oneus was slain in battaill.

Antigonus thought hym

not worthie to

be mourned for

cast awaie

self in his mind, and within a while he brake out into these wordes: O my sonne Alcioneus thou hast chaunged life for death, not so sone as of right thou shouldest haue doen, which hast so vndiscretely assailed thine enemies and auentured vpon them, not hauyng regard neither of thine owne life, nor of my often warnynges to beware.

He thought his owne sonne not worthie to bee that had been mourned or sorowed for, whiche had through his owne folie miscaried, & had ben the procurer of his own casting awaie. This is tolde of the report of Plutarchus.

thorowe his owne folie.

30.

Reigne or Empire, sauing for the dignitee is a mutualle seruitude.

A prince perpetuallie careth for the welth of his subiectes.

Thesame Antigonus seyng his sonne Demetrius somewhat fierslie or roughlie, and after a straunge sort of lordlinesse, vsing or handlyng his subiectes, ouer whiche he had empier and dominion, saied: Sonne art thou ignoraunt, that our state of reigning, or beyng kinges, is a seruitude faced or set out, with dignitee & worship?

¶ Nothyng might possibly be spoken, with more high wit or prudence. For aswell is the prince constreined to serue the commoditee of the people, as the people to serue the turne of the Prince, sauyng that the Prince dooeth it with a prerogatiue of dignitee, that thyng accepted, in verie deede it is a mutual seruitude, of the one partie to the other. For the prince bothe night and daie, perpetually careth for the safegard, tranquilitee, defense, commoditees, wealthe, and auauncemente of his subiectes, neuer satisfied ne pleased with his owne felicitee, excepte it bee all well with his people to.

Now to the entent that wee maie after a sorte make some likely matche of Romaines with the Grekes, we shall to Alexander sette Iulius Cesar, to Philip we shall sette Augustus, and to Antigonus we shall tourne Pompeius of Roome.

The

¶ The saiynges of Augustus Caesar.

Octauius Augustus Cesar was the sonne of Octauius by Iulius Cesars sisters doughter, whiche Iulius Cesar the first perpetuall Emperour of Rome, had before his death made a will, by whiche he adopted, that is to say freely chose thesaid Augustus to be his sonne and heire, and executour, and successour, Augustus then beeyng a young man absent from Rome, a scholare or studente in Apollonia (a good citee of Macedonie 7. miles from the sea into the lande ward, at the first inhabited by Corinthians, purposelie sent thether to inhabite, when it was deserte) afterward this Augustus being come to Rome, and set in possession of soche gooddes, as thesaid Iulius had lefte vnto him, and hauing pourchased the fauour and benouolence of the citezens, by reason of distributing certain legacies of Iulius vnto the people, he ioyned himself in societee with Marcus Antonius, & Marcus Lepidus. And these three diuided all the whole Empier of Rome betwene them, to hold by strong hande, as it had been by a iuste and right title of enheritaunce due vnto them. In processe Augustus and Antonius (not withstanding all bondes of societee, league, and alliaunce) fell out, and warred either againste the other, Antonius at length was driuen into Egipt, where he was receiued into the citee of Alexandria, and aided by Cleopatra the quene there (who loued him.) And there did he gore himself through the bealie with a sworde. And Augustus tooke Cleopatra, and all her richesse and iewelles, and wonne the citee, &c.

253

us, and tooke

Hen Rhymerales kyng of the Thracians I. (who had emong other kinges mo for- Rhymerales king of the saken Antonius, and taken the parte Thracians forof Augustus) did at a certain banquet sooke Antoniverie arrogantly, or with many high braggyng the part of Auwordes, make greate vaunte of his desertes to- gustus Caesar. wardes Cæsar, and without ende entwityng the- What Augussame, with taking his part in warre, made moch tus Caesar tittle tattle, nor would in nowise linne pratyng Rhymerales thereof: Cæsar makyng as though he marked not the reprochefull chattyng of thesaied Rhymirales, dranke to one other of the kinges, and saied: The treason I loue well, but the traitours I doe not commende.

said when

made vaunte towardes him.

of his desertes

No thanke at al is due to them that dooe an other bodie ¶ Signifiyng, no thankes at all to be due vnto soche a pleasure, by persones, as haue doen a man a good turne, by com- committing mitting

treason on their owne behalf.

2.

The clemencie

wardes the Alexandrines when he had won & taken their cite.

mitting treason on their own partie. For though the pleasure, that thei shewen be for the tyme acceptable, yet are the parties selues reputed for naughtie feloes, and breakers of league and faithfull promises afore made to an other.

When thinhabitauntes of Alexandria ( the hedde citee of all Egypte) after their citee entred and of Augustus to- taken by force of armes, thought to haue none other grace, but vtter exterminacion by fier and bloudshed, Augustus got him vp into an high place, taking with hym euen by the hande, one Arius a Philosophier of thesame citee borne, and saied vnto the people, that he did freelie perdon the citee: first for the greatnes and goodlinesse of the citee self: secondarily, for the respecte of Alexander the great, that was the firste founder, edifier, and builder of it and finally for to do his frende Arius a pleasure.

For what causes Augustus frelie perdoned

the citee of Alexandria.

Arius a Philosophier of Alexandria, to whom Augustus for his lerning shewed moche honor & frendship & familiaritee. And (as Plutarchus in the

life of Marcus

Antonius writeth) euen at this tyme, besides this highe point of honor

shewed to

wardes Arius,

¶ It was a poincte of mercifulnesse, not many times seen or heard of, not to riefle or spoile a citee whiche had moste stubbernely and obstinatly rebelled, but no lesse praise deserued, that same his greate ciuilitee, that the thanke of soche a benefit as this was, he toke not to himself, but gaue one yea, and the principall parte of thesame vnto the citee self, an other porcion he attributed vnto Alexander, whose memoriall he knewe to be of moste high acceptacion emong the Alexandrines, the third piece he put ouer to Arius, a burgoise of thesame Citee, with so high a title, commendyng and setting forthe his frende, vnto his owne

he did at the in- countremen.

tercession of the

same, perdon many particulare persones, whiche had dooen him moche displeasure, and had deserued not onelie his displeasure, but also all extremitee.

3.

When it was complained vnto Augustus, that one Erotes the solliciter of Egypte had bought a quaille, whiche in fightyng would beate as many

as

as came, and at no hande could be beaten, or put to the worse, and the same quaille beyng rosted, to haue eaten vp euery morsell: he commaunded the feloe to be brought afore him, and the cause well discussed, immediatly vpon the parties confessyng of the cause, he commaunded thesame to be hanged vp on the top of a maste of a ship. ¶ Judgyng hym vnworthie to liue, who for so small a delite of his owne throte, or deintee mouthe, had not spared a birde, whiche in fightyng might many a long for eating of daie, and to many a persone, haue shewed pleasure and solace, and the whiche furthermore, by a certain gladde signe of good lucke to ensue, betokened vnto Caesar perpetuall successe, and prosperyng in his

warres.

Erotes the solliciter of Egypt, put to death by Augustus

a quaille.

In the countree of Sicile, in the steede or place 4: of Theodore, he made Arius capitain or lieuetenaunte. And when a certain persone put vp vnto Cæsar a supplicacion or bille of complaint, in whiche were writen these woordes: The pield chief citee in pated Theodore of Tharsus was a briber and a Cilicia, where theefe, what semeth you? the bil perused, Au- .s. Paule was gustus subscribed nothing but this onely, Mesemeth.

Tharsus the

borne.

Unto Athenodorus a Philosophier, by the pre- 5. texte or excuse of olde age, makyng instaunt request that he might haue licence to departe home againe into his countree, Augustus graunted his desire. But when Athenodorus had taken his leaue, and all of the emperour, beyng in minde and will to leaue with thesame, some monumente or token of remembraunce, meete and seming for a Philosophier, this he said more then euer he had doen tofore. Sir emperor at what time thou shalt be angred, neither saie, ne do thou any thing, before that thou shalte haue

rekened

What counsaill Atheno

dorus a Philosophier gaue vnto Augustus againste the furious heate

of sodain anger

Of faithful silence the rewardes are daungerlesse.

To kepe in angre that it brek

not out into woordes, is a pointe of saftie.

An holsom

lesson geuyng deserueth at

the handes of a Prince an high recompense.

rekened vp by rewe, one after other in thy minde the names of the .24. letters of the Greke alphebete. Then Cæsar frendly taking the Philosophiers hand in his, said: Yet a while longer haue I nede of thy compaignie and presence about me. And so kept hym there with hym stil, euen a full yere more, allegyng for his purpose, that same the Prouerbe of the Grekes. Of faithfull silence, the rewardes are daungerlesse.

Either allowyng the Philosophiers sentence for that in deede to represse and keepe in ones anger, that it breaketh not out into wordes, were a thing sure and safe from all perill of after clappes: or els meanyng, that it should haue been a good turne to the Philosophier, if he had spoken no soch worde at the later ende, beyng in purpose and redinesse to departe his waie. Albeeit, soche an holsome and especialle good lesson, deserued to haue some roiall rewarde and recompense.

* Athenodorus a Philosophier in the time of Augustus. Ther was also an other Athenodorus a Philosophier of Athenes, of whom Plutarchus both in the life of Alerander and also of Phocion maketh mencion. And the .3. a werker of Imagerie in metalle, a Rhodian borne, of whom is mencioned in the .34. and in the .36. boke of Plinie.

Alexander at

6.

the age of 32. yeres hauing won almoste

all the world,

doubted what

he should haue

to doe all the

residue of his

life.

How Augustus reproued the vnsaciable ambicion of Alexander.

It is both more goodlie & also more hard with

good lawes and

When he had heard saie that Alexander being .32. yeres of age, after hauing passed ouer not a fewe regions or countrees of the worlde, had put a greate doubte what he might haue to doe, all the residue of his life to come, Augustus meruailled moche, if Alexander had not iudged it a greater act or werke, well to gouerne an empire gotten, then to haue acquired or purchaced a large and ample dicion.

¶ Of good right did he reproue the vnsaciable ambicion of Alexander, whiche had estemed none other office belongyng to a kyng, but to enlarge the precint or limites of his dominion, wheareas it is a greate dele bothe a more goodly thing, & also more hard, with