one anothers Heads Was he too much a Satyrist who called such a meale as this by the name of the Battle fought betweene the Lapithae's and Centaures Or was his Character too Keene of such Hypocriticall pretenders for saying that they were meere aequivocall Good men whose Phylosophy and Vertue lay in their sowre lookes their artificiall Gravity their long beards and formall Gownes Did he bait his Hooke with too much Gall who baited it with Gold by which he makes whole Sholes of such grave dissembling men place Happinesse in Wealth and swimme Captives to his Angle If such Truths as these deserve the name of Satyre I must confesse hee was the best Satyrist in the World But can they who thus reproach him with the sharpnesse of his wit say he was an Enemy to any thing but Vice Was there ever a fairer Picture drawne of a truly Learned Vertuous man then his Demonax Or could Demosthenes himselfe speake more in praise of his Owne Eloquence then Lucian hath done for him Or was there ever such a Picture of Beauty mixt with Vertue as he drew of the Lady which gave the Title to his Images Yet some sowre formalists who only want the long beards of his two faced Philosophers to be as Pedantick and perhaps as learned as They have not onely without wit disparaged Lucian's wit which hath beene the Delight and Admiration of all Ages but have grinned at Mee for being his Translatour 'T is not a worke proper for a Divine say they 'T is well St Chrysostome lives not in our Dayes For if I be thus censured for turning a few pieces of him into English what punishment did he deserve who being a Father of the Church with a very pious Theft converted severall parts of him into Homilies and Sermons But to assure their Wisdomes that they have barkt in the darke without the help of Moon-shine to direct them in their Snarling your Excellency knowes I was no Divine but a young Student of this Colledge when these Sheets past through my Pen. But Lucian wrote against the Christians 'T is more tolerably spoken and with lesse Ignorance then his who said Lucian was an Aerian and wrote against Bishops He might as well have sayd that he wrote in Defence of Antichrist Or that by the same Figure of wild Anticipation He was an Arminian because In his Iupiter confuted he wrote against Stoicisme in the point of Fate and Absolute Decree The truth is these men have taken popular error for their Guide For if they will give credit to the Iudgement of Philander Micyllus Opsopaeus Cognatus and some others who by the difference of Wit and Style could discover a Spurious Author from a true the Dialogues in which the Christians are reproacht were none of his Or if they were How am I to be accused vvho have not made them English but have left them lockt up in their owne untranslated Greeke But he Wrote an Obscoene Lucius and Meretricious Dilaogues not fit for the Eyes or Eares of a Chaste or Christian Reader These too I have left with their owne Curtaine drawne before them and have not held a Candle to the Mysterious doings of a Stewes The truth is My Lord in this Translation I am guilty but of one great Offence which these sharpe-sighted Men have most grosly overseene And that is not an Offence against them but against your Excellency for not Translating more Which I had done if the late barbarous Times had not broke into my Study And by raising a Rebellion against Learning and their Prince had not called You away to lead an Army in the Field Where I reasonably supposed that in the Head of a Campe you could not finde leisure for such Divertisements as these But when a Powerfull Enemy was in view and ready to joyne Battle would have thought it a very incongruous Recreation to read such Bookes as these with your Sword and Helmet on or to Issue forth your Orders with a Lucian in your hand For the clearing therefore of the many Obligations which beyond all requitall you have often layd upon mee I beseech you to accept of my Will for the Deed Nor to dispise this Sacrifice because the Sheepe is taken from another man's Fold or because the Sheafe grew in another man's Field But to put the greater value upon this meane Addresse which to show mee gratefull hath put mee into the Number of those very poore people who are fayne to borrow the Money with which they pay their Debts Your Excellencie's reall Honourer and much obliged Servant IASPER MAYNE Christ Church Aug 10 1663. An Answer to one that said You are PROMETHEUS in your Speeches PROMETHEUS am I then If good Sir you say so because my works have Earth in them I allovv the Comparison and confesse my selfe like him nor refuse to be call'd a potter though my Clay be much baser and almost as barbarous and course as that which lies in the street But if over praysing my speeches for curious and artificial you entitle them to the wisest of the Titans take heed lest some body say you speak Ironie and that you attire an Attick flout in a Commendation But where I pray am I so curious Or in which of my writings perceive you this overpolisht Promethean Wisedome 'T is enough for me that they are not wholy composed of Earth or fit to be rewarded with Caucasus But with how much more Justice may you be compared to Prometheus who are so fam'd for your pleadings and for making Warres against the Truth Yours are living breathing works and carry a heat with them which hath flame in it wherein you truely imitate Prometheus only here 's the difference most of you work not in Clay but raise golden pieces I who addresse my selfe to the Multitude and glory in their Attention shew forth only some certain dead Images And as I said before like puppet-makers and potters busie my selfe in clay having neither life nor motion in my doings but making my Recreation and Play my businesse I cannot then but consider whether you call'd me not Prometheus as the Comoedian call'd Cleon when he said Cleon was an after game Prometheus Or as the Athenians call'd all those who made pots and pans and wrought in clay Prometheus alluding I suppose to their materials and the baking of their vessels in the fire If this be the meaning of your Prometheus you have aimed your dart aright and have tipt it with an Attick sharpnesse and point Since my works are as frail and brittle as their pots and are ready to shiver and break upon the least dash of a stone But some man for my encouragement will say in comparing my doings to Prometheus you have praysed their Novelty as following no Copie or Example As he when there were yet none first invented and framed Men shaping and trimming his new Creatures so as to be quick of Motion and graceful in Aspect Wherein though he were the Artificer yet
would convey my wife For by accompanying mee into Bosphorus you shall but adde one horseman more to the Troope but in conducting my wife you will serve in stead of many Things thus resolved he presently began his journey and left Mazaea yet a virgin to be brought after by Macentes who by day carried her in a coach But when night came by designe with one of his servants who followed him with horses he set her on horse-back and mounting himselfe kept not any longer the way towards Moeotis but turning aside to the Mediterranean and leaving the Mitraean mountaines on his right hand appeasing the young Lady the best hee could in three dayes passage through the Machlyans he arrived in Scythia where his horse no sooner finish't his course but after a short stand expired But Mecentes delivering Mazaea to Arsacomas Receive said he from mee my promise and when the other much astonisht at the unhop't for spectacle prepared to thanke him Forbeare said Macentes to make me any other then your selfe For to acknowledge your selfe obliged to mee for what I have done is as if my left hand should give thankes to the right for curing it wounded and affording it friendly attendance T were then most ridiculous in us if after a long conjunction wee who as farre as 't is possible became one should put great values upon any thing adventurously atchieved by a part for the whole Since being but a part the good wrought for the whole was wrought for the part too Thus said Macentes to Arsacomas preparing to give him thankes But when Adyrmachus heard of the plot he broke off his journey intended for Bosphorus for there Eubiotus was Crowned called home from Sarmatia where hee sojourn'd and returning to his Country raisâ—d a great Army and through the mountaines made an invasion upon Scythia Shortly after he was seconded by Eubiotus who led a promiscuous Army of Greekes Alanes and choyce Sarmatians consisting of 20000 of each which joyned to Adyrmachus Troopes made an Army of ninety Thousand whereof the third part were Horse Archers we on the contrary I bearing a share in the expedition to which I with others assembled to the hide contributed an hundred well appointed horsemen having gather'd a body little lesse then thirty thousand with our Cavalry attended their assault having Arsacomas for our Generall As they made their approach we march't Counter placeing our forces of Horse in front After a long uncertaine battle we were put to the worst and our Squadrons routed And at last the Scythians being divided into two bodies one part fled as if apparently vanquish't but in a kind of retreat so as the Alanes durst not pursue them farre but incircling the other part which was the weaker with help of the Machlyans made great slaughter with their showres of Darts and Arrowes so that our men thus besieged were very much distressed and many of them threw away their Armes in which number by chance were Lonchates and Macentes who more forward then others to put themselves upon dangers were both wounded Lonchates with a poyson'd dart which burnt his thigh Macentes with a stroke of a Battle axe on the head and a halberd on the shoulder which when Arsacomas understood who was then with us in the other part of the Army holding it dishonourable not to relieve his friends putting spurres to his horse with loud cryes and his sword drawne he broke through the enemy nor could the Machlyans resist his fury but gave him passage He having brought off his friends and given new courage to the rest rusht upon Adyrmachus and striking him on the neck with his whineyard cleft him downe to the girdle upon vvhose fall the vvhole Army of the Machlyans vvere disorder'd and soone after the Alanes and after all the Grecians So that by an after Battle wee conquer'd and pursued them with a great slaughter to which onely the night gave a period next day came Embassadours from the enemy with petitions of League The Bosphorans covenanted to pay double Tribute the Machlyans promised to give Hostages the Alanes in discharge of that invasion undertooke to subdue the Syndians ancient enemies to our State To these Articles wee agreed led chiefly by the consents of Arsacomas and Lonchates who sway'd the rest and a peace was concluded These Mnesippus are the exployts of Scythians for their friends Mnesipp They are very Tragicall Toxaris and sound like Romances your Sagar therefore and wind by which you swore must grant easie pardons and not blame him much that shall not believe you Toxaris Take heed generous Sir your envy cause not your infidelity yet shall not your hardnesse of faith divert mee from reporting the like enterprizes perform'd by other Scythians of my knowledge Mnesipp Be not tedious then I beseech you excellent Sir nor let your discourse be Errantry or sometimes wander up and downe Scythia and Machlyna then passe over into Bosphorus at last returne home to the vexation of my silence Toxaris You shall be obeyed in your impositions and I will be briefe lest your attention should tire in following my Digressions Heare then what a friend of mine call'd Sisinnes did for mee When I tooke my voyage for Athens out of my desire to the Greeke education I stroke in at Amastris a Towne of Pontus lying just in passage to those who saile from Scythia and not farre distant from Carambe Sisinnes bore mee company my friend of a child Here wee saw certaine Merchandizes brought into the Haven which carrying ashore we bought not suspecting any mischance In the mean time some theeves broke open our trunkes and stole all we had and left us not enough to supply us for that day At our returne from our Lodging understanding what had happened we thought it not fit to question the neighbours being many or our Hoste out of our feare to be taken for Braggarts if wee should have complain'd that foure hundred Daricks diverse suits of rich apparell and hangings and whatsoever else we had had beene stolne from us Wee consulted therefore what men thus impoverisht were to doe in a strange place my resolution was to kill my selfe by falling on my sword before I was cast upon base wayes of reliefe either by thirst or famine But Sisinnes by his better counsels diverted mee from such a fact And said hee had found a way to sustaine us That day his gaines for carrying wood from the wharfe supplyed us with victuals Next morning as he walkt in the market place hee saw as he tells the story a gallant show of stout young Gentlemen who man by man were chosen for a prize set to enter combate the third day following Having well instructed himselfe in the conditions hee came to mee and said Toxaris hereafter call not your selfe poore for three dayes hence I will enrich you Wee passing the time in miserable reliefes at the day of the show came thither as spectators Inviting mee abroad he carried me to
which course I would have some thirty faithfull resolute companions and associates Shortly after should come in to us successively three hundred then a thousand not long after ten thousand till at last wee made up an Army of fifâ—y thousand foote beside five thousand horse Then would I by comon suffrage be prefer'd and chosen Generall as fittest to lead men and manage affaires That it might bee my excellency above other Kings to be prefer'd for my vertue to rule an army and conquer not succeed in an hereditary Kingdome For that were a felicity like Adimantus Treasure and would carry much lesse satisfaction then to be the author and contriver of my ovvne greatnesse Lycinus You have ask't no trifle Samippus but the height of felicity in vvishing to governe such an Army and to be held the vvorthiest of fifty thousand I thought Mantinea could not have bred such an admirable Prince and Captaine But proceed in your Empire and lead on your Souldiers and set your Horse and Foote Troops in Array I vvould faine knovv vvhether such numerous Regiments march out of Arcadia or against what miserable people you intend your first expedition Samippus I would tell you Lycinus did I not rather desire you would march with us I will make you Colonell of five thousand Horse Lycinus I thanke you for the honour most mighty Prince and after the Persian manner do prostrately adore you with my hands behind mee and do reverence your erected Tiara and Crowne But desire you to cast the Imployment on some man more valiant For I am utterly unskil'd in riding and 'till this day never backt horse Nor can I but feare lest at sound of the Trumpetter falling off I should be trampled in the tumult or left if my courâ—er be fiery taking the bridle betweene his teeth he should carry me into the midst of the enemy so that to sit him raine him in 't will be necessary I be lock't to the saddle Adimantus Let mee then Samippus lead your horse Troopes and let Lycinus command your right wing of Foot For I deserve the highest imployment from you to whom I gave so many bushels of gold coyned Samippus Let us first aske the Horse-men Adimantus whether they will accept you for their Commander Fellow-souldiers let them who approve Adimantus for their Colonell hold up their hand You have their generall consent Adimantus Bee you then over the Horse Lycinus over the right wing Timolaus shall command the left I will keepe in the midst after the manner of the Persian Kings when they intend to assemble their Counsellours Make wee then our first march over the mountaines to Corinth and King Iupiter assist us After we have subdued all the parts of Greece for none will dare to oppose their Armes against such numerous forces but wee shall conquer without toyle let us shippe our Men and Horse Store of victuals and shipping and all things else lye prepared at Cenchrea and let us sayle through the Arches into Ionia And having there Sacrificed to Diana and taken their undefended Citties and placed Governours in them let us march into Syria through Caria Lyciâ—â— Pamphylia the Pisidians and the Maritime and mountainous parts of Cilicia till we come to Euphrates Lycinus If please you Invincible Prince leave mee Prefect of Greece For I am timorous and would not willingly goe farre from home for I perceive you mean to invade the Armenians and Parthians too Nations warlike and skilfull Archers Bestow your right wing therefore on some other and make mee some Antipater of Greece lest leading your regiment to Susa and Bactra I be slaine with a Dart or run through in some place where I am disarmed Samippus You put your selfe out of the roll like a Coward Lycinus and by the Law are to loose your head for breaking order Since then wee are now at Euphrates and the river hath a bridge and the Countries behinde us which wee have past through are secured and have accepted Governours of my Imposition upon them severally since also some of our Troopes are dispatcht to the conquest of Phoenicia Palaestine and Aegypt passe you over first Lycinus with your wing I 'le follow next after mee Timolaus doe you Adimantus in the reare convey over your horse forces You see through our whole march through Mesopotamia wee have met with no enemy but the Inhabitants have voluntarily surrendred both themselves and their forts Wee no sooner approach Babylon but are unexpectedly received within the walls and put in possession of the Citty the King making his Rendesvous at Cresiphon hath heard of our Incursion passing on from thence unto Seleucia hee enlarges his preparations and presseth more Horsemen Archers and Slingers Our Spies compute him about an hundred thousand strong of which twenty thousand hurle darts on horsebacke nor is the Armenian yet come in nor the borderers upon the Caspian sea nor the Bactrians but the neighbouring Troopes onely and Suburbs of the Kingdome So â—â—sily hath hee levyed a vast Army 'T is time therefore to consider what we have to doe Adimantus My counsell is to dispatch our Foot Companies to Ctesiphon and our Horse Troopes to stay hereto guard Babylon Samippus The neerenesse of the danger makes you a coward Adimantus what is your opinion Timolaus Timolaus To march against the enemy with our whole Army and not to give them leisure to encrease their strength by the new Forces which from all places are comming in but to give them an onset by the way Samippus 'T is well advised What thinke you Lycinus Lycinus My counsell is that tired with walking this morning downe to the Pyraeum and now thirty furlongs backe againe the Sunne also now at noone being hottest we repose our selves among those olive trees and sit downe upon this engraven pillar Afterwards that wee rise up and walke on to the Citty Samippus Doe you take your selfe to be at Athens Lycinus when you are sitting in a Councell of warre in the plaines before the walls of Babylon Lycinus Your pardon Sir I thought you in your wits But I see you are beside them Samippus March wee on then and show your selves undaunted with perils nor betray the courage of your Ancestors You see your enemy in present Array Let the word be Enyalius At the sound of the Trumpet rush on with a shout clash Speares with shields and joyne battle with the enemy Get within their Darts that wee may avoid their strokes taking from them their just space and ayme and since wee now fight hand to hand Timolaus and his left wing hath put the Medes their Encounterers to flight The battle about mee is yet equall for it consists of Persians and the King is among them The whole Force of the Barbarian Horse is turned upon the right wing Behave you therefore your selfe stoutly Lycinus and encourage those about you to withstand the Impression Lucinus O dire misfortune All the Horsemen make their assault upon mee and I am left
also equally injur'd sâ—nce every one severally is interested in the third par of the dishonour if we live as vve begun at our first conjunction three made one and doe resent and rejoyce at the same things More then so said Lonchates in your sufferings the vvhole injury vvas offer'd to every one of us in particular Hovv then replyed Macentas shall vve order our revenge let us divide ansvvered Lonchates the businesse among us I dare undertake to bring Leucanors head to Arsacomas be it your taske to bring him his daughter I accept the division ansvvered Lonchates and do you said he Arsacomas in the meane time for the enterprize must in likelihood engage us in a vvarre stay here and raise vvhat Armes Horses and Forces you can which will be no hard matter being your selfe a stout man and our Allyes being not few but especially if you sit upon the oxe hide The designe pleased and Lonchates presently tooke the next way into Bosphorus Macentes to the Machlyans both well horst But Arsacomas stay'd at home and imparted the adventure to his equall â—â—quaintances and put some Companies of his familiars into armes and lastly sate downe upon the oxe hide Now our custome of the hide is this when any man is injured by another and would redresse himselfe and is unable to wage warre he sacrificeth an oxe whose flesh he divides into parcels and roasts it then spreading the hide upon the ground sits on it holding his hands behind him like those who are pinion'd And this with us is the most passionate way of petitioning Then the flesh of the oxe roasted being set to the publike accesse his neere acquaintances and whosoever else will assemble to him and taking every one a piece and treading on the hide with their right foote promise ayd according to their abilities one to find five horse at his owne charge another ten another more another as many Armed foote souldiers as he can and he that is poorest himselfe so that sometimes great troopes are gather'd to the hide and an Army thus raised is of firmest combination and as inviolable to the enemy as if they were knit by Sacrament for to tread upon the hide is with us an oath Thus did Arsacomas order matters to whom repair'd about five thousand horsemen and promiscuously armed twenty thousand foot Lonchates in the mean time passing unknowne into Bosphorus got accesse to the King then busie in affaires of State and told him that he came publikely sent by the Scythians but that the greatnesse of his message requir'd to be deliver'd in private The King bidding him speake his embassie As for their common dayly grievances said he the Scythians forbid that your shepheards any more passe beyond your owne plaines but feed their flocks within Tracho Next they deny those theeves whereof you accuse them for over-running your Country to have any publike warrant but say they rob for their owne private gaine and that if any of them be taken 't is in your power to punish them And this I have commission to tell you from them But from my owne private Intelligence I do informe you that Arsacomas the sonne of Mariantas who was lately embassadour here will shortly make a great invasion upon you the cause I guesse to be your refusall of him when he desired your daughter which he takes as a dishonour and hath already sate seaven dayes upon the hide and contracted an Army not contemptible I have heard sayd Leucanor that forces were assembled to the hide but knew not that they were raised against us or that Arsacomas ruled the expedition Against thee said Lonchates is the preparation made But Arsacomas is my enemy and takes resentment that our Elders should preferre mee before him or that I should in all things eclipse his reputation If therefore Thou wilt contract thy other daughter Barcetis to mee who am not unworthy of the Alliance ere long I will returne and bring thee his head I do here promise said the King exceedingly frighted knowing the cause of Arsacomas quarrell to be the denyall of his marriage Besides the Scythians had ever been dreadfull to him Sweare said Lonchates to keepe covenants and never to deny them which the King preparing to do and being ready to sweare with his hands lift up to heaven forbeare thus openly Sir said the other lest some of the beholders make interpretations of your Oath But let us enter into this Temple of Mars and shut the doores that none may overheare you for if the least revelation be made to Arsacomas I feare he will begin the warre with my sacrifice being already fortified with no small Regiments Let us enter said the King and keepe you distance nor let any approach the Temple whom I shall not call Being enter'd and the guard farre removed Lonchates drew his Sagar and stopping his mouth with the other hand to suppresse cryes stabb'd him in the brest Then cutting off his head and carrying it under his cloacke he went forth making as if he spoke to him all the while and saying he would presently come againe as if he had beene sent by the King upon businesse And so returning to the place where hee left his horse tyed mounting he rode back into Scythia But no pursuit was made after him because 't was long before the Bosphorans knew what was done and when they knew they grew factious for the Kingdome Thus accomplish't Lonchates his atchievment and fulfilled his undertaking by the delivery of Leucanors head to Arfacomas Macentes having intellâ—gence by the way of the Bosphoran affaires past on to the Machlyans and vvas the first reporter of the Kings death But the people said he call on you Adyrmachus being his sonne in Lavv to accept the Crovvne By vvay of Anticipation therefore things favouring you by their distraction shovv your selfe unexpectedly and assume the Empire Let your vvife by Coach follovv after vvhose presence being Leucanors daughter vvill give you a quick interest in the vulgar Bosphorans As for me I am both an Aliance and of affinity to your vvife by the mother For Leucanor married Mastera from my Country from vvhose brothers at Alania I am novv sent vvith commission to exhort you to make all hasty dispatch into Bosphorus and not to suffer the Crovvne to fall on Eubiatus Leucanors base brother a long friend to the Scythians and disaffected to the Alanes Thus said Macentes resembling that people both in his habit and speech for there is onely this difference betvveene them that the Alanes vveare not their haire so long as the Scythians vvhich Macentes having nevvly cut past easily undistinguish't and gained credit to his disguise under vvhich he vvas taken for Mastera's and Mazaea's kinsman And novv said he I am ready Adyrmachus as you please to command mee either to accompany you into Bosphorus or to stay and as occasion serves to conduct your wife I had much rather replyed Adyrmachus that being of her alliance you
best preparation of youth both for Peace and Warre which is only to be effected by Studies of this excellent Nature Anacharsis So then Solon when you are invaded you meet your enemies in your Oyntments and dust and encounter their Armour with your hands and fists who in the mean time struck with terrour fly from you fearing least if they should gape you should cast sand into their mouth or coming behind them should trippe up their heeles or twine their legges about their middle and your Arme about their neck and stifle them And though they shoot Arrowes and hurle Darts at you yet you like so many Statues are impenetrable being tainn'd in the sunne and stored with so much bloud For you are not men of straw or stubble to yield at the first onset but are hardly brought to loose bloud though pierrced with deep and mortall wounds For so you said if I mistake not your resemblance Or perhaps when you goe out to battle you Arme your selves like Comedians and Tragedians and put on gaping vizards that you may appear terrible and like so many Goblins to your enemies and wear high buskins which if you have occasion to flie are light And if you pursue your foes are unavoidable bringing you so fast upon them But consider I pray whither these fine slights and devices be not frivolous and childish and the exercises only of young men void of better imployment and given to sloth For if your ayme be to be free and happy you should prescribe true and reall exercises and such as are practised in Warre Where the Combate is not in jest between Companions but against enemies with whom they are to fight with danger exercising their valour Laying aside your dust and your oyle therefore teach your young men the use of their Bow and Pike nor accustome them to slight darts which are carried away by the wind but to massy speares which sing and whistle in their discharge To stones also which fill their hands Let them wear also a Sagar on their side a shield in their left hand a Brest-plate also and Helmet For as you now are you appear to me saved by the favour of some God who have not all this while perisht by the incursion of any slight invaders For put the case I unsheathing this short Sword which I wear at my girdle should singly set upon all your young men doubtlesse I should raise a generall shriek and take the School or put them to flight none daring to look back upon my weapon but standing behind statues and hiding themselves behind pillars they would by their teares and affrighâ—ments be the Argument of my laughter Then should you see their bodies no longer red as now they are but they would presently wax pale and discoloured with fear For a long peace hath so soften'd you that you cannot resolutely endure the sight of one plume in an enemies Crest Solon The Thracians Anacharsis Who under the conduct of Eumolphus took Armes against us spoke not thus nor your Amazones who having Hippolyta for their Generall made an expedition against our Citty Nor others who have had trials of us in Warre For we do not so make our young men exercise naked as to expose them to dangers unarmed But when they grow perfect they afterwards practice in Armour which by these preparations they much more easily mannage Anachars And where is your School where you thus exercise in Armour I have survey'd your whole Citty and cannot discover it Solon When you have converst longer among us Anacharsis you will see every house furnisht with Armour which in times of necessity we use Crests also and Caparisons and Horses and Horsemen to the fourth part of the Cittizens To bare Armes or wear a Sword in time of peace we hold superfluous and punish those who needlesly carry a Weapon or appear armed in publique which in you is pardonable who spend your whole lives in armes For dwelling in places unfortified you cannot but lie open to incursions and create many Warres nor are you certain but that some neighbours may slay you as you sleep in your Waggons Besides your mutuall Distrusts and association together without any common bonds of Law or Government makes it necessary for you alwaies to have your Sword in readinesse to prevent injuries Anachars Without cause then Solon to wear a Sword you hold it superfluous and do favour your Armes least with frequent use they should be worne out you lay them up therefore in your Armories and bring them forth only upon occasion But in the mean time without any imminent danger you commit the bodies of your young men to mutuall beatings who weaken themselves by sweat not forced by necessity but vainly spend their courage in the mire and dust Solon You seem Anacharsis to have the same opinion of courage as you have of wine or water or some such liquid thing which makes you imagine that by frequent exercises it will insensibly leak away as through some broken vessell and leave the body empty and dry having no spring within to replenish it But herein you are mistaken For the more courage is drawn forth by Labours the more it overflowes Like the fable which you have heard of Hydra who having one head cut off was presently supplyed with two 'T is true a body originally unpracticed and feeble and wanting sufficient naturall matter is presently tyred and consumed by exercise as we see in fire and Tapers with the same breath you kindle the one and in an instant blow it into a greater flame but extinguish the other not having competent strength of matter to encounter your blast or a strong root to sustaine it self Anacharsis I do not well understand you Solon your Similitude is too subtle for me and requires an exact consideration and a sharpe sighted mind to conceive you But pray tell me why in your Olympick Isthmian Pythian and other Games where you say there is such confluence of Spectators to behold your young exercisers do you not make them contend in Armour but producing them naked expose them to kickes and beatings and then reward the Conquerors with Apples and Olive boughes I would faine know the reason of your Custome Solon We think Anacharsis we hereby more inflame and animate them to such exercises when they see the vanquishers honoured and shouted in a Ring of Graecians And therefore they who thus contend naked are provident of their bodily habit and blush not to strip themselves but every one strives to make himselfe most worthy of victory Nor are they as I said before small revvards to be cried up by the Spectators and held the most honourable to be pointed at by passengers and voiced the most valiant among equalls Many of the beholders therefore vvhose age is not past exercise depart not a little enamour'd vvith their vertue and Labours Should any man then banish the thirst of Glory from common life vvhat mark should vve have