OCR Text |
Show The fift Bookeofthefripart the life of a king,where ofhe littlecared to performethe dutie. His death, even whileft yet he was onely drawing neere,was fore-fignified ynto Per/eas,by Caligenes the Phyfician; whoalfo concealed ita whileftom thofe that were about the Court. So Perfeus camethither onthe {uddaine,and tooke poffeffion ofthe kingdome': whichin fine hee no lefleimpronidently loft, than he had wickedly gotten. ofthe Fiftorie ofthe World; lifted.The Carthaginians; like obedient vaffals to Romeé,were afraid,thoughin defence Gtmandmasa gccees ed ee adotoge ott oftheir a. vs Armes: fromwhich theyweie bound by-an Atticle of peace, iex- ner hedefiredjere their complaini Mltonig could eebeee ? piaining Embaffadouts be at Romeaand thenwere the Romans not hardly entreated, to leaue things as they foundthem. §. IV. HowtheBaflernefell vpon Dardania.The behanioar ofPerleus ix the beginning ofbis reigne. Some wardes of the Romanes: and how theyfuffered Maflaniffa ernellyto oppreffe the Car- ¥® thaginians, They quarrell with Perfeus. They alow not ebeir Confederates tomake warre without their leane obtained. The Treafon of Callictatés;whereby all Greece became more obrioxiaus to Rome, than informer tines. Further quarrels to Petfeus. He feekes friendhip ofthe Acheansand is withftood by Callictates. The Romawes difconer sheir intent of warring Upon him. [isttenee vpon the death ofPAilip, came the Bafferza into Thrace : where order had beene taken, long before, both for thefree paflage, and for the indemnitie of the Countrey. This compaé wasfriendly obferued, as longas no other was known than that Philip didline, to recompenceall thatihould bee done, or fuftained, for his feruice. But when it was heard, thatanew King reignedin Macedon ; and not heard withall,that hetooke anycare what became ofthe enterprize: then was all datht and confounded. The Thracians would no longer afford fo good markets yntothefe ftran- gers, as formerly they had done. Ontheotherfide, the Ba/far#« would not be contented with reafon, but became their owne caruers. Thus each parthaving loft the rich hopes repofed in P4iip, grew carefull of thrivingin the prefent ; with little regard of right or wrong. Within awhile they fell to blowes ; andthe Befarna had the vpper hand,foas they chafed the Thraciansout ofthe plaine Countries. But the vi@ors made little vfe oftheir good fortune. For whetherby reafon of fome overthrow,recéiued by themin affaulting a place of ftrength; or whether becaufe of extreame bad weather, which is faid to haue affliGed them asic were miraculoufly : all ofthem returned 3° home,fauethirty thoufand, which pierced on into Dardania. How thefe thirty thoufand {pedin their voyage,I doe not finde. It feemes thatbythe careleffe vfingoffome viGtories,they drew lofle vpon themfelues: and finally tooke that occafion,'to follow their.companions backeinto their owne Countrey. As for Perfews hethought it not expedent, inthenoueltie of his reigne, to embroyle himfelfe in a war fo dangerous,as that with the Romanes was likely to prooue.Wherefore hewholly gauehis mindetothefetling of his Eftate : which well done , hee mightafterwards accommodate himfelfe,as the condition ofhis affaires fhould require, eyther for waror peace. To prevent all dangerof rebellion, he quickly tooke awaythe 4 lite of Antigonus. To win louc ofhis people;hefate perfonally to heare their -caufes in iudgement(thoughherein he was{o.oner-diligent and curious,that one might haue petcciued:this his vertue of iuftice to be no better than fained) as alfo hee gratifiedthem with many delightfull {pectacles,magnificently by him fet forth.Aboue all;he had care toauoid all neceffity.of war with Rome:and therefore madeithis firft worke;'to ‘fend Embafladors thither,to renew the league;which he obtained,& was by the Sehdte' f- luted'King,andfriend vnto the State. Neither was he negligent in fecking to' putchafe food will of the Greekes & other his neighbours :but was ratherherein fo exceffiuely utitifull,that it may feeme a wonder how in few. yeeres,to his vtter ruine, he became fo griping and tenacious, His feare was indeedethe maftring paffion,which ouer- ruled 56 him,and changed himinto fo many fhapes,as madeithardto difcerne which ofhis 0ther qualities were naturally his owne. For proofe ofthis, there'is requifice rio mort; than the relation ofhis aGionspaft and following.‘ _The Romanescontinued,as they had long, bufiein warres againft the Spaniards and Ligurians ; people often'vanquifhed, and _as.often: breaking foorth'into new rebellion They alfo conquered Ifttia; fubdued therebelling Sardinians:and had fome quarrels, thoughtolittle effectwith theIllyriansand others.Ouer theCarthaginians they bore (as euer fince the viory)a heauy. hands& fuffered Ma/aniff to take from them a ¥ ae ii ns Cwar.6.§-4. oe - ifted 1 Sohad he once dealt before,in taking' from them the Countrie of Em poria:: -and.fo did he\vfethem againe and againe; With pretence of title,where‘he'had any ; otherwife, without it. ‘Gala the Father of.Mafaniffa hadwonne fome land from the Carthaginians; : which afterward Syphaxwanne from Gala, and within awhilejreftored tothe rightow:- ners,forloue of his Wife Sopbonisbaandof Afdrubab his Father-inslaw. This did AtaSfeniffatake from them by force:and by the Romans (to whofe iudgement the. cafe was refetred) was permitted quietly to hold it., The Carthaginians had now good experi- ence,how beneficiall ir was fortheir Eftate, to vfeall mannerof fabmifine -obedience toRome, They had fcarcely digefted this iniury; when Ate/aniffa came vponthem.a- gaine, andtooke from them aboue feuéntie Townes and Caftless withour-any colour oftight.:Hereof by their Embaffadors: they. made lamentable complaint: yatoithe Roman Senate.) They:fhewed how grienoutly they were oppreffed by reafon.of tivo Articlesin their League: ‘That they {hould notmake warre, ounofitheir owne Lands ; ‘nor with any Confederates ofthe Romans; Now althoughit wérefo; that they might ; lawfullywithftandthe violenceiof Ma/anifa, inuading their Country 4 hovefoeuer he was pleafed to callit-his:yetfiace he was confederate with the Romanes,they-durft not prefume tobeare deftnfiuearmesagainft him ; butdufferedthentfeluesto bee-eaten VP3 for feareof.incurring the Romans indignation. Wherefore they entreated, that cither they might hauefairer iuftice; orbe fufferedito defend their owne by {trong hand; orat leattyifright muftwholly'giue place to fauor; Thatthe Romans yetwouldbeplealedto detetminejhowfarre forth wta/anifathouldbeeallowéd,ro proceed in thefe outrages. Tfnone of thefe petitions could beobtained,then defiredthey, that.ehe Romans would letthiémmvinderftand, ‘whercinthey had offended fince the tinge: that-Seipio, gaue them pedce; and vouchfafe to inflict on them fuch punifhment,ds they theimfelues, in: honour thouldthinkemeete:: for that better and more to their comfort it were, to fufferat once: 3° whav thduld be appainted by fuch Iudges;than continually:ro liuein feare, and. noncetherwife drawbreath; than at the mercy ofthis Numidian Hangman.: And herewithall theEmbaffadors threw:them f{elues proftrare on the ground, weeping;in hope to mooue compaffion: amayvé beliold,the fruits oftheir enuy ro thatwaliant houfe ofthe Barchines,of theirirrefolution,in profecuting'a warfo important,as Hanmibal made forstiemin Italy; and oftheir half=penny worthing,in matter ofexpence,whenthey had aducntured their whole eftate, in the purchafe ofagreat Empire, Noware they feruants, even tothe fer~uants ofthofe men; whofefathers thehad oft:chafed ;flaine,taken, & fold as bondflauies inthe ftréets.of Carthiage,&cinall citiesofAftick 8& Greece.:.Now hauethey enoughof 4°thac Roman peacewhich Hasselo often & fo earneftly: defired.Onely they want peace WithAt4/aniffaxonce theis mercenarie,S-now'theit mafter,or-rathet their rormentor;out ofwhofe cruel! hands,they befeech their mafters to take the officeof correcting them 3 Infich caféare they,écadorethe Romans;whom they feefowrifhing in fuch profperiteas might hané beenethein owne. Butthe Romans had fatrebetter entreated Varrds, Who loft the battelatiCanne;than Haenibal chat won itwas vied by the Carthaginians: they had freely beftowed,cuery man of thein,all his pribate riches,vpon the CommoenWealthsand employed theit labours forthe publike,withont crauing recompence:asal+ Amie ‘fothey had not thoughtit much, though being in extreame want, to fet out an so IntoSpaine, at what he theienemy lay vader their owne walls. Thefe were no Gari thaginian vertites:-and therefore the Carthaginians hauingfought againit theit men . € muttpatiently endure the mifeties belonging vnto the vanquifhed, I heir: pieti u idur bred peraduenture fome commiferation » yertheis teares may seat to a che miftrufted; as procceding no leffe from enuy-vnto the abess . ) a oesfaniffe cling ofthéir owne calamitie. They thought themfelues able to fig - ane es enterinto Which eftimation oftheir forces was able tomakethem, after a little while, , Somparifons with Rome, Wherefore they oe no fuch leaue:as they longi mod Juuuu |