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. IIII.

Of the tyranny of Darius Ochus: of his sōne Arsames, and of the vtter confusion and last ruine of the Persians, in the time of the last king Darius surnamed Codomanus, by Alexander the great.

IT was found that this Artaxerxes Mnemon, sur∣named with the Grecians the great, was a noble, wise, & discreete prince, in respect of the succes∣sion that reigned after him. Eusebius tooke this to be Assuerus, which maried Esher, as the He∣brues did: but Zonaras, Bibliander, Melancthon, with others af∣firme Darius Hystaspis, as before is spoken.

During the long reigne of this king, reigned in Macedonia foure kings one after another, Pausanias, Amintas, Argeus, and the fourth Amintas againe: in Egypt gouerned Nectanebus, and in Sparta, after the death of Agis gouerned Agesilaus, a wise valiant prince, who inuaded Phrygia, scattered the ar∣mie of Tisaphernes the Persian, and put him to flight at the ri∣uer Pactolus.

In this kings time was Lysander, that so much plagued the Athenians, slaine by the Thebans, a man of great fame amongst the Lacedemonians: diuers are of opinion, that he reigned not so long as Plutarch saith: some attributing fourtie, as Ruffi∣nus: * 1.1 others 36. as Functius doth: but it is not materiall: hee was a iust, modest, and a wise king: Persia, Asia, and all Greece, and specially Iudea might so say, when they sawe the tyran∣nie of Ochus, who succeeded him.

About this time in Rome Camillus triumphed ouer the peo∣ple * 1.2 called Veyans, when M. Manlius and Lu. Valerius were Consuls. In this Artaxerxes time liued Mausolus king in Ca∣ria, * 1.3 of whose wife named Artimesia it is thus reported, that when the king her husband died, she made him such a sump∣tuous tombe, so worthie a monument, so braue a building, that it was compted for the rarenesse thereof, one of the se∣uen wonders of the world: for Artemesia had the most skilful∣lest cunning men of that age, as Timotheus, Scopas, Brixias, and Leocharas. Likewise reigned in this time in Thessalia a great * 1.4 tyraunt Alexander Pheraeus, who was wont to burie men a∣liue, and to put others in the skinnes of beares and wilde bores, and then to set houndes vpon them to teare them in pieces: others hee would binde to a post naked, and woulde himselfe both shoote and throwe dartes to kill them. In a battell against this tyraunt Pelopidas that valiant Theban cap∣taine was slaine, and afterward the tyraunt was killed by his owne wife.

In this Artaxerxes time Rome was laid siege vnto, and ta∣ken * 1.5 by the Frenchmen: but by Camillus the Romane dictator manfully rescued, to the ouerthrowing of the Volcos, and the

Hetruscans: hee subdued their people, wasted their townes, and afterward builded vp Rome againe, repaired the Capitoll after that he had repulsed the Frenchmen, and made them * 1.6 most willing to flee from Rome. About this time two great Townes in the Countrey of Poloponesus in Greece, were swal∣lowed vp by an earthquake, called Helice and Burae.

• Plato the Philosopher, about this time florished.
• Aristotle was yet a yong man, Platoes scholler, fourtie and foure yeeres yonger then his master.
• Diogenes liued this time: so farre doeth Xenophons histo∣rie of the Grecians reache: for hee began where Thu∣cydides left.
• Socrates Platoes master, was nowe in Athens poisoned.
• Demosthenes borne in the one yeere with Aristotle, a fa∣mous Orator afterward.
• Ctesias a Persian Historiographer, serued this king Ar∣taxerxes in his house.

Artaxerxes Ochus after he had killed his two brethren Ari∣aspes * 1.7 and Arsames, succeeded his father, not in iustice, but in tyrannie: not in gouerning of his subiects, but in murthering of princes: of all the kings of Persia most cruell: yea Cambyses coulde not match him: for after hee had played the beare at home with his owne people, he plaied like the lion abroade amongst other nations, specially with the Iewes, who liued all this time in tranquilitie, enioying Halciones dayes in buil∣ding * 1.8 vp Ierusalem, in repayring the Temple, in rearing vp the walles, in planting againe religion, and inhabiting Iudea, and so possessing the libertie of the Countrey graunted first by Cyrus, cōfirmed by Darius, but fully permitted by Artaxerxes, surnamed Longhanded, Esdras, Nehemias, Zorobabel, being in∣strumēts thereunto appointed, & authorised by these good kings. But this cruel Ochus after he had destroied the stocke of

Cyrus in the beginning of his gouernment, he laid siege to Si∣don, kept them most miserably without any hearing of peace or offering of mercie, though it was by the best and grauest citizens humbly entreated for, whom hee most cruelly slue without respect to the lawe of armes: whereat the citizens being desperate to see his tyrannie, they burned the towne * 1.9 and themselues, to the number of fourtie thousand.

After this, Ochus tooke his voiage to Ciprus, where reig∣ned at that time a familiar friend of his named Euagoras, whō he, after he had taken Ciprus, and made slaughter most cruelly of the citizens, killed without respect of olde amitie and ac∣quaintance. Of this Euagoras there is extant an eloquent ora∣tion * 1.10 of Isocrates: hee proceeded forwarde in armes to Egypt, where he exercised the like tyrannie with sword & fire with∣out mercie, vntill he had subdued Egypt: thence he went, fo∣med in blood vnto Phoenicia, with all tyrannie he could de∣uise. Nowe after he had subdued Sidon, Ciprus, Egypt, Phoenicia, he woulde not spare Iudea the next prouince vnto Phoenicia, which had beene in great rest from Artaxerxes the long han∣ded vntill this time: at what time cōtention grew betweene two brethren about the office of the high Priest at Ierusalem, Iohanna who was then the high Priest, and Iesus who sought ayde at Vagoses hand the Persian: to auoide this helpe Iohanna slue his brother in the temple of Salomon.

Thus they did prouoke God to anger, and God raised Va∣goses, Ochus lieutenant to be their enemie, brought him to Ie∣rusalem, went to the temple which was prophaned and pol∣luted * 1.11 with blood. Vagoses spoiled it, caried the treasures with him: to whom the high Priest had tolde him that he did most wickedly so to defile the temple: hee answered, Not so wic∣kedly as thou in killing thy brother. Whē he had both spoi∣led Ierusalem and the temple, and brought the Iewes vnder O∣chus foote to pay tribute vnto the Persians for the space of se∣uen * 1.12 yeeres: after this he brought diuerse families of the Iewes captiues with him vnto Hircania: this great calamitie endu∣red * 1.13 vnto Alexander the great, which when he came to Ieru∣salem,

made all things well againe. Of this Ochus there is no good thing to be written, though Herodot doeth not altoge∣ther omitte him. Ctesias doth make likewise mention of him, * 1.14 and doth write of his birth, of his life, and of his gouerment, and doeth much varie from others: for Ctesias euer flattered the Persia kings, forwhich Plutarch in many places reproueth him. In this time reigned king in Macedonia Perdiccas, who was taken by the Illyrians in battell: after him succeeded Phi∣lippus Amintas sonne, and father to Alexander the great, who began to moue warre against the Athenians, and continued after against other cities of Greece for three yeeres.

In the eleuenth yeere of Ochus was Alexander the great borne: the same selfe day was the temple of Diana in Ephesus burned, at the which time Philomelus a captaine of Phocea in * 1.15 Greece, spoiled the temple of Apollo at Delphos: thereby grew great warres called sacrum bellum, which continued tenne yeeres in Greece. About this time Clearchus the tyraunt reig∣ned * 1.16 in Heraclia, and Spartacus the sonne of Leuconis reigned as king in Pontus.

In the eleuenth yeere that Phillip reigned king in Macedo∣nia, * 1.17 Greece was sore troubled and vexed: for Philip with an ar∣mie of Macedonia tooke Myciberna, Tiro, and Olynthus, three great townes of Helespont: hee pursued the Phoceans vnto the temple of Apollo at Delphos, who thinking to haue sanctuarie, were burned: the rest of Phocea yeelded to Philip. Timoleon a noble captaine of Corinth sailed to Sicilia, ouerthrewe the ca∣stell of Syracusa, and made a popular state of Syracusa: he deli∣uered the Greekes that were in bondage in Sicilia vnder the Carthagineans, vnto their countrie, & banished the thousand traiterous souldiers that had forsakē Timoleon in Sicilia. This * 1.18 time Philip subdued the Illyrians, vāquished the Thracians, and deliuered Thessalie from tyrants, that long gouerned in Thes∣salia: he made free al the cities of Greece frō all the incursions of barbarous nations, & concluded a peace with the Greekes.

The olde Persians had this custome when they went to warres, to goe in red cassockes according to the Persians ma∣ners:

so did Artaxerxes enter to battell with his brother Cy∣rus, * 1.19 at what time euery souldier should put an arrowe with his name written on it, into a large great coffer that stood in the kings Court: which arrowe if he returned aliue from the warres, hee shoulde at his comming to Persia take his ar∣rowe out of the coffer: for by arrowes left in the coffer, they knewe who they were, and howe many that died in their warres.

• This time died Plato, and Speusippus succeeded him in his schoole, after whom succeeded Xenocrates.
• Aristotle the Philosopher florished in this time.
• Demosthenes and Aeschines, two famous Orators, bore most swaynowe in Athens.

After Ochus had reigned in tyrannie twentie sixe yeeres, he was vsed euen as he had vsed others, slaine of Bagoas, and * 1.20 his sonne called Arsames being very young succeeded him: who when he had bene foure yeres king, and had growen in∣to some stature of body, Bagoas feeling a gilitie conscience, for that he had killed Ochus the kings father, fearefullest some reuenge would fall vnto him, he to preuent the danger there∣of, practized the like conspiracie against the sonne, as he did before against his father, & slue the young king: this was the ende of Ochus, and his sonne Arsames: no marueile to see ty∣rants * 1.21 die by tyrannie.

This Bagoas would haue had translated the kingdome of Persia, after this murther of the father and the sonne, and his great tyrannie vnto one Darius, gouernor at that time of Ar∣menia: for he had murthered al them that issued out of Cyrus: for whē Artaxerxes Mnemon had made warres with the Cadu∣ceans, one of those nations chalenged Monomachian, which is * 1.22 a combate, with any one Persian that durst take him in hand: Darius one of Artaxerxes captaines fought with this Caduce∣an and slue him, to whom the gouernment of Armenia was giuen for that seruice by Artaxerxes.

Nowe Bagoas when he had brought Darius to be king in

Persia, stil his conscience tormented him, and doubted much Darius, & fearing lest he should haue the reward of a traytor, hee deuised to poyson Darius: but of the conspiracie Darius had such intelligence, as Bagoas was forced to drinke that * 1.23 draught which hee had prepared for Darius, and so Bagoas dranke his owne poyson, and dyed.

Nowe the great kings of Persia (for so were they called in * 1.24 respect of their force and power) continued no longer, their race ended, their kingdom cameto an Aliens hand, a forreine prince, who in short time waxed strong and stout withall, not inferiour to any of his predecessors: who hauing intelli∣gence of a great armie of Macedonians and Grecians by Philip king of Macedon sent to Asia, hee gathered his force, and ha∣uing * 1.25 already a huge hoste of Persians, hee appointed a gene∣rall ouer them called Memnon, a Rhodian, a singuler skilfull souldier. In the meane season Philip died, and his sonne Alex∣ander the great succeeded him, a yong gallant king, of twen∣tie yeeres of age: this stept in into his fathers roume, he en∣terteined his fathers souldiers, and tooke the warres of Asia in hand. Darius hearing of Alexanders setting forward, made him ready, stirred the cities of Greece against him, so that di∣uers of Greece vnderstanding the force, power, and florishing state of Persia, dehorted their countrie men from Alexander, * 1.26 and to sticke and to staie with Darius.

The Thebanes began to forsake the Macedonians, saying they would fight with the Persians, which had often defended the libertie of Greece. Demosthenes traueiled as much as lay in him, to bring the Athenians to ioyne with the Thebanes, and so to stand with the Persians: for Demosthenes so hated Alexan∣der, * 1.27 that he called him 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as Aeschines sayth. This moued Alexander to some anger: he returned to Greece, began with the Thebans, destroyed and brought the citie of Thebes euen to the ground, after he had slaine sixe thousand Thebans, and taken captiues thirtie thousand.

Then Alexander sent to Athens, required those men which perswaded this warre, to be sent vnto him, which was Demosthenes, Lycurgus, and others. Here Demosthenes perswa∣ded

the Athenians with a fable of the wolfe, who offred peace to the shepheards vpon condition to banish their dogges, opened the meaning of Alexander, and the danger ensuing: * 1.28 and therefore Demades an eloquent Orator, & one that lo∣ued peace was sent vnto Alexander to entreate for peace: which was graunted by Alexander in such gentle sort, that he wan great fauour in all Greece: such was the clemencie and li∣beralitie of this prince, that all Greece with one consent made him the generall & defender of their liberties.

Now hauing laid al things quiet in Greece, he came in the second yere of his reigne toward Asia. In the meane seasō Da∣rius king of Persia hauing leauied a great armie, sent his cap∣taines * 1.29 & lieutenants to tarie Alexander at the riuer Granicus, and there to giue battell, where Alexander must fight of ne∣cessitie, that riuer being the only barre to stop his entrie vnto Asia. Darius had two captaines, named Rosases, & Spithridates, who being valiant men, began the battell, & did set vpon A∣lexander both together. Alexander was in great daunger, had not Clitus his foster brother saued him at that time: for many * 1.30 came at once vpō him: yet Darius in the endhad the worst: for the Persians stood not to it, but turned their backes and fled, and Darius armie was put to flight. This was the first battell fought betweene Darius & Alexander, at the riuer of Granicus. In the second battell Darius himself comes in person against * 1.31 the great Alexander, hauing leauied in Susa a great power of sixe hundred thousand fighting men, trusting much in the multitude of his souldiers, the rather further emboldened by a dreame which Darius sawe. Beside all this, hee waxed more bould, for that Alexander staied so long in Cicilia, supposing him to be afraid: so partly by his great army, & partly by his dreame (which was, that he saw all the Macedonian army on a fire) & partly for that he thought Alexander durst not come, he waxed proud, & vsed contemptuous words against Alex∣ander, * 1.32 saying hee feared nothing so much, as that Alexander would flee, before he would come at him: but he was satisfi∣ed by one Amintas a banished man of Macedonia, who knewe wel the disposition of Alexander. This second battell happe∣ned

in Cicilia, where Darius was put to flight: howbeit, Alex∣ander was hurt in one of his thighes with a blowe of a sword. * 1.33 Chares writeth, that Darius himself hurt him, & saith also, that Darius & Alexander fought hand to hand in this battel. Darius lost a hundred ten thousand of his men, yet scaped Darius and fled, but his wife Statira, and his mother Sisigambis, and * 1.34 two of his daughters were taken by Alexander.

Darius hauing two ouerthrows already, & seeing the great nes of Alexanders inuincible courage, hauing but 30000. Gre∣cians in his armie, with which smal number he conquered all Asia, & all the East countries, Darius sent Embassadors to A∣lexander * 1.35 with letters to diuers of his friends about him, to en∣treate of peace, offering Alexander 10000. talents, with Meso∣potamia, & all the countries, signories, and lands on the one side of Euphrates, with one of his two daughters in mariage, that they might be kinsemen & friendes: but it would take no * 1.36 place with Alexand. except Darius submitted himselfe in per∣son vnto the curtesie of Alexand. Now Statira Darius wife di∣ed in trauell of child being captiue with Alexander after the second battell, which encreased much the misfortune of Da∣rius. When Darius Embassadors tooke no effect for peace, then he gathered a greater armie then the second, & had got∣tenne * 1.37 hūdred thousand fighting men against Alexander at the riuer of Euphrates, making his praier vnto his gods, that if the kingdome of Persia must needes haue an end either through diuine reuenge, or by naturall change, that none but Alexan∣der might sit in Cyrus throne after him. Alexander with his ar∣mie went to meete with Darius: the battell was fought at Ar∣belles by report of most writers, though Plutarch & others na∣med it Gausameles: the victorie happened vnto Alexander, vn∣to the ouerthrowe of Darius, and last destruction of Persia. * 1.38

Thus the great Empire of Persia, the glory and renowne whereof all the world spake of, is brought to an end by Alex∣ander in three battels, with 30. thousand men. The treasure which Alexander caried away from Persia vnto Macedonia, loded tenne thousand Moyles, and fiue thousand Camels.

The kingdome of Persia continued from Cyrus vnto Alex∣ander the great: for as Cyrus gate Chaldea and Assyria vnto Per∣sia from Balthasar the last successour of Nabuchodonosor: so A∣lexander got Persia from this Darius, which was none of Cy∣rus posteritie vnto Macedonia, though in trueth Arsames the sonne of Ochus Darius predecessor was the last of Cyrus house: and yet Melancthon sayth, that Darius was Arsames sonne, and so doeth Eusebius. Thus ended the great kingdome of Persia: in like sort as they had by Cyrus woone it, so nowe by Darius they lost it: therefore I thought it necessarie to set downe the names of the kings of Persia, howe many they were, and how long they reigned, from Cyrus the first, vntill Darius the last king of Persia.

• 1 Cyrus the first king of Persia reigned twentie and nine yeeres.
• 2 Cambyses his sonne the second king of Persia, reigned seuen yeeres and more.
• 3 Darius the sonne of Hystaspis the third king of Persia, reigned 36. yeeres, maried to Atossa Cyrus daughter.
• 4 Xerxes Darius sonne reigned twentie one yeeres.
• 5 Artaxerxes long handed reigned 44. yeeres.
• 6 Darius Nothus reigned nineteene yeeres.
• 7 Artaxerxes Mnemon reigned fourtie yeres. Functi∣us saieth thirtie sixe yeeres. Plutarch doeth write that he reigned sixtie two yeeres.
• 8 Ochus his sonne after he had killed both his brethren, Ariaspes and Arsames, reigned twentie sixe yeres.
• 9 Arsames the sonne slaine by Bagoas, reigned 4. yeeres.
• 10 Darius the last king of Persia, ouerthrowen by Alex∣ander the great, reigned sixe yeeres.

Thus the Greekes laye them downe in their Cataloge, though Eusebius otherwaise sets them downe. Darius Medus, * 1.39 of whom mention is made in Daniel, is here of the Grecians omitted. Iosephus thinkes him to be Ciaxeres Astyages sonne: and so Xenophon agreeing with Iosephus, placeth Darius Medus before Cyrus. Metasthenes doeth not much dissent from the

Greekes in his Cataloge, sauing that he speaketh not of Cam∣byses, because hee reigned in his fathers time: for hee was ap∣pointed to be king in Persia in the absence of Cyrus, who in his owne person went against the Scythians at that time.

Likewise Metasthenes omitteth to speake of Xerxes, who * 1.40 for the like reason being in great warres at that time from home in Greece, leauing behinde him to gouerne Persia his sonne Artaxerxes: so that Metasthenes writeth, that Darius Medus and Cyrus, reigned together two yeeres, and then pas∣seth to Darius Hystaspis, which is also called Assuerus, making no mention of Cambyses name: and then he goeth to Artax∣erxes * 1.41 the long handed, passing ouer the name of Xerxes his fa∣ther: the cause is layd downe by Melancthon: in the rest Me∣tasthenes doth agree with the Greekes.

After that the Persians the strongest and the greatest na∣tions of the world had gotten the Monarchie of the Assyri∣ans & Chaldeans, not by the sword of Cyrus, but by the idolatrie of Balthasar, whom God gaue ouer vnto Cyrus hand, making an end of one, and beginning with the other: for the finger of God doth appoint Monarchies according to Sirach, say∣ing: No kingdome shalbe translated, if wickednesse of the king and kingdome be not the cause thereof. Nabuchodonosor was conuer∣ted and confessed Gods power: Euilmerodach his sonne ac∣knowledged the Highest: but Balthasar through blasphemie and idolatrie lost the Empire of Assyria: Euen so in Persia, while Cyrus, Darius Medus, Darius Hystaspis, Artaxerxes gouer∣ned Persia, the Persians florished, they were lordes of the whole world. Nowe when Alexander had abated their pride and di∣minished * 1.42 their force, & had taken their Empire from them vnto Macedonia, and had substituted lieutenants and gouer∣nours vnder him in all kingdomes and countries, where the Persians had before soueraigntie: for as the Persians were ob∣scure and of no fame before Cyrus time, so after Alexander the great, their renowne was lost, their pompe and their pride decayed, & their kings afterward of small accompt: for nowe Macedonia and the Grecians triumphed, and the Persians being

destroyed and scattered without any king or any prince of * 1.43 fame to gouerne them, vntill the time of Alexander Seuerus Emperor of Rome, fiue hundred & fiftie yeres after Alexander the great, at what time liued in Rome Vrbanus Bishop there at that time: this Emperour had a mother named Mammea, a wise and a discreete woman, who hauing knowledge that O∣rigen, a great man in the Church of God was then at Anti∣oche, * 1.44 sent for him, and so enterteined him as a rare iewell in those dayes. At that time reigned in Persia one Artaxerxes, who being of the name of the auncient kings of Persia, was * 1.45 likewise wise and valiant, and in processe of time grewe so strong, that he ouerthrew Artabanus king of the Parthians, and thereby restored to the Persians a beginning of a newe king∣dome.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ruffinus de origine Persar.
• * 1.2

  Camillus tri∣umphed.
• * 1.3

  Mausolus tombe.
• * 1.4

  P•…•…nij. lib. 36. Alex. Pheraeus a tyrant.
• * 1.5

  Eutropius lib. 2. T. Lini. lib. 6.
• * 1.6

  Eutrop. lib. 1.
• * 1.7

  Ochus 8. king of Persia.
• * 1.8

  Darius Ochus compared to Cambyses.
• * 1.9

  Reade this miserable hi∣storic in Diod.
• * 1.10

  Oros. lib. 3. cap. 7
• * 1.11

  Melancthon 2. Chron.
• * 1.12

  Vagoses Ochus lieutenant.
• * 1.13

  The Iewes plagued by Ochus.
• * 1.14

  Ochus a cruell king.
• * 1.15

  Iustinus lib. 8.
• * 1.16

  Functius lib. 3.
• * 1.17

  Philip of Ma∣cedon.
• * 1.18

  Plutarch in Ti∣moleon.
• * 1.19

  If you will know of Cyrus fully, reade Xen•…•…phon de 〈◊〉〈◊〉 l. and also de exp•…•…dt. Cyri.
• * 1.20

  Ochus slaine of Bagoas.
• * 1.21

  Arsames, Ochus sonne slaine by Bagoas.
• * 1.22

  Darius the last king of Persia.
• * 1.23

  Bagoas dranke of his owne poyson.
• * 1.24

  Diodod. 17.
• * 1.25

  Alex. the great
• * 1.26

  Melancthon 2. Chron.
• * 1.27

  Thebes de∣stroyed.
• * 1.28

  Demades sent to Alex.
• * 1.29

  The first bat∣tell betweene Alex. and Dari. at the riuer of Granicus.
• * 1.30

  Melanct. lib. 2. Chron.
• * 1.31

  600. thousand n the 2. battel of Darius in Cicilia.
• * 1.32

  Darius con∣temptuous words of Alex.
• * 1.33

  Alexand. hurt.
• * 1.34

  Darius, his wife his mother, & his daughter taken.
• * 1.35

  Darius sent Embassadors.
• * 1.36

  Reade Curtius of Alexander.
• * 1.37

  An other ar∣mie of Darius of 10. hundred thousand.
• * 1.38

  Diod. lib. 17.
• * 1.39

  Functius.
• * 1.40

  Xerxes omit∣ted by Metast∣henes.
• * 1.41

  Melancthon 2. Chron.
• * 1.42

  11•…•…. Olympiad.
• * 1.43

  Alex. Seuerus anno Christ. 225.
• * 1.44

  Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 18.
• * 1.45

  Olymp. 251.