Gynaikeion: or, Nine bookes of various history. Concerninge women inscribed by ye names of ye nine Muses. Written by Thom: Heywoode.

Of the Amazons.

ANd first of their countrey. Cappadocia is a land that breedeth goodly and braue horses, it hath on the East side Armenia, on the West Asia the lesse, on the North Amazonia, on the South Mount Taurus, by which lyeth Sicilia and Isauria, as farre as the Cilicke sea that stretcheth towards the Island of Cyprus. The lesse Asia (cald Asia minor) ioyneth to Cappadocia, and is closed in with the great sea, for it hath on the North the mouth and sea that is cald Euxinus, on the West Propontides, on the South the Aegypti∣an sea. This lesse Asia conteineth many prouinces and lands, on the North side Bythinia butting vpon the sea against Thracia, and is called Phrygia the greater. The chiefe cittie of Bythinia is Nicomedia. Galathia takes name of the Galls that assisted the king of Bythinia in his warres, and therefore had that Prouince giuen them to inhabit, It was first called Gallograecia, as being a people mixt of the Galls and Graecians, but now they be cald Galathians, and these are they to whom Saint Paul writ his Epistles Ad Galates. The third part of Asia minor is called Phrygia, and tooke name of Phrygia daughter to Europa the daughter of Aegenor: that Phrygia was likewise called Darda∣nia of Dardanus the sonne of Iupiter; It hath on the East side Lydia, and on the West the sea Hellespontus, so called of Helles the sister of Phrixus, who was

there drowned. Lydia is on the East side of East Phrygia, there sometimes raigned the rich king Craesus. There were two brethren kings of that coun∣trey, the one cald Liddus, the other Tyrhenus: but the land being too little for both, they cast lots which should abide there, and which should seeke abroad to plant a Collony else-where; which lot fell to the younger, Tyrhenus: Hee toucht vpon a land then cald Galia, which after he caused to be named Tyrhia, of him also the sea Tyrhenus tooke denomination, as the land of Lydia of his brother Lyddus. Of Lydia, the chiefe cittie is Smyrna, to which cittie S. Iohn the Euangelist writeth in his Apocal. The chiefe riuer of that countrey is Pacto∣lus, which as the Poets fable hath golden sands. The fift part of Asia Minor is called Pamphilia, and Isauria, the chiefe cittie is Seleucia, built by king Seleu∣cus Antiochus; neere to that is Scilicia, and containeth Lycia, which is called likewise Licaonia, in which are the two noble citties Lystris and Derbe, spo∣ken of in Actib. Apostol. By these citties they sayle out of Syria into Italy: but the chiefe of all these citties is Tharsis, downewards towards the Amasonian sea, and that land is part in Asia, and part scituate in Europe. Now touching the Originall of the Amasons, and why they were first so called, diuerse authours haue diuersly writ.* 1.1 Palaephatus in his fabulous narrations saith, The Amasons were not women, but certaine barbarous men who vsed to weare long gar∣ments and loose, reaching below their ankles after the manner of the Thracian women, who shaued their chinnes, and wore the haires of their head long but couered with miters: These Amasons were a warrelike people, and did many braue and remarkeable deedes of armes. But there is no likelihood (saith hee) that such should bee women, because of that nation there is at this day no me∣morie: but this was but his opinion. Trogus Pompeius, from whom Iustine ex∣tracts his history, thus speaks of their origenall: Scythia towards the East, is of one side imbraced by the sea, on the other part hem'd in by the Ryphaean moun∣taines, the longitude and latitude thereof lyes open to Asia and the riuer Ta∣nais: These Scythians haue no portions of land amongst them which any man can call his owne,* 1.2 they manure no fields, they build no houses, ignorant both of Agriculture and Architecture, their riches are their heards and their cattle, they delight in vnfrequented solitudes and inhabitable desarts, when they re∣mooue from one place to another, they carry their wiues along with them in charriots and waggons, these are couered with leather and skinnes of beasts, to shroud them from summers shewers, and defend themselues from winters tempests; they know no houses els, and for no others care. Iustice is maintai∣ned by the modestie of their manners, not by the seueritie of their lawes: There is no offence so grieuous to them as theft, because their flockes lie open without folds or sheepe coates; Gold and siluer they despise as much as other nations couet it, esteeming it rather an vnusefull burden than a profitable mer∣chandise: Their food is for the most part milke and hony, the benefite of wooll or cloath is to them altogether vnknowne, though the climate oppresse them with continuall cold, their habit is furres and the skinnes of beasts; their continence teacheth them that iustice, That they couet nothing but what is their owne: for where there is desire of riches, there must necessarily be vsu∣rie and oppression. Were the like moderation and abstinence vsed amongst all nations, warre and surfet would not (as they now doe) destroy more than age or nature. Admirable it is, that custome in them should attaine to as much true morall humanitie as the wise men of Greece haue reached to by the learning of arts, or study of Philosophy; and that vntaught Barbarians should excell

them that professe to tutor others in manners; more eminent farre in their ignorance of Vice,* 1.3 than the others in their knowledge of Vertue. Three times these Scythians attempted the Empire of Asia, in all their expeditions remai∣ning vnfoild, at least vnconquered. Darius king of Persia they put to shame∣full flight. Cyrus with a supposed inuincible armie they slew in the field. Zo∣pyrus the great captaine of Alexander, they victoriously defeated. Of the Ro∣mans they onely heard their power, but neuer felt their strength. The Par∣thian and Bactrian Empire they establisht. A nation in labours vnwearied, in dangers vndismaied, not seeking to get what they cared not to loose, in all their victories preferring the glory before the spoile. The first that made warre against this nation was Vexores king of Aegypt, who by his Embassadours sent them word to prepare themselues for defence: by whom they returned to the king this answer, We wonder that the captaine of so rich a people will wage war against vs that are knowne so poore, considering the successe of warre is doubtfull; and howsoeuer the euent prooue, the reward of the victorie is nothing, but the dammage arising from the fight, manifest. Their answer went before, which their resolution as suddenlie and swiftlie pursued after, for their army and their answer almost arriued to∣gether, whose celeritie in march,* 1.4 and resolution in purpose, when Vexores vn∣derstood, he forsooke his tents and all prouision for warre, and betooke him∣selfe to a base and dishonourable flight. They pursued him to the Aegyptian fennes, but by reason of the marishes and vncertaine ground, their further passage was prohibited. Retyring thence they ouerranne Asia, and subdued it vnder their predominance, imposing on the Nations a small tribute, rather in acknowledgement of the title, than to be gainers by the victory, the ene∣my rather suffering disgrace than oppression: fifteene yeares they continued in Asia, rather to settle the estate than to extort from the inhabitants. From thence they were called by the wickednesse of their wiues, from whom they receiued word, That vnlesse they instantly repayred home, they would seeke issue from the neighbour nations, for they would not suffer the posteri∣tie of the antient Scythians to bee in the women extinct. Asia was for many yeares tributarie to the Scythians; Trogus and Iustine say for a thousand and fiue hundred yeares, which ended in Ninus king of Assyria: In this interim, two princely youthes among the Scythians, Plinos and Scolopitus, being by the opti∣mates and chiefe of the people expulst from their families, drew to their so∣cietie a mightie confluence and inuaded Cappadocia, planting themselues neere to the riuer Thermedon: and being by conquest possest of the Prouince of Themisciria, there hauing for many yeares made spoyle of the neighbour nations by the conspiracie of the multitude who were opprest with their in∣solencies, they were betraide and slaine. Their wiues, by reason of their exile halfe in despaire,* 1.5 boldly tooke armes, and first retyring themselues and ma∣king their owne confines defensible, after grew to the resolution to inuade others. Besides they disdained to marry with their neighbours, calling it ra∣ther a seruitude than Wedlock. A singular example to all ages. Thus they aug∣mented their seigniories and establisht their common-weale without the counsell or assistance of men, whose fellowship they began now altogether to despise: and to communicate their losse, to make the widdowes of equall for∣tune with the wiues, they slew all the men that yet remained amongst them, and after reuenged the deaths of their husbands formerlie slaine, vpon the bor∣dering people that conspired against them. At length by warre hauing setled peace, least their posteritie and memory should perish, they had mutuall con∣gression

with their neighbour nations: The men children they slew, the female they nourced and brought vp, not in sowing and spinning, but in hunting and practise off armes and horsemanship; and that they better might vse their launces and with the more ease, at seauen yeares of age they seared or rather burnt of their right breasts,* 1.6 of which they tooke the name of Amasons, as much as to say Vnimammae, or Vrimammae, i. those with one breast, or with a burnt breast. There were of them two queenes that ioyntly held the soueraigntie, Marthesia and Lampedo;* 1.7 these diuided their people into two armies, and being growne potent both in power and riches they went to warre by turnes, the one gouerning at home whilest the other forraged abroad; and least there should want honour and authoritie to their successes, they proclaimed them∣selues to be deriued from Mars: in so much that hauing subdued the greater part of Aeurope, they made incursions into Asia, and there subdued many for∣tresses and castles, where hauing built Ephesus with many other citties, part of their army they sent home with rich and golden spoyles, the rest that remained to maintaine the Empire of Asia, were all with the queene Marthesia (or as some write, Marpesia) defeated and slaine. In whose place of soueraigntie her daugh∣ter Orythia succeeded,* 1.8 who besides her singular valour and fortunate successe in warre, was no lesse admired for her constant vowe of virginitie, which to her death she kept inuiolate. The bruite of their glorious and inuincible acts reaching as farre as Greece, Hercules with a noble assembly of the most He∣roicke youthes furnisht nine ships, with purpose to make proofe of their valor: two of foure sisters at that time had the principalitie, Antiope and Ory∣thia: Orythia was then imployde in forreine expeditions. Now when Hercules with the young Heroes landed vpon the Amasonian continent, the queene Antiope, not iealous of the least hostility, stood then with many of her ladies vnarmed on the shore, who being suddainly assaulted by the Graecians were easily put to rout, and they obtained an easie victorie; in this conflict many were slaine, and di∣uers taken, amongst whom were the two sisters of Antiope,* 1.9 Menalippe surprised by Hercules, and Hyppolite by Theseus,* 1.10 hee subdude her by armes, but was capti∣uated by her beautie, who after tooke her to his wife, and of her begot Hyppoli∣tus. Of her Seneca in Agamemnon thus speakes:

Vidit Hyppolite ferox pectore emedio rapi Spolium & sagittas.

The bold Hyppolite did see that day Her breast despoyld and her shafts tane away.

Of Menalippe, Virgill thus:

Threicean sexto spolianit Amazona Baltheo.

Hauing relation to the golden belt of Thermedon, which was numbered the sixt of Hercules his twelue labours, He receiued that honour, and she her liber∣tie. Orythia being then abroad and hearing of these outrages and dishonours done at home, that warre had beene commenced against her sister, and Theseus prince of Athens borne thence Hyppolite, whom she held to be no better than a rauishor; impatient of these iniuries, shee conuented all her forces and inci∣ted them to reuenge, inferring, that in vaine they bore Empire in Europe and Asia if their dominions lay open to the spoyles and rapines of the Grecians. Hauing incouraged and persuaded her owne people to this expedition, she next demanded ayd of Sagillus king of the Scythians, to him acknowledging her∣selfe

to be descended from that nation, showes the necessitie of that warre, and the honour of so braue a victorie: hoping that for the glorie of the Scythian nation his men would not come behind her women in so iust an enterprise, the successe of which was vndoubtedly spoyle for the present, and fame for euer. Sagillus with these motiues incouraged, sent his sonne Penaxagoras with a great armie of horsemen to ayd Orithea in this warre: but by reason of a discention that fell in the campe, the prince of Scythia withdrew all his auxiliarie forces and with them retired into his countrey, by reason of which defect the Ama∣zons were defeated by the Grecians, yet many of them after this battaile re∣couered their countries. After this Orythea succeeded Penthisilaea,* 1.11 shee that in the ayd of Priam (or as some say, for the loue of Hector) came to the siege of Troy with a thousand Ladies, where after many deeds of chiualrie by her performed she was slaine by the hands of Achilles, or as the most will haue it, by Neoptolimus: shee was the first that euer fought with Pollaxe, or wore a Target made like an halfe Moone, therefore she is by the Poets called Peltigera and Securigera, as bearing a Target, or bearing a Poleaxe: Therefore Ouid in his Epistle of Phaedra,

Prima securigeras inter virtute puellas.

And Virgill in his first booke of Aeneid.

Ducit Amazonidum lunatis Agmina peltis Penthisilaea fureus medijs{que} in millibus ardet. Penthisilaea mad, leades foorth Her Amazonian traine, Arm'd with their Mooned shieldes, and fights Mid'st thousands on the plaine.

These Amazons indured till the time of Alexander; and though Isiodorus Eth. 14. saith that Alexander the Great quite subuerted their nation, yet Tro∣gus, Iustine, Q. Curtius and others, are of a contrarie opinion, and affirme that when Alexander sent his Embassadors to demand of them tribute, otherwise his purpose was to inuade their territories:* 1.12 their queene Minithra (or as some writers terme her, Thalestris) returned him answer after this manner: It is great wonder of thy small iudgement, ô king, that thou hast a desire to wage warre against wo∣men; if thou being so great a conqueror shouldest be vanquished by vs, all thy former honours were blemished, and thou perpetually branded with shame and infamie; but if our gods being angerie with vs, should deliuer vs vp into thy mercie, what addition is it to thine honor, to haue had the masterie ouer weake women? King Alexander (it is sayd) was pleased with this answere, granting them freedome, and sayd, Women ought to be courted with faire words and flatterie, and not with rough steele and hostil••tie. After this she sent to the king desiring to haue his companie, as longing to haue issue by him to succeed the father in magnanimitie and ver∣tue, to which hee assented. Some write, she stayd with him in wonderous fa∣miliaritie fourteene dayes: but Trogus in his second booke sayth fortie dayes, and when she found her selfe with child by him, tooke her leaue and departed into her owne countrey. Virgill amongst these Amazonians numbers Harpalice,* 1.13 Aenid. lib. 1.

—Vel qualis equos Therissa fatigat Harpalice— Such as the Thracian Harpalice was That horses tired—

Valerius Flaccus lib. 6. speakes of one Harpe.* 1.14

—Qua pelta vacat iamque ibat in Harpea Hee aym'd at Harpe where her shield lay void.

These Amazons were by the Scythians called Aeorpata, which is as much as Viricidae, or man-killers. For Aeor signifies Vir, a man, and Pata, Occidere, to kill. Their habits and manners Curtius thus describes lib. 5. de gestis Alexan∣dri. Their garments couer not their bodies round; their right side is still bare towards their brest; their vpper roabe which is buckled or buttoned aboue, descends no lower than the knee; one of their brests they reserue safe and vn∣touched, with which they giue sucke to their infants; the right brest they burne off, that with the more facilitie they may draw a Bowe, thrill a Dart, or charge a Launce. Stephanus Byzantius writes, that they are called by the Greekes Sauropatidae, because they are said to feede vpon Lysards, which in their language they call Saurae. Herodotus writes of them many things need∣lesse here to insert, onely one is worth the obseruation: To incourage their va∣lour, and that there should be no coward amongst them,* 1.15 they haue a law, That no Virgin shall be capable of a husband, or enter into familiar congresse with man, before she hath brought from the field, the head of an enemie slaine with her owne hand; which hath beene the cause that so many of them haue died old wrinkled beldames, that neuer knew what belonged to the interchange of carnall societie. Of other Scythian women that had a purpose, it seemes, in some kind to immitate these Amazons, it is thus remembred by Strabo and o∣thers: The warlike Scythians in their third Asian expedition, being absent from their wiues the space of seuen yeares, they supposing their husbands ra∣ther to haue beene defeated and lost, than deteined with the tedioufnesse of so long and lingring a warre, married themselues to their slaues and seruants, such as were onely left at home to keepe their heards, flockes, and other cat∣tell. The Scythians after the expiration of their warre, returning into their countrie were opposed by their owne vassalls, and repelled from their terri∣tories as strangers and inuaders, and not such as came to repossesse their owne wiues and fields: after many skermishes and conflicts, the victorie still remai∣ning doubtfull and incertaine, the Scythians were aduised to change their manner of fight, and because their opposition was against the basest of slaues, not the noblest of enemies, therefore to suit their weapons according to the persons, and laying by the noble armes of a souldier, to encounter them not with weapons but with whips, not with steele but with scourges and other like instruments of the terrors of base and seruile feare. This counsell was generally approoued and followed, so that the next time their slaues affronted them in battaile, they met them with the commanding lookes of maisters, not of equall enemies, and shaking these whips and scourges, with the sight ther∣of their seruants were so terrified that instantly they betooke themselues to seruile and ignoble flight, conquering them as slaues whom they could scarce oppose as enemies, all such of them as they tooke they put to tortures and death. Their wiues knowing themselues guiltie both of adulterie to their beds, and treason to their liues, some slew themselues with the sword, others strangled themselues with the halter, all in conclusion brauely and resolutely with selfe hands finished their owne liues, leauing their husbands lustie wid∣dowers, with free libertie to make choice of honester wiues. After this acci∣dent the Scythians had peace euen to the time of king Lanthinus. Higinus addes

vnto the number of those Amazons these following, Ociale, Dioxippe, Iphinome, Xanthe, Hypothoe, Orthrepte or Otrere, Antioche, Laomache, Glauce, Agaue, Theseis, Climene, and Polidora. Calaber besides these reckons vp twelue, but by diuerse and doubtfull names. Of the name of these Amazons, Ouid writes in the lat∣ter end of his second booke de Arte amandi, hauing writ his two first bookes wherein he hath ingeniously proposed all the wayes, plots, and stratagems by which men may captiuate women to their wishes and attract them to their desires, as if he had done his worke as worthily as wittingly (which indeede he hath) he thus insultingly concludes.

Me vatem celebrate viri, mihi dicite laudes, Cantetur toto nomen in orbe meum, &c.

Call me your Poet, crowne my head with Bayes, And let the whole world descant on my praise. I gaue you armes, god Vulcan gaue no more To Thetis sonne: conquer as he (before) And he that shall his Amazon subdue, Strooke with the darts he from my quiuer drew, Vpon his warlike spoyles thus let him write, ,,Naso my master taught me first to fight. Behold yong Wenches likewise trace my skill, They are the next charge of my labouring quill.

In his third booke as hauing prepared and armed men against vnarmed wo∣men, he proposeth to them the like precepts and instruction, with all the de∣fensible weapons needfull against the ambushes and inticements of men, and thus begins:

Arma dedi Danais, in Amazonas arma sup••rsunt, Quae tibi dem & turbae Penthisilaea tuae,

The Greekes I haue giuen armes to, who now stand Ready to incounter the Amasonian band. Others within mine armorie remaine For thee Penthisilaea and thy traine: Goe equally acco••tred to the warre, And let such conquour as most fauoured are Of Carine, * 1.16 Dione, and the * 1.17 Boy that flyes Round'bout the world still hood-winckt of his eyes. It were no iustice to arme men in steele 'Gainst naked women, bare from head to heele, Oh too much oddes there were in combat then, And so to conquour a great shame for men.

And so much of the Amasons, I now proceede to other Magnanimous and braue spirited virgins.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Lib. 1. cap. de Amazonib.
• * 1.2

  The custome of the Scythi∣ans.
• * 1.3

  The braue acts of the Scythians.
• * 1.4

  A base flight.
• * 1.5

  The first be∣ginning of the Amasons.
• * 1.6

  Whence the name of Ama∣sons was de∣riued.
• * 1.7

  Marthesia. Lampedo.
• * 1.8

  Orythia.
• * 1.9

  Menalippe.
• * 1.10

  Hyppolite.
• * 1.11

  Penthisilaea
• * 1.12

  Minithra or Thale∣stris.
• * 1.13

  Harpalice.
• * 1.14

  Harpe.
• * 1.15

  A law among the Amazons
• * 1.16

  Venus.
• * 1.17

  Cupid.