring him to his presence which being done Cyrus demanded of him who it was that had perswaded him or what reason had instigated him to invade his Territories and to make him of a Friend an Enemy To which Croesus thus answered It was thy prosperous and my unprosperous destiny the Grecian Gods with all flattering my Ambition that were the inventers and conducters of Croesus War against Cyrus Cyrus being much affected with this answer of Croesus and bewailing his estate though he was victorious over him did not only spare his life but entertained him ever after as a King and his companion Thus Herodotus relates it But Xenophon saith that Cyrus did entertain Craesus friendly at the first sight and makes no mention of any such cruel intent of burning him alive and this may seem the more probable because Crasus was his Grandmothers Brother and it s very likely that neerness of Alliance might withhold Cyrus if he had been vicious which he was not from so cruel a purpose as to have burnt him alive When Cyrus afterwards passed with his Army over Araxes into Scythia he left Croesus to be a companion and counseller to his Son Cambyses whom he made Governour over his Empire in his absence with whom he lived all the Reign of Cyrus and did afterwards accompany Cambyses in his Expedition into Egypt where he hardly escaped his Tyrannous hands At this time the Races of three of the greatest Kings in that part of the World came to an end to wit of the Babylonians Medians and Lydians in Balthasar Xiaxares or Darius Medus and Croesus After this Lydian War ensued the great Conquest of Babylon which gave unto Cyrus an Empire so large and mighty that he was justly reputed the greatest Monarch then living upon the Earth How long time the preparations for this great action took up is uncertain only it seems that ten whole years did pass between his taking of those two Cities of Sardis and Babylon which time was not wholly spent
Trenches towards the River certain Banks or Heads uncut till he saw his opportunity Now Belshazzar finding neither any want or weakness within the City nor any possibility for his enemies without to approach the Walls by reason of the great River that surrounded them he prepared an exceeding sumptuous Feast Publick Plays and other Pastimes and thereto invited a Thousand of his Princes or Nobles besides his Wives Courtezans and others of that Trade This he did either to let the Besiegers know that his Provisions were sufficient not only for all needful uses but even for superfluity and excess Or because he hoped that his enemies by this time were discouraged and even broken under their manifold disasters Or else he made this Feast in honour of Bell his most adored Idol Or lastly because it was his Birth or Coronation Day Or for many or most of these respects Yea he was not contented to use and shew such Magnificence as no Prince else could Equal but he lifted up himself against the God of Heaven Dan. 5. 23. For he his Princes his Wives and his Concubines made carousing Cups of the Golden and Silver Vessels which his Grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the Temple which was at Jerusalem and in contempt of the Lord of Heaven he praised his own Puppets made of Gold and Silver and Brass and Iron and Wood and Stone Whilst Belshazzar was thus triumphing and had his brains well filled with vapours he beheld a hand which by Divine power wrote upon the Wall that was opposite to him certain Words which he understood not wherewith so great a fear and amazement seized upon him that the joynts of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another Which Passion when he had in some measure recovered he cryed aloud to bring in the Astrologers the Chaldeans and the Southsayers promising them great rewards and the third place of Honour in his Kingdom to him that could read and expound the Writing But it exceeded their Art and Skill In this disturbance and astonishment the Queen hearing what had passed came in and observing what distraction the King was in after Reverence done She used this Speech O King live for ever Let not thy thoughts trouble thee nor let thy countenance be changed there is a man in thy Kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the holy Gods and in the Days of thy Father light and understanding and Wisdome like the Wisdom of the Gods was found in him whom the King Nebuchadnezzar thy Father the King I say thy Father made Master of the Magicians the Astrologers the Chaldeans and the Southsayers for as much as an excellent Spirit and knowledg and understanding in interpreting Dreams and shewing of hard Sentences and dissolving doubts were found in the same Daniel whom the King named Belteshazzar Now let Daniel be called and he will shew the Interpretation This Queen was either the Grandmother or the Mother of Belshazzar For it appears that She was not any of the Kings Wives because She was absent from the Feast and in regard of her age past banquetting and dancing Yet upon the report of the Miracle She came in to comfort and cheer up the King and whereas Daniel was forgotten and neglected by others of younger years and latter times this old Queen remembred well what Daniel had done in the days of Nebuchadnezzar Grandfather to this Belshazzar and kept in mind both his Religion and Divine gifts When Daniel was brought into the Kings presence he said unto him Art thou that Daniel which art of the Children of the Captivity of Judah whom the King my Father brought out of Jewry I have heard of thee that the Spirit of the Gods is in thee and that light and understanding and excellent Wisdom is found in thee and now the Wise men and the Astrologers have been brought in before me that they should read this Writing and make known to me the Interpretation thereof but they could not do it And I have heard of thee that thou canst make Interpretations and dissolve doubts Now if thou canst read the Writing and make known to me the Interpretation thereof thou shalt be clothed with Scarlet and have a chain of Gold about thy neck and shalt be the third Ruler in the Kingdom But Daniel made answer in a far differing stile from that which he had used to his Grandfather For the evil which he had foretold to Nebuchadnezzar he wished that it might befal his enemies But to this King whose contempt of God and vicious life he hated he answered in these Words Let thy gifts be to thy self and give thy rewards to another Yet I will read the writing to the King and make known to him the Interpretation which yet before he did he shewed him the cause of Gods Judgments against him and the reason of this terrible sentence whereof the King and all his Wise men were utterly Ignorant the substance whereof is this That Belshazzar forgetting Gods goodness to his Father whom all Nations feared and obeyed and yet for his Pride and neglect of those benefits as he had deprived him of his Estate and Understanding so upon the acknowledgement of Gods infinite power he restored him to both again And thou his Son said he O BelshazZar hast not humbled thy heart though thou knowest all this But hast lifted up thy self against the Lord of Heaven and they have brought thee Vessels of his House before thee and thou and thy Lords thy Wives and thy Concubines have drunk Wine in them and thou hast praised the Gods of silver and Gold c. and the God in whose hand thy â—reath is and whose are all thy wayes hast thou not Glorified Then was the part of the band sent from him and this writing was written Mene Mene Tekel Upharâ—in Whereof this is the Interpretation Mene God hath numbred thy Kingdom and finished it Tekel Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting Peres Thy Kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians The very Evening or Night of this Day wherein Belshazzar thus Feasted and wherein these things were done Cyrus either by his Espcials or being inspired by God himself whose Ensign he followed in these Wars finding the time and opportunity fit for him even whilst the Kings Head and and the Heads of his Nobility were no less distempered with the Vapours of Wine than their hearts were with the fear of Gods Judgments he caused all the Banks and Heads of his Trenches to be opened and cut down with all speed and diligence whereby that great River Euphrates was quickly drawn dry and himself with his Army passing through the Channel which was now dry without any opposition they easily made their entrance into the City finding none to disturb them Invadunt urbem somno Vinoque sepultam All the Town lay buried in Wine and Sleep and such as came in
under their Leader Zorobabel the Son of Salathiel and Nephew to King Jeconias and Joshua the Son of Josedech the High Priest were about fifty thousand And as soon as they arrived at Jerusalem they built an Altar to the living God and sacrificed thereon according to their Law and afterwards bethought themselves how to prepare materials for the building of the Temple Cyrus having set all things in order at Babylon returned through Media into Persia to his Father Cambyses and his Mother Mandanes who were yet living and from thence returning again into Media he married the only Daughter and Heir of Cyaxares and for Dowry had the whole Kingdom of Media given him with her And when the Marriage was finished he presently went his way and took her with him and coming to Babylon from thence he sent Governours into all his Dominions Into Arabia he sent Megabyzus into Phrygia the greater Artacaman into Lydia and Ionia Chrysantas into Caria Adusius into Phrygia Helle spontiaca or the less Pharmicas But into Cilicia and Cyprus and Paphlagonia he sent no Persians to Govern them because they voluntarily and of their own accord took his part against the King of Babylon yet he caused even them also to pay him Tribute Cyrus having spent one whole year with his Wife in Babylon gathered thither his whole Army consisting of one hundred and twenty Thousand Horse and two Thousand Iron Chariots and six hundred Thousand Footmen and having furnished himself with all necessary provisions he undertook that Journey wherein he subdued all the Nations inhabiting from Syria to the Red Sea The time that Cyrus enjoyed in rest and pleasure after these great Victories and the attainment of his Empire is generally agreed upon by all Chronologers to have lasted only seven years In which time he made such Laws and Constitutions as differ little from the Ordinances of all wise Kings that are desirous to establish a Royal power to themselves and their Posterity which are recorded by Xenophon The last War and the end of this Great King Cyrus is diversly written by Historians Herodotus and Justin say That after these Conquests Cyrus invaded the Massagets a very Warlike Nation of the Scythians Governed by Tomyris their Queen and that in an encounter between the Persians and these Northern Nomades Tomyris lost her Army together with her Son Spargapises that was the General of it In revenge whereof this Queen making new levies of men of War and prosecuting the War against Cyrus in a second sore Battel the Persians were beaten and Cyrus was taken Prisoner and that Tomyris cut off his Head from his Body and threw it into a Bowl of Blood using these words Thou that hast all thy time thirsted for blood now drink thy fill and satiate thy self with it This War which Metasthenes calls Tomyrique lasted about six years But more probably this Scythian War was that which is mentioned before which Cyrus made against the Scythians after the Conquest of Lydia according to Ctesias who calleth Tomyris Sparetha and makes the end of it otherwise as you may see before The same Ctesias also recordeth that the last War which Cyrus made was against Amarhaeus King of the Derbitians another Nation of the Scythians whom though he overcame in Battel yet there he received a Wound whereof he died three dayes after Strabo also affirmeth that he was buried in his own City of Pesagardes which himself had built and where his Epitaph was to be read in Strabo's time which he saith was this O Vir quicunque es undecunque advenis neque enim te adventurum ignoravi Ego sum Cyrus qui Persis Imperium constitui pusillum hoc Terrae quo meum tegitur Corpus mihi ne invideas O thou man whosoever thou art and whensoever thou comest for I was not ignorant that thou shouldst come I am Cyrus that founded the Persian Empire Do not envy me this little Earth with which my Body is covered When Alexander the Great returned from his Indian Conquests he visited Pesagardes and caused this Tomb of Cyrus to be opened either upon hope of great Treasure supposed to have been buried with him or upon a desire to honour his dead Body with certain Ceremonies when the Sepulchre was opened there was found nothing in it save an old rotten Target two Scythian Bows and a Sword The Coffin wherein his Body lay Alexander caused to be covered with his own Garment and a Crown of Gold to be set upon it Cyrus finding in himself that he could not long enjoy the World he called unto him his Nobility with his two Sons Cambyses and Smerdis and after a long Oration wherein he assured himself and taught others about the Immortality of the Soul and of the punishments and rewards following the ill and good deservings of every man in this life He exhorted his Sons by the strongest Arguments he had to a perpetual Concord and Agreement Many other things he uttered which makes it probable that he received the knowledge of the true God from Daniel whilst he Governed Susa in Persia and that Cyrus himself had read the Prophesie of Isay wherein he was expresly named and by God pre-ordained for the delivery of his people out of Captivity which act of delivering the Jews and of restoring of the Holy Temple and the City of Jerusalem was in true consideration the Noblest work that ever Cyrus performed For in other actions he was an Instrument of Gods power used for the chastising of many Nations and the establishing of a Government in those parts of the World which yet was not to continue long But herein he had the favour to be an Instrument of Gods goodness and a willing advancer of his Kingdom upon Earth which must last for ever Cyrus had issue two Sons Cambyses and Smerdis and three Daughters Atossa Meroe and Artistona At his Death he bequeathed his Empire to his Eldest Son Cambyses appointing Smerdis his younger Son to be Satrapa or Lieutenant of Media Armenia and Cadusia He reigned about one and thirty years and died aged The Greek Historians wholly ascribe the Conquest of Babylon to Cyrus because that he commanded the Army in Chief yet the Scriptures attribute it to Darius King of the Medes whose General Cyrus was For when Babylon was taken and Belshazzar slain It 's said Dan. 5. 31. that Darius the Median took the Kingdom being about sixty two years old It was Darius also that placed Officers over the several Provinces thereof as we read Dan. 6 1 2. It pleased Darius to set over the Kingdom an hundred and twenty Princes which should be over the whole Kingdom and over these three Presidents of whom Daniel was the first c. And thus was it Prophesied by Isay long before Behold I will stir up the Medes against them c. And by the Prophet Jeremy The Lord hath raised up the Spirit of the King of
yet was his victory so easie that the Persians flying he slew twenty thousand of the Foot and two thousand five hundred Horsemen with the loss of twelve of his own Foot and two and twenty of his Horsemen which shews that the Persians were rather killed in their backs whilst they ran away than hurt in their bosoms by resisting It was wisely done of Alexander to pass this River of Granick in the face of the enemy without seeking any other place or means to convey his men over For having beaten the Asiaticks upon their own ground he did thereby cut off no less of their reputation than of their strength leaving the partakers of such Cowards without hope of Succour Presently after this Victory he recovered Sardis Ephesus and the City of the Trallians and Magnesia all which were soon rendred to him the Inhabitants he received with great grace suffering them to be governed by their own Laws and about the same time by Parmenio he wan Miletus and by force took in Halicarnasseus which because it resisted obstinately he razed it to the ground From thence he went into Caria where Ada the Queen who had been cast out of all that she held except the City of Alinda by Darius his Leiutenants presented her self to him and adopted him for her Son and Successour which Alexander took so kindly that he left the whole Kingdom to her disposal Then entred he into Lycia and Pamphilia and assured to him all the Sea-coasts and subjecting to him Pisidia he steared his course towards Darius vvho as he was informed vvas marching towards him with a marvellous great Army by the vvay of Phrygia and this he might the easilier do for that his first Victory had laid under his feet all the Provinces of Asia the less which bordered upon the Sea-coast Then gave he order for the setling and Government of Lycia and Pamphilia and so marching towards the North he entred Celenas seated on the River Meander which was abandoned to him only the Castle held out which yet after forty days vvas surrendred to him also for so long time he gave them to attend succour from Darius From Celenas he passed on thorow Phrygia towards the Euxine Sea till he came to the City of Gordium somtimes the Regal City of King Midas vvhere he found the Gordian Knot which when he knew not hovv to undo he cut it asunder vvith his Svvord For there vvas an old Prophesie vvhich promised him that could unty it the Lordship of all Asia vvhereupon Alexander not respecting the manner so it vvere done assumed to himself the fulfilling of the Prophesie by hevving it in pieces Novv before he left this part of Asia to go to the East he took care to clear the Sea-coast on his back and to thrust the Persians out of the Islands of Lesbos Chio and Coos the charge vvhereof he committed to tvvo of his Captains giving them such directions as he judged most meet for that service and delivering to them fifty Talents for defraying the charges thereof and vvithal out of the spoil gotten by his first Victory he sent sixty Talents more to Antipater vvhom he had left for the Government of Macedonia and Greece From Celenas he vvent to Ancira standing on the same River of Sanguarius vvhich runs through Gordium there he mustered his Army and so entred into Paphlagonia vvhose Inhabitants submitted themselves to him and thereby obtained freedom from Tribute There he left Catus Governour vvith one Regiment of Macedonians newly come to him Here he heard of the Death of Memnon Darius's Lieutenant which much encouraged him to pass on towards him For of this one Commander he had more respect than of all the multitude assembled by Darius and of all the Captains he had besides Then did he travel hastily towards Cilicia with a desire to recover the Streights thereof before Darius should arrive there The Governour of Cilicia hearing of Alexanders hasty march left some Companies to keep the Streights which were indeed very defensible and now though too late began to prize and put in Execution the advice of Memnon who in the beginning of the Wars had counselled to wast all the provisions both for Man and Horse that could not be conveyed into strong holds and always to give ground to the Invader till he found some such notable advantage as might secure to him the Victory For the fury of an invading army is best broken by delays change of diet and want and other inconveniences bringing and breeding many diseases upon all Nations out of their own Country And had Darius kept the Macedonians but a while without meat and sleep refusing to give or take Battel and had wearied them with his light Horsemen as the Parthians afterwards did the Romans in all probability he might have saved both his life and Estate For it was one of the greatest encouragements given by Alexander to his Macedonians before the third and last fatal Battel that they were now to fight with all the strength of Persia at once But where God hath a purpose to destroy wise men are taken away and the charge of things is committed unto such as either cannot see what is for their good or that know not how to put in execution any sound advice the courte which Memnon had propounded must in all liklyhood have brought the Macedonians into great straits and stopt them at those narrow passages of Cilicia For had Cappadocia and Paphlagonia being wasted when Alexander was far off and the Streights of Cilicia been defended by Arsenes with his best Souldiers hunger would not have suffered the enemy to stay the tryal of all means for the forcing of that passage Or if the place could not have been defended yet might Cilicia at leasure have been throughly spoiled that the heart of Alexanders Army should have been broken whilest they sought out miseries by painful travel But Arsenes leaving a small number to defend the Streights took the best of his Army with him to wast and spoil the Country or rather as it seemed to make himself some work under which pretence he might with honesty run the further from Alexander And in truth he so handled the matter that he gave cause to the Cicilians to wish for Alexanders coming and as great cause to the Keepers of the Passage not to hinder it For Cowards are wise in apprehending all forms of danger These Guardians of the Streights hearing that Arsenes hasted to joyn himself with Darius burning down all as he went as one despairing to defend it began to think that surely their General who gave for lost the Country behind their backs had exposed themselves to certain ruin as men that were fit only to dull the Swords of the Macedonians Wherefore not being ambitious to die for their Prince and Country which honour they saw that Arsenes himself could well forbear they presently followed the footsteps of their General gleaning what he had
Treasure than to pursue the vanquished This miserable resolution his Nobility rather obeyed than approved Soon after the departure of Darius came Alexander to Arbela vvhich with a great mass of Treasure and many Princely Ornaments was surrendred to him For the fear which accompanied Darius took nothing with it but shame and dishonour He that had been twice beaten before should have sent his Treasure into Media rather than to have brought it to Arbela so neer the place where he intended to wait the coming of his enemy If he had been victorious he might have brought it back at leasure But being overcome he knew it impossible to drive Mules and Camels loaden with Gold from the pursuing Enemy seeing himself at the overthrow which he had in Cilicia cast the Crown from his head to run away the lighter But its easier to reprehend than to amend what is past From Arbela Alexander marched towards Babylon where Mazeus in whom Darius had most confidence rendred to him himself his Children and the City Also the Captain of the Castle where the Treasure was kept strewed the Streets with Flowers burnt Frankincense upon the Silver Altars as Alexander passed by and delivered to him whatsoever was committed to his trust The Magi also who were the Chaldean Astrologers followed this Captain to entertain their new King After these came the Babylonian Horsemen infinitely rich in attire but exceeding poor in Warlike furniture Between these and himself Alexander caused his Macedonian Footmen to march When he entred the Castle he admired the Glory thereof and the abundance of Treasure which he found therein amounting to fifty thousand Talents of Silver uncoined In this City rich in all things but most of all in voluptuous pleasures the King rested himself and his vvhole Army thirty four days spending that time in Banquetting and in all sorts of effeminate exercises which so much softned the minds of the Macedonians not acquainted till now with such delicacies as the severe Discipline of War which taught them to endure hunger and thirst painful travel and hard lodging began rather to be forgotten than neglected Alexander as he was rowed upon a Lake neer Babylon in his Gally a sudden tempest arising blew off his Hat and Crown fastened upon it into the Lake whereupon one of the Marriners leaping into the vvater swam and fetched it to him and to keep it the drier he put it upon his own head Alexander rewarded him with a Talent for saving his Crown but vvithal caused his Head to be cut off for presuming to put his Crown upon it During his abode here Alexander instituted those Regiments consisting of a thousand Souldiers appointing Colonels over them who thereupon were called Chiliarks This new order Alexander brought in vvas to honour those Captains which were found by certain Judges to have deserved best in the late War While Alexander vvas yet at Babylon there came to him a great supply out of Europe For Antipater sent him six thousand Foot and five hundred Hore out of Macedonia and of the Thracians three thousand Foot and as many Horse and out of Greece four thousand and four hundred Horse by vvhich his Army vvas greatly strengthened For those that were infected with the pleasures of Babylon could hardly be brought again to change their soft beds for hard boards and the cold ground Alexander left the City and Castle of Babylon with the Territories adjoyning in charge with three of his own Captains Agathon Minetus and Apolidorus leaving a thousand Talents to supply their wants But to grace Mazeus who delivered up the City to him he gave him the Title of his Lieutenant General and took along with him Bagistines who surrendred the Castle to him and having distributed to every Souldier a part of the Treasure he left Babylon and entred into the Province of Satrapene marching from thence towards Susa in Persia situated on the River Euleus which City vvas sometime Governed by the Prophet Daniel Here Abulites the Governour of this famous City gave it up to the Conquerour with fifty thousand Talents of Silver in Bullion and twelve Elephants for the War with all other the Treasure of Darius there such as the Persian Kings had for a long time heaped up together leaving it from Father to Son all which in one hour came into his hands who never cared for it In this sort did those Vassals of Fortune those lovers of the Kings prosperity not of his Person purchase their own peace and safety with their Masters Treasure and herein was Alexander well advised that whatsoever Titles he gave to the Persians yet he left all places of importance in trust vvith his own Captains as Babylon Susa Persepolis with other Cities and Provinces that were Conquered by him for had Darius but beaten the Macedonians in one Battel all the Persian Nobility would have turned again to their natural Lord. Whilest Alexander was ransacking Arbela Mazeus might have furnished Darius from Babylon and whilest he stayed those thirty four days at Babylon Abulites might have holpen him from Susa and whilest he was Feasting and Frolicking there Teridates from Persepolis might fully have supplied him for the chiefest bulk of his Treasure was laid up in that City But benefits bind not the ambitious but the honest for those that are selfish do in all changes consult only the conservation of their own greatness The Government of Susa with the Castle and treasure Alexander committed to his own Macedonians making Abulites who rendred it to him his Lieutenant as he had done Mazeus before giving them Honourable Titles but neither trust nor power For he left three thousand old Souldiers to Garrison that City and with them the Mother and Children of Darius to repose themselves there From Susa Alexander marched with his Army towards Persepolis but when he sought to pass those Mountains that sunder Susiana and Persia he was soundly beaten by Ariobarzanes who defended those Streights against him called Pilae Persidis and after the loss of many of his Macedonians he was forced to save himself by retreat causing his Foot to march close together and to cover themselves with their Targets from the Stones that were tumbled upon them from the Mountain-tops Yet in the end he found out another passage which was discovered to him by a Lycian that lived in that Countrey and thereby coming suddenly upon Ariobarzanes who now was enforced to fight upon even ground he overthrew him who from thence fled to Persepolis But the Citizens refusing to admit him he returned and gave a second charge upon the Macedonians in which he was slain Many Greeks for Authors agree not upon their number having been taken Prisoners by the Persians presented themselves here to Alexander These had the Barbarians so maimed by cutting off their Hands Ears Noses and other Members as that they could not have been known to their own Countrey men but by their Language To each of
suffered great want of water insomuch as when they came to the River Oxus there died more of them by immoderate drinking than Alexander had lost in any one Battel against the Persians He found upon the Banks of this great River no manner of Timber or other materials wherewith to make Bridges or Boats or Rafts but was forced to sew together Hides that covered his Carriages and stuffing them with straw he was six dayes in passing over his Army after that manner which Bessus might easily have distressed if he had dared but to look the Macedonians in the face He had formerly complained of Darius for neglecting to defend the Banks of Tigris and other Passes and yet now when this Traiterous slave had stiled himself a King he durst not perform any thing worthy of a slave and therefore they that were nearest to him and whom he most trusted to wit Spicamenes Dataphernes Cantanes and others the Commanders of his Army moved both by the care of their own safety and the remembrance of Bessus his Treason and cruelty against Darius bound him as he had done his Master only his chain was closed about his neck like a Mastiff Dog and so they dragged him along to present him to Alexander In the mean time Alexander was arrived at a certain Town inhabited by Greeks of Miletum brought thither by Xerxes when long before he returned out of Greece whose children had now almost forgotten their Countrey Language These entertained him with great joy but he most cruelly put them all to the Sword and destroyed their City At this place he received Bessus and having rewarded Spitamenes and his Associates he delivered the Traitor into the hands of Oxatre Brother to Darius to be tormented by him But now when he thought himself most secure and out of danger some twenty thousand Mountainers assaulted his Camp in repelling whom he received a shot in his leg the Arrow head sticking in the flesh so that he was fain to be carried in a Horse-Litter for some time after Shortly after he came unto Maracanda judged by some to be the same with Samarcand the Imperial City of the Great Tamerlain which was in compass seventy furlongs Here he received the Ambassadors of the Scythians called Avians who offered to serve him Presently after the Bactrians with the Sogdians were again stirred up to Rebellion by the same Spitamenes and Catanes who had lately delivered Bessus into Alexanders hands Many Cities were stoutly defended against him all which after he had subdued them he utterly defaced killing all therein At the Siege of one of these he received a blow in the neck which struck him to the ground and disabled him from action many dayes after In the mean while Spitamenes had recovered Samarcand against whom he sent Menedemus with three thousand Foot and eight hundred Horsemen In the heat of these affairs Alexander marched to the River Jaxartes that runs between Sogdiana and Scythia which he passed over while Menedemus was employed in the recovery of Samarcand Upon the Banks of this River he built another Alexandria sixty furlongs in compass which he beautified with Houses seventeen dayes after the walls were built But the Scythian King perswading himself that this City was built on purpose to keep him under made some attempts to hinder the erection of this new City but being naked of defensive Arms he was easily beaten away Sixty of the Macedonians are said to be slain in this conflict and eleven hundred wounded which might easily be done in passing a great River defended against them by good Archer Of the Scythian Horses eighteen hundred were brought into the Camp and many Prisoners Whilst Alexander was securing himself against those Scythians bordering upon Jaxartes he received the ill news that Menedemus was slain by Spitamenes his Army broken and most of them killed to wit two thousand Foot and three hundred Horse He therefore intending revenge upon Spitamenes made all the haste he could but Spitamenes fled into Bactria Whereupon Alexander killed burned and laid waste all before him not sparing the innocent Children and so departed leaving a new Governour in that Province To repair this loss he received a great supply of nineteen thousand men out of Greece Lycia and Syria with all which and his old Army he returned towards the South and passed the River of Oxus on the South-side whereof he built six Towns near each to other for their mutual security But he found a new upstart Rebell one Arimazes a Sogdian who was followed by thirty thousand Souldiers that defended against him a strong piece of ground on the top of an High and steep Hill Alexander sought but in vain to win him with fair words wherefore he made choice of three hundred young men and promised ten Talents to the first nine to the second and so proportionably to the rest that could find a way to creep to the top thereof This they performed with the loss of thirty two of their number and then made a sign to Alexander that they had accomplished his Commandment Hereupon he sent one Cophes to perswade Arimazes to yield up the place who being shewed 〈◊〉 Cophes that the Macedonians were already gotten up he yielded simply to Alexanders mercy and was with all his Kindred scourged and crucified which punishment they well deserved for keeping no better a watch in so dangerous a time For the place might have been defended against any power After these Sogdian and Scythian Wars Alexander committed the Government of Samarcand and the Country about it to Clytus whom yet he slew soon after for preferring the Virtue of Philip the Father before that of Alexander the Son or rather because he objected to the King the Death of Parmenio and derided the Oracle of Hammon for therein he touched him to the quick his Speech being in publick and at a drunken Banquet Clytus indeed had deserved as much at the Kings hand as any man living having saved his life which the King well remembred when he came to himself and when it was too late to repent As Clytus in his Cups forgat whom he offended so Alexander in his drunkenness forgat whom he slew for grief whereof he afterward tore his Face and sorrowed so inordinately that had he not been over-perswaded by Calisthenes he would have slain himself Drunkenness both kindles and discovers every vice It removes shame which gives impediment to bad attempts Where Wine gets the Mastery all the evil which before lay hidden breaks out Drunkenness indeed rather discovers vices than makes them Soon after this Spitamenes who slew Bessus and had lately revolted from Alexander was murthered by his own Wife and his Head was presented to Alexander Spitamenes being thus taken away the Dahans also seized upon his fellow Conspirator Dataphernes and delivered him up So that Alexander being now freed from all those petty Rebels and disposed of the Provinces that
But finding it to be otherwise he sent his Brother Hagis with four thousand Horse and a hundred armed Chariots to entertain him Each Chariot had in it four to â—ight and two to guide it But they were at this time of little use by reason that much rain having fallen the fields were so foul that the Horses could hardly trot In this fight the Scythians and Dahans had Alexanders Vantguard who so galled the Indians with their Darts and Arrows that the Horses brake their reins and overturned the Chariots and those that were in them Perdiccas also charged the Indian Horsemen who were by him forced to recoil Then did Porus move forward with the Gross of his Army that his Vantguard who were scattered might retreat into his Rear Alexander being followed by Ephestion Ptolomy and Perdiccas charged the Indian Horsemen in the left wing commanding Cenon to set upon the right He directed also Antigonus and Leonatus to charge Porus his Battel of Foot strengthened with Elephants Porus himself riding upon one of the biggest of them By these Beasts the Macedonian Foot received the greatest dammage but the Archers and Darters being well guarded with the long and strong Pikes of the Macedonians so galled them that the Elephants being inraged turned Head and ran over their own Footmen that followed them In the end after a long and doubtful fight by the advantage of weapons and the skill and courage of the Macedonian Captains the Victory fell to Alexander who also far exceeded Porus in number of men For besides the Macedonians and other Eastern and Northern Nations Alexander was assisted by Porus his Confederates and Country people Yet for his own person he never gave ground otherwise than with his Sword towards his enemies till being weakned by many wounds and abandoned by his Army he became a Prisoner to the Conquerour from whom again he received his Kingdom with a great enlargement I forbear to mention other petty Victories which Alexander obtained after this in his sailing down the River of Indus The description of places about the Head and branches thereof are better known to us by reason of our late Navigations and Discoveries than they were in former times The magnificence and Rights of those Indian Kings we could in no sort be perswaded to believe till our own experience had taught us that there are many stranger things in the world than we see in our own Countrey Alexander having by this time over-wearied his Army he discovered the rest of India by Fame The Indian Kings whom he had subdued informed him that a King called Aggramenes ruled over many Nations beyond the River Ganges who was able to bring into the Field two hundred thousand Foot twenty thousand Horse three thousand Elephants and two thousand armed Chariots With this report though Alexander was more enflamed than ever to proceed in his Discoveries and Conquests yet all his Oratory could not prevail with his Souldiers to adventure over those waste Desarts beyond Indus and Ganges which were more terrible to them than the greatest Army that the East could gather Yet at last they were overcome by many perswasions to follow him towards the South to discover such parts of the Ocean as were nearer at hand unto which the River Indus was their infallible guide Alexander seeing it would be no otherwise devised a pretty trick by which he hoped to beguile after-ages and make himself seem greater than he was For which end he enlarged his Camp made greater Trenches greater Cabins for Souldiers greater Horse-stalls and higher Mangers than Horses could seed in Yea he caused all furniture both for Men and Horses to be made larger than would serve for use and scattered these Armours and Bridles about his Camp to be kept as Reliques and wondred at by those barbarous People Proportionable unto these he raised up twelve great Altars to be Monuments of his Journeys end This done he returned again to the Banks of Asesines and there determined to build his Fleet where Ausines and Hydaspes meet and to testifie by a surer Monument how far he had passed towards the East he built by those Rivers two Cities the one he called Nicaea and the other Bucephalon after the name of his beloved Horse Bucephalus Here again he received a new supply of six thousand Thracian Horse-men seven thousand Foot and from his Lieutenant of Babylon twenty five thousand Armours garnished with Silver and Gold which he distributed amongst his Souldiers About these Rivers he won many Towns and committed great slaughter on those that resisted It 's said that besieging a City of the Oxidracans he leaped from the top of the wall into it and fought long against all the Inhabitants till his Souldiers forcing a Gate came in to his rescue Finally he passed down the River with his Fleet at which time news was brought him of a Rebellion in Bactria and then of the arrival of a hundred Ambassadours from a King in India who submitted himself to him These Ambassadours he Feasted upon a hundred Beds of Gold with all the sumptuousness that could be devised who soon after their dispatch returned again and presented him with three hundred Horses and one hundred and thirty Wagons and in each of them four Horses a thousand Targets with many other things rare and rich Then sailed Alexander towards the South passing through many obscure Nations which all yielded to him either quietly or by force Amongst these he built another Alexandria Of the many places which he took in his passage one was called Samus the Inhabitants whereof fought against him with poysoned Swords with one of which Ptolomy afterwards King of Egypt was wounded and was cured by an Herb which Alexander dreamed he had seen in the mouth of a Serpent When he came near to the out-let of Indus being ignorant of the Tides of the Sea his Gallies on a sudden were shuffled one against another by the coming of the Flood and in the Ebb they were left on the dry ground and on the Sandy banks in the River wherewith the Macedonians were much amazed But after he had a few dayes observed the course of the Sea he passed out of the Rivers mouth some few miles and then offering Sacrifice to Neptune he returned and the better to inform himself he sent Nearchus and Onesicritus to discover the Coast towards the mouth of Euphrates Near the out-lets of this River he spent some part of Winter and from thence in eighteen dayes march he recovered Gredosia in which passage his Army suffered such misery through the want of food that of one hundred and twenty thousand Foot and twelve thousand Horse which he carried into India not a fourth part returned alive From Gredosia Alexander led his Army into Caramania and so drawing near to Persia he gave himself wholly unto Feasting and Drinking imitating the Triumphs of Bacchus And though this Swinish Vice be hateful
before the City of Thespies which they surprized and put to the Sword two hundred of the Garrison and afterwards returned back with their Army to Thebes and Phaebidas the Lacedemonian who was then Governour of that City sallied out of the Town and charged upon the Thebans in their retreat who intertained him so hotly that he lost five hundred of his men and himself was slain in the Fight Not long after the Lacedemonians returned with their former Army to make War with the Thebans who having seized upon certain straights and places of advantage so blocked up the way that they could not over run the Country and spoil it as they had done before yet did Agesilaus so molest and trouble them that at last it came to a main Battel that held long and was very cruel and though at the first Agesilaus had the better yet the Thebans charged him so furiously that at the length he himself was wounded and forced to retire being well paid for teaching the Thebans Military Discipline And this was the first time that the Thebans knew themselves to be as strong and lusty as the Lacedemonians whereupon they Triumphed in sign of Victory and from that time forward they grew more couragious to make head against the Enemy and to present them battel But that which most encouraged them was the presence of Epaminondas who counselled commanded and executed very Wisely Valiantly and with great success At another time they went with a great number of chosen men before the City of Orchomene where yet they prevailed not because there was a strong Garrison of the Lacedemonians that sallied out upon them and the Fight was very sharp between them yet though the Lacedemonians were far more in number the Thebans gave them the overthrow which never happened to them before For all other Nations thought that they had done excellent well if with a far greater number they had overcome a small number of the Lacedemonians But this Victory and an other which fell out shortly after under the conduct of Pelopidas did so lift up and encourage the Thebans that they became more famous than ever they were before The year following Artaxerxes King of Persia intending to make War against Aegypt and therein to intertain diverse strangers laboured to make Peace amongst the Grecians in hope that they being at Peace amongst themselves would be the more willing to have Souldiers lcavied amongst them For which end he sent Ambassadours to all the Towns of Greece to perswade and intreat them to be at Peace amongst themselves The Greeks were very willing to harken hereto being wearied on all sides with such long Wars and so were easily drawn to make Peace wherein it was especially agreed and concluded that all the Cities of Greece should be free and use their own Laws and Commissioners were sent abroad to withdraw all the Garrisons where any were kept Unto this the Thebans only refused to agree that every Town should severally capitulate for it requesting that the Towns in the Country of Boeotia should be comprehended under the City of Thebes but the Athenians mightily opposed themselves against this and Calistratus one of their Orators made a notable Oration about it before all the States of Greece Epaminondas on the contrary made an excellent and vehement speech in defence of the right of the Thebans insomuch as this controversie was left undecided and the Treaty of Peace was universally agreed to amongst all the other Grecians the Thebans only excepted who were not comprised in it At this time the Athenians and Lacedemonians who had long contended amongst themselves about the Principality of Greece now agreed that the one should command by Sea and the other by Land And therefore they could not endure that the Thebans should aspire to be chief which made them seek to dismember the other Towns of Boeotia from them the rather for that the Thebans being strong and lusty of Body and much encouraged by their late Victories over the Lacedemonians would now contend with them for their superiority having a wonderful confidence in the Wisdom and Prowess of their Captains especially of Epaminondas Matters resting thus doubtful the Citizens of Plataees a Town of Boeotia were desirous to enter into League with the Athenians promising that if they would send them Souldiers they would put the Town into their hands But the Governours of Boeotia having intelligence of it and being desirous to prevent the Athenians brought a party of Souldiers against it who came before Plataees before the Citizens heard any news of them so that part of them were surprised in the Field by the Horsemen and the rest fled into the Town where having no aid they were faign to accept of such tearms as it pleased the Thebans to grant them which were presently to depart the Town with bag and baggage and never to return again into the Country of Boeotia Then did they raze the City to the ground and sacked the Town of Thespies which also was at enmity with them The Ambassadours of Persia again solicited the Greeks to a General Peace and Commissioners from every Town were to meet at Sparta about it Epaminondas was yet scarce known having laboured to conceal himself and in all his exploits of War had ever preferred the advancement of his great Friend and Companion in Arms Pelopidas before himself He was now chosen by the Thebans to go to Sparta where finding that the other Commissioners did much comply with Agesilaus he spake boldly and plainly not only in behalf of the Thebans but for all Greece also making it evident to all that War still encreased the greatness of Sparta only which kept all the other Towns of Greece under He therefore advised them to establish a firm Peace which would last the longer when all comprized in it should be equals Agesilaus perceiving all the Commissioners to be very attentive to and well pleased with this speech he asked him a loud if he thought it just and equal that all Boeotia should be set at liberty Epaminondas presently and boldly asked him if he thought it not also just and reasonable that all Laconia should be set at liberty Thereupon Agesilaus in great anger stood up and commanded him to answer plainly if they should not restore all the Towns in Boeotia to their Liberty and Epaminondas answered him as before This so displeased Agesilaus who had an old grudg to the Thebans that immediately he put their Name out of the List of those that should be comprized within the Treaty of Peace and proclaimed open War against them and now there was no remedy but the Thebans must bear the whole brunt alone for there was no one Town that durst send them any aid because they were all sworn to the Peace insomuch as all judged them to be utterly undone Friends pittied there estate and there enemies rejoyced verily believing that they could never stand before the
six thousand Foot and five hundred Horse The Athenians having intelligence hereof sent their Army under the conduct of Chabrias who marched directly to Corinth where he met with a good supply of Souldiers from the Megarians Pallenians and Corinthians so that now he had a Brigade of ten thousand men These intended to fortifie and stop all the passages and entrances into the Country of Peloponnesus The Lacedemonians and their Allies joyning also with them made up an Army of twenty thousand men And accordingly beginning at the City of Cencrees unto the Haven of Lecheum they blocked all the ways from one Sea to another with mighty great pieces of Timber laid across and with a marvellous deep Diteh and this great work was followed with such speed both by reason of the great multitude of labourers as also through the frowardness of them that prosecuted it with such earnestness that they had quite finished it before the Boeotians could arrive there Epaminondas when he came thither viewing this fortification perceiving that the easiest place to storm it was that which the Lacedemonians themselves guarded he sent to give them defiance though they were thrice as many in number as he was yet for all this they durst not come out but kept close under their fortification Notwithstanding he assaulted them in it and at last drave them out In the heat of the fight every one doing his best some assailing others defending Epaminondas chose out the valiantest men in all his Army and bravely charging the Lacedemonians he forced them to give back and in dispite of them he entered into Peloponnesus which of all other his Noble exploits was the most wonderful and memorable action From thence he marched to the Cities of Epidaure and Trozen and so pillaged all the Country But he stayed not to take any of the Towns because they had strong Garrisons in them Yet he put Sicyone Phuente and some other Towns into such fear that they yielded themselves to him This being done he went to Corinth and overcame the Corinthians in a set Battel and beat them home even to the Gates of their City Yea some of his men were so unadvised trusting to their own Valour that they entered the Gates of their City pel mel with those that fled which put the Corinthians into such a terrible fear that they ran with all speed possible to shelter themselves in their Houses But Chabrias making head beat them out again and slew some whereupon he caused a token of Triumph to be set up as if he had given the Thebans an overthrow for which Epaminondas laughed him to scorn The Boeotians brought their Army as neer unto Corinth as they could and Chabrias with his Army encamped without the Walls in a very strong Place of advantage and there were many Skirmishes betwixt them in which Chabrias behaved himself with such Valour that he gained great reputation even of Epaminondas himself who upon a time being asked whom he thought to be the greatest Captain himself Chabrias or Iphecrates It s hard said he to judg whilst we are all alive News was brought to him that the Athenians had again sent an Army into Peloponnesus furnished with new Armor Indeed this Army consisted of ten thousand Spaniards and Gauls whom Dyonisius the Tyrant sent out of Sicily to aid the Lacedemonians having paid them for five months they did some reasonable service in this War and at the end of Summer returned home again It fell out in these last encounters that Epaminondas having forced the Lacedemonians that guarded the fortification before mentioned had many of them in his power to have slain them but he contented himself only with this Glory that in dispite of them he had entered into Peloponnesus seeking to do them no more hurt which gave occasion to those that envied his Glory to blame him and to accuse him of Treason as having willingly spared the enemies because they should in particular thank him only But here it will not be improper to take notice how he behaved himself amongst his Citizens and how wisely he defended his own Integrity Amongst all those that envied his Glory and Virtue there was one Meneclides an Orator and an eloquent man but withall most wicked and very malicious He finding that Eâ—aminondas won so much honour by the Wars never left perswading the Thebans to embrace Peace and prefer it before War and that because hereby they should not always live under the obedience and command of one man But Epaminondas one day told him in the open Counsel Thou wilt said he deceive the Thebans whilst thou advisest them to leave the Wars and highly commended ease and Peace thou goest about to put iron bolts upon their Feet For War begets Peace which yet cannot hold long but amongst them that know how to maintain it with the Sword Then turning himself to the Citizens he said If you will have the Principality and command of all Greece you must shroud your selves in your Tents and lie in your Pavillions in the open Fields and not follow Sports and Pastimes here at home For he knew well enough that the Boeotians undid themselves by ease and Idleness which made him endeavour continually to keep them in exercise and War Upon a time when the Thebans were to choose Captains they went about to choose Epaminondas one of the six Counsellours whereupon he said to them My Masters pray you consider of it now you are at leasure before you choose me For I tell you plainly If I be chosen your Captain you must to the Wars He used to call the Country of Boeotia which was a plain and Champion Country the Stage of War saying that it was impossible to keep it unless the Inhabitants had their Targets on their Arms and their Swords in their hands and this was not because he did not love Peace and privacy to study Philosophy or that he was not more careful of them that were under his charge than he was of himself using always to watch and forbear his meat when the Thebans were at their Banquets and Feasts giving themselves over to their pleasures but because he knew them well enough and was never more careful of any thing than to keep his Army from Idleness Upon a time the Arcadians desired him that some of his Companions might come into one of their Towns to lie dry and warm there all the Winter but he would by no means yield to it For said he to his Souldiers now they see you exercising your selves in Arms they wonder at you as brave and valiant men but if they should see you at the Fire side parching of Beans they would esteem no better of you than of themselves Neither could he endure Covetuousness for if at sometimes he gave his men leave to go a free booting his meaning was that whatsoever they got should be bestowed in furnishing them with good Arms and if any went about to
Souldiers and sent them home well rewarded by which means he procured the love of the Citizens but the greater hatred of the Tyrant Shortly after Antigonus the Son of Aristobulus Brother to Hyrcanus invaded Judea being assisted by Ptolomei the son of Menaeus and Fabius the Governour of Damascus and Masion the Tyrant of the Tyrians who adhered to him for the hatred that he bore to Herod whom Herod meeting when they had scarce entred the borders of Judea overcame them in Battel and drave them thence whereupon Hyrcanus honoured him with Crowns as soon as he returned to Jerusalem For he was already accounted as one of the Family of Hyrcanus being to marry Mariamne or Mary the daughter of Alexander the Son of Aristobulus the Brother of Hyrcanus and of Alexandra the daughter of Hyrcanus M. Anthony having overcome Brutus and Cassius there met him Ambassies from all Nations in Bythinia and amongst the rest some of the Rulers of the Jews to accuse Phasaelus and Herod alledging that Hyrcanus ruled only in shew but in truth all the power was in the two Brothers Yet Anthony highly honoured Herod who was come thither to wipe of all those objections whereby it came to pass that his Adversaries were not so much as admitted to speak with Anthony and this Herod had obtained by his Bribes Yet not long after there came an hundred of the most honourable amongst the Jews to Daphne near Antioch in Syria to Anthony to accuse Phasaelus and Herod having chosen out of their whole number the most Eloquent to manage their business But Messala undertook the defence of the two Brothers with whom also Hyrcanus joyned who had betrothed his Grand-daughter to Herod Both Parties being heard Anthony asked Hyrcanus whether of the two parties were fittest to Govern a Commonwealth who speaking for the young men Anthony that loved them for their Fathers sake his old Friend he made them both Tetrarchs leaving to them the Government of all Judea writing his Letters to the same purpose and clapped fifteen of their Adversaries into Prison and would have put them to death had not Herod intreated for them But when the People did nothing but rail upon Herod Anthony in displeasure slew them all Antigonus the Son of Aristobulus hired the Parthians to translate the Kingdom from Hyrcanus to himself and to kill Herod who coming along with him and some Jews also joyning themselves to him he came to Jerusalem and they set upon the Kings House But Phasaelus and Herod defended it against them and in the Market place overcoming them in a fight forced them to fly into the Temple where they shut them in and placed sixty men in some adjoyning houses to prevent their flight but the people hating the two brethren set fire on those Houses and burnt the men in them which so inraged Herod that he slew many of the people and each laying wait for the other every day some were murdered The day of Pentecost being come many thousands of men as well armed as unarmed gathered together about the Temple from all parts of the Country and seized upon the Temple and City all but the Kings House which Herod kept with a few Souldiers as Phasaelus did the walls These brothers assisting each other assaulted their enemies in the Suburbs forced many thousands of them to flie some into the City and some into the Temple and others into a rampire that was near the City Hereupon Antigonus desired that Pacorus the General of the Parthians might be admitted to make peace between them which Phasaelus assented to and Pacorus perswaded him to go with him as an Ambassador to Barzapharnes another General of the Parthians laying an ambush for him by the way Phasaelus assented though much against the mind of his Brother Herod and was willing to go with Pacorus and took Hyrcanus along with him Pacorus leaving two hundred Horsemen with Herod and ten whom they called Eleutheri went along with the Ambassadors And as soon as they were come into Galile Barzapharnes entertained them with a cheerful countenance and bestowed gifts upon them but watched an opportunity to intrap them and so Phasaelus was brought with his Company to a place near the Sea-side called Ecdippon where Ophellus a rich Syrian understanding of the treachery intended against them offered Phasaelus some Ships to carry him away But he unwilling to leave Hyrcanus and his Brother Herod in danger expostulated with Barzapharnes about the injury offered to them who were Ambassadors who swore that these things were not true and presently went to Pacorus No sooner was he gon but Hyrcanus and Phasaelus were clapped up in Prison much detesting the perfidiousness of the Parthians and an Eunuch also was sent to Herod with a command to surprize him if he could get him out of Jerusalem Herod having intelligence what had happened to his Brother taking with him such forces as he had in readiness and his Mother Cybele his Sister Salome his Wife Mariamne and his Wives Mother Alexandra the Daughter of Hyrcanus and his yougest Brother Pheroras with their Servants he privately by Night took his flight into Idumaea In their journey his Mother by the overthrow of her Coach was in great danger of death and Herod fearing least the enemies should overtake them whilest they stayed there drew forth his Sword thinking to kill himself But being restrained by those which stood by he went towards Massada a very strong place which is seated in Arabia and Palestine by the nearest way that he could possible The Parthians first and also the Jews pursuing him by that he was sixty furlongs from the City but he repelled them both in fight The next day after Herod had fled from Jerusalem the Parthians plundered the City and the Kings House only the Treasure of Hyrcanus which was three hundred Talents remained untouched A great part also of Herods substance which he had not carried away with him they siezed upon and not satisfied therewith they harrized all the Country also and razed the rich City of Marissa Antigonus being thus setled in Judaea by the Parthians he received into his custody Hyrcanus and Phasaelus who were Prisoners yet he was much grieved that the Women were got away whom he had intended to deliver to the Parthians together with the money which he had promised to give them Being afraid also lest Hyrcanus should again by the favour of the People be restored to his Kingdom and Priest-hood he cut off his ears thereby rendring him unfit for the Priest-hood the Law forbidding that any one who wanted a member should approach to the Altar Lev. 21. 17 c. Phasaelus knowing that his death was determined sought to lay violent hands upon himself but being hindred by reason of his chains he dashed out his brains against a stone Yet before he was quite dead hearing by a Woman that his Brother Herod was escaped he
the Temple was taken and the lower City the Jews fled into the inward part of the Temple and the upper City and fearing lest they should be hindred from offering their daily Sacrifices unto God they sent Ambassadours unto Herod to desire leave that such Beasts only might be brought in which were to be sacrificed This request Herod easily granted hoping that by this means they would leave their obstinacy and submit to him But perceiving that this courtesie prevailed not and that they were still resolute to continue the Sovereignty in Antigonus he gave a general assault and won the City on the Kalends of January on the second moneth Cislu being the day on which the Jews were wont to celebrate a Fast in commemoration of the holy Rowl that was burnt by Jehoiakim The City being taken by assault all places were filled with murthers the Romans being incensed against the Jews for holding out so long and the Herodian Jews endeavouring to extirpate the contrary faction so that there were continual slaughters in the Porches and Houses yea the reverence of the Temple not saving the suppliants They spared neither age nor sex nor so much as the little children and though the Conquerour Herod besought and intreated them to forbear yet none would hear or obey him but as if they had been mad they proceeded in their cruelty Antigonus coming down from the upper City fell at Sosius his feet who nothing pittying his miserable condition insulting over him calling him Madam Antigonuus and withall cast him into prison and set keepers about him And whereas a multitude of Strangers that Herod had hired came rushing in not into the Temple only but even into the Sanctuary some he thought to restrain by intreaty others by threats and some by force judging his Victory worse than if he had been overthrown if any of those things which were not lawful to be seen were exposed to the view of the prophane multitude He restrained also the plundering of the City as much as in him lay intreating Sosius to do the like asking if the Romans would make him King of a Wilderness the City being so wasted by rapines and murthers Sosius answered that the Souldiers desired the plunder of the City in regard of their hard service in the siege To which Herod replied that he would recompence every man out of his own Treasury and making good his promise he freed the City from further misery For he bestowed gifts liberally upon the Souldiers and proportionably upon the Commanders and bountifully upon Sosius whereupon Sosius offering a Crown of Gold unto GOD withdrew out of the City leading Antigonus a Prisoner along with him to Anthony Herod being thus setled in Jerusalem he advanced those of his own faction and daily put to death them of the contrary Amongst whom he slew all those of the Sanhedrim who had accused him of a capital crime before he was King sparing only Pollio the Pharisee and Samias his Disciple whom he highly honoured Then did he gather together all the Regal Ornaments and much silver and gold which he exacted from rich men all which he gave to Anthony and his Souldiers He put to death also forty and five of Antigonus his chief Noble men setting watches at their doors that none of them might be carried out under pretence of being dead and what gold or silver soever was found was all carried to Herod so that there was no end of the peoples miseries the covetousness of the needy Conquerours consuming all their estates The fields also lay untilled because it was the Sabbatical year in which it was unlawful to sow the ground Of these miserable times amongst others were spectators Zacharias the Priest with his Wife Elizabeth Of the relicts of Davids stock Hely and Joseph Anna also the Prophetess of the Tribe of Aser and Simeon the just who received an answer from the Holy Ghost that he should not see death till he had seen the Lord Christ. Luk. 2. 26. Anthony being thus possessed of Antigonus intended to keep him Prisoner to adorn his Triumph but Herod feared that if Antigonus was brought to Rome by Anthony he might there contend with him before the Senate for the Kingdom considering also how the Nation of the Jews hated him and favoured Antigonus he thereupon gave great sums of money to Anthony to cut off his head which accordingly he did at Antioch Antigonus being the first King that was thus put to death by the Romans and in him ended the Principality of the Hasmonaeans It being from the Captainship of Judas Maccabaeus to the death of Antigonus an hundred twenty six years and two or three moneths and by this means Herod a stranger got the Kingdom and was totally freed from his fears Hyrcanus as we heard before being carried Prisoner to Phraates King of the Parthians he intreated him courteously for the Nobility of his Descent and after a time freeing him from Prison he suffered him to live in Babylon where were great store of Jews who honoured him no less than as their King and High-Priest and not only they of Babylon but all the rest of the Nation of the Iews did the like who in old time had been carried captive beyond the River Euphrates by the Assyrians of whom there were many millions But Hyrcanus hearing that Herod was made King of the Iews he began to cast his hopes that wayes expecting favour from Herod whose life he had saved when he was called in question before the Sanhedrim He consulted therefore with the Iews that came to visit him about his return into Iudea who by all means disswaded him from it yet could they not prevail with him Besides Herod desired by all means to get the poor old man into his clutches and thereupon wrote to him to get leave of Phraates and the Iews that he might return and that they would not envy him the joynt rule with his Son in Law the time being now come wherein he could requite the favours that Hyrcanus had shewed him in being his nourisher and preserver He sent also his Ambassadour to Phraates with great Presents intreating him that he would not hinder him from being thankful to him that had deserved so well of him Hyrcanus being forward of himself dismissed by the Parthians and honourably furnished by the Iews for the expences of his journey he came at last to Herod who entertained him with all honour gave him the upper hand in all Assemblies and the more honourable place at all Feasts calling him Father hereby to delude him lest he should suspect any treachery Herod providing that none of the Nobility should be created High-Priest sent to Babylon for a Priest of base Parentage whom formerly he had been acquainted with of the race of those Priests that had been carried away beyond Euphrates whose name was Ananelius or Hananeel and to him he gave the High-Priesthood This
Tetrarchy but he gave the Kingdom to his Son Archelaus To his sister Salome he gave Jamnia Azotus and Thasaelis with five hundred thousand Drachmaes To the rest of his Kindred he gave money and yearly Pensions To Caesar he gave ten Millions of Drachmaes of silver and all his Plate as well of Gold as of Silver and a great quantity of precious moveables and to Livia Caesars Wife and some certain Friends he gave five Millions of Drachmaes Having thus ordered these things five dayes after Antipater was put to death he dyed himself having enjoyed the Kingdom 34 years after the death of Antigonus but from the time that he was declared King by the Romans 37 years about the 25th of our November in the year of the world 4001 and after the Birth of Christ about two years THE LIFE and DEATH OF HANNIBAL THE GREAT HANNIBAL the Son of Amilcar was about twenty six years old when he was chosen General of the Carthaginian Forces in Spain He was elected by the Army as soon as Asdrabal their late General was dead and the election was approved and confirmed by the Senate or Carthage wherewith Hanno and his faction was nothing pleased This was now the third of the Barchine Family so called of Amilcar whose surname was Barcas that commanded in chief over the men of War Hanno therefore and his Partizans being neither able to tax the Virtue of their enemies nor to perform the like services to the Common-wealth had nothing left whereby to value themselves excepting the general reprehensions of War and cautelous advise of not provoking the Romans but they were little regarded For the Carthaginians saw apparently that the Oath of the Romans to the Articles of Peace was like to hold no longer than till the Romans could find some good advantage to renew the War It was therefore rather desired by the Carthaginians that whilst they were in a fit condition the War should begin rather than in some unhappy time of Famine or Pestilence or after some great loss in their Army or Fleet they should be driven to yield to the impudent demands of their insulting enemies This disposition of his Citizens Hannibal well enough understood Neither was he ignorant that in making War with the Romans it was no small advantage to get the start of them Could he but bring his Army into Italy he hoped to find Friends and assistance even from those People that helped to encrease the Armies of the Romans But his design must be carried privately or else it would be prevented He resolved therefore to lay Siege to Saguntum in Spain where he now was with his Army which might seem not greatly to concern the Romans and would highly please the Carthaginians Having resolved hereupon nevertheless he went orderly to work beginning with those that lay next in his way First therefore he entered into the Territory of the Olcades and besieging Althaea in a few days he became Master not only of it but of all the other Towns in their Country and the Winter coming on he rest his Army in New Carthage or Carthagena imparting liberally to his Souldiers of the Spoils that he had gotten in his late Conquests In the Spring he made War upon the Vaccaei and with little difficulty wan first Salamanca and after it Arbucala though not without a long Siege and much difficulty But in his return he was put to the height both of his Valour and Prudence For all such of the Vaccaei that could bear Arms being made desperate by the spoil of their Country with divers others that had escaped in the late overthrow joyning with the Toletans made up an Army of one hundred thousand able men waiting for Hannibal on the Banks of the River Tagus They knew that he was very adventurous and had never turned his back upon any enemy and therefore hoped that having him at such an advantage they should easily have foiled him But at this time our Great Man of War knew as well how to dissemble his Courage as at other times to make good use of it For he withdrew himself from the River side as seeming fearful to pass over it aiming thereby to draw over that great multitude from their Banks of advantage The Spaniards as Hannibal expected and desired thinking that he retreated out of fear thrust themselves in a disordered manner into the River to pursue him But when Hannibal saw them well near over he turned back his Elephants to entertain them at their landing and thrust his Horsemen both above and beneath them into the River who by the advantage of their Weapons slew almost all of those in the River without resistance and then pursued the rest who being amazed fled and so he made a very great slaughter of them The Saguntines perceiving the strom drawing near to them hastened their Ambassadours to Rome who complained that they were like to be undone only for their Friendship to the Romans This so moved the Senate that some would have War presently proclaimed both by Sea and Land and the Consuls sent with Armies one into Spain the other into Africk But others went more soberly to work according to the Roman gravity whereby it was concluded that Ambassadours should be sent into Spain to view the State of their Confederates These Ambassadours found Hannibal at Carthagena where they had Conference with him who carried himself so reservedly that they departed as doubtful as they came But whilst they were passing to and fro Hannibal prepared not only his Forces but some Roman pretences against Saguntum For the Tudetani who were Neighbours to the Saguntines complained to him of sundry wrongs that they had received from them of Saguntum Probably Hannibal himself had hatched some of them Having therefore such an occasion he sat down with his whole Army before Saguntum The Romans were glad of the Quarrel as hoping that Carthage with all belonging thereto would in short space become their own Yet were they not hasty to threaten before they were ready to strike but meant to temporize until they had an Army in readiness to be sent into Spain where they intended to make Saguntum the seat of War In the beginning of Hannibals Siege his Carthaginians were much discouraged by reason of the brave Sallies which the Saguntines made upon them in one of which Hannibal himself received a dangerus wound in the Thigh that made him unable to stir for many days Yet in the mean time he was not unmindful of his business but gave order to build certain movable Towers that might equal those upon the City Walls and to prepare to batter the Curtains and to make a breach These being sinished and applied had soon wrought their desired effect A large breach was made by the fall of some Towers whereat a hot assault was given But it was so gallantly defended by the besieged that the Carthaginians were not only beaten from the breach and out
of some ground within the City which in the first fury they had wan but they were pursued even to their own Trenches and Camp Yet at length the Carthaginian Army wherein were one hundred and fifty thousand men did so tire out the Townsmen by their continual Allarms that at length it gat into the Town and had been Masters of it but that they were hindred by some Counter-works which the besieged had raised In this extremity there was one Alcon that came out of the City to treat with Hannibal who would give no other terms but these hard ones That they should deliver up to him all the Gold Silver and Plate and other Riches which they had in the City That the Citizens should leave the City and take up such other habitations as he should appoint them neither should they carry any more out with them save the cloaths on their back These terms seemed so unreasonable to Alcon that he durst not return into the City to propound them to the Citizens Yet might they far better have submitted thereto how hard soever because thereby they might have saved their lives and the honour of their Wives and Daughters whereas the City being shortly after taken by storm they saw their Wives and Daughters defloured before their Faces and all put to the Sword that were above fourteen years of age The Treasures found in Saguntum which were very great Hannibal reserved therewith to pay his Army The Slaves and other booty he divided amongst his Souldiers reserving some choise things wherewith to present his Friends at Carthage to encourage them to the War This news exceedingly vexed the Romans being angry at their own slowness to send help to Saguntum which held out eight Months looking still for succour but in vain Then did the Romans send Ambassadors to Carthage to demand whether this act were done by their done by their consents or whether it were Hannibals presumption alone If they granted the former they were to give them defiance Answer was made them in the Senate of Carthage by one of the Senators to this effect That by this Message the Commonwealth of Carthage was urged to plead Guilty or nor Guilty That it belonged to them to call their own Commanders in question and to punish them according to their Faults but to the Romans to challenge them if they had done any thing contrary to their late League and Covenant It s true said this Speaker that in our negotiations with Luctatius your Ambassador the Allies of both Nations were comprehended but the Sanguntines were not then your Allies and therefore no parties to the Peace then made For of your Allies for the future or of ours there was no question As for the last agreement between you and Asdrubal wherein you will say that the Saguntines were comprehended it s you that have taught us how to answer that particular For whatsoever you found in the Treaty between us and Luctatius to your disadvantage you said it was his presumption as promising those things for which he had not Commission from your Senate If then it be lawful for you to disavow the Actions of your Ambassadors and Commanders concluding any thing without precise Warrant from you the same liberty may we also assume and hold our selves no way bound in honour to perform the contract that Asdrubal made for us without our Command and Consent In conclusion the Carthaginian Senate moved the Romane Ambassadors to tell them plainly the purposes of those that sent them whereupon Q. Fabius gathering up the skirt of his Gown as if something had been in the hallow thereof made this short reply I have here in my Gown-skirt both Peace and War Make you my Masters of the Senate election which you will have All answered even which of them you have a fancy to offer us Then quoth Fabius take War and share it amongst you Which all the Assembly willingly accepted War being thus proclaimed Hannibal resolved not to put up his Sword which he had drawn against the Saguntines till he had therewith opened his passage to the Gates of Rome So began the second Punick War indeed second to none that ever the People of Rome met with Hannibal wintered at Carthagena giving license to his Spanish Souldiers to visit their Friends and refresh themselves against the Spring In the mean while he gave Instructions to his Brother Asdrubal for the Government of Spain in his absence He also took order to send many Troops of Spaniards into Africk to supply the rooms of those Africans which he had drawn into Spain as also that the one Nation might remain as Pledges for the other He selected also four thousand Foot all young Men and Persons of Quallity out of the best Cities of Spain which were to be Garrisoned in Carthage it self not so much to strengthen it as that they might serve for Hostages He also left with his Brother to guard the Coasts and Ports fifty seven Gallies whereof thirty seven were ready Armed Of Africans and other Nations Strangers he left with him above twelve thousand Foot and two thousand Horse besides one and twenty Elephants Having thus taken order for the defence of Spain and Africk he sent some to discover the Passages of the Pyrenaean Mountains that part Spain from France and of the Alps that part France from Italy He sent Ambassadors to the Inhabitants of the Pyrenes and to the Gauls to obtain a quiet passage that he might bring his Army intire into Italy These being returned with good satisfaction In the beginning of the Spring he passed over the River of Iberus with an Army of ninety thousand Foot and twelve thousand Horse All those parts of Spain which had not before been entered he now subdued and appointed one Hanno to Govern Spain on the east side of Iberus with whom he left ten thousand Foot and one thousand Horse When he came to the borders of Spain some of his Spanish Souldiers returned home without asking leave which that others also might not attempt he courteously dismissed such as were willing to be gone Hereby the Journey seemed the less tedious to such as accompanied him voluntarily With the rest of his Army consisting now but of fifty thousand Foot and nine thousand Horse he passed the Pyrenes and entered into Gaul now France But he found the Gauls bounding upon Spain ready in Arms to forbid his entrance into their Country but with gentle Speech and rich Presents which he sent to their Leaders he wan them to favour his expedition So without any other molestation he came to the Banks of Rhodanus where dwelt on each side of the River a People called Volcae These being unacquainted with the cause of his coming sought to stop his passage over the Water But he was greatly assisted by those of Vivarets and Lionois for though many of them had transported themselves and their goods into Daulphine thinking to defend
had listed many Boyes and they made a Law for their encouragement that their years should go on from that time as if they had been of lawful age Before the Roman Army drew near the Capuans through their own wretchlesness began to feel want of Victuals they sent therefore to Hannibal desiring him to succour them before they were closed up and he sent Hanno with an Army to supply their wants Hanno appointed them a day to bring store of carriages to convey in the provisions which he should make but when the day came they brought only fourty Waggons with a few pack-Horses Hanno was much vexed at it and appointed them another day when they should come better provided But in the mean while Q. Fulvius the Consul came privately to Beneventum and having heard that Hanno was gone abroad a Forraging he marched all night and by the break a day assaulted his Camp which for a long time was gallantly defended but at last though with great loss he won it in which six thousand were slain seven thousand taken Prisoners besides a great Booty that Hanno had lately gotten from the Roman Confederates This misadventure and the neer approach of the Roman Consuls made them of Capua to send a pitiful message to Hannibal intreating him to hasten to their relief considering how faithful they had been to him Hannibal answered them with fair promises and sent away two thousand Horse to keep their Lands from spoil whilst himself was intent about taking the Citadel and some other Towns in those parts The Consuls fortifying Beneventum to secure their backs addressed themselves to the siege of Capua Many disasters befell the Romans in the beginning of this great enterprise Gracchus a brave Souldier and lately twice Consul was slain He was honourably interred by Hannibal some of whose straglers had slain him the Manumissed Slaves that served under him took this opportunity to go every man whither he pleased so that it was long ere they could be got together again Yet the Consuls proceed in their work Mago and the Citizens gave them but bad welcome sallying out and slaying fifteen hundred of their men Neither was it long ere Hannibal himself came fought with them and caused them to dislodge They removed by night and went several vvays Fulvius towards Cannae and Claudius into Lucania Hannibal follovved Claudius but could not reach him Yet by the way he met with one Penula a stout man that had the charge of neer sixteen thousand men with him he fought and slew him and almost all his men scarce a thousand of them escaping Then was Hannibal informed that Cneus Fulvius a Roman Praetor was in Apulia with about eighteen thousand men Coming to Fulvius so forward he was that needs he would have fought with him that night Hannibal set Mago with three thousand men in an Ambush then offering Battel to Fulvius he soon had him in the Trap whence he was glad to escape himself leaving all save two thousand of his men dead behind him These two great blows much astonished the Romans Yet when they had gathered the remainders of those Armies the Consuls fell hard again to the Siege of Capua At the first sitting down of the Consuls they proclaimed that whosoever would come out of Capua by such a day should be pardoned and enjoy his estate if not no grace was to be expected the Capuans relying on their own strength and the assistance of Hannibal rejected this offer with scorn And before they were wholly closed up they sent to Hannibal requesting his help He gave them good words and dismissed them But he thinking that they were well able to hold out for a long time staid to dispatch his business before he went by which means the Consuls had time enough to entrench and secure themselves When the Consulship of Claudius and Fulvius was expired they were continued in their charge of the Army as Proconsuls and their design was to take Capua by Famine But Hannibal came before he was expected by the Romans and took one of their Forts and fell upon their Camp the Capuans also at the same time sallyed out but were beaten in again Yet did Claudius in pursuing them receive a wound that ere long brought him to his Grave Hannibal followed his business better and had almost taken the Camp yet at length was repelled This extreamly angred Hannibal and made him entertain a haughty resolution even to set upon Rome which accordingly he pursued and because that work must be done with celerity he caused his men to provide victuals for ten days and so marched forward This news coming to Rome they sent to acquaint their Generals with it wishing them to do what they judged best for the safety of the City And thereupon Q. Fulvius took fifteen thousand choise Foot and a thousand Horse and with them hasted towards Rome As Hannibal drew neer making woful havock as he went all the streets and Temples in Rome were filled with women crying and praying rubbing the Altars with their hair the Senators were all in the Great market place ready to give advice upon all emergencies But Fulvius and Hannibal arrived at Rome neer together The Consuls and Fulvius encamped without the Gate of Rome attending Hannibal who coming within three miles of the City advanced with two thousand Horse and rode along a great way under the Walls viewing and considering how he might best approach them Yet went he back without doing or receiving any hurt Many tumults were at this time raised in the City and the multitude were so affrighted that they would have run out of the Gates if they could have done it with safety The day following Hannibal brought up his Army and presented Battel to the Romans who would have accepted it had not a terrible shower of Rain caused both the Armies to return into their Camps and this happened two days together and the weather cleered up presently after But Hannibal who had brought but ten days provision with him could not stay any longer he therefore made all the spoil he could in the Roman Territories passing like a Tempest over the Country and run towards the Eastern Sea so fast that he had almost taken Regium before his arrival was suspected As for Capua he gave it for lost and cursed the faction of Hanno which thus disabled him to relieve that fair City Fulvius returned back to the Siege of Capua which now began to suffer want And faign they would have sent again to Hannibal but that all ways were intercepted The truth is Hannibal had already done his best and now began to faint under the burden of that War wherein as he afterwards protested he was vanquished by Hanno and his Partizans in the Senate of Carthage rather than by any force of the Romans Capua being novv brought to extremity the multitude forced the Senators to consult about the delivering of it up to the
Romans The bravest of the Senators foresavv what the issue vvould be and therefore one of them invited the rest home to Supper telling them that vvhen they had Feasted themselves he vvould begin to them such a health as should for ever free them from the malice of their enemies the Romans Tvventy seven of the Senators imbraced the motion and vvhen they had Supped drank Poyson vvhereof they died The rest hoping for mercy yielded to discretion So a Gate vvas opened whereat a Roman Legion entred disarmed the Citizens and made the Carthaginians Prisoners The Senators vvere laid in Irons and presently after Fulvius caused all the Campane Prisoners to be bound to stakes and scourged a good vvhile vvith Rods after which he struck off their heads The like rigor Fulvius used to all the Towns of the Campanians most of the Inhabitants with their Wives and Children he sold for Slaves the rest were banished after which the Glory of Hannibal began to shine more dim and most of Italy by the terrible example of the Capuans had a General inclination upon good conditions to return to the Roman side Marcellus and Levinus being chosen Consuls Levinus went into Sicily and Marcellus was to make War vvith Hannibal They vvere busy in raising Soldiers but wanted mony extreamly many ways were proposed how to supply that want At last the Consuls said that no perswasions would be so effectual with the People as good examples wherefore they propounded and it was presently resolved that every one should bring and put into the Treasury all the mony Jewels and Plate that they had and none reserve more than one Salt and a Bowle wherewith to make their offerings to the Gods as also a Ring for himself and some other small Ornaments for his Wife and Children and this was accordingly done by all with much cheerfulness Then went forth Marcellus against Hannibal whose Army was now greatly diminished by long and hard service His credit also amongst his Italian Friends was much weakned by the loss of Capua This put him upon pillaging those Towns which he could not keep thinking that the best way both to enrich himself and to preserve it from his enemies but this farther alienated them from him whereupon Salapia yielded to Marcellus and betrayed to him a gallant Regiment of Numidians the very best that Hannibal had After this the Consul took two Cities of the Samnites wherein he slew above three thousand of Hannibals men which Hannibal could not prevent the Romans being grown stronger in the Field than he But now came news that Massanissa was at Carthage with five thousand Horse ready to set sail for Spain whither when he came he was to accompany Asdrubal the Brother of Hannibal into Italy This did not more comfort Hannibal and his followers than it terrified the Romans At this time Hannibal was informed that Cn. Fulvius a Roman Praetor lay neer to Herdonea to get the Town by practice Hannibal made great marches thitherward and when he came offered Battel to Fulvius who readily embraced it The Roman Legions made good resistance a vvhile till they vvere compassed round vvith the Carthaginian Horse then fell they to rout and a great slaughter was made of them Fulvius with twelve Collonels and about thirteen thousand were slain and Hannibal set Herdonea on fire because it was appointed to be delivered up to the Romans Marcellus hearing this hasted thither At Venusia they met and fought a Battel from Morning till the Night parted them and ended with uncertain Victory Many more skirmishes they had but none of importance Then Q. Fabius Maximus and Q. Fulvius were again chosen Consuls and Fabius resolved to besiege Tarentum which if he could win like it was that scarce any one good City would remain true to Hannibal and in the mean time he desired Fulvius and Marcellus with their Army to press Hannibal so hard that he might have no leisure to help Tarentum Marcellus was glad of this opportunity judging that no Roman was so fit to deal with Hannibal as himself He followed him therefore from place to place desiring ever to come to Battel but upon unequal terms Hannibal only entertained him with skirmishes meaning to keep his Army intire till Asdrubal came to him But Marcellus was so importunate that he could not be rid of him wherefore Hannibal bad his men to beat soundly this hotspur Roman Captain of whom he could not be rid till he had let him blood Then followed a Battel wherein Hannibal had the Victory took six Ensigns and slew about three thousand of the Romans Marcellus rated his men exceedingly and called them cowards which did so shame them that they asked pardon and desired him to lead them forth again against the enemy Hannibal was angry to see that nothing would make them quiet and so they fought again and though the Romans had the better of it fighting very desperately yet they lost so many men that they had little cause to boast of the Victory Only this advantage they had that hereby Fabius got time to prosecute his Siege at Tarentum without disturbance Fulvius the other Consul this vvhile took in diverse Towns of the Hirpines Lucans and Volscentes that vvillingly rendred themselves and betrayed Hannibals Garrisons to him Fabius by the Treason of a Brusian Captain in Tarentum had the Town delivered into his hands and yet vvhen he vvas entered he put all to the Sword Brutians as vvell as others vvhereby his credit vvas much impaired All the Riches of the Town he sought out vvhich vvas very great and sent it to the Treasury at Rome vvhere there vvas much need of it Hannibal having gotten cleer of Marcellus fell upon those that besieged Caulonia all vvhom he slew or took Prisoners and then he hasted to relieve Tarentum But vvhen he came vvithin five miles he heard that it vvas lost This grieved him yet he said no more than this The Romans have also their Hannibal We have lost Tarentum in like sort as we got it But lest he should seem to retreat out of fear he encamped there four or five days and thence departing to Metapont he bethought himself how to take Fabius in a Trap. He caused the chief of Metapont to write to Fabius offering to betray it into his hand These letters were sent by two young men of the City who did thir errand so well that the Consul wrote back and appointed the day when they should expect him Hannibal being glad of this at leasure made ready his Ambushes for the wary Fabius but something hindred him from coming and so all was frustrated M. Claudius Marcellus and T. Quintus Crispinus were chosen Consuls who had a strong desire to make War upon Hannibal assuring themselves of Victory Crispinus had also a desire to make his Consulship Famous by taking some good Town as Fulvius and Fabius had done by taking of Capua and Tarentum
there was musick singing and rioting amongst them Prizes were daily brought in Persons of quality taken prisoners and put to great ransom Their Ships were a thousand in number and they had taken four hundred Towns They had spoiled and destroyed many Temples that had never heen profained before They had many strange Sacrifices and Ceremonies of Religion amongst them and besides all other insolences and injuries whcih they did the Romans by Sea they often went on Land and Plundred and destroyed their Country Houses and once they took two Roman Praetors in their Purple Robes with their Sergeants and Officers and carried them quite away At another time they surprised the Daughter of Antonius a man that had the honour of a Triumph as she was vvalking in the Fields and put her to a great ransom And further to dispite the Romans when they had taken any of them and they told them that they were Citizens of Rome they would cloath them like Romans and putting out the Ship-ladder they vvould bid them be gon to Rome and if they refused they vvould throw them overboard and drown them These Pirats had all the Mediterranean Seas at their command that a Merchant durst scarce look out or traffick any whether This moved the Romans fearing a famine by their means to send Pompey to recoveâ— the Dominion of the Seas from them The first man that moved that Pompey might not only be made Admiral at Sea but have absolute power to command all Persons whatsoever without giving any account of his doings was Gabinius Pompey's Friend which was done accordingly and absolute authority was given unto him not only of the Seas but for the space of four hundred Furlongs from the Sea within which compass were many great Nations and mighty Kings It gave him power also to choose out of the Senate fifteen Lieutenants and to give to every one of them several Provinces in charge and also to take mony out of the Treasury to defray the charges of a Fleet of two hundred Sail with full power besides to leavy what men of War he thought good and as many Galliots and Marriners as he pleased This Law was confirmed by the People Yet the Nobility and chief Senators thought that this authority did exceed not only all envy but that it gave them apparent cause of fear to give such unlimited power to a single Person whereupon they were all against it but Caesar who promoted it not so much to favour Pompey as to ingratiate himself with the People But the Noblemen fell out with Pompey and one of the Consuls was very hot with him told him that he sought to follow Romulus his steps but peradventure he would come short of that end he made This so provoked the People that they had thought to have killed him But Catulus a worthy man spake also against this Edict yet spake much in the praise of Pompey and in conclusion advised the People not to adventure a man of so great account in such dangerous Wars For said he if you chance to lose him whom have ye then to put in his place The People cryed out Your self After this seeing how the People were bent he spake on more Next after him Rosoius would have perswaded them to have sent another with Pompey as his Colleague but the People made such an outcry against him that a Crow flying over the Market place fell to the ground Upon the day when the Decree was to be fully passed Pompey went forth of the City and when he understood that it was confirmed he returned the same Night privately to avoid the envy they would have born him if the People should have flocked in multitudes to have waited on him home The next morning he came abroad and Sacrificed to the Gods and audience being given him in a publick meeting he so handled the matter that they much inlarged his power almost doubling the preparations which were at first Decreed to him For it was ordained that he should have five hundred Ships one hundred and twenty thousand Footmen and five thousand Horsemen He chose also twenty four Senators all of them having been Generals of Armies and two General Treasurers Whilest these things were preparing the price of Victuals fell which rejoyced the People much and they said openly that the very Name of Pompey had almost ended the War already Pompey divided all the Sea into thirteen Divisions and in each of them he appointed a certain number of Ships and a Lieutenant over each of them and by thus dispersing his Navy all abroad he brought all the Pirats Ships that were in a Fleet within his danger and when he had taken them he brought them all into an Harbour But such of them as could escape fled into Cilicia as the surest place of retreat These Pompey would needs follow in his own Person with sixty of his best Ships Yet went he not till he had scowred the Tuscan Seas with the coast of Libia Sardinia Sicily and Corsica of all those Thieves that had wont to keep thereabouts and this he did within the space of forty Days taking infinite pains both himself and his Lieutenants Piso one of the Consuls did all he could to hinder Pompey's preparations and supplies Oâ—â—men out of envy to his prosperity Pompey being informed of it sent his Ships to Brundusium himself in the mean time passing through Tuscany came to Rome where so soon as his coming was known the People ran out to meet him as if he had been a long time absent and that which made them more joyful was that now Victuals came in freely out of all parts the Seas being cleared from Pirates Pompey could have had Piso put out of his Consulship but would not So having setled all things in quiet according to his desire he hasted to his Navy at Brundusium and hoising Sail passed to Athens where he landed and Sacrificed to the Gods and so returned to his Ships At his going out of the City there were two Writings in his praise affixed to the Gate That within was this The humbler that thou dost thy self as Man behave The more thou dost deserve the Name of God to have That on the outside of the Gate was this We wisht for thee we wait for thee We worship thee we wait on thee Now Pompey having taken many of these Pirots upon their submission spared their lives which so encouraged the rest that flying from his Captains and Lieutenants they came and delivered up themselves with their Wives and Children into his hands Pompey pardoned all that thus came to him and by that means came to have knowledg of the rest whom he pursued and in the end took The most and richest of them had convaied their Wives Children and goods into strong Castles and Towns upon Mount Taurus and they that were fit for service imbarked and lay before a City of Corasesium where they tarried for Pompey
and gave him Battel by Sea and after endured a Siege by Land Yet after a while they besought him to receive them to mercy yielding themselves their Towns and Islands which they had strongly fortified into his hands Thus was this War ended and all the Pirats within less than three Months space driven out of the Seas Pompey won also a great number of Ships and ninety Gallies armed with Copper Spurs As for those whom he had taken who were in number about twenty thousand lusty Men and good Souldiers he would not put them to Death but planted them in inland Countries in certain small Towns of the Cilicians that were scarce inhabited who were very glad of them and gave them Lands to maintain them and whereas the City of the Solians had not long before been destroyed by Tygranes King of Armenia he replenished it again by placing many of them there He bestowed others of them in the City of Dyma in the Country of Achaia which lacked Inhabitants and had great store of good Land belonging to it though many of his Enemies greatly blamed him for it Before Pompey was chosen General against the Pirats young Metellus was sent Praetor into Creet who finding it to be a Den of these Thieves he took many of them and put them to Death the rest that escaped being straightly besieged by him sent unto Pompey craving pardon and desiring him to receive them to mercy Pompey accordingly pardoned them and wrote to Metellus requiring him to give over that War commanding the Cities also that they should not obey Metellus He sent also Lucius Octavius one of his Lieutenants who entered into the Towns besieged by Metellus and sought against him in the behalf of the Pirats This act of Pompey procured him much ill will for that he fought for the common Enemies of the World who had neither God nor Law and that only to deprive a Roman Praetor of his Triumph who had done such good service against them Yet Metellus left not off his Wars for Pompey's Letters but having taken the Pirats he put them to Death When the news came to Rome that the Piratick War was ended and that Pompey had no more to do but to go from City to City to visit them one Manlius a Tribune of the People brought in another Law that Pompey taking the Army from Lucullus and all the Provinces under his Government with all Bythinia which Glabrio kept should go and War upon Tygranes and Methridates and yet reserve in his hands all his jurisdiction and Army by Sea in as royal a manner as he had it before which was to make him an absolute Monarch over all the Roman Empire The Senate stuck not so much at the injury offered to Lucullus depriving him of the honour of his doings and giving it to another but that which most grived them was to see Pompey's power established into a plain Tyranny Hereupon they encouraged one another to oppose it to the uttermost yet when the day came for the passing of this Law they all drew back for fear of angring the People and none durst oppose it Only Catulus inveied against it a long time together But say what he could the Decree passed by the voices of the Tribes And thus was Pompey in his absence made Lord of all that which Sylla with much effusion of blood had attained to with great difficulty When Pompey by Letters from Rome was informed what Law the People had past in his behalf he seemed to be much grieved that such great Offices and charges should be laid upon him one in the neck of another and clapping his hands on his Thigh he said O Gods shall I never see an end of these troubles Had it not been better for me to have been a mean Man and unknown than thus continually to be ingaged in War What! shall I never see the time that breaking the neck of spite and envy against me I may yet once in my life live quietly at hone in my Country with my Wife and Children His Friends that were about him were much displeased with this his deep dissimulation knowing that his ambitious desire to rule made him glad at heart to be thus imployed the rather because of the contention between him and Lucullus which his deeds forthwith discovered Hereupon he sent forth his Preceps into all quarters requiring all Souldiers immediately to repare to him and caused all the Kings and Princes within his jurisdiction to attend him and so going through all the Countries he changed all that Lucullus had before established He also released the penalties that were imposed upon them and took from them all the favours that Lucullus had granted them Lucullus finding himself so hardly dealt with Friends on both sides mediated a meeting betwixt them that they might talk together and accordingly they met in Galatia having their Sergeants and Officers with Rods wreathed about vvith Lawrel carried before them vvhich shevved that Pompey came to take Lucullus's honour from him Indeed Lucullus had been Consul before Pompey and was the older man yet Pompey exceeded him in dignity having Triumphed twice At their first meeting they discoursed very courteously each commending the others deeds and each rejoycing at the others good success but at parting they fell to hot words Pompey upbraiding Lucullus's covetousness and Lucullus Pompey's ambition so that their Friends had much ado to part them Lucullus when he was gone divided the Lands in Galatia which he had conquered and bestowed other gifts upon them Pompey on the other side camping hard by him commanded the People every where not to obey him He took his Souldiers also from him leaving him only sixteen hundred choosing out such as he thought would do him small service He blemished his Glory also telling every one that Lucullus had fought only with the shadow and pomp of those two Kings and that he had left him to fight with all their force and power Lucullus on the other side said that Pompey went only to fight with such as himself had subdued and that he sought the honour of Triumph over Armenia and Pontus as he had formerly practised to Triumph for overcoming a few Slaves and Fugitives Lucullus being now gone Pompey sent strong Garrisons into all the Sea coast from Phoenicia to the Bosphorus and then marched towards Methridates who had in his Camp thirty thousand Footmen and two thousand Horsemen yet durst he not fight but encamped upon an high Mountain till he was forced to leave it for lack of Water He was no sooner gone but Pompey seized upon the place and setting his Souldiers to dig he found Water enough for all his Army Then he encamped round about Methridates besieging him in his own Camp Methridates endured it forty five days and then slaying all the sick and impotent in his Camp with the choise of his Army he escaped by Night Another time Pompey found him by the
purchased it by his Noble and Valiant deeds The time for his Triumph being come the stateliness and magnificence was such that though he had two days to shew it yet lacked he time to produce all For there were many things prepared for the shew which were not seen and would have set forth another Triumph First the Tables were carried wherein were written the Names of the Nations for which he Triumphed as the Kingdoms of Pontus Armenia Cappadocia Paphlagonia Media Colchis Iberia Albania Syria Cilicia and Mesopotamia As also the People that dwell in Phoenicia Palestina Judaea and Arabia And all the Pirats that he had overcome by Sea and Land In all these Countries he had taken a thousand Castles and neer nine hundred Towns and Cities Of Pirats Ships eight hundred Moreover he had replenished with Inhabitants thirty nine desolate Towns These Tables also declared that the Revenue of Rome before these his conquests arose but to five thousand Myriads but now he had improved them to eight thousand and five hundred Myriads Besides he now brought into the Treasury to the value of twenty thousand Talents in Silver Gold Plate and Jewels besides what had been distributed already among the Souldiers of which he that had least had fifteen hundred Drachma's for his share The Prisoners that were led in this Triumph were the Son of Tygranes King of Armenia with his Wife and Daughter The Wife of King Tygranes himself called Zozime Aristobulus King of Judaea The Sister of Methridates with her five Sons And some Ladies of Scythia The Hostages of the Iberians and Albanians as also the Kings of the Commagenians Besides a great number of Marks of Triumph which himself and his Lieutenants had won in several Battels But the greatest honour that ever he wan and which no other of the Consuls ever attained to was that his three Triumphs were of the three Parts of the World to wit his first of Africk his second of Europe And his third Asia and all this before he was forty yeards old But from this time forward Pompey began to decline till with his Life he had lost all his Honour Lucullus at his return out of Asia was well received by the Senate and much more after Pompey was come to Rome For the Senate cncouraged him to deal in affairs of State being of himself slow and much given to his ease and pleasure because of his great Riches So when Pompey was come he began to speak against him and through Catoes assistance gat all things confirmed which he had done in Asia and which had been undone by Pompey Pompey having such an afront put upon him by the Senate had recourse to the Tribunes of the People the vilest of whom was Clodius who closed with him and had Pompey ever at his Elbow ready to second what motion soever he had to make to the People He also desired Pompey to forsake Cicero his ancient Friend but Clodius his utter Enemy By this means Cicero was brought into danger and when he required Pompey's assistance he shut the door against him and went out at a back-door whereupon Cicero was forced to forsake Rome At this time Julius Caesar returning from his Praetorship out of Spain laid such a plot as quickly brought himself into favour but tended to the ruin of Pompey He was now to sue for his first Consulship and considering the enmity between Pompey and Crassus he considered that if he joyned with one he made the other his Enemy he therefore made them Friends which indeed undid the Commonwealth For by this means Caesar was chosen Consul who strait fell to flattering of the People and made Laws for their advantage distributing to them Lands which embased the Majesty of the chief Majestrate and made a Consulship no better than the Tribuneship of the People Bibulus his Fellow Consul opposed him what he could and Cato also till Caesar brought Pompey into the Pulpit for Orations where he asked him whether he consented to the Decree which he had set forth Pompey answered That he did und that he would defend it with the Sword This gat him much ill will Not many days after Pompey married Julia the Daughter of Caesar formerly betrothed to Servilius Caepio and to pacifie Caepio Pompey gave him his own Daughter in marriage whom yet he had promised to Faustus the Son of Sylla Caesar also married Calphurnia the Daughter of Piso. Afterwards Pompey filling Rame with Souldiers carried all by force For as Bibulus came to the Market place accompanied with Cato and Lucullus they were basely abused and many were wounded and when they were driven away they passed the Act for dividing of the Lands as they pleased The People being encouraged hereby never stuck at any matter that Pompey and Caesar would have done And by this means all Pompey's former Acts were confirmed though Lucullus opposed what he could Caesar also was appointed to the Government of both Gauls with four whole Legions Then were chosen Consuls Piso Father in Law to Caesar and Gabinius Pompey's great flatterer Pompey now so doted on his young Wife that he suffered himself wholly to be ruled by her and leaving all publick affairs he went with her to Country Houses and places of pleasure which encouraged Clodius a Tribune of the people to despise him and to enter into seditious attempts For when he had driven Cicero out of Rome and sent away Cato to make War in Cyprus and Caesar was occupied in Gaul finding that the people were at his beck because he flattered them he then attempted to undo some things that Pompey had established Amongst others he took young Tygranes out of prison and carried him up and down with him and continually picked quarrels against Pompey's Friends Pompey coming abroad one day to hear how a matter of his was handled this Clodius having gotten a company of desperate Ruffians about him gat up into a high place and asked aloud Who is the most licentious Captain in all the City They answered Pompey And Who said he is he that scratched his head with one finger They again answered Pompey clapping their hands with great scorn This went to Pompey's heart who never used to be thus abused and he was yet more vexed when he saw that the Senate was well pleased with this his disgrace because he had forsaken and betrayed Cicero Upon this a great uprore was made in the Market place and many were hurt whereupon Pompey would come no more abroad whilst Clodius was Tribune but advised with his Friends how he might ingratiate himself with the Senate they advised him to put away his Wife Julia to renounce Caesars Friendship and to stick again to the Senate Some of these things he disliked yet was content to call home Cicero who was Clodius his mortal Enemy and in great favour with the Senate Hereupon Pompey brought Cicero's Brother into the Market place to move the matter to
that were in it save Petronius a Treasurer to whom he profered life But Petronius answered him that Caesars Souldiers used to give others their lives and not to have their lives given them and thereupon slew himself with his own Sword Now Caesar bred this courage in them by rewarding them bountifully and honouring them He also gave them a good example by adventuring himself upon manifest dangers and putting his body to extream pains when there was occasion which filled them with admiration As for his constitution he was lean white and soft skin'd and often troubled with the Head-ach and sometimes with the falling sickness yet yielded he not to his sickness but rather took pains as a Medicine to cure it travelling continually living soberly and commonly lying abroad in the Fields Most nights he slept in his Coach and in the days travelled up and down to see Cities Castles and strong-holds He had always a Secretary with him in his Coach who writ as they went by the way and a Souldier behind him that carryed his Sword He made such speed when he had gotten his Office at Rome that in eight days he came to the River of Rhone He was an excellent Rider from his youth for holding his hands behind him he would run his Horse upon the Spur. In his Wars in Gaul or France he used to exercise himself in inditing Letters by the way wherein he was so nimble that he imployed two Secretaries or more at one time He made very little account of his Diet Supping one night in Millane with his Friend Valerius Leo there was served at Table some Sperage with some perfumed oyl instead of Sallet oyl he eat it and found no fault blaming his Friends who were offended at the mistake saying that if they liked it not they should have let it alone and that it was not good manners hereby to shame their Friend At another time in his Journey he was forced by foul weather to shelter himself in a poor Cottage that had but one Cabbin and that so narrow that one could scarce lye in it whereupon he said to his Friends the greatest rooms are fittest for the greatest men and Beds for sick persons and so caused Oppius that was sick to lye there and himself with the rest of his Friends lay without doors The first War that Caesar made in Gaul was against the Helvetians or Swissers and the Tigurines who having set fire of their own Cities and Houses came to invade that part of Gaul which was subject to the Romans These were a very War-like and Valiant People and in all they were three hundred thousand souls whereof there were one hundred and ninety thousand fighting men yet were they overthrown by Labienus Caesars Lieutenant at the River Arax And when the Heluetians afterwards came suddenly to set upon Caesar he made hast to get into some place of strength and there ordered his Battel against them and when one brought him his charging Horse he said when I have overcome mine enemies then I will get upon him to pursue them and so marching against thâ—m on foot he fiercely charged them The Battel continued long before he could make them fly yet had he more ado to take their Camp and to break the strength that they had made with their Carts For not only those that were fled into it made head again but their Wives and Children also fought stoutly for their lives till they were all slain and the Battel was scarce ended by midnight Presently after above one hundred thousand of those that had escaped from this Battâ—l were forced by Caesar to return into their own Country again and to the Towns which they had burnt and this he did lest the Germans should come over the Rhine and settle themselves in that Country being void The next War that Caesar made was in defence of the Gauls against the Germans though himself had before admitted Ariovistus their King to be received as a confederate of the Romans Notwithstanding which they were grown very unquiet Neighbours watching but an opportunity to possess themselves of the rest of Gaul Caesar perceiving that some of his Captains much feared them especially the young Gentlemen of Noble Families who went along with him as to some Pastimes he commanded all that were afraid to return home and not endanger themselves against their wills But for himself he said he would set upon those Barbarous People though he had left him but the tenth Legion only Upon this the tenth Legion sent their Officers to thank him for the good opinion he had of them and all the other Legions blamed their Captains for their backwardness and followed him cheerfully till they came within two hundred Furlongs of the Enemies Camp Ariovistus his courage was well cooled when he saw Caesar so near whereas they thought that the Romans were afraid of them His Army also was in a great amaze But that which discouraged them most was the Prophesies of some foolish women who observing the terrible noise which the Water in the River made advised the Germans by no means to fight and they being possessed with a superstitious fear sought to avoid the fight Yet Caesar skirmished with them every day and sometime followed them to their Forts and little Hills where they lay whereby he so provoked them that at last they came down with great fury to fight In this Battel he overcame them and pursued them very eagerly making a great slaughter of them even to the River of Rhine filling all the Fields with dead Bodies and spoiles Ariovistus himself flying speedily got over the River and escaped with some few of his men At this Battel there were slain about eighty thousand Germans After this Battel Caesar left his Army to winter amongst the Sequanes and himself thinking of the affairs of Rome returned over the Alps to a place about the River Po whilst he lay there he laboured to make Friends at Rome and when many came to visit him there he granted all their suits and sent them back some with liberal rewards and others with large promises whereby he engaged them to him During all the time of Caesars great conquests in Gaul Pompey did not consider how Caesar conquered the Gauls with the Roman weapons and wan the Romans with the Riches of the Gauls At this time Caesar being informed that the Belgae who were the most War-like Nation of all the Gauls were all up in Arms and had raised a very great Power he presently made towards them with all possible speed and found them overrunning and plundering the neighbour Countries and confederates of the Romans wherefore he gave them Battel and overthrew their chiefest Army and slew so many of them that the Lakes and Rivers were died with their blood and filled with their dead Bodies that the Romans passed over on foot upon them After this overthrow such of them as dwelt near the Sea
him Caesar seemed to be very reasonable in what he requested For he said that whilst they required him to lay down Arms for fear of a Tyranny and yet permitted Pompey to keep his they went about to establish a Tyranny Curio in the name of Caesar moved before all the People that both should be commanded to lay down Arms which motion was entertained with great joy and clapping of hands by the People who threw Nose-gays and flowers upon him for it Then Anthony one of the Tribunes brought a Letter from Caesar and read it before the People in spite of the Consuls wherein he desired that they would grant him Gaul on this side the Alps and Illyria with two Legions only and then he would desire no more But Scipio the Father in Law of Pompey moved in the Senate that if Caesar did not dismiss 〈◊〉 Army by a day appointed that then he should be proclaimed an Enemy to Rome Marcellus also added that they must use force of Arms and not Arguments against a Thief whereupon the Senate rose without determining any thing and every one put on his mourning apparel as in the time of a common calamity Cicero being newly come from his Government in Cilicia took much pains to reconcile them together and perswaded Pompey all he could who told him that he would yield to whatsoever he desired so he would let him alone with his Army But Lentulus the Consul shamefully drave Curio and Anthony out of the Senate who were in such danger that they were faign to flie out of Rome to Caesar disguised in a Carriers coat This gave Caesar great advantage and much incensed his men when they saw and heard how his Friends were abused Caesar at this time had about him but five thousand Foot and three thousand Horse having left the rest of his Army on the other side of the Alps to be brought after him by his Lieutenants Judging it better suddenly to steal upon them at Rome then to assail them with his whole Army which would require time and give his Enemies opportunity to strengthen themselves against him He therefore commanded his Captains to go before and to take in the City of Ariminum a great City on this side the Alps with as little bloodshed as might be Then committing the rest of those Souldiers which he had with him to Hortensius he spent a whole day in seeing the Sword Players exercise before him At Night he went unto his lodging where having bathed himself a little he came into the Hall and made merry with those whom he had bidden to Supper Then rising from the Table he prayed his Guests to be merry and he would come again to them presently howbeit he had secretly before directed his most trusty Friends to follow him not all together but some on way and some another Himself in the mean time took a Coach that he had hired and pretending at first to go another way he suddenly turned towards Ariminum But when he came to the River of Rubicorn which divides the hither Gaul from Italy he suddenly made a stop for if he once passed that there could be no hope of peace considering with himself of what importance this passage was and what miseries would ensue upon it Some say that he spake thus to his Friends Doubtless if I forbear to pass over this River it will be the beginning of my ruin if I pass it the ruin will be general Then turning towards the River he said it is yet in our power to turn back but if we pass the River we must make our way with our Weapons Some say that Caesar standing thus doubtful he was encouraged by the apparition of a man of very great stature piping upon a Reed whereupon many of the Souldiers and some Trumpeters went neer to hear him and that he catching one of their Trumpets leaped into the River sounding to the Battel with a mighty blast and so passed on to the farther side of the River Whereupon Caesar with a furious resolution cryed out Let us go whether the Gods and the injurious dealing of our Enemies do call us The Dice are cast I have set up my Rest Come what will of it After which he set spurs to his Horse and passed the River his Army following him Caesar having passed the River and drawn his Army together he made an Oration to them shedding some tears and tearing his Garment down the Breast laying before them the equity of his cause and craving their assistance To whom having with a general applause and consent made answer that they were ready to obey his will he presently marched on and came the next day to Ariminum upon which he seized The like he did to all the Towns and Castles as he passed on till he came to Corfinium which was held by Domitius who in a factious tumult had been nominated for his successour in the Government of Gaul This being taken he pardoned the Souldiers and Inhabitants and used Domitius kindly giving him leave to depart who went straight to Pompey by which clemency he purchased to himself much honour These thirty Cohorts he kept with him Caesars resolution being known at Rome it troubled Pompey amazed the Senate and terrified the common People Pompey now found himself deceived who before could not believe that Caesar would thrust himself into so great danger or that he could be able to raise sufficient forces to resist him but the success proved otherwise For though Pompey had authority from the Consuls and Senate to leavy Souldiers to call home his Legions and to send Captains for the defence of those Cities in Italy by which Caesar should pass yet all this was not sufficient to resist his fury and the power that he brought with him The fame of Caesars coming increasing daily Pompey with the whole Senate left Rome going to Capua and from thence to Brundusium a Sea Town seated at the mouth of the Gulph of Venice where he ordered the Consuls to pass to Dyrrhachium now Durazzo a Sea Town of Macedonia there to unite all their Forces being out of hope to resist Caesar in Italy who had already taken Corfinium where having drawn Domitius's thirty Cohorts to serve him he marched on and hearing that Pompey and the Consuls were at Brundusium he hasted towards them with his Legions with all possible speed But Pompey though he had fortified the Town sufficiently for his defence yet when Caesar began to invest the Town he imbarked himself and his men in the night time and so passed over to Dyrrachium to the Consuls Thus Caesar injoyed Italy without opposition yet was he doubtful what to resolve on He would gladly have followed Pompey but wanted Shipping and it being Winter he knew that Ships could not be procured so soon as was requisite and considering with all that it was not safe to leave an Enemy behind him which might cause an alteration in France or Italy
all the Ships and Gallies that possibly he could together with those whom Cassius had brought he therein shipped as many of his men as they could contain and passed into the lesser Asia where being advertised that Pompey had been in Cyprus he presumed that he was gone into Aegypt wherefore he steered the same course taking with him two Legions of old Souldiers only When he arrived at Alexandria he understood that Pompey presuming upon the many benefits and good entertainment which the Father of this King Ptolomy had received in his House had sent to this Ptolomy to harbour and assist him which accordingly the King promised and Pompey coming upon his safe conduct in a small Boat was by the false Kings commandment basely murthered thinking thereby to win the favour of Caesar. He understood likewise that Cornelia the Wife of Pompey and his Son Sextus Pompeius were fled from thence in the same ship wherein they came Caesar being landed and received into the City they brought him for a present the Head of the Great Pompey but he turned away and would not see it and when they brought him Pompeys Ring with his Seal of Arms he wept considering the end and success of the great adventures and properties of Pompey who with such honour and fame had Triumphed three times and been so many times Consul in Rome and had obtained so many Victories abroad When Caesar was landed in AEgypt he found the Country imbroiled in Civil Wars there being great discord between young King Ptolomy and his Sister Cleopatra about the division and Inheritance of that Kingdom wherein Julius Caesar as being a Roman Consul took upon him to be an Arbitrator For which cause or because their guilty consciences accused them for the treacherous murther of Pompey Fotinus the Eunuch who had contrived the said murther and Achillas who had been the actor of it fearing that Caesar inclined to favour Cleopatra sent for the Kings Army that lay near the City consisting of twenty thousand good Souldiers purposing to do by Caesar as they had done by Pompey so that within a few days there began between Caesar and his small Army both in the City and in the Harbour where the Ships and Gallies lay the most cruel and dangerous encounter that ever Caesar met with for he was often forced to fight in his own Person both within the City whereof the Enemies held the greater part and also in the Harbour with his Ships and was sometimes in so great peril and danger that he was forced to leap out of the Boat into the Water and by swimming to get one of the Gallies at which time he held his Commentaries in one hand above Water and carry his Robe in his teeth and to swim with the other hand But when his other Forces were come to him from Asia and other parts he at the end of nine months for so long these Wars lasted became Victorious as in all other his enterprises he had been and the young King Ptolomy was slain in fight In this War Caesar did such exploits and behaved himself so gallantly that for the same only he well deserved the fame and name of a brave Captain The Pride of the Aegyptians being thus tamed Caesar put to death the murtherers of Pompey and established the fair Cleopatra the Queen and Governess of Aegypt whom during his stay there he intertained for his Friend and had a Son by her called Caesarion And when he had quitted and settled all things in Aegypt he departed thence into Asia and travelled through Syria now Soria being informed that during his troubles in Aegypt King Pharnaces the Son of that mighty King Methridates thought it a fit time whilst the Romans were embroiled in Civil Wars to recover what his Father had lost For which end having overthrown Domitius whom Caesar had sent to govern those parts and having taken by force of Arms the Provinces of Bithynia and Cappadocia expelling thence King Ariobarzanes a Friend and Subject of Rome and beginning to do the like in Armenia the less which King Deiotarus had subjected to the Romans Caesar I say being informed hereof went with his Army sooner than Pharnaces imagined though he expected him and had intelligence of his appproach so that in few days they came to a Battel in which the King was soon overthrown and put to slight with great slaughter of his People yet himself escaped Caesar was very joyful for this Victory because of his earnest desire to return to Rome where he knew that many scandals were raised and many insolencies were committed for want of his presence He knew also that Pompeys eldest Son had seized upon a great part of Spain and had raised great Forces of those which Marcus Varro had left there and of his Fathers Troops He also understood that in Africa many Principal Romans who had escaped from the Battel of Pharsalia were gathered together whereof M. Cato surnamed Uticensis was the chief and Scipio Pompeys Father in Law and that these went thither with the greatest part of the Ships and Galleys which belonged to Pompey and with the greatest power that they were able to leavy and that joyning with Juba King of Mauritania they had subdued all that Country and had a great Army in a readiness to oppose him having chosen Scipio for their General because that Cato would not take that office upon him and for that the Name of Scipio had been so fortunate in Africa Caesar having intelligence of all these things within the space of a few days with great celerity and diligence recovered all that Pharnaces had usurped and chasing him out of Portus he regained all those Countries and so leaving Celius Minucius for General with two Legions to guard that Province pacifying the controversies and contentions in the rest and rewarding the Kings and Tetrachs which continued firm in their Leagues and amity with the Romans without any longer aboad he departed out of Asia and in a short space arrived in Italy and so passed to Rome within little more than a year after he went thence which was a very short time for the performance of so great matters and so long a Journey Presently after his comming to Rome he caused himself to be chosen Consul the third time and reforming so much as the time and his leasure would permit all disorders in Rome being troubled and not able to endure that his Enemies should possess Africk with great expedition he prepared all things necessary and from Rome took his way towards Africk commanding his Army to follow him First he went into Italy from whence taking Ship he passed over into Africk and though neither his Navy nor his Army arrived with him trusting to the valour of those that he had with him and his own good Fortune he landed with small Forces near to the City of Adrumentum and from thence marched to another City called Leptis
himself following with the other Fleet did the like About this time Octavian divorced himself from Scribonia though he had a Daughter by her called Livia and then he married Livia Drusilla Wife to Tiberius Nero by whom she had a Son called also Tiberius hereupon Tiberius was forced to leave her to please Octavian though at this time she was with Child of a Son This Livia he loved dearly and continued with her till his Death Agrippa assaulted and took in some places in Sicily which Pompey hearing of departed from Messina with one hundred and seventy five Gallies to relieve them and Agrippa being advertised of his coming prepared to meet him his Gallies being almost equal in number and so they joyned Battel which for a time seemed to be equal but at last Agrippa prevailed and Pompey retreated in time his Gallies and Foists withdrawing themselves into some Rivers near at hand whither Agrippa with his bigger Vessels could not follow them In this fight Pompey lost thirty of his Gallies Agrippa the next day went to a City called Tindaria thinking to surprise it by reason of intelligence which he had with the Citizens and Pompey in the Night gave secret order to his whole Fleet to retire to Messina Octavian in the mean time imbarked a great part of his Army which he landed in Sicily and set them on shore under the command of Cornificius little thinking that Pompey had been so near who if he had taken this opportunity might have defeated Octavian But loosing it Octavian imbarking again intended to determine the quarrel by a Battel at Sea leaving Cornificius with his men fortified on the Land Then did Pompey sail out of Messina with his whole Fleet and neither Parties refusing it they came to a Battel in which Octavian was overcome and all his great Fleet scattered and lost and himself driven to flie into Italy in a Brigandine where through many dangers he at last came to the Army whereof Mesalla was General and being nothing discouraged with this loss he presently took order for all that was needful To Rome he sent his intire Friend Mecenas to take order that this news should breed no alteration there and then presently sent to Agrippa the Admiral of his other Fleet that he should with all speed succour Cornificius and his Army in Sicily and to Lepidus he sent to desire him to make his present repair to the Isle of Lippari which is between Sicily and Calabria His diligence and good order about these affairs was such that in a short time by the help of Lepidus and Agrippa in dispite of Pompey he landed all his Forces in Sicily and joyning with Lepidus he encamped near to Messina where began a most cruel War both by Sea and Land wherein the power and sufficiency of Pompey did wonderfully appear in that he was able to grapple with so potent adversaries Yet seeing himself oppressed he sent a challenge to Octavian that to avoid the further effusion of blood he would try it out with him in a Naval fight so many Ships and Gallies against so many Octavian delayed him at the first but afterwards they agreed that with three hundred Ships and Galleys on either side they would meet in such a place and there fight it out and accordingly they prepared for the Battel Octavian leaving Lepidus with his Land Army embarked himself in his Fleet and Pompey did the like and so they joyned Battel which was one of the cruellest that ever was considering the Commanders and the strength on either side where Pompey after he had performed all the Offices of a good and Valiant Captain and after the slaughter of multitudes on both sides was overcome by Octavian and all his Fleet was burnt and sunk or taken saving sixteen sail which escaped by flight and he in one of them and these entered into the Haven of Messina And though the City was sufficiently fortified and Pompey knew that Plinius his General was coming to his rescue yet in a dark night he imbarked and with those sixteen Ships which had escaped he fled into the East to Mark Anthony hoping to find relief from him But after much toil and many accidents which happened to him he was slain by one Titius at the command of Mark Anthony and in him failed the House and memory of his Father Pompey the Great In this War Octavian escaped many dangers For having transported part of his Army into Sicily and sailing back to fetch the rest he was suddenly surprised by Demochares and Apolaphanes two of Pompeys Captains from whom he escaped with much difficulty with one only Ship Then travelling by Land to Rhegium he saw some of Pompeys Gallies near to the Shore and supposing them to be his own he went down to the Sea side where he had like to have been taken by them and then seeking to escape by unknown passages he met with a slave of Aemilius Paulus who remembring that he had proscribed his Master Paulus Father to this Aemilius he attempted to kill him Octavian having obtained this great Victory aforesaid though with very great loss he went to Land with the remainder of his Ships and Army commanding Agrippa to joyn with Lepidus and to go to Messina whither Pliny Pompeys General had retired himself But not thinking good to stand upon his defence now that his Master was fled he yielded himself to Lepidus with all his Legions This made Lepidus so proud that affecting to have Sicily to himself he contended with Octavian about it and entering into the City of Messina he placed a Garrison in it to hold it for his own use The like he did in many other places of the Island and when Octavian came he desired to speak with him greatly complaining of his proceedings But in Rule and Dominion equallity is intollerable whilst either of them coveted this Isle for himself they fell at variance and Octavian made his Navy to draw neer to the shore So that both Armies began to stand upon their guard the one against the other and many messages passed between them yet could they not agree But Octavian was far better beloved and esteemed by the men of War for his many vertues and Nobility and for his Name-sake Julius Caesar then the other and the Souldiers began to lay all the fault upon Lepidus Octavian understanding this laboured secretly to corrupt Lepidus his Souldiers to draw them to himself and one day with a great Troop of Horse he rode neer to Lepidus his Camp and parlying with his Souldiers justified himself and laid all the fault upon Lepidus insomuch that many of them began to come over to his side Lepidus being informed hereof caused an Alarm to be given and commanded his men to sally out against Octavian but when they came forth most of them joyned with him so that Lepidus seeing himself in danger of being forsaken of his whole Army
I will direct you in a way whereby fifty thousand of your men may go into China whom I my self will conduct and they shall come upon those which guard the Wall in a manner before they are discovered In the mean time you shall lead your Army to a place which I will direct you to where you may win easily a Mountain which will give you great advantage against the Chinois For I assure my self that when they shall perceive your men to be passed they will lose their courage so that you may easily win the passage to assist your Army which shall be led by me amongst them and to assure you of my fidelity I will deliver into your hands my Wife my only Son and two little Daughters I have also one Brother who I assure my self will follow me to do you service The Emperour having heard this much rejoyced at it hoping that his affairs would succeed happily and kept this very secret no revealing it to the Prince of Thanais himself none being present at the discourse but the Lord and his Interpreter and so heaping new favours upon him he was conducted back by the Prince of Thanais with all the honour that might be Then the Emperour returned to his Quarters and the next day imparted the whole matter unto Odmar and then calling Calibes he asked what he had learn'd concerning China during his abode there To which Calibes made this Answer Know my Lord that I am your slave to obey you but seeing you command me to give you an account of all I know concerning the Kingdom of China for that I have remained these six moneths upon the borders I can assure you that the King of China who now reigneth is of great reputation and hath encreased the Limits of his Kingdom more than any of his Predecessors His strength consisteth in this wall opposed against us which he hath made to prevent the inrodes of our Nation I believe there are above fifty thousand to defend it and that of his best trained Souldiers and I know no good means to force this Wall without much hazard and great loss of your men To this Tamerlane answered I hope that the great God whose honour I will defend against those Idolaters will find out means to effect it and so dismissing Calibes he appointed his Army to remove to a certain place where he meant to chuse out fifty thousand men whom he would deliver to the Prince of Thanais and Axalla which accordingly he did and directed them to follow this Chinois Lord who was now again come to him and to do as they should be directed by him In the mean time himself with all the rest of the Army approached the Wall directly over against Quaguifou The Army led by the Prince of Thanais having marched ten Leagues by the conduct of the Chinois Lord entred without resistance and after a short repast they marched directly towards those that guarded the Wall who suspected no such matter but only had an eye to those which came to force the Wall But it fell our far otherwise for just as Tamerlane with his Army came to the Wall they saw Axalla with twenty thousand being followed by the Prince of Thanais with thirty thousand choice Souldiers more who without any words fell upon the Chinois and Odmar who gave the first assault upon the Wall easily in that distraction brake through and so the Chinois were cut off between the two Armies and Axalla before the Prince of Thanais came up to him had routed them Great riches were gotten that day and the King of China's Cozen was taken Prisoner much Gold was found as well on their Arms as on their Horses Furniture but they shewed no great valour The news of this overthrow being carried to the King of China who was now at Quantifou it brought great astonishment to him for that he judged it impossible to have been effected so that every one was filled with tears fears and lamentations for their friends Yet the King gathers forces from all parts calling also the Priests and such as had the charge of his unholy holies to come unto him commanding them to offer sacrifices to their gods whereof the Sun is principal requiring the same to be observed through all the Cities and then that every one that was able to bear Arms should mount on horseback and speedily repair to the King at Paguinfou whither he suspected that Tamerlane would march for that it was one of the Cities nearest to the borders In the mean time Tamerlane beat down the Wall the better to assure his return as also the Forlresses upon all the passages all which upon his Victory were easily surrendred to him He shewed himself very courteous to the people upon the Mountains and gave to the Lord that had conducted his Army a Country which bordered upon his wherein were seven or eight good Towns who came and delivered the Keyes to him He gave him also the Government of the Frontier-Province of Xianxi shewing himself to be a Prince of his word and reserved the rewarding of his Brother till he had farther opportunity Whilst he was thus employed news was brought him that the King of China had assembled his Forces and was marching forward himself being there in person as also that he had strengthened the Garrisons in all his Cities which of themselves were well fortified Upon his intelligence Tamerlane called a Council of War and having heard the opinions of all his Captains he resolved to take in some famous City that thereby his Army might be better provided for and then to give the King of China battel in the field For the effecting of the first he resolved to assault Paguinfou which was a great City strongly fortified and well replenished with people and for this end he sent Odmar with forty thousand Horse to summon it and to prevent the farther victualling of it and to hinder the driving away of the cattel out of the Champion-countrey about it which might nourish his Army He also caused the Lord Axalla whom now he had made Lieutenant General of all his Foot to follow Odmar vvith all his Foot which vvere near a hundred and fifty thousand men well trained and expert in War himself marching immediately after vvith all his Horsemen Artillery Engines and other Ammunitions belonging to the War directly to Paguinfou Odmar made such haste that he arrived unexpected by the Citizens vvho rather looked for their King than for an Enemy and having taken much cattel vvherevvith that Countrey abounded he pitched his tents on the farther side of the City There he continued two or three dayes giving the City many Alarms till the Infantry led by that brave Christian Genuois shewed themselves in the Plain of Paguinfou Then was the City summoned but they returnd ansvver That they were resolved to live and die in the service of their Prince By
like a Deluge threatned to over-run all Christendom I shall intermit the former till I have spoken something of this latter that I may proceed with the more clearness in the remainder of this History The motive of the Spanish War was more upon pleasure than necessity But Zeal of Religion gave a colour and shew of necessity to the Heroical designs of Charlemagne who sought to enlarge the limits of the French Monarchy by his Arms. But this his Spanish War as it was undertaken upon lighter grounds so was it more painful more dangerous and less successful then that of Italy whereunto necessity and duty had drawn Charlemagne yet did his wise and wary proceeding in the action warrant him from all blame The occasions which moved him to bend his Forces against the Sarazins in Spain were the assurance of good success the quiet and peace of his Realm that he might have opportunity to imploy his Souldiery the hate of the Spaniards against the Sarazins and the general fear of all Christians least these Caterpillars should creep further into Europe This was the estate of Spain at this time The Sarazins had conquered a great part of it and were divided under divers Commands which had the Title of Kingdoms Yet these divers Kings being apprehensive of their common danger resolved to unite their forces against Charlemagne their common enemy and foreseeing the Tempest they sought to prevent it and to cross the designs of Charlemagne For which end they suborned King Idnabala a Sarazin being a very subtile and crafty man to insinuate himself into the acquaintance and familiarity of Charlemagne which stratagem prevailed more then all their power and forces Charlemagne was much quickned to this War by Alphonso surnamed the Chast King of Navar and by the Aâ—turians and Gallizians Christian People of Spain who suggested to him that the War would be easie profitable and honourable and therefore most worthy the Valour and Fortune of Charlemagne This Idnabala also under a shew of friendship laboured to hasten him to the execution of this enterprise from which he knew well he could not divert him that he might the better betray him by discovering his Counsels to the Sarazins Charlemagne being well-affected of himself and thus excited by others assembled a Parliament at Noyon and there concluded a War against the Sarazins in Spain The Army which he employed in this action was very great both for number of men and Valour of Commanders and Chieftains being the most choice and Worthy Captains in all Christendome amongst whom these were of the chiefest note Milon Earl of Anger 's Rowland the Son of Milon and Berthe Sister to Charlemagne Renald of Montaubon The four Sons of Aymon Oger the Dane Oliver Earl of Geneva Arnold of Belland Brabin and many others The Valour of which Persons hath been fabulously related by the Writers of those dark times who for the most part were Friars concerning whom the Proverb was A Friar a Lyar with the addition of a thousand ridiculous tales so that the truth is hardly picked out from the midst of so much errour Yet what is most probable and can be gathered out of the most authentick Authors shall here be set down They say that Charlemagne to make this undertaking more honourable in shew did at this time institute the Order of the twelve Peers of France Charlemagne being entred into Spain with his brave Army found no object for them whereon to exercise their Valour For the Sarazins resolving to make a defensive rather than an offensive War had withdrawn themselves into their Cities which they had fortified strongly The most renowned of the Sarazin Kings at this time were Aigoland Bellingan Denises Marsile and Idnabala But this last as was said before made shew of much Friendship to Charlemagne and of open hatred against the other Sarazin Kings with whom notwithstanding he held secret and strict intelligence to betray Charlemagne unto them The first City that the French attempted was Pampelune in the Kingdom of Navarr the which they took by force but with much pains danger and loss Having sackt this City and put all the Sarazins in it to the Sword they marched to Saragoce which yielded to them upon composition as did also many other small Towns being terrified with the example of Pampelune This prosperous beginning encouraged Charlemagne to advance forward relying on his wonted Fortune and good success But as he passed through the Provinces of Spain like a Victorious Prince without any opposition he divided his Army and gave part of it to be conducted by Milon of Anger 's his Brother in Law who in his march near unto Bayon was set upon by Aigoland the Sarazin King who in this common danger had thrust an Army into the Field and now assaulted Milon and his Troops little expecting any Enemy and took him at such an advantage as he defeated him This loss was very great For Writers say that forty thousand of the French here lost their lives Milon himself being also slain for a confirmation of the Sarazins Victory Charlemagne was at this time afar off and so not able by any diligence to prevent the loss Yet he suppressed his grief and trouble least he should discourage the whole Army and so hastening thitherward he gathered up the remainder of those broken and dispersed Troops withall keeping the conquered Cities and such as were Friends in their due Obedience But after this there fell out another accident Aigoland being puffed up with Pride through his late Victory marched with his Army into Gascoine and besieged Agen to divert Charlemagne from his pursuit and to draw him home to defend his own Country So as Charlemagne fearing least his own absence and the Sarazins late Victory should cause any alteration in the minds of them of Guienne being then Subjects of whom he had no great assurance he returned into France Aigoland had now continued some moneths at the siege of Agen yet had prevailed little but only in over-running the Country which he did freely without any considerable resistance even unto Xaintonge the Country-men in the mean time retiring into the Walled Towns expected the return of Charlemagne their King Aigolands Army was very great and puffed up with the remembrance of their late Victory So as Charlemagne returning with his Forces from Spain well tired he maintained his Countries more through his authority than by present force yet did he give life to the courage of his Subjects with his presence and bridled the proud Sarazin who could not be ignorant with whom he had to deal nor where he was being environed with the enemies on all sides and in an enemies Country Hereupon Aigoland pretending an inclination to Peace gave Charlemagne to understand that he had been the first Invader and that his own comming into France was only to draw his Enemy out of Spain and to cause him to leave to the
and by all possible means to repress and subdue them in us And when this is done there is also said he an exercise of justice against greedy Covetousness and a desire of getting which is not not to go rob our Neighbours Houses nor not to rob men by the High Way nor not to betray our Friends or Country for Mony for such an one opposeth not covetousness but possibility its Law or fear that bridleth his covetous desire to offend But that man that oftimes willingly abstains from just gains he it is that by exercise keeps himself far from unjust and unlawful taking of mony For it is impossible in great pleasures that are wicked and dangerous the Soul should contain it self from lusting after them unless formerly being oft at his choise to use them he had contemned them It s not easite to overcome them nor to refuse great Riches when they are offered unless a man long before hath killed in him this covetous desire of getting the which besides many other habits and actions is still greedily bent shamefully to gain pleasing himself in the pursuit of Injustice hardly forbearing to wrong an other so he may benefit himself But that man that disdaines to receive gifts from his Friends and refuseth Presents offered him by Kings and that hath rejected the bounty of Fortune putting by all covetous desires of glistering Treasures laid before him he shall never be tempted to do that which is unjust nor shall his mind be troubled but he will content himself quietly to do any thing that is honest having an upright heart finding nothing in it but that which is good and commendable Yet was the Life of Epaminondas far more excellent than his discourse as will appear by that which follows Diomedon the Cizicenian at the request of Artaxerxes King of Persia promised to win Epaminondas to take the Persians part To effect this he came to Thebes and brought a great mass of Gold with him and with three Thousand Crowns of it he bribed a young man called Mycethus who was greatly beloved by Epaminondas This young man went to him and told him the occasion of the other mans coming to Thebes But Diomedon being present Epaminondas said to him I have no need of mony If the King of Persia wish well to the Thebans I am at his service without taking one penny If he hath any other meaning he hath not Gold nor Silver enoâ—gh wherewith to corrupt me For I will not sell the love which I bear to my Country for all the Gold in the World and as for thee that dost now tempt me not knowing me but judging me like unto thy self I pardon thee for this time but get thee quickly out of the City lest thou corrupt others having failed to prevail over me and for thee Mycethus deliver him his mony again which if thou dost not presently I will send thee before a Justice Hereupon Diomedon besought him that he would let him go away in safety and carry that with him which he brought thither Yea said Epaminondas but it shall not be for thy sake but for my honour-sake lest thy Gold and Silver being taken from thee some man should accuse me that I had a share in that privately which I had refused openly Saying further whither wouldst thou that I should cause thee to be conveyed To Athens said Diomedon This was done accordingly and he had a strong convoy sent with him and that he might not be troubled by the way betwixt the Gates of Thebes and the Haven wherein he was to imbark himself Epaminondas gave Chabrias the Athenian charge of him that he should see him safe at his journeys end Though Epaminondas was very Poor yet would he never take any thing of his Citizens or Friends and being so inured to poverty he was enabled to bear it the more patiently by his study of Philosophy For on a time having the leading of an Army of the Thebans into the Country of Peloponnesus he borrowed five Crowns of a Citizen for the defraying of his necessary charges in that Journey Pelopidas being a man of great wealth and his very good Friend could never possibly force upon him any part of his Goods but he rather learned of him to love poverty For Epaminondas taught him to think it an honour to go plainly in his Apparrel to eat moderately to take pains willingly and in War to fight lustily Yet when he had occasion to relieve others he would make bold with his Friends goods which in such cases were common to him If any of his Citizens were taken Prisoners by the Enemy or if any Friend of his had a Daughter to be married and was not able to bestow her he used to call his Friends together and to assess every one of them at a certain sum after which he brought him before them who was to receive the mony and told him how much every one had bestowed upon him that he might return thanks to them all But once he went far beyond this For he sent a poor Friend of his to a Rich Citizen of Thebes to ask of him six hundred Crowns and to tell him that Epaminondas desired him to let him have them The Citizen being amazed at his demand went to Epaminondas to know what he meant to charge him so deeply as to make him to give six hundred Crowns to the other It is said Epaminondas because this man being an honest man is poor and thou who hast robbed the Commonwealth of much art rich He lived so soberly and was such an enemy to all superfluity and excess that being on a time invited to Supper to one of his Neighbours when he saw great preparation of dainty meats made dishes and perfumes he said unto him I thought thou hadst made a Sacrifice by this excess and superfluity and so immediatly went his way The like also he spake of his own Table saying that such an Ordinary was never guilty of Traitors and Treason On a time being at a Feast with some of his Companions he drank Vinegar and when they asked him what he meant by it and whether he drank it for his health or no I know not said he but this I am sure of it puts me in remembrance how I live at home Now it was not that his stomach was an enemy to dainty meats or that he lived so penuriously at home for he was marvelous noble minded But he did it that by his strict and unreprovable life he might bridle and restrain many insolencies and disorders which then raigned amongst the Thebans and to reduce them to the former temperance of their Ancestors Upon a time a Cook giving up an account to him and his Fellows of their ordinary expences for certain days he could find fault with nothing but the quantity of Oyl that was spent which his Companions marvelling at Tush said he it is not the expence which offends me but because we have poured
in so much Oyl into our Bodies The City of Thebes upon an occasion made a publick Feast where they were very merry and jolly But on the contrary Epaminondas went up and down without Oyl and perfumes or decked with brave apparel seeming very sad Some of his Familiar Friends meeting him in this Posture and wondering at him asked him why he walked so alone and ill apparelled through the City Because said he you may in the mean time freely and safely drink your selves drunk and make merry taking thought for nothing His Modesty also was such that it would in no wise suffer him to seek advancement but on the contrary he withdrew himself from Government that he might with the more quiet apply himself to the study of Philosophy It happened upon a time that the Lacedemonians intreated aid of the Thebans who at that time were in League with them and accordingly they sent them certain Foot Companies at which time Epaminondas being about thirty five years old Armed himself and went along with them At this time it was that that intimate Friendship began betwixt Pelopidas and him which continued even to the end of their lives These two being in a Battel the one by the other against the Arcatians whom they had in front against them in the plains of Mantinea it fell out that one of the points of the Battel of the Lacedemonians in which they were retired and many fled But these two resolved rather to die than flie and accordingly they stood to it gallantly till Pelopid is being wounded in seven places fell down upon a heap of dead Bodies Then did Epaminondas though he took him for dead step resolutely before him to defend his Body and Arms he alone sighting against many resolving rather to die in the place than to leave Pelopidas amongst the dead men until that himself being thrust into the Breast with a Pike and wounded in the Arm with a Sword was ready to faint at which time Providence so ordered it that King Agesipolis came on with the other point of the Battel and saved them both Not long after the Lacedemonians by a stratagem won the strong Castle of Thebes called Cadmaea and put a strong Garrison into it and gave the Government of Thebes unto Archias Philippus and Leontidas authors of all the mischief whereupon to avoid their Tyranny Pelopidas and many others were fain to save themselves by flight upon which they were banished by sound of Trumpet But as for Epaminondas they as yet said nothing to him but let him alone in the City for he was contemned as a man of no account because he was so much given to his Book and if he should have any mind to stir against them yet they judged he could do nothing because of his Poverty Whilest Pelopida and his Companions were at Athens they laid a plot to free Thebes from those Tyrants But Epaminondas not making a shew of any thing had devised another way to effect it by raising the hearts and courages of the young men of the City For when they went out to play and exercise themselves he always found out a way to make them wrestle with the Lacedemonians and when he saw the Lacedemonians throw them and give them shrewd falls they being the stronger he would privately rebuke the Thebans and tell them that it was a shame for them to suffer the Lacedemonians to set their Feet upon their Throats for want of courage who yet were not half so strong and boisterous as themselves were All this while Pelopidas and his followers went on in their Plot and had such good success that one Night they got privily into the City of Thebes and met at Charons House about forty eight in number Epaminondas knew all this well enough and at Night some took him aside and endeavoured to perswade him to joyn with them in delivering their City from those Tyrants to whom he answered that he had taken order with his Friends and Gorgidas to put themselves into a readiness upon any such occasion but for his own part he would not have a hand in putting any of his Citizens to death unless they were legally condemned yet said he if you will make an attempt for the delivery of the City so as that it be without murther or blood-shed I vvill joyn with you vvith all my heart But if you will persevere in your former determination pray you let me alone pure and not defiled vvith the blood of my Citizens that being blameless I may take hold of another occasion vvhich may tend more to the good of the common-wealth For the murthers that vvill be committed in this vvay cannot be contained vvithin any reasonable bounds I know indeed that Pherecides and Pelopidas vvill especially set upon the Authors of the Tyranny but Eumolpidas and Samiadas being fierce and Cholerick men taking the liberty of the Night will never sheath their Swords till they have filled the whole City with Murther and slain many of the chief Citizens Besides it s very convenient for the People of Thebes that some be left free and blameless of these Murthers and guiltless of all that should be done in the fury of this action Notwithstanding all that vvas said the enterprise vvas executed and the Tyrants put to death the City was restored to her ancient liberty the Castle of Cadmaea was rendred up by composition and Lysandradas the Lacedemonian and other Commanders that were in it vvere suffered safely to depart with their goods and Souldiers This vvas the occasion of the long Wars which followed between the Lacedemonians and Thebans vvith vvhom the Athenians joyned in League Epaminondas still applied himself to his Book yet at last he vvas put forvvards by Pammenes a chief man amongst the Thebans and he began to follovv the Wars very eagerly and in divers encounters gave good proof of his prudence hardiness and valour insomuch as by degrees he attained to the highest charges of Government in the Commonvvealth and his Citizens vvho before made small account of him till he vvas forty years old after vvhen they knevv him better they trusted him vvith their Armies and he saved the City of Thebes that vvas like to be undone yea and freed all Greece from the servitude of the Lacedemonians making his Virtue as in a cleer light to shine vvith Glory shevving the effects vvhen time served Upon a time Agesilaus King of Lacedemon entered into Boeotia vvith an Army of tvventy thousand Foot and five thousand Horse vvherewith he harrased and spoiled all the plain Country and presented Battel to the Thebans in the open Fields which yet they would not accept of finding themselves the weaker Howbeit they defended themselves so well by the assistance of the Athenians and the wiâ—e conduct of Epaminondas and Pelopidas that they caused Agesilaus to return home with his Army But when he was gone the Thebans went with their Companies
slain Antigonus being in a rage caused the dead body of Joseph to be whipped though Pheroras his Brother offered fifty Talents to have redeemed it After this loss the Galileans revolting from their Governours drowned those that were of Herods party in the Lake In Idumaea also there were many innovations Anthony having made peace with his enemy commanded Caius Sosius to assist Herod against Antigonus with two Cohorts When Herod came to Daphne the Suburbs of Antioch he heard of his Brother Josephs deah which caused him to hasten his journey and coming to Mount Libanus he took thence with him eight hundred men and one Cohort of the Romans and so came to Ptolemais from whence in the night he passed with his Army through Galilee Here his enemies met him whom he overcame in fight and forced them into the Castle from whence they had issued the day before Them he assaulted but was compelled to desist by reason of the extremity of the weather and to retreat into some neighbouring Villages but upon the coming of another Cohort from Anthony they in the Castle were so affrighted that they forsook the same by night Herod then hastned to Jericho purposing to revenge his Brothers death and being come thither he feasted his Nobles and the feast being ended and his guests dismissed he retired into his chamber and presently the room wherein they had supped being now empty of company fell down without hurting any which made many to think that surely Herod was beloved of God who had so miraculously preserved him The next day six thousand of the enemies came down from the Mountains to fight with him and their forlorn-hope with darts and stones so terrified the Romans and some of Herods Souldiers that they fled and Herod himself received a wound in his side Antigonus desiring to have his strength seem greater than it was sent one of his Captains named Pappus with some forces into Samaria whilst himself went against Machaeras In the mean time Herod took in five Towns and therein put two thousand of the Garrison Souldiers to the sword and setting the Towns on fire he went against Pappus and was strengthened by many that came to him out of Jericho and Judea yet was the enemy so confident that he would joyn battel with him but in fight Herod overcame them and being inflamed with a desire to revenge his Brothers death he pursued them that fled slew many of them and followed them into a Village and there slew many more of them who retreated into houses the rest fled After which Victory Herod had presently gone to Jerusalem and put an end to the war had not the sharpness of the Winter hindred him for now Antigonus bethought himself to leave the City and fly elsewhere for safety Herod in the evening when he had dismissed his Friends to refresh themselves as yet hot in his Armour went into a chamber attended with one only servant to wash himself wherein some of his enemies armed whom fear had forced thither were hidden and whilst he was naked and washing himself first one and then a second and a third ran out armed with naked swords in their hands so astonished that they were glad to save themselves without profering the least hurt to the King The next day Herod amongst others cut off Pappus his head and sent it by way of revenge for his Brothers death to his Brother Pheroras for it was Pappus that with his own hand had slain Joseph Herod in the beginning of the third year after he had been declared King at Rome coming with an Army to Jerusalem encamped near the City and from thence removing to that place where the Walls were fittest to be assaulted he pitched his Tents before the Temple intending to attempt them as Pompey had done in times past and having encompassed the place with three Bulworks by the help of many workmen he raised his batteries fetching materials from all places thereabouts and appointing fit men to oversee the work and then himself went to Samaria to solemnize his Marriage with Mariamne the Daughter of Alexander the Son of Aristobulus who was formerly betrothed to him The Marriage ceremony being over Sosius came with an Army of Horse and Foot being sent by Anthony to the aid of Herod and Herod also took a great party with him from Samaria to Jerusalem so that the whole Army being come together consisted of eleven Legions of Foot and six thousand Horse besides the Syrian Auxiliaries which were very many and so they pitched on the North-side of the City Over this great Army were two Generals Sosius and Herod who purposed to displace Antigonus as an enemy to the people of Rome and to establish Herod in the Kingdom according to the Decree of the Senate The Jews being gathered together out of the whole Countrey and shut up within the Walls made a valiant resistance boasting much of the Temple of the Lord and saying that the Lord would not forsake his people in the time of danger By secret sallies also they burnt up and spoiled all provision without the City both for Man and Horse whereby the Besiegers began to be pinched but Herod provided against their excursions by placing ambushments in convenient places and sending parties to fetch in provision from afar off so that in a short time the Army was well furnished with all necessaries By reason of the multitude of Workmen the three bulworks were soon finished it being Summer time so that no untemperateness of weather hindred them and with his Engines Herod often battered the Walls and left nothing unassayed but the besieged fought valiantly and were every way as active and subtile to make void his endeavours often sallying forth and firing their Works both those that were finished and others that were but begun and coming to handistrokes with the Romans they were nothing inferiour to them but only in Martial skill The Sabbatical year now coming brought a Famine upon the besieged Jews notwithstanding which they built a new Wall within that which was beaten down by the battering Rams and so countermined the Enemies mines that many times they came to Handystrokes under ground and making use of despair instead of courage they held it out unto the last though Pollio the Pharisee and Samias his Disciple advised them to receive Herod into the City saying that they could not avoid his being their King by reason of their sins They held out the siege for five moneths space though there was so great an Army before the City but at length twenty of Herods choicest Souldiers got upon the Wall and after them the Centurions of Sosius So that the first Wall was taken on the forti'th day and the second on the fiftieth and some Galleries about the Temple were burnt down which Herod charged though falsly upon Antigonus thereby to bring him into hatred with the people When the outward part of