Varieties: or, A surveigh of rare and excellent matters necessary and delectable for all sorts of persons. Wherein the principall heads of diverse sciences are illustrated, rare secrets of naturall things unfoulded, &c. Digested into five bookes, whose severall chapters with their contents are to be seene in the table after the epistle dedicatory. By David Person, of Loghlands in Scotland, Gentleman.

Section 2.

Examples of Kings and great Commanders, that upon the thoughtfulnesse of some great exploite or encounter, have beene extraordinarily surprized with unusuall sleepe; and the resons thereof agitated.

VVE reade that great men and Commanders upon the most important poynt of their ex∣ploytes and affaires, have sometime fallen in so deepe sleepes, that their servants and followers have had much adoe to get them to awake, the like formerly being never perceaved in them. Iustinus and Quintus Curtius in the life of Alexander the great relate of him: That, in the morning of that day appoynted for that memorable battell betwixt him and Darius,* 1.1 he fell in so deepe a sleepe, and slept so long, that, on the very shock of the battell, very hardly could his favorite Parmenio, after two or three tryalls get him to awake. It is agreed upon that hotter constitutions are least subject to sleepe, and all his actions and proceedings marke him out to be such an one; so it could not be his constitution that brought that sleepinesse on him; but he being then in hazard either to loose or conquer a field, whereby both his Crowne, Countrey, and re∣putation lay at the stake (motives to keep a man awake) had so, no question, toyled his minde and body in the right preparing and ordering of all things befitting a man of his place, for the encounter; that being at a

resolution, he gave himselfe to sleepe, which his for∣mer thoughtfulnesse and paines did augment upon him; and not, as some would have it, the terror of his enemies forces: as Marcus Anthonius objected to Augustus in that Navall combat against Pompey in Si∣cilie,* 1.2 that he had not courage enough to behold the or∣der of the battell; for indeed he fell asleepe and slept so long till the Victory was his, which he knew not of till Agrippa with much adoe had awaked him.

But indeed I construe both their courages rather to have beene so great (as their former and succeeding actions may witnesse) that they disdayned that the ap∣p••••hension of such hazards or accidents as might ensue so great encounters, should any way startle them from giving way to their owne inclinations, whether to sleepe or wake, or doe or not doe this or that.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Alexander the great his sleep.
• * 1.2

  Augustus his.