A Geographical Description of All the Countries in the Known World, Part 1 · Subpart 160 – Subpart 161
The manner of the Romane Triumphs: and particularly that of Palus Aemylius after the conquest of Perseus King of Macedon.
First, the people having set up sundry scaffolds as well in the lists, and field called Circos, where the games, and races of horses, and Charrets used to bee, as also about the Market-place, and in all the streets through which the Triumph should pass, they all presented themselves in their best gowns, to see the magnificence, and state thereof. All the Temples of the Gods were set wide open, hanged full of Garlands of flowers, and all perfumed within. Through all the quarters of the City were set many Sergeants, and other officers, with tipstaves to order the stragling people, and to keep them from pestring the streets, or hindring the triumph which lasted three dayes.
The first day was scant sufficient to see the passing by of the Images, Tables, Pictures, and Statues of a wonderful bignesse, all wonne, and gotten of their enemies, and now drawn upon two hundred and fifty Charrets.
The second day there were carried upon a great number of Carts all the fairest, and richest Armor of the Macedonians, as well of Copper, as of Iron, and Steele, all glistering bright, being newly furbished, and artificially laid in order: Fair Burganets upon Targets, Habergions, and Corslets upon greaves: Round Targets of the Cretans, and Javelins of the Thracians, and arrows amongst the armed pikes: All bound so trimly one to another, that one hitting against another as they were drawn, made such a sound, and noise as was fearful to hear. After these Carts there followed three thousand men, which carried the ready mony in seven hundred and fifty Vessels which weighed about three Talents a peece, each of them carried by four men. Others carried great bowles, cups and goblets of silver, and other pots to drink in, beautiful to behold, as well for their bignesse, as for the great, and singular embossed work about them.
The third day early in the morning the Trumpets sounded the brave alarum they give at an assault, after whom followed one hundred and twenty goodly fat Oxen, with their horns guilt, and garlands of flowers, and nosegaies about their heads, and by them went many young men with aprons of needle-work about their middles, who led them to the Sacrifice, and with them young boyes that carried goodly Basons of gold and silver to receive, and sprinkle the blood of the Sacrifices about. After these followed all those that carryed all coins of gold, and Basons, and Vessels, each of them weighing three Talents. Then was carryed the great holy cup which Aemylius had caused to bee made of massy gold, set full of precious stones, weighing ten Talents for an offering to the gods. Next to them went they which carryed Plate, made, and wrought after Antick fashions, and the admirable cups of the ancient Kings of Macedon: as the cup called Antigonus, and another Seleucus: and to bee brief, all the whole cup-broad of plate of gold, and silver of King Perseus: and next them came the Kings Charriot with his Armour, and his royal Crown upon the same. A little after followed the Kings Children, whom they led prisoners with the train of their School Masters, and other Officers, and their servants weeping, and lamenting, who held up their hands to the people that looked upon them, thereby teaching the young Children to do the like, and to ask mercy, and grace at the peoples hands. There were three pretty little Children, two sons, and a Daughter amongst them, who by reason of their tender years lacked understanding, which made them (poor souls) insensible of their present misery, and that moved the people so much the more to pitty them, seeing the poor little infants that knew not the change of their hard hap: so that through compassion to them, they had almost let the Father pass without looking upon him: yea many of the peoples hearts did so melt for pitty, that the tears ran down their cheeks till they were past, and gone a good way out of sight.
King Perseus the Father followed after his Children, and their train: Hee was cloathed in a black gown, with a pair of slippers on his feet, after his Country manner: Hee shewed by his countenance, his troubled mind, being opprest with sorrow for his most miserable estate, and condition: Hee was followed with his kinsfolk, his familiar friends, his officers, and houshold servants, their faces being disfigured with blubbering, shewing to the world by their lamentable tears, and sorrowful eyes cast upon their unfortunate Master, how much they sorrowed, and bewailed his most hard and woful estate, whilest they made little account of their own misery.
After all these, there followed four hundred Princely Crowns of gold, which the Cities, and Towns of Greece had purposely sent by their Ambassadors unto Aemylius, to honour his victory: And last of all came Aemylius himself in his Triumphant Chariot, which was passing sumptuously set forth, and adorned: This was a gallant sight to behold, and yet the person himself was worth looking on without all that great pomp, and magnificence: for hee was cloathed in a purple gown, curiously branched with gold, carrying in his right hand a bough of Lawrel, as all his Army did the like, the which being divided by bands and companies: followed the Triumphant Chariot of their Captain, some of the souldiers singing songs of victory, according to the usual manner of the Romans in the like cases, mingleing them with merry, and pleasant toyes, as glorying, and rejoycing in their General: others of them sang songs of Triumph in the honour, and praise of Aemylius his noble conquests, and victorys: so that hee was openly praised, blessed and honoured of all, and neither hated, nor envied of any that were good, and honest. Plut. in vita ejus.
Rome was so populous when Paulus Aemylius was Censor, that being mustered by him, they were found to bee three hundred thirty seven thousand four hundred fifty and two men.
The manner of Pompey's third Triumph.
For the statelinesse and magnificence of this Triumph, though Pompey had two dayes to shew it in, yet were there many things, which for want of time were not seen; even so many as would have served to have set forth another Triumph.
In the first place there were Tables carryed, whereon were written the names and titles of all the people, and Nations which hee had conquered, and for which hee triumphed; as the Kingdomes of Pontus, Armenia, Cappadocia, Paphlagonia, Media, Colchis, Iberia, Albania, Syria, Cilicia, and Mesopotamia: as also the people that dwell about Phaenicia, Palaestine, Judaea, and Arabia: and all the Pirates which hee had overcome both by Sea, and Land, in all parts of the world: In all these Countries, hee had taken a thousand Castles, almost nine hundred Cities, and walled Towns▪ Of Pirates ships eight hundred: Hee had replenished again with people, nine and thirty desolate Towns that were left without Inhabitants: In these Tables was further declared, that before these conquests the revenues of the Common-wealth of Rome were but five thousand Myriads per annum, but now Pompey had made them eight thousand and five hundred Myriads per annum: and that hee had brought now for the Treasury in ready gold and silver, Plate and Jewels, the value of twenty thousand Talents, besides that which hee had distributed amongst his souldiers, of which hee that had least for his share, had one thousand five hundred Drachma's: The prisoners that were led in this Triumph, besides the Captains of the Pirates, were, the son of Tygranes, King of Armenia, with his wife and daughter: The wife of King Tygranes himself, called Zosime: Aristobulus, King of Judaea: Mithridates sister, with her five sons, and some Ladies of Scythia: The hostages also of the Iberians, and Albanians, and of the Kings of the Commagenians: beside many other things too large to recite: But that which made his honour the greatest, and whereunto never any of the Roman Consuls attained, was, that in his three Triumphs, hee triumphed over the three parts of the world: In his first over Africk, in his second over Europe, and now in this third over Asia, which was almost all the then known world; and all this before hee was forty years old. Plut. In vita ejus.