suffering no man longer to inioy the gladsome gale of good fortune then he doeth humbly acknowledge God to be the giuer thereof not glorying therein but thinking lowely of him selfe as a player doth not take to him any Princely pride because he beareth some times the person of a Monarche as he the knoweth he shall soone after lay it downe If that the French King himselfe had béene ignoraunt of all antiquities me thinkes his learned confessours who had taken on them the charge of his soule might haue tolde him that when Philip king of Macedonie heard that vpon one day his seruant Tetrippo was victor at the games of all Greece helde at Olympus and his capteine Parmenio had discomfited in battell the Dardarences and his wife Olympias had brought him foorth a sonne lifted vp his handes vnto heauen and saide And O fortune for these so many and so great good happes strike me with some light mishappe The wise Prince did not insolently exulte for this rare successe of thinges but had the fawning of fortune in suspicion whose nature he knewe to be to fleare vppon them a litle before with a flattering face of vnwoonted prosperitie of things when she intended incontinently to destroy them they might also haue rehersed vnto him out of Liuie that when Paulus Aemilius had taken prisoner Perseus the mightie king of Macedonie who fell downe at his féete with aboundant teares desiring him to take compassion on his afflicted state after he had curteously comforted the king he vsed this spéech vnto the Romanes ye sée here presently before your eyes a notable example of the mutabilitie of mannes state I speake this specially vnto you young men and therefore it doeth not become vs to do any thing in our prosperitie violently and proudly against any man nor to giue credit vnto present fortune séeing that it is vncertaine what the euening may bring He shal be a man in déede whose minde neither prosperitie shall with her brittle blast lift vppe nor aduersitie breake And also that when he had buried the one of his sonnes fiue dayes before he triumphed of Perseus and the other thrée dayes after he spake among other these graue wordes vnto the people of Rome at the burial of the yonger Nothing did I feare more déere coūtrie men from the beginning of this most prosperous course of mine actes then some vnthought of chaunce of insidious and false fortune neither did my feare for the publique weale cease before that the violent seas of her cruelly raging had priuately inuaded me the whiche thing I had oftentimes before hartily desired of almightie God eftsoons praying that if any cursed mishappe did hang ouer the people of Rome for this felicitie that he would vouchesafe to turne it al wholy vpon me and mine house My two most sweete sonnes whome I had appointed to be mine heires and successours haue I buried with almoste continuated funerals so that nowe I seeme to be deliuered out of all daunger and doe put my selfe in good hope that the fortune of the people of Rome wil abide still without all staine séeing that shee hathe inflicted hatred enoughe on mée and mine by these two incomparable incommodities and losses Who nowe will maruell that Philip firste brought the kingdome of the Macedons to great power and renoune and that Aemylius ouerthrew and destroyed it that doth cōsider how warie and circumspect they were against all priuie awaites of false Fortune Furthermore they should not haue left vntold how that Camillus when he had taken the mightie and riche citie of Veij and sawe that the spoyle and praye was farre greater then any man thought with trickling teares besought the Gods that if the fortune of the people of Rome did séem to be greater then could be corrected without some great mishap that what so euer incommoditie did for that enuie hang ouer the Romane name that it might be wholy turned vppon his head and then not long after Camillus the capteine was banished by the vnthankfull people and also the citie of Rome the conquerour taken sacked and burnt by the Galles Morouer they might haue shewed him that it was the auncient vsage of the Romanes at their triumphes that a slaue a physician of enuie sayes Plinie should ride behinde in the chariot with the triumpher least he should like him selfe to wel as writeth Iuuenal and holding ouer his heade a great crowne of golde set with precious stones did often cal to the triumphant to looke behind him also by Zomoras his report a whip a bell were hanged at his chariot to admonish him that he might for all that present proude pompe fall into so greate calamities that he might be scourged with a whip and put to death for all that were executed at Rome did vse to weare belles least any man as they went to executiō might defile him self as they thought by touching them But if that the negligent friers had fayled to admonishe him of a thing that did so greatly apperteine vnto his soules health and also to his long felicitie on the earth whereof some are farre more carefull then for their euerlasting blisse yet might he haue bene put in mynde of his dutie by that rare example of moderation of mynd in Charles the fift his perpetuall enimie Who neither when newes was brought him that Frauncis the mightie and flourishing king of France was taken prisoner by his capteines before Pauia in a bloudy battell where a great parte of the nobilitie of France were eyther slaine or taken neither when he vnderstoode that his souldiers had sacked that proude citie of Rome the which had in time past ruled and reuiled the whole world and that they besieged in the castle of S. Angelo the which could not for lacke of victuals holde out yea a fewe dayes his bitter enimie Clemens the 7 byshop of that See who was not contented spitefully to haue laboured to set all the princes of Christendome in his top but also had earnestly incessantly solicitated his subiects and renouned capteines namely the valiant Marques of Pescara to reuolt from him at neither newes I say of such rare felicitie did he giue either publikely or priuately any signe of reioycing but onely commaunded for the firste deuout supplications vnto God to be holden seuen dayes fortie for the Pope that he might escape the cruell handes of his souldiers without any bodily harm misusage I read also in Manlius his common places that the citizens of Antwerp long after presented him with a very faire péece of Arras wherin was set foorth very sumptuously liuely the battel of Pauie where the french king was taken prisoner by the Emperials There was also expressed the names of Frauncis the king of Fraunce of all the noble men that were taken or slaine at that battel But when this modest Emperour had viewed it he refused to accept it least he should séeme
THe next of these proud Gods in aunciencie of yeares is Demetrius sonne vnto Antigonus a capteine of Alexander the great one whom I am not able to charge to be so ambitious for Godlike honor as was Alexander yet doe I blame him for accepting of those diuine honours whiche the flattering Atheniens prodigally heaped on him whereby he beganne to fall into all incontinencie ryot and pryde in so muche that he ware garments wouen of purple and golde a rare thing in those dayes and golden shoes Very hard accesse was there vnto him and very rough were his answeres The Legates of the Atheniens who might doe most with him followed him and daunced attendance two yeares and then at the last he dismissed them home not once hearing their message There was neuer man with whom fortune sported more and shewed her mutabilitie that worthily that sentence of Aeschylus was often heard in his mouth Thou fortune exaltedst me thou also doest cast me downe full lowe When he was but 22. yeares of age he fought a field with greater courage then cunning with the auncient politike capteine long practised in Alexanders warres Ptolomey where he lost 13000. mē of whom 3000. were slaine and the rest taken with the campe also But hauing the royal tent with all the furniture thereof and also the prisoners princely restored vnto him without raunsome by Ptolomey who sayd that princes ought not to contend for al things at once but only for empire and glory he repayred his power and inuaded Mesopotamia then being subiect vnto Scleucus the which he conquered with one halfe also of mightie Babylon the riuer of Euphrates runneth in the midst of the citie parteth it in two but douting that he was not able to abide the force of Seleucus who hasted homeward out of India to the rescuse of Mesopotamia he brake vp his siege tooke the sea sayled vnto Halicarnassus where he remoued by force the siege o◠Ptolomey fortune still fauouring he entered Greece to set them at libertie who were then in subiection vnto Cassander his fathers and his enimie At his first arriual at Athens all the citizens reuolted vnto him only there remained a garrison of Cassanders in a part of the citie called Munichia From thence he marched to Megara where the intemperate young man leauing his armie went vnto a famous harlot called Cratesipolis giuen by Alexander vnto Polypercon the whiche woman it was tolde him was in loue with him But being come to the place appointed he had neare ben taken by his enimies who had intelligence therof with his minion being together in a tent the whiche he had caused to be set vp a little out of the sight of his armie that he might couer the more cleanly the accesse of his harlot Yet as it hapned he escaped by shewing a faire paire of héeles and returned in safetie vnto his armie wan the town of Megara and returning vnto Athens tooke Munichia razed the castle restoring vnto the Atheniens their auncient liberties and lawes Whervpon ensued that impudent flatterie that I spake of before But before he could finishe his exploite purpose of setting of all Greece at libertie he was sent for from thence by his father to aide Cyprius the which Ptolomey had inuaded In his voyage thetherward he discomfited Menelaus brother vnto Ptolomey afterward in Cyprus before Salamina Ptolomey him selfe who had a mightie fleet of 150. ships also a great army by land He tooke 60 ships drowned al the rest only 8. escaping with Ptolomey Demetrius hauing thus won the victory wherby he got all the kings retinue with a mightie masse of monie warlike furniture had also shortly after Menelaus with the citie of Salamina the fléet and 1200. horsmen 12000 footemen yealding vnto him all which prisoners he sent home without raunsome also honourably buried the dead This notable victorie did set Antigonus in such a pride that he with his son would be called kings from the which name the capteines of Alexander had absteined vntil that time But to pul downe their puffed pride whē that Demetrius after the victory at Salamina sailed about to strike terrour into the harts of his enimies by souden tempest he lost the greatest part of his shippes and Antigonus who led a flourishing army along the sea cost fel into such difficulties that he returned home like vnto a vanquished man hauing lost almost his whole army Yet after this Demetrius besieged Rhodes where he lay vntill he was wearie and could do no good and to saue his honour there was ioyfull newes brought him that he should hast to the succour of Athens then streightly besieged by Cassander whome he repelled persuing him euen vnto Thermopile and going yet farther he wanne Heraclea and being from thence returned into Gréece he made almost all Peloponesus frée expelling the garrisons of Cassander Wherefore in the memorie of this benefite he was in a parliament of the Gréeks elected and proclamed the capteine or Duke of Gréece as Philip king of Macedone had in time before ben Immediately vpon this was he sent for to repaire into Asia to aide his father against Seleucus his confederates who led a mightie armie of 40000. footemen 10000. horsmen 400. Elephants and 1200. hooked chariots with whome they incountring with no lesse power were ouerthrowne and Antigonus slaine and Demetrius forced to flée vnto Ephesus with onely 5000 footemen and 4000. horsmen with whome being there imbarked he directed his course vnto Athens his only refuge But when he was come vnto the Islandes Cyclades the ambassadours of the Athenians met him requesting him in the name of the whole citie that he would not sayle vnto Athens for the citie had made a decrée that he who had bene lately expelled out of a kingdome should in no case be receiued into a frée citie Although this vnlooked for message did inwardly sore chafe him yet séeing that presently to be reuenged neyther time nor power wold serue him he gaue them fayre wordes and desired that he might haue the ships that he had left in their hauen the which being gently deliuered with his wife and all his royall furniture of houshold he sayled into Peloponesus But when he sawe that his faction in those quarters waxed woorse and woorse the cities dayly reuolting vnto his enimies he leauing there Pyrrhus sonne to Aeacus to kéepe the cities in their obedience sayled into the Thracian Chersonese to inuade Lysimachus kingdom where his affaires prosperously succéeding he maruellously increased his nauie and armie And not long after he marryed his daughter vnto Seleucus and he him selfe hauing buryed his first wife married Ptolomeyes daughter Wherby he being againe recouered besieged Athens and forced them for famine to yealde the citie vnto him The famin was so great that the father and the sonne fought with bloudie swordes for a mouse that fell downe from an house and men diuided beanes into
diuers parts to giue vnto their childrē Then placing a strong garrison in Athens he gaue Archidamus the king of Lacedemonia a mightie ouerthrow and entering Laconica vanquished him againe in an other battell and besieged the citie the which he had doubtlesse taken the which neuer man had done vntill that day if that to interrupt the course of his victorie in Peloponesus sorrowfull newes had not bene brought him that his cities in Asia were assayled by Lysimachus and Cyprus also would be won by Ptolomey vnlesse that he hasted out of hande to succour his mother and children who were streightly besieged in Salamina the chiefe citie thereof Demetrius being sore moued with these heauie tydings brake vp the siege of Lacedemon But being very pensiue and sorrowfull for this mishap fortune made him merrie againe with an other good occasion For Cassanders two sonnes Antipater and Alexander contending for the kingdome of Macedonia Alexander desired Demetrius to come vnto his ayde of whome he was at the firste verie friendly and honourably enterteined but anon after Demetrius vnderstanding that Alexander layd awaites to murther him he caused his souldiers to slay Alexander as he came out from supper then the cause of his death being declared in an assembly of the people Demetrius was proclamed king of Macedonia And also Lysimachus being oppressed with the warres of the king of Thrace gaue him a part of the kingdome of Macedonie which had befalne vnto his sonne in lawe Antipater the other brother that he might not haue warres with him also seing that he was then not able to match the Thracian And to augment his good luck he was certified that Ptolomey was departed from Cyprus Demetrius hauing thus gotten Macedonia with Thessalia subdued also all the Boetians And then hauing intelligence that Lysimachus was taken prisoner by Dromichetes king of Thrace he inuaded his kingdome The which occasion the Boetians hauing gotten rebelled the whiche reuoked Demetrius into Gréece while he was busied in subduing of the Boetians Pyrrhus king of Epyrus soudenly becomming his enimie wasted Thessalia Wherefore Demetrius after he had wonne Thebes and made a rode into Aetolia leauing a part of his power in Aetolia vnder the gouernment of Pantachus went foorth him selfe with the rest of his armie to reuenge the iniuries of Pyrrhus whose countries he wasted But Pyrrhus marching in array of battell to fight with Demetrius I knowe not by what aduenture happened on his Lieftenant Pantachus whome he slue in combate wherevnto Pantachus had challenged him and then the armie being dismayde with the losse of their capteine incontinently fled The fame of this ouerthrowe got Pyrrhus a great name among the Macedons whose hearts Demetrius his pryde had muche alienated from him in so much that when he fell sicke at Pella Pyrrhus spoyled wasted almost all Macedonia and not one man wold go out into the field against him vntil that Demetrius was recouered who hauing greater matters in his head dissembled this iniurie made peace with Pyrrhus preparing a mightie armie of 100000. footemen and 10000. horsmen and a nauie of 500. ships among whome were galleys with sixtéene bankes of eares for to inuade Asia and to recouer his fathers kingdome But this huge armie was almost oppressed before it did set foorth For Seleucus Lysimachus and Ptolomey being feared with this so great preparation did knitte them selues in a league together against him and did set foorth both by sea and lande all the power they were able to make they had also wonne by ambassage Pyrrhus to inuade Macedonia telling him plainely that Demetrius would no longer haue peace with him then vntill such time as he had done his exploites in Asia and then wold he vpō him with al his power to hurle him out of his kingdom all the which things they easily persuaded Pyrrhus to beléeue Wherevppon he at one side and Lysimachus on an other at one time inuading Macedonie and also a fléete sent by Ptolomey soudenly setting vppon the sea coast of Gréece filled all places full of feare and trembling Then Demetrius leauing his son to guard Gréece went him selfe in person against Lysimachus But before he was come vnto this enimie behold news was brought with a great vprore that the citie of Beria in Macedonia was taken by Pyrrhus and all the countrie neare aboutes miserably wasted with fire and sworde This newes much troubled Demetrius mynde but the reuolting of the Macedons farre more who nowe began to refuse to serue in that voyage Wherefore Demetrius to reteine them in their duetie promised that he would goe against Pyrrhus to saue Macedonie from spoyle This he pretended but the very cause in déede was for that he woulde be farre off from Lysimachus to whome the talke was that the Macedons minded to reuolt bycause he was their countriman Wherefore thinking that they were not so much inclined vnto Pyrrhus he had retyred from Lysimachus when that certaine Macedons comming into the campe from Beria had by extolling Pyrrhus with singular prayses and commendations brought their countrimen vnto that point that they brake out into an open mutinie and rebellion Demetrius hauing intelligence of those thinges which were in bruing and thinking it not good to expect a more hostile and woorse chaunce did put off his royall robes and ensignes and fled with a small traine in a blacke cloake vnto the citie Cassandria where his wife wearied with woe killed her selfe with poyson Not long after that Demetrius was crept away Pyrrhus setting vpon his armie the whiche was forsaken by their capteines at the first shout scattered them and being honourably receiued of the Macedons got both the campe and the kingdome the whiche had bene vnder Pyrrhus sixe yeares but nowe was diuided betwéen Pyrrhus Lysimachus Then fled Demetrius vnto Thebes where one scoffingly applyed vnto him that verse of Euripides he came vnto the Dyrcean springs and Ismenus his diuine and godly fourme and shape being chaunged in to a mortall But Demetrius gathering together all his ships whome the cruell tempest whiche about the same time had almost drowned and destroyed his whole fléete had lefte him and also the remnants of his lost armie wearied a little while with siege of the citie of Athens the whiche with fortune had chaūged their fidelitie but at the length through the persuasion of Crator the Philosopher he brake vp the siege and hauing almost eleuen thousande men vnder his banner wasted ouer into Asia to auert Caria and Lycia from the dominion of Lysimachus And hauing gotten Sardis the chiefe citie of Lydia and other places of that Prouince he had wel increased his armie when fearing the approche of Agathocles Lysimachus his sonne he diuerted into Phrygia thinking that if he coulde get Armenia that then the state of the Medes woulde easily be disturbed He marched in the Champain countrie often skirmishing with Agathocles who followed him stil at the harde héeles and Demetrius was victor
life in bondage and Philippe king of Macedonie the mightiest kinge of all Europe saies Diodorus in his time and who durst for the largenesse of his Empire for he conquered Thessalia Greece and manie other countries adioyning vnto him reckon himselfe matche vnto the twelue Goddes slaine by his subiecte Pausanias at the sumptuous mariage of his daughter vnto the kinge of Epyrus in the middest of his myrth yea and of his conquestes whē he had leuied two hundreth thousand Greekes foote men and fifteen thousand horsemen besides the power of Macedonie Thessaly and all his Barbarous dominions to inuade the Persian and Antiochus kinge of Sy ria surnamed the noble who was slaine going aboute to spoile the temple of Diana at Helimais omittinge also the two walls of Greece Milciades and Themistocles of whome the one destroyed the huge armie of Darius and the other of Xerxes and mightie Emperours of Persia afterwarde died both in great miserie the one beeing caste into prison by the vnthankfull people and the other banished where he poysoned himselfe and the two lightes of the Romaine Empire the two Scipiones Africani of whome the one was banished out of his countrie the which he not only had conserued from the rage of Hanibal but also enlarged with the dominions of the Hispaines and all Asia on this side Taurus but the younger after he had razed Carthage and Numantia the two terrors of the Romaines was one night shamefully murdered at Rome in his bedde without anie inquisition after made howe hee came vnto this vnworthy ende to whome his countrie was almost as muche bounde as vnto their founder Romulus whom they cruelly tare in péeces shewing at the verie firste what rewarde all their benefactours shoulde looke for of that vnthankefull and vngratious people passinge also ouer in silence Lucius Sylla who onely of all men named himselfe happie because that hee had oppressed the libertie of his countrie and proscribed and slaine so manie of his countrie men was eaten to deathe with lice his bodie gnawing it selfe and breeding his owne punishemente nor Dionysius the elder who of a meane man became Lorde of the mightie state of Syracusae yea and of the whole Islande of Sicyl out of the whiche hee expelled the Carthaginians and subdued manie cities in Italie and was growne vnto this power that he was able to bringe sixscore thousande footemen and twelue thousande horsemen into the fielde and foure hundreth shippes into the sea yet at length beeing broken with continuall warres was slaine by his owne people nor yet rehersinge the vnfortunate fatall fall in fighte of the three gemmes of Greece Lysander Epaminondas and Pelopidas and the maniefolde foiles and finally the banishment of the fourth and laste famous capteine of Greece Conon nor Hanibal the honour of Afrike banished his countrie and after diuers wandringes forced to poyson himselfe leste he shoulde haue beene a Maye game vnto the yrefull Romaines nor Brennus kinge of the wanderinge Galles the terrour of Greece who slewe him selfe after that he sawe his inuincible armie destroyed from heauen nor Aurelianus who reduced into one the Romaine Empire beeing manie yeares torne into péeces by thirtie tyrants but was slaine by his seruaunt nor Alboinus the founder of the kingdome of the Lombardes in Italie murdered by the treason of his owne wife Nowe Enghist who first brought into Britaine the Saxons chaunged the name of a parte therof into England slaine with a great power in battell after that he had seene his brother Horsa fallen by the like feate nor the valiantest capteine that euer serued Prince Belisarius who triumphed eftsoones of the Persians and reduced vnto the Romaine Empire bothe Africa Italie whiche had beene longe time quietly possessed by the Vandalles and Gothes yet he whome no mans might could mate cursed enuie ouerthrewe raysed by a displeasure taken againste his proude wife by the insolente Empresse who stirred the shameful indignation of her husband not only to bereaue him of his sight but also of his goodes so that he was forced to begge his breade who had triumphed ouer all partes of the worlde Nor minding to recite Orchanes the seconde Prince of the Turkes who after that he had conquered Mysia Lycaonia Phrygia Caria and the citie of Prusa extended his Empire vnto the Hellesponte and the Sea Euxine was slaine in a greate ouerthrowe giuen him by the Tartars nor his sonne Amurathes slaine by a slaue of the Dispotes of Seruia after that hee had conquered a greate parte of Thrace the lower Mysia the Triballes and Besses and discomfited in a greate battell the power of Seruia and Bulgaria nor howe his sonne Baiazet after that he had subdued all Thrace excepte Pera and Constantinople the whiche he besieged eyghte yeares and doubtlesse had taken it if that he fearing the cōminge of Sigismunde the Emperour with a greate power and not broken vp the siege to giue the Westerne Christians that famous foile at Nicopolis and afterwarde wonne Macedonia Thessalia Phocis and Attica was takē prisoner by Tamberlaine with the losse of two hundreth thousande Turkes and made during all the reste of his lamentable life a miserable blocke for the proud victor to mounte on horsebacke and also was carried aboute with him in an yron cage to gnawe bones vnder the table among his dogges nor howe the Martiall prince of the Moscouies Swatoslawe after that he had subdued Bulgaria and all the countrie euen vnto Thonawe discomfited the Emperours of Greece with their huge armie forced thē to redéeme the sacke of Constantinople with a greate weight of golde was at the length slaine in an ambushe by Cures Prince of Pleczenig and a maizer made of his scull about the which was ingrauen by seekinge other mennes he loste his owne nor howe the three Italian tyrantes of our time of whom two were Creti sanguine Diuum two Popes sonnes the thirde a neare Sib vnto Pope Clemens the seuenth who oppressing wrongfully the libertie of his countrie aduaunced this vnthriftie bastarde Alexander Di medici vnto the Duchie of Florence where within fewe yeares for his tyrannie and lecherie he was hated of all men and slaine by his cosen and familiar Laurence Di medici the which fate also befell for his semblable manners vnto Peter Luigi created by his father Paule the thirde Duke of Placentia and Parma but that greater vilanies were done vnto his deade bodie by the angrie multitude the thirde but the firste in order of age was Caesar Borgia sonne vnto Alexander the sixte one that for cruel murderinge of noble men passed the cursed memorie of Tyberius Caligula Claudius Nero Domitian Commodus Seuerus and al the rest of those Romaine Monsters And firste to lay a fit foundation for his ambitious buylding he caused his elder brother Frauncis Duke of Candia to be murthered in the citie one night after
of Guasto at Ceresoles in Piemont And fiue yeares after he had tamed the Almanes they through the reuolting of his capteines Morice Duke of Saxon and Albert Marques of Brandenburge who then besieged Mayndenburg and the helpe of the French king Henrie not onely recouered their libertie and forced him to set frée Iohn Duke of Saxon and the Lantgraue but also to saue him selfe by flying ouer the mountaines of Tyroll by torche light Immediately after this dishonour ensued the frustrate siege of Metz wonne in this tumult from the Empire by the Frenche men the whiche he brake vp before he had euer assaulted it casting a wonderfull masse of Martiall furniture into the ryuer that he might thereby more easily reduce his armie brought very weake by many incommodities The common opinion is that he lost there aboue fortie thousand men besides the incomparable detriment of excellent horses and innumerable other things the acerbitie whereof did not so muche vexe his mynde as the losse of his fame and estimation So that the sorrowe conceiued for this most greuous iniurie of spiteful fortune did quite breake his heart whiche at other times had béene inuincible and specially séeing that the exployt was not atchieued whereof he him selfe was precisely the onely author and conductour Wherefore after this cruell chaunce he for the most part lay hidden and was sicke both in bodie and mynde and within thrée yeares after gaue vp all his inheritaunces conquestes and purchases vnto his sonne Philip and the gouernement of the Empire vnto his brother Ferdinando and vtterly lothing the worlde inclosed him selfe in an house of religion where he dyed at the age of fiftie and eight yeares The xl Chapter Of Solomon king of the Israelites SOlomon passed for renoune of wisedome riches and largenesse of dominions all the kinges that euer reigned ouer the peculiar people of god For he is sayd to haue extended his kingdome from Euphrates to the Syrian and the Aegyptian seas and to haue subdued by armes the Cananites that inhabited vpon and about mount Lybanus who vntill that day had neuer bene subiect vnto the Israelites but Solomon made them all bondmen and from thence along time after did the Israelites fetch all their slaues He also built many great cities as Asotus Magedon Zazarum and Palmyra and walled all the townes in Israell that were not before defensed he kept continually fortie thousand horses for field chariots vnlesse there be a fault in the number for in the thirde of the Kinges are numbred but a hundreth and fortie chariots and 12000 horsmen He built him also a great fléete the which he vsed to sende vnto Ophir for golde and precious stones and at one voiage they brought him foure hundreth and fiftie talents of golde and at an other seuen hundreth thrée score and sixe Yea there was yearely brought vnto Solomon sixe hundreth thrée score and sixe talents of golde the whiche doe amount séeing that at the least euery one of their talents were seuentie poundes fourtéen hundreth and sixe fiftie thousand eight hundreth seuentie fiue pounde of our monie besides that whiche they that were appointed to gather vp the kings reuenues customes and tributes and the merchants the legates of all countries all the kings of Arabia yea al the princes of the world did vse to present him which was with precious stones horses spices swéete odors and what so euer was accounted pretious So that not only all the vessels belonging vnto his table were of golde hee also had his statelye throne of Iuorie adorned with manie grieces and Lyons of golde but siluer was in no estimation in the citie of Hierusalem where it was as common as stones and the sumptuous Cedar as wilde Mulberie trees that grew in euery hedg and the Israelites became so riche that not one of them did anie bodily labour but their necessitie therein was altogether wholy supplied by straungers they only folowing armes But nothing did so muche declare the greate riches of the kinge as the sumptuous temple that he built of twētie cubites broad three score long an hundreth twentie high of white stone faire glistering Cedar al guylt with verie fine gold both within and without and his péerelesse palace of the same stuffe and garnishing and finally the riche furniture of the temple wherein were many tables of Golde and siluer and namely the greate table whereuppon the holy loaues were sette was of cleane golde the rest béeing not muche vnlike neither in stuffe nor workemanshipp on whome stoode twentie thousande cuppes and boles of golde and fourtie thousande of siluer tenne thousande candlestickes of golde and double as manye of siluer eight thousande dishes of golde to put in fine flower to offer at the altar and double as manye of siluer and also thréescore thousande standing cuppes of golde in whome they did incorporate the flower oyle and double as many of siluer ten thousande of golde of the measures called Hin which conteined of our measure about two gallons and a quart and double as many of siluer twentie thousande shippes of golde to carrie incense into the temple and fiftie thousande of the same metall to carrrie Franckincense from the greate altar vnto the little of trumpets two hundreth thousande and foure hundreth thousande of musicall instruments the one and the other beeing of Electrum that is a metall where a fifte parte of siluer is mixed with golde and two hundreth thousand roabes of Bissine for the Leuites In this wealth and iolitie led he his life a long time farre from any mishappy or feare of foe but in continual peace and tranquilitie vntil his latter dayes when that ouer greate felicitie had made him to forgett God and to fall to ydolatrie as he him selfe had feared long before that it would do wherefore he had requested of God neither aboundaunce nor scarcitie as both hurtfull to Godlinesse When he had thus vnthankfully reuolted from him who had made him to like so well of him selfe God sent him this mournefull message by his Prophet that because he had broken couenaunt with him hee woulde also breake and teare into péeces his kingdome and giue it vnto his seruaunt but not in his dayes for his father Dauides sake but in his sonnes to whome yet he would leaue one Trybe for the loue that he bare vnto his graundfather Dauid and the citie of Hierusalem neither was the iust wrath of God asswaged by this dradfull denunciation the which no doubt did thoroughly pierce the heart of sorrowfull Solomon but that he also stirred him vp enimies of vile persons incessantly to vexe him First Adan an Idumean who hauing escaped the hastie handes of Dauid embrued with the bloud of all the males of Idumea after he had long lurked in Aegypt returned into Idumea to be a continuall terrour and trouble vnto aged Solomon then Adadezer who of a fugitiue seruaunt became a capteine théefe and after king of Damascus and with his
fall that neither their brotherly bloud nor impotent age could persuade the bofull man securitie But anon after that he had wonne Constantinople the stately seate of the Easte Empire and slaine the Emperour therein before Belgrade which he boasted that hee woulde take within fiftéene dayes whereas as his father had like a cowarde in vayne béesieged it seuen monethes bee was by a sallie out of the towne daungerously hurte vnder the pappe his armie discomfited his campe taken with all his ordinaunce martiall furniture and carriages and hee him selfe gladde to séeke safetie by the benefite of a darke night yea so great was his ouerthrowe that it was thought by men of wisedome and experience that if the Hungarians had prosecuted the victorie they might haue driuen him out of Constantinople The next morning when he was come vnto himselfe after the rage of his wound was somewhat abated and vnderstoode howe great a foile he had taken he would haue poisoned himselfe that he mighte not returne home in so great dishonour and was hardly letten by his friends from doing thereof Hee could neuer abide after to heare or speake of this foule foile as often as he vnwillingly minded it he would teare his beard fetch déepe sighes gastly grind his téeth cruelly cursing that dismall day the which he did all his life after accompt for a blacke and infortunate But after this tempestuous storme the which had néere destroyed him a wished winde gan blowe againe and he conquered the Empire of Trapezonda the Isles of the Aegean sea or Archipelago Miteleno and Bosna the Peloponesus or Morea the whiche the Venetians and two of the Paleologi possessed brake downe the strong wall that the Venetians had builte in the Isthme of Corinthe and gott those townes which the Venetians had in Morea and by bloudie assault Eubea now Nigrepont Hauing thus fortunately subdued Constantinople and all Greece with the Islands thereabouts it was a great eye sore for him to sée the royall Rhodes frée from his bondage wherefore frowning fortune pricked him forth to assaile it with many a foule bloudie foile receiued both by sea land thus when force failed hee sought to take it by treason suborning many false knaues who vnder colour of fugitiues should betray it vnto him but when that neither this foxes skinne ioyned to his Lions was long enough to reach the Rhodes hee feigned great friendship if that they would vouchsafe to pay him any trifle in the name of tribute yea or present him with any gift but when that nothing would be graunted vnto the enimie of Christe and hee had vainely spent thrée yeares in these toyes he fell againe to force inuading it with a mightie fléete and fourescore thousand men but with no better successe then that after hée had lost 7000. souldiours at the landing and two thrée thousand at euery assault of whome hée made very many during his aboade there of thrée monethes hée was forced to depart home with incredible losse of men and munition and much greater of his honour But when his hautie heart could not rest in this great dishonour but prepared for the reuenge thereof and also to conquere proud Italie as hée termed it where his mightie armie being landed had taken Otronto his purpose was preuented in the one and the prosperous course of his conquestes corrupted in the other through his sondeine death when he had liued 58. yeares and reigned 31. The xlvij Chapter Of Selime the first great Lord of the Turkes SELIME that came vnto the Empire of the Turkes by murthering of his father brothers brothers children ouerthrew in battell the mightie Sophie in the middest of his realme and toke his chiefe cities of Chois Tauris subdued the Aladuli that inhabite the mountaine Taurus conquered the Empire of Aegypt that stretched on one side vnto the desartes of Arabia the streightes of the redd sea and to Aethiope and on the other vnto Cilicia staying two Soldanes yet this man who was of rare felicitie in all his attemptes was ouerthrowen and hurt in the battel that he sought against his father and also made such an hautie retire out of the Persian dominions that it might very well be termed a fearefull flight loosing a great number of his men his ordinance and his carriages in the passing ouer of Euphrates the Persians hotly pursuing them And when hée had escaped the Sophie hée was no lesse endammaged and endaungered by the Aladuli And finally this furie of hell that threatened vtter destruction to the Christian name reigned not aboue seuen yeares but died miserably of an eating Vlcer in his reynes which consumed so much fleshe in one night that a man might turne his fist round in the hole yéelding vpp his wicked spirite at the village of Chiurle where hée had vngraciously before foughten against his father The xlviij Chapter Of Ferdinande the sixt king of Hispaine FERDINANDE the sixte king of Arragon and Sicyl that had by his wife the rich kingdomes of Castill and Lions and won by sword the kingdoms of Granata that had béene in the handes of the Moores almost eight hundreth yeares of Naples and Nauarre and an other world of rich countries in the West Indies had a great and yet an harmelesse admonition of mans tickle state at the siege of Granata For a Moore burning in desire of deliuering his countrie out of perill by a desperate attempt of killing the king and Quéene of Hispaine came out of the towne into the Hispanish campe feigning that he had brought cōditions of peace and desiring to be admitted vnto the kinges and Quéenes presence but hee was put by his purpose thoroughe a meruailous chaunce or rather by Gods special prouision for a noble man of Hispaine that lay in a goodly and riche hall sent for this Moore to come vnto him being very desirous to vnderstand what newes the Moore brought The noble man sate at that instant at dinner with his wife whome the Moore taking by their brauerie to be the king and the Quéene assaulted them sore wounding them both but yet was stayed from killing them by the rescue of their seruants But afterward whē that this victorious king returned from the glorious conquest of the kingdome of Graneta and rode into Darselona in triumphant maner with the great acclamations of the people ringing his renowne hee had in the middest of that proud pompe almost loste both life and kingdome For one Canemas a Cathelane who séemed to haue béene long time molested with the madde melancholie thincking to haue killed the king in his chiefest iolitie gaue him a great wound in the neck Neither could any other cause of doing this desperate facte be wrounge from him by all kinde of terrible tormentes then that he hoped if that Ferdinando had béene slaine to become king himself being a very poore knaue the which thing he said had béene told him oftentimes by an Angel. On so féeble fléeting a
foūdation do kingdoms stand on so tottering a stoole do princes sitt that sporting Fortune séemes oftentimes to put them into the hand of a madd man But nothing did more manifestly shewe vnto him his brittle blisse then the reuolting of all the noble men of the farther Hispaine except the duke of Alua vnto Philip duke of Burgogie who had maried his eldest daughter and heire at his arriual in Hispaine after the death of Quéene Isabell they eftsones saying that they would rather adore the sunne rising then going downe The griefe of this shamefull forsaking of him did so gripe the aged princes heart that not being able to endure the dishonour to be a subiecte where hee had long reigned he left Hispaine and sailed with his newe wife vnto Naples chosing rather to cōmit himselfe vnto the doubtfull faith of the gouernour and conquerour of that flourishing kingdome whom the report was minded to reuolt make himselfe king of Naples the which hée might easily haue done then vnto the open ill wills and rebellion of the vnfaithful Hispaniards And doubtlesse hee was in very great danger of being vtterly excluded out of his kingdomes of Castill Lions if that God had not shortly after taken out of the world his sonne in lawe who was so alienated from him that when the courteous king laden with wearisome yeares had taken a lōg paineful iourney to receiue him at the water the proud and vnciuil duke would not vouchsafe to shew him any countenaunce But after he had giuen him scornefully a word or two and them too in French which the king vnderstood not he flange away from him al the nobilitie with him The xlix Chapter Of William Conquerour BVt nowe after that wee haue romed long abroad in all forreigne lands let vs returne home vnto our owne countrie take a view of such Princes as haue by dint of sword atteined the imperial crowne thereof or enlarged the dominions least we may be thought to be like vnto the Lamiae in Poets whome they do faine to sée very exactly when they are abroad but to be starke blinde at home William bastard sonne vnto Robert duke of Normandie who left him his heire although by puissance he cōquered this land discomfited in battel the king of Denmarke forced the king of Scotland for feare to do him homage sweare him fealtie yet the often rebellions and secrete treasons of the Englishmen Normans the perfidiousnes of his owne déere brother Odo in whom he reposed his greatest trust the wicked reuolting of his eldest sonne Robert vnto the French king with his aide his daungerous inuasion of Normandie his arme thrust through in fight and his vnhorsing by that vnnaturall child and his bowelles sore brused by a leape off his horse in his last voyage against the French king of the intollerable torments whereof he died will not suffer him to be enrolled among the happie But nothing in my mind doth more manifestly bewray his infelicitie then that he had not so much ground at his death as could couer his carcase without doing an other man wrong and that which the begger hath without contradiction was denied and forbidden this mightie king Hée had built S. Stephens Church at Cane in Normandie where he would be buried vppon an other mans ground and had not payed the owner for it who being then a very poore man yet nothing fearing the funeral pompe and the great number of nobles attending on the corps did thrust through the thickest thronge of the solemne traine like vnto a madd man and got him to the Church doore wherein he stoode stoutly to withstand the bearing into the Church of the kings body crying out with a lowde voice Hée that in his life time oppressed kingdomes by his furious force hath hitherto with feare also oppressed mee but I that do suruiue him that hath done me the wronge will not graunt rest and peace vnto him now he is dead The place whereinto ye doe carrie this dead man is mine I claime that it is not lawfull for any man to lay a dead body in an other mans ground But if that the case do so stand that when as now at the length through the grace of good God the author of this so vnworthie a wrong is extinguished yet force still doth flourish I do appeale vnto Rhollo the founder father of this nation who alone is of greater power by the lawes which he ordeyned then is any mans iniurie And therewithal I know not whether by hap or mans fraud there soudeinly was séene a great fire which raged on the Church the houses neere adioyning then euery body spéedily running to quench the fire left the kinges corps desolate all alone onely Henrie the kings youngest sonne could not be gotten frō his fathers body who being feared with as it were the manifest wrath of God presently paid the poore mā for his ground discharged his fathers iniurious spirite But these blisselesse bones of his which so hardly obteined entumbing did afterward as vnluckily againe lose it in Anno Domini 1562. when Chastillion conducting reliquias Danaum atque immitis Achillis those that had escaped at the battell at Dreax toke the citie of Cane For certaine sauage souldiours accompanied with foure Capteynes did beate downe and vtterly deface the noble tumbe and monument of that renowmed conquerour and victorious king and pulled out all his bones which they spitefully threwe away when that they could not finde the treasure that they falsly surmised had béen layed vp there as I haue béene certainly enformed by Englishmen of very good credite faithfull fauourers of the reformed who sawe this sorrowfull sight scarse without distilling teares And also Theuet maketh mention of this matter in his vniuersall Cosmographie writing of Cane The l. Chapter Of Henrie the second HENRIE the second had by his father the Earledomes of Aniow Toures and Maine by his mother the kingdome of England and the duchie of Normandie and by his wife the mightie duchie of Aquitane and the earledome of Poitow conquered the kingdome of Ireland and toke prisoner in battell the king of Scottes but this his glistering glorie was fouly darkened by the shamefull submission of his crowne vnto the Romane Sée as Platina their recorder doth report or certes by binding himselfe vnto vnreasonable conditions to abate the enuie of the murther of Thomas the archbishop of Canterburie as our Chronicles do record and by the daungerous and wicked warres a long time kept in Normandie Fraunce and England with al his vngodly sonnes Henrie Richard Gefferie and Iohn yea and his owne wife and their mightie confederats the kings of Fraunce and Scotland with a great number of the English nobilitie and after the death of his vngracious sonne Henrie by the second reuolting of his sonne Richard vnto the French king who wan from him in those warres a great part of the duchie of Normandie and besieged him in the