The foreste or Collection of histories no lesse profitable, then pleasant and necessarie, dooen out of Frenche into Englishe, by Thomas Fortescue.

Of sundrie excellent personages, whiche by the ingrati∣tude of their Countrie, haue vnkindly been banished. Chap. 9.

ALL histories are euerie where full, of the sundrie and manifolde ingratitu∣des, practised by the moste aunciente, and most famous Cities, euen against those, that most honourablie haue ser∣ued, and defended theim, in their ne∣cessities. We therefore shall remem∣ber here not many examples, for that to the studious in good histories, it should be lesse necessarie, and superflu∣ous. The greate father of the Romaine eloquence, and * 1.1 moste soueraigne oratour, or since, or before hym, which from the perilous coniuration of Cateline deliuered that proude, and pompous citie Rome, was notwithstanding at the sute of his enimie Claudius, in recompence of his desertes vnkindely banished. Which his exile, in Rome, was so muche bewailed, that twentie thousande in one daie wore mourning apparell for hym, by meane wher∣of, he was restored to his pristinate libertie, called home with greate ioye, to his inspekable honour. Demosthenes the sole prince of all gréeke eloquence, patrone, and pro∣tectour, of his countrie Athens, was also by the Atheni∣ans in his olde age, banished, and yet had they had, some countenance of occasion, sufficiente shoulde it not haue been, to haue exiled of theimselues, suche a one as was he. He lamented excessiuelie, and be weapte his depar∣ture, so that he wente thence in greate sorowe, and me∣lancolie,

who méetyng as he paste, certaine Atheniens, his heauie enemies, beganne to haue some feare, and to doubt theim merueilously, whiche not onely did hym no kinde of outrage, but contrariwise did solace, and aide hym, in what soeuer was to him or fittyng or necessarie. Whiche thing some tyme, considered well of hym, as also that he was reproued, for bewalynge his departure, saied againe to those, that did hym these curtisies. Howe would you, that I shoulde not beweepe this my partyng, seyng my selfe banished, from my natiue soyle and coun∣trie, where also mine enimies, are suche, and so honeste, that I must thinke my self most happie and fortunate of al men, if in some other place I may finde frendes, as as∣sured & comfortable? Metellus surnamed Numidicus, in reward of his victory, which he obtained against Iugurth kyng of Numidia, receiued vnkinde, and harde sentence of exile, onely for that he woulde not accorde vnto a cer∣teine lawe, whiche some others, at that tyme desired to establishe. Hannibal after that he had painfully in sudry daungers well serued his countrie, and although besides he was the most honourable, and most renoumed Capi∣taine of his tyme, yet might he not inioye the liberties of his countrie, but banished, was forste to range, an vn∣happie pilgrime about the world. Camillus was also vn∣iustly exiled from Rome, at which time the Gaules helde it in besiege and tooke it, and finally as they assaulted the capitoll it self, he beyng chosen againe in his banishment Dictatour, and Capitaine general of all his countrie, en∣tered, flewe, and discomfited theim, & restored the Citie, deliuering theim out of prisō that before had exiled him. Seruilius Halla, after hauynge preserued the libertie of Rome, from the ambitious oppression of Spurius Emi∣lius, Capitaine of the horse men, whiche by all meanes possible, affected the croune, and had also doen him open∣ly to die, in fine receiued in steede of iuste guerdone, through banishment to liue, an exiled Romaine. No coū∣trie

any where reade I of more bound vnto a man, then was Lacedemonie vnto Licurgus, especially for his la∣wes which he so prouidently gaue theim. And although he also were of moste holy, and vertuous conuersation, courtuous and of a gentle spirite, and nature, of whom, as of hym reporteth Valerius Maximus, the oracle of A∣pollo Pithius, this doubtfully aunswered, that he knewe not whether he might accompte him, either in the num∣ber of the gods, or els of mortall men: notwithstandyng he often tymes was pursued of the citisens with stones, beaten, and driuen by force out of their toune, and in the ende hauyng pluckte one of his eyes out of his heade, ba∣nishte hym also out of their lande & territorie. The sem∣blabe was also doen, to Solon, by the Atheniens, whiche also gaue them like lawes, and ordinaunces as th'other, whiche if they had (as was his will) continuallie obser∣ued, their Empire, by all presumption, had yet still con∣tinued. Besides that he also conquered, and recouered the Citie of Salamina, vnto theym, with the same also, aduertising theym of the rebellious coniuration of Pisi∣stratus, which by vsurpation and tyrannie, busily sought, and affected the Croune, was yet notwistandyng in his olde, and stoupyng yeres, with moste rigour exiled, not able by any meanes, at their handes to obtaine any one extreme coruer, or ende, hpon their frontires, whereso∣euer it should please them there to make ende yet of his werie life, but to cōclude, inexorable, thei exiled him, in∣to the Isle of Cyprus. Scipio Nasica, whiche was reputed for the moste vertuous, and worthiest manne in Rome, whiche also neither merited lesse honoure, in the ad∣ministration, and gouernemente of the weale pu∣blike, then the other Scipioes by their prowes, and courage in the field, he notwitstandyng after he had de∣liuered Rome, from the malice, and tyranny of the Gre∣kes, vnderstandyng of the enuie, and sinister opinion, that diuers Romaines had conceiued of his vertuous di∣merite,

fainyng that he wente some where in imbasie, withdrwe hymself,, of purpose, and willingly into Per∣gama, wherwithout malising againe his vngrate coun∣trie, ended the reste of his daies there in peace. In like maner Publius Lētulus, after he had with honour defen∣ded his countrie, repressyng also the furious attemptes of the Gréekes, was with like curtesie, for his paines exiled: howbeit before his departure thence into Sicelie, besought the gods immortall in the presence of the mul∣titude, that they neuer woulde permitte that he retour∣ned againe, to so vnkinde as were they, and so vnthank∣full a people. Boecius Seuerinus, a man to the aboue re∣membred in no poincte inferiour, was by Theodoricus the vsurper, dishonourably expulsed, onely for that he supposed, he would paine hymself, to restore his countrie againe to libertie. For this cause also Denis, that execra∣ble tyranne, exiled that most worthie Capitaine Dion of Siracusa, who by his exile afterwarde became so puis∣sant, that he againe reentred, and banished the tyranne, depriuyng hym, of that hys seignorie for euer, restoryng his countrie to the pristinate, and auncient libertie. The verie semblable happened to Trasibulus, a Capitaine A∣thenian, which by the fatall malice of thirtie tyrauntes, that then held the whole countrie in miserable subiecti∣on, was also vnnaturallie, and vnkindlie exiled. But he notwithstanding to reuenge himself on them, assembled together diuers others before expelled, with whom, as with the helpe also of Lisander, a Lacedemonian, retour∣ned in armes against Athens, and deliuered it from ser∣uitude. Publius Rutilius Consull of Rome, banished by the fauorites, or fauters of Silla, though, after desired to returne again, refused saiyng: I will that Rome rather take shame, that she hath so vniustly exiled me, then thanke her to returne again, that so rageth with tyran∣nie. Terquinins rhe proude, though not without cause in déede, but for his leude demainoure, caste out of Rome,

lost his honour, and royalme, for the vnchaste rape doen, by his soonne, on Lucretia. Milo Patricius an honourable Romaine, somewhat susspected, touchynge the death of Claudius, whose cause though it were of Cicero defen∣ded, was notwitstandyng exiled into Marseilla. Clistines was the firste, that instituted the lawe of banishment in Athens, and the first that by the lawe was thence exiled. Eustachius Pamphilius Bishoppe of Antioche, was ba∣nished for that he reproued the schismaticall secte of the Arians, in the tyme, & raigne of Constantine the greate. Paulus Diaconus that famous historiogripher, writeth that Pope Benedictus the firste, was contrarie to Gods lawes and mans lawes, driuen out of Rome, by his en∣nemie the Emperour Auton. The saide Auton vanqui∣shed the Emperour Beringerius, with his soonne Albert, and sente theim bothe into perpetuall erile. Hence wee learne now, that infinite greate personages haue been expelled from their countries, and in Rome it was estée∣med for so greate a punishment, that none was thence banished, before all the people had throwly, consulted of the matter. And assuredlye the affections that man bea∣reth, or ofte to beare to his countrie, is continually such, and so vehemente, that wee can not exile without ex∣treame paine, and languishe. For the consolation there∣fore, of all suche as shal be banished, Plutarche hath wri∣ten a singuler treatise, as also Erasmus, to the saide pur∣pose a notable Epistle. Seneca in like maner, in his booke of consolation, dedicated to Paulinus, touchyng the saide subiecte discourseth verie learnedlie.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cicero.