others And whereas the whole publicke reuenew was diuided into three partes they tooke the first portion to thend to employ it in administration of sacrifices and on their necessities They were called neere vnto Kings to giue counsaile in matters of consequence both they and their children being exempted from subsidies and holding the secoÌ„d place to the king in honor dignity Thother portion of the reuenew appertayned to the Kings who employed it on the warres and on maintaining their estate and traine and in recompensing such as deserued whence it came to passe that the people was not any way oppressed with tributes and new subsidies The third part was receiued by the nobles and other men of armes wherein they were all exercised to the end that by such intertainement they should be the readier to vndertake all military hazards and that lyuing better thereby and more at ease they should be the more enclined to beget offspring of their bodies whence it came to passe that the Countrey being peopled by theis meanes had no need of forraine Souldiers They neuer learned any base or mechanical science but gaue themselues wholy to armes which exercise was taught from hand to hand by the father to the sonne Concerning their arts and handycrafts the Egyptians workes were very wel wrought and euen come to their perfection for the Artisans of Egypt employed themselues onely about workes which were permitted by the Law or which they had learned of their fathers And it behoued euery one to showe to the gouernour from yere to yere whereof he liued Otherwise for default of so doing or not shewing his manner of liuing to be iust and reasonable he was led presently to death And whereas that Countrey was more stored with people then any other of the world and furnished with such excellent Artisans their kings haue built such great Cities as Thebes and Memphis and erected and made meruailous pyramides temples labyrinths â—epultures colosses obeliskes and other like workes the greatest amongst men which enuious age thorough so long tract of time amongst so many changes of Lordships could not yet consume Furthermore the countrey of Egypt hath alwaies seemed to be the most excellent of all others as well for that it is meruailously strong and wel bounded as for the pleasing beauty of the whole Countrey For on the West side it hath the great deserts for defence and a part of the wylde Lybia which is not only difficult to passe ouer but very daungerous also for want of waters and barennes of all other thinges Towards the South it is enuironed with the scluses of Nilus and with the mountaines adioyning And to come downe from the higher Ethiopia for the space of three hundred leagues the riuer is not easily nauigable nor the way by land easy to be vndertaken if it be not by a king or with great prouision of victuals On the East side it is fortified with the sameriuer and with a deepe and hollow marish ground more then twelue leagues in length being betwixt Syria and Egypt On the North it is enclosed with a Sea which hath no hauens and where it is very difficult to finde landing Being by this meanes very safe and strong it was first grouerned by the natiue Kings of the Countrey after by the Ethiopians Persians Macedonians Romains Greekes Caliphes Soudans and at this day by the Turkes Amongst all the Kings borne in the countrey or aliens which euer raigned there SESOSTRIS was the most mighty most magnificent hauing excelled in valiancy and felicity not onely the Assyrians and Persians but also the Macedonians and Romaines His father being aduertised by reuelation of his greatnes to come to the end to make him worthier to rule the Monarchy of the whole worlde he assembled togither all the children that were borne on the same day with his sonne caused them al to be instructed in the same discipline with him thinking that being so brought vp togither they would loue one another the more be the better help to one another in the wars First of al then going against the Arabians with an army of these being hardned with pain accustomed to sobriety he brought vnder his obedieÌ„ce al that nation which was free at liberty before then the greatest part of Lybia being yet very yong lifted vp in courage by the succes of this expedition he applyed al his fantasy to make himselfe Lord of al the world gathering togither an army of sixe hundred thousand foot foure and twenty thousand horse eighteen thousand chariots for war foure hundred ships on the red sea finding out first the vse of galleis ouer all whom he appointed Capitains the most part of those which had bin brought vp with him as is fayde accustomed vnto warre and from their youth giuen to vertuous exercises With this great force hee conquered on the one side Ethiopia and all the Isles of that Countrey and all the Sea-coast towardes the Indies on the other side Asia the great ouercomming not onely those nations which were afterward ouercome by Alexander but also many other whom Alexander neuer came vnto For he passed the riuer Ganges marching here and there thorough out all the Countrey of the Indians vnto the great Ocean and trauersed all the Scythians countrey vnto the riuer Tanais which deâ—ideth Asia from Europe Then going therehence into Thrace he was constrained by the difficulty of the places and thorough want of victuals to make an end of his enterprise setting vp diuers pillars in the conquered Countries some with the likenesse of a man others with the secret parts of women signifying thereby the valiancy or cowardize of the vanquished people Returning into Egypt with all the prisoners whose number was infinite and the spoiles of the conquered Countries he decked the Temples of Egypt with the most precious things which he had brought and hauing recompensed his souldiers which had well followed and serued him from that time forward the whole Countrey was much enriched Being at quiet he did also many great and excellent things seruing for the ornament and safety of Egypt as to raise mounts on which the townes were placed which before were low seated to th end that the men and beastes might remaine in safety during the increase of the riuer make great diches and chanels in the Countrey going from Memphis to the Sea to cary victuals more easily and readily fortifie those places where the enimies might enter on the land of Egypt making their entrance more difficulte by multitude of diches build a great wall toward Syria and Arabia from Peluse to the City of the Sunne fourescore and fourteene leagues in length But hee exceeded all other magnificence in this that when the nations which hee had ouercome and those to whome hee had giuen kingdomes as also the Capitaines which hee had ordained for the guard of his prouinces were come into Egypt at the time appointed to offer their gifts
land which we hold is little hard and barren and we must go from it to win a better elswhere There are many neere about vs and many farther remoued from vs of the which if we once possesse but one we shall be admirable to many others And surely men that rule ought to think on these things for when shall we haue better occasion then when we are Lords ouer many men and ouer all Asia CYRVS hearing these words commaunded they should be put in execution but in commaunding warned them also to prepare themselues not to rule but to be ouerruled for it is so that soft Countries make soft people because it is not proper to one land to beare both delectable fruits and valiant warriours Then the Persians repented them chosing rather to rule dwelling in an vnfruitfull land then to serue others sowing and labouring of the faire fieldes The same CYRVS in Xenophon showeth his people that watching and trauayling enduring of labour and vsing of diligence had enriched them Wherfore saith he it behoueth also that hereafter you be vertuous holding for certaine that great goods and great contentments will come vnto you by obedience constancie vertue paines-taking and hardines in vertuous and perilous interprises CYRVS then is he which first put the Persians in reputation making them Lords ouer the Medes whose vassals and tributaries they were before But as in all the great effects of nature and notable mutations of mankind God raiseth vp ordinarily great and excellent Princes adorned with rare vertues lifted vp in great aucthoritie to found Kingdomes and Empiers to bring in good lawes and maners of liuing in Religion and politike gouernment and to further the arts and sciences whose birth and death are foretold long time before by oracles prophecies and signes in Heauen and earth and after their death reuerenced with diuine honours So GOD meaning then to establish in Asia a most mightie Monarchie and to bring Philosophie into the world at the same time he raised vp CYRVS as praise-worthie a Prince as any other hath bin either afore or after him It is he alone amongst all the great Lordes and Captaines of whom histories do make mencion that could obserue modestie in all his prosperities and victories and bridle his absolute power and aucthoritie with equitie and clemencie But from whence may wee haue a more certaine testimonie of his excellencie then from the Propher Esay where he was named two hundred yeares before he was borne and is called of GOD his king promising to hold his right hand that hee might take stronge Townes and subdue mightie Nations and humble the great Kings of the earth And he chose him amongst all the Princes of the Gentils to reedifie the Temple of Ierusalem and deliuer the Iewes from the Captiuitie of Babylon in the which they had long remayned restoring them to their full libertie and vse of the true Religion The words of Esay are these The Lord saith thus to CYRVS his anoynted I haue taken the right hand that I may subdue the Nations before his face and that I may weaken the raines of Kings that the dores may be opened before him and that the gates be not shut I will go before him and make the crooked waies straight I will breake the gates of brasse and will bruse the barres of yron and will giue the treasures laied vp and the thinges hid in secret places that thou maist know that I am thy Lord the God of Israell calling thee by thy name for my seruant Iacobs sake and for Israell my chosen I haue named thee by thy name though thou neuer knowest me But though fortune were verie contrarie to him at the beginning yet did GOD neuer forsake him but following the prophecie deliuered him from many dangers and inconueniences ASTYAGES king of the Medes had a daughter called Mandana of whom he dreamt in his sleepe and it seemed vnto him that he saw her make water in such abundance that she filled all the Citie of Ecbatane and from thence watered and ouerflowed all Asia He proposed this vision to some of his Mages expounders of dreames and was afraied with that which he learned of them Wherefore when Mandana was of yeares to be maried hee would not giue her to any Median Lord but gaue her to a Persian whom he found of a good house and of sweet and peaceable maners though he esteemed him lesse then a Median of meane estate Mandana beeing maried to this Persian called Cambyses the first yeare of their mariage Astyages had an other vision and dreamed that he saw a Vine comming out of the wombe of his daughter and spreading ouer all Asia which he proposed to the deuiners as before and hearing them sent into Persia for his daughter being alreadie with child who being come he commaunded she should be carefully kept purposing to put her child to death because the Mages had told him that the sonne of his daughter should one day raigne in his place Wherefore as soone as she brought forth a child who was called CYRVS he appointed Harpagus his greatest fauorite and trustiest seruant to put him to death who gaue him to a Shepheard to be exposed for a pray to wild beastes which the shepheard did and left him in the midst of a forest wrapped in a blanket of cloth of gold and a mantle of diuers colours whither retourning afterward he found a bytch by the child which gaue him suck and defended him from the beastes Wherefore beeing moued with the same pitie which moued the bitch he brought the cradle into his Cabin and nourished the child as his owne till he was ten yeares of age when he was chosen king amongst the children In which charge bearing himselfe more brauelier then the estate of a shepheards sonne yeelded in appointing to euery one their offices and estates some to buyld him houses and castles others to be of his gard one to be as the eye of the king another ordayned to make report vnto him of the gouernment of his affaires and chastising roughly such as disobeyed him he became knowen and was brought back againe to Astyages who brought him vp thinking his dreame to be accomplished in this childish royaltie But being woxen greater he became most warlike and hauing at the beginning of his conquests but thirtie thousand fighting men afterwards as he increased in Lordships he augmented his forces and gathered togither sixe hundred thousand footemen sixe score thousand horsemen and aboue two thousand chariots armed with hookes His Empire being the greatest and the fairest that euer king had in Asia bounded towards the East with the red sea towards the North with the sea Euxinus on the West with Cypres and Egipt and on the south with Ethiopia He conquered first the Countrie of the Medes and the Hircanians which yeelded themselues vnto him of their owne free will then subdued by force the Assyrians the Arabians and Capadocians the inhabitants of th one and
children to bee safe kept to the King of the City of Niniuy Concerning the PERSIAN Monarchy CYRVS who founded it had infinite wealth hauing spoiled all Asia where he got fiue hundred thousand talents of siluer which is the greatest summe or quantity of siluer that was euer found gathered togither at one time rysing to three hundred millions of crownes and a sixth part ouer which are fifty milions And it is not to be meruailed that he had so much for he got into his power the treasure of CRESVS of DAVID and SALOMON the auncient riches of Assyria which were translated into Media and of many other Countries As DARIVS the first of that name ordained the tributes they might come to ten milions of gold euery yere besides the gifts of great value which were giuen by the nations subiect vnto him and without speaking of such as were exempted The Queene had certaine townes and prouinces assigned her for her intertainment one furnished the attire of her head another this or that ornament which wealth was alwaies augmented by the Kinges that followed euen to Darius the last in so much that in his raigne it was already become intollerable in destiny and to luxurious and was therefore the ruine of him and of his estate For in the conquest which Alexander made hee founde meruailous great Treasures in diuers Countries of his kingdome namely at Susa and Persepoli as Quintus Curtius writeth one hundred and seuenty thousand talents of siluer in masse sixe thousand in Damasco an other summe in Babylon and fifty thousand talents of purple Strabo writeth that the most common opinion was that there were found forty thousand talents in Persia besides that which was elswhere and that some esteemed the whole at nine-score thousand talentes which is an incredible summe and as great as hath euer bin numbred or gathered after that foresaid treasure of CYRVS For the hundred thousand talents are esteemed at threescore milions of Crownes and the fourescore thousand remaining woulde come by this estimation to more then forty millions which would be in al about a hundred millions This king vsed to make bankets to such as were of best reckoning in his Court to the number of fifteen thousand and for euery supper he appointed in expence of table fower hundred talents valued at twelue score thousand Crownes The bed wheron he slept was sumptuously set forth and couered with a vine of gold in maner of a grate or lettice enriched with precious stones hanging like clusters of grapes He had at his beds-head in treasure fiue thousand talents of gold and at his beds-foote alwaies three thousand talents of siluer Such was the dominion and riches of the Persians whereunto their power was correspondent for CYRVS assembled an armie of six hundred thousand fighting men on foote six thousand on horseback and about two thousand chariots of warre DARIVS the first of that name going to fight against the Scythians led eight hundred thousand men XERXES came into Greece hauing by sea fiue hundred and seuenteen thousand six hundred men by land a Million seuen hundred thousand foote and fower score thousand horsemen with twentie thousand Africans Arabians to whom there ioyned of Europe three hundred thousand the whole multitude comming to aboue two Millions six hundred seuenteen thousand fighting men Since that time the PARTHIANS obtayning the Empire of the East and ruling ouer all Asia between the red sea and the Caspian came not to so great riches and power as the PERSIANS for the greatest force which I find they euer had was of Cxx. thousand men on foote and horseback notwithstanding they found themselues so strong that being in three warres assailed by great Romain Captaines in the vigour and flower of their Empire amongst all the Nations of the world they not onely remained equall but also were sometimes superiours The length of all INDIA from the East vnto the West is of seuenteen hundred Leagues and from the North to South of two thousand Leagues It excelleth aboue all others in beautie fertilitie being diuided into many parts by the riuers which do water it Where is found great quantitie of Gold Siluer Brasse precious stones and all other things concerning riches and delicacies STAVROBATES raigning there in the time of SEMIRAMIS who inuaded it indeuoured to exceede the forces of the ASSYRIANS opposing as mightie an Armie against her as she had brought with her being three Millions of foote and fiue hundred thousand horsemen and constrayned her to retire with great losse of her people and without doing any thing The ETHIOPIANS beleeued that by reason of their deuotion towards their Gods they were neuer wholy ouercome by any straunger and therefore remaine alwaies free At this day PRESBITER IOHN raigneth there farre and wide hauing fortie kings tributarie and commaunding ouer infinite people of diuers colours of whom shal be spoken hereafter in due place The SCYTHIANS faine that in old time in their Countrey there was borne of the earth a virgin which was a woman from the nauel vpward and the rest a snake who begate a sonne called SCYTHA which named the SCYTHIANS after his owne name hauing made himselfe the most triumphant Prince of all that euer were before him And that amongst the successors of this king there were two brothers of great vertue who did many thinges worthie of praise whose lyne being long time greatly increased by vertuous acts and militarie aduentures subdued the Countries beyond the riuer Tanais euen vnto Thrace And turning afterward their armies on the other side came as farre as the Nile of Egipt making themselues Lords of all the people between them stretching out their dominion from the great Ocean which is toward the sunne rising euen to the Caspian sea and to the poole Meotis Of these people thus fortified and increased many Nations haue discended and amongst the rest the Sares Massagetes Assyrians Medes and Parthians Then the Lordship of the SCYTHIANS fayling through length of time that the women called AMAZONS began to raigne there whose power and vertue was so great that they subdued not onely the Nations neere vnto them but also a great part of Europe and of Asia The greatest fairest and most magnificent Cities of the world were NINIVIE and BABYLON in Assyria THEBES and MEMPHIS and afterwardes ALEXANDRIA in Egipt But the Medians transferring to them selues the Empire of the Assyrians destroied and razed the Citie of Niniuie carying to ECBATANA a citie of Media all the gold and siluer and other ornaments which they found there In like sort the Persians taking the Empire from the Medes caried away all the riches which they found in Babylon and the castels palaces and other ornaments and singularities were either distroied by them or consumed by succession of time The same Persians in the time that Cambyses conquered Egipt did not onely transport the ornaments of the singularities of Egipt into Asia but also their artisans by whose
slaine and taken to mercy two Millions of men fower score and three thousand eight hundred fortie and six and hauing sonke and taken eight hundred fortie and six shippes won a thousand fiue hundred thirtie and eight Townes and Castles and conquered the lands from the marish of Meotis to the red Sea hath made this vow to the merite of Minerua Such is the summarie of his deeds toward the East Concerning the triumphe which he made at the end of September in the yeare when Marc. Messala and Marc. Piso were Consuls the preface was such When we had deliuered all the sea-coast of pyrates and had restored the Empire of the sea to the people of Rome he triumphed of Asia Pontus Armenia Paphlagonia Cappadocia Cilicia Suria the Scythians Iewes Albanians Iberians the Isle of Crete and Basternes Moreouer of the kings Mithridates and Tygranes The top of his glorie as he said himselfe in a great assemblie was this That hauing found Asia the last of the prouinces and farthest he made it one of the midlemost vnto his Countrie If some one on the contrarie would in like maner recite the deeds of Iulius Cesar which seemed greater then his he should reckon all the world which would be an infinite thing A COMPARISON OF IVLIVS Cesar with Alexander the great according to Appian ALEXANDER and IVLIVS CESAR were both of them verie ambitious and warlike aboue all others readie and diligent to execute all enterprises and impetuous in dangers euen to the contemning of their owne liues And their fortune and audacitie was no lesse helpfull to them both then their militarie discipline Of whom th one namely ALEXANDER went in the summer season and thorough countries destitute of waters to the god Hammon and hauing passed the gulfe of the sea of Pamphylia by great hap and felicitie he got the countrie For in his passage ouer the sea it seemed that fortune with-held appeased the raging therof Afterwards at the beginning of winter being on his way he went thorough the rough seas euen to the Indies Moreouer being at the siege of a Towne he was the first that got vpon the wall and then leaped downe all alone amongst his enemies and hauing receiued thirteen wounds yet remayned notwithstanding inuincible in all things He subdued many Nations in Europe and conquered the Greekes by armes which were a verie warlike nation and desirous of libertie and who were neuer accustomed to be subiect vnto any other till such time as vnder colour of presidence they were obedient to Philip the father of Alexander as to their Protectour He vanquished almost all Asia and as one might say ouercame all that he saw And finally as he purposed in his mind to conquer the rest of the world he died in the flower of his age Touching IVLIVS CESAR in the sharpest of winter the Ionian sea was calme and nauigable vnto him He sailed also in the Ocean sea ouer against the Isle of great Britaine and albeit he had not any knowledge of the coast yet he commaunded his Pilots who kept a loose off to put in with their shippes And in an other place hauing by night time alone in a little boate espied the passage hee bid the Master of the shipp set saile to the winde and to put more confidence in the fortune of CESAR then in the sea He entered oftentimes all alone on his enemies when all his people quaked and trembled for feate He fought in pitched field against the Gaules thirtie times and subdued all that Nation which was so terrible to the Romains that whereas by the law of the Priests and of the Auncients they gaue immunities to the men of armes from seruice they alwaies added except it were against the Gaules in which case there was no excuse neither for Priest nor aged person Moreouer CESAR fighting neere vnto Alexandria and seeing himselfe on a bridge abandoned of all his people and enuironed on all sides with his enemies he cast his purple garment on the ground and then leaped into the sea And because his enemies pursued him in the water he kept a long time at the botome without showing himselfe sauing now and then to take breath till he drew neere to one of his ships and then stretching out his hand he made himselfe knowen and by that meanes was saued In the ciuile warres for feare as he said but in trueth for ambition he had against him many great and valiant Captaines of many great armies not onely of Barbarians but of Romains also and he ouer came all his enemies which had surmounted all others in vertue and felicitie in one onely battaile or two But yet notwithstanding his armies were not alwaies inuincible as those of Alexander for his Pretors Cotta ' and Titurius fighting against the Gaules were shamefully defeated and in Spaine Petreius and Afranius inclosed his armie in such sort that they were in a maner besieged Also at Dyrrhachium and in Libia they were about to run away and againe in great feare of the yong Pompey But in as much as concerneth the person of Cesar he was euer without feare and in the end victorious He inlarged the Romain Empire both by sea and by land from the Ocean sea euen to the riuer Euphrates aswell by force and vertue as by his clemencie and benignitie His Empire was more firme better founded then that of Sylla for he shewed himselfe in effect a king to those which would not haue had it so although he abstained from the name and hauing vndertaken a new warre he died as did Alexander Both of them had armies almost alike for their men were quick and hardie louing their chiefes sharpe and fierce in fight often disobedient and readie to mutine against their Emperours because of their continuall labour and notwithstanding after they were dead they lamented and bewailed them greatly and iudged them worthy to be honoured as Gods They were both strong of bodie and excellent in beamie both discended of the line of Iupiter Thone of AEacus and of Hercules and thother of Anchises and Venus Both of them were contentious and rough to such as prouoked them but easie to be reconciled pitiful and gracious to their prisoners and to those which they had ouercome and liberall toward all people without couetousnes of any thing but of the victorie By such vertues and conditions they both attained howbeit by diuers meanes to such great principalitie For when Alexander began to conquer he had alreadie a kingdom which Philip had greatly increased But Cesar of a priuat Citizen though of a noble race without any great patrimonie and without money attained to this great glorie Both of them contemned the great signes that appeared of their death and notwithstanding towards those that foretold their mishap they shewed no tokens of displeasure and their end was almost after one sort because that both of them had twice together infortunate prognostications were either of them at both times in great
They held in most straight subiection all the people of Egypt and of Suria forbidding them to haue any weapons or to ryde on horsebacke They were not aboue sixteene thousand but they intertained many seruants vnder them and being men of great force and hardynesse they had not only tamed many bordering nations and beaten the Arabians but also made many warres against the Turkes enuying their prosperitie of whome they remained often victorious and were seldome or neuer vanquished by them But when as they were deuided and bandded in partalities Selim the Turke defeated them in two battailes killing in the first the SOVLDAN SAMPSON who was gone into Suria with an armie to helpe the Sophi then prosecuting his victory he went into Egypt against him that was chosen SOVLDAN in steed of him that was dead whom hee tooke and made him ignominiously to bee caryed on a poore Camell with his face backwardes all alonge the great streete of Cair and to bee hanged at the gate of that Citie doubling his power by the Conquest of such a state much reuerenced by those of the religion of Mahomet and redoubted because of the valyance of the MAMMELVCS whoe were massacred in suche sorte that there name is almost extinguished There remayne yet other great kingdomes of this time as of NARSINGVE in the Indies and of PRESBITER IOHN in Africke called Lacâ—gue Negus of the ABYSINS being baptized and circumcised Christians and of the MOSCOVITE in the north a Christian also but after the Greeke maner The king of Narsingue which is of the auncient religion of the Bramines yeldeth to no king of the world in riches power and magnificence intertaining forty thousand horsemen of ordinary and foure hundred elephants fitt for war with infinite dromedaries Touching PRESBITER IOHN he commaundeth ouer innumerable nations different in colours and hath vnder him forty kings tributary His landes and seigniories extende toward the West more then twenty daies iourney and he hath gold shut vp in a caue enough to buy the moitie of the world and the quantity is euery day increased and multiplied without taking any thing from it In the spacious kingdome of Ethiopia being so large neuer did the kings sonnes or brothers moue any sedition for the state nor defiled their hands in one anothers bloud but the line of the bloud royall is alwaies conserued by rare hap and neuer yet communicated to any other kingdome whatsoeuer Christian Hebrew Sarazen or Pagan They say it was once reuealed to one of their kings in a dreame that if he desired to haue his kingdome long maintained in peace and vnity he must locke vp all his children which were a great number on a mountaine and that he must keep onely him that he would haue to succeed in his kingdome and this custome remained eternally to his posterity as a thing ordained of the heauens Otherwise that one part of Ethiopia which is so large would come to reuolt against the heire and put him in danger of his life and of his state The king being awaked was meruailously astonished with this nouelty not knowing where he might finde this mountaine Wherefore he had another vision reuealing vnto him that he shoulde marke thorough out al his countrey where he should see goates on the top of rockes so high that they seemed readie to fâ—ll and this should bee the place where he should shut in his children Which the king hauing put in execution the mountaine was found to be of a meruailous height and greatnesse wherein the children of Presbiter Iohn were locked vp and carefully kept for there is no lesse paine to them that come out therehence or which drawe therehence any of those that are shut vp then death hee onely remaining free that ought to raigne by his birth-right or which seemeth the most capable to succeed in that dignity Those which are shut vp doo neuer come forth except it so fall out that Presbiter Iohn depart without heires of his body to inherite the crowne For then they take out him that is next it whome they know to be the worthiest Also the great KNES or king of Moscouie is a great landed man in the North whose dominion is about three monethes iourney in compasse of ground and he possesseth innumerable people nations prouinces duchies principalities and seigniories which the Emperours of Moscouia haue gotten one after another by armes or by other meanes offered them from time to time as Wolodimeria Nouingorod Plescouia Smolenk Tuner Iugaria Permia Viakia Belgaria the lower Nouogorodia Ceruigenia Rozar Volokde Rezomia Rostomi Cazan Ostrakan and others which it woulde be tedious to recite because of the rudenes of their names They say that of all his Lordships there are seuen principall wherehence he can bring forth for a need seuen hundred thousand men of warr all on horsebacke namely out of Plescouia a hundred thousand Nouingorode a hundred thousand Tuner a hundred thousand which are the greatest seigniories that he hath out of Smolenk a duchie vsurped on the king of Poland an other hundred thousand and a hundred thousand out of the Duchy of Moscoâ—ia where is situated the great city of Mosko the seate of the prince The bounds of his empire goe a great way into Asia as far as the Caspian sea neer the lands of the Sophi And hauing won a battaile against the King of Sueuia he is entred into the countrey of Liuonia where Germany beginneth on this side and hath there conquered Riga and Riuallia two great cities pertaining to the maister Duke and Knights of the Teutonian or Dutch order He exceedeth in seuerity and rigour of commanding all the Monarches of the worlde hauing gotten such authority ouer his subiects as well ecclesiasticall as secular that he may dispose at his pleasure of their liues and goods no man daring to gainsay him in any thing They confesse publickly that the will of their prince is the will of God and that all whatsoeuer he doth is done by the diuine prouidence Therfore they name him the Porter of Paradice the Chamberlaine of God and Executor of his will By this meanes is he become so mightie within a little time that all his neighbours which are the Tartarians Sueuians Polonians Liuonians yea and the Turkes themselues doe redoubt him It would be an infinite labour to propose here all the kingdomes and Empires that haue bin or are in reputation But it shall suffice to haue touched such as are best knowen namely those that haue ioyned wisedome with power whereunto this present discourse tendeth The end of the Ninth Booke OF THE POWER LEARNING and other Excellence of this age The Tenth Booke AS the Tartarians Turkes Mammelucs and Sophians haue gotten into the East by their valiancy the glorie of Armes So haue we in these partes towards the West recouered within these two hundred yeares the excellency of Learning and set vp the studies of the scienences after they had long time remained in a manner extinguished
the fourme placing of the presses and maner of vsing them of wetting the paper laying on taking off and drying the leaues then reducing them into volumes reuiewing and correcting of the impression whereof we haue spoken before and whereby there is more dispatched in one day then many diligent writers could do in one yeare By reason hereof the books which before were rare and deare are now become more common and easier to be had For it seemeth to haue bin miraculously inuented to make learning and good letters to liue againe which were in a manner dead The inuention thereof is attributed to the Germaines and began at Mentz therehence it was caried to Venice and afterwardes spread ouer all Christiandome and so brought vnto his perfection by Nicholas Genson Aldus the Iuntes Frobenius Badius Robert Stephens and others Notwithstanding the Portugues traficking about the farthest of the East and of the North into China Catay haue brought therehence bookes written in the language and writing of that countrie saying that they haue vsed it there a long time Which hath made some to thinke that the inuention thereof was brought therhence thorough Tartaria and Moscouia into Germany and so communicated to thother Christians to whom by the diuine prouidence hath bin especially reserued the consummation of diuine and humaine wisdome The Mahometists depriued of this grace do vtterly reiect printing not vsing it amoÌ„gst them neither suffering any to bring them bookes written of their affaires in Arabian and printed else-where The second praise ought to be giuen to the inueÌ„tion of the Sea-mans compas consisting of a Rose and a needle of steele which being touched or rubbed with an adamant or loadstone showeth alwaies the point which is answerable to the place where wee ymagine the pole Artick Aristotle vnderstood not this propertie nor Galen nor Alexander Aphrodiseus nor Auicen the most curious obseruers of natural things For if they had knowen such a miracle of nature and so profitable a meanes of sayling they would sure haue made mention thereof in their bookes hauing stood so much vpon others of much lesse importance It was also vnknowen to the Romains who suffered so many shipwrackes fighting on sea against the Carthaginians and vnder Octauian they lost a great fleete of Vessels against Sextus Pompeius By means hereof al the Ocean hath bin sailed ouer innumerable Isles found out and a great part of the continent or maine land discouered towards the west and the south vnknowen before of the Ancients and hath therefore bin called the new world and not onely bin ouercome but also conuerted by the Christians The enterprise being begon by Columbus a Genouese Vespucius a Florentine men of excellent vnderstanding and exquisite iudgments deseruing no lesse praise then Hercules of Greece that was so famous and afterward continued by the Castilians being emulatours of the same honour and desirous of gaine Whereof some haue bin swallowed vp into the huge sea not being yet thoroughly knowen and others eaten by the Cannibals leauing a piteous remembrance of their audacious enterprises But there are three that hauing had more fauourable fortune haue made famous discoueries namely Cortese of the kingdome of Mexico and of the great Citie Themistiten seated builded and peopled like vnto Venice Pizairus of Peru and Cuscu riche in golde and Magellan of the Moluccaes where the spices grow At the same time the Portugales parting the world with the Castilians by the same knowledge of Nauigation passed the Atlantick sea and the Canaries winning in the vtter Barbarie many Townes on the Sarazens Then crossing the line heretofore termed the burning Zone and â—alsely esteemed to be desert they haue gone beyonde the tropicke of Capricorne conquering Brasil and other countries Afterwards drawing towards the East they went along all the coast of Africk and the banke of Ethiopia surmounted the gulfes of the Arabian and Persian seas and being come to India hauing ouercome by armes the kings of Cambaya Canonot Calecut building in their countries fortresses thereby to safegard the traficke of the East whereof they made them selues maisters And farther passing ouer the riuers of Ganges and Indus they trauailed as far as Taprobana and to the golden Chersonesus making the king of Malache their tributary From whence setting saile towards the North they went to China and Catay where they made an ende on this side of their Nauigation entering into amity and confederacy with the great Cham to thend to haue liberty to traficke with safety in his countrey which before was not accessible but with apparant daunger of death vnto strangers In such sort that by our industry al the world is at this day knowen wherof a great part that had so long remained vnknoweÌ„ the vttermost parts of the East West North South do coÌ„municate togither the men that are separated with so many seas so distant and different visiting one another by meanes of nauigation being made safer and easier by this Inuention I would willingly giue the third place to great ORDINANCE and ARTILERY which hath made all other auncient military instruments and engines of war to cease al which it exceedeth in impetuosity violence quicknes were it not that it seemeth to haue bin inuented rather for the destruction then the profit of mankind being an enemy to generous and couragious vertue which it spareth no more then the rest but breaketh and bruseth whatsoeuer it encountreth First it was inuented in Germany by a blower in Alchimie wherhence it hath bin transported ouer al the world seemeth at this day to be brought almost to his perfection sithence the meanes is found to discharge by volies many pieces togither which batter and beat downe al places how strong soeuer they are in situation height or thicknes of wals rampires The Canon at the first was called a Bombard for the noise which it maketh and Morter which was of yron bound with many pieces heauy and vnweldie shooting huge bullets of stone with a great quantitie of powder made of salt-peter sulpher and willow coales proportioned the inuention whereof hath bin no lesse admirable then of the Canon it selfe After in steed of yron succeeded brasse whereof at first were made great peeces laied on wheeles yet more maniable then was the mortar giuing them bullets of yron vnto which haue bin guien names of birds and other liuing creatures which haue apparance of terrour as Coleurines Serpentines Basilisks Sacres Faulcons and other appellations imposed according to the diuersitie of their measures formes and cariages at the pleasure of those that made them or of the Princes which commaunded them Sithence there haue bin made some lesser lighter and maniable to shoote with bullets of lead as muskets caliuers harquebuzes pistoles and pistolets But because the noise and violence of the Canon hath bin fitly expressed by the Poet Fracastorius I will here insert his Verses Continuò caua terrificis horrentia bombis Aera flammiferum tormenta
the Egiptian Assyrian Median Persian and Parthian in their situations beginnings largenes reuenewes riches mightines of such famous Monarchs as founded them and vnder whom they perished Of the Egiptian Priests or Prophets of the Chaldees Mages Brachmanes Druydes and others of Religion and Learning amongst the Auncients Nobilitie amongst the Egiptians Persians Assyriansi Indians Scythians Thracians and other auncient and modern Nations The exquisite Artisans and workmanship of the Auncients THE V. BOOKE OF the Learning Poesie Eloquence Power and other Excellencie of the Greekes A Comparison of them with the Egiptians Assyrians Persians Indians The Empire of Greece A Comparison of Alexander the great with Cyrus Agesilaus Themistocles Pericles Achilles Vlysses Diomedes Bacchus Hercules and others A Comparison of the Grecian Philosophers with the Chaldees of Babylon and the Priestes of Egipt The Nobilitie of auncient Greece The Artisans and workes of the Grecians THE VI. BOOKE OF the Power Warfare Learning Eloquence Poesie and other Excellencie of the Romaines The fall of their Power Learning and Eloquence THE VII BOOKE A Comparison of the Romains with the Egiptians Assyrians Persians Greeks and Parthians in Power Warfare Learning Language Eloquence Poesie and in the workmanships of other Arts of the Romain Empire with the Assyrian Median Persian Macedonian and Parthian The birth of Rome and continuance thereof and conferred with the 4. Ages of mans life A comparison of Rome with Babylon and Constantinople of the Romain common wealth with the Lacedemonian and Carthaginian of the power of Alexander the great with that which the Romains had in his time and if when he had conquered Asia he had turned his forces against Europe what might haue hapned by the iudgement of Liuie Of Pompey the great with Alexander Hercules Bacchus according to Plinie Of Iulius Caesar with Alexander according to Appianus Alexandrinus of Iulius Caesar and Augustus with Romulus and Numa of Romulus with Cyrus Theseus Arsaces and Semiramis who founded Cities or Kingdomes or Monarchies A Comparison of the Romain warfare with the Parthian Carthaginian Assyrian Of the Romain Learning and other excellencie with the Grecian Egiptian and Chaldean Of the Latin Authours with the Greek namely of Cicero with Demosthenes The Ciuil Law of the Romains A Comparison of the Latin tongue with the Greek THE VIII BOOKE OF the Religion Power knowledge and other excellency of the Arabians or Sarasens and other Mahometists A Comparison of Mahomet with Licurgus Minos Numa Zoroaster Charondas Zaleucus Trismegistus and other heathen Lawmakers or Founders of Cities and Empires The Power of the Arabians or Sarasens compared to the Romain Macedonian Persian Parthian Assyrian Egiptian A Comparison of the Arabian learning with the Greek Egiptian Chaldean Persian Romain or Latin Of the Arabian tongue with the Greek Latin and Hebrew THE IX BOOKE COntaineth the sequence of the Power and Religion of the Mahometists as of the first Turks Corasmians Tartarians of the Souldan of the Ottoman of the Sophi where there is mention made of the estates of the great Cham of Cathay of the king of Narsingue of the Moscouite and of Presbiter Iohn because they began or grew vp at that time notwithstanding they haue other Religions THE X. BOOKE HOw that in this age haue bin restored the tongues and knowledges after they had surceased about almost twelue hundred yeres hauing newly receaued great light and increase where are considered the meruailes of this present age thorough Europe Asia Africke The new-found lands in the East West North and South beginning at the great inuincible Tamberlan whose power valiancy and felicity is briefly represented During whose raign began the restitution of Learning of Arts By what persons means it hath bin continued in diuers nations The Princes that most haue fauoured it Moreouer how that many goodly things vnknowen to antiquity haue bin newly found out especially Printing The direction to sayle by the needle of steele rubbed on the Lode-stone carying alwaies the point answerable to the place where we imagine the pole Artique by means whereof the whole Sea hath bin sayled ouer and the whole world knowne thorough out Then the skill of Ordinance and Artillery which hath made all other auncient military instruments to cease which by this one are all surpassed in impetuosity swiftnes and violence Also how amongst the meruailes of this age haue risen new and strange Diseases vnknowen heretofore and diuers Sects haue sprong vp in all countries which haue much altered the common quiet and weakned the mutual charitie of men THE XI BOOKE THis Age is compared vnto the former ages most famous in deedes of Armes conduct of States excellencie of Learning perfection of Workmanship noueltie of Inuentions Nauigations neuer attempted heretofore discouering of New lands vnknowen to Antiquitie to know wherin we are inferiour or equall to the Auncients and wherin we ought to be preferred First of all is conferred our modern Warfare with the auncient Greek and Romain Tamberlan is compared with Ninus Sesostris Cyrus Darius Alexander Arsaces Hannibal Iulius Caesar Constantine Attila and Charles the great Then followeth the Comparison of our modern Kingdomes Empires Monarchies and Common weales with the Auncient Of Militarie Nations Armies Battailes by sea and by land Sieges Assaults of Fortresses Of Nauigations and discoueries of Countries Peregrinations and Voiages by land Of the Wealth of the present time with that of the time past Of the Maners of this Age with the former Finally of the Learning of this age with the Auncient in Philosophie Eloquence Law Policie Physick Poesie Astrologie Cosmographie and the other Mathematicks Then commeth the Conclusion of the work by the which there is a vicissitude resolued on in all matters And how it is to be feared that Power Wisdom Learning Sciences Bookes Industrie Workmanships and the Knowledge of the world being now come to so great Excellencie should fall againe as they haue done in times past THE XII BOOKE COnsidering then that the variable disposition of humane things is to be readie to fall when they are at the highest and that vertue vice are come to their top and perfection doubting least among so many Partialities and Heresies wherof the world is full and the Warres which threaten vs on euery side that Learning might come to be dispised and be as loosely left off and neglected as heretofore it hath bin diligently followed and regarded To the end to preuent such a mischiefe and to aduize the studious to remedie it as much as they may I haue added an Inquisition on the common speach of men by which they haue alwaies maintained and do yet maintaine That nothing can be now said which hath not bin said heretofore Wherein I endeuour to show that there remaineth yet much to be said and that the trueth hath not bin thoroughly discouered neither all knowledge forestalled by our forerunners Admonishing the Learned to adde that by their owne Inuentions which is wanting in
aboue the earth and the six other vnderneath Againe the inhabitants of the earth compared one to the other are called Periecians Antecians and Antipodes Periecians may be called collateral and are they which dwell vnder the selfe same climate paralelle and Meridian drawen through the Poles They haue this common with vs First that they inhabite the same temperate Zone secondly that at the same time they haue winter and summer and the other seasons the increasing of daies and nights but differ in this that they haue not the same East and West and that when it is high noone with vs it is midnight with them Such are the inhabitants of the Canaries with the people of China Antecians are they which inhabit thother temperate zone towards the South turning their backes towards vs distant equally from the Equinoctial on their side as we are on ours Hauing then a contrarie latitude they haue also the seasons of the yere contrarie The Autumne in Aries when the Spring is with vs The winter in Cancer when we haue summer the spring in Libra when haruest is here the summer in capricorn which to vs is winter But because they are in the same longitude they haue at the same instant with vs midday and midnight Such are the Egiptians with the farthest Africans The Antipodes so called because they go with their feet opposite to ours hauing the Horizon Hemisphers opposed vnto whom al things are cōtrary winter sommer day and night East west OF THE VARIETY OF THINGS AC cording to the difference of places HEnceforward following our purposed order we will speake of the diuersitie of thinges according to the difference of places Where then the heat is neither to extreme and feruent nor the cold to excessiue and sharpe where there are neither vnmeasurable raines nor too violent windes but the seasons of the yere continue in moderate disposition there is found a conuenient temperature of the aire holsomnes of waters and fertility of groundes by meanes whereof the Countrey is made pleasant healthsome apt to bring forth corne and pulse to norishe all kinde of plants as well others as wilde bearing fruite abundantly in their seasons The beastes birdes and fishes are better formed more fruitfull and of better tast then elswhere But where as hot or cold drie or moist doe exceede they hurt euery thing and make it worse The Ethiopians being neere vnto the Sunne which burneth them with his beames are blacke hauing their heare and beard frisled or curled On the contrary they which inhabite the colde and ycie countries haue their skinne white and soft their heare yellow and vnited both the one and the other being naturally cruell by reason of their excessiue cold and heat They are in both countries of high stature which proceedeth of the abundance of heat in respect of the Ethiopians and of the abundant moisture in regard of those which inhabite the cold countries But the regions of the meane temperature are very good and fertile the people which inhabite there of meane stature quicke witted and well tempered of colour They are delicate in their maner of liuing and haue a good sharpe and quick witt readie to comprehend any thing And cōmonly the great Empires and famous monarchies are in their hands which are not foūd amongst people remoued from this temperature by reason of their beastly sauagenes and brutish immanity Likewise the beasts which are bred in the cold coūtries are lumpish and heauy And on the contrary they are light that are in the hoate regions the one sort very much differing from the other both in forme shape colours and properties The fishes from sea to sea the birds from countrey to countrey do differ much one frō thother as may be knowen by the sight of thē vnderstood by the books which are writtē of thē There is no lesse differēce amongst herbs trees according to the place where they are brought forth For they which grow in the hāgings of hils cold dry exposed to the wind are of greater vertu thē the others on the cōtrary such as grow on plains and shadowed places and waterie being hid from the wind are not of such efficacy Also the soile and season maketh them oft times to shoot forward or to be backward We see better trees fuller of leaues and better stored with fruit in one territory then in another because they like the place better Those trees which loue the hils are very great and faire as Cedars Firre trees pynetrees boxetrees and plaintrees In the Forests the okes beeches corketrees lotetrees elmes ashes and haseltrees do grow The alders poplars willowes and reedes on the riuers sides and in watrie places Some come not any where but in the South Countries as the orange tree the citron or lemmon tree palme or date tree and the sicamore Others in the cold Countries as appletrees and pearetrees The same difference is found both in herbes and lesser plants th one not growing but in hot countries the other in cold others in those that are meanely temperate Some grow in marishes others in standing waters There are some which are found ordinarily in moist places and some in drie others loue the fieldes others the vines and others the meadowes Some do better in the vallies then on the sides of hils others loue the high places exposed to the winde There are that finde norishment along the walles of Townes and Castels and betwixt the closures and ruines of houses Corne coms better in one place the vine in another and cattel in an other The aire is so temperate in Calecut that there is neuer any plague but continuall greenenes in the herbes and trees and there are euery moneth new fruits differing altogether from ours yet good neuerthelesse and maruelous pleasant The countrie of Syria chiefely about Damasco aboundeth with all sort of corne flesh and fruit especially with newe grapes all the yere long Also pomgranats quinces almonds oliues and roses of diuers colours very faire and odoriferous But their apples peares and peaches are of an euil tast In the west Indies as well throughout the Islands as in the Maine there are wilde vines that beare good grapes without industry or care of man But the kernels of the peaches plums cherries sowen in diuers places there do take no roote Oliue trees being planted there bring nothing but leaues without fruit The countrey of Babilon is most fertile in corne but the vine and figg-tree wil not grow there In Moscouia there is great abundance of hony and waxe riche skinnes and exquisite furres but not any fruit worth the reckoning The Tartarians and Arabians haue nothing but cattell The Moluccaes yeeld the aromaticall druggs of spicery and in all thinges else are barren In one place are the Emerauds Rubies Turkoises and Pearles In another is Corrall Ambor and Christall in one place there is gold found in another lead tinne and siluer Plinie esteeming the wheate of
to the inconstancy of fortune but reiecting all such dedestiny fatall necessitie hazardous chance acknowledging truly the world to be gouerned by the diuine prouidence and reducing al thereunto do firmly beleeue that God according to his good pleasure and one onely Spirite which doth all thinges in all men distributeth to diuers persons distinct and different graces respecting still the common good and preseruation of humane society which cannot endure without many and diuers estates charges administrations offices callings and workes in such sort preseruing it selfe by mutuall succour and reciprocall aide But that the true vertue ought chiefly to be required hoped for of him without reiecting either natural inclination or good education And that therefore it behoueth that this natural instinct of which we haue spoken should be prouoked and stirred vp by vertuous institution which correcteth the ill if there be any and augmenteth the good in such as are of a good naturall disposition guiding by wise precepts and counsels this natural aptnes and inclination vnto true perfection Since that nothing in the beginning is perfect but that there goeth alwaies before some toward disposition and after followeth the accomplishment As at the point of day breake there is first a certaine glimmering before the light appeareth In trees the bud and the flower come before the fruit In corne that is sowen the blade and the eare come before the graine The goodnes of nature alone without discipline is not wel assured and discipline without nature altogether vnprofitable Euen as in tilling of the land to haue good profit therof it is not enough to haue good groūd but it behoueth also that the husbandman be skilful in his trade haue good seed After to confirme thē both and to take a good custome which may alwaies remain perseuerance continual exercise are requisite in such workes and actions as concerne that vocation whereunto one is called As the dyer being desirous to giue some fine dye vnto a cloth which shal long time keepe his colour doth first wash it and prepare it carefully and after dyeth it againe and againe So to the obtaining of perdurable praise in any calling wee must vse necessarie preparatiues and euen from our youth imprint vertue in our hartes and our manners by diligent instruction that it may long remaine with vs. These meanes are seldome found altogether but where they meete fitly and agreably they make men accomplished and admirable such as those haue ben in times past which at this day wee so highly commend and esteeme Such are the opinions concerning the varietie which is amongst men hauing all of them a great apparance of trueth But heere wee will followe the celestiall and naturall as the most common and that which Ptolomey writeth thereof in these wordes The properties of people sayth hee haue vsually been distinguished either by all Parallels and all Angles or by their scituation towardes the Ecliptique and the sunne For the inhabitants of our land situated in an aquilonarie quadrant which are subiect to Souther parellels that is to say which are described by the equinoctial vnto the tropique of Sommer as the sunne goeth ouer them their bodies are blacke and in a manner burnt therewith their heire thicke and curled their faces scorched they are slender of stature hot of nature and cruel of disposition by reason of the great heat which raigneth in their coūtrey We cal thē Ethiopians being so disposed as we haue said and hauing such constitution of aire wherein do agree with them all the liuing creatures and things growing of that Countrey But those which are vnder Aquilonarie Parallels that is to say which inhabite such places as are vnder the North because their vertical point is farre remoued from the Zodiack and from the heat of the sunne they abound in cold and moisture in which there is much nourishment which is not drawen vp by the said heat By meanes whereof the men there are white of colour with long haire great of stature and well made but of cold nature and cruel maners through the vehement cold of those places The sharpnes of winter is agreable hereunto and the greatnes of all thinges which growe out of the earth and the wildnes of their beasts we call them generally Scythians Touching them which inhabite betweene the Tropique of Sommer and the North because the sunne goeth not on their Zenith nor yet to farr towards the South they liue in a very temperate aire ioyning their houses together being of gentle and sweete maners And such of them as are neerest the South are most ingenious and wise and haue accustomed to be best skilled in heauenly matters for asmuch as their vertical point is nearer the Zodiacke and the wandering starres which are vnder it by the familiaritie of which they haue their minds prompt readie for the comprehending and vnderstanding of affaires of arts especially of the Mathematickes Also such of them as are toward the East are more vigorous and firme of vnderstanding concealing nothing For by right wee say that the East is of the nature of the sunne and therefore that part of the day ought to be esteemed as the right side the better and more manlike as we see in liuing creatures the right side to be stronger and harder then the left On the contrarie they which are towards the west are more effeminate soft and secret for that part belongeth vnto the Moone which is seene alwaies towards the west betweene the interlunary spaces And therfore as the nocturnal worst and left side is reputed opposite vnto the East Aristotle affirmeth that those nations are barbarous which dwel vnder excessiue cold or heat for as much as the good temperature of the aire doth better both the manners and vnderstandings For the extreme Northern or Southern people are not ciuil by nature nor gouerned by discipline nor conioyned in habitations neither do they sowe nor plant helpe themselues little or nothing with manuary trades exchange in their bargaining one thing for another not knowing the vse of money but liuing without houses townes and cities wandering continually by great troupes representing great walking Cities guyded by diuers heads and Lords and trailing or drawing after them their little lodges or houels couered with leather mattes canes or course wooll to defend them selues against heat cold and raine And without long abode in any place they follow the commodities of the herbage and water for their beasts and cattel which they bring with them innumerable of diuers sortes as Horses Camels Sheepe and Kine wherewith they sustayne them selues and with venyson being destitute of Corne herbes and fruits Such were of auncient time in the Northern Countries the Scythians and Sarmatians or Sauromatians dwelling in fields or Champaignes infinitely large and spacious open without wood trees or bushes without waies or bounds on Chariots whereon they placed their wiues and children which were therhence called Nomades and Hamaxobites Being
their defect haue bin often changed and augmented how should they then satisfie another In somuch that it seemeth to some to bee a thing impossible that a people hauing a peculier tongue of their owne should vse strange letters but with great difficultie as we see in the Dutch and English vsing Latin letters and in the Turke and Persian which vse the Arabian As also they are of opinion that the historie of one Nation can not conueniently be written in another language then that of the same countrie induced to think so by the Romain historie which being written in Greeke seemeth no more to be Romain especially where there is question of customs lawes magistrates moneyes reuenewes and ceremonies wherein the Greeke tongue being otherwise rich and plentiful seemeth rude barbarous where the latin is fine and eloquent The same is befalne to the Greek Historie written in the Latin tongue and likewise to the French made by Gaguinus Paulus Emilius and others representing little and ill to the purpose the affaires of Fraunce in a strange language vsed onely now a daies in schooles whereas Froissard Monstrellet Phillip de Commines Guill and Martin du Bellay are found large and conuenient But to th end not to digresse from our commenced purpose I will returne to speake of Letters The Hebrewes and Latines haue twentie and two The Slauons and Iacobites two and thirtie The Armenians 38 The Abissins or Ethiopians 47 The Arabians 31 The Chaldeans 28 The Latins Greeks and other inhabitants of Europe and the Indians of Malabar hauing peculiar letters of their owne do write from the left side towards the right The Hebrewes Chaldees Arabians and generally all the Asiatickes and Africans from the right to the left imitating the mouing of the Heauen which is from the right hand to the left and is most perfect according to Aristotle approching neerest to the vnitie which of Plato is called the motion of similitude or of vniformity The Cathayans or people of China Iapania from aboue downe-wards saying that therein they follow the order of nature which hath giuen to men their heads placed aboue and their feete below Diodorus the Sicilian writeth that in a certaine Island found towards the South by Iambolus thinhabitants did not write from one side to thother as we do but drew their lyne straight from aboue downwards hauing 28 letters in number according to the signification which they giue them Other maners of writing there can not be except one would write a crosse or ouerthwart The Eastern and Southern nations do vse points the Greekes their abbreuiations the Latines their titles the Egiptians in holy things did vse the figures of beastes for letters which they called Hierogliphicks The most Auncients did write in the rynde or barke of trees and in tables and leaues of wood others in Palm-leaues according to the commoditie of their countrey others in lead Their missiue letters or Epistles were written in tables or waxe the Lawes and other durable things were engrauen in brasse or copper They did write also in fine linnen cloth Themperor Commodus vsed the fine bark of the Linden tree called of the Latins Tylia or Philyra Others the rynds of a little tree called Papyrus growing in the marishes of Egipt which were thicker from whence came the name of Paper vsed at this present which is made of old raggs of cloth steeped along time in water and braied in the mill after brought into a kind of past which being stretched out on a gredyron of brasse to thend to drie it being put betwen locks of woll and pressed after it is a little dried becommeth fine smooth thin white paper we vse Parchmin also more strong durable then paper which is made of sheepskins goatskins and calueskins coried and dressed by the Leather-dressers and parchminmakers Herodotus in his Terpsichore witnesseth that they vsed these skins to write on in his time And Iosephus saith that the holy Scriptures were first written in them M. Varro thinks they were first found out at Pergamus a Citie of Asia from whence they yet take their name at such time as the two kings Ptolomeus and Eumenes erected their Libraries enuying one the other Diodorus the Sicilian writeth that the letters of the Ethiopians were made after the likenesse of sundrie beasts and the extremities of diuers members of man and of diuers instruments and tooles of artificers and their intentions words were not expressed by composition of sillables or letters but by formes and figures of Images whose signification remained vnto them by vse in the memorie of men for they would set downe a Kyte a Crocodile a mans eye a hand a face and other such like things The Kyte signified a thing soone done because he is one of the swiftest birds and this character is properly applied to home affaires which are speedily dispatched the Crocodile did note some euil thing the eye an obseruer of Iustice and a gard or watchman of the bodie the right hand with the fingers stretched out betokened libertie or liberalitie and the left hand closed was hardnes and greedines After this maner the figures of other parts of the bodie formes of certain instruments did notifie some other thing amongst those Ethiopians who retayning it thorough long practize in their memorie did readily vnderstand what the said figures ment and signified Those of Malabar and other Indians dwelling between the riuer of Inde and Ganges do yet at this day write in palm-leaues either greater or lesser according to the matter which they intend to write In whole ones they write such things as they would haue to endure long as the affaires of their Religion and their Histories the other things of lesse consequence in a quarter or half quarter aswell on th one side as thother And when they haue written a great number meaning to ioin them in books they fasten them betwene two bordes in steed of those forels or couers which we vse after as we sow our leaues so do they tie theirs with strings to the said couers For their missiue letters it suffiseth that the leaf be writteÌ„ and rolled vp in it self in steed of sealing of it they bind it with a thred of the palm it self They vse to writ with an instrumeÌ„t of yron or wood sharpned passing lightly ouer the leaf not percing it and imprinting the characters of their letters in such sort that they may write on both sides Thother writings more permanent as foundations of Churches are â—â—t in Copper or grauen in stone Peter Martyâ—a Milanois historian writing of the difcouerie of the new found lands made by the Castilians saith that the inhabitants of Collacuan brought into Spaine amongst other gifts certaine bookes written in the fine inner ryndes of trees which are found betweene the wood and the thicke vttermost barke And that they are taken sometimes of willowes or of Alders which they couered with course cloth and fastned together with
Plescouians Smolnians and Ohalicians begin to speake Slauonian It was also familiar amongst the Mammelucs as it is at this present in the Turkishe Court. In Asia the Tartarian is vnderstoode thoroughout the Northe and a part of the East The Moorish thoroughout Africke and the Brasilian in the newe found Lands YET haue not tongues any better estate then other humane things but euen as buildinges habites maners customes lawes Magistrates maners of liuing both publicke and priuate armes engins and instruments are changed so are wordes and languages which perishe at length not leauing by succession of time any apparance of their manner of writing We haue now no knowledge at all of the Oscian and Hetrurian tongue The Prouencal in times past so much celebrated amongst famous writers is not vnderstood of the Prouencals at this day The auncient Gaulish Spanish Persian and Punick languages are lost THE HEBREW hath lost much of his integritie by the calamitous exiles and often mutations hapned to the Iewes vnder diuers Lords For the Assyrians Egyptians Greekes and Romains raigning ouer the Iewes assaied for the hatred they bare to their religion to distroy the Hebrew tongue and the books of the Law which they caused all to be burned as many as they could get into their hāds namely the Assyrians But they were miraculously restored againe by Esdras or Iesus his sonne the high priest which knew then by hart and changed the Hebrew letters to hinder the Iewes from being mingled with the Samaritans which came of the Gentils in Iury as Eusebius reporteth These letters which the Iewes haue sithence vsed differ onely by figures and points from those of the Samaritans which are those that were giuen asore time by Moyses But being so many times dispersed hither and thither into diuers Countries and mingled with strangers whose Captiues and tributaries they were as they are yet at this present in what part soeuer they dwell they haue kept few words pure amongst which are found some ambiguous signifying contrary things not to be vnderstood but by continuance of the speach or by the addition detraction or inuersion of the points holding the place of vowels Their phrases are obscure and full of metaphors parables and riddles to bee construed diuersly Neuertheles it is profitable for Christians and especially for Diuines to know this tongue as well for the better vnderstanding of the scriptures as to refute more certainly the Iewes if they happen to dispute against them As also the Arabian is necessary for the conuersion of Mahometistes by reason whereof it was ordeined at the Counsell of Vienna that these two tongues should be publickly taught in the chiese Vniuersities of Christendome THE SARAZENS spreading abroad by armes with their religion lordship the Arabian tongue first they destroied the Persian with the letters and learning thereof and by the commandement of their Caliphes they caused the bookes written therein to be burnt imagining that while the Persians contending before with the Greekes in armes and learning should haue these bookes contayning naturall sciences lawes of the Countrey and auncient cerimonies they could not be good Mahometists as before the Christians had indeuoured to abolish the bookes of the Gentils and vtterly to deface the memorie of their diuinitie After these Sarazens going into Egipt they banished out of Alexandria the Greek with the disciplines written therein and out of Africk the Latin as the Romaines before had banished the African tongue with the learning and letters thereof So that nations passing out of one Countrey into another do change the maners tongues religions and dominions the victors spoyling whatsoeuer they thinke good in the land of the vanquished defacing their titles and destroying for enuy that which they cannot cary away to th end to abolish the honour and vertue of others and that none but their owne may be celebrated and spoken off So do the Turkes at this day to the Christians they rule ouer and so did in auncient time the Goths Alans Hunnes Vandales Seruiens Turules and Lombards who diuers times conquering Countries whose languages they disdained neither vnderstanding them nor knowing how to read them corrupted them in making new by mixtion of their own with those which they found insomuch as the poore people remayning after such transmigrations did learne the languages of the cruel and inhumane vsurpers to vse in speach vnto them that they might be thought the fitter subiectes Moreouer these barbarous people referring all vnto warre and contemning all other disciplines burnt the libraries and all the bookes in them vnto which the learned had recommended all their memorials in so much that with the losse of the tongues there ensued also the losse of the sciences which were written in them from whence there arose great ignorance in the world which lasted a long time In this maner of the Grammaticall Greeke proceeded the vulgar Of the Latin the Italian French and Spanish in which are found many Arabian words by reason that the Sarazens held Spaine a long time Of the grammaticall Arabian the Vulgar and Moorish vsed from Syria vnto the straights of Marocco and comming as neere vnto it as the Italian doth to the Latin Of the Almaygne and French the English The Moore which commeth of the Arabian and the Turke of the Tartarian vnderstanding on an other as the Italian and Spanyarde And so of those which are nowe in vse are others made and of them others will bee made in time to come But howbeit they change vncessantly and that in the same Countrey and language there appeareth in short time a difference both in speaking and pronouncing yet euery where there are somethat speake finer and purer then the rest such as were the Athenians in Greece the Romains in Italy and the Tuscans there at this day The Castilians in Spaine the Saxons in Germany The Persians in Asia The Nobles and Courtiers in France whereby the question is decided which hath bin debated betweene some learned men namely whether the auncient Greekes and Romaines had two languages and whether Plato Aristotle and Demosthenes in Greeke and Cicero Salust and Cesar in Latin did write in their mother-tongues It is certaine that in Athens there was but one language and in Rome one other yet the speach of the common people was not so pure as that of men of calling and the ciuiler sort as one may see by the Latin of Vitruuius who was a chiefe Mason and Cicero who was Consull Which elegancie and purity of speech is preserued longer amongst women which conuerse not so much with strangers as the men and commonly are more curious to speake well Tully in the third booke of his Oratour writeth that in his time the learning of the Athenians was lost in Athens only remaining in that towne the school or house of studies which was not cared for of the Citizens and the strangers enioyed it which were drawen thither in some sort by the name and authority of
the citie notwithstanding that an vnlearned Athenian excelled the most learned of Asia not in words but in sound of the voice and not so much in speaking wel as in pronoūcing sweetly Likewise saith he there is a certain voice or accent peculiar and proper to the Romain kind to the City in the which there is nothing offending or displeasing the eare or sauouring in any sort of peregrinity strangnes in so much that the Romains with lesse study then the Latins did excell the most learned amongst thē by sweetnes of voice THE GREEKES dwelling in true Greece in Italy Asia in Sicile and other Islandes had fower tongues or speeches The Atticke Dorike Eolike and Ionian and in choosing out of euery of them throughout the Poets words and figures as came fittest to their purpose they made another tongue which they called the Common and after vnder one name onely called them all fiue the Greeketongue And although the Athenian were finer and more fruitfull then the rest yet the learned which were not Athenians by nation did write only after their natural maner fearing peraduenture that they should not attaine to the Attike purity vnto which but seldome and by leasure attained those which were borne elswhere For Theophrastus who had long abode in Athens being reputed most eloquent was knowen by an old woman of Athens to be a straunger by his speach Pollio obiected Paduanisme vnto Liuie and vnto Virgill who was a Mantuan it was reproached that he spake not Romain so euery tongue by how much the farther it is from his natural spring is the lesse pure As in old time the Syrians and Egyptians speaking Greeke did not speake it so purely as the Athenians nor the Gaules Spaniards or Africans Latin as the Romains for although their words were Greeke or Latin yet they retained the phrase of their owne Countrey Insomuch that speaking Greeke or Latin they were alwaies knowen for straungers as it hapneth to the English Scots Flemings Almains Italians and Spaniards when they speake French if they haue not learned it very young But the tongues as all other humaine things haue their beginning progresse perfection corruption and end and being rude at first do afterwards polish themselues with ciuilitie of maners and knowledge And when they haue endured a time in puritie and elegancy they are corrupted and do finally perish and by proces of time no appearance of their writing remaineth The Greekes at the first were but rude and grosse as Thucydides Plato and Aristotle affirme and the first which became ciuill amongst them were the Athenians who polished their language which they also brought vnto perfection where it remained not long but was corrupted and lost togither with the libertie of the Countrey being supplanted by the Macedonians Romains and other straungers which haue ruled there In such sort that neuer sithence could be restored the true propriety and natural elegancy of the Greeke which was spoken by Plato Aristotle Isocrates Demosthenes and Eschines but in steed of that tongue which may be said to haue bin the best in the world there is at length come an other vsed at this present in Greece and in the Isles adioyning mingled of many other languages which is euery day falling to decay vnder the Turkish Empire wherewith the Countrey hath bin already more then a hundred yeres most miserably oppressed If the first Romain writings had endured till this present we should see that Euander and Turnus and the other Latins of that time spake otherwise then did afterwards the last Romaine Kings and the first Consuls The verses which were song by the Salian priests were scarcely vnderstood but because they were so ordained by the first founders they were not chaunged for reuerence of the religion Polybius writeth that the language was so much changed from the first Punick warr to the second that with great difficulty were vnderstood the treaties made before betweene the Romains and Carthaginians And it remained rude about fiue hundred yeres hauing no writer in it worthy of memory From that time forward the people gaue themselues to learning and some became learned yet hard in their speech commended onely for hauing bin the inuentours and first teachers of the Latin tongue which was after made most pure and perfect by Cicero Caesar and other eloquent men which florished then in great number in whom indeed the purity there of is to be acknowledged For afterward the common wealth being changed into a monarchy and the maners corrupted the speach was also changed and corrupted losing his natural grace goodnes vnder the Emperours Then the Empire being translated from Rome to Constantinople many strange nations comming into Italy altered the tongue so that men left speaking it it remained in books only which were not red nor vnderstood by the space of eight hūdred yeres some of them lost others eaten by worms and deuoured by age til such time as some Greekes and Italians did by study make these two auncient tongues to reuiue when they were almost dead by copying out publishing and correcting the bookes that remained in some libraries such as had bin preserued from the rage of those barbarous nations which hath so happely succeeded that the said tongues haue recouered great light with the arts written in them which we see restored with them and many inuentions added to antiquitie as shal be declared hereafter Then the Romain Empire declining to the West as the Ostrogoths and Lombards had possessed Italy the Visigoths and Sarazens the Countrey of Prouence Languedoc Aquitayne and Spayne The Burguignons and Frenchmen the Gaules Belgick and Celtick the Vandals Bethick Africk by their conuersation the Latin was corrupted Of which corruption came the Italian French and Spanish The Italian remained long time vnpolished because there was none that tooke care thereof or endeuoured to giue it any polishment vntill Dante Petrarch and Boccace who haue much embelished it by their conceipts ingeniously expressed and elegantly couched in prose and verse Where in they haue bin seconded by others no lesse learned and eloquent who haue likewise enriched this language with many faire works and translations As much is there happened to the Spanish French which haue bin made within these fiftie yeres more elegant then they were before by the diligence of some excellent men which haue translated a great number of bookes not onely Greeke and Latin but Italian also into them showing that all sciences may conueniently be handled in them CERTAINLY it is a great Comfort and ease found out in this variety of languages which cannot be vnderstood nor learned of all to translate out of one into another By this meanes the old Testament hath bin translated out of Hebrew into Greek and into Latin the new Testament out of Greek into Latin and consequently both Testaments into Syriack Chaldaick Egyptian Persian Indian Armenian Scythian Sclauonian German English French Italian and into all languages vsed by
trauayling in diuers exercises do obtaine alike excellencie and reputation they thinke that mens wits are nourished by emulation and that sometimes enuie sometimes admiration doth stir them vp and maketh them mount by little and little to the highest where it is hard to remaine since euery thing that can not go forward or vpward doth naturally discend and retire yea commonly much faster then it ascended And as they are prouoked to follow or imitate the first so after they dispaire of going beyond them or attayning to them they lose their courage of trauayling and labouring with their hope leauing the matter as alreadie possessed which falleth after by negligence and commeth to contempt Aristotle who affirmeth the world to be eternall and Plato who said that it had a beginning but that it should haue no end do both affirme that infinite things haue bin in one and the same kind and should bee infinitely that there is nothing whose like hath not bin that there should be nothing which had not bin and that nothing hath bin but should be againe That in this maner the Arts and sciences and other humaine inuentions cannot be perpetual those Nations being distroied where they flourished by reason of extreme heats and inundations which must needes happen at certaine times by the mouing and progresse of the starres either by the fire and water discending from aboue in exceeding quantitie or fire breaking out of the earth or the sea forcibly ouerflowing his bankes or by the increase and swelling of riuers which can not runne into the sea or that the earth trembling and quaking open it selfe and violently cast forth the water before inclosed in his entrailes But howbeit the Starres haue some power towards the disposing of inferiour things the situation of places and temperature of the seasons of the yeare do helpe concerning vnderstandings and maners the reward and honour proposed vnto mans industrie the learned ages and liberall Princes giue great aduancement vnto Arts and emulation serueth for a spur therevnto Notwithstanding for my part I thinke that God being carefull of all the parts of the world doth grant the excellencie of Armes and of Learning sometimes vnto Asia sometimes vnto Africk sometimes vnto Europe establishing the soueraign Empire of the world once in the East another time in the West another time in the South another in the North and suffering vertue and vice valiancie and cowardize sobrietie and delicacie knowledge and ignorance to go from countrie to countrie honouring and diffaming the Nations at diuers times to th end that euery one in his turne might haue part of good hap and ill and that none should waxe proude by ouerlong prosperitie as it will appeare to haue fallen out vnto this present by particuler recitall of the Nations accounted the first or chiefest of the world The end of the third Booke OF THE VICISSITVDE OF ARMES AND OF LETTERS concurring in the Coniunction of Power and wisdom through the most renowmed Nations of the world and who haue bin the first and most auncient of all that haue excelled in them both The fourth Booke INtending to begin our discourse by the most auncient Nations of the world I find my selfe hindered by the different which hath bin betweene some of them touching the honour of antiquitie and of precedence THE INDIANS inhabiting Countries of maruailous largenesse did boast that they were the true Originaries hauing neuer receiued any strangers among them neither sent any of theirs to dwell elswhere But that the first amongst them vsed such victuals as the earth brought forth of it selfe and skinns of beasts for their garments and then found out by little and little the Arts sciences and other things necessarie to liue well That their land is so fertile that they neuer found want of victuals For whereas it bringeth forth twice in a yeare all maner of Corne they gather one Haruest in winter at such time as they plant rootes and thother in summer when they sow Rice sesame and millet wherof there commeth great aboundance from thence for asmuch as the graines and fruits grow there without any help of man and that the rootes growing in the marishes of singuler sweetnes serue men in steed of other victuals verie sufficiently and that the customes do helpe that fertilitie much which they obserue in time of warres not to hurt the husbandmen nor endamage the laborers in any thing but to leaue them in peace as ministers of the common profit and not to burne the farmes and villages of their aduersaries themselues nor to cut their trees or corne which they had sowen THE strength of the Indians appeared then when they were assayled by Semiramis Queene of Assyria for being a woman exceeding couetous of honour and of glorie after she had conquered Egipt and Ethiopia she thought yet to make one warre more the memorie whereof should last foreuer Vnderstanding then that the people of the Indies was the greatest of the world and their Countrie aboue all others excellent in beautie and fertilitie where the earth as is said caried twice in a yeare fruits and seeds and where there was great quantitie of gold siluer brasse precious stones and all other thinges both for profit and pleasure she imployed all her forces against the Indians ouer whom raigned Staurobates and assembled her Armie in the which there were three Millions of foote fiue hundred thousand horsemen a hundred thousand chariots and as manie fighters on camels-backs with swordes of sixe foote in length two thousand barkes or shipps and made or fained Elephants in great number whose counterfaits were caried on Camels Which militarie preparation being vnderstood by the King of the Indians he assayed to exceed her forces and hauing ordained all things in a readines for the resisting of her he sent his Ambassadours before reprehending her of great ambition that without being prouoked by any wrong or iniurie of them she made warre against them blaming her besides in many and diuers respects and calling the Gods to witnesse he threatned her that if she were ouer come in battaile he would cause her to be hanged and crucified Whereunto Semiramis answered smyling that they must fight with prowesse and not with words The battailes then approching one against the other Semiramis had the better in the first encounter and in the second was ouerthrowen with her counterfait Elephants in such sort that almost all the Assyrians being put to flight Staurobates by chaunce meeting with Semiramis hurt her first with an arrow iâ— the arme and then with a dart in the shoulder and as she was getting to horse she was almost taken the Kings Elephant pursuing her The Assyrians in this maner ouercome tooke the way to their ships and the Indians pursuing their victorie slew many of them at the straights and narrow waies in the which the footemen and horsemen being intermingled hindred one an other in so much that there was no meanes to flie nor to saue themselues but
they killed one an other with their presse and disorder And when the greatest part of such as had escaped this ouerthrow were passed ouer the bridge which was made with boates on the riuer Indus Semiramis caused it to be broken and the king being warned by prodigious apparitions not to go beyond the bridge ceased the pursuit Such was the proofe of the Indian power Touching their wisdom the Brachmans made profession therof amongst them naked and austere being holiemen liuing according to their Lawes intending altogether the contemplation of God without making any prouision of vittailes for the earth furnished them alwaies with new and fresh the riuers gaue them drink and the leaues â—â—lling of the trees and the grasse yeelded them lodging And there was not onâ— amongst them reputed a holie or happie man if while he was yet liuing of perfect memorie and vnderstanding he did not separate his soule from his bodie with fire and did not go pure and cleane out of the flesh hauing consumed whatsoeuer was mortall in him And whereas the people were diuided into seauen sortes and degrees they were the first in dignitie being exempted from all charges not subiect vnto any man nor ruling ouer any but as men acceptable vnto the Gods and reputed to knowe all that is done in Hell they receyued of euery one his oblation made for sacrifices and tooke the care and charge of the dead receiuing great guists by occasion thereof Assembling and gathering themselues togither at beginning of the yere they fortold of drouths raines windes diseases and other things the knowledge whereof brought great profit to the people Their Artisans were very good as being brought vp in a pure and cleane aire drinking nothing but good and wholsomewaters The gouermeÌ„ts of the Indians being diuided into many parts it was not permitted vnto any to change his maner of liuing not seeming reasonable vnto them that a man of warre should till the earth nor that a Philopher should become an Artisan On the other part the ETHIOPIANS vaunted them selues to bee the first created of al the men in the world that they were brought sorth by the earth for considering that the heate of the sunne in drying the earth when it was moist had giuen life to all things it was also coÌ„sequent that in places neerest vnto the suÌ„ne there were procreated from the beginning al kind of liuing creatures They said that religion adoration of the gods was first sound out amongst them and the sacrifices processions pompes solemnities and al such things by the which honour was giuen them of men of the which they had such recoÌ„pense that they were neuer vanquished nor ouercom by any strange king that alwaies they had remained in liberty And howbeit diuers princes had assaied with great armies to bring them in subiection yet none of theÌ„ had enioyed their Empire Moreouer that they were the first that had inuented the formes and vse of letters and giuen themselues to the study of Astrology as well by reason of their quick wits and sharpnes of vnderstanding whereby they exceed all other nations as by the oportunitie of the Countrey which they inhabite and that therfore they haue continual serenity and tranquility of the aire and haue not the seasons of the yere disordered and variable but liue alwaies in one temperature Moreouer that the Egyptians were discended of them the Priests of both nations obseruing the same order and maner of doing their sacrifices vsing the like vestures and ornaments For the prerogatiue of antiquity there was in times past great contention between the Egyptians and the Scythians For the EGYPTIANS sayde that from the beginning when the world was created where other lands burned on the one side by ouergreat heate of the sunne others on thother side were frozen thorough the extremity of the colde in such sort that they could neither bring forth new men nor receiue straungers if any had come thither and especially before garments were inuented to keepe men from colde and heate and the artificiall remedies to correct the ill disposition of places Egypt hath alwaies bin so temperate that the inhabitants thereof are not molested with the great cold of winter nor with the heat of Sommer Also the land is so fruitfull there of all thing necessary for the life of man that not any where els is found a land so plentifull Wherefore reason would haue it that men should be first borne in that Countrey where they might best and with most ease be nourished On the contrary the SCYTHIANS saide that the temperatnes serued to no purpose to proue the antiquitie for when nature parted and deuided extreme heat extreme cold into diuers regions it is to be thought that the land which first remained vncouered vnclothed of theis two extreme qualities did incontinently bring forth men and beasts which might there bee nourished And concerning trees and other fruits they were varied according to the estate of the Countries And for as much as the Scythians haue a sharper aire then the Egyptians so are there bodies and their vnderstandings harder also then theirs Neuerthelesse if the frame of the world which is now diuided into two partes hath bin sometime all one whether the whole earth were inclosed and inuironed with water or that the fire which hath engendred all things held and possessed the whole world in both cases the Scythians were the first For if the fire possessed al it must needs be that by little little it was quenched to make place for the habitable earth In which case it is to be thought that it was first quenched on the north side because it is the coldest region and the Scythians are seated there whence it cometh to passe that euen at this present it is the coldest countrey that is knowen And in regard of Egypt and all the East we must thinke that the heate was there but lately remitted For yet at this day they haue meruailous heate there when the sunne is at highest Also if the whole earth were at the first enuironed with water it is to bee thought that the places that are hyghest were first discouered and that where the earth is lowest there the water remained longest and by consequent that there where the earth was first discouered and dryed there began first all liuing things to be ingendred But the countrey of the Scythians is higher then all other lands as appeareth by this that all the riuers which do arise there discend to the poole Meotis and from thence do take their course into the Ponticke Sea and into Egypt which Countrey of Egypt is so lowe and so subiéct to waters that although so many Kings thoroughout so many ages haue with great diligence and expence made so many rampyers so many bankes and dyches to keepe the land from being ouerflowen by the impetuosity of riuers because that when they held them in on oneside they ran out on the
plenty of all good things without pain or trauaile aud were driuen from thence for their disobedience and that of them two ioyned in mariage haue proceeded all men dispersed ouer all the habitable earth But Saint Augustine considering that of the fiue zones set downe by the auncient Astrologers and Cosmographers there were but two esteemed temperate and inhabited and that from the one it was thought they could not passe to the other by reason of the heate which was in the midst called the burning zone and that if it were so it must follow necessarily that the Antipodes came not of Adam he chose rather to deny that there were any Antipodes then to fall into any absurd impietie or to gainesay learned antiquity in this point But it is certaine both by the auncient and modern nauigations that there are Antipodes as those of Taprobana are to the Spanyards which is knowen by the aspect of heauen appearance of the starres hyding of our pole and eleuation of theirs hauing as hath bin said euery thing contrary vnto vs Sommer and Winter day and night East and West THE GREEKS in their fables said that Vulcan being amorous of Minerua shed his seed on the land of Athens from whence spong the Athenians who therefore vaunted themselues that they were borne of their owne land without taking any original elswhere vnderstanding by the earth al matter and by Vulcan the fire which moueth the earth and quickeneth it and that Ceres after the rauishment of her daughter Proserpina hauing wandered long throughout the world came into their Countrey where she showed them the vse of wheate wherehence afterward it was manifested to all men that their City hath not onely communicated such meanes of liuing to the indigent but also was the first that established lawes and set downe gouernment and that in part it inuented the arts seruing for necessity and pleasure and in part hath approued them or made them better and more exquisite obtaining the honour of Philosophy by which all theis things haue bin either inuented or amended and of eloquence which first tooke beginning in Athens and hath there bin brought to perfection that City hauing gotten by wisedome and eloquence such excellency and reputation that her Scholers were Maisters of others and that the name of Greeks was no more a name of a people or nation but of reason and vnderstanding and that the partakers of their learning were more esteemed Greekes then those which participated of the same nature with them At this day the wandring ARABIANS boast themselues to be the first of the world hauing neuer bin mingled with other nations and hauing kept entier as they say the nobility of their bloud BVT OMITTING all these disputings and boastings of nations all fantasies and humaine reasons of Philosophers we will rest our selues on the certainty of holy scripture touching the creation of the world and of mankinde And concerning the discourse of armes and of letters which are here in question we wil begin it by the Egyptians who being ingenious and valiant seeme to haue bin the first that haue excelled in wisedome and power from whom the Greekes drew almost all their knowledge which we vse at this day hauing not onely in estimation but also in admiration both Egypt and the Egyptians OF THE POWER LEARNING AND other excellency of the Egyptians AMongst others Isocrates that most excellent oratour praysing Busiris who made choise of that Countrey to raigne in as the most commodious of all the world writeth thus for considering other places not to be conueniently situated in respect of the nature of the whole world but that some are too much subiect to raine and others otherwaies molested and that region to be in the fairest seat of the earth and most abounding in all sorts of good things and enuironed with the riuer Nilus as with a naturall wall which not onely keepeth but fatneth it being inexpugnable to straungers that assaile it and much profitable to those which dwell neere it by the waterings and other commodities which they receiue of it whose industry also he hath made almost diuine in matter of tillage For by his meanes they haue both raines and drouthes in their disposition which are bestowed by Iupiter elswhere Their felicity is so great that if one consider the excellency and goodnes of the Countrey and their spacious fields he will thinke they inhabite the maine land if the commodities wherewith it aboundeth which are caryed out and those which not growing there are brought in thither from other places he will think that they dwell in an Island For the riuer running here there and watering it thoroughly doth furnish them with two meruailous commodities Busiris then began where wise men ought to begin choosing a faire place which supplied all things needfull for the inhabitants aboundantly Then diuiding them by orders and estates he appointed some for sacrifices others for handy crafts and others for warfare thinking that ordinary necessities and commodities ought to be furnished by tillage and by trades but that the protection of them was most assured by the exercise of armes and deuotion towards the Gods Accomplishing then all the perfection required in a good law maker he ordained that euery of them should alwaies exercise one trade knowing that they which change oft cannot vnderstand any thing well nor do any thing perfectly but those which are alwaies conuersant about the same things do commonly excell Whence it is come to passe that the Egyptians in euery art do excell so much all other Artisans as good workmen are wont to excel the vnskilful and ignorant Moreouer they obserue so good order in administration of their kingdome and al other publicke gouernment that the most famous philosophers disputing of such affaires prefer the gouernment of Egypt aboue all theirs Also to him we must refer as to the principal authour the study and exercise of wisedom for he so aduantaged the priestes first that they might maintaine themselues in chiefe place with the holy reuenues that afterwards great holynes being by their lawes required of them they might liue temperatly and being exempted from warfare and other charges they might rest in quiet THEY enioying then this commoditie haue inuented Physicke to helpe the body not that which vseth dangerous medicamēts but those which may as safely be taken as the daily meates and neuerthelesse are so profitable that they which vse them are seene to be lusty and able of body and to liue long And for medicine of the minde they haue proposed the exercise of Phylosophy which can make lawes and search out the nature of thinges Hee committed to the auncienter sort the best charges and perswaded the yonger leauing pleasures to giue themselues to Astrologye Arithmetick and Geometry which faculties are thought by some to be profitable in many things The others indeuour to show that they follow vertue earnestly Their piety and deuotion towards the Gods is worthy of great
to haue light from the top This being done he made his wife and his Concubines and the women of his Court which he loued best to enter into it not knowing nor doubting any thing what he meant to do then went he in himselfe and there caused himselfe to be shut in without hope of euer going out But before he had caused to be brought thither a thousand myriades of gold and a myriade of myriades of siluer and a great number of royal vestures and precious stones Then his Chamberlaines and Eunuches in whom he put all his trust and of whom he had taken oathes to do it put fire in this pile which endured fifteene daies So Sardanapalus burned himselfe with all his riches doing in that thing onely the act of a man Budeus valuing it all after our maner accounteth that he spoyled the earth or would haue spoyled it of the value of fiftie Milions of gold These two Lieutenants diuided afterwards the Monarchie betwixt them Beloch was king of Babylon and Arbaces of the Medians Aristotle in his politicks doubting of the end of Sardanapalus and of the Kingdom of Assyria saith that if that had not hapned vnto him which is reported yet that it might befall to any other king gouerning himselfe after that sort Moreouer the Chaldees in Assyria were appointed to haue care of holie things and did nothing but studie all the time of their life being reputed verie skilfull in Astrologie Many among them did prognosticate things to come as if they were Prophets and were wont to know how to diuert euill fortune comming towards men and to bring them good by sacrifices and praiers Besides they expounded dreames soothsayings and prophecies wherein they were verie expert as hauing bin brought vp therein and taught by their fathers still continuing and perseuering in the same for dwelling in plaine countries where the aire is commonly without clouds or raine and where there are no hills to hinder the sight of the heauens they had meanes to applie themselues wholieto contemplation of the Starres obseruing their mutual concursions how they approach or recoile th one from thother what are their conjunctions and oppositions and what becommeth of them in what seasons and how they are hid and then appeare againe the signes of good or ill fortune to come which they bring in particular to euery person and in generall to townes and to peoples In which obseruations they affirmed that they had imploied CCCC lxxiij thousand yeares from the time when they began them vntill Alexander the great went vp into Asia which space is incredible Neuertheles all agree in this that the Chaldees were most skilfull in the doctrine of the heauens because they had continued the studie thereof longest Plato in his Epinomides acknowledgeth Astrologie to haue bin begun in Syria and Egipt where by the serenitie of the summer season almost all the starres are cleerely seen and that time out of mind the obseruation of starres had bin there continued and there hence brought ouer to the Greeks Notwithstanding Simplicius a Greek Cōmentator on Aristotle witnesseth that Aristotle did write vnto Calisthenes being in the armie of Alexander that while others were busied about the spoile and pillage of Babylon he should diligently inquire of the antiquitie of the Chaldees and that Calisthenes answered that after hauing imploied all diligence therein he found their historie not to exccede the terme of one thousand nine hundred and three yeares Others do not onely attribute to the Chaldees the praise of Astrologie but also of many other Arts and that Prometheus of that nation for hauing showed the mouings of the Planets and opened the misteries of nature was accounted vnder the couerture of a fable to haue stolne out of heauen the sacred fire of Pallas and to haue giuen a soule vnto man which he had fashioned before of earth After that in reuenge herof and punishment of this boldnes he was had by Mercurie to the high mountain Caucasus and fastned to a great rock signifying his great assiduitie in contemplation of Heauen and of nature Now the Chaldees held opinion that the world had alwaies bin that it had no beginning and should haue no end the order and forme of all things being made by the diuine prouidence and that the celestial affaires are not casually or naturally guided but by the firme and determinate will of the Gods saying that the greatest force and influence of heauen doth consist in the planets and that the knowledge of such euents is knowen aswell by their ascendents as by their colours Sometimes they showed visiblie to peoples and countries to kings and priuate persons such things as might helpe them or harme them gathering the certaintie therof by the windes or by the raines sometimes by the heats and by the Comets by the Eclipses of the Sunne and Moone and by many other signes seruing greatly for the birth of men to haue good fortune or bad and that by their nature and proprietie especially by their aspect one might easily know things to come hauing told vnto Alexander that he should fight with Darius and after to Antigonus Nicanor Seleucus and other Kings and likewise to priuate persons so euidently that which was to happen vnto them that it seemed a miraculous thing and aboue the vnderstanding of man But when the raigne of the Assyrians failed the Medes on the one side and the Babylonians on the other ruled in Asia who followed the maners and customes of those which were their Lords before hauing no peculiar singularitie either in armes or letters and therefore I will dwell thereon no longer Besides that these affaires are so auncient and so far from vs that many esteeme as fabulous whatsoeuer is written thereof Wherefore I will come to the Persians who are better knowen and to the raigne of Cyrus being the founder of their Monarchie where beginneth the historie of the Greekes and in whose time also philosophie was first manifested OF THE POWER OF THE Persians the learning and Religion of their Mages THE PERSIANS were first shepheards bornin a hard countrie which made them strong inabling them to remain in the open field to watch and trauaile in the warres They did eate nothing ordinarily but bread and herbes with some venison hauing neither figgs nor any other fruit by reason of the rudenes and barrennes of their countrie They drank no wine but contented themselues with water euery one carrying his dish to drink it in when thirst came vpon him They took no refection nor repast without doing of some exercise before which was principally hunting Their children went to schoole to learne Iustice as they do in other Countries to learne Letters All their habit or rayment was of skinns aswel for their leggs as for the rest of the bodie HERODOTVS bringeth in ARTEMBARES speaking thus to the Persians Seeing that Iupiter hath giuen you the Monarchie and to thee CYRVS power to distroy Astyages go yet further for the
Arians taxed at CCC In the seuenteenth the Paricanians the Ethiopians of Asia CCCC In the eighteenth the Manineans Sarpites Atlarodians CC. In the xix the Mosches Tibarenes Macrosians Mosinicians Mardians CCC In the xx were the Indians which because they were a verie great multitude paied more tribute then al the other nations namely CCClx. talents of gold Al these sums which were paid in the Babilonian talent of siluer being referred to the Euboick talent came to nine thousand fiue hundred and fortie talents And the gold of the myne being multiplied by thirteene to fower thousand six hundred and fower score Euboick talents and was leuied on Asia and some part of Africk Then he raised an other tribute on the Isles and Nations of Europe hauing stretched out his dominion as far as Thessalie Persia was freed from all payments and the Ethiopians sent onely certaine presents as from three yeares to three a bushell of gold from the myne two hundred fagots of Ebony fiue hundred blacke boies and xxij Elephants the greatest that could be found The Cholchois and Caucasians from fiue yeares to fiue one hundred young boies and as manie girles The Arabians euery yeare a present of incense weighing a thousand talents The meanes which he vsed to keepe his Treasures was thus He caused the gold and siluer to be melted and cast into earthen barrels then when the vessell was full he made it be remoued vp and downe with his Court and whensoeuer he wanted money he broke or cut out therof as much as he would Touching his husbandrie and care for the intertayning of such power and riches first this king was most carefull of Armes ordayning himselfe in each gouernment both the victuals and paies which were to be distributed to his souldiers aswell strangers as his natural subiects thoroughout his garrisons and seeing the musters in person Where such as were found to haue fulfilled the appointed number of their men and had best mounted and furnished them with armes were aduanced in honours and inriched with great gifts On the contrarie he chastised such as failed or were giuen to picory putting others in their charges Moreouer he visited himselfe as much as he might the Countries vnder his obedience endeuouring to vnderstand their estate and those which he could not see he caused to be visited by some trustie persons sent for that purpose Where he found the Countries well peopled and the lands diligently husbanded full of corne trees and fruits he rewarded the Princes or Gouernors with great gifts and augmented their charges But those whose countries were found desert or euill inhabited by reason of their rudenes insolencie or negligence he punished or discharged them being no lesse carefull to haue his Countries well ordered by the inhabitants then to haue them kept in safetie by the garrisons and caring no lesse for his reuenewes then his armes and proposing as great a reward to the diligent labourers as to the valiant warriours We read that then when the king of Persia was in his greatest glorie and reputation that his Maiestie was highly exalted and magnificently adorned with august and venerable aucthoritie that his royall seat being established at SVSA or ECBATANA he retyred himselfe out of the sight of men into his pallace being verie faire and richly decked with gold siluer yuorie and other exquisite things In the which were many galleries and halls one within an other many dores compassed betweene them and separated by spaces and the commings to them shut and closed with gates of brasse That there were many Princes and Lords appointed in their seuerall places and some garding and seruing his person some looking to those that came in and out at the gates some receyuours and treasourers others Captaines and men of warre some hunters and faulconers and others ordayned vnto other offices as â—se and necessitie required Moreouer the Satrapes or Princes went and came to and fro gouerning the whole Empier of Asia beginning in the West at Hellespont and ending in India toward the East Herodotus showeth by iourneis and lodginges that from Sardes in Lydia to Susa in Mennonia which was the Kinges seat it was three Monethes iourney It is written also in the booke of Hester that ASSVERVS king of Persia raigned euen from the Indies vnto Ethiopia ouer an hundred twentie and seauen prouinces writing to euerie prouince according to the Stile thereof and to euerie people in their owne language In the meane time the king termed by them their Lord and God saw and vnderstood all things by meanes of postes ordayned in all the Countries vnder his obedience and spies dispersed here and there and secret Intellegencers so that being so many Officers they did euery one in his charge indeuour himselfe in such sort that their Lord knew incontinently whatsoeuer new thing hapned euen from the frontiers of his gouernment to the place of his residence which was in the midst of his kingdome dwelling the winter in Babylon because the aire there is verie mild and temperate the three monethes of the Spring-time in the Towne of Susa and the two monethes of great heat in the Citie of Ecbatana In such sort that by this changing of Countries what season of the yeare so euer it were he was alwaies in a time like vnto the spring He was warned euery morning when he waked to feare God and to see to those affaires which God hath committed to his charge The intertainment of the Queene was correspondent to this greatnes and magnificence for many prouinces were allotted her for the furnishing thereof which were called diuersly according to the vse whereunto they were appointed As one was the Queenes girdle an other her vaile and so likewise the rest according to those ornaments which they furnished As soone as his first sonne which was to succeede in the Crowne was borne all his subiectes celebrated this day and afterwardes euery yeare thorough out Asia they solemnized the feast of his natiuitie Then the child was giuen to be nourished to the Eunuches which held verie honourable places in the Court and their principall charge amongst others was to make him faire and well proporcioned by composing and ordering his partes conueniently Then when he was come to seuen yeares hee learned to ride and began to goe on hunting At the fourteenth yeare of his age hee was instructed by Masters called the royall Paedagogues or Tutours which were fower chosen amongst all the Persians the chiefest of age and sufficiencie that is the most wise iust temperate and valiant The first taught hym the Magicke of ZOROASTER consisting in the seruice of the Godds and kingly manners The second warned him to bee all his life true and veritable The third that hee should not bee supplanted by any cupidity or desire The fourth was to make him without feare to the end he should not be subiect to cowardise and pusillanimitie But howbeit these things were well and religiously instituted yet were
had the principall charge vnder him who put him in a golden cage and cast him on a chariot meaning to carry him to Bactria then seeing that Alexander approached caused him to bee killed with darts and Iauelins and left him dead in the midst of the way Such was the end of a king so mighty in people in possessions and reuenews who called him selfe Lord of all the world from the East vnto the West hauing raigned onely sixe yeres in all delicacies exceeding the common magnificence of Princes Which luxurious maner of liuing was cause of his vtter ouerthrow as humane things being variable haue their fatall inclination so ordained by the diuine prouidence to fall then when they are mounted highest and that the Lords thinke themselues to be most assured sleeping therefore in carelesnes and ouerweening conceits For he suffered himselfe to slide so farre into deliciousnes and superfluous riches that he slept alwaies in a chamber betweene two great chambers most richly furnished in such sort that the Kings bed being sumptuously spred in his chamber and couered with a vine of gold in manner of a grate or lettis enriched with precious stones gathered togither in manner of hanging clusters of grapes the beds head was placed towards the wal of one of the great chambers in which ther was fiue thousand talents of gold and this great roome was called the kings beds head whereunto right opposite was the wall of the other great chamber against his beds foote in the which there was alwaies three thousand talents of siluer and was called the kings beds foote which summes are esteemed after our maner to be worth thirty millions of Crownes Going to war he caried with him in his host for his pastime and delight cccxxxix women as Concubines singers dauncers and such as were skilfull in all kinde of Musicke xlvj workmen to set flowers in order and to make garlands nosegaies chapelets and other sweete smelling things cclxxvij cookes xxix potters making euery day vessels of earth to serue the kitchin xiij bakers of tarts and such other licorous and delicate bakemeates Cellerers cupbearers bruers and minglers of wines makers of spiced cupps and of all artificiall lycours and drinkes xvij of th one sort and lxx of the other Perfumers and makers of sweete smelling sauours and odours both wet and dry xl If then the king of Persia vsed so much delicacy being in warr and nourished himself with so many delights in the field what did he wheÌ„ he remained in peace at Persepoli or in Babylon a city abounding in all superfluities and in all vices that proceed of great plenty Yet notwithstanding in the flower of his fortune he being dronken with prosperity and aboundance of goods was spoyled of his riches which had bin heaped togither by many kings his predecessours losing his life and his kingdome which was clymed to the top of the worldy power and felicity where ariseth the spring of pride arrogancy ouerweening and extreme insolency And there is the slippery path whereon standeth the enuy of fortune and where soueraigne felicity falleth headlong into great calamity By this so magnificent victory ouer him ALEXANDER brought vnder his obedience almost al the countries of the East and transported the Monarchy out of Asia into Europe So the Macedonians tooke away the Empire of the East from the Persians and the Parthians from the Macedonians by the conduct of Arsaces a Captaine of an vncertaine birth but of a most approued vertue and no lesse memorable amongst them then Cyrus among the Persians and Alexander among the Macedonians by whose name they called the succeeding Kings because of the reuerence which they bare vnto him They became so mighty that for a time they ruled ouer all Asia possessing not onely the vnmeasurable plaines but also the abrupt dounfals of the mountaines and placing the bounds of their Empire where either the heate or the cold staied them with snowes or immoderate and burning heates They possessed eighteene kingdomes deuiding in this maner their prouinces as hauing respect to the two Seas that is the red Sea towards the South and the Caspian toward the North where of eleuen which were called the superiour or higher began at the confines of Armenia and at the bankes of the Caspian Sea extending euen to the Scythians Thother seauen were termed the inferiour or lower They seemed to diuide the world with the Romaines th one ruling in the East and thother the West Their dominion from ARSACES to ARTABANVS endured cccc yeres which was brought backe againe into Persia by ARTAXERXES and after cccxviij yeres was taken againe from the Persians by the Arabians or Sarazens Amongest whom the CALIPHES residing at Bagdet raigned in the East ccccxviij yeres after them the first TVRKS from the yere of Christ M.L.I. vntill M.cc.xj when the Tartarians came out of their countrey who in a little time seised on the greatest part of the north the East the south of whoÌ„ came the inuincible TAMBERLAN who made the whol habitable earth afraid And since they being retired the Persians who are reputed the ciuâ—lest people of the East being ingenious valiant and there are amongst them excelleÌ„t Philosophers Physitions Astrologers very good Artisans in all misteries occupations Their king is called SOPHI which is as much to say as wise and the Interpreter of God because that ISMAEL the first that was so named vnder the colour of expositions new ceremonies brought in by him into the religion of Mahomet got no longe time since a great Empire in the East hauing driuen away the race of Vsun-Cassanus king of Persia to whom he was allied by his mothers side and made many Princes and Lords of the East his vassals or tributaries The chiefe prouinces vnder his obedience were Armenia the great Persia Media Assyria with iiij capital or head Cities Tauris in Armenia Samach in Persia Scyras in Media Bagdet which was somtimes Babylon in Assyria There are gentlemen amongst them after the maner of Italy France Spaine which vse barded horses in the wars vnto which they go welarmed bearing great lances and good cymeters being also very good archers The Sophi is opposite on the one side to the Ottoman to the Zagathain on thother Thus haue the kingdoms of Asia of the East varied But before we go out of this quarter we must speak of the MAGES which were far different from other natioÌ„s in their religion wisdom They had no temples Images nor altars neither was it permitted by their law to make any esteeming them fools which had them accounting it impiety to inclose the Gods within wals which ought to haue al open free whose temple and house was the whol world For this cause they perswaded Xerxes warring in Greece to burne al the Temples which he should find there And when they would sacrifice they went vp into high mountaines where it was not lawful for him that
who excelled in Magick to learne it of him and had employed long time great labour infinite treasure theron not omitting also to do such abhominable superstition as was presciibed him yet in the end he found all false which had bin told him and so gaue it ouer This notwithstaÌ„ding it hath bin dispersed throughout the world which is so diuers in other things vnder the colour of faire but yet vaine and friuolous promises associating it self with religion Phisick and Mathematicks which three haue a meruailous power ouer the vnderstandings of men And thus being fortified with a threefolde vertue it could neuer yet be altogither exterminated rooted out but there remaine here and there stil some relicks and remainders thereof but in secret notwithstanding for feare of the punishment which is appointed for it and the shame which commeth vnto those that abuse themselues therein A COMPARISON OF THE INDIANS Ethtopians Egyptians scythians and Athenians in their Antiquities THE Indians Ethiopians Egyptians Scythians and Athenians did all boast that they were the first created of al the men in the world alleaging diuers and different reasons of their antiquities As the INDIANS the fertility of their countrey bearing twice a yere both fruits and graine where there was neuer any want of victuals The ETHIOPIANS alleage their neerenesse of situation to the south thinking it must needes bee that in places which are neerest the sunne and therefore hottest that all liuing creatures were first created which take their beginning of heate The EGYPTIANS the temperature of their aire which is neither excessiue hot or cold dry or moist and the goodnes of their territory which bringeth forth aboundantly whatsoeuer is necessary for the life of man The SCYTHIANS the heigth of their countrey which was the first freed from fire or discouered from water therefore soonest made apt before any other to produce both man and beast The ATHENIANS saying they are Autâ—cthones that is to say issued out of the earth without hauing any other beginning The Indians Ethiopians Egyptians and Athenians that they haue inuented all arts and meanes of liuing wel easily The Scythians dwelling vnder a sharper climate say that they haue alwaies exercised armes as hauing their bodies and mindes more hardned amongst whom were neuer found but two persons renowmed for learning Zamolsis and Anacharsis A COMPARISON OF THE GREAT monarchies the Egyptian Assyrian Median Persian and Parthian in their situations beginnings largenes reuenews riches and power and of those famous monarchs that founded them and others vnder whom they ended THE Monarchies of the Egyptians Assyrians Medians Persians Parthians agree in this that they haue bin established chiefely in the fertile and temperate countries of Asia where the men are gentle and tractable or naturally seruile as Hyppocrates and Aristotle affirme For the inhabitants which are remoued from al temperature wil not easily be brought vnder subiection and cannot well be gouerned not enduring any long or durable gouernment except it be altogither tyrannical as is that of the MOSCOVITE in the north and of the ABYSSINE in Ethiopia where the great KNES commaundeth th one and PRESBITER IOHN the other most rigoronsly to th end to keepe their subiects in obedience who are all generally of opinion that whatsoeuer their Princes do they do it by the vnchangeable wil of God The circuite and compas of their Monarchies were very great SESOSTRIS the Egyptian conquered all Arabia and a great part of Lybia Ethiopia with all the Isles of that countrey al the sea coasts euen to the Indies passed the riuer Ganges running hither and thither euen to the great Ocean and ouer came all the nations of the Scythians euen to the riuer Tanais comming into Europe went through the countrey of Thrace where he made an end of his enterprise retorned into Egypt NINVS brought vnder his obedience all the nations which inhabite on the sea-coast toward the East and their neighbors as the Egyptians Phenicians those of the inner Syria Cilicia Pamphilia Lycia Caria Phrygia Mysia Troada and the other Phrygia which is on Hellespont the countrey of Propontida Bythinia Cappadocia and other barbarous nations which inhabite on the greater sea euen to the riuer Tanais He added more ouer to his estate the Cadusians Tapyres Hircanians Dranges Deruices Caramanians Coronians Rombes Vuocarnians the Parthians Persians Susians Caspians and Bactrians SEMIRAMIS his wife the greatest part of Lybia and Ethiopia The limits of the Empire of CYRVS were on the East-side the red sea on the North the sea Euxinus towards the west Cyprus Egypt on the south Ethiopia CAMBYSES his sonne added Egypt Ethiopia And DARIVS the first of that name subdued no fewer countries then the two former had conquered consequently the others which came after augmented and enriched it from hand to hand making that kingdome one of the greatest most mighty most renowmed that was euer in the worlde The PARTHIANS possessed xviij kingdomes wherof the xj which were called the superiour began at the Confines of Armenia and bankes of the Caspian sea and reached vnto the Sythians the other seuen inferiour kingdomes stretched out euen to the red sea diuiding their Prouinces as respecting the two seas the red sea toward the south the CaspiaÌ„ on the north As the spaciousnes of these Monarchies was very large so the reuenew was also great the riches infinite and power incredible SESOSTRIS erected two square pillers of hard stone ech of them thirty sadom high in which he commaunded to be pourtrayed the greatnes of his Empire and the value of his demeine and reuenew engrauen adding thereto the number of the nations which he had ouer come He gathered an army of sixe hundred thousand foote foure and twenty thousand horse-men eight and twenty thousand chariots fit for war and foure hundred ships on the red sea The riches and power of the Assyrian Monarchy is knowen by the great and magnificent townes that were built by NINVS and SEMIRAMIS and by the wonderfull armies which they had namely NINVS going against the Bactrians with seuenteen hundred thousand foote two hundred thousand horsemen ten thousand and sixe hundred armed chariots SEMIRAMIS against the Indians with three Millions of foote fiue hundred thousand horsemen one hundred thousand chariots and two thousand ships vnto which STAVROBATES then King of India opposed like forces or greater Moreouer the vnreasonable riches of Assyria appeared in the end of Sardanapalus who would haue consumed with himselfe by fire a thousand Myriades of gold that is to say a thousand milions and a myriade of myriades of siluer which are a hundred milions endeuouring to spoile the earth of so great quantity of golde and siluer comming to forty Milions of Crownes in our money besides the beds and tables of golde precious stones garmentes of purple and other royall mouables and stuffe that was there and besides three thousand talents of Gold which he had sent before with his
of the race of Charlemaigne and shortly vpon the comming of Hugh Capet Then such Lords as held the great fees of the kings they subdiuided them to other persons of whom they expected seruice and both th one and thother gaue their lands to the peasants with dueties of rents and with condition to receiue iustice of them Wherehence are come the termes of fees and vnderfees of vassals and vndervassals for a difference from them which relieue directly and without any meane of the king Consequently of Ban arriereban and of liege or bond men who without exception do promise all duetie of fidelitie to their Lords and of those which are not bond or liege which do onely promise a duetie by reason of superiour estate or fee of which theirs which is inferiour dependeth And although at the beginning it was not lawfull for any Roturier or common person to possesse any fee simple but to meddle onely with his traficke tillage or husbandrie and to pay his Lords dueties notwithstanding by succession of time the fees contrarie to their first and auncient institution fell without any difference or distinction into the hands of men of armes and such as were estranged from the exercise of armes of noble and vnnoble of gentlemen and vngentle as merchants practicioners and other rich commoners that had meanes to buy them Moreouer whereas many fees with their dueties were giuen by Kings Princes Lords and Gentlemen to Bishoprickes Abbeies monasteries couents priories chanonries commaunderies hospitals spittels and to other Ecclesiasticall persons which are people of Mortmaine and altogether estraunged from armes the Ban arriereban hath bin much weakned thereby and at length is so low brought and so dispised that euen they which are bound therevnto thinke themselues dishonoured if they appeare there and so send thither their seruants or other mercenarie folkes the most part so euill appointed and in such poore equippage that it is a mockerie to see them whereas in times past the chiefest of Fraunce accounted it a great honour to be there themselues in person So farre haue these sees and vnder fees straied or so ill bin imployed which were erected and ordained for the safetie of the Countrie to the end that such as held them should in all occurrents of businesse be readily furnished with armes men and horses in such number and order as is requisite either to resist the approches of the enemie or to set vpon him if need were By reason whereof the forces of the kingdom are lessned and the Lawes militarie by little and little brought to naught in such sort that the Kings haue bin constrained to ordainè those companies of waged men of armes called ordinances and for their intertainment to impose on the people taxe and tallage Moreouer it is seuen or eight hundred yeres since the Nobilitie hath taken vp the vse of Armes and scutchions with figures of beastes and other things blazoned with diuers colours with termes fitting therunto to th end to discerne and make difference betweene them of their Nobilitie and the antiquities thereof their alliancies and kinreds Which maner was not in vse before CHARLEMAIGNE and hath not gon out of EVROPE being yet vnknowen throughout AFRICKE and ASIA where their Religion forbiddeth them to make the pourtraitures of beastes The Armes in the which ther are Lyons Leopards Tygers Eagles Kytes Faulcons and other rauenous beastes are accounted more noble then those which haue but trees flowers starres barres files or which are onely distinguished with colour or taken from the names of families because they seeme not to haue bin gotten by militarie prowesse or any other vertue To make them correct and expound them are appointed the Herauldes and kings of Armes curiously discoursing of the figures and colours which are in them euen to the mingling and accomodating according to the measure of their vnderstanding and knowledge both Physicke Astrologie and Diuinitie THE ARTISANS AND EXQVI site workes of the Auncients IN EGIPT INDIA and elswhere the gouernment being diuided into many orders or estates it was not lawfull for any to take a wife of other estate but his owne nor to change his vocation because it seemed not reasonable vnto them that a man of armes should labour the earth or that a learned man should become an Artisan Then the Artisans there wrought their workes seuerally euery one by himselfe and not indifferently mingling one occupation amongst the other The like did the husbandmen fishermen and huntsmen and it was not lawfull for one to exercise many trades As then they applied not themselues but vnto such workes as were permitted by the law and which they had learned of their fathers continuing the same all their life they became excellent therein Especially the EGIPTIANS whose workes were meruailously well wrought and euen come to their perfection The great and magnificent buildings made at that time both in ASSIRIA EGIPT and elswhere do euidently show the abilitie of their architects masons statuaries imagers grauers painters caruers carpenters and smithes The same distinction of the multitude by diuers orders and kindes of exercise is vsed at this day at CAIR FEZ MARROCCO and in many other great Cities of Asia and Africk Others account the maner of PARIS more commodious where the Artificers dwel intermingled one amongst the other At this day the Artisans of CATHAY and of CAIR and of PERSIA are found verie exquisite making works so neere approching vnto those of nature that they seeme to be naturall The end of the fowerth Booke OF THE LEARNING POESY Eloquence Power and other excellencie of the Grecians The fifth Booke AT the same time that the Persians swaied by their armes in Asia and that Cyrus founded the Persian Monarchie good letters and Learning were raised vp in Greece and the Countries there about aswell in the Isles as in the maine land and by the learned and renowmed Pythagoras began Philosophie First of all men considering the admirable ornament of the whole world the continuall and peâ—durable motion of the Heauen the varietie and distinction of the starres the intercourse of daies and nights of monethes and yeares continually succeeding the vital power of fire diffused thorough out the whole world the variable aire sustayning with spiration and respiration all liuing creatures the sea beating the bankes with his reciprocal waues receiuing and casting out the other waters without ouerflowing or diminishing the earth which is heaped together on each side thereof for a bound vnto it The vicissitude and order of things both simple and compounded contayned in the circuit of the world being innumerable in multitude and meruailous in beautie They indeuored to search out their properties conueniences and contrarieties as to know whereof they were made and engendred how long they indured what became of them when and how they perished what in them was mortall and corruptible what diuine and perpetual They obserued the course of the starres and the power which they haue heer
of numbers and whatsoeuer is admirable in the Philosophy of the Greeks which secrets he folded vp in fables and hid them vnder a poeticall couerture Demosthenes in his oration against Aristogiton calleth Orpheus the authour of the sacred cerimonies which the Grecians vsed He was accounted holy after his death and euery yere there was a solemne feast dedicated vnto him as to the most learned which was euer in Greece as wel in the religion and diuinity of those daies as in Poetry Vnto these succeeded HOMER and HESIOD who were of the same time or neer one to another got by different vertues very great durable praises Homer wrote the Iliads and Odyssees Hesiodus left precepts of husbandry and Astrology entermingled with aduertisments of good life and the fabulous genealogie of the Gods Homer without controuersie hath gotten the first and chiefe place amongst all the Poets of al Nations and ages which euer were And Plinie giueth him the chiefe praise of humaine vnderstanding in so great diuersity of natures multitude of disciplines variety of actions and of exercises and workes hauing deserued it as well by the excellency of his poesie as by the good happ of his argument so luckely handled First that which he writeth he seemeth not to say it but to represent it before our eyes Such is the dexterity in him not onely to expresse the bodies but euen the hidden motions of the mindes in such sort that his poesie seemeth as an Image of the life of man He is so conformable to common sense and hath so aptly accomodated his wordes to the things that after so great mutation come to passe in the maners and customes of men from the time wherein he liued vntill this present ke keepeth still from age to age and from countrey to countrey the same grace as if he came from being newly made retayning not only the authority of antiquitie but also the pleasure of nouelty as if there were in him some spirit continually renewing and waxing yong and a soule neuer waxing old which kept him alwaies in this vigour Such force haue the writings which come neere vnto nature that they neuer decay but so much farther as they go so much more grace they gaine and so much more authority they obtaine Amongst his singuler praises this of all other is most veritable that he is alone in the world who hath neuer glutted or cloyed his readers shewing himselfe alwaies altogither of an other sort vnto them and still florishing in newe delectation for as much as he leadeth them from one tale to another and by his variety keepeth them from being weary at any time to heare his fine verses flowing from him of their owne accord without paine or constraint euen almost with a diuine felicity and naturall facility which notwithstandieg he hath so conducted that he obserueth grauity in great affaires and propriety in small matters and a tempered decency in those of the middle sort with a delectable variety thoroughout in his narrations similitudes orations amplifications arguments examples and digressions in wordes sentences figures and in the continuation of his purpose such disposition that one may well say there was neuer his like Aristotle and Cicero thinke that he could not possibly come incontinently to such perfection and that therefore there were others before him seeing that nothing is perfect at his birth and first beginning The Greeks had him in such admiration that they attributed to him the knowledge of all things and thought that all Artes and all sects which were amongest them were issued from his fountaine The most renowmed Captaines red him finding in him the best that belongeth to art military The most eminent Philosophers alleaged him prouing their reasons by his verses others founded in him the state politicke and oeconomicke the art of husbandry the contempt of humaine vanities and the deuotion due vnto religion For this cause whereas he being far from ambition had concealed his original many nations claimed him to be their Citizen as the Colophonians Rhodians Chiotins Salaminians and Smirnians who erected a temple vnto him in their City and many others contended for him amongst themselues But he iudged best who considering so many vertues and graces in him thought it not possible that he could be ingendred of man but that the heauen was his father and Calliope the chiefe of the Muses his mother Touching HESIODVS which holdeth among the Greek Poets the second place after Homer he gaue men to vnderstand that he became such without study and that in his yong yeres being sent by his father to keepe the beastes he fell a sleepe on the hill Parnassus During which sleepe the Muses appeared vnto him and inspired him diuinely with Poesie Afterward he was the Priest and Curate of the Muses in Helicon and wrote of Astrology and Husbandry Plutarch telleth how he being wrongfully slaine and murthered and then cast into the sea was taken vp by a flote of Dolphins which caried him to the head of Rhion neere the towne of Molicria where being knowen by reason that he was but newly killed the Molycrians because of his great renowme buried him honourably and nothing in more recommendation then to send presently euery where to enquire of this murther which they did with such diligence that the murderers were found out whom they cast quicke into the botome of the sea and razed their houses But the wise men and religious of that time did blame the impertinent fables which Homer and Hesiod and thother Poets had written of the Gods proposing their formes ages sexes transformations vestments ornaments banquets laughters desires complaints lamentations displeasures angers hatreds differents discords combates warres and battailes not onely when diuers Gods defended contrary armies of th one side and thother but also when they warred themselues against the Titans and Gyants their whoredomes adulteries incests bonds companies with mankinde and mortal ingendred of the immortall and many other such things transferd to the similitude of humaine fragility and contrary to good maners and to pietie Pythagoras said that he had discended into hell and had seen there the soule of Hesiodus hard bound to a piller of bras and that of Homer hanged on a tree both of them bearing the punishment of that which they had foolishly fayned and inuented of the Gods Isocrates affirmed that although they had not yet bin sufficiently chastised for these impieties yet not withstanding that they remained not altogither vnpunished some of them hauing bin vagabounds and beggers others of them blinde and others banished their countrey and that Orpheus the chiefe authour of such fables was slaine and rent in pieces and his members dispersed here and there thoroughout the fields Plato allowed them no place in his common wealth by reason of such absurd impieties but woulde haue those onely receaued there which made diuine hymnes or moral aduertisments And therefore I meruail at the Poets of these times who that they may
honestie In somuch that Plato and Aristotle haue not better plaied the Philosophers in their schooles then he did in publike assemblies and iudgements But as this age was admirable in power and wisdom and in all arts so was it also full of wickednes extraordinarie changes As if it had bin of necessitie that the same age must bring forth horrible monsters notable wonders for it is commonly seen that where mens wits are most excellent there are found together men notably vicious vertuous the authours of great good things of euil as if vertue and vice which are things so contrary repugnant had their extremities neer one an other In such sort that where th one is the other estsoons accompanieth it they leaue not one the other for euen as noble generous natures being duly instructed becom perfectly good are causes of great good things In like maner those that are euill brought vp become exceeding euill and do great mischiefes by reason that the exorbitant wickednesse and extreme vices proceede not of weake and simple natures but of the noble and generous being depraued by institution As appeared in this season replenished with all good artes and excellent wits by the extraordinarie mutations which happened therin Wherof the Orator AESCHINES complayning cried out that they led not then the life of men but that they seemed to be born to that end that their posterity might tel of thē strange and vnlooked-for maruailes And DEMOSTHENES answering him acknowledged the fortune of his time to be verie aduerse and hard and that there was neither Greeke nor Barbarian but had suffered much for not onely euery one in particuler but publickly the kings Cities and Nations receiued great calamities First of all what troubles raised king Philip thorough out all Greece corrupting by giftes the Magistrates and Gouernours of Townes and nourishing amongst the Greekes diuisions and parcialities In such sort that he himselfe confessed that he had much more inlarged his kingdom by gold and siluer then by armes And albeit the Athenians hauing alwaies in suspition his greatnes were exhorted continually by DEMOSTHENES to take vpon them the protection of the common libertie and to punish with death those Citizens whom they should find to go about to betray the common wealth Notwithstanding this great Orator could not with all his diligence refraine the euill inclination of some particulars which sought but how to sell their Countrie Such abundance of Traitours there were found in that season Afterwards as Philip being become proud by many prosperities for the greatnes of his power placed himselfe amongst the twelue Gods he was killed by Pausanias a Macedonian gentleman to whom he had denied iustice at the mariage of his daughter Cleopatra which he solemnized with great triumphe beholding the plaies which were made and euen in the midst of his guard betweene the two Alexanders the one being his sonne and thother his sonne in law whom he had made king of Epirus The fault of which murther was for the most part imputed to the Queene Olympias who being diuorced from him stirred vp the youngman boyling before with anger to do it But there was also some suspition which touched Alexander doubting least he would leaue the kingdom to an other Who likewise after he had turned all topsie turuie in Europe and in Asia because of his insolencie was poisoned by his most familiar friends Olympias wife of the one and mother to the other was massacred by Cassandra for the great arrogancie which was in her and cruelties which she had committed Seneca calleth Alexander a furious young man hauing in steed of vertue a fortunate temeritie and that from his youth he was a theese and a distroier of people being the ruine both of his enemies and friends who placed his soueraign felicitie in astonishing and making himselfe feared of all men Furour saith he stirred vp the wicked man to vndoe other men and made him to march thorough vnknowen places Account you him wise that began with the ruines of Greece in the which he had bin bred and brought vp taking from euery one that which was his good He constrained Lacedemon to serue and Athens to be silent Not content with the ruine of so many Cities which Philip either bought or ouercame he ouerthrew others also and beareth armes thorough out the world without satisfying his crueltie after the maner of sauage beastes which bite being not pressed with honger He hath alreadie gathered many Kingdomes into one alreadie the Greekes and Persians do feare one king and notwithstanding passing beyond the Ocean he is sorie and loath to bound his victories by the footsteps of Hercules and of Bacchus but will force nature and can not stay as heauie things which do not cease to roule vntill they meete with some stop or hinderance He saith that Philip and Alexander and other such like renowmed thorough the ruine of people haue bin no lesse plagues vnto men then the deluge by which the earth was drowned or then the burning which consumed by heat and drougth a great part of lyuing creatures Lucan thinketh that he gaue a pernicious example to the world shewing the meanes how to reduce so many Countries vnder one Lord calling him the fat all euil of the world and a lightning which strook all Nations whose insatiable ambition could not be staied but by death Therefore the Scythians spake thus vnto him What neede hast thou of riches which constraine thee alwaies to desire Thou art the first which of abundance hast made indigence to the end that by possessing more thou mightst more earnestly desire that which thou hast not Who would euer haue thought that the Greekes should haue ruled Asia and that so meane a king as that of Macedon could haue ouerthrowen the Monarchie of Persia of inestimable largenesse and power both by land and sea In like maner the Lordship of DIONISE in Sicile was ouerthrowen by DION with little meanes against the opinion and expectation of all the world which was the greatest and mightiest that was then in Europe for who could haue beleeued that he which arriued in Sicile onely with two ships of burden should haue ouercome a Lord that had in his disposition fower hundred vessels with oares a hundred thousand foote and ten thousand horsemen with prouision and munition of armes corne and money as much as was needfull for intertainment of so great power and who aboue all the forenamed things had vnder his obedience one of the greatest and most mightie Cities which was then in all Greece which had-so many ports so many arsenals or store-houses so many impregnable castles and who besides all this was allied with many great and mightie confederates But that which gaue DION the victorie in this interprise was principally his magnanimitie and greatnesse of courage with the loue and good will which was borne him of those whom hee came to set free And that which holpe him
thousands of men thorough out Greece and Asia as hunters fowlers fauconers fishers and all those which had charge of parkes pooles or birdhouses to bring him beasts and liuing creatures or to make faithfull report of their natures He gaue to the Philosopher Anaxarchus to set vp his Schoole a hundred talents and to Xenocrates a man of great account fiftie He did singularly admire the Poesie of Homer which he had alwaies at night vnder his beds-head with his dagger and accounted much of philosophie wherein he had bin instructed by the said Aristotle esteeming no lesse to surmount others in the knowledge of good and excellent arts then in power and force of armes Wherefore he desired aboue all that his deedes might be recommended to posteritie by worthy writers as in like maner he would not be pourtraied but by Apelles neither haue his statue made but by Lysippus which were two the most excellent workmen that Greece euer bare th one of them a Painter and the other a Statuarie There is yet to be seen at this day in the Citie of Alexandria in Egipt a little house in maner of a church and therein a sepulture much honoured and visited by the Mahometans because they affirme that there do rest the bones of Alexander the great prophet and king according as they are taught by their Alcoran insomuch that many strangers go thither out of Regions far distant to visite this sepulture leauing in this place great offerings A COMPARISON OF THE LEAR ning of the Greekes vnto that of the Egiptians Chaldees Persians Indians and others PLato in his Timaeus saith that the Countrie of Greece by reason of the temperature of all the seasons of the yeare did bring forth wisemen and in the fourth of his Common wealth that the Grecians by the situation of their countrie were naturally giuen to the studie of wisdom attributing in his Menexemus this propertie principally to the territorie of Athens which he vpholdeth to be most apt for the breeding of good arts as in trueth there haue bin more Grecians and namely Athenians learned and eloquent then of all the other Nations of Europe Yet so is it that the same authour in his Epinomides acknowledgeth that the sciences came first from the Barbarians to the Grecians but that they amended and bettered whatsoeuer they receiued of others And Solon in the beginning of the said Timaeus confesseth that the Grecians vnderstood nothing of antiquitie in respect of the Egiptians And affirmeth that by one of their Priestes it was reproched vnto him that the Grecians were alwaies children that there was none in Greece that was old in as much as they were all yong of vnderstanding without hauing any opinion taken from antiquitie nor any hoarie and aged science Iosephus against Appion the Grammarian meaning to shew that we ought not amongst the Greeks to seek for the knowledge of antiquitie but amongst the Egiptians and Chaldees whose Priests were carefull to write histories saith that he meruaileth at those which attributed all to the Greekes therin it being most certain that the Greecians came into the world not onely after it was come to his full groweth but euen when it was waxing old and that all their inuentions maners lawes arts townes and cities are but new Herodotus affirmeth that Diuination and Geometrie were brought out of Egipt into Greece and that the Greekes learned of the Babylonians the eleuation of the Pole the vse of the quadrant and the diuision of the day into howers Moreouer that the Egiptians found out the diuision of the yeare diuided it into twelue Monethes by the knowledge which they had of the starres where in it seemeth to him that they behaued themselues better then the Grecians for asmuch as the Greekes to place the time that was super-abundant were constrained from three yeares to three to put betweene them an odd moneth And on the contrarie the Egiptians allowed thirtie daies to euery moneth adioining to each yeare fiue daies ouer and aboue in such sort that the reuolution of the time came alwaies to one point and was found good Herodotus also writeth in his fifth booke that the Phenicians which came with Cadmus to inhabite Beotia brought with them many arts learnings planting there the knowledge of letters which the Greekes had not before And confesseth that all the Phenicians vsed them before the Grecians but that sithence by succession of time the sound of the said letters was changed together with the words The learned men which went out of Greece into Egipt to learne their Lawes and sciences were Orpheus Musaeus Mélampus Homer Lycurgus and after them Solon Plato Pythagoras Eudoxus Democritus and Inopis which learned in Egipt all that made them worthy of admiration For Orpheus brought therehence the hymnes of the Gods the festiuals the punishments and rewards of the dead the vse of statues In like maner Licurgus Plato and Solon brought to their common weales many lawes and constitutions which they had taken from the Egiptians Also Pythagoras learned in the holie writings of Egipt Geometrie and Arithmetick◠together with the transmutation of soules from bodie to bodie And Democritus in fiue yeares which he spent there vnderstood many secrets of Astrologie Likewise Inopis hauing long frequented with the Priestes and Astrologers of Egipt brought into Greece the knowledge of whatsoeuer the sunne doth and the course of the other starres of the Zodiack and of many other such things A COMPARISON OF THE PHILO sophers of Greece with the Chaldees of Babylon and the Priests of Egipt THe Priests of Egipt and the Chaldees of Assyria from their childhood were brought vp and instructed by their parents in the sciences the care of all other things being laied apart and they became by means hereof verie learned aswell for that they were so instructed and taught from their yong yeares as also because they continued and perseuered long therein But the Greekes did otherwise for commonly they gaue not themselues to philophie vntill they were of good yeares and did not studie it long but turned by and by to things of profit And there were few of them that would bestow their time in philosophie till they vnderstood it well but went to other exercises to get gaine And they were not accustomed to follow that science wherunto their fathers were giuen but studied at their pleasure and without constraint many seueral sciences But the strangers and Barbarians continued alwaies their first exercises And the Greeks often changing their opinion for their profit and disputing one against an other of the greatest sciences made their disciples so vncertain that they were forced to faile and to remaine all their life time in doubt without hauing certaine knowledge of any thing which was the cause of so many sects and opinions rising amongst them the one contrarie and repugnant to the other A COMPARISON OF THE GRECIANS with the Persians Indians and the Nomades of Syria and Arabia THe Persians
into the state of his house the traine of his Court into the Senate or counsaile the course of Iustice managing of his reuenewes administration of prouinces entertainment of forces both by sea and by land that Empire long maintained it selfe and prospered meruailously therewith Being then in his greatest glorie and power hee held first of all in the Brittaine Ocean manye partes and on the other side from the pillars of Hercules all the Islandes and Portes peoples and Nations which are in this Sea as farre as it is nauigable on the one side and the other Of which Nations the first on the right hande are Mauritanians bordering on the Sea likewise the Countrey of Lybia euen as farre as Carthage After them hygher and farther of the Numidians and the Countrey of Numidia and beyond them all the rest of Lybia which stretcheth out vnto the Syrtes togither with the City of Cyrene Then are the Marmarides the Ammonides and those which hold the marish of Marienna consequently the great citie of Alexandria togither with all the whole countrey of Egypt euen to the easterly Ethiopia and going downe along the riuer of Nile by Pelusium vnto the sea And after retourning along the banke thereof the countrey of Suria Palestina and yet higher a part of Arabia and the Phenicians and farther into the land the Cilisyrians bordering on the riuer Euphrates Farther on the sea the Palmyrians amongest sandie deserts which are on the said riuer of Euphrates And yet farther the Cilicians neighbours to the Surians and the Cappadocians with a part of Armenia the lesser Moreouer all the nations dwelling neer the sea Euxinus all along the coast In regard of mediterranean or vpland countreys towards Armenia the great the Romains ruled not ouer them neither imposed any tribute on them but gaue and confirmed their kings vnto them Therehence comming from Cappadocia euen to the Ionian sea is the great Chersonesus in the which are on the right hand the prouinces and nations of Pontus and Propontida of Hellespont and the Egean sea On the left hand the sea of Pamphylia and of Egypt And beyond those the Pamphilians Lycians Phenicians and Carians euen to Ionia Moreouer the Galathians Bythinians Phrygians and Mysians being aboue the Pontick sea and farther into the maine land the Pysidians and Lydians al which nations were subiect to the Romains And passing yet farther by Hellespont they ruled ouer the Mysians dwelling in Europe and the Thracians on the sea Euxinus Neer vnto the countrey of Ionia there is the gulfe of the Egean sea and that of the Ionian then the sea of Cilicia and the Tyrrhen sea reaching euen to the pillers of Hercules within which reach which is from Ionia vnto the Ocean sea there are many nations and prouinces which were subiect to the Romains that is to say the whole countrey of Greece Thessaly Macedony and all the other quarters belonging to the prouince of Thrace the Illyrians Peonians and the territory of Italy which is for the most part enuironed with the Ionian Tyrrhene seas and stretcheth it selfe by land vnto the coūtrey of the Gaules hauing on the one side the mediterranean or midland sea on another the northern Ocean and on thother the riuer of Rhene and yet farder is all the countrey of Spaine all along the Atlantick sea euen to the pillars of Hercules In regarde of those which are farther into land they passed not into that part of Africk which hath on the one side the west Ethiopia on thother the desert countrey of Lybia which is not inhabited for the exceeding heate and hath nothing but monsters and wild beasts vnto the East Ethiopia These were the limits of the Romain Empire on the side of Ethiopia and of Africk On the side of Asia the riuer Euphrates the mountaine Caucasus the beginning of Armenia the great and the Cholches dwelling neer the sea Euxinus the rest of the Euxine sea On the side of Europe the riuers of Rheine and of Danubius wherof the one that is the Rhene entreth into the Ocean the other into the Euxin sea And notwithstanding the Romains also ruled ouer some nations dwelling aboue the Rhene and ouer the Gethes which dwelled beyond Danubius and were called Dacians Touching the Isles all those which are within the mediterranean sea which are called Cyclades Sporades Hyades Echinades Tyrthenides or others whatsoeuer they are about Lybia Ionia Egypt or elswhere on the sea which the Greeks call the great Islands as Cypres Candie Rhods Lesbos Euboe Sicilia Sardignia Corsica Maiorca Minorca and all other great or little were subiect to the Empire of Rome And on the coast of the northren sea they held vnder their obedience the greatest and the best part of the Isle of Britayne So many nations prouinces did they subdue vnto their obedience by order of discipline good counsail strength courage vertue pacience and perseuerance of the Italians when they taught to fight with the best military discipline in the world which they vsed in rising incamping marching fighting wel armed ordered resolute to ouercome or to die Especially the footmen in which they had more confidēce then in their horsemen foūding their principal strength on then Then for the maintenāce of their Empire safety they had 200000. men ordinarily intertained xl thousand horse CCC Elephants apt for war two thousand Chariots furnished and ouer and besids iij. hundred thousand harnesse of prouision which is for their force on land Touching that on the sea they had about two thousand ships a thousand and fiue hundred galleis of fiue and sixe oares with furniture accordingly eight hundred great Vessels for pompe and to cary their Emperours guilded and richly wrought both at the forecastle and sterne an inestimable quantity of gold and siluer in treasure hauing almost an infinite reuenew consisting in yerely rents in customes and subsidies and in tributes which we call taxes and tallages which they leuied on so many Countries lands and Seigniories Of which reuenew it is not possible to make any certaine estimate or account no more then of other Empires and kingdomes absolute wherof the reuenewes increase or diminish according to the disposition of their affaires and will of the Soueraigne Lords imposing and taking away subsidie at their pleasures Such was the excellēcy of the Romains in arms Touching that of Learning CICERO without controuersie deserueth to be the first named amongst them who giuing himselfe to ymitation of the Grecians hath represented in his writings the vehemency of Demosthenes the abundance of Plato and good grace of Isocrates hee not onely got by studye that which was excellent in eche of them but of him selfe also hath produced many vertues or rather all by the most happy felicitye of his immortall vnderstanding borne by some guift of the diuine prouidence to the end that Eloquence in him might showe all her forces For who coulde teache more dilygently or moue more earnestly who was euer
more pleasant in such sort that one woulde thinke that he obtained that which he intreateth by force And albeit by his vehemencie he transporteth the Iudge yet seemeth he not to be drawne himselfe but to followe of his owne accorde Moreouer there is such authority in whatsoeuer he saith that it seemeth a shame to gainsay him not bringing with him the diligence of an aduocate but the testimonie of a witnes or of a Iudge all these things notwithstanding flowing from him without constraint or labour amongst the which each of them striuing particularly yet with great difficultie excelleth each other And there appeareth in his speach a happie facilitie goodly to heare Wherfore he was not without cause accounted by those of his time to raigne in iudgements and hath gotten amongst posteritie the name not of a man but of eloquence Plinie giueth such testimonie of him But what errour were it for me saith he to omit thee M. Tullie or what excellent praise shall I giue thee but euen that which hath bin bestowed on thee by the common voice and vniuersall suffrage of all the people of this nation in taking out of all thy life the works onely of thy Consulship when you spake the Tribunes refused the law Agrarie that is to say their foode and sustenance When you perswaded they pardoned Roseius the authour of the law Theatral When you perored and pleaded it was permitted vnto the children of banished persons to seeke for honours and magistracies Catiline flyeth from thy wisdome Thou hast proscribed and banished Mark Anthony I salute thee the first that hath bin called the father of the Countrie the first that hath deserued in a gowne the triumph of the Crowne of lawrell by speaking well parent of the Latine language and elegancie and as Cesar the Dictator was wont to say of thee hauing the prerogatiue of all triumphes for asmuch as it is more to haue aduaunced the bounds of the Romain learning then of the Empire The same Plinie writeth thus of M. VARRO The statue of him alone whiles he liued was placed by Asinius Pollio in the librarie which he first of all others erected of the spoiles gotten of the enemies which I esteeme no lesse glorie proceeding of a principall Oratour and Citizen in that multitude of good witts that then was and giuing this crowne to him alone then when Pompey the great gaue him the nauale Crowne for hauing wel behaued himselfe in the warre against the pirates where he was his Lieutenant Cicero dedicating to him his first Academick saith Thou hast declared the age of the Countrie the descriptions of time the rights of holy things and of Priests the discipline of peace and of warre the situation of Countries and places the names kinds offices and causes of all both diuine and humane affaires bringing great light to our Poets and generally to Latine words and letters and hast in many places begun Philosophie enough to awaken men though little to teach them And in his second Philippick M. Varro saith he would that this place should be the house of his studies what matters were handeled therein and what written The rights of the people of Rome the monuments of the auncestours the reason and doctrine of all wisdome And writing vnto him in his Epistles he saith I haue alwayes esteemed you a great personage especially that in these troubles are almost alone in quiet and receiue the fruites of learning which are great considering and treating of things the vtilitie and delectation whereof ought to be preferred before all the actions and pleasures of theis others Surely I account this abode which you make at Tusculum to be the true life and would willingly leaue all riches to all men that it might be permitted me without any hinderance to liue after this maner Lactantius dareth to affirme that there was neuer any more learned amongst the Greeks and Latins S. Augustine calleth him the sharpest of all men and without doubt the most learned who hath read so many things that it is a wonder he had any leasure to write of ought and yet hath written so much that it is scarce credible that any one could read it all for he wrote CCCCXC books Also who hath more curiously searched out this then Marcus Varro or more learnedly found it or more attentiuely considered it or more subtilly distinguished it or written more diligently and fully of it who albeit he be not so sweete in speach aboundeth notwithstanding aswell in knowledge and sentences as in all doctrine which we call secular and they liberall he can aswell teach the studious of things as Cicero delight the curious of words Cicero in his booke of the world giueth such testimonie of P. NIGIDIVS This personage was adorned with all liberall arts and a diligent searcher of things which were hidden and folded vp in nature And I account thus of him that after the noble Pythagorians whose discipline was in a maner extinct hauing florished many yeares in Italie and Sicilie he hath renewed it The same Cicero saith of SERVIVS SVLPITIVS a Lawier his admirable incredible and almost diuine knowledge in exposition of the lawes and declaration of right and equitie shall not be forgotten If all those which euer in this Citie had vnderstanding of the Lawes were assembled together in one place yet were they not comparable to Seruius Sulpitius for he was not so well seen in law as in Iustice wherefore he referred alwaies to facilitie and equitie the deeds proceeding of the rule of right and of the Ciuile Law And did not take so much paines to set downe the actions and pleadings of causes as to take away the doubts of matters and difficulties of controuersies The same Cicero of GALLVS AQVILIVS an other Lawier I say one could not to much esteeme the aucthoritie of such a man whose wisdome the people of Rome hath knowen in taking heed to himselfe and not in deceauing of others Who did neuer seuer the reason of Law from Equitie who so many yeares hath readily imployed his wit labour and fidelitie for the good of the people of Rome who is so iust and so good that he seemeth to be a Lawier by nature and not by discipline so learned and prudent that he seemeth to be not onely a naturall knowledge but also a certain goodnesse of the ciuile Law whose vnderstanding is so good and such his fidelitie that whatsoeuer is drawen from thence is found to be pure and cleere Before this time the Latine Poesie was rude which was then polished and brought to perfection especially by VERGIL whom Quintilian witnesseth among all the Heroicke poets both Greeks and Latins to haue come neerest vnto Homer in whom notwithstanding he acknowledgeth that there was more of nature These are the most notable personages that florished then both in armes and learning But IESVS CHRIST defaced all their excellencie who in the raign of Augustus discending out of Heauen here on earth and clothing
armes now into Spaine against Sertorius now against the Pyrates vnder colour of pacifying the sea He pretended these causes to th end he might continue his power What led him into Africk and into the North against Mithridates and into Armenia and against all the kings of Asia but onely an infinite desire of increasing in greatnes seeming only to himselfe that he was not great enough What did put Iulius so far forward into these publike euils glorie and ambition and a desire which he had without measure to excell aboue others He could not suffer one to be before him where the common wealth endured two What think you that Marius being once Consul indeed hauing taken away by force the six other Consulships when he defeated the Theutons and the Cymbrians and when he pursued Iugurtha thorough the deserts of Africa did aduenture these dangers by the instinct of vertue These men mouing all things were also moued themselues after the maner of whirle-winds which carrie away whatsoeuer they catch and thereby become more impetuous and can not be stil. Hauing then bin mischieuous vnto many they finally feele in themselues their pernicious mischiefe whereby they haue bin hurtfull vnto many The same Seneca It is all one saith he whether Cato ouercome or be ouercome in the battaile of Pharsalia The good being in him which could not be vanquished when his partie was ouercome was equall with the good which he should haue caried victorious into his Countrie haue pacified the affairs Wherefore should it not be equall seeing that by the same vertue euill fortune is ouercome and good fortune well ordered The vertue can not be greater nor lesser It is alwaies after one sort But Pompey shal lose his armie but the honest pretence of the common wealth and the Senate with the chiefest Lords of Rome following the part of Pompey being placed in the first rank of the battaile shall be ouerthrowen in one onely battaile and the ruines of so great an Empire shall be dispersed ouer all the world one part shall fall into Egipt an other into Africk an other into Spaine This miserable common wealth can not all fall at one time Let them do all they can The knowledge of the places doth not help the king Iuba in his kingdom nor the obstinate vertue of his subiects and the fidelitie of the Vticians being broken with so many euils faileth And should Scipio be abandoned in Africk of the fortune of his name It was already prouided that Cato should receiue no harme And yet he was ouercome Certainly the calamities were verie great in that conuersion of the world and there were strange aduersities mingled with the prosperities There was neither Countrie Citie Lordship or personage any whit renowmed but endured much The ruine of Carthage first presenteth it selfe which Citie seuen hundred yeares after it was founded had bin so flourishing and excellent in all things had borne rule ouer so many seas and lands and Islands and ships and so much riches and so many armes as nâ—ne more and had courage more then any other Fourteene yeares after the Numantines being besieged by Scipio AEmilian seeing that for want of victuals they were not able any longer to endure the siege themselues burned theiâ— Citie of Numantia and killed themselues part by the sword part by fire part by poison Cicero nameth Carthage and Numantia the two astonishments of the people of Rome Shal I tel how Syracusa was spoiled Corinth rased Antioch and Hierusalem taken Athens besieged and sacked Marsâ—illes borne in triumph how Rome saw her Senate flying her treasures taken away Alexandria found Cesar fighting in her and her king the yong Ptolomey dead how Thebes in Egipt was destroied Thirteen towns in Peloponesus swalowed vp with an earthquak wherwith Caria Rhodes also were shaken How ther came extraordinary inundations of the sea of riuers and of raines of tempestuous winds Monsters hideous in all nature signes in the aire comets eclipses of the sun and of the moone and other horrible things in the celestiall motions whereof ensued famins plagues and other diseases which were before vnknowen Cicero writeth that there appeared then not onely fierie impressions by night in the heauen flashes of of lightning and tremblings of the earth but moreouer that the thunder fell on the high towers of the Temples many Images of the Gods were remoued out of their places many statues of famous men throwen downe the tables of brasse wherein the Lawes were ingrauen were melted The Image also of Romulus the founder of Rome who was made as he were sucking and waiting at the tears of the wolfe striken with thunder Shall I tell of fower-score thousand Romains and their allies defeated by the Cymbrians and a hundred fortie thousand Cymbrians slaine by the Romains the armies of the Heluetians and Germains ouerthrowen the bondmen vp in armes and allies mutining And not onely the good townes and mightie armies did suffer but also the rich seignories and noble kingdomes were distroied the free nations either trauailed with warres or were brought vnder subiection As the Spanish French British Germain Pannonian Illyrian Armenian and Thracian Italie it selfe after it had about some fiue hundred yeares valiantly defended it selfe was in the end subdued Moreouer there were scarce any famous men either in armes or learning but either receiued notable iniuries or suffered violent death Scipio Africanus being returned out of the Senate was found the next day stifled in his bed which was thought to haue bin done by his neerest kinred Hannibal being driuen out of Italie and banished Africa poisoned himselfe in the Court of king Prusias The king Mithridates being besieged by his sonne Pharnaces slew himselfe and Pharnaces was in a moment ouercome by Cesar. Antiochus the great was depriued of the greatest part of Asia whereof he thanked the Romains And the king Prusias cald himselfe their slaue Perseus the last king of Macedonia was ouercome led in triumphe and died in captiuitie and one of his sonnes was the scribe of the magistrates Tigranes king of Armenia prostrated himselfe before Pompey and asking pardon he lifted him vp and put the Diademe on his head which he had throwen downe Ptolemey king of Cypres threw himselfe head-long into the sea knowing that by the instance of Clodius the Tribune Cato was sent thitherto carie away his treasures Syphax Iugurtha and Iuba being great kings in Africke ended vnhappely Sertorius was slaine by treason Marius flying from Rome in extreme danger of his life hid himselfe in the marish about Minturnes and went to sea in a squiffe without victuals to the fortune of the windes and the waues afterwards being returned he died being three score and ten yeares olde and almost mad His sonne slew himselfe at Preneste Sylla died eaten with wormes and lyce Crassus being ouercome beyond Euphrates by the Parthians was slaine as he parlied on safeguard Pompey was beheaded in the shore of Alexandria Cesar
double seruice in the churches double mutining continually accusations defences banishments and martyrdomes Which disorder endured a long time this discord being spread far and wyde thoroughout the world yea euen amongst the Gothes Vandales Lombards who vnder this pretence committed execrable cruelties and innumerable spoiles On this scandal happened an other yet worse then the former For IVLIAN their cosin and successour comming to the Empire when Christiandome seemed cleane deliuered of Paganisme he set it vp againe denying the faith of IESVS CHRIST whereby he got the surname of an Apostata He took away the reuenews graunted by Constantine to the churches of the Christians and forbad the schooles vnto children depriuing both the teachers and learners of their maintenance He killed many that made profession of christian Religion depriued others of their charges as Iouinian Valentinian and Valens tooke away their goods from others saying in mockery that by making of them poore he made it easier for them to go into paradice because it was written in their bookes Blessed is the poore for vnto such belongeth the kingdome of heauen He exhorted the Iewes to restore their maner of gouernement for hatred of the Christians and to reedifie the Temple Hee wrote bookes against the Christian doctrine which he said was repugnant to common sense and did take away the bands of humaine society but his furie passed as a cloude for he raigned onely nineteene monethes dying of a hurt in the war which he made against the Persians In whose place IOVINIAN was chosen Emperour by the armie who brought matters into a better state The destruction of the Iudaick and Delphick Temples happened at that time which portending the ruine of both those religions abated much the insolence of the Iewes and of the Pagans and assured and comforted the good Christians Afterwards the Gothes Vandales Lombardes Arrianizing as we haue said afflicted Europe and Africk almost two hundred yeres ruinated the Empire of the West Which they that were reputed wise men amongst the Gentiles seeing said that this desolation proceeded of the changing of the auncient religion wherein the Empire had bin nourished increased and maintained long and that the Gods being angrie sent such calamities for reuenge of their contempt Against whom S. Augustin opposed him selfe writing his bookes of the city of God to refute them On the other side the Nestorians Eutichyans and Manichees troubled all the East The Persians destroyed Asia and Africk their king Cosroe publishing an edict that whosoeuer would saue his life should renounce that God that was crucified Then the Sarasens entierly exterminated the Persians with their language and religion Moreouer the Emperours of Constantinople beating downe the Images and statues of the temples were excommunicated by the Popes of Rome Who forbad them thoroughout Italy to pay them any tribute or to put their pictures in their coine cōmanded that their names should be omitted in their masses and publick praiers refused their edicts commandemēts letters making them to lose that which they had remaining in the west to assure thēselues against them and aganst the Lombards who had seazed on the Hexarchat of Rauenna they sent for Charles Martel Pepin who were Frenchmen of the house of Austrich to their succour whose strength authority renowme at that time was great And consequently they created consecrated crowned CHARLEMAIGN Emperor of the west calling him Augustus Cesar three hundred and twenty yeres after the Emperors were ceased in Italy He deliuered Italy from the Lombards Germainy from the Hongarians Gaule of the Sarasens with the victories which the grand-father and his Father wan of them He went twice into Spaine and ouercame the Saxons And as he was learned in Greeke and Latin being no lesse a fauourer of learning then a louer of armes he ordained the Vniuersitie of Paris which hath bin sithence the most famous of the worlde and most florishing in all Artes hauing serued for a refuge for the studies of learning which are waxen cold in Asia vtterly lost in Greece decaied in Italy and driuen out of Egypt and Africk So this magnanimous and victorious prince ioyning togither the greatest prouinces of Europe was a Monarch protector of the peace religion lawes iudgements and disciplines By such occasion was the Empire restored to the west which had first his seat in France thē in Germany where from hereditary it is become electiue and in proces of yeres by euill ordering is so much diminished and impouerished that there remaineth nothing but the shadowe of a great name and vaine title The princes Electours holding the imperial lands with their rents reuenewes customes and commodities horded vp and the principall countreyes being franchised by the Emperours who haue giuen them priuileges to gouerne freely their common weales Concerning Italy which was the chiefe and ancient patrimony of the empire it is either possessed by the Popes which hold Rome that was wont to be the proper seat of the Emperors and many other places or by the kings of Naples or by the Venitians or by the dukes of Milayne Florence Ferrara Mantua Vrbin and other potentates sequestred from the empire The Isles of Sicilie Sardigna Corsica Maiorca Minorca and Sauoye also are cut off Thus hath the Empire by succession of time bin distracted and dissipated Sithence the ruine whereof the world hath not had his vertue so vnited But many kingdoms are lifted vp ech in his countrey as towards the west that of France Spaine and Portingale In the North England Denmarke Sueden Moscouy Polonia Hungaria In the East Persia Narsingue China or Cathay In the South that of the Soudan of Presbiter-Iohn Tuniz and Fez and elswhere many seigniories and communalties which acknowledge none but themselues The end of the sixth Booke A COMPARISON OF THE ROMAINS with the Egyptians Assyrians Persians Greekes and Parthians in power warfare learning language Eloquence Poesie and workes of other arts The Seuenth Booke NAture hauing placed ITALIE in a middle seat between the south and the North hath as much or more fauored the ITALIANS as any other people on the habitable earth making them not onely strong comely and couragious but also ingenious and prudent And consequently excellent in maners lawes artes and workemanships By meanes of which singularities and prerogatiues they got in auncient time the greatest Empire that euer was and yet not of such largenesse that it comprehended the whole worlde which neuer happened hitherto neither is euer possible to come to passe For on the North side they neuer ruled ouer all Germany and great Britaine neither ouer Norway Sweueland Moscouia Lituania and Scythia Neither towards the south ouer Ethiopia and the higher Africk where the Blackmores inhabite neither in the East ouer India China Catay Giapan and Taprobana which Easterly parte hath the riuer Tygris for a fatall bound without speaking of the lands lately discouered in the West in so much that looking considerately
thereon it wil bee founde by true reason of Cosmography that they neuer possessed the twelfth part of the earth ZENON the first authour of the secte of the Stoickes ymagined an vniuersall forme of gouernement tending to this that all men should not liue by townes peoples and nations being separated by particular lawes rightes and customes but that they should account themselues fellow citizens and that there was but one sorte of life as there is but one world no otherwise then as if it were but one flocke feeding vnder one shepheard in common pastures PLATO also wished that there were on earth but one king as there is in heauen but one God to th end that the humaine gouernement might therein resemble the diuine which Lord of the world as a true shepheard of mankind should loue al men indifferently as his naturall subiectes maintayning them with good maners lawes iudgements and assured entercourse both by sea and lande so great a prince not bearing enuy to any person and hauing no occasion to enlarge his frontiers by ambition which would be the cause of ceasing so many enmities warres slaughters spoiles and robberies happening amongst men through the pluralitie and dissentions of gouernements Which matters being by them grauely and magnificently propounded are much more easie to bee wished then effected considering the diuersity of tongues dissimilitude of maners and customes varietie of sects and vanity of opinions that raigne amongest men and make them to lose that loue which is wished amongest them hindering the establishing of one vniuersall common wealth of all and consequently a Monarchie of people so much differing in estimation of diuine and humaine right and the religion and seruice of God One man alone can not possesse all the earth the greatest part of it being drowned by the sea and in some places where it is vncouered of waters being vnhabitable thorough excessiue heate or cold And if he should possesse it hee would straight forget himselfe in so great authoritie and libertie and become proud beyond measure waxing tyrannicall and insupportable as it happened to Cambyses to Nero to Sesostris to Attila to Tamberlan and to Alexander the great who thorough extreeme ouerweening would be accounted and called the sonne of God and for his insolencie was poisoned by his most familiar friends and as it happened to OCTAVIAN AVGVSTVS who suffered Temples to be consecrated to him and diuine honours to be giuen him in his life time Considering also that there is a certaine measure and proportion of greatnes in Townes Cities and States euen as in liuing creatures plantes and instruments which when it exceedeth loseth his nature and vse As it befell vnto this ROMAINE EMPIRE which being clymed vp to an incomparable greatnesse and inestimable wealth did fall est soones into great calamities and was finally ouerthrowen as others had bin before it which we wil compare togither setting downe their similitudes and differences A COMPARISON OF THE ROMAIN Empire with the Assyrian Median Persian Macedonian and Parthian AMongest the great auncient kingdomes the ASSYRIAN was excellent in nobility mighty in armes large in compasse of land and in continuance admirable which being augmented by Belus Ninus and Semiramis and enlarged by the spacious countries of Asia was the first that amongest all other Empires which it farre exceeded obtayned the name of an established Monarchie and for the space of a thousand three hundred and threescore yeres vnder thirtie eight kinges florished greatly After followed that of the MEDES which vnder nine kings continued CClxj yeres well gouerned in peace and warre Then raigned the PERSIANS who hauing added Egypt vnto their dominion and increased their strength and riches when they had prospered two hundred and thirtie yeres they lost their state vnder Darius their fourteenth king From that time forwarde the MACEDONIANS by the successe and conduct of Alexander obtained the rule ouer Asia which they lost one hundred and twenty yeres after giuing occasion by their ciuill dissentions to the Parthians in the East and to the Romaines in the West to increase and grow great Then the Romaines towardes the West seasing the Macedonian Seigniorie which though it were great indeed yet was but weake by the diuision of the princes who had parted it betweene them established the greatest and fairest Empire that euer was For if all the famous Monarckes amongest the straungers bee compared vnto the Romaine Emperours there will not bee founde any amongest them that haue done greater thinges either in peace or warre or that haue more enlarged their Empire and longer maintained it The AssyriaÌ„s went not out of Asia The Medians endured only cclx yeres the Persians hauing ouercome the Medes obtained almost al Asia but when they assailed Europe they little preuailed And the Persians being ouerthrowen the Macedonian Empire was greater then al the former but it endured but a whiles For incontinently after the death of Alexander being deuided into many Lordships it was easily supplanted by the Romaines And although it were very â—arge yet it went not into spacious Africk sauing where it reacheth vnto Egypt neither possessed all Europe being bounded on the north with the countrey of Thrace and towards the West with the Adriaticke sea But the ROMAIN EMPIRE extended into Europe Asia and Africk from the Orcades and Thule on the one side Spaine and Mauritania on the other euen to the hill Caucasus and the riuer Euphrates and the higher Ethiopia trauersing the countrey of Egypt and of Arabia euen to the East sea being the first and only which to this present hath made the East and West his limits and hath endured longer then any other excepting the Assyrian Touching the PARTHIAN which was at the same time when the Romain opposed against it being encreased with the ruines of the Macedonian in the East as the Romain was also in the west albeit it was very great and terrible vnto all the East as comprehending eighteene kingdomes betweene the Caspian and the red sea and being far stretched out towarde the Indies and famous by many ouerthrowes which it had giuen to the Romaines as namely by the death of Crassus and shameful retreat of Antonius yet obtained it but one part of Asia and receaued some kings from Rome which being begon by Arsaces endured only cccclxiij yeres vnder twenty and seanâ—n kings And the second PERSIAN also was of no greater circuit which was set vp by the Persian Artaxerxes hauing ouercome in three battailes and in the end slaine Artabanus the last king of the Parthians and ended cccxiij yeres after it was restored being ouerthrowen vnder Hormisdas the xxviij king by the Arabians THE BIRTH OF ROME AND CONTI nuance thereof compared to the foure Ages of mans life AS the Astrologers say that cities haue their reuolutions and prefixed times of continuance which is knowen by the situation of starres at the day of their natiuities For this cause Tarucius a Romaine in the time of Cicero and of
SEMIRAMIS hauing giuen commaundment to all the gouernours of the prouinces of the kingdom of Assyria that they should be obedient to her sonne as to their king she vanished sodainly and it was beleeued that she was translated among the Gods The people of Rome buylded a Temple vnto IVLIVS CESAR neer vnto the place where his body was burned after his death and worshipped him as a God thinking that the Comet which arose then was his soule translated into heauen And if it were lawfull to mingle trueth with fables and diuinitie with humanitie MOSES which receiued so much grace and fauour of GOD as to speak vnto him and to be chosen to bring the children of Israel out of the miserable bondage of Pharaoh and to giue them the Law and forme of liuing he was soone after his birth exposed in a basket of bulrushes neere to the riuer Nilus and after miraculously saued by the kings daughter who brought him vp and adopted him as her sonne And when he died and was buried his sepulture was neuer afterwards knowen of any God by the mouth of his Prophet Esay calleth CYRVS who founded the kingdom of Persia his king two hundred yeares before he was borne promising to hold his right hand and to helpe him to take the strong Cities to subdue mightie Nations and to humble the kings of the earth And chose him amongst all the Princes of the Gentiles to reedifie the Temple of Ierusalem and to restore the people of Israel to their Countrie wherhence they had bin driuen out a long time ARSACES hauing conquered and established the kingdom of the Parthians was no lesse celebrated of them then Ninus and Semiramis of the Assyrians Cyrus of the Persians Alexander of the Macedonians Romulus Iulius Cesar and Augustus of the Romaines In remembrance and honour of whom the succeeding kings which raigned in that state were called of his name Arsacides as the Romain Emperours are called Cesars and Augustes in the honour and memorie of Iulius Cesar and Augustus A COMPARISON OF THE ROMAIN warfare with the Parthian Carthaginian and Assyrian THE militarie exercise of the Carthaginians was principally in matter of the sea By reason whereof they made little reckoning of footmen but gaue some order for horsemen because they were serued by strangers and mercenaries The Parthians vsed not any footmen neither fought in any order but by skirmishes confusedly and vncertainly On the contrarie the principall force of the Romaines consisted in their footmen and they fought close in rank and order neuer forsaking that place wherein they were appointed resolute to ouercome or to die The great champaignes and large countries which the Parthians inhabited far from the seas and where there are but few riuers being far distant one from an other were verie fit for their horsemen to run swiftly from one side to thother Where on the contrarie the Romaines being laden with armes could not keeping their order make hast without damage in such places where they found neither vittailes nor waters Who by militarie discipline and exercise surmounted the multitude of the Gaules the greatnes of the Germains the strength of the Spaniards the riches and cauteles of the Africans the wisdome and subtelties of the Grecians albeit they were lesse in all things then these Nations sauing in the art and exercise of warre And hauing gotten the seignorie of a great part of the world when their Empire was mounted vp to the highest of the wheele in the time of Augustus it began then to turne and to go downwards when the Citizens of Rome were left out of the hostes which the Emperours gathered and that they relied on the force of the mercenaries and of such as they had before ouercome And howbeit the great vertues which were in Augustus and his good wit preserued and vpheld the Maiestie of the Empire as long as he liued yet his successours learned of him to intertaine others in pay besides the Romaines as Gothes Lombards Germains Frenchmen Spaniards and others whereof came the ruyne of Rome for asmuch as the Emperours following kept an host of strangers called the Pretorian neere the walls of the Citie of Rome which maner albeit at the first it seemed for their aduantage yet in the end it was their ouerthrow For this number of souldiers disposed of the Imperiall dignitie at their pleasure beeing armed in the place against naked and vnarmed people Also the other armies which were in Gaule Germanie Pannonie Suria Africke and elswhere would be of aucthoritie whiles th one of them named one to be Emperour and an other named another in somuch that there were sometimes two or three pretēding at one time who thinking ech to consume the other consumed the Empire which had cost so much in the obtaining But considering that almost all the Emperours were of strange Nations as also the souldiers which had created them that made them to care lesse for the conseruing of it then if they had bin borne of the Citie Then aswel those which were elected Emperours as they which had chosen them marched against the Citie with the same mind as they would against their enemies doing in these changes many spoiles and murthers aswell on the Emperours themselues as on the Senatours and other great persons Whereas if the institution which the Romains had in the time whiles their vertue liued had bin still maintained which was to make their warres with their owne people and not to hire strangers nor to admit their neighbours or allies into their campe in greater number then they were themselues their Empire had not bin diuided neither transported out of their hands neither their Citie many times destroied and abandoned as it hath bin For by maintaining their former maner of fighting they should haue auoided all these inconueniences and haue comen alwaies happely to a good end of all their enterprises as they did as long as they were serued of their owne Citizens Moreouer the Romains failed greatly in the intertaining of their ordinarie armies and prolonging of general militarie charges which fault was a great furtherance to the ouerthrow of the common wealth and destruction of the Empire But the kings of Assyria changed euery yeare their armies and their Lieutenants generall prouiding wisely by such changing that the souldiers and Captaines could not so readily vnite themselues one with the other to conspire against them For the people that are continually exercised in armes and hardned vnto labour are more couragious and the Captaines which commaund alwaies ouer the same armies make them partial to themselues and draw them oftentimes from the obedience of their common wealth or the seruice of their Prince as it hath bin discoursed more at large before speaking of the Assyrians Besides they yet made an other fault no lesse then the former changing the simplicitie of the Romains into the proud ceremonie of the barbarous kings For whereas the first Emperours accomodated themselues to the Romaine libertie not
two last bookes hence forwarde shall be another proposed of the religion power knowledge and other excellence of the Arabians or Sarasens which requireth no lesse deduction then the former In the meane time whiles the Empire was afflicted by the barbarous nations and Christendome troubled with heretickes the Sarazens transported to themselues the honour of armes and of learning For whereas the church deuided by the Arrians Nestorians Manichees Donatists and Pelagians had lost much of her integrity Then the Empire in the East being vexed by the Persians in the West and South by the Gothes Vandales Alanes Hunnes and Lumbards and consequently the light of learning extinguished in such a confusion the people grieued and wearied with so many troubles harkned the more easily vnto Mahomet when he began to publish his law Which was so plausible in hatred of the former contentions that it was eftsoones receaued into many regions In so much that the followers thereof haue by succession of time possessed both Asia and Africke and a great part of Europe making them-selues Masters of the best Countries of the world out of which they banished the ghospell to giue place to their Alcoran which the greatest part of mankinde now followeth speaking the Arabian tongue in the affaires of religion and the disciplines euen as Latin is vsed in these partes So hauing ended so many conquestes and subdued innumerable nations they applied their selues to learning becomming by the quicknes sharpnes of their wits very learned in philosophy Phisick Astrology Geometry other arts By meanes wherof they got in their tourne great reputation in the exercise of armes knowledge of learning And as that vnmeasurable power of theirs extended into diuers countries so haue they had many valiant Captaines and famous princes for the conduct of their affaires But there is none more renowmed then MAHOMET the authour of the Alcoran and founder of the Sarazen Empire who being borne of an obscure poore parētage came to great riches power authority making himselfe the law-giuer of mankind making the people beleeue that he was the prophet and messenger of God His successors were Eubocara Homar Odmen Hali Alharen Moaui Iesid the Caliphes who prospered merueilously in a little time with those beginnings which Mahomet had giuen them spreading far wide togither with their dominion the Arabian language religiō abolishing in those countries which they conquered the Greek Latin Punick Persian which was a wonderfull strange mutation And as they haue bin excellent warriors so haue they bin no lesse studious learned For they haue had Auicen a man most learned in thir Theology and in all sciences Auerrois an expoūder of Aristotle whom those of his time and which haue come after him haue had in such admiration that they haue almost equalled him with Aristotle himselfe giuing him by excellency the name of the Commentatour Auempace Algazel Benbitar Abaren and Siphac Philosophers Mesue Rasis whom they cal Almansor Serapiō Zoar surnamed the wise Phisitians Albumasar Auenzoar Gebber Alpharab Alphragan Hali Rodoan Astrologers All which florished almost at one time haue bin followed by many others as Persians Syrians Egiptiās Africans Spaniards writing in the Arabian tongue which remaine vnknowen to vs by ignorance of the tonge diuersity of their religion They say that Rhetoricke is not needful because that nature plainly in few words declareth her conceyts albeit they haue as other nations many Historiographers yet they make but smal account of histories especially the Turkes saying that men dare not write the truth of princes while they are liuing and that after their decease the memory of them is lost There are few Architects amōgst thē because they giue not thēselues much to building the most part of them dwelling vnder tents pauilions The others build no houses aboue one story in height like to doue-houses as in Turkie mocking at Christiās that ar so curious in their houses as if they were to dwel in them perpetually or if they do build they are tēples bridges stoues baths hospitals other such like publick edifices caring little for the priuat which they comonly make of wood of earth seldom of squared stone such vanity being reproued by their Law They haue yet fewer painters statuaries cutters grauers caruers of images for feare of Idolatry which they abhor detesting by reason therof the pictures counterfeits of all liuing creatures They haue Poets enough which paint out their amarous passions such other fantasies The Alcoran it selfe is writtē in meeter is altogither poetical On which is groūded not only their religion but their politick gouernment Iustice warfare is ruled thereby Wherfore al Talismans Basis Subasis Cadis Cadilesquets are boūd to vnderstand it as neer as they can to accomodate their sentēces therunto The princes themselues haue Muphtis Patriarches neer vnto thē to take heed to their decrees ordinances to repeale them if they be foūd repugnāt to their religion For other things they folow the laws of the Sultans the customes of the countrey by reason wherof they haue no other ciuil law nor Lawiers The christiās which haue writtē against Mahomet do cal him a diabolical magician a lier a deceiuer say that he was the son of a Pagan borne of a Iew a theefe a whore-monger a cunning contriuer an idolater of religion poore of fortune presūptious of vnderstāding ignorant of learning renowmed for vilanies That at his beginning he was a Marchant a driuer of Camels afterwards being enriched by the mariage of a rich widow became a Captaine had charge of the Arabians vnder the Emperor Heraclius In which seruice he found meanes to get him power and authoritie For whereas the foure thousand Arabians which serued Heraclius had required to haue the military garment giuen them as wel as to the other men of war an Eunuche who was Treasurer at this vnhappy time answered them that the garment which was reserued for the Romain Souldior ought not to be giuen to doggs Which they taking in scorne fel to mutinie and with the same disdaine incensed the rest of that nation To whom Mahomet ioyning him selfe prouoked them farther and confirmed them in this rebellion Then was he chosen the chiefetaine by one parte of them as in sedicions they are wont to be chosen that support the multitude in their euill counsels and blame their superious Many despised in him the basenes of his stock and pouertie of his former life But to warrant himselfe from this contempt as it is easie towards the simple and ignorant multitude he vsed from that time forward a pretext of diuinity in his actiōs calling himselfe no more a Captaine chosen by military fauour but the prophet and messenger of almighty God to th end that vnder colour of this imposture al men should obey him the more willingly And whereas he fell
outrage done by King Rodericke to his wife caused them to passe ouer the streight of Sebiâ—a and to come into Spaine where at their first coming they gaue many battailes to the Visigoths and in the last slew all their Nobilitie In such sort that Spaine came into their possession all except Esture and Biscay The other Saracens sailed into Thrace and held Constantinople three yeares besieged which they were constrained to abandon being consumed by famine and pestilence An other time they came into Italie and hauing seized on Apulia they ouerran the countrie as far as the port of Hostia and entring into Rome burned the Churches of the Apostles possessed the coast of Tuscane of Prouince and Languedock spoiled Genua Auignon and Narbona went into the gulf of the Adriatick sea where they ouercame the fleete of the Venetians After so many conquests they promised theÌ„selues the entier Monarchie of the whole world For hauing vanquished the East subdued Africk ouercome Italie and tamed Spaine they did not think there were any Nations or kings on the earth which durst vndertake to resist them making account to subdue all others in short space by the onely feare of their name Ten yeares after they had bin in Spaine they determined to passe farther and taking for a good presage the request which Eudon the Duke of Aquitaine made vnto them thinking to find a better and fairer countrie they went to the number of fower hundred thousand into Gascony carrying with them their wiues and children as if they had the victorie already assured For seeing all things at the first to succeed vnto them prosperously they became so proud that they vtterly disdained the Christians They had already ouerrun and spoiled all the countrie as far as Tours whither being come with their great armie they were encountred by CHARLES MARTEL leading the forces of France and Germanie where he discomfited CCCLxx thousand hauing lost but fifteen hundred of his It is not remembred that the Saracens were euer better chastized or lost so many braue men and valiant Captaines All passed the edge of the sword euen women and little children Whiles the Saracens wasted and ouerran the Gaules two Comets appeared in heauen for the space of fourteen daies whereof the one was seen in the morning before the sun-rising and thother in the euening after the sun was set which flaming looked towards the North. There remained of these Saracens euen to our time holding the kingdome of Granado where hence they were driuen out about a hundred yeares sithence and cleane banished Europe by king FERDINAND Others remayning in Africk and hauing lost their domination are diuided into many Seignories and into two sorts of people whereof th one inhabite the plaines the Cities the other wander continually on the mountaines They are much fallen from their former power and militarie reputation and likewise from their excellencie in learning A COMPARISON OF MAHOMET with Lycurgus Minos Numa Zoroaster Zamolsis Charondas Zaleucus Trismegistus and other Pagan Lawmakers or founders of Cities and Empires ALmost all the auncient Lawmakers which gaue Lawes and maners of liuing vnto people in diuers Countries and seasons fayned that they were sent by the commaundement of GOD thinking by this meanes to giue their Lawes the more authoritie and to make them be the easier receiued And they attributed them vnto the diuinitie vnder different names according to the opinions of the Countries where they were as Zoroaster the Lawgiuer of the Bactrians and of the Persians to Horosmades Trismegistus of the Egiptians to Mercury Zamolsis of the Scythians to Vesta Charondas of the Calcides to Saturne Minos of the Candians to Iupiter Numa of the Romains to Egeria and such other personages who hauing to deale with rude and rough people and intending to bring in great nouelties into the gouernments of their couÌ„tries fained that they had communication with the Gods as if that fiction had bin profitable to those whom they made so to beleeue So Mahomet purposing to giue Lawes to the rude and grosse Arabians liuing for the most part of robberies on the mountaines made them beleeue that he receiued them from God by the Angel Gabriel to make them obey them the more willingly And as Pythagoras had made an Eagle tame which was vsed to come downe to him by a certain voice as she flew in the aire aboue his head and as he passed thorough the Olympian games suffered his thigh to be seen which seemed all of gold and many such other deuises which are told of him seeming to be miracles So Mahomet had tamed and taught a pigeon which came to eate corne out of his eare which to deceiue the people he said was the holie Ghost who inspired him with these precepts Almost all founders or reformers of common weales and kingdomes going about to bring in new lawes and maners seized on the soueraigne force and authoritie to the end to feare and to refraine such as would oppose themselues against it knowing that such alteration could not be made without violence and force and that otherwise they should neither haue bin heard nor followed So Mahomet calling himselfe the Prophet and messenger of God sent to giue the Law vnto men made himself beleeued not onely by word but also by force and fought oftentimes against his aduersaries Lycurgus referred all his Lawes to the warre and to victorie And Mahomet all his discipline to fighting and commaunding placing the felicitie of man in great power and largenes of Empire Pythagoras was of opinion that the first cause was not sensible nor passible but inuisible incorruptible and onely intelligible And Numa following him forbad the Romains to make the forme of God like to any man or beast in such sort that at the beginning there was not at Rome any Image of God neither painted nor molten And a long time they had not in their Temples any statue or figure of God accounting it sacriledge to seek to represent heauenly things by the earthly as Plutarch saith considering that it is not possible any way to attaine to the knowledge of the diuinitie but by the vnderstanding For the same reason Mahomet saith he forbad all images and figures of things that haue life not suffering in his Mosgedes or Temples any corruptible thing whatsoeuer sauing lampes burning on high all in a rank and matts below to kneele vpon that comming thither barefoote they should not hurt themselues with cold Solon did write in Greek verse the Lawes which he gaue to the Athenians and Mahomet his Alcoran in Arabian meeter which is altogether poetical The Assyrians inuented many fictions of their Queene Semiramis which had built Babylon The Persians of Cyrus who founded their kingdome The Romains of Romulus who began Rome and the Romain Empire to the end to make them more admirable But the Mahometists haue exceeded the fables of all the rest in their Mahomet exalting him infinitely as the most excellent personage of the
world and haue maliciously inuented many lies of his pretended excellencie heretofore rehearsed to th end to make him more admirable and to draw the more people to his beleefe THE POWER OF THE ARABIANS or Saracens compared to the Romain Macedonian Persian Parthian Assyrtan and Egiptian PLinie speaking of the Arabians saith that they were not inferiour to any people of the world They receiuing the law of Mahomet who was of their nation were called Saracens who in little time after they had receiued this Religion atchieued great conquests subdued many Regions tooke and ruinated Townes wasted countries ouerthrew kingdoms and namely the Romain Empire in the East But as they increased sodainly in dominions so they entred into partialities and diuided themselues vnder two Caliphes whereof the one was established at Bagdet in Assyria commaunding ouer all the East thother in Egipt who conquered all the rest of Barbarie with Spaine Being come to such and so great power albeit they were all of one religion or little different because they called one another Schismaticks yet had they not one Empire aunswering to one soueraigne Monarch and resident in the capitall Citie of the state as had the Assyrians Persians Parthians and Romains but being diuided into many Lords and euil agreeing they fought the one against thother which was the cause that made them diminish as soone as they were growen vp For the first Turks comming out of the North East parts of Asia on the differents of the two Caliphes they took Persia from them and possessed the Caliphat of Bagdet with the better part of the lesser Asia becomming Mahometists But the Latin Christians vnder Godfrey of Bouillon and the Corasmians ouercame these Turks then the Latins Corasmians being ouercome the Tartarians issued from the same quarter wherehence the Turks came before who in an instant ouerran a great part of the North of the East and of the South then drawing toward the West they ouercame the Ruthenians Lithuanians Polaques and pierced euen into Hungary Austrich and Germanie which if they had bin or were vnited would make an incomparable power But they are diuided by hordes of the Procopians Zauoglans Nogacians and Corasmians the one being gouerned by kings and the other by common weales A COMPARISON OF THE ARABIAN or Sarasen Learning with the Greeke Egiptian Chaldaick Persian and Romain or Latin AS the learning of the Greekes and Romaines augmented with their power so did that of the Arabians or Saracens And when they were the most mightie of the world then they became most learned especially in the demonstratiue sciences Amongst whom Auicenna Albumasar Gebber and Auerrois got the first praise Auicen hath bin the most vniuersall of them all being eminent in philosophie in the Mathematics in their Theologie in the Arabian poesie who writing also in Physick hath verie well handled according to the iudgement of the most learned in this art the signes and causes of diseases accomodating vnto them many remedies not vnderstood nor practised by the Greeks and Italians Auerrois hath learnedly expounded all Aristotle Abumasar vnderstood perfectly al the celestial motions and their effects hauing inuented the great coniunctions and many other goodly things which remained vnknowen vntill his time Gebber a verie expert Mathematician hath found faults in the demonstrations of Prolomey his Almagests And others in diuers sciences haue inuented many new things or reformed those that were inuented before both Persians Syrians Egiptians Africans and Spaniards writing in Arabian which possessed the schooles of the West before the restitution of the Greek and Latin Which I thought good to speak of by the way that it might be knowen that all learning is not comprised in these two languages that the Arabian ought not to be dispised which comprehendeth a good part They got such reputation in the Mathematicks that Alphonsus king of Castile going about to make his Astronomical tables had his principal recourse to them because that only they at that season could teach and restore such sciences to whom he made great presents to the value of fower hundred thousand Crownes Imitating therein the liberalitie of Alexander who disbursed the like summe to haue the natures of liuing creatures truely represented by Aristotle But the Caliphes seeing that the people too much giuen to Philosophie to the Mathematicks cared but little for their Law they founded Colleges for the intertainment of teachers and learners of their Alcoran and in some vniuersities they changed the Lectures of philosophie into those of their Law ordaining that whosoeuer from thence forward would studie the Alcoran should in no sort giue himselfe to Philosophie which hath made the exercises of the sciences to waxe cold in some places but not thorough out because that at this day there are found in Persia most learned Philosophers Astrologers A COMPARISON OF THE ARABIAN tongue with the Greek Latin and Hebrew WHen the Greeks and Romains were in their greatest prosperitie and rulers ouer many Countries they spred these two tongues with their dominions much people learned to speak thē either to please them therwith or to negociate with them then the Christian religion seruing it self with them hath preserued dispersed thē into diuers coūtries yet were they neuer vnderstood in so many places as the Arabian is now the which is common to almost all the inhabitants of Asia Africk a third part of Europe the affairs of the Alcoran being treated therin which is followed by th one half of the world or more and all sciences Euen as we vse Latin in these parts separated from the vulgar tongues and not vnderstood but by such as haue learned it in schooles It resembleth the Hebrew Chaldaick and Syriack in this that it is written as they are from the right hand to the left with points in steed of vowels and hath many words common with them and the phrase somewhat neere them but peculiar letters to it selfe wherin it is much different from the Greek and Latin which are written from the left hand to the right The end of the eigth Booke THE SEQVELE OF THE RELIGION and power of the Mahometists as of the first Turkes Corasmians Tartarians of the Souldan of the Ottoman and of the Sophy Where there is mention made of the great Cham of Catay of the King of Narsingue of the Moscouite and of Presbiter Iohn as hauing all begun or growen vp about that time albeit they haue other Religions The ninth Booke ON the different which was between the Caliphes The TVRKS comming out of the Northeast of Scythia went into Asia about the hundreth yeare of the Algier of Mahomet and after they had a long time wandered they staied in Persia whither they came being called by the Persians against the Arabians and others of the new Religion which oppressed them But finding at their comming the kingdom of Persia vanquished aswell by armes as by religion and seeing it was not possible for them
to resist against the conquerers they confederated with the Arabians receiuing their Religion And anon after on the occasion which they took hold of they rebelled and seized the Caliphat of Bagdet which they a long time held Their power was growen and increased in such sort that at such time as the Frenchmen vnder the conduct of Godfrey of Bouillon went to recouer the holy land they ruled alreadie ouer the better part of Asia Wherehence they were driuen out after many victories gotten on them by the Latin Christians by the Georgians Armenians After the departure of the Turks the CORASMIANS seeing the kingdome of Persia disfurnished of defence inuaded it and created their Seignior Emperour of Asia Then vndertaking to possesse Turkie they were beaten back losing their Emperour who was slaine there and they could not rise againe but were by little and little defeated And they being destroied the TARTARIANS began to be celebrated in Asia who came from the same quarter wherehence the Turkes before had come as appeareth by their language and similitude of maners whose beginning progresse victories and conquests are more admirable then of all the Nations that euer were before or after in greatnes of armies celeritie of expeditions successe of battailes largenes of Seignories foundations of Empires and maner of liuing much different from others First they inhabited that part of Scythia which is beyond the great mountaine of Belgian towards the Indies to which place came the armes of the Macedonians vnder the conduct of Alexander And being a beastlie people without maners without learning without religion liuing on beasts which they kept and nourished wandring from place to place following the commoditie of pasturage vnfit for armes dispised of all and tributaries to their neighbours yet they increased so much that they were diuided into seuen principal peoples and began to liue vnder Captaines who had the conduct of them and of their affaires remaining notwithstandtng vnder the subiection of others vntil such time as a poore old man a Smith by his occupation who as they beleeue was ingendred of the sun-beames was diuinely ordained their first CHAM and Emperour For he saw in his sleepe a man of warre clothed all in white and mounted on a white horse which called him by his name and said vnto him Changuis The will of the immortall God is that thou be the gouernour of the Tartarians and ruler ouer the seuen Nations to the end that by thee they may be deliuered out of the bondage wherein they haue long remayned and receiue the tributes which they haue bin accustomed to pay CHANGVIS was verie glad when he had heard the word of God and told vnto euery one this vision But the Captaines and chiefe men amongst them would not harken to it but made a ieast thereof Till themselues the night following saw the white man of armes and had such a vision as he had declared vnto them who were commaunded from the immortall God to be obedient to CHANGVIS and to accomplish his commaundments in all things Then being assembled together they did their obedience and reuerence vnto him as to their naturall Lord Then they spred in the midst of them a black couering on the ground and a seat on it wheron they placed CHANGVIS calling him the first CHAM and doing him solemne reuerence with kneeling Which custome though it be base hath bin sithence obserued by them in confirming of their Emperours albeit they haue gotten many kingdomes and infinite riches hauing inuested themselues of Asia and Europe euen to Hongary and Austrich CHANGVIS being thus established Emperour by the consent of all would make triall whether they would obey him faithfully commaunding them many things And first that they should all beleeue in the immortall God by whose grace he was come to the Imperiall dignitie Secondly he ordained that there should be made a generall view of all such as were able to beare armes and that the muster being made there should be appointed a Captaine ouer ten ouer a thousand and ouer ten thousand making the regiment of this assembly Moreouer he commaunded the foresaid seuen Captains to bereaue themselues first of their charges and dignities Thother commandment was yet more strange by which he inioyned them to bring euery one his eldest sonne and ech to cut off his head with his owne hand And albeit that seemed cruell and vniust yet was there not any that refused it forasmuch as they accounted him to haue bin appointed their Lord by the diuine prouidence When he had knowen and proued their good wills and that they were readie to obey him euen to death he assigned them a certaine day to march forward And from thence he went against many Nations which he incontinently subdued and possessed all the lands on this side of the mountain Belgian and inioined them without any gain-saying vntill such time as he had an other vision seeing the same white armed man againe which said vnto him Changuis Cham The will of God is that thou passe ouer the mountaine Belgian and go toward the West where thou shalt conquer kingdomes seignories and lands subduing many Nations vnto thy Empire And that thou maist be assured that it is true and proceedeth from God which I tell thee arise and go with thy people towards that mountaine to that part which ioyneth on the sea There thou shalt kneele downe nine times and worship God nine times and he which is almightie will show thee the way which thou maist go conueniently According to this vision Changuis reioicing arose and without any doubt because the first vision being found true assured him of the rest he gathered together all his people commaunding them to follow him with their wiues and children and all that they had Then they went so long till they came where the great and deepe sea toucheth the mountaines and there appeared no way nor passage for them Changuis as was commaunded him from the immortall God alighted off his horse as did also all the rest and kneeling towards the East worshipped God asking mercie and grace of him and that he would show them the way to go They remained that night in praier and arising in the morning they saw the sea retired nine foot and that it had left a spacious way Being all astonished with this miracle they thanked God deuoutly and going towards the West they went men and women beastes and chariots a great and terrible multitude The yeare before this their discent which we reckon of Christ M.CCxj in the moneth of May appeared for the space of eighteen daies a Comet burning ouer the Polaques the riuer of Don or Tanais and the Countrie of Russia the taile thereof directed towardes the West which signified the discent of the Tartarians which hapned the next yeare following If this be true it resembleth much the going of the Hebrewes out of the lande of Egipt vnder the conduct of Moses to whom the redd sea opening
it selfe gaue passage and drowned the Egiptians pursuing after them Iosephus writeth also that the Sea of Pamphylia opened vnto Alexander the Macedonian when hee marched with his Armie against the Persians But the Tartarians being passed ouer their Cham fell sick and died hauing before commaunded concord between his twelue children by the similitude of arrowes which could not be broken altogether but being separate they brake them easilie saying to them that as long as they agreed their Empire should endure and should be ouerthrowen as soone as they were diuided And before his death made his eldest sonne called HOCOTA the best and wisest of them to be receiued as their Lord and his successour who purposing to march further wan the Caspian gates being placed there and continually kept and shut vp to the end to stop the passage into Asia of infinite people dwelling beyond it as it were in an other world Afterward he dispatched three armies and gaue them to three of his sonnes commaunding Iacchis being the eldest to go toward the West Batho toward the North and Tagladais toward the South He himself abounding in men marched with a mightie armie into the East conquering all the Countrie as far as Catay where he established that most mightie and rich Empire which is there at this present and held by those which discended of him He ouercame also the kingdome of Persia in which voiage the Tartarians learned the knowledge of letters the vse whereof was before vnknowen amongst them He fauouring the Latin Christians which raigned at Hierusalem came to succour them But being preuented therof by their ouerthrow before he came he drew towards Bagdet where he took the Caliphe being a Turk by nation whom he made to die of famine and thirst hauing shut him vp into the chamber of his treasures as a man vnworthy to possesse that riches wherby he could not help himselfe TAGLADAIS going into the South caried armes euen into Ethiopia where he had euill successe for being ouercome in battaile by the Ethiopians and driuen into desert countries he lost there the greatest part of his people Then he turned him towards the West and ioyned with his brother IACCHIS who had much afflicted the estate of the Turkes in Persia Assyria and Mesopotamia The voiage of BATHO was more succesful renowmed who hauing in a great battail ouercome Gonata king of the Turks he supplanted eft soones by armes the whole raigne of that nation He vanquished the Rosullanois Lapiges Polaques Lithuanians and pierced euen into Hongary Austrich and Germanie putting all wher he went to fire and sword Such were in a little time the terrible expeditions of the TARTARIANS in the North South East and West thorough the great emotion and mutation of humaine things Wherefore the Christian Princes and the Pope especially fearing their returne sent Ambassadours to their Emperour to thend to pray him that he would acknowledge and worship the GOD of all and Iesus Christ whom he had sent and vse no more such crueltie against the Christians as he had done in Polonia Hongaria and Morauia He aunswered that in fiue yeares he would not molest them After the departure of the Ambassadours of the Christians came those of the Saracens to perswade the Tartarians to receiue the law of Mahomet as easier more conuenient for militarie people Saying that the Law of Christians was of idle effeminate idolaters and worshippers of Images that theirs was full of all commodities and pleasures a conquerer of other religions by force and armes with beating down the proud imposed tribute on such as were humbled That pleased well the barbarous people being of nature couragious and giuen to sensualitie And so they receiued the Law of Mahomet which they obserue at this day They hold much land in Europe ioyning to Russia Lithuania and Polonia In Asia all that lieth from the riuer Tanais and the bounds of Pontus and Bacchu vnto Cathay and Chyna The ZAGATHAINS confining on the Persians are more ciuile sowing planting buylding traficking being gouerned in a kingdome and haue for the seat of their king called CVSILBAS enemie to the Sophi the Citie of Smarcand being meruailous great faire and rich situated in the riuer Iaxartes fower daies iourney from the Caspian sea where the great Tamberlain was borne of whom we will speak hereafter The great CHAM of Catay is also a Tartarian discended of the race of Ghanguis of whom seeing it commeth to purpose we will here intreat albeit he be no Mahometist but hath a religion separate and different from the Mosaical Christian and Saracen It is not without cause that he is called great for he exceedeth in politike gouernment power wisdome reuenew and magnificence all the Princes of Europe Asia and Africk yea euen the Turk himselfe And if all the Christian and Saracen Seignories were reduced vnder one obedience yet could they not be compared vnto his He commaundeth ouer more then seuen hundred leagues of Countrie well inhabited and peopled full of faire buyldings after our maner villages boroughes castels rich and strong townes abundance of vittailes of all sortes and exquisite Artisans The CATHAYANS or men of CHINA haue such an opinion of themselues that they account themselues to be the chiefe men of the world thinking other men to be but halfe sighted as if they sawe but with one eye and that they only see cleerely with both eyes by reason of their subtilitie and dexteritie making such perfect and liuely workes that they seeme not to be made by mans hand but by nature her selfe They haue learning and the sciences in singular recommendation honour and estimation receiuing none to the soueraigne dignitie nor to publike offices but such as are learned Considering that in the distribution of their offices and Magistracies they respect not nobilitie nor riches but learning and vertue onelie OTTOMAN the first authour of the familie of the OTTOMANS and founder of the Turkish Empire which is so mightie at this day hauing againe set vp the name of the TVRKS which before was abolished serued in the warres at the first vnder the great Cham He came but of meane place and was poore in possessions but strong of bodie and of courage audacious Thinking that he had some wrong done him he parted from the Tartarians and accompanied only with fortie horses he seized on some straight in the mountains of Cappadocia Then being holpen by the commoditie of place and opportunitie of time he began to make rodes in the plaines adioyning getting great spoiles To whom there ioyned many theeues multiplying from day to day Then seeing himselfe reenforced with men he did manifestly and in open warre that which he did priuily and by stelth before conquering townes people and countries without any great resistance In such sort that in short space he got a great Seignorie in Asia which hath bin valiantly and happily maintained by his successours discending of him and bearing his name which haue alwaies augmented it
vntill the thirteenth which raigneth at this present hauing one after an other from the father to the sonne gathered together two Empires aboue twentie kingdoms and a great number of Cities in Asia and Europe gotten aswell on the Mahometists as on the Christians without euer losing any thing that they had taken They hold all that was in old time called Arabia Egipt Suria Mesopotamia Chaldea part of Persia and of Media Assyria Adiabena part of the greater Armenia and all the lesser and a part of Cholches which they call Mengrelles All Asia the lesser containing Cilicia Cappadocia Pamphylia Galatia Caria and Phrygia And in Europe a part of the Sarmatians or Getes the Dacians Mysians Thracians Macedonians Greeks Albaneses Dalmatians Pannonians Hongarians Iaziges and Metanastes In Africk Argier Tripoli and Tunez This vnmeasurable power so renowmed and terrible at this day vnto all the world is growen vp from so small a beginning as hath bin said to such heigth and reputation in the space of two hundred and sixtie yeares by their wise conduct in peace and in warre by sobrietie patience obedience concord diligence order valiancie abundance of men horses and armes and by meanes of the good militarie and politick discipline which they carefully obserue which hath made them to prosper with the hinderance of their neighbours being loose and corrupted or infected with seditions Peraduenture they are not entirely such as they haue bin as all impaire with time and being inriched with their victories gotten on the Persians are become more pompous in their apparell and harnes then they were before as prosperitie and riches depraueth people But as they change their maner of liuing so their fortune also will change and whereas they now beat others they wil also be beaten as they haue begun to be not many yeares sithence at the battaile which they lost at Lepanto against the Venetians which is the greatest aduersitie that euer they receiued sithence they passed into Europe Likewise VSVN-CASSANVS was a souldier vnder Tamberlain who restored this new kingdome of Persia. He being aduertized that there was in his countrie a Lord called Harduel of the race of the Prophet and the bruit that ran among the Persians of his holines and learning especially in the law whereof he was a Doctour and in Astrologie wherein he meruailously excelled he gaue him his daughter to wife of which mariage came the SOPHI ISMAEL Harduel then being more assured and hartned by this royal alliance tooke vpon him with the aide of Techel Cusilbas to bring in new expositions and ceremonies into the Alcoran following Haly who was preferred by them before Mahomet Whereat IACOB the sonne and successour of Vsun-Cassanus being angry banished him and his sonne because he feared that by the fauour of his adherents vnder colour of reforming the Religion he aspired to the estate When the SOPHI who at the time of his banishment with his father was but a child was waxen great hereturned by force into Persia setting vp the Sect which was begun by his father and was afterward left off for feare And vnder this pretence he drew much people to his part and conquered in few yeares the Seignorie not only of Persia but also of Media Armenia and Assyria finding at his returne Aleuant and Morat-Champ the sonnes of Iacob and his cozins at warre together whereof th one he slew in battaile and constrained thother to flie into Arabia wherefore he remained peaceable possessour of of the state But because his vncle Iacob was deceased before he might be reuenged of him he burned his bodie Of which inhumaine deed being reprehended by his Mother he put her to death or killed her himselfe And notwithstanding was called SOPHI which is asmuch to say as holie hauing gotten not by any merite of his owne but by the goodnes of his father this name which hath remained to his heires being reputed heires by the Turkes This SOPHI by the sodain successe of his conquests put all the East in feare spreding his renowme ouer all the habitable earth To whom the Tartarian Zagathain opposed himselfe warring continually against him and Selim Ottoman who assailed him with a mightie armie a good waies within his owne kingdome tooke and spoiled Tauris his chiefe Citie and wan the memorable battaile of Chalderan where were slaine many both of the one side and thother and the two chiefes were hurt the Turkes remayning victorious only by reason of their artillerie which at that time was vnknowen to the Persians After Selim defeated in an other battaile the Souldan who would haue holpen the Sophi which were the two greatest victories that hapned within these fiue hundred yeares Sultan Soliman following the footsteps of his father returned thither and got on the Sophi Damasco in Assyria and the imperiall Citie of Bagdet being the auncient seat of the Caliphat of Chaldea ouerthrowen by the Tartarians as also that of Caire hath bin distroied by the Souldan For they which beare the name now in both Cities haue but the titles putting the SVLTANS in possession without medling at all with the state who doing thus receiue because of their pretended right three thousand Seraphes to the end to retaine after that maner some forme of the former religion The soueraintie whereof is not gouerned any more by them but by Muphtis as hath bin said who are as Patriarches and Superintendents in diuine matters and Iudges in cases of conscience whom the SVLTANS hold nere about their persons or in the principall Townes of their estates So by the ruine of the Latin kingdome in Hierusalem and of the Egyptian Caliphat the estate of the SOVLDAN began in Egypt and Suria instituted by Syrracon and Saladine which was hereditarie vntil Menescala who ordained the MAMMELVCS amōgst whom it hath long time bin electiue Neuer was there seen nor heard a more strange or detestable kind of gouernment then that of the MAMMELVCS being al Christians reheaged and of seruile condition which tyrannically commaunded ouer the Egyptians and Surians being free vsing miserable indignities and cruelties towardes them In so much that such power deserued rather to be called seruitude then Lordship The MAMMELVCS then were taken when they were little boyes from the countrey of the Circasses neere to the Temerinde or black sea then brought and sold as slaues into Egypt Where some selected of them were nourished and hardened vnto paine and trauaile by continuall exercise of armes And such as were found to bee the best were enrolled in the order of the Mammelucs and to them succeeded from hand to hand not the sonnes of the Mammelucs deceased but others nourished and chosen after the same maner to whom pertained the honours and profits of the state which they deuided among them not committing the gouernments of prouinces and conductes of armies but to those that were experienced whose vertue was knowen and who had passed all the military degrees and by them and from amōg them was the SOVLDAN chosen
Wherin by the industrious perseueraÌ„ce of diuers learned men the matter hath had such good successe that at this day our age may compare with the most learned that euer were For now we see the tongues restored and not onely the deeds and writings of the auncient brought to light but also many other goodly things newly inuented Sithence this time Grammar Poesie History Rhetorick and Logick haue bin beautified with innumerable expositions adnotations corrections and translations The Mathematicks were neuer better knowen nor Astrology Cosmography and Nauigation better vnderstood Naturall Philosophy and Physicke were not in greater perfection among the auncient Greekes and Arabians then they are at this present The military armes and instruments were neuer so forceable and impetuous as they are now nor the dexterity so great in the vse of them The arts of painting grauing cutting caruing and building are almost brought to their perfection And men haue so much laboured in knowledge of Law and eloquence that it is not possible to doe more The art of Politicke gouernement comprehending and ruling them all which seemed as it were laide aside hath lately receiued great light Moreuer Theology or Diuinity the worthiest of al which was much obscured by the Sophisters hath bin very much lightened by the knowledge of the Greeke and Hebrew and the auncient Doctors of the church which lay in obscurity in the libraries haue likewise bin brought to light Vnto which worke the Art of Printing hath bin a great helpe and made the encrease thereof much easier Seeing then that by course of things and succession of time we are come to this age we wil henceforth consider it not by the particular excellencies of countries but by the memorable things done or happened during this space of time thoroughout Europe Asia Africke and the New-found lands in the East West North and South and by such graces as it hath pleased God to imparte to speciall parsons in this season thoroughout the seuerall countries of the habitable earth And as we haue marked thother ages by some famous warriour and notable power that hath bin in euery mutation so it seemeth that the meruailes of this age ought to begin at the great and inuincible TAMBERLAN who affrighted the world with the terrour of his name about the yere of Christ 1400. and by the incredible army which he led of twelue hundred thousand fighting men trained vnto warlike discipline got the Empire of Asia purposing if the pestilence had not come into his host to haue gon into Europe and to haue entierly subdued it as farre as Spaine wherehence he woulde haue crossed into Africke and thorough it haue retourned into Asia Being then predestined vnto great things because that in his former pouerty there appeared in him some generosity aboue the rest he was in sport chosen king of his companions But he taking it in good earnest as one that promised already great enterprises in his minde he tooke oaths of them hauing all sworne to doe what he would haue them and not to forsake him he made himselfe their Captaine and commaunded them to leaue their shepheardes life as a base thing and to small purpose for the getting of glorie and riches and that they should arme themselues and follow him That by this meanes they might from that poore and base estate wherein they liued contemptible come to great vnlooked for felicity With this company descending out of the mountains into the plaine countrey and prospering from day to day as he increased in Lordship he augmented in power First he got the kingdome of his owne countrey then obtained Parthia and Persia On the North side yelded to him the Hircanians Bactrians Sogdians Saces other innumerable people inhabiting on this side the mountain Ismaus which are called the Tartarians He subdued the Seres Arians Drangians Aracosians Gedrosians and Paramisians which are beyond the hill Ismaus All the Massagets yelded theÌ„selues Consequently entering farther into Asia towards the East he made him selfe Lord of Bythinia of Pontus of al the countrie called at this day Anatolia with the coast of the sea Euxinus Propontis Marais Meotis and the Cimmerian Bosphorus Moreouer going on the right hand he conquered infinite townes prouinces ouer comming the kings tyrants which he met withall And passing his forces ouer the riuer Tygris both horse and man he inuaded the Vxians whom he subdued with the Susians and all the countrey euen to the Persian sea From thence going ouer the mountaine Tauris he went into Mesopotamia then into Media which he conquered bringing vnder his obedieÌ„ce the Cadusians Armades Tapirdes Circitians And tourning toward the south he passed ouer the mountaine Amanus went down into Suria Comagena bordering on the riuer Euphrates which he ouerran as far as Arabia and neer to Hierusalem He subdued the Lydians Phrygians Capadocians Paphlagonians Misians Ionians Dorians and Eolians not leauing finally any people or nation between the hil Ismaus the Ocean Caspian red sea vntamed or vnsubdued by armes After he defeated Baiazet king of the Turks in battaile who had opposed himselfe against him with two huÌ„dred thousand men and hauing taken him caused his hands to be bound behind his back and shewed him in that piteous case to his people that were ouercome to th end that from that time forth he might be accounted the absolute king ouer all Asia He vsed his back in steed of a stool to help him to horsback when he was set at meat made him remain like a dog vnder the table casting him crums and morsels in mockery and scorne keeping him at other times in chaines and shut vp in a cage of yron as wild beastes are wont to be kept This great victory astonied not onely al the inhabitants of Asia but also the other nations which Tamberlain had neuer troubled nor meant to trouble with war In such sort that the Moscouites being separated by the riuer of Rha from the Tartarians payed him tribute and sent him fresh men The Mossinois Cercetures Leucosyrians and all the nations that are betweene the Caspian sea and the riuer Tanais yeelded vnto him of their owne free will and the Corasmians Dacians and Sacians dwelling beyonde the riuer Tanaiâ— Hee receiued into his obedience the Nogains and Sciabenians warlike nations and neighbours to the Moscouites Hee tooke by force Smirna Sâ—bastia Tripoli Antiochia and Seleucia Then passing from Suria into the inner parte he assailed Galaria and Rabatia where he slew all the inhabitants Therehence he went into Egypt constraining the Souldan to saue himselfe by flight And he was lâ—ttâ—d from going any farther by sandy deserts and by want of waters For he desired nothing more finding himselfe strong and fortunate in war then to vndertake great and difficult things going ouer vneasie places and hard passages and assayling of fortresses that were thought to be inexpugnable to th end to be reputed a valiant Prince a hardy
foote broad that when they landed they might set it against the wal on the sides wherof they fastned things to hold by and armed it with a couer of defence setting it a crosse those holds which held the ships together in such sort that it stood agood way beyond the fordeck of the ship To the top of the masts were fastned polies with cordes there when necessitie required they drew those that were at the hind part of the ship by the polies with cordes to the top of the ladder Thother also which were at the forcastle made fast the engine with stages and then they drew neere vnto the wall comming on land by the sayling of the ships which was easily done by meanes of the two decks made on the outside At the top of the ladder there was a plank of a good breadth and fenced with shieldes on which fower souldiers got vp and fought against those which out of the fortresses did hinder the approch of the Sambuque And when as by the approch of the ladder they had gotten to the wall disarming the sides of their shieldes they got vp into the fortresses or towers and the rest followed them by the Sambuque by meanes of the transporting of the ladder out of one vessell into an other by the cordes and pullies Which engine was with good reason termed a Sambuque for when it was so perfected and erected the figure of the ship and the ladder together resembled a Sambuque being an instrument of Musick which we call a Shagboote The Romains then thought to come to the wall with this engine thus prepared But Archimedes with other engines cast from the top of the wall a great stone of the waight of ten kintalls then a second and afterward a third one after an other which falling on this engine with a wonderfull thundering and tempest broke downe all the foundation dismembring and disseuering those things which ioyned the gallies together and vpheld it And going about to come neerer to the wall to auoide the blowes of the stones and the shot which they thought would haue gone ouer their heads and could not haue hurt them when they were neere they were beaten back by other engines whose cariage was proportioned for all distances and many holes and arches being neere one an other on the wall where there were many crosbowes to shoote neere at hand being in such places that the enemies without could not see them when they were about to come neerer thinking to be vnder couert and to remaine out of sight they were all astonished finding themselues againe receiued with an infinite number of shot and beaten downe with stones which fell directly on their heads for there was no place of the wall but shot at them By reason wherof they were constrained to retire back again from the wall but when they were then farther remoued the shott stones and arrowes that flew on all sides found them out and hit them where they were in such sort that there were many men spoiled and many of their vessels brused and battered they not being able to take any reuenge on their enemies because that Archimedes had prepared the most part of his engines behind and vnder couert and not vpon the wall All which inuentions are subtile and ingenious but yet not comparable to the Canon in these daies which breaketh and battereth whatsoeuer it encountreth I come now to the CAVALERIE which is vsed diuersly in diuers Regions Some vse that called of the Auncients Cataphracte of barded horses with lances and curtelasses Others vse light horses with swordes and pistoles And others ryde naked or vnarmed with short lances as horsmanstaues or bowes and arrowes or harquebuze The Cataphracte Caualerie of France hath alwaies bin much regarded carying the name aboue all others both for exploit and equipage and especially sithence the time of king Charles the seuenth who reduced it to a certain number of lances and men of armes of his ordinances ordinarily paied and continually exercised in armes being diuided into garrisons in his frontier places He diuided them into bands and companies furnished with Captains Lieutenants Ensignes Guidons men of armes Marshals of the lodgings quarter Masters and harbingers treasorers of the warres and paymasters of companies commissaries and controllours committing the charge of them to chosen Lords of wisedome and magnanimitie as to the Constable and Marshals of France and other men of qualitie The MAMMELVCS being taken the most of them out of the countrie of Circasse were instructed by Masters of fence and continually exercised in armes hardning them to labour to honger and to thirst and to lie on the ground or on some poore peece of tapistry They which were found the most valiant were inrolled in this order receiuing from that time forward good intertainment and salarie Wherefore hauing no other care but of armes and being strong of disposition and accustomed from their infancie vnto paine they gaue themselues the chiefe praise for warre aboue all other Nations thinking that there were not in the world any whom they could not ouercome by armes The PERSIANS are Cataphractes hauing strong barded horses and are verie valiant men of armes in such sort that fiue and twentie thousand of them do not feare a hundred thousand Turks which fight vnarmed vpon light horses The Nobilitie of the countrie are bound to go to the warre by the fees and vnderfees which they possesse as in France Spaine Lombardy Naples England Germanie Poland and to find a certain number of armed men according to the reuenew of their lands which they hold either by succession from their parents or by benefit of the Prince The richer sort are commonly verie well armed the others content themselues with salets and coates of mayle and being couered with shields they fight somtimes with the lance and sometimes with the bow Those of Scyras are accounted the best then the Assyrians with whom are mingled the Medians and Parthians the best archers of Asia after the Tartarians The ARMENIANS like better to fight on foote and are ordered in batalions fortifying themselues with great pauoises pitched in the ground against their enemies vsing short pikes axes and slings Their allies are the Georgians Mengrelles which are Christians after the Greeke maner and reputed most warlike There is great reckoning made of the ALBANESES of Greece of the HOVSSERONS of Hongarie of the REISTERS of Germanie But the Turks at this day seem to be the chief warriours hauing ouercom the Frenchmen in the battail of Nicopoli ouerthrowen the Mammelucs vanquished the Persians in their owne Countrie subdued the Albaneses and the Hongarians entred wasted Germanie Wherof none ought to wonder considering their discipline in the which they haue many things most coÌ„mendable obserued with Iustice and seuerity in such sort that they excell therein the auncient Greeks and Romains The first is â—obrâ—ety for in scarsity of victuals they wil sustaine themselues in war
with a little bread halfe baked and rice with the pouder of flesh that is dried in the sunne â—â—eir drink is faire water being forbidden to drink wine in the Campe. Such a law had in ancient time the Carthaginians in war as Plato faith But the Turks besides this politicke discipline haue their religion also which maketh them the more fearefull to offend There was neuer elswhere the like obedience because there is not amongst them any company about x. men but hath his head the inferiours are alwaies obedient to their superiours Their s 〈…〉 in such a multitude is meruailous so many souldiers being kept in order by signes of the hand of the countenance without speaking any word In so much that oftentimes in the night they let their prisoners escape for feare of making noise There is none so hardy as to bring any woman into the army nor to vse the company of any They play not at dicâ— nor cards nor any other plaies of hazard for mony neither do they blaspheme God in any sort but name him at al times with great reuerence The two cases which they punish most greeuously are quarrels and thefts Marching thorough the countrey in the summer season they dare not for their liues to go amongst the come spoil it They despise death thinking that it is predestinate vnto euery man and the day of his death writteÌ„ in his forehead which it is not possible to auoid which maketh them more bold and aduentorous as also the punishment recompence which are present for them that do well or euil For whereas punishment and reward doe vphold al coÌ„mon weals as Solon said honor reproch are the two wings of vertue presently amongst them after the fight is done he that hath acquited himselfe wel is rewarded by increasing of his pay and he that hath done euill hath his head cut off or els remaineth for euer dishonored They neuer lodge in the townes neither when they come neer them do they permit any to goe lye there for feare of iniuries and seditions obseruing military discipline very strictly to th end that while they are in caÌ„pe they be not vsed vnto delicacies which in times past haue destroied mighty kingdoms and corrupted the most warlike Nations Moreouer to auoide ydlenes the Othoman Princes haue accustomed from two yeres to two yeres to make wars in some place to the end to exercise their men of war which otherwise being dispersed here and there in the prouinces would consume and come to be of little worth There is no nation with whom the Turkes haue had any different but they alwaies ouer came them besides the Tartarians Notwithstanding although the great Seignior aboundeth in men and in all things requisite for warres more then any other Monarch of our time yet for all that he aduentureth nothing rashly and obtaineth more victories by dexterity and taking opportunities then he doth by force He knoweth the maners of those with whoÌ„ he hath to deale procureth theÌ„ other enimies to thend to distract to weakeÌ„ their forces causing the situation of the countries to be set downe before him in a model which way he is to march wherto encaÌ„pe with his army to fight or to retire seldome going into any countrey but when it is deuided and that he hath fauour and intelligence with the one partie He accustometh when he goeth about any long or difficult iourney and where the couÌ„trey is vneasie to draw artillerie to cary it in pieces and then towards the bounds of the enemy or when he hath passed the euil way to cast and melt it When he conquereth by armes any new 〈…〉 trey he ouerthroweth by and by all the vnnecessary fortresses destroieth the cities and iourneth them into poore Hamlets extinguisheth wholly the great ones and the nobles suffering the common people to liue in that religion which they had before All his great power consisteth in his 〈◊〉 called commonly spachis and in his footemen which are called Ianisaries The Spachis haue as much pay in time of peace as in warre and are abouâ— the number of two hundred thousande comprehending as well the ordinary ones of the Court and house of the Prince as the subiects or Beglerbeis Moreouer there are threescore thousand aduenturours named Achangis to whom the Turkes and Tartarians do ioine when they are called But there is no strength among the Turkes more assured or more galant then that of the Ianisaries which can after the maner of the Macedonian Argyrâ—spides in old time being disposed into a phalange sustaine and breake all the assaults of the enemies and neuer were ouercome togither Amurath the second of that name first ordayned them and by their helpe wan the great battaile at Varne where Lancelot the king of Hongaria and Polonia was slaine His sonne Mahomet tooke Constantinople by assault and Baiazet Methon Selim vanquished the Sophi the two Souldans Soliman obtained many victories in Asia Africk Europe Their weapons are either â—ows or long harquebuses which the most part handle very wel shorter pikes then those with the Lansquenets and Switzers vse a Cymeter and a little battaile-axe They fight stouâ—ely both by sea and by lande They take the sonnes of all the Christians that are subiect to their Seignior which he commaundeth to be taken from three yeres to three or from foure to foure and maketh them to be brought vp very poorely and to lye on hard ground to th end to harden them to trauaile and accustome them to liue in the field All the Turkes goe with such courage order and alacrity to the warre especially when it is for defence of their religion that when they assemble to go thither one would thinke they were rather going to a mariage then to the campe Scarsely and with much a doo will they stay for the prefixed time of marching but doe commonly preuent it It dislyketh them much to remaine at rest without warr accounting themselues happy when they die not in their houses amidst the teares of their wiues but in fight amongest the Lances and arrowes of their enemies not lamenting for the losse of those which die in that maner but reputing them holy and praying for them in all their assemblies To preuent manslaughters which they haue in great detestation they carieno weapons in the Court nor in the Townes or in campe saue when they are to fight but lay them on camels or mules or keepe them within their tents They care not for the colde of Winter nor the heate of Sommer nor for any other incommodity of the aire or of the weather They feare not the roughnesse of places or length of the waies they content themselues with a little and doe not lode themselues with vnprofitable baggage making great iourneyes without fainting thorough their trauail They showe great staiednesse in their manners auoiding lightnesse in their deedes gestures apparell and speaches There is no curiositie vanitie oâ—
superfluity amongest them but on the contrary great simplicitie and modestie When AMVRATH the second whome they account a Saint and who was very valiant and fortunate in armes went to the Temple to praier he went out of his palace without any pompe accompanied onely with two seruants and woulde not bee saluted nor flattered with acclamations and being in the Temple had no heauen spred ouer him nor any other magnificence and before he died gaue ouer the Empire to his sonne and withdrew himselfe to a religious solitarines Hee was affable in speach wise in iudgement and liberall in almes His sonne MAHOMET had very fauorable fortune resembling Alexander the great in courage in witt and desire of glorie Hee tooke Constantinople by assault at the age of twentie and two yeares And complayned notwithstanding that Alexander at the same age with so little power had conquered the Empire of the worlde and hee which had no lesse hart then he and was so mightie in men in horses armes and reuenewes could not haue his will of one part thereof although that by his great deeds he got the title of great vnto his fafamily SELIM preferred Alexander the great and Iulius Cesar before al the great Capitaines of the auncients reading incessantly their deeds translated into the Turkish tongue and conforming himselfe after their ymitation hath gotten the greatest victories of our time SOLIMAN after hee had gouerned wisely and happely that great Empire by the space of fortie and seauen yeares being reuerenced and obeyed of his owne feared of his neighbours and desired of all dyed fighting at the age of threescore and eighteene yeres and when he was dead by the terrour of his name and reputation of his magnanimitie tooke Signet in Hongarie leauing peaceable so vnmeasurable a power vnto Selim his successour They were neuer to any purpose beaten but by TAMBERLAN who in knowledge and experience of armes power authoritie felicitie quicknesse of spirit diligence hardinesse and perseuerance hath excelled not onely the Otthomans but also all the great Capitaines Assyrians Egyptians Medes Persians Parthyans Greekes Romanes Christians and Sarasens A COMPARISON OF TAMBERLAN with Ninus sesostris Cyrus Darius Alexander Arsaces Hannibal Constantine Attila and Charlemaigne ALthough TAMBERLAN were no Kings sonne as was Ninus yet notwithstanding by especiall fauour of the heauens he attained to the whole Empire of Asia as thother had done and led an armie not much lesser then his And as he discomfited in battaile Zoroaster King of the Bactrians so this man ouercame Baiazet the king of the Turkes He vanquished all the Scythians and Tartarians on this side and on thother of the hill Ismaus as far as the riuer Volga who before had killed Cyrus and whome Darius with so many millions of men could not bring vnder his obedience neither Alexander the terrour of the East and which were neuer assailed of the Romaines As Sesostris made his triumphant Chariot to be drawen by foure Kings coupled insteed of horses when he went to the Temple or walked thorough the Citie So TAMBERLAN when he went to horse vsed the backe of Baiazet the captiue king of the Turkes for his footstoole euen as Sapores king of the Persians had vsed Valerian the Emperour of the Romaines Hee hath this common with Cyrus that they were both brought vp amongst shepheards and chosen kings by their companions wherehence begon their greatnesse Hee was in fortune like to Alexander who neuer fought battaile but he wan it neither besieged fortresse but hee tooke it hauing both of them receiued continuall fauour of fortune without any aduersitie As Alexander when he had ouercome the East prepared great armies by sea and by land to conquerialâ—â— the West intending to haue goâ— into Africk as far as Mauritania and to passe at the streight of Gibraltar into Spain and then there hence to reâ—ourneâ—y Gaule and Italy into Greece and as Iulius Cesar went to fight against the Parthians purposing after hee had ouercome them to go into Hircania and enâ—irâ—â—ing the Caspian sea and the mountaine Caucasus to conquer the kingdome of Pontus as hee came backe that he might afterward enter into Scythia and hauing ouerrun all the countries nations and prouinces of great Germanie and Germany it selfe to retourne in the ende by Gaule into Italy and so to spred the Romaine empire roundla 〈…〉 in such some that it should bee on all sides inuironeâ— with the Ocean So Sesostris aftâ—â— he had conquered the better part of Africk Ethiopia and Arabia aspiring to the Empire of the world prepared a great armie on the Arabian sea wherewith he coasted and subdued all the countries bordering on the sea euen as farr as India which he wholly ouerran beyond the riuer of Ganges and from thence marched with his land armie thoroughout Asia and Scythia which he ouercame as farre as Tanais wherehence he went into Europe with intention to subdue it entierly But that good fortune which had long accompanied these great Capitaines failing them they could not accomplish such great enterprises For the first was poisoned the second murthered and thother two constrained to retourne into their countries th one by pestilence and thother for want of victuals and the sharpnes and difficulty of the countrie of Thrace Astyages the king of the Medians being ouercome by Cyrus was bouÌ„d in chaines of gold Darius king of Persia vanquished by Alexander was shut vp by Bessus in a golden cage Desiderius king of the Lombardes being taken by Charles the great at Pauie was depriued of his kingdome and kept prisoner the rest of his life So Baiazet being ouercome by TAMBERLAN remained prisoner vntill his death and was kept in chaines Attila was borne and died the same day that Iulius Cesar He called himselfe the scourge of God TAMBERLAN said he was the wrath of God and the destruction of the depraued age Neuerthelesse Attila moued with reuerence of Religion at the request and instance of Pope Leo did not onely change his determination of going to Rome but also leauing Italy returned into his own couÌ„trey TAMBERLAN where he went permitted none to violate the Temples medled not of Arabia because their Prophet was born there Sesostris being returned into Egypt gaue himselfe wholy to religion to building of Temples Charlemaigne founded Monasteries and began the Vniuersity of Paris Constantine made the Pagan worship to cease and assured Christendome assigned reuenewes to the Christian Churches and builded Constantinople TAMBERLAN restored Smarcand both of them hauing beautified enriched their cities with the spoiles of the whole world Alexander Hannibal Iulius Cesar Augustus Constantine Attila Charlemaigne and TAMBERLAN had no issue of their bodies resembling one an other in this that they all led great armies fought great battailes and got great seigniories which eftsones were lost or alienated by the diuision or cowardize of their successors Attila was fatal to Europe and the West Alexander and TAMBERLAN to Asia and the East Iulius Cesar to
the common wealth of Rome Hannibal to Italy and the countrie of Lybia TAMBERLAN brought the Turks to a piteous state out of which they soone arose and became more mighty then before as the Greekes and Romaines oppressed by Xerxses and Hannibal when they thought themselues vtterly ouerthrowen came to greater glory A COMPARISON OF THE KING doms Empires or Monarchies and common weales of these daies with those of auncient time IT is mencioned in the holy scripture how Nabuchodonosor saw an Image of an exceeding greatnes the head whereof was of gold the brest and armes of siluer the belly and thighes of brasse the leggs of yron the feete part of yron and part of earth And when he was awaked because he could not remember his dreame and yet founde himselfe sore troubled and fryghted therewith hee called togither his deuinours before him whom he commanded to expound vnto him what his dreame was and the meaning thereof and if they failed herein he threatned to put them to death Which being vnderstood by Daniel a yong man that had bin brought thither as a Captiue from Hierusalem he made it knowen that he could fulfill the kinges desire and being presented to the king he declared first what the king had dreamed and then interpreted the meaning of his dreame saying that the Image signified the foure soueraigne Empires of the world which should succeed in order one after another namely the Babylonian Persian Greeke and Romain Thereupon he spake vnto the king in such termes Thou art certainly the golden head of this Image thou I say whom God hath decked with supreme power and glorie to whom he hath giuen dominion ouer all men ouer the beastes of the field and the birds of the aire And after thee shall come another kingdome of siluer that is to say worse then thine which is present The third shall be of brasse which shall be stretched out farr and wide the fourth of yron for as yron bruseth and ouercommeth al things so likewise this fourth shal bruse all the rest and subdue them to it selfe The power of Nabuchodonosor is compared to a high tree reaching vnto heauen and couering the vniuersall world with the shadow thereof whose leaues are singularly faire and the fruit so plentiful that all beastes are fed and fatted therewith In whose boughes and branches all sorts of birdes do build their nestes and make their resorte Whereby the scripture signifieth the Assyrian Monarchie which was augmented vnder this King and exalted to the highest Daniel also sawe in a dreame foure beastes comming out of the sea a Lyon a Beare a Leopard and the fourth being terrible and horrible to behold The Lyon signifieth the raigne of the Assyrians and the two winges which hee giueth him are as the two members of this Empire Babylon and Assyria By the Beare is meant the kingdome of Persia by which that of Babylon was destroyed The three ribbes which he sayth were betweene his teeth are the principall Kings of this Monarchie Cyrus Darius and Artaxerxes excelling aboue the rest which haue eaten much flesh that is to say haue ioyned many nations to their dominion The Panther or Leopard is the Empire of Alexander the great or of the Grecians The foure winges and heades are the foure kingdoms issued out of this Monarchie after the death of Alexander The fourth and last beast is the Romain Empire the ten hornes are the members or parts thereof Syria Egypt Asia the lesser Greece Africke Spayne France Italy Germany and England for the ROMAINS ruled ouer all these Nations Amongst these ten hornes ariseth and groweth vp another little horne which taketh away three of the otherten whereby is vnderstood the kingdome of MAHOMET or of the TVRKES which being risen from a small beginning in the Romaine Monarchy hath seized the three principall partes thereof Egypt Asia and Greece Moreouer this little horne hath eies and is iniurious against God for Mahomet proposed new Doctrine hauing the appearance of wisedome which is signified by the eies and yet notwithstanding blasphemeth God abolishing the Christian doctrine and outraging of his Saincts vntil such time as the Auncient which hath neither beginning nor ende commeth vnto Iudgement Whereby is euidently to bee vnderstood that the course of this world shal end in this Empire that there shal not folow any other But that al principalities of the world being abolished that euerlasting kingdome shal come whereof CHRIST is the Author and conductour Thus haue some Diuines expounded Daniel Others accommodate it onely vnto Babylon which fell vnder the dominion of the Persians Medes Greeks and Parthians which hath bin often desolate and finally ouerthrowen not thinking it good to reduce all Empires vnto foure considering there haue bin others of great power and largenes As of the Medes who supplanted the Assyrians of the Parthians which ouercame the Macedonians oftentimes vanquished the Romains as hauing parted the world with thē obtained the East ruled al Asia between the red sea and the Caspian a good way toward the Indies Of the Egyptians whose kings excelled in praise of valiancy deeds of armes al other nations which would blot out deface the great excellent victories of the Persians Macedonians Romains if the long course of yeres would permit their renown to endure till this time the rest no way surpassing them but in the happines of their Historiographers who are more read by a fresher memory of their antiquitie Of the Arabians or Sarasens which possessed Persia Babylon destroying the Romain Empire in the East and enioyed a great part of Asia Africke and Europe planting there not onely their armies and seigniories but their religion also and their tongue Of the Gothes who inuaded not onely the prouinces of the Romaine Empire in the West but tooke and sacked Rome the seate of the Empire raigning in Italy lxx yeres although Alexander who ouerthrewe the kingdome of the Persians raigned but twelue yeares who like a lightening thunder leaped into diuers parts leauing his state to many successours disagreeing amongst themselues who lost it incontinently Finally of the Tartarians who may be compared with all the former who won Bactriana and Sogdiana the prouinces of the Babylonian Persian and Parthian Empire and destroied Babylon it selfe vnder the conduct of their Lord Halao At this day there are great estates namely toward the East Of Cathay or of China in the Northren India and of Narsingue in the Southern whereunto the Persian is neere That of the Moscouite in the North and the Abyssin or Ethiopian in the south In the West the Spanish and French The Turkish is as it were in the middest of all very great and riche which notwithstanding is not to be compared to that of the Romaines who ruled from the Orcades and Thule on the one side Spaine and Mauritania on the other as far as the hill Caucasus and to the riuer Euphrates and the higher Ethiopia trauersing
extremitie conioyned and knit togither Moreouer it is certaine that Nature hath not created any thing vnto which she hath not giuen a contrarie to withhold it and keepe it backe where hence proceede the Antipathies or contrarie affections in all things aswell animate as inanimate lyuing as without life In beasts as betweene the Cocke and the Foxe in fishes betweene the Mullet and the fish called Lupus which some take it to be the Pike in birdes betwixt the Crow and the Kite Amongst trees the Chestnut and Oliue amongst stones the Adamant and the Diamant What then shall we say of men which are so passionate and inconstant Truely that al in all ages and all kinds of life publike priuate solitarie contemplatiue actiue are inclined to contentions and partialities euen so farre as euery one to be at variance in him selfe hauing in his bodie and soule a perpetuall combate betweene reason and concupiscence And in this maner is the strife amongst children which yet haue no knowledge and amongst the Sauages which haue nothing proper or peculier There are Sectes in the schooles of Law Physicke Diuinitie Philosophie and in the conuents and monasteries amongst the Reclus and Recluses No maruaile is it therefore if there be seditions in Cities and Countries which make people of diuers estates euen to run hedlong as was sometimes in Rome that of the common people and the Nobility Yf there be warres betweene Lordship and Lordship kingdom and kingdom which respectiuely keeps them both in feare So were aunciently in Greece the Lacedemonians to the Athenians so to the Romaines the Carthaginians and afterward the Parthians So are at this day opposed the Scots to the English the English to the French the French to the Italians The Almaines to the Suitzers the Africans to the Spaniards the Turkes to the Christians the Persians to the Turkes the Zagathaines to the Persians being deuided amongst themselues by colours redd and greene and of that are called Caselbas and Cuselbas the Moscouites to the Polonians the Tartarians to them both In the Indies Cochim to Calecut in high Africk the Moores to the Abissins thorough out the countrey of the Arabians the inhabitants of the Mountaines to those that dwel in the Plaines The Black-moores amongst themselues And in Brasil the Sauluages euen to the eating of one another when they are taken in warre And it might seeme that these diuisions were in some sort necessarie thoroughout the world and such contrarieties as God hath giuen to euery estate almost to euery person profitable to keepe them in feare and humility for men will soone waxe proud and are easily puft vp with prosperity and riches and especially when they misconceaue from whence such grace proceedeth God is wont to send them aduersities for their chastisment Wheresore it is ordinarily seene that euery mighty estate hauing no forrain enemy findeth some within it selfe and when it is come to such greatnesse that it cannot be brought vnder or kept downe by any strange or foraine force then is it afflicted with partialities and oftentimes distroied or translated into some other nation with alteration both of Iustice and politike gouernment Moreouer when the Countries are to full of inhabitants and that the malice and subtilty of man is come to the highest then are they purged and empted by famines and pestilence to the end that the people which are in it being reduced to a lesse number and chastised may liue better But if herewith they amend not but waxe worse and worse then either are they exterminated by fire and water or by Earthquakes ouerwhelmed God vsing alwaies such rigours against those which perseuer in their wickednes as he is alwaies readie to receiue to mercie such as are truely penitent which turne to him and pray to him with their harts OF THE VARIETY AND INTER course of Shadowes Daies and seasons of the yeare and diuersitie of habitations on the Earth HItherto hath bin declared how the world is not onely conserned by the intercourse of the Heauens and Elements but also tempered by contraries Now to the end we may the better consider the difference which is found in respect of the diuersitie of places and aspectes of heauen aswell in plants trees fruits mettals sauours colours and tastes as in beasts fishes birds and euen in men themselues and all their affaires we will briefly touch as far foorth as shall belong to our present purpose the fiue Zones of the habitable earth the seauen Climats fower limits East West North and South the two sides or hemisphers longitude and latitude the three parts thereof Europe Asia and Africke vnto which is also added America the varietie of shadowes daies and seasons with the diuers maners of inhabiting because that all these considerations serue to the knowledge of the world and the chaunges which in times past haue happened therein and do euery day come to passe The Auncients diuided the Heauen consequently the earth into fiue Zones thinking that those two that are vttermost about the two Poles North and South did make those two parts of the earth which are subiect to them vnhabitable by their extreme continual cold Also that that part of the heauen which beholdeth the middle of the earth vnder the Equinoctiall made it likewise vnhabitable by reason that the Sunne hauing there his continuall course burneth with his beames beating on it so neere and perpendicularly all the countrie lying vnder that Zone That the two others which are betweene the burning Zone and the Poles were temperate as also those parts of the earth which are answerable vnto them But that one could not passe verie well from the one to the other because of the burning Zone being in the midst But by the latter voyages and nauigations the whole earth is found to be inhabited yea euen vnder the Poles themselues beeing both in the midst and in the vtmost parts frequented with men and with singuler commodities the heat of the middle-most accounted burning hoat being lesse vnder the Equinoctiall then the Tropicke not a whit hindering the passage from one of the temperate vnto the other For although that vnder the Equinoctiall the sunne-beames are perpendicular twice in a yeare yet do they but little harme by reason that they stay not long there the Zodiake being streight and not oblique or crooked in that place Then the nightes being there continually equall in length vnto the daies doe mitigate with their colde the heat of the dayes But vnder and neere vnto the Tropickes the Zodiacke beeing crooked the Sunne stayeth longer there and discendeth not so swiftlle vnder the Horizon makinge the dayes longer and the sunne hotter yet sufferable notwithstanding as wee see by innumerable people dwelling vnder the Equinoctial and betweene the Tropickes In the vttermost part of the North dwell the Liuonians Noruegians Lithuanians Swedens Moscouites Lapians and Brarmians last of all hauing in their depth of winter the aire full of foggs and great clouds
with much snow and frost In such sort that both by water and by land they make their traficke and warres on yce But when summer returneth the countrie is vncouered and made more temperate by the light which the Sunne giueth there longer in one place then in another according as it is neerer or farther remoued from the Pole Euen as in the hoat quarter some places by the presence of the Sunne are disinhabited or at least incommodiously inhabited which by his departure do recouer an habitable temperature The superficies or vpper face of the Earth hath bin also otherwise distinguished for by how much any countrie declineth on one side or other from the Equinoctial so much is their day the longer in Summer and their night in Winter In such sort that according to the diuers increase of the daies the spaces of the earth haue bin distinguished attributing to euery Climate halfe an howers increase And the places subiect vnto these Climates haue bin noted out either by famous Cities or riuers or mountaines as by Meroe Sienna Alexandria Rhodes Rome Borysthenes and the mountaine Ripheus fabulously inuented where the longest day is of 16. howers and a quarter and the Pole is eleuated 50. degrees The Auncients staied at this seauenth not knowing the Regions Countries Seas and Isles that are beyond it At this day by the same reason there may others be added The fower limitts or boundes of the worlde are the East West South and North differing in this that the South and the North are stable and immoueable But the East and West do neuer remaine in one estate by reason of the ascent and descent which the Sunne maketh in the signes of the Zodiacke Wherefore Eratosthenes following nature diuideth the world chiefly into two partes the South and North imagining that from them proceeded the diuersitie of all inferiour thinges according to their neerenesse or distance from the sunne True it is that thereby ariseth some difference but all consisteth not therein as hereafter shall be declared Moreouer nature hath indewed euery one of these extremities or vtmost partes with some singuler excellencie For toward the East there India brings forth Rubies Emeraulds Pearles and many other precious stones both out of the earth and the sea the great and mightie Elephants the high palme-trees full of wine and loden with nuts And Serica in that quarter hath first giuen vs the Silke which is had of wormes bred in Mulberie-trees Arabia in the South yeelds incense ebony and cotton Iewrie next vnto it the balsme and the cedar Ethiopia Cassia and Ciuet The Moluccaes in the farthest partes of the West Pepper spice cloues cinnamon ginger nutmeggs and other druggs The North the Alces Beares Ounces and other beastes which are not seen elswhere hony and waxe without the industrie of man throughout the large forestes exquisite skinnes of Martins Sables and others of great accompt in the other parts of the world to make furres for great Lordes Cornelius Tacitus saith that Amber groweth onely in Borussia and is fished there as in the South comes incense and balsme Also the earth being spherical or round is parted into two equall sides called Hemispheres and by the roundnesse of it from East to West it commeth to passe that there it is sooner day and night and by the roundnesse of it from South to North that there are alwaies seen some starres about the Pole Articke not about the Antarticke which remayneth hidden from vs which are one this side the earth as ours is also vnseen of those on the other side The longitude or length of the earth is taken from the West to East the latitude or bredth from the South to the North. The auncients as Isocrates diuided the earth onely into two parts Europe and Asia afterwards they added Africke for the third this diuision taking his beginning at the straight of Gibraltar where the Atlanticke sea engulfeth it selfe within the land making the Mediterranean or midland sea by which these three are diuided Africke remayning on the right hand Europe on the left and Asia in the midst On the other side the riuers Nilus and Tanais made these diuisions long agone But as for Tanais it cannot now stand for a bound so many innumerable people and countries beeing knowen now on this side which heretofore were vnknowen to the Auncients To these three also it is necessarie to add a fowerth taken of America and other landes newly discouered towardes the West and the South of which it is not yet knowen whether they be ioyned or no to Asia that is to say whether they ought to bee reputed maine land or Isles These thinges premised as necessarie to the vnderstanding of this discourse that followeth wee will intreat henceforward of the varietie of shadowes inequalitie of dayes and nightes intercourse of the seasons of the yeare according to the diuers habitations and will propose the diuersitie of thinges according to the difference of places Then comming to the shadowes wee find that they chaunge with the Sunne and from Countrie to Countrie for by how much the Sunne is higher the shadow is the lesse and by how much he is the lower the shadow is greater in such sort that alwaies it is greater in the morning and euening then at noonetyde Vnder the two Tropickes there is no shadowe at noone on the daies of the Solstices nor vnder the Equinoctiall in the daies of the Equinoxes The inhabitants on the one side and the other haue their shadowes opposite the one on the right hande the other on the left To those that dwell vnder the Poles they are round about them in manner of roundels or milstones The Sunne then going alwaies either towardes the North or on the Equinoctiall or towardes the South maketh fiue sortes of shadowes through out the world that is to the East to the West to the North to the South and one straight shadowe Towardes the East it maketh shadow when it setteth to the West when it riseth towardes the North when it comes from the South and when hee whose shadowe is made is neerer to the North then is the Sunne and towardes the South when hee that makes the shadowe is neerer then the sunne is to the South Also the straight shadow is when the Sunne is on our Zenith All these fiue sortes of shadowes happen onelie to those which dwell betweene the Tropickes and they which inhabite vnder the Equinoctiall haue but fower towardes East and West They that are vnder the Tropicke of Cancer haue their shadowe towardes the North and those that are vnder the Tropicke of Capricorne towardes the South And once in the yeare direct when the Sunne entreth into that Tropicke Those which dwell wythout the Tropickes haue but three shadowes towardes East and West and those which dwell in the North haue their shadow towardes the North and such as inhabite the South part haue their shadow towardes the South and neuer haue it direct or
danger For ALEXANDER in the Countrie of the Oxydraces hauing gotten vpon the wall of the enemies before all the Macedonians seeing himselfe alone and abandoned of all because the ladders were broken of a great audaciousnes leaped downe into the Towne amongst his enemies where being grieuously hurt in the stomack and the neck euen as he began to fall was succoured by his people who for feare of losing him had broken the gates CESAR also being in Spain against the yong Pompey and seeing his men afraied in such sort that they durst not fight ran alone into the midst of his enemies and hauing receiued in his shield aboue two hundred shot sustained the brunt till such time as his men for shame and feare of him came to succour and reskue him And after this maner their first euill prognostication put them in danger of death But the second made them both to die outright For Apollodorus fearing the force of Alexander and of Hephestion Pythagoras who was a great diuiner after Apollodorus had made sacrifice hauing beheld the entrailes of the beast that was sacrificed bad him that he should not stand in feare of them for both of them should die within a little time And after that Hephestion was dead Apollodorus fearing least some should practize the death of Alexander reuealed vnto him the prognostication whereof he made but a sport and demaunded of Pythagoras what was signified by that which he had seen who aunswered him that it betokened death whereat laughing as afore he praised Apollodorus as his friend for that he gaue him warning and the diuinour for the confidence and assurance which he had in his art The like almost hapned vnto CESAR as he went vnto the senate where he was slaine for when it was told him that his infortunate sacrifice signified death he aunswered that the like befel him when he was in Spaine the diuinour then replying that he was then also in great danger and that now the signes were more mortall then they were then to shew that he had some confidence in the diuinour he set him to sacrifice againe till such time as he saw that he taried ouerlong in doing thereof and then all angry he went into the Senate where he was slaine The like hapned also to ALEXANDER comming back with his armie out of the Indies into Babylon for as he drew neere the Citie the Chaldees warned him that he should forbeare for that time to enter into the Citie to whom he aunswered reciting a verse to this effect Who is the good deuinour that thinketh well Afterward being admonished by the Chaldees that if whatsoeuer be fell he would needs go into the Citie with his armie he should not turne his face toward the West but should go round about the Towne turning on the East side he was content to please them therin But finding a marish in his way that hindered his passage being angry and mocking at them he turned towards the West and went into the Towne out of which being afterwards gon forth and come in a boat on the riuer Euphrates and after on that of Pallacora into which Euphrates falleth to certaine great lakes which are at the mouth of these two riuers in such sort that they make the land of Assyria almost all nauigable purposing to inclose the mouth of those said riuers with a wall he iested as is said at the prognostication of the Chaldees because he was come out of the citie and had nauigated safe and sound But neuerthelesse being entred into it againe he ended his daies there shortly after So hapned it vnto CESAR who meeting in the morning the verie same day that he was slaine with the diuinour which had foretold him that he should not escape the day of the Ides of March said to him laughing that the Ides were come and yet notwithstanding he was slaine the same day By this meanes both of them made no account of the prognostications and yet towards the prognosticatours they shewed not any anger and died both according to their prognostications Moreouer they were both verie studious of vertues and of the sciences both in the Greeke Latine and strange languages ALEXANDER took paines to vnderstand the learning of the Brachmanes who are reputed the most learned amongst the Indians as the Mages are among the Persians CESAR also going thorough the kingdom of Egipt with Cleopatra laboured to vnderstand to know the sciences of the Egiptians whereby he afterwards ordered many things wisely at Rome For the course of the yeare which was il ordained by reason of the odde monethes and daies called Intercalares because they tooke it according to the course of the Moone he altered it by the course of the Sunne as did the Egiptians It hapned also vnto CESAR that none of those which conspired his death escaped but were slaine all by his successours as ALEXANDER had also done to them that had slaine his father A COMPARISON OF IVLIVS CESAR and Augustus with Romulus and Numâ— AS ROMVLVS had many troubles in the founding of Rome and was entangled with many warres being constrained to fight with those that opposed themselues to the foundation of his Towne And then NVMA succeeding had leasure to assure the increase thereof So IVLIVS CESAR hauing obtained by many trauailes and dangers the Monarchie that he so much desired and so earnestly affected he left it to OCTAVIAN his nephew and heire troubled with partialities who had meanes to confirme it in fiftie and six yeares which he raigned and to establish the Countrie in great concord causing the Temple of Ianus to be shut after the battaile at Actium as it had â—in in the time of Numa that all occasions of warre might be extinguished and quenched A COMPARISON OF ROMVLVS with Cyrus Theseus Arsaces and Semiramis who founded Cities and kingdomes or Monarchies AS CYRVS presently after his birth was exposed vnto beasts to be deuoured and left in the midst of a forest where a bitch gaue him suck and was after saued by a shepheard so was ROMVLVS also cast forth and sucked a sheewolfe and was fed by a woodpecker till such time as the shepheard Faustulus had found him and caried him home in safetie And in like maner SEMIRAMIS was left in a desert place full of rockes where shee was fed by the birdes for a season and afterwards found by the shepheards which nourished and brought her vp THESEVS and ROMVLVS were begotten by stealth and not in lawfull mariage and it was bruted of them both that they were borne of the seed of the Gods founding the two noblest Cities of the world th one Rome the other Athens SEMIRAMIS also who founded Babylon was begotten out of lawfull mariage And as ROMVLVS whiles he spake vnto the people vanished away sodainly and it was giuen out that he was taken vp into heauen and that from thenceforth in steed of a good king he would be a gracious god vnto the Romains So
the countrey of Egypt and of Arabia euen to the East sea their Empire hauing bin almost the onely one that hath vntill this present made the East West the North and South their limits hauing endured xij hundred yeres longer then any other kingdome or common wealth which hath bin either before or sithence except the Assyrian For the Turkes hold little in Africk nothing in Italy Spaine France Germany England neither yet passing toward the East the south the auncient bounds of the Romains The common wealth of VENICE being principally Aristocratical by the senate and colledge of wisemen hath these parts so well tempered togither and proportioned that it hath bin a long time preserued from sedicions within it selfe and mutations which at leastwise were of great importance and outwardly hath maintained it selfe against the assault of many mighty princes hauing already continued aboue twelue hundred yeres without any violence of inward wars and without falling vnder the yoake of any foraigne power or changing the first ordinance wherein it was founded Many auncient common weales haue exceeded it in greatnes of Empire in militarie discipline and renowme of great exploictes But there is none to bee compared to it in gouernment and lawes for good and happy life neither any to be found that hath raigned so long no not among the auncients the Romaine Carthaginian Rhodian Athenian Lacedemonian and Marsilian or amongst those of later age the Florentine Senoise Lucoise and Genuoyse the state being in deed gouerned in the most accomplished communalty that hath bin seen or red of The Democratie of the SWITZERS likewise is well tempered by the counsailes established in euery Canton which preserue it from such vices and inconueniences vnto which the common people are most ordinarily subiect haue made it to prosper hitherto And in as much as there are mongst them thirteene cities confederate they represent the auncient leagues of the Toscans Ionians Eolians and Acheians which exceeded not much the number of twelue or thirteene townes For being come to such a number that they haue meanes to defend them selues they endeuour not to increase their state as wel because that necessity constraineth them not to seeke to get greater power as also because that being common in their conquestes they make no lesse reckoning of them that otherwise by augmenting in societies confederacies the multitude would come to some confusion A COMPARISON OF WARLIKE NA tions Armies Battayles Sieges and Assaults of Fortresses SOme nations are better by land and others by sea Polybius writeth of the CARTHAGINIANS that they were best on the sea and could there best furnish an equippage for as much as this exercise was hereditarie and ancient vnto them and that they traficqued on sea more then any others but that the ROMAINS holpe themselues best with their footemen gaue thēselues wholy vnto it The Phenicians Cilicians Egiptians Rhodians Marsilians were in times past much esteemed for marine matters The situation of VENICE is more fit for warre by sea then by land seeing that one could not there in any sort accommodate any companies of horsemen or bandes and squadrons of footemen Moreouer the most simple and couragious nations seeke not to fight but by prowes and vertue blaming all subtelties and surprises such as the Gaules Heluetians were in old time The others as the Greekes Spaniards Persians Egiptians and Africans which are crafty and cautelous of nature care not by what meanes they get the aduantage on their aduersaries not thinking any kind of deceight to be reprochful against the enimies so that they ouercome them And therefore they do ordinarily vse ambushes to entrap him and do rob and spoile their townes at vnawares endeauouring to vanquish them by skirmishes and sodaine surprizes when they find them vnprouided rather then by battailes determined and prepared at a prefixed day Polybius saith that the Cretenses or Candians are the nimblest people of the worlde both by sea and by land for ambushes robberies and spoiles for surprises by night and all maner of deceipts but that in a pitched field they are feareful and cowardly without seruice vnto whom the Acheians and Macedonians are quite contrary Iustin telleth of the Parthians that by flying or running away they deceiued their enimies and that when one would think them to be ouercome they were thē most dangerous The Turkes who are reckoned so mighty get more victories by policie and opportunity then by force neuer aduenturing or hazarding battaile but to their aduantage Concerning armies Asia at all times by reason of the vnmeasurable largenes thereof hath bin most populous and therfore hath set forth armies of incredible greatnesse and power as we haue said of Ninus who led an armie of seuenteene hundred thousand footemen two hundred thousand horsemen ten thousand and sixe hundred chariots armed with hookes Of Semiramis his wife who went into India with thirtie hundred thousand foote fiue hundred thousand horsemen a hundred thousand chariots and made a bridge on the riuer of Inde of two thousand boates of Cyrus who gathered togither sixe hundred thousand footemen and sixescore thousand horsemen with two thousand armed chariots Of Darius the first who assailed the Scythians with eight hundred thousand fighting men Of Xerxes going into Greece who had by sea fiue hundred seuenteene thousand men and by land a Million seuen hundred thousand footemen and fourescore thousand horsmen with twenty thousand Arabians and Africans vnto whom there ioined of Europe three hundred thousand the whole multitude comming to two millions sixe hundred and seuenteene thousand fighting men Attila in Europe assembled fiue hundred thousand men of warre on horsebacke and on foote We wil compare TAMBERLAN vnto them who had togither and entertained long twelue hundred thousand souldiers and those which haue diminished this number yet gaue him no lesse then sixe hundred thousand footemen and foure hundred thousand horse The two greatest armies which haue bin seene in the West by land within these thousand yeres were that of Sultan Soliman when he came the second time to Vienna and of the Emperour Charles the fift going to defend it against him Where if they had fought the question had not bin only of Vienno but of the Empire almost of all the world to bring it into his ancient estate But the winter comming on they parted without doing any thing worthy of remembrāce fearing one the other In the Turkes armie there were fiue hundred thousand fighting men and of Artillery three hundred field pieces In that of the Emperour xc thousand foote and thirtie thousand horsemen Almaignes Flemings Bohemians Polaques Hongarians Spaniards Italians Bourguignons Namurois and Hannoniers with incredible preparation of al sorts of artillery the whole number of all those that were in the armie when it was full comming to cclxxx thousand parsons The other militarie assemblies that haue bin seene in the West of long time do resemble robberies or playing at barriers