Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	condition_n	king_n	mistrust_v	16	3	15.9391	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35513	The life and death of Alexander the Great, King of Macedon in ten books / by Curtius Rufus ... done into English by the same hand that translated the last volume of The holy court.	Curtius Rufus, Quintus.; Codrington, Robert, 1601-1665.	1674 (1674)	Wing C7697B; ESTC R29693	278,363	514

man would have judged that the whole Wood had been on a flame for there was scarcely space ●eft betwixt the fires for men to stand Then their nummed joynts began to be moved with the heat and their spirits which were oppressed by the force of the cold began to have their free recourse some recovered the Cottages which necessity caused them to seek out in the uttermost part of the Wood and the rest recovered the Camp which was planted in a moist ground but by that time the Shower was ceased the Tempest had consumed one thousand Souldiers with Varlets and Slaves It is said that divers were frozen to death leaning against Trees and yet seemed as though they had been living and speaking together It chanced that a common Souldier of the Macedons who had much pain to go and carry his Armour came at last into the Camp where the King was who notwithstanding that he was cha●ing of his own body against the fire yet he did rise out of his Chair and pulling off the nummed Souldiers Armour who was almost past his remembrance he set him down in his Seat He a great while knew not where he sate or who had received him but at length when his natural heat came to him and he perceived it to be his Kings Seat and the King to be there present he was afraid and did start up again But Alexander beheld him in the face and said Perceivest thou not now my Souldier with how much better condition thou livest then the Persians do under their Kings for it is death to them to sit in the Kings Seat and the same hath been the safeguard of thy life The next day he called his friends and the Captains of his Army together promising to restore to them whatsoever they had lost wherein he performed his promise for Sisimethres bringing unto him many Beasts of burthen with 2000 〈◊〉 and a great number of Sheep and Oxen he distributed all amongst the Souldiers wher in he both restored to them their loss and also delivered them from their hunger The King gave great thanks unto Sisimethres and commanding his Souldiers to carry six days Victuals ready dressed he marched against the Sacans where he destroyed all their Country and of the Booty there taken he gave thirty thousand sheep in gift to Sisimethres From thence he came unto a Country belonging to a Noble Prince called Cohortanus who subjected himself unto the King and he again restored his Country to him exacting nothing of his but that of his three Sons he should send two of them to serve him in his Wars But Cohortanus offer●d to him all three and made a feast unto Alexander with such sumptuousness as belong●d to the manner of their Country therein all the pleasures being shewed that could be devised Thirty Virgins of the Noble-mens children were brought in 〈◊〉 Alexander amongst whom there was Cohortanus Daughter called Roxane who in beauty and excellency of personage and comelin●ss of apparel 〈◊〉 amongst those Nations excelled all the rest And notwithstanding that they were all of excellent Beauty with whom she was accompanied yet she drew all mens eyes towards her and especially the Kings who could not well now govern his affections in such prosperity of fortune it being an infirmity which the frailty of man seldome can avoid Thus he who beheld the Wife of Darius and her two Daughters to whom Roxane was not comparable with no other desires then he might have beheld his Mother was so overcome with the love of a young Virgin being but of mean Parentage if she should be compared to the Bloud of Kings that he affirmed it to be a thing necessary for the Establishment of the Empire for the Persians and Macedons to marry together by which only means shame might be taken from the vanquished and pride from the Conquerours He also shewed a president how Achilles from whom he was descended joyned himself with a Captive And lest his doings should be counted lasciviousness he resolved to take her to him by the way of marriage The Father joyful of this which he looked not for gladly confirmed the Kings words who in the heat of his desire caused Bread to be brought forth according to the custom of his Country the same being the most Religious Ceremony of Marriage amongst the Macedons This Bread was cut asunder with a Sword and each of them made of it a Sacrifice It is to be thought that such as established the Customs of that Nation coveted by a moderate Diet to shew to them that were the gatherers of great Riches with how small a thing they ought to content themselves Thus he who was both King of Asia and Europe joyned himself in Marriage with a Maid brought in at a Masque to beget upon a Captive one that should Reign over the Victorious Macedons His friends were ashamed that he should chuse upon drink a Father-in-law among them whom he had lately subdued But after Clitus death all the liberty and freedom of speech being taken away they seemed to agree with their countenances as with the most apt instrument to declare the consent of their mindes After this was done he prepared his journey towards India purposing to visit the Ocean Sea And because he would leave nothing behinde him that might be an impediment to his expedition he took order for thirty thousand young men to be levied out of all the Provinces and to be brought to him armed minding to use them both as Pledges and as Souldiers He sent Craterus to pursue Haustanes and Gateues of whom the one was taken and the other slain Polipercon also subdued the Country that was called Bubacen and having set all things in order he set his whole imagination upon the War of India which was counted to be a very rich Country and to abound both with Gold Pearls and Precious Stones things appertaining as much to Voluptuousness as Magnificence and it was said that the Souldiers there had their Targets made of Ivory and of Gold And therefore lest he who thought himself to excel the rest should be surpassed in any point he caused his Souldiers to garnish their Targets with Plates of Silver and the Horsemen to beautifie their Bridles with Gold and Silver There were one hundred and twenty thousand armed men that followed Alexander in the War When all things were ripe for what he long before conceived in his evil-disposed minde he thought it time to compass how he might usurp the name and honour of a god and so willed himself not only to be called but also to be believed to be the Son of Jupiter as though his power had been as well to restrain mens thoughts as their tongues His intent was that the Macedons should fall prostrate on the ground and worship him after the same manner that the Persians did their Kings and to such his desire there wanted not pernicious flattery the perpetual poyson of Princes whose Estates have more

he marched towards Euphrates with all the haste he could make in the conveyance of so multitudinous an Army He made there a Bridge and in fifteen days passed over it his people having a great desire to get into Cilicia before his Enemy Alexander had recovered his strength and was come to a City called Solos which the Inhabitants yielded unto him and for two hundred Talents obtained assurance Notwithstanding he put a Garrison into the Castle and there celebrated Plays and Triumphs which he had vowed to Aesculapius and Minerva for the recovery of his health where being so quietly given to his Sport he shewed how little he esteemed the coming of his Enemies Whilst Alexander was busied about these things he received pleasant news how his men won a Battel against the Persians at Halicarnassus and that the Mindians and Cawnians with divers other Nations in those parts were brought under his obedience These Sports being once ended he removed and by a Bridge made over the River of Pyramus he came to the City of Malon and from thence with another motion came to a Town called Castabulum There Parmenio returned to the King who had been sent to search the Streights that lay between them and the City of Issum He had prevented the Persians at that Passage and so leaving men for the defence thereof he possessed himself of the City of Issum that was left desolate He departed from thence and did drive the Persians out of the Mountains searching and clearing all the ways so that having made all things sure for the Army to pass he returned again both the Author of the Act and the Reporter of the thing done Alexander incamped within the City of Issum and there debated in Councel whether it were better to pass on further or else to tarry there for a more sure power which was coming to him out of Macedon Parmenio was of Opinion that this place was most safe to abide Darius in and to give him Battel where both the Armies should be of like force by reason of the Streights wherein no great multitude can fight at once He shewed reasons why they ought to eschew the Plains wherein their Enemies should have great advantage through their great number by which they might close them about wherein he said he feared not his Enemies stoutness but feared their own men might be overcome with weariness where a multitude should fight with a few and fresh men succeed in the place of them that fainted This Counsel was received for good and Alexander determined in the same place to abide his Enemies There was in the Host of the Macedons one Sysenes a Persian sent before time from the Governour of Aegypt unto King Philip who being advanced with reward and promotions chose to live out of his own Country and so following Alexander into Asia was esteemed among those that the King trusted well A Souldier of Greece delivered him a Letter from Nabarzanes Darius Lieutenant he exhorted him to do some notable Enterprise whereby he might win favour and reputation with Darius Sysenes innocent of this matter was divers times about to present the Letter to the King but seeing him full of weighty affairs in providing for the Battel he prolonged the matter and whilest he waited for a more convenient time he brought himself in suspition of Treason for the Letter was brought to the Kings hands before it was delivered to him who reading it did seal the same with a strange Seal and caused it to be delivered to Sysenes to prove thereby his fidelity But because he concealed the thing many days and opened not the matter to the King it seemed that he consented thereunto and therefore by the Kings Commandment he was put to death by the hand of the Grecians The Greek Souldiers which Thimones had received of Pharnabasus being those that Darius trusted most were now come to him They perswaded much Darius to retire back into the Plains of Mesopotamia and if he would not do so that at the least he should divide his power and not commit the whole force of his Estate to one stroke of Fortune This Counsel was not so displeasant unto the King as to such as were about him For they said Mercenary Souldiers were alwayes full of Treason and were to be doubted the more for that they counselled the Army to be divided which was for no other purpose but only that they might have opportunity to fly to Alexander when they should have any charge committed unto them there is nothing therefore more sure for us quoth they than to inclose them round about with our Army and to cut them in pieces for an example to the world that Treason may never be left unrevenged but Darius who was of a meek and good disposition refused to commit so cruel an act in slaying such as had betaken themselves to his trust For he said If we should defile our hands with their blood what strange Nation would ever then commit themselves into our hands and alledged that there ought no man to lose his life for giving foolish Counsel for who would be bold to give counsel if in counselling there should be any peril I call you quoth he to counsel daily and hear the diversity of your opinions and mistrust not them that give me not alwaies the best counsel He caused the Greeks to be answered that he gave them thanks for their good will but in returning back he said that he should give up his Country into his Enemies hands which was not convenient and considering the force that Fame is of in War in going back he alledged he should appear to fly But to defer the fight he thought it worst of all seeing so great an Army as he had the Winter then approaching could not be victualled in a desolate Country that had been wasted both by themselves and by their enemies And for the dividing of his power he shewed that he could not do it observing the custom of his Predecessors who were not wont to hazard the Battel but with all their power He declared that Alexander before his coming seemed terrible to the world and through his absence was brought into a vain presumption but after he saw him come forwards he became wary and well advised hiding himself in the straights of the Mountains like those coward-Beasts who hearing the noise of the Passengers do hide themselves in the dens of the Woods He hath deluded his Souldiers quoth he with his counterfeit sickness but now I will not suffer him to prolong the fight any longer which if he will refuse I will oppress him in his lurking holes These words he spake with greater ostentation than truth and sent his Treasure and Jewels with a small Convoy to Damascus in Syria and entred with his Army into Cilicia bringing with him according to his Country manner both his Mother his Wife his little son and his daughter It so chanced that on the same night in