The Garden of Wisdom Book 2, Part 14 – Part 22
¶ Of kynge Xerxes.
BEtwene Xerxes ye sōne of Darius and Arimenes hys elder brother but borne afore Darius was chosen kynge, was great stryfe, who shulde be kyng. So whē Xerxes had knowlege, that hys brother was cō mynge from the countrey of the Bactrians, he sente vntounto hym ryche presentes and to them that bare them he gaue in cōmaundement that they shuld say in hys name thus vntounto hys brother. Wyth these rewardes thy brother Xerxes at this time honoreth the, but yf he may be onesproclaimed kyng, thou shalt be wt hym ye chyfest of all other. Arimenes assuaged with thys excedyng humanite, left hys cō tention, & his brother beyng now pro claimed kyng, forthwith he saluted & honored hym as kyng and moreouer dyd sette the crowne vponupon hys hedde Agayne Xerxes ye kynge for hys part gaue hym the nexte place vntounto hym. Ye shal rede a lyke thynge of Jacob & Esau in the boke of Genesis.
Thys kynge beynge sore agreued wt the Babiloniās, bycause they traytorously shronke frō him, & renoūced hym for theyr lord: after he ones had brought them vnderunder agayne, forbad them to beare any more weapēs, and further cōmaunded they shulde synge at the lute & shalmes, kepe harlottes, haunt tauernes & alehouses and vse wyde & longe garmentes, to thintent that beynge molifyed & made effeminate wyth pleasures, they moughte nomore studye to fal awaye frō theyr lord. By this prudēt facte of a panim & hethen prince we be taughte, what is the successe of delicate and voluptuouse lyuynge.
When he sawe al Hellesponte full of shyppes, and all the see coostes and playnes of Abydon, fylled wyth men, he boasted hymselfe to be blessed and fortunate, yt he had so greate power at hys commaundemente, and anone he wepte a good pace. Artabamus ye kynges vncle wōderyng at so sodayn chaunge, asked the cause. Then xerxes the kynge thus answereth.
Oh vncle, a right depe thought entreth my mynde, how short mās lyfe is, syth of so passynge greate a multitude of men that I nowe see, wtin an hundred yeares not one shalbe lefte a lyue. Undoubtedly yf mā wold thus consydre ye shortnes of hys tyme, and in what state God hath set hym here in earth, he wolde not runne so headlonge to all kyndes of myschyefes. Thys Xerxes what tyme he purposed to gyue battell to Grece, called to gether all the prynces of Asya & thus said vntounto them. Lest I mough… seme to enterpryse this thinge of my owne priuate counsayle, I hauehave gathered you together, but I woll ye remēber that ye muste obeye me rather, then counsayle me. Thys oratiō of Xerxes is not here recounted, to thintente it shuld be folowed. For without doubt it is tyrannicall, and that two maner wayes, fyrste bycause he abused the assemblie of hys lordes for a coloure, to cast a myste before mens eyes, makyng them beleue that al he dyd was done by thaduyse and counsayl of his lordes, second, that he wolde venture vponupon a matter so daungerouse to the hole people, beynge inforced rather of hys owne sensual lust, then induced by sage and wyse counsayle.
When thys kinge was vexed and almost put to the worse but of. iii. hū … Lacedemonians where as he hymselfe had wyth hym a very great multytuue of souldiours: He cōfessed himself deceyued in thys, that he toke with hym many mē, but fewe souldiours. He perceiued wel that it forceth not so much howe many there be, as howe well assayed, pyked, and tryed men there be.
When the espyes of the Grekes were taken in hys hoste, he wolde do thē no maner harme at al, but moreouer bad them marke and viewe diligētly hys hole armye, whych thyng when they had done, he licenced them to departe wythout hurte of any persone. An example of a synguler confydence and affyaunce in hym selfe and in hys power.
¶ Of Kyng Artoxerxes wyth the longe hand.
ARtoxerxes the son of Xerxes surnamed wyth the longe hand bycause hys one hand was longer then thother, was wont to saye that it is more Kynglyke to put to, than to take awey. Regalius est addere quam adimere. Meanyng that it is more worthy for a prynce and ruler of the people, to augment the honour and riches of suche as he hath rule ouer, rather then to diminyshe the same.
When Saubarzenes hys chamberlayne begged a thing of hym, whiche was skarse lawfull, and the kyng parceyued yt he was prouoked vntounto it by one that promised him. xxx. thousande coygnes of that coūtrey money for thobteyning of the sute, the Kyng cōmaūded his treasauroure to bring hym thyrtie thousande coynes called Darikes, which so sone as they were brought him, he gaue thē al to Satibarzanes, sayinge. Holde here o Satibarzanes. For while I gyue the this I shall not be the porer, but I shulde be the worser and the vnrightuouser man, yf I shulde hauehave graunted the thynge that thou demaundedst. The most noble and excellent kyng, had deuised, howe he mighte, neyther make sadde hys freende, nor deflecte from ryght and equytie.
¶ Cyrus the yonger.
CYrus ye yonger, what tyme he shuld pitche hisfeld ayenst hys enemyes, hys freende Clearchus coūsailled him to kepehim selfe behynd the Macedonians, & not to cast himselfe in to the daunger of ye warres. What saiest thou clearchus ꝙ the kyng? Dost thou connsaille me that where as I couette a kyngdom, I shulde shewe my self vnworthy for a kyngdome?
¶ Of Cresus.
IN ye time of Cyrus ye greate which was the fyrst kyng & monarche of ye Persians, of whom we hauehave hertofore sum what spoken, raigned the riche Cresus ouer the Lydians, & in ye fyrst part of Asia he warred ayenst kynge Cyrus, but Cyrus vaynquished him, conquered his land, & toke him prisoner. Nowe, when Cresus sawe the souldiours of Cyrus spoylyng, brennyng, and makynge hauocke of all that was in the citye whiche they hadde taken, he asked Cyrus what they dyde. Cyrus aunswered, marye they destroye thy citye, and spoyle thy goodes: No no, ꝙ Cresus, Nothynge here is nowe myne, it is thyne that they destroye, These wordes wyttyly spoken moued Cyrus to calle backe hys sowldiours from spoyle.
But when by the cōmaundement of Kynge Cyrus he shulde be burnt, euen when he shulde now goo to the fyer, he cryed out wyth a very lamentable and weeping voyce, O Solon, Solon. Kynge Cyrus wonderynge what these wordes shuld meane, bad one of hys seruauntes aske hym, for what cause wyth so greate sorow, he cryed thus and named Solon. Then Cresus drawyng a great syghe euen from the botome of his hart aunswered in thys wyse. Solon, sumtyme amonges the Athenians was a very wyse man, vntounto whom Jones when he was wyth me did shewe and exhibite moche kyndnes and worshyp. I shewed hym all my power and treasures, which doon I asked hym whether he thought that euer any aduersitie or misfortune cowld happē vntounto me, being furnyshed and fensed wyth such power and riches ayenst al chaū ces of fortune, or force of enemyes. But to this, aunswered Solon, rebukyng me for my securitie and careles mind & said: No man in the worlde o kyng Cresus is so happye and fortunate in thys lief, that he can be called throughly & in eueryevery parte blessed, afore he dye, neither is there any mā I assure the, be he neuer so mighty, but some aduersitye may come vpō hym & ouerthrowe hym or he be aware. But at that tyme trusting alas reche lesly vpō my happy lucke & successe of thynges, I despised his wordes, neyther cowlde I fere thys so excedynge a falle, as nowe I fynde. Wherfore bycause nowe fyrst I vnderstode the sentēce of Solon, therfore now afore my deathe I named hym. And I do wysshe all mē in prosperitie not to be vnmyndful of misfortunes and calamities that maye chaunce, lest they becom ouer hawlty by reason of their present felicitie, & gready to attempte thynges headyly yt by occasyon maye be their vtter cōfusiō. These thynges whē Cyrus ye king herd, he was not a litle touched with pytie & clemencie towardes Cresus, & sayed, he wolde not herafter shew him selfe to hard vponupon Cresus, whyche was sometyme a ryght mightie kyng, for he remembreth that he hymselfe also is a man, and that it mought chaunce hym to hauehave nede of other mens ayde and mercye. After that, he commaunded Also Cresus to be brought vntounto hym whome he enterteyned lyke a noble prynce and vsed hys aduyse and coū saille in al his affayres & procedinges
Thys Cresus after he was taken prisoner of Cyrus, by this argument preferred peax before warres, that in tyme of peax, the sonnes be wont to burye the fathers, but in warres contrary wyse the fathers burye the sonnes.
¶ Of Amyntas and Alexander hys sone.
WHyle ye Persians were a lofte & had the chief empire and ye monarchie of the world they wente about also to subdue all Grece & Macedonye. But bicause god hath prefixed the certayne limites to eueryevery kyngdome whiche can not be passed ouer, therfore ye kynges of ye Persiās could neuer subdue vntounto theyr dominions neyther the Macedonyans nor the Grekes. Neuertheles on a tyme the Persyans sent theyr ambassadours vntounto Amyntas then kynge of Macedony and requyred him to yeld him vntounto them. Kynge Amyntas fearyng the power of the Persians, voluntarily in maner submittyng hymself, promised to do what so euer they wolde hauehave him, and interteyned the Ambassadours wyth al kynd of humanitie. Now, when to the ambassadours desyre a solempne feaste was ordeyned, they requyred that for the furniture of the feaste certayne noble matrones & theyr daughters myght be brought thither. Amyntas durste denye them no thing but cōmaunded they shulde be brought to the feaste. So when the Persians had well fauoredly wasshed theyr throtes wyth wine, forgettyng all honeste sobrietie they began to dally wt the Ladyes so vnshamefastsly, that Amyntas and the yonger kynge Alexander hys son were not a litle abashed and wery to se theyr shamefull demenours. Alexander desyred hys father for the reuerence of his age, that he wold depart from the banket, and go to hys reste, saynge, that he wolde kepe thembassadours companye. When he hadde thus conuayed awaye hys father, he pretended great myrth, and suffered the Persians to dallye & sporte wyth the ladyes at theyr pleasure. At laste he desyred them they wolde ryse for a whyle, and lycense the ladyes to departe a lytle, for they shulde come in agayne forthwyth much more gorgi ously arayed. The lordes of the Persians were very well cōtent herwith In the meane season the yōge kynge caused a pyked sorte of yonge men that hadde good faces, to be decked lyke ladyes, and to retourne to the banket, to whom he had gyuen in cō maundement, that euerye one shulde hauehave vnderunder hys clothes a swearde, wherwyth in the myddes of the dalyaunce they shulde kyll the Persians, whych thynge was done in dede. For of these yonge men the Persiās were slayne eueryevery one, and by this meanes was theyr knauerye greuously punyshed. Chys Alexander is nombred amonge the auncestours of Alexander the great.
¶ Of kynge Scilurus.
SCilurus kyng of the Scythiās hauyng foure score sonnes, when he laye on hys deadebed, called them all afore hym. A…ended a bounche of roddes to be brought vntounto hym, whych forthwyth he delyuered fyrste to one and then to an other to breake. When eueryevery one of them refused it, bycause it semed impossyble, hymselfe toke in hys owne hande rod by rod and so easely brake them al, & monyshynge hys sonnes wyth these wordes: Yf ye shall continue together in louelove & concorde, so shall ye remayne stronge and inuincible, but contrarie wyse yf ye dysseuer your selues by debate & sedition, so shall you be weake and easye to be vaynqueshed.
Gelo.
GElo kynge of Sicile at a certayne banket when accordynge to ye guyse of the countrey the lute was caryed aboute and al the rest dyd synge at the lute in order, for that was amonge …es counted a thyng of greate comendacion and honestye, whē it came to the Kynges course to playe vponupon the lute, he commaunded hys horse to be brought into the bankettynge house and forthwith he easely and lyghtelye lepte vponupon hym. Signifyenge by thys hys doynge, that chyualrye is muche more princely and mete for a kynge, then to synge at the lute, albeit in very dede lutynge is an honest pastyme and mete for gē tylmen, so that it be moderately vsed and be no impediment to thexercyses of chyualrye.
Thys kynge on a tyme exacted money of hys comons, whom when he perceyued in a hurly turly for the same, and ready to make an insurrection, he thus sodaynly appeased, he sente them worde that he wolde but borowe the money that he requyred of them, for he wold restore it them agayne wythin a certayne tyme. Thā they wyllyngly gaue theyr money. By thys gentle sufferaunce and pollecie he brought about, that he wanted not money necessarie to hys warres, and neuertheles he had hys comons hartes fast vntounto him. Whych thinge brought to passe, yt he anone had the victorye ouer hys ennemyes, where as peraduenture yf in that sodeyne tumulte and rore, he had continued to exacted of hys obstinate comons vnexpedyētly the thynge yt had bene neuerthelesse leful, he myght hauehave chaū ced soner in yt rage & furye of the people, to hauehave bene destroyed of hys owne comōs, then by hys comens to hauehave vaynquyshed hys ennemyes. Suche a thinge it is, otherwhyles to gyue place to a multytude, & by wyse dome to compasse that thinge, which by dyrecte meanes coulde not elles be brought aboute. Albeit in dede, thys kynge, when the warres were fynysshed, consyderynge the grea…ueryshynge of hys subiectes … by contynuall warres and gre…e exactiōs they had susteyned, he repayed them theyr lone. Paule wylleth vsus to rendre vntounto all men that is due, to whome tribute, tribute, to whom custome, custome, to whome feare, feare, to whom honour, honoure. He byddeth vsus be subiecte to oure prynce not onelye for feare of the prynces indignacion, but euen for conscience.
And for thys cause he sayeth we paye trybutes. Thys I wryte to thintent we shuld paye our dueties wyllyngly to our prynce and obey hym as gods ministre, for so Paule calleth hym, to the terrible damnacion of the moost cursed Anabaptystes, whych at thys daye go aboute to plucke men frome theyr allegiaunce and due obedience vntounto theyr prince.
¶ Of Hieron.
HIeron which succeaded the for sayde Gelon in the kyngdome of Sicile, sayd that noman that freelye spake hys mynde vntounto hym was eyther importune or greuouse. But suche as blabbed out mens secretes: those he thoughte hurted them also vntounto whome they blabbed them, for asmuch as we hate not only thē that dysclose our coūsayles, but also them that hauehave herde suche thynges as we wolde not hauehave knowen.
One vbrayded hym, yt hys breath dyd stynke. He conuneth home and chydeth hys wyfe, bycause she neuer shewed hym, that his mouth sauered Uerely, ꝙ she, I thought that al men had sauered in lyke wyse. These wordes declared an exceadynge great chastitie of the woman, whyche neuer in all her lyfe, had approched so nere vntounto any man that she …de feale the breath of hys mouthe, saue only her husbande.
Thys kynge also bycause in the quene hys wyfes presence the poete Epicharmus spake certayne rybawdouse wordes, set a fyne on the poetes head. Yf hethen princes thus punyshe knauery and wanton wordes, what ought christians do, whych be expressely by Christes mouth threate ned to yelde accomptes for eueryevery ydle worde that procedeth forth of theyr mouthes?
¶ Demetrius the sonne of Antigonus.
KYnge demetrius was of such excedynge clemēcie, that whē he had reconquered the Athe nians whych sediciously had shrunke from hym and perceyued they were welnere famyshed for default of corn he callyng them togyther, in an open assemble graunted them frely a great quantitie of grayne. And when in hys spekyng of these thynges to the people, he chaunced to cōmit a barbarysme, pronouncyng a certayneword otherwyse, then it ought to hauehave ben pronounced, and one of thassemble interrupted hym in hys speakynge and shewed hym howe to pronounce that worde ryghtly: Truly, ꝙ he, for thys correction, I graunte you other fyftye thousande busihelles. I doubt in thys facte whether we maye meruayle at the greath benignitie of thys prynce towardes them which alytle tofore were hys ennemyes, or rather at hys excedynge courtesye and ciuylitie whyche not onelyonly toke in good parte that one of hys subiectes corrected hym in hys wordes, but also estemed the same worthie of so great a rewarde.
When this kyng Demetrius had wonne the citie of Megara, and hys men of warre had dispoyled & made hauocke of all togither, accordynge to theyr maner, it was shewed hym that an excellent philosopher named Stiibon was amonges them. The kynge whyche euer had lernynge in hyghe pryce and admiracion, badde that ye philosopher shulde be brought forthe vntounto hym. He came, the kynge him louingly receiued & after he had awhile wyth gentle communication interteyned him, he asked hym yf hys souldiours had taken anye of hys goodes from hym. Nomā, ꝙ the philosopher, hath takē awey our goodes For I could espye nomā that dispoyled vsus of our lernyng and knowlege. Meanynge, that only the goodes of the mynd (which be the true goodes) be not subiect to ye violēce of warres.