The consent of time disciphering the errors of the Grecians in their Olympiads, the vncertaine computation of the Romanes in their penteterydes and building of Rome, of the Persians in their accompt of Cyrus, and of the vanities of the Gentiles in fables of antiquities, disagreeing with the Hebrewes, and with the sacred histories in consent of time. VVherein is also set downe the beginning, continuance, succession, and ouerthrowes of kings, kingdomes, states, and gouernments. By Lodovvik Lloid Esquire.

CHAP. II.

Of the first King of Media: of their gouernment, lawes, and con∣tinuance from Deiocis, vntill Astyages the last King of the Medes.

BVt Deiocis nowe after hee had gouer∣ned wisely and discreetely the Medes, hee through his owne pollicie and his friends councell became the first King by consent and by election. When he was sure of the kingdome, and had setled himselfe as a King, hee straight commaunded Townes and Cities to be builded, and erected many strong Fortes, made good lawes, and gouerned the Medes with equitie and iustice for the space of fiftie three yeres, as both Herodot and Diodorus Siculus affirme. * 1.1

This Deiocis likewise appointed a certeine garde for his person, for change of state is dangerous: for nowe Deiocis

from a Magistrate was made a king, and therefore with grea∣ter care and feare he foresawe things belonging to his per∣son: hee had his garison and his garde to attend his person, and prouided that the Medes, who both loued him and ho∣noured him so much, shoulde bee in all seruice at his becke: he commaunded then to builde one great Towne, a chiefe * 1.2 Citie, and to bee the onely seate of the king, as in all king∣domes the Palace of the king is the chiefest.

Nowe the Medes hauing this commaundement, beganne with one consent to builde one great Towne aboue the rest fortified with walles, and strengthened with garisons. This * 1.3 citie was great and large, and was called Ecbatana, where this king Deiocis liued, vsing such iustice and seueritie, as hereby no man might haue accesse vnto him but by meanes: hee grew so seuere, that no man might haue sight of him, no man might laugh, cough, or spit before him. This was the onely * 1.4 king that brideled the Medes, and asmuch commended for his seuere punishment of iniuries, as for his sounde iudge∣ment of iustice and equitie praysed.

There were many nations subiect vnto the Medes, as Buse, Paretaceni, Arezantij, Budi, and others. In his time reigned in Macedonia, Perdiccas: in Iudea Ezechias and his sonne Manasses: in Rome reigned Romulus in the later ende of his reigne, and in Lydia Candaules the fourth king of Lydia.

This time reigned in Egypt 12. gouernours of equal autho∣ritie: * 1.5 these ruled Egypt as supreame magistrates 15. yeres, vn∣till Psammeticus: one of these 12. Iudges had gotten the king∣dome vnto his owne hands, who reigned 54. yeeres king in Egypt. You shall reade in Herodot, and in Diodorus Siculus, the * 1.6 whole historie, euen from this king Psammeticus, vntill the time of Cambyses.

As Kingdomes and Countries florished and became mightie & strong in armes, so they inuented militarie disci∣pline to defende themselues & their Countries: euery King∣dome had their proper and seuerall order of fighting, with varietie and change of their marching into battell, with sun∣dry

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and diuers kindes of Trumpets and ensignes. The Egyp∣tians had Crocodiles and cattes in their ensignes: for those * 1.7 which they honoured as goddes in the Citie, they vsed them in their warres in their ensignes, and a Trumpet made of a horne. The Indians had in their ensignes the picture of Her∣cules * 1.8 caried before them into battell, with many little Belles and Timbrels for their Trumpets. The Persians preferred in their ensignes the image of the sunne, and burning lampes, which should be caried in the middest of the armie. The old * 1.9 Athenians caused an owle to be set in their ensignes: and the Thebans the image of Sphinx with shaulmes & flates for trum∣pets. The Macedonians had a wolfe caried in their ensignes. * 1.10 The ancient Romanes before they grew to their greatnes, vsed a handfull of hay tied to the ende of their speares, which should be caried before them as ensignes, and thereby called manipulares miliets: they had not yet vsed in their ensignes the picture of a horse, which they vsed after the hay, or of a * 1.11 bore or of Minotaurus, or of the eagle which nowe they vse for their ensignes. The Cimbrians had in their ensignes a brasen bull. The olde auncient Germanes vsed to paint in * 1.12 their ensignes the likenesse of shining light. The Parthians tied little brasen belles to their speares, and infinite number of hornes, hauing before them caried in their ensigne a flagge of red leather painted ouer ful of keies. And so I might speake of more that vsed their coūtrie orders and maners in warres: but mightie Emperours and Kings had in their seuerall en∣signes what pleased them, as

• Hanibal had a red flagge with * 1.13 a naked sword for his ensigne.
• Old Osiris had the dogge Anu∣bis in his ensigne.
• Great Porus king of India had the image of Hercules caried before him in his ensigne.
• Cyrus king of Persia, a cocke.
• Iulius Caesar an Elephant.
• Eumenes king of Asia had in his ensigne the image of Ce∣res, and the statue of Alex∣ander the great.
• Neoptolemus the image of Minerua.
• Ca. Marius in the Cymbrian warres vsed to cary in his en∣signe a siluer eagle, and so vpon their tents they vsed the like.

And so of their secret watchword which the Emperours, and great kings vsed in their warres, I thought good to set downe some briefe examples of mightie great conquerours and captaines, which they vsed in the fielde in the time of warre to their officers and souldiers.

• Cyrus king of Persia would vse this for his watch∣word: Iupiter belli Dux.
• Antiochus, sirnamed Soter, vsed this watchworde: Bene valere.
• Augustus Caesar Emperour of Rome vsed this word: Faelicitas, sometime, Vi∣ctoria.
• M. Antonius in his warres vsed this worde: Lar Deus.
• Pompey the great vsed, In∣victus Hercules.
• Caius Caligula the Empe∣rour vsed, Priapus and Venus for his watche∣word. * 1.14
• Demetrius king of Macedo∣nia, had for his watch∣worde, Iupiter & Victo∣ria.
• The Emperour Septimus Seuerus vsed this word, Laboremus. As Pertinx the emperour vsed Mi∣litemus for their watch∣words in their campe.
• Claudius Caesar neuer mis∣sed this watchworde, Virum vlcisci decet.
• The watchworde of Silla was but Apollo.

The sixt king of the Medes was named Phaortes, a man of great promesse and of great fortune, who much encreased the state of Media with winning of many countreys, and ad∣ding of many nations to the kingdome of Media: he moued warres first against the Persians, and brought them at length vnder his hand, and vanquished them, who became subiects vnder Phaortes to the Empire of Media. After that, he passed further vnto Asia, destroying and vanquishing many stoute nations, in so much that he brought all Asia vnder the Medes. Againe he went with great force against the Assyrians, layde siege to Niniue, where he was slaine and all his armie vanqui∣shed: * 1.15 he raigned in Media 22. yeeres, about the 33. Olympiad, 105. yeeres after the building of Rome.

At this time raigned in Iudea, the good king Iosias, who de∣stroied idolatrie, & restored religion, cōmanding the groues, the altars, and other superstitious places, to be had in pieces: he caused all the wickednes which raigned among the Iewes in his fathers dayes king Amon, to be quite taken away. Now in Lydia gouerned Ardeis the 6. king of the Lydians. In Rome go∣uerned Tullus Hostilius the 3. king of the Romanes, & in Agrigen∣tū at this time the great tyrant Phalaris exercised his tyrannie. * 1.16

After Phaortes had brought all Asia vnder the Empire, and had vanquished the Persians, and now the monarchie was in * 1.17 Media, the Medes grew so strong that they subdued all coun∣treis, and became the only kingdom of force & power, whose fame and renowne was spread ouer the whole world. After him succeeded Ciaxares the 7. king of the Medes: this passed * 1.18 all the kings of Media before him, and obscured the fame of his predecessors: this king is named in Daniel Darius Medus, as Melancthon doeth note. This was he that subdued Asia, and deuided Asia into nations, countreys, prouinces, and kingdoms, and the first among the Medes that deuised speare∣men, bowmen, and horsemen, and taught the Medes many warlicke feates: he vanquished all the regions about Media, and gathered all the force hee could against the Lydians, and after brought all his armies ouer the riuer Halis, and went to reuenge his fathers death Phaortes vpon the Assyrians, besie∣ged Niniue, and (as Eusebius testifieth) he tooke the citie of Niniue, and conquered the most part of Assyria, except Baby∣lon and fewe prouinces about Babylon. It is written in Ruffi∣nus, that while Ciaxares layed siege to Niniue, Madies king of Scythia came with great power against this Ciaxares, with * 1.19 whom he encountred and put him to the worst, scattered his armie, and wan the field, and remoued their siege frō Niniue, in so much that the Scythians ruled & gouerned al Asia for 28. yeres, but afterward slaine and ouerthrowen by the Medes.

About this time Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon layed siege to Ierusalem, tooke Zedekias the king, burned the citie, and de∣stroyed * 1.20 the temple, and the most part of the best Iewes were

caried captiue into Babylon, where Ezechiel began to prophe∣cie both against Egypt and Babylon, where likewise he prophe∣cied the rebuilding of Ierusalem, and the restoring of the Iewes after 70. yeres captiuitie. There folowed in Media Astiages * 1.21 the 8. and last king of the Medes, who raigned ouer the Medes 35. yeeres, hauing onely one daughter named Mandanes: of this her father thought so wel, that he iudged no man among the Medes worthy of his daughter, but gaue her in mariage to Cambyses king of Persia, which then payed tribute vnto the Medes, and were broght vnder their monarchie by cōquest.

Now Astiages the king being in his town Ecbatana, dreamed of his daughter Mādanes in this sort: he thought in his dreame that his daughter made so much water at one time as filled al the streets of the city Ecbatana, & that it did ouerflow all Asia: who when he awaked, mused much at this dreame, & fearing * 1.22 the successe thereof, tooke order with one Harpagus a friend of his, that when his daughter Mādanes should be brought to bed, the child should presently be killed. This cōmandement of the king troubled Harpagus, insomuch that he himself dete∣sted * 1.23 so foule an act, caused one named Mitridates a heardman of Astiages to come to his house, to whō he imparted the kings * 1.24 cōmandement, charging him to take the child, and to bring him to some place where the childe might die, to auoyde the displeasure of the king. This poore man obeying Harpagus, tooke the child, delighted much in his fauour, thinking in his heart that he was of some great parentage, tooke it with him, and hauing that time by his wife a childe borne dead, hee tooke it, and made as though it were Cambyses sonne, & buried * 1.25 him in a desart place, and cōmanded his wife to bring vp Cy∣rus as her owne childe. Now when Harpagus was throughly certified that Cyrus was killed & buried by this his trusty friēd, who saw the place where the dead childe was buried, suppo∣sing it to be Cyrus, Harpagus therof was very glad, told the king that in al things his cōmandement was executed. The king was merie, & al things very quiet, and he doubted nothing.

While this Astiages was lustie and frolike, Cyrus grew in the

meane while to some stature, being about tenne yeeres of age, hauing some cause to be brought before Astyages, he had some impression in his head, and conceiued by imagination, considering the time that Cyrus should haue bene killed, and * 1.26 the age of Cyrus then present: hee beganne to examine the matter with Harpagus, and Harpagus with Midridates, vntill the trueth was found. Astiages being much disquieted with this Harpagus, was troubled in minde, fearing some mis∣chance should happen vnto him by the meanes of this Cyrus, of whom he dreamed (as you heard) commaunded him * 1.27 out of his sight, and to goe vnto Persia to his father Cambyses, and to his mother Mandanes, and there, vpon his allegeance to stay. * 1.28

Cyrus began to feele his stomacke being very young, to be very great: yet for that time he obeyed the king, and went to Persia, where he consulted with Harpagus about the recoue∣rie of the kingdome of Media. For when Cyrus had heard how that Astiages had commaunded Harpagus to kill him, and to * 1.29 haue him out of the way, hee thought now being in yeeres, fully to reuenge the said wrong: he gathered his power toge∣ther, and had his souldiers in armes, and was ready with his force to march against Astiages.

The bruite and great report of Cyrus preparation came to * 1.30 the eares of king Astiages, who not being therewith a little frighted, sent messengers vnto Cyrus, commanding him vpon his allegeance to repaire to king Astiages. To whom answere was made by Cyrus, that Astiages should see Cyrus before hee * 1.31 wished to see him, and that Cyrus would come before Astiages would haue him to come. This answere of Cyrus being giuen to the king, he straight commanded all Media to be in armes, and with great hast & with no lesse feare made his souldiers readie. Nowe Harpagus hauing determined to flee from his charge, being generall of the Medes, vnto Cyrus: When both the armies came to ioyne in battell, Harpagus perfourmed promise with Cyrus, forsooke the Medes, and came to the * 1.32 Persians. This first battell by reason of Harpagus and diuers

noble men more of Media which reuolted, was ouerthrowen by Cyrus.

Astiages againe gathered his force, renewed his armie, and came in field himselfe being general in person against Cyrus, * 1.33 where hee was with all his souldiers ouerthrowen, and his kingdome taken from him, and the Empire of Media which before gouerned Persia, is nowe againe brought by Cyrus vn∣to Persia.

This was the vncertaine state of the worlde then, some∣time conquerours, and sometime straight conquered, as be∣fore you haue read of Assyria and Chaldea sometimes the As∣syrians mastered the Chaldeans, and againe the Chaldeans ouer∣came the Assyrians, and so of the Medes and of the Persians: * 1.34 for now the Persians are become lords of Media, Lydia, Chal∣dea, Assyria, all Asia, and the most part of the East, which the Medes hitherto for the space of an hundreth and thirtie yeres gouerned Asia about the riuer Halis. Thus Media after it had * 1.35 in all continued three hundreth and fiftie yeeres, from Sarda∣napalus vntill Cyrus time, by Cyrus was ouerthrowen, in the * 1.36 thirtie and fifte yeere of the raigne of Astiages, two hun∣dreth yeeres after the building of Rome, at what time Tarqui∣nius Priscus was the first king of Rome.

This time ruled in Lydia, Cressus, which within foureteene yeere after was likewise vanquished by Cyrus, and his king∣dome translated vnto Persia. It is in Zonaras and in Iosephus * 1.37 otherwise written about Cyrus and Astiages: they affirme that Cyaxeres was the sonne of Astiages: this was of Daniel called Darius Medus, & of Iosephus, Zonaras, Zenophon, and others. This * 1.38 was vncle vnto Cyrus, and heire vnto Astiages: hee together with Cyrus gouerned for a time, afterwarde hauing but one daughter, he bequethed his daughter and the kingdome vn∣to Cyrus his nephew his sisters sonne, who was married vn∣to Cambyses.

While this Cyaxeres liued, he honoured much Daniel, and had him in great reuerence. Herodotus writeth in the histo∣rie * 1.39 of Cyrus, and sayeth, that Cyrus married Cassandanes the

daughter of Pharnaspis: so doeth Zenophon, and so doeth Zo∣naras * 1.40 write.

The Egyptians affirme, that Cyrus married a wife in Egypt, and by her got Cambyses •…•…but howe foeuer Chronographers agree, it is certaine that hee beganne a monarchie vpon the conquering of Lydia and Media, as shall bee more at large written in the historie of Persia.

The Medes fed on fruites, Ex amigdalis tostis panes, ex ma∣lis * 1.41 siccis ac tritis massas conficiunt, They make their drinke of certaine rootes, and they vse wilde beastes, and wilde fowles for their foode: for they nourish no tame beast. And this is the propertie of the Medes and of their king, to haue as many wiue's as they woulde, they might not haue vnder * 1.42 seuen. And so their women thought it a great praise and fame to haue many husbands, but they might not liue without fiue hus∣bands, as Strabo doeth write in his eleuenth Booke.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Diodorus Siculus lib. 3.
• * 1.2

  Strab. lib. 11.
• * 1.3

  Russ•…•… de Medor. origine.
• * 1.4

  Deioces praised
• * 1.5

  Diodo. lib. 1.
• * 1.6

  Herodot. lib. 2.
• * 1.7

  The Egyptians.
• * 1.8

  The Indians.
• * 1.9

  The Persian.
• * 1.10

  The Macedo∣nians.
• * 1.11

  The Romanes.
• * 1.12

  The olde Ger∣manes.
• * 1.13

  The seuerall ensignes of kinges and great cap∣taines.
• * 1.14

  Watchwords at se•…•…raln 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or •…•…eat 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.15

  Phaortes slaine at Niniue.
• * 1.16

  Phaortes.
• * 1.17

  Strabo lib. 11.
• * 1.18

  Ciaxares the sonne of Pha∣ortes, and the 7. king of Media.
• * 1.19

  Ruffinus de Me∣dorum origine.
• * 1.20

  The besieging of Ierusalem by Nabuchodono∣sor.
• * 1.21

  Astiages the 8. and last king of Media.
• * 1.22

  Astiages dreame of his daughter.
• * 1.23

  Harpagus.
• * 1.24

  Mitridates.
• * 1.25

  Cyrus brought vp with a poore heard∣man as his owne childe.
• * 1.26

  astyages hath knowledge that Cyrus was not slaine by Harpagus.
• * 1.27

  Cyrus is bani∣shed from Me∣dia vnto Persia.
• * 1.28

  Cyrus is father to Cambyses, and not his soane, in all writers but in Herodotus.
• * 1.29

  Cyrus maketh this force in a readinesse.
• * 1.30

  Messengers sent vnto Cy∣rus.
• * 1.31

  Cyrus answere.
• * 1.32

  The first bat∣tell of Astyages with Cyrus.
• * 1.33

  The second ouerthrow of Astiages, and the last.
• * 1.34

  The last ende of the Medes.
• * 1.35

  The riuer Ha∣lis.
• * 1.36

  The 56. Olym∣piad.
• * 1.37

  Zonar. lib. 1. cap. 19.
• * 1.38

  Iosephus lib. 10. cap. 13.
• * 1.39

  Herod. lib. 3.
• * 1.40

  zenophon lib. 8. Padago.
• * 1.41

  Howe the Medes fed. Strabo lib. 11.
• * 1.42

  Of their hus∣bands.