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Show ThefecondBookeof thefir(tpart CuaraSG.4:t4. betweet them, as bowing the natures ofboth thefe people, made'the one tore pliant vatothe other. Sotheir difagreeable rae. both ill and good, being reduced into Onemilde temper, no {mall numberof the Danes became peaceable cohabitants with the Saxons in England,where greatflaughter had madelarge roome ; others returning home,foundtheit owne Country wide enoughtorecciue them,as hauing disburthened it {elfe ofmany thoufands, that were fent to {ecke their graues abroad. And fuch (as T thinke)was the end ofthe Cimmerian Wwarre in Lydia, whereunto thoughfome vidory of Halyattes may haue haftened the conclufion, yet the wearifome length of timefeems to hauc done moft, in compelling themto defire of reft. I know not why fhould feare to adde hereunto myfurther coniecture ; which is, that the matter was {o compounded r9 between the Cimmetians & Halyattes, that the River of Halys fhould diuide their Terfitories. For Halys was henceforth the bordet of the Lydians, and on the Eafterne fide ofthe Riuerwas the Country ofthe Amazons, thatis indeed, ofthe Cimmeriansand other Scythian people ; whofe wiues and daughters thefe warlike womenare fippofed to haue been. And hereunto the quarrell enfuing betweene Halyattes and Cyaxares the Mede, hath very good reference.For Halyattes(as is faid)fought in defence ofcertain Scythians,vpon whom the Median fought reuenge. And it ftands with reafon,that the Lydians Cimmetians, being much weakened with mutual! flaughters, fhould haue ioyned and ina Teague ofmutuall defencefor their common fafety: though otherwifeit had been dan- 35 Gerous to Halyattes, ifhe had permitted the Medianto extend his Kingdome fo farre Weftward,whatfoeuer the pretences might be,oftaking reuenge vponfuchashad {poiled each oftheir Countries. As forthat occafion of the Warre betweenet hele two Kings, which Herodotus relates , I findeitof little waight, and leffe probability. He tells of Scythians, that being chafed out oftheir Country by faction, camevnto Cyaxares ; who committed vnto them certaine Boyes, to bee inftruéted in the Scythian tongue, and feateof Archery. Nowit fo fell out(faith he) that thefe Scythians ving Cuar28.§.4.7.4: ofthe Hiftorie ofthe World, goe the burthen ofa Tribute, but thought nothing difhonourable 5 that would ferueto remoue thefe troublefome guefts into fome other lodging. Onthe dther part, the Scys thiansfindingftill the Countries pleafanter & better,the furthet thatthey marched into the South,did fuffer them{Clues to be perfwaded,that alittle more trauaile would adde agreat dealemoreto their content. Forthey relyed fo much vpon their owne valour; thatthey feated no refiftance'; & being the braueft men,they thought it'reafon that they thould dwellin the beft Region. That Phraortes perfwaded thenv into Egypt, Ldoenot think : Babylon was neare enough;> whither ifte could fend thefe Locuftsto graze,then fhould not his vnfriendly Neighbout's have caufe to laugh at his:misfortune. What fhift §o Nabalaffar made with them,orthat atall he had any dealings with them,] do notreadé; But it is well known that his Dominions lay in the middeft between Media and Egypt; asalfo,that they made ‘all thofe parts of Afia Tributary, wherefore we may very well belecue,that they wateted their horfes in his Riuers,and thathe alfowas.contentto giue them protiender. ; : Ffammiticus hearing oftheir progreffe(like the iealous Husband ofafaite Wife)took care that they might not looke vpon' Egypt; le(t the fight thereof fhould more eafily detainethem there, thah'any- forceor perfwafion that he could vfe; would fend than "going. Therefore he met them in Syria; prefuming more on the great gifts which he meant tobeftow vpon them, than on his Army that {hould keepethem backe. Egypt 20 Wastich ; and halfe the riches had tiot beenill {pent in fauingall. Yet P/ammiticus took themoftlikely courfe, whereby to make his part good againftthemby ftrong hand, in cafe they had been fo obftinate as to refufe all indifferent compofition.For helay clofe vpon the edge ofthe Wilderneffe in Gaza(as I take itythe Southermoft border of Pales ftina: whence he neuer aduancedto meete with the Scythians ; but gauethem Icaue to feeleas muchofthe fealding Sunne-beames, ill agreeing withtheir temper, as allthe length ofSytia could beate vpon them. When théy.were come asfarre as Afcalon,the next City to Gaza,then did he aflay them with goodly words,accompanied with gifts, much to hunt, and commonly bringing home fomewhat with them,did neuerthelelle other-whiles miffe oftheir game, and come home as they went. Hereupon the King being froward and cholericke, bitterly reuiled them ; and they,as impatient'as he,kil- which werelikely to worke fomuch the better,by how muchthe worfe they were plea{ed with ‘the heate of a Climatefo farre different frotheir ‘owne. Pfammitiens had go athis backea vaft wilderneffe, ouerthe fcorching fands: whereof, the Scythians-more ~ one King demanding thefe Fugitiues ro be deliuered into hishand , the other refufing lythe Kingdomeof Egypt being readyto entertaine hitn withreliefe, and them with more, than that I fee no caufe that mightinduce the Scythians to betake themfelues to either 0 treated, & taking in good part his coutteousoffers,returned back tovifit their acquainfaincein the high Countries. The Egyptian King (befides that he prefetued his owne 34 led one ofthe Boyes that was vndertheir charge, whom drefling like Venifon, they prefentedynto him ; which done, they fledde ynto Halyattes. This Herodotss delivers, as the ground ofa Warrethatlafted fixe yeares between the Medes and Lydians;the to betray fuch menas were becomehis fu ppliants. To this I will fay no thefe Kings, vnto whomtheir Nation had wrought fo muchdifpl eafire. Particularly, they had reafonto diftruft CSyaxares, for the treachery that he fhewed inthe maflacring oftheir Countri-men that were in his Kingdome 30f whomit is now meet that we fhould {peake. 40 uehim through vnknowne waies, had theyfought with him and preuailed efpecial- Newtrouble at the end oftheir weary tourney. Whereforethey were content to be ifte {tare frotia dangerous aduenture; by hyring this great Army to depart from him) found all his Coaft well repayed in the proceffe ofhis wars in Syria;where the Nations yond Euphrates had no powerto molefthim, being more than euer troubled them40 felues with the returne oftheir oppreflors. For the Scythians, er, now to feek no urther, began to demand morethanthe Tribute formerly impofed. And not conten- s tedto fleece the Naturals with gricuous exactions, they prefumed to liue at difcretion t. TV. "A patient ofcold and wer, than ofthe contrary diftempers, could ill haue enduredto pur- Vponthe Country, taking what theylifted from the Owners ; and manytimes (asi¢ Thewarre ofthe Seythians inthe higher Afia. Sthe Cimmerians held their courfe wefterly,along the fhoresof the Euxine fea:{o Ache Scythians and Sarmatians took the other way, and hauing theirleft hand,paffed between itand Caucafus through Albania, the Cafpian Sea0# Colthene,é& other ob{cure Nations,where noware the Countries of Seruan and Georgia, into Media. The Medes encountred them in Armes ; but were beaten& fo they entere 5 and thereupon | ‘ glad tocome to any agteement with them. This was inthe time of Phraortes, whilclt #® Pfammiticus reigned in Egypt. [fit were in the fixth yeare of Nabalaffars Reigne ouct Babylon(fuppofing him to haue reigned fiue & thirty; otherwife we muft allow to 5 Merodach what wetake from him)then doe to prouide fecurely for the inuafion of Syria, whichexpedition he began while his Fa: ther yet liued,as so/ephus out OfBevofies relates the Hiftory. ; Now the Medes,defirousto faiethemfelues as well as they might, from this terrible the eightand twenty yeares of their Dom nionend,one yearbefore the Stcat Nabuchodonofor was King ; fo giuing him good leaue nation,which whenthey had no lufttoafecond trial ofthe {word,rcfufed not to fr Wereto fauethe labour oftaking often) taking allatonce. This Tyrannous Dominion they long vfed ouer the higherAfia,that is,ouer the Country lying between the Cafpi- an and Red Seas: and betweene Indiaand Afia the leffe. Happy it was for the poore Pcople,thatin fo latoe a {pace ofground,there was room enoughforthefe new comers; otherwife the calamity thatfell,as it were by chance,vpon thofe priuate men, to whofe Wealth any Scythian did bearea fancy, would hauelightedin generall ypon all at one 50, clap, leaning few aliue, and noneableto relicue their fellowes. Yet it feemes that the canieft burthen lay vpon Media: for it was a fruitfull Country not farre from their own home,and lay vnder a Climate well agrecing with the conftitution oftheir bodies; here alfo it was that they had the fatall blow, by whichtheir infolent Rule was taken fronitheny, King ofthe Medes, who inthis extremity was no better than aRent-gathe- 5,449:94 terCraxares forthe Scythia ns, perceiuing that his Land lay vnmanured and wafte, through the negligenceot his people, that were out of heart by daily oppreffions, and that the matter could not be'remedied by openforce, refoluedto prone what might be donc by ftratagem. |
