The stratagems of Ierusalem vvith the martiall lavves and militarie discipline, as well of the Iewes, as of the Gentiles. By Lodowick LLoyd Esquier, one of her Maiesties serieants at armes.

CHAP. VII.

Of prouisions and maintenance of souldiers. Of the honourable burials of them that were slaine in the field, and of diuers Monuments.

AMong all Nations of the world, the greatest care they had was to prouide meanes to maintaine souldiers, that Solon made a lawe in Athens, that the rewards due vnto those valiant soul∣diers that died in the warres, should bee distributed vnto their children, be∣ing aliue, and those gallant Captaines that died in the field, should be honourably buried, with pillars and ar∣ches set vpon their graues, and their names written vpō them in Ceramicus and such other places.

This law of Solon was reuiued two hundred and three score yeares after by Alexander the great, who so much honoured and aduanced the worthinesse of mar∣tiall men, that he caused to be buried in the field Adra∣steis, one hundred and twentie knights, that died valiant∣ly in the field, and caused strong arches, and pillars of marble to be made ouer their graues, with their statues and Images, and their names written vpon them, with their due commendation as an honourable monument of their perpetuall fame.

Licurgus lawe was, that no dead man should put his

name in brasse, in Iuorie, or otherwise vpon his Tombe, vnlesse hee had bene slaine in the field like a valiant soul∣dier, fighting for his countrey.

These Funerall monuments were vsed long time before the Greekes among the Hebrewes, who vsed to set vp pillars and monuments on the graues of the dead, the auntient Fathers did it to testifie the hope they had of the resurrection, not as the Gentiles did it, for pompe and pride of their triumphes and victories, but as monu∣ments and vertuous visions.

Iacob after his vision had in his dreame, tooke the stone that he had laid vnder his head, set it vp, and made a pillar of stones in that place, and after hee had an∣nointed the same with oyle, which was the first an∣nointing wee read of in scripture, hee named it Be∣thel, which was Luz before, which name continued vntill Ieroboams time, 784. yeares, at what time Iero∣boam erected a golden calfe to be worshipped, and ther∣fore was named Bethauen, as mount Olyuet, for that it was full of Images, Idolls, and Aultars in the time of the Kings of Iudah, was named the mount of cor∣ruption.

After this, Iacob when his wife Rachel dyed at the birth of her sonne whom she named Benoni, which Ia∣cob after his wiues death called Beniamin, on whose graue hee pitched vp a pillar of stones, as Ioshua had the picture of the Sunne on his graue.

So Samuel tooke a stone and pitched it betweene Mazphah and Sene, and called the name thereof the stone of help, as a marke and a trophey of victory which the Israelites had ouer the Philistines. Yet Absolon fol∣lowing the Gentiles, of very pompe and pride reared vp a pillar, saying: I haue no male childe, and there∣fore

I will pitch vp a pillar as a monument to haue my name in remembrance, and he called it after his owne name Absolons pillar, to haue his name great.

There was euer care in former age of holy mens buri∣als, long before Ceramicus in Athens, or the field of Mars in Rome, these places were appointed, where Greek and Romane captaines were buried with their pompe and pride together.

Abraham the Patriarke had care for the buriall of the faithfull, and bought a field therefore in Hebron for the burial of him, his wife Sarah, his children, and poste∣ritie.

So Iacob did commaund his sonne Ioseph to bring his body from Egipt to Hebron. The like charge gaue Ioseph to his children when he died.

We read of certain kings of the Gentiles, who had such care of their buriall, as Menedes king of Egipt, imitating Abraham, appointed a place of burial for himselfe & the kings of Egipt that lineally succeeded him, of his name and stocke, which continued the raigne of 17. kings suc∣cessiuely after king Menedes.

In like manner Perdica king of Macedonia, shewed to his sonne Argaeus a place, where he himselfe and his po∣steritie after him should be buried, for he was instructed by an Oracle, that as long as they buried the kings of Macedonia in that place, the kings should continue in one stocke and family, which continued three hundred and three score yeares, vntill the time of Alexander the great, who died in Babilon out of Macedonia, and was bu∣ried in Alexandria in Egipt.

This much I wrote to proue the Hebrewes to be fa∣thers of all antiquities; and now to Athens, and to theyr souldiers, where with such care they were looked vnto

after any victory that their haires should be curled, and trimmed vp with siluer fillets, others were crowned with a knot like the rowle that women weare on theyr heads, others were decked with garlands of mirtle. In this the Athenians seemed equall to the Romanes, that they brought all the Images and statues of their gods, and all the whole state of Athens with such solemnitie & pomp, came crowned with Oliues, Mirtle, and Iuye, to meet the cōqueror at their gates with the song of Paeana, at what time the Orators & Poets contended vpon thea∣ters to excell one an other in the praise of the conqueror and his captains, as they did of Demetrius, and others.

For amōg the Grecians diuers places of exercise were appointed for Orators & Poets, as at Thesius graue, & at Helicon, where some in Comedies & some in Tragedies, contended for victories, where Sophocles was iudged to bee victor in his Tragedies ouer Aeschylus, for the which he was rewarded with a Bucke Goate.

Againe in the second games and playes the Poets met in the Citie of Elis, where Menander was ouerthrowne by Philomene in the contention of Comedies, for the which Philomene had in reward a Bull.

So Theopompus, Isocrates scholler, had the garland gi∣uen him by consent of all the Iudges.

Hesiodus in verses cōtended with Homer, & had at that time onely the garland giuen him, for the victory therof Hesiodus wrote an Epigram vpon a pillar, in memorie of his victorie ouer Homer in Helicon.

Among all these Poets & Orators, there was one wo∣man called Corinna, so excellent in verse, that shee was named Musca Lirica, and contended with Pindarus the Poet in Thaebes in verses, & had 5. seueral victories, for the which victories she was 5. times crowned with garlāds.

And because Corinna shall not be alone without fel∣lows, Arete, Aristippus the Philosophers daughter, shalbe the second, who after her fathers death ruled and gouer∣ned Aristippus schollers, & read philosophie in Athens.

So Leonitum as a third fellow, though light, yet so lear∣ned, that she durst write & that in Atticall phrase against that great Philosopher Theophrastus.

Agamemnon Generall of all Greece in the warres of Troy, so rewarded Aiax for a combat that he fought with Hector hand to hand, with the sacrificing of an oxe with gilt hornes; and rewarded Achilles for that he killed Hec∣tor in the field, with tenne talents of gold, twelue horses, and seuen faire women of Lesbia, that was the olde cu∣stome and manner of auntient time in that countrey to reward such champions.

So Themistocles was crowned with a crowne of the sa∣cred Oliue tree, and gratified with a rich triumphant chariot by the Lacedemoniās, for the deliuery of Greece at the battell of Marathon, from the inuasion of the Per∣sians.

Horatius Cocles had a statue of marble to him erected in the pallace of common meetings, for that hee resisted the army of the Hetruscans, being but himselfe, standing on a bridge of wood ouer Tiber.

The reward of souldiers among the Scythians was, to drinke out of the Kings cup, as oft as they had brought an enemies head to the campe, and might by the law of Scythia make claime to drinke of the kings cup, as oft as any souldier slew an enemy in the field, and brought his head to his captaines tent.

It was the maner and custome among the Scythians, that the kings cup should be carried vp & downe in the field to honor those noble captaines that had wel deser∣ued by seruice to drink out of it.

So among the Indians the souldier that had brought the head of an enemy to his captain, should haue for his reward, a black horse, & a blacke bull, which colour was farre more esteemed in India then any colour else.

Notes

• The law of Solon for souldiers.
• 120. knights buried in the field Adra∣steis by Alex.
• Alex. Nea∣polit. lib. 6. cap. 4.
• Bethel the house of God.
• Gen. 25.
• Bethauē the house of ini∣quitie.
• Osee. 10.
• Monuments of vertuous men.
• The stone of helpe.
• 2. Reg. 18.
• Ceramicus in Athens.
• Mars field in Rome.
• Abraham bought a field for his buriall.
• The care of burials of the Gentiles.
• The houor of the Atheniās to their gene∣rals for vic∣tories.
• Alex. Nea∣polit. genial. lib. 6. cap. 19,
• Cic. de natu∣ra. deoz. li. 1.
• Alex. Nea∣polit.
• Achilles.
• Themistocles honoured of the Grecians.
• The maner of the Scythi∣ans to honor good souldi∣ers in the field.