and favours upon all sorts of People He delighted the People with Feasts and Playes of sundry kinds going himself in person to honour them He sent Colonies into sundry parts and Provinces He made excellent good Orders for the Governours and Government of the whole Empire The like he did also for the Wars and Martial Discipline He shewed himself loving and sociable to his Friends and Familiars whom he honoured and loved much Some conspiracies against him which were discovered he punished without rigour being more prone to pardon than to punish Of murmurings and defamatory Libels he never desired to know the Authors but answered them with gravity giving satisfaction and purging himself from those things which were charged upon him He was much addicted to and affected with Learning and himself was very Learned and Eloquent and compiled some notable Books He much honoured and rewarded Wise and Learned men yet he escaped not the tainture of some Vices growing through humane frailty and his great liberty especially he was much given to Women though in his diet apparel and ornaments he was very sparing and modest He gave himself also excessively to play at Dice and other Games then in use Thus though in many things he was very happy yet besides his troubles and dangers he was very unhappy in his Children and Successours For by his four Wives to whom he was married he had only one Daughter called Julia by his third Wife Scribonia and she proved exceeding wanton and unchaste yea she left nothing undone in Luxury and Lust that was possible for a Woman to do or suffer accounting every thing lawful that pleased her Yea she came to that height of lasciviousness that she kept her Feasting even in the Courts of Justice abusing those very places with lascivious acts in which her Father had made Laws against Adulterers Hereupon her Father was so enraged that he could not contain his anger within his own House but published these things yea and communicated them to the Lords of the Senate He kept himself also a long time from company for very shame He had thoughts of putting his Daughter to death but at last he banished her into Pandataria an Island of Campania her Mother Scribonia of her own accord accompanying her in her banishment Julia being at this time thirty eight years old For want of Sons to succeed him Augustus first adopted his Nephew Marcellus the Son of his Sister Octavia to whom he first married his Daughter Julia and Marcellus dying without Issue he then married her to his Favourite Agrippa who also left her a Widow but yet he had by her three Sons and two Daughters Two of these Sons having been adopted by Augustus died before him whereupon he adopted the third who bore his Fathers Name Agrippa the which adoption he afterwards revoked for some displeasure conceived against him and lastly he adopted his Son in Law Tiberius Nero and made him his Heir whom also he married to his Daughter Julia the Widow of Agrippa yet this he did more through the importunity of his mother than for any good liking that he had of him being sorry that such an one should succeed him Not long after the first Letter of his Name that was upon the Inscription of his Statue that was set up in the Capitol fell down being struck with a flash of Lightning whereupon the Southsayers foretold that he should live only one hundred dayes after which was denoted by the Letter C. and that he should be Canonized for a God because Aesar which remained of his Name in the Hetruscan Tongue signified a God Hereupon he wrote a Catalogue of his doings which he appointed to be engraven in Tables of Brass and to be set over his Tomb. Things being thus done Caesar Augustus being now seventy six years old and odd dayes having Reigned above fifty six and being the best beloved and the best obeyed Prince in the World Death overtook him which was occasioned by a Flux which held him for some dayes and so Augustus died at Nolla in Campania in the same House and Chamber wherein his Father Octavius died being the nineteenth day of August upon which day he was first made Consul and in the fifteenth year after the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. He was generally lamented and there was a universal sorrow and heaviness over the whole Empire for him For he did wisely and uprightly Govern that Monarchy which he had gotten by force and fraud He was of a mean stature of a very good shape and proportion of Body of an exceeding fair face mixed with modesty and gravity His eyes were very clear and bright He was very advised in his speeches and loved to speak quick and briefly His last Will and Testament was written a year and four moneths before he died and left in the custody of the Vestal Virgins In his life time he vvas very desirous to reform abuses in Rome and in the first place he corrected some disorders in the Senate vvhom he reduced to the number of six hundred He reformed vvhat vvas amiss in their Playes and Games in the Knights and in their manner of suing for publick Offices He set Fines upon their Heads that vvould not marry and bestovved much upon those that had Wives and Children He gave unto Hortensius tvventy five thousand Crovvns to procure him to marry that he might raise up issue to that Noble Family of the Hortenses He ordained that Maids should be at least twelve years old before they married and suffered them to kill Adulterers that were taken in the fact and condemned the Sodomites without pardon He gave order that none should be put in nomination for Offices but such as were vertuous and of good repute He tied not himself to any certain hours for his meals but used to eat when he was hungry and that which he fed upon was neither dainty nor delicate and he drank little Wine Instead of a Looking-glass he used to read or write whilst his Barber was trimming him He never spake to the Senate or people or to his Souldiers but what he had first written and premeditated though he had words at command He delighted to read good Authors but gathered nothing more than sentences teaching good manners and having written them out word for word he gave Copies thereof to his familiar Friends and sent them about to the Governours of Provinces and to the Magistrates of Rome He was too much addicted to Divinations and was marvellously afraid of Thunder and Lightning Our Saviour christ being born all the Devils Oracles ceased and the Oracle of Delphos was fain to confess it and ever after remained Dumb whereupon Augustus being astonished caused a great Altar to be set up in the Capitol with an Inscription signifying that it was the altar of the God first born To prevent the great abuse of Usury which undid many Families he put into
was contrary to an express Law But when he perceived that many of the Senators being Caesars Friends favoured his request he cunningly sought all he could to prevent them whereupon Caesar resolved rather to give over his suit for the Triumph than to lose the Consulship So he came into the City and outwitted all but Cato His device was this Pompey and Crassus were the two greatest Persons in Rome and at jar between themselves Caesar affecting to make himself greater than either of them sought to make them Friends and thereby to get the power of them both For indeed they both affected his Friendship that by his help they might supplant one another And in the end by his endeavours a peace was concluded betwixt them yet being still jealous one of another and fearing to lose Caesar they both sought to gratifie him and by this means he made himself equal to either of them and that power which they two had formerly usurped was now divided between three and in the end Caesar hereby got the sole command This league being made betwixt them Caesar demanded the Consulship being brought into the Assembly for the Election betwixt these two Noble Persons and was there chosen Consul together with Calphurnius Bibulus without the contradiction of any And when he was entered into his Office he began to put forth Laws meeter for a sedicious Tribune than for a Consul because by them he preferred the division of Lands and distributing Corn to every Citizen Gratis and all to please the People And vvhen the Senators opposed it he took the advantage Protesting that the Senate by their austerity drave him against his will to cleave to the People and thereupon he asked Crassus and Pompey in the open Assembly if they gave their consents to his Laws They answered yea Then he prayed them to stand by him against those that threatned to oppose him with the Sword Crassus said he would and Pompey did the like adding that he would come with his Sword and Target both against such which gave great offence to the Senate but the common People much rejoyced Caesar to oblige Pompey more to him gave him his Daughter Julia in Marriage who was made sure before to Servilius Caepio promising him in her stead Pompeys Daughter who also was made sure unto Faustus the Son of Sylla And shortly after Caesar himself Married Calphurnia the Daughter of Piso whom he caused to succeed him in the Consulship Cato then cryed out and called the Gods to witness that it was a shameful thing that they should make such havock in the Commonwealth by such horribly Bawdy matches hereby dividing amongst themselves the Government of Provinces and great Armies And Bibulus perceiving that he did but contend in vain Caesar being too potent for him and that his Life was in danger for opposing these Laws he kept his House all the rest of his Consulship Pompey having married Julia he filled the Market-place with Souldiers and by open force authorised the Laws which Caesar had made in favour of the People He procured also that Caesar had both the Gauls and all Illyria with four Legions granted him for five years and when Cato stood up to speak against it Caesar bad his Officers to lay hold on him and carry him to Prison thinking that he would have appealed to the Tribunes but Cato said no more but went his way And Caesar seeing that not only the Nobility but the Commons also were offended at it out of respect to Cato's virtues he secretly prayed one of the Tribunes that he would take Cato from his Officers which was done accordingy Many of the Senators refused to be present in the Senate under him but left the City because they could not endure his doings whereupon one Considius an old man told him that the Senators durst not meet because of his Souldiers Why then said Caesar dost not thou also keep home out of the same fear Because said he My age takes away my fear from me for having so short a time to live I care not to prolong it further Caesar preferred Clodius a base fellow to be Tribune who sought the Office for no other end but to destroy Cicero who had discovered his Villanies and Caesar would not go to his Province till he had set them two together by the ears and driven Cicero out of Italy Yet did he deserve the name of as brave a General as any that went before him if we consider the hard Countries which he adjoyned to the Empire of Rome The multitude and power of the Enemies whom he overcame The rudeness and Valour of the men with whom he had to do whose manners yet he molliâ—ied and civilized His courtesie and clemency to those whom he overcame His great bounty and liberallity to those that served under him As also if we consider the number of Battels that he fought and the multitude of Enemies that were slain by him For in less then ten years he took by assault above eight hundred Towns He conquered three hundred Nations and having at several times above thirty hundred thousand Souldiers against him he slew a Million of them and took as many more Prisoners He was so intirely loved of his Souldiers that to do him service and to advance his honour they were invincible As appears by the example of Acilius who in a Sea-fight before the City of Marseiles boarding one of the Enemies Ships had his right hand cut off and yet he ran upon his Enemies thrusting them in their faces with his Target on his left hand and so prevailed that he took their Ship One Cassius Scaeva also in a fight before the City of Dyrrhacium having an eye put out with an Arrow his shoulder stricken through with a Dart and his thigh with another having received thirty Arrows upon his Shield called to his Enemies as if he would yield to them but when two of them came running to him he cut off one of their armes by the shoulder and wounded the other in the face and made them give back till he was fetched off by some of his fellows In Brittain also when some of his Captains were driven into a bog full of mire and dirt the Enemies fiercely assaulting them there Caesar viewing the Battel he saw a private Souldier thrust in amongst the Captains where he fought so valiantly that at length he forced the Barbarous People to fly and thereby saved the Captains who otherwise had perished there And then this Souldier being the hindmost of all the Captains marched through the bog sometimes swimming and sometimes on foot till he gat to the farther side only he lost his Target Caesar wondring at his valour ran and imbraced him But the poor Souldier hanging down his head with tears in his eyes fell at Caesars feet begging pardon for leaving his Target behind him In Africk also Scipio having taken one of Caesars Ships slew all
under their Leader Zorobabel the Son of Salathiel and Nephew to King Jeconias and Joshua the Son of Josedech the High Priest were about fifty thousand And as soon as they arrived at Jerusalem they built an Altar to the living God and sacrificed thereon according to their Law and afterwards bethought themselves how to prepare materials for the building of the Temple Cyrus having set all things in order at Babylon returned through Media into Persia to his Father Cambyses and his Mother Mandanes who were yet living and from thence returning again into Media he married the only Daughter and Heir of Cyaxares and for Dowry had the whole Kingdom of Media given him with her And when the Marriage was finished he presently went his way and took her with him and coming to Babylon from thence he sent Governours into all his Dominions Into Arabia he sent Megabyzus into Phrygia the greater Artacaman into Lydia and Ionia Chrysantas into Caria Adusius into Phrygia Helle spontiaca or the less Pharmicas But into Cilicia and Cyprus and Paphlagonia he sent no Persians to Govern them because they voluntarily and of their own accord took his part against the King of Babylon yet he caused even them also to pay him Tribute Cyrus having spent one whole year with his Wife in Babylon gathered thither his whole Army consisting of one hundred and twenty Thousand Horse and two Thousand Iron Chariots and six hundred Thousand Footmen and having furnished himself with all necessary provisions he undertook that Journey wherein he subdued all the Nations inhabiting from Syria to the Red Sea The time that Cyrus enjoyed in rest and pleasure after these great Victories and the attainment of his Empire is generally agreed upon by all Chronologers to have lasted only seven years In which time he made such Laws and Constitutions as differ little from the Ordinances of all wise Kings that are desirous to establish a Royal power to themselves and their Posterity which are recorded by Xenophon The last War and the end of this Great King Cyrus is diversly written by Historians Herodotus and Justin say That after these Conquests Cyrus invaded the Massagets a very Warlike Nation of the Scythians Governed by Tomyris their Queen and that in an encounter between the Persians and these Northern Nomades Tomyris lost her Army together with her Son Spargapises that was the General of it In revenge whereof this Queen making new levies of men of War and prosecuting the War against Cyrus in a second sore Battel the Persians were beaten and Cyrus was taken Prisoner and that Tomyris cut off his Head from his Body and threw it into a Bowl of Blood using these words Thou that hast all thy time thirsted for blood now drink thy fill and satiate thy self with it This War which Metasthenes calls Tomyrique lasted about six years But more probably this Scythian War was that which is mentioned before which Cyrus made against the Scythians after the Conquest of Lydia according to Ctesias who calleth Tomyris Sparetha and makes the end of it otherwise as you may see before The same Ctesias also recordeth that the last War which Cyrus made was against Amarhaeus King of the Derbitians another Nation of the Scythians whom though he overcame in Battel yet there he received a Wound whereof he died three dayes after Strabo also affirmeth that he was buried in his own City of Pesagardes which himself had built and where his Epitaph was to be read in Strabo's time which he saith was this O Vir quicunque es undecunque advenis neque enim te adventurum ignoravi Ego sum Cyrus qui Persis Imperium constitui pusillum hoc Terrae quo meum tegitur Corpus mihi ne invideas O thou man whosoever thou art and whensoever thou comest for I was not ignorant that thou shouldst come I am Cyrus that founded the Persian Empire Do not envy me this little Earth with which my Body is covered When Alexander the Great returned from his Indian Conquests he visited Pesagardes and caused this Tomb of Cyrus to be opened either upon hope of great Treasure supposed to have been buried with him or upon a desire to honour his dead Body with certain Ceremonies when the Sepulchre was opened there was found nothing in it save an old rotten Target two Scythian Bows and a Sword The Coffin wherein his Body lay Alexander caused to be covered with his own Garment and a Crown of Gold to be set upon it Cyrus finding in himself that he could not long enjoy the World he called unto him his Nobility with his two Sons Cambyses and Smerdis and after a long Oration wherein he assured himself and taught others about the Immortality of the Soul and of the punishments and rewards following the ill and good deservings of every man in this life He exhorted his Sons by the strongest Arguments he had to a perpetual Concord and Agreement Many other things he uttered which makes it probable that he received the knowledge of the true God from Daniel whilst he Governed Susa in Persia and that Cyrus himself had read the Prophesie of Isay wherein he was expresly named and by God pre-ordained for the delivery of his people out of Captivity which act of delivering the Jews and of restoring of the Holy Temple and the City of Jerusalem was in true consideration the Noblest work that ever Cyrus performed For in other actions he was an Instrument of Gods power used for the chastising of many Nations and the establishing of a Government in those parts of the World which yet was not to continue long But herein he had the favour to be an Instrument of Gods goodness and a willing advancer of his Kingdom upon Earth which must last for ever Cyrus had issue two Sons Cambyses and Smerdis and three Daughters Atossa Meroe and Artistona At his Death he bequeathed his Empire to his Eldest Son Cambyses appointing Smerdis his younger Son to be Satrapa or Lieutenant of Media Armenia and Cadusia He reigned about one and thirty years and died aged The Greek Historians wholly ascribe the Conquest of Babylon to Cyrus because that he commanded the Army in Chief yet the Scriptures attribute it to Darius King of the Medes whose General Cyrus was For when Babylon was taken and Belshazzar slain It 's said Dan. 5. 31. that Darius the Median took the Kingdom being about sixty two years old It was Darius also that placed Officers over the several Provinces thereof as we read Dan. 6 1 2. It pleased Darius to set over the Kingdom an hundred and twenty Princes which should be over the whole Kingdom and over these three Presidents of whom Daniel was the first c. And thus was it Prophesied by Isay long before Behold I will stir up the Medes against them c. And by the Prophet Jeremy The Lord hath raised up the Spirit of the King of
gave direction and was very diligent in all things touching Justice Customes Religion and publick buildings so as in all things his Reign was happy peaceable and quiet during all his Life Yet in this so happy a time some People and Nations still affecting Liberty laboured to shake off the Roman yoke and thereby molested and disquieted the Empire as the Spaniards the Inhabitants of Illyricum and the Pannonians In Spain the Cantabrians the Asturians and part of Gallicia passing their bounds began a War against the Empire Augustus being informed hereof judging it to be a doubtful War and of importance commanded the Temple of Janus to be opened and determined to go against them in Person and to send other Captains to follow his other Wars And accordingly Augustus went into Spain and with three Armies made War against the People aforementioned which proved very doubtful and desperate and lasted five years and though he suppressed the Cantabrians and Asturians and drave them to their Rocks and Mountains yet before he could wholly subdue them he was fain to bring a great Navy upon the Coast of France to invade the Sea coasts of Cantabria and Galizia by which means he drave them to such extremities by Land that they were at last forced to submit to his obedience Augustus his great favourite Agrippa served him faithfully in this War whom therefore he married to his Daughter Julia who was the Widow of his Nephew Marcellus the Son of his Sister Octavia And thus he brought all Spain into subjection to him above two hundred years after the Comans began to make their first Wars there So as no Province cost Rome more Treasure more bloud nor more time than Spain This long and doubtful War being so happily finished Augustus was so pleased with it that he gave commandment that the Temple of Janus should again be shut and came to Rome in great Triumph But this Temple continued not long shut for some Nations of the Germans rebelled so that it was again opened These were the Inhabitants of Noricum now Bavaria and the Pannonia's now Austria and Hungary and the two Missia's now Bulgary and Servia as also Illyricum now Sclavonia and the Province of Dacia now Transylvania and Walachia and some others though at several times Against these Augustus sent his Generals and Armies amongst which were his Sons in Law the Sons of Livia Tiberius Nero who succeeded him in the Empire and his Brother Drusus Nero of whom Livia was with child when Octavian married her and these two Brothers though the War lasted somewhat long vanquished those Nations and obtained great Victories in Germany and the confines thereof especially Tiberius who in three years space subdued the Pannonia's Illyricum and Dalmatia for which Victories he afterwards entred into Rome in an Ovation Triumph with great Pomp and Honour Marcus Crassus also overcame and put to flight the Missians a People who had never seen the Romans before And when they were ready to give Battel they said Tell us who you are that seek to molest and disquiet us We are said they Romans the Lords of Nations whereupon they replied It shall be so if you overcome us which fell out accordingly But Augustus obtained not these Victories without some crosses For in these Wars died his Son in Law Drusus who was highly esteemed for his Noble acts and great Victories for the loss of whom both Augustus and Livia were much afflicted But yet his grief was greater for the mishap which befell Quintilius Varro who was General of three Legions in Germany and being careless was surprized by the Almans and himself his Legions and all his Auxiliaries were slain and two Standards with the Imperial Eagles taken for which he was so immoderately grieved that he knocked his Head against the Wall and cryed out unadvisedly Quintilius Varro Give me my Legions again For certain months also he suffered the hair of his Head and Beard to grow carelesly And the very day of this unhappy accident he did every year observe mournfully with sorrow and lamentation Of his Son in Law Drusus there remained two Sons Germanicus and Claudius which he had by Antonia Augustus his Neece and Daughter of his Sister Octavia and Mark Anthony of which Claudius was Emperour And Germanicus married Agrippina the Daughter of Julia Augustus his Daughter by whom he had Caius Caligula who also was afterwards Emperour Augustus after many notable Victories compelled his Enemies at length to sue for Peace whereupon again he commanded the Temple of Janus to be shut up and from thenceforth all things succeeded prosperously with him The Subjects of the Empire were now very obedient to him and all other sent their Ambassadours seeking his Favour and Friendship The Indians in the remotest parts of the East and the Scythians that inhabited the North and the Parthians an untamed People sent their Ambassadours to him giving security to keep the Peace and restoring to him the Standards and Eagles which were taken when Marcus Crassus was slain There came also Kings who were Friends and Subjects to the Roman Empire to do him Homage laying aside their Ensignes and Royal Robes and many of them bult Cities to his Name and for his Honour calling them Caesaria So did Herod the Great in Palestine King Juba in Mauritania and others The World being thus at Peace and quietness forty and two years being expired since that Augustus after the Death of Julius Caesar came to Rome In the time of this general Peace was the Prince of Peace our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ born in Bethlem of the Virgin Mary Herod being King of Judea placed there by the Romans of whose blessed Life and bitter Death as also of the order of his Ministry and Miracles see his Life published by me Anno Christi 1664. At which time there came forth a command from Caesar Angustus that all the Roman World should be taxed which taxing was first made when Cyrenius was Governour of Syria Luk. 2. 1. Out of which a little Book was made by Augustus in which all the publick riches were contained as also how many Citizens and Allies in Arms what Navies How many Kingdomes and Provinces what Tribute and Customes there were what necessary charges and Pensions went out Shortly after Augustus was called Lord by the People but he did not only refuse that Title but forbad it by a publick Edict Augustus enjoying so great prosperity was yet nothing altered in his qualities and behaviour as often it happens in other Princes but rather became more mild just and affable more courteous liberal and temperate He established very good Laws and Orders for the reformation and abuses and evil customes He erected both within and without Rome many stately and sumptuous Edifices which made him to boast concerning Rome Latericiam inveni Marmoream reliqui I found it built with Brick and left it built with Marble He bestowed great gifts
the Exchequer twenty five hundred thousand Crowns and suffered private men to take of it for three years without Interest putting in good security for the paying back of the principal and condemned such Usurers as had taken more than the Law allowed to pay four times as much to those who had been oppressed by them THE LIFE and DEATH OF TAMERLANE THE GREAT WHO FLORISHED ANNO CHRISTI 1400. TAMERLANE was born at Samercand the chief City of the Zagatajan Tartars His Father was called Zain-Cham or as others will Og Prince of the Zagatajans of the Country Sachithays sometimes part of the famous Kingdom of Parthia third in descent from Zingis the great and successful Captain of the Tartars which Og being a Prince of a peaceable nature accounting it no less honour quietly to keep the Countries left him by his Father than with much trouble and no less hazard to seek how to enlarge the same long lived in most happy peace with his Subjects no less happy therein than himself not so much seeking after the hoording up of Gold and Silver things of that Nation not regarded nor valued as contenting himself with the encrease and profit of his Sheep and herds of Cattel then and yet also the principal revenues of the Tartar Kings and Princes which happily gave occasion to some ignorant of the manner and customs of those Northern Nations and Countries to account them all for Shepherds and Herdsmen and so also to have reported of this mighty Prince as if he had been a Shepherds Son or Herdsman himself vainly measuring his Nobility by the homely course of life of his People and Subjects and not by the honour of his House and Heroical Vertues hardly to be paralelled by any Prince of that or the former Ages His peaceable Father now well stricken in years and weary of the World delivered up his Kingdom to this his Son not yet past fifteen years old joyning unto him two of his most faithful Councellours Odmar and Ally to assist him in the government of his State whom Tamerlane dearly loved whilst they lived and much honoured the remembrance of them being dead The first proof of Tamerlanes Fortune and Valour was against the great Duke of Mosco or Emperour of Russia for spoiling of a City which had put it self under his protection and for entring his Country and proclaiming War against him whom he in a great Battel overthrew having slain twenty seven thousand of the Muscovites Footmen and between fifteen and sixteen thousand Horsemen with the loss of scarce eight thousand Horsemen and four thousand Footmen of his own After which Battel Tamerlane beholding so many thousands of men lying dead upon the ground was so far from rejoycing thereat that turning himself to one of his familiar Friends he lamented the condition of such as commandâ— over great Armies commending his Fathers quiet course of life accounting him happy in seeking for rest and such most unhappy which by the destruction of their own kind sought to procure their own glory protesting himself even from his heart to be grieved to see such sad tokens of his Victory Alhacen in his Arabick History of Tamerlane makes this Narrative of the Battel The Muscovites saith he had a great Army which he had gathered together out of sundry Nations and Tamerlane intending not to put up such wrongs and indignities assembled all his Forces and those of his Allies The Muscovites forces were such as had been well trained up in the Wars For having lately concluded a Peace with the King of Poland he had from thence ten thousand very good Horsemen There were also with him many Hungarian Gentlemen under the conduct of one Uladislaus who brought with him more than eight thousand Horse so that he had in his Army about eighty thousand Horse and one hundred thousand Footmen Tamerlane had in his Army about one hundred and twenty thousand Horse and one hundred and fifty thousand Foot but not so good Souldiers as the Muscovites for his Subjects had been long trained up in peace under his peaceable Father and though they had been sometimes exercised yet they wanted the practical part of War Tamerlanes order in his march was this He caused all his Army to be divided into Squadrons each consisting of six thousand Horse save his own which consisted of ten thousand so that he made eighteen Squadrons besides his own The Avantguard was conducted by Odmar who led eight Squadrons which were flanked by forty thousand Footmen divided on the right and left sides who shot an infinite number of Arrows The Battel was conducted by Tamerlane who with his own led ten Squadrons and fifty thousand Footmen the best and choicest Souldiers of his whole Army The Prince of Thanais his Kinsman led the Arereward with six Squadrons of Horse and forty thousand Foot his forlorn Hope consisted of some three thousand Horse adventurers The Muscovites fought by double Ranks with Lances and they seemed to be a greater number than Tamerlanes making a great noise but Tamerlanes skill and multitude at length overcame the force and valour of the Muscovites the Victory bending to the Parthians side which they pursued hotly In this Battel Tamerlane was hurt on the side of the left Eye and had two Horses slain under him and indeed that day Odmar was the safeguard of the Prince but he lost Ally who was slain with an Arrow The Battle being ended Tamerlane returned thanks to God publickly for his Victory and the next day reviewing his Army he found that he had lost between seven and eight thousand Horsemen and between three and four thousand Footmen The Muscovites lost about twenty seven thousand Foot and fifteen or sixteen thousand Horse The Prince slacked no time after so great a Victory but marching on came into the borders of the Muscovites whom he enforced this agreement That they should become his Tributaries paying yearly one hundred thousand Duckats That the great Duke should defray all the charges of the Wars amounting to three hundred thousand Duckats That he should withdraw his Army and send back all the Prisoners and that for the performance hereof he should give pledges which should be changed every year All which being agreed to he returned with great content and glory to his Father Shortly after the great Cham of Tartary his Fathers Brother being grown old and out of hope of having any more Children moved with the Fame of his Nephew after this Victory sent him divers presents and withal offering him his only Daughter in Marriage sent him word that he would proclaim him Heir apparent to his Empire as indeed in right he was being his Brothers Son and the Daughters not using to succeed in those Empires Which so great an offer Tamerlane gladly accepted and so the marriage was afterwards with great Triumph at the old Emperours Court solemnized and consummated and our Tamerlane
I will direct you in a way whereby fifty thousand of your men may go into China whom I my self will conduct and they shall come upon those which guard the Wall in a manner before they are discovered In the mean time you shall lead your Army to a place which I will direct you to where you may win easily a Mountain which will give you great advantage against the Chinois For I assure my self that when they shall perceive your men to be passed they will lose their courage so that you may easily win the passage to assist your Army which shall be led by me amongst them and to assure you of my fidelity I will deliver into your hands my Wife my only Son and two little Daughters I have also one Brother who I assure my self will follow me to do you service The Emperour having heard this much rejoyced at it hoping that his affairs would succeed happily and kept this very secret no revealing it to the Prince of Thanais himself none being present at the discourse but the Lord and his Interpreter and so heaping new favours upon him he was conducted back by the Prince of Thanais with all the honour that might be Then the Emperour returned to his Quarters and the next day imparted the whole matter unto Odmar and then calling Calibes he asked what he had learn'd concerning China during his abode there To which Calibes made this Answer Know my Lord that I am your slave to obey you but seeing you command me to give you an account of all I know concerning the Kingdom of China for that I have remained these six moneths upon the borders I can assure you that the King of China who now reigneth is of great reputation and hath encreased the Limits of his Kingdom more than any of his Predecessors His strength consisteth in this wall opposed against us which he hath made to prevent the inrodes of our Nation I believe there are above fifty thousand to defend it and that of his best trained Souldiers and I know no good means to force this Wall without much hazard and great loss of your men To this Tamerlane answered I hope that the great God whose honour I will defend against those Idolaters will find out means to effect it and so dismissing Calibes he appointed his Army to remove to a certain place where he meant to chuse out fifty thousand men whom he would deliver to the Prince of Thanais and Axalla which accordingly he did and directed them to follow this Chinois Lord who was now again come to him and to do as they should be directed by him In the mean time himself with all the rest of the Army approached the Wall directly over against Quaguifou The Army led by the Prince of Thanais having marched ten Leagues by the conduct of the Chinois Lord entred without resistance and after a short repast they marched directly towards those that guarded the Wall who suspected no such matter but only had an eye to those which came to force the Wall But it fell our far otherwise for just as Tamerlane with his Army came to the Wall they saw Axalla with twenty thousand being followed by the Prince of Thanais with thirty thousand choice Souldiers more who without any words fell upon the Chinois and Odmar who gave the first assault upon the Wall easily in that distraction brake through and so the Chinois were cut off between the two Armies and Axalla before the Prince of Thanais came up to him had routed them Great riches were gotten that day and the King of China's Cozen was taken Prisoner much Gold was found as well on their Arms as on their Horses Furniture but they shewed no great valour The news of this overthrow being carried to the King of China who was now at Quantifou it brought great astonishment to him for that he judged it impossible to have been effected so that every one was filled with tears fears and lamentations for their friends Yet the King gathers forces from all parts calling also the Priests and such as had the charge of his unholy holies to come unto him commanding them to offer sacrifices to their gods whereof the Sun is principal requiring the same to be observed through all the Cities and then that every one that was able to bear Arms should mount on horseback and speedily repair to the King at Paguinfou whither he suspected that Tamerlane would march for that it was one of the Cities nearest to the borders In the mean time Tamerlane beat down the Wall the better to assure his return as also the Forlresses upon all the passages all which upon his Victory were easily surrendred to him He shewed himself very courteous to the people upon the Mountains and gave to the Lord that had conducted his Army a Country which bordered upon his wherein were seven or eight good Towns who came and delivered the Keyes to him He gave him also the Government of the Frontier-Province of Xianxi shewing himself to be a Prince of his word and reserved the rewarding of his Brother till he had farther opportunity Whilst he was thus employed news was brought him that the King of China had assembled his Forces and was marching forward himself being there in person as also that he had strengthened the Garrisons in all his Cities which of themselves were well fortified Upon his intelligence Tamerlane called a Council of War and having heard the opinions of all his Captains he resolved to take in some famous City that thereby his Army might be better provided for and then to give the King of China battel in the field For the effecting of the first he resolved to assault Paguinfou which was a great City strongly fortified and well replenished with people and for this end he sent Odmar with forty thousand Horse to summon it and to prevent the farther victualling of it and to hinder the driving away of the cattel out of the Champion-countrey about it which might nourish his Army He also caused the Lord Axalla whom now he had made Lieutenant General of all his Foot to follow Odmar vvith all his Foot which vvere near a hundred and fifty thousand men well trained and expert in War himself marching immediately after vvith all his Horsemen Artillery Engines and other Ammunitions belonging to the War directly to Paguinfou Odmar made such haste that he arrived unexpected by the Citizens vvho rather looked for their King than for an Enemy and having taken much cattel vvherevvith that Countrey abounded he pitched his tents on the farther side of the City There he continued two or three dayes giving the City many Alarms till the Infantry led by that brave Christian Genuois shewed themselves in the Plain of Paguinfou Then was the City summoned but they returnd ansvver That they were resolved to live and die in the service of their Prince By