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

Olimpias.

OThas of Persia, hauing defeated Nectenabus king of Aegypt and expelled him from his kingdome; he the better to secure himselfe from the So∣phyes tyrannie, shaued his head and disguising himselfe, with all such

jewells as he could conueniently carrie about him, conueyed himselfe into Macedonia: the authors of this historie are Vincentius and Treuisa. There (as they say) he liued as a Chaldaean or Cabalist, where by his Negromancie and art Magick, he wrought himselfe so deepely into the brest of Olimpias, that taking the opportunitie whilest Philip was abroad in his forreine expeditions,* 1.1 hee lay with her in the shape of Iupiter Hammon, and begot Alexander the Great. Af∣ter the Queenes conception, many fowles vsed to flie about Philip when hee was busied in his warres; amongst others, there was a Henne that as he sate in his tent, flew vp into his lap and there layd an egge, which done she cackling flew away: The king rising vp hastily, cast it vpon the ground and brake it, when suddenly a young Dragon was seene to leape out of the shell, and cree∣ping round about it and making offer to enter therein againe, died ere it had quite compassed it. The king at this prodigie being startled, called all his Astrologers together, dem••unding of one Antiphon the noblest artist amongst them, What the omen might be of that wonder? who answered him, That his wife Olimpias was great with a sonne, whose conquests should fill the world with astonishment, ayming to compasse the whole vniuerse, but should dye before he could reduce it into one intire Monarchie; the Dragon being the embleme of a royall conquerour, and the round ouall circumference, the symboll of the world. With this answere Phillip was satisfied. When the time came of Olimpias her trauell, there were earth-quakes, lightnings, and thun∣ders, as if the last dissolution had beene then present, when were seene ••wo Eagles pearched vpon the top of the Pallace, presaging the two great Empires of Europe and Asia. Young Alexander being growne towards manhood, it happened that walking abroad with Nectenabus, in the presence of his father Philip, the young prince requested the Astrologian to instruct him in his art. To whom Nectenabus answered, that with all willingnes he would; and comming neere a deepe pit, Alexander thrust the Magitian headlong into that discent, by which sudden fall hee was wounded to death: yet Nectenabus calling to the prince, demanded for what cause he had done him such outrage? Who answe∣red, I did it by reason of thy art, for ignoble it were in a prince to studie those vaine sciences, by which men will vndertake to predict other mens fates, when they haue not the skill to preuent their owne. To whom Nectenabus answered, Yes Alexander I calculated mine owne destinie, by which I knew I should bee slaine by mine owne natural son. To whom the prince in derision thus speake, Base Negromancer, how canst thou bee my father, seeing that to the mightie king Philip here present, I owe all filiall dutie and obedience? to whom Necte∣nabus rehearsed all the circumstances (before related) from the beginning, and as he concluded his speech so ended his life. How the husband vpon this in∣formation behaued himselfe towards his wife, or the sonne to his mother, I am not certaine, this I presume, it was a kind of needfull pollicie in both, the one to conceale his Cuckoldrie, the other his Bastardie: so much of Olimpias concerning the byrth of her son Alexander. I will proceede a little further to speake of her remarkable death, being as maiestically glorious as the processe of her life was in many passages thereof worthily infamous.* 1.2 Iustine in his hi∣storie relates thus, Olimpias the wife of Philip and mother of Alexan••••r the Great, comming from Epirus vnto Macedonia, was followed by Aeacida•• king of the Molossians, but finding herselfe to be prohibited that countrey, * 1.3 whe∣ther annimated by the memorie of her husband, incouraged with the great∣nesse of her sonne, or mooued with the nature of the affront and iniurie, as shee

receiued it, I am not certain, but she assembled vnto her all the forces of Mace∣donia, by whose power and her command, they were both slaine. About seuen yeares after Alexander was possest of the Kingdom: neither did Olimpias raigne long after, for when the murders of many princes had been by her committed, rather after an effeminate than regall manner, it conuerted the fauour of the multitude into an vnreconcilable hatred, which fearing, and withall hauing intelligence of the approch of Cassander (now altogether distrusting the fide∣litie of her owne countriemen) shee with her sonnes wife Roxana, and her nephew young Hercules, retired into a cittie called Picthium, or Pictua; in this almost forsaken societie were Deidamia daughter to king Aeacidas, Thessalonice, her owne daughter in law, famous in her father king Philips memorie, with di∣uers other princely Matrons, a small traine attending vpon them rather for show and state, than either vse or profit. These things being in order related to Cassander, he with all speede possible hastens towards the cittie Pictua, and inuests himselfe before it, compassing the place with an inuincible siege. Olim∣pias being now oppressed both with sword and famine, besides all the inconue∣niencies depending vpon a long and tedious warre, treated vpon conditions, in which her safe conduct, with her traines, being comprehended, she was wil∣ling to submit her selfe into the hands of the conqueror: at whose mercie, whilest her wauering fortunes yet stood, Cassander conuents the whole multi∣tude, and in a publike oration desires to be counselled by them how to dispose of the queene; hauing before subborned the parents of such whose children she had caused to be murdered, who in sad and funerall habits, should accuse the crueltie and inhumanitie of Olimpias. Their teares made such a passionate impression in the breasts of the Macedonians, that with loude acclamations they doomed her to present slaughter, most vnnaturally forgetting that both by Philip her husband, and Alexander her sonne, their liues and fortunes were not onely safe amongst their neighbour nations, but they were also possessed of forreine Empire and riches from prouinces till their times scarce heard of, but altogether vnknowne. Now the queene perceiuing armed men make to∣wards her and approch her to the same purpose, both with resolution and ob∣stinacie, shee, attired in a princely and maiesticke habit, and leaning in state vpon the shoulders of two of her most beautifull handmaides, gaue them a willing and vndaunted meeting: which the souldiers seeing and calling to mind her former state, beholding her present maiestie, and not forgetting her royall offspring illustrated with the names of so many successiue kings, they stood still amased, without offering her any further violence: till others sent thether by the command of Cassander, through pierced her with their weapons, which she incountered with such constancie, that shee neither offered to euade their swords, auoid their woundes, or expresse the least feare by any effeminat cla∣mour, but after the maner of the most bold & valiant men, submitted her selfe to death,* 1.4 in her last expiration expressing the inuincible spirit of her son Alex∣ander; in which she likewise showed a singular modestie, for with her disheue∣led haire shee shaddowed her face least in the struggling betwixt life and death it might appeare vnseemely; and with her garments couered her legges and feete•• least any thing about her might be found vncomely. After this, Cassander tooke to wife Thessalonice the daughter to king Aridaeus, causing the sonne of Alexander with his mother Roxane, to bee kept prisoners in a Tower called Amphipolitana.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The byrth of Alexander.
• * 1.2

  Lib. 14.
• * 1.3

  By Euridice and king Ari••••aeus.
• * 1.4

  The death of Olimpias.