The philosophie, commonlie called, the morals vvritten by the learned philosopher Plutarch of Chæronea. Translated out of Greeke into English, and conferred with the Latine translations and the French, by Philemon Holland of Coventrie, Doctor in Physicke. VVhereunto are annexed the summaries necessary to be read before every treatise

WHETHER THE ATHE∣NIANS WERE MORE RE∣NOWMED FOR MARTIALL [ 10] ARMES OR GOOD LETTERS.

The Summarie.

WE have here the fragments of a pleasant discourse written in the favour of Athenian warriours and great captaines; which at this day hath neither beginning nor end, and in the middle is altogether maimed and unperfect: but that which the infortunitie of the times hath left unto us, is such yet, as thereout we may gather some good, and the in∣tention [ 20] of Plutarch is therein sufficiently discovered unto us: for he sheweth that the Atheutans were more famous and excellent in feats of armes than in the profession of learning. Which position may seeme to be a strange paradox, considering that Athens was reputed the habitation of the muses: and if there were ever any brave historians, singular poets, and notable oratours in the world, we are to looke for them in this citie. Yet for all this, he taketh upon him to proove that the prowesse of Athenian captaines was without all comparison more commendable and praisewoorthie than all the dexteritie of others, who at their leasure have written in the shade and within house the occurrents and accidents of the times, or exhibited pleasures and pastimes to the people upon the stage or scaffold. And to effect this intended purpose of his, be considereth in the first place, historiographers, and adjoineth thereto a briefe treatise of the art of painting: and by comparison of two persons, bring∣ing [ 30] newes of a field fought, where of the one was onely a beholder and looker on; the other an actor him∣selfe, and a souldier fighting in the battell, he sheweth that noble captaines ought to be preferred before historians, who pen and set downe their desseignes and executions. From history he passeth on to poesie, both comicall and tragicall, which he reproveth and debaseth, notwithstanding the Athenians made exceeding account thereof; giving to understand, that their valor consisted rather in martiall exploits-In the last place he speaketh of oratours, and by conference of their or ations and other reasons, proveth that these great speakers deserve not that place, as to have their words weighed in ballance against the deeds of many politike and valiant warriours.

WHETHER THE ATHENIANS [ 40] were more renowmed for martiall armes or good letters.

WEll said this was (in trueth) of him unto those great captaines and commanders who succeeded him, unto whom hee made way and gave entrance to the executions of those exploits which they per∣formed afterwards, when himselfe had to their hands chased out of Greece the barbarous king Xerxes, and delivered the Greeks out of servitude: but aswell may the same be said also to those who are [ 50] proud of their learning and stand highly upon their erudition. For if you take away men of action, you shall be sure to have no writers of them: take away the politike government of Pericles at home; the navall victories and trophaes atchieved by Phormio, neere the promontorie of Rhium; the noble prowesses of Nicias about the isle Cythera, as also before the cities of Corinth and Megara; take away the sea-sight of Demosthenes before Pylos; the foure hundred captives and prisoners of Cleon; the worthy deeds of Tolmias who scowred all the coasts of Peloponnesus; the brave acts

of Myronides, and the battell which he woon against the Boeotians in the place called Oenophy∣ta; and withall, you blot out the whole historie of Thucydides; take away the valiant service of Alcibtades shewed in Hellespont; the rare manhood of Thrasylus neere unto the isle Lesbos; the happie suppression and abolition of the tyrannicall oligarchie of the thirty usurpers, by Thera∣menes; take away the valourous endevours of Thrasybulus and Archippus, to gether with the rare desseignes and enterprises executed by those seven hundred, who from Phyla rose up in armes and were so hardie and resolute as to levie a power and wage warre against the lordly potentates of Sparta; and last of all Conon, who caused the Athenians to go to sea againe and maintaine the warres; and therewithall, take away Cratippus and all his Chronicles. For as touching Xenophon, [ 10] he was the writer of his owne historie, keeping a booke and commentarie of those occurrents and proceedings which passed under his happie conduct and direction: and (by report) he gave it out in writing, that Themistogenes the Syracusian composed the said narration of his acts, to the end that Xenophon might win more credit and be the better beleeved, writing as he did of himselfe as of a stranger, and withall, gratifying another man by that meanes with the honour of eloquence in digesting and penning the same. All other historians besides, as these, Clinodemi and Diylli, Philochorus and Philarchus, may be counted as it were the actors of other mens plaies: who setting downe the acts of kings, princes and great captaines, shrowded close under their memorials, to the end that themselves might have some part with them of their light and splendor. For surely there is a certaine image of glorie, which by a kinde of reflexion, as in a mirrour, doth rebound from those who have atchieved noble acts, even unto them that commit [ 20] the same to writing, when as the actions of other men are represented by their reports and re∣cords.

Certes this city of Athens hath beene the fruitfull mother and kinde nourse of many and sundry arts, whereof some she first invented and brought to light; others she gave growth, strength, honour and credit unto. And among the rest, the skill of painters craft hath not beene least advanced and adorned by her. For Apollodorus the painter, the first man who devised the mixture of colours, and the manner of darkning them by the shadow, was an Athenian: over whose works was set this epigram by his owne selfe.

Sooner will one, this carpe and twit; Than doe the like or sample it. [ 30]

So were Euphranor and Nicias, Asclepiodor us also, and Plistaenetus the brother of Phidias, where∣of some portraied victorious captaines, others painted battels, and others drew to the life the worthies and demigods: like as Euphranor who painted noble Theseus, and set this picture as a paragon in comparison with another of Parrhasius making; saying that the Theseus of Parrha∣sius had eaten roses, but his Theseus had beene fed with good oxe beefe: for to say a trueth, that picture of Parrhasius was daintily and delicately made, resembling in some sort that which Eu∣phranor talketh of; but he that should see this of Euphranors doing, might say (not unfitly) these verses out of Homer:

The people of Erechtheus slout, whom Pallas, daughter deare [ 40] Of Jupiter that mighty god, sometime did feed and reare.

Euphranor also depainted the battell of horsemen before the citie Mantinea, against Epaminon∣das, which seemeth not to be without some furious and divine instinct. The argument and sub∣ject matter whereof was this: Epaminondas the Theban, after the battell which he won before the towne Leuctra, puffed up with glory in this greatnesse of his, determined resolutely to insult over Sparta, which now was already downe the winde, and at once to tread and trample under foot the high spirit and reputation of that city. First therefore he invaded Laconia with a mightie power of threescore and ten thousand fighting men, spoiling and harrowing the countrey as he went; whereby he withdrew all the neighbour-nations from their confederacie and alliance with the [ 50] Lacedaemonians. After this, when they put themselves in battell ray, and made head against him before Mantinea, hee challenged and provoked them to fight: which they neither would nor durst accept, expecting aid that should come unto them from Athens. Whereupon he brake up his campe, and dislodging in the night season secretly and contrary to all mens expec∣tation, entred againe into Laconia, in which journey and expedition he went within a little of surprising the citie of Sparta and winning it, naked as it was and without defendants. But the ir allies and confederates having intelligence of his comming, came with all speed to succour the

citie. Then Epaminondas made femblance that hee would turne and bend his forces to the wasting and spoiling of their territorie, as hee had done before. Thus having by this stra∣tageme deluded his enemies, and lulled them asleepe in securitie, hee departed suddenly by night out of Laconia, having over-runne and destroied all before him with great celeritie, and presented himselfe with his whole armie before them of Mantinea, who looked for nothing lesse than such a guest, but were in consultation for to send helpe to Lacedaemon: but he inter∣rupting & breaking their counsels, immediatly commanded the Thebanes to arme, who being brave & couragious souldiors, invested the city of Mantinea round about, stroke up the alarme and gave an assault. The Mantineans heereat astonied, ran up and downe the streets, howling [ 10] and wailing, as being not able to sustaine, and much lesse put backe so great a puissance, which all at once in manner of a violent streame, came running upon them; neither did they thinke of any aid or meanes to relieve themselves in this distresse. But at the very point of this extre∣mity, the Athenians were discovered, descending from the hilles downe into the plaines of Mantinea, who knowing nothing of this sudden surprise and present danger wherein the citie stood, marched softly, and tooke leisure; but when they were advertised heereof by a vaunt courrier who made meanes to get foorth of the city; notwithstanding they were but a handfull in comparison of the great multitude of their enemies, and withall somewhat wearie with their journey, and not seconded with any other of their allies and associates; they advaunced forward, and put themselves in order of battell against their enemies, who were in number many for one: [ 20] the hors-men also for their parts being likewise arranged, set spurres to their horses, and rode hard to the gates and walles of the city, where they charged their enemies so hotly with their horses, and gave them so cruell a battell, that they gat the uppeer hand, and rescued Mantinea out of the danger of Epaminondas. Now had Euphranor painted this conflict most lively in a table, wherein a man might have seene the furious encounter, the couragious charge and bloudie fight, wherein both horse and man seemed to puffe and blow againe for winde.

But I suppose you will not compare the wit or judgement of a painter, with the courage and policy of a captaine, nor endure those, who preferre a painted table before a glorious tro∣phae; or the vaine shadow before the reall substance and thing indeed: howsoever Simonides said that picture was a dumbe poesie, and poesie a speaking picture: for looke what things or actions painters doe shew as present and in manner as they were in doing, writings doe re∣port [ 30] and record as done and past; and if the one represent them in colours and figures, and the other exhibite the same in words and sentences, they differ both in matter and al∣so in manner of imitation, howbeit both the one and the other shoote at one end, and have the same intent and purpose. And hee is counted the best historian who hath the skill to set out a narration, as in a painted table with divers affections, and sundry conditions of persons, as with many images and pourtraictures. And verily this may appeere in Thucydi∣des, who throughout his whole history contendeth to attaine unto this diluciditie of stile, striving to make the auditour of his wordes the spectatour as it were of the deeds therein conteined, and desirous to imprint in the readers the same passions of astonishment, woonder and agony, which the very things themselves would worke when they are represented to the [ 40] eie. For Demosthenes who put the Athenians in ordinance of battell, even upon the very sands and shore within the creeke of Pylos; and Brasidas who hastening the pilot of his galley to runne with the prow a land, walking along the hatches himselfe, and being there wounded and ready to yeeld up his vitall breath, sunke downe among the seats of the rowers; also the Lacedaemo∣ninas who fought a battell at sea, as if they had beene on firme land: the Athenians likewise who upon the land embattailed themselves, and fought as if they had beene within their gallies at sea againe, in the Sicilian warre: the description which he maketh of the two armies arranged on the land, hard by the sea side, to behold their men fighting a navall battell, wherein the vic∣tory hung a long time in equall ballance, and inclined neither to the one side nor the other, by occasion of which doubtfull issue, they were in an intollerable agony, distresse, and perplexity, [ 50] to behold the sundry encounters and reciprocall charges and recharges, communicating their violence and heat of contention even to the very bodies of the beholders upon the strond, who puffing, blowing, panting, and sweating in as great paine and feare, as if they had beene perso∣nally in the very conflict: the orderly disposition, the graphicall description and the lively nar∣ration which he maketh of all this, what is it but an evident representation of a picture? Now if it be not meet to compare painters with captaines, there is as little reason to set historians in comparison with them.

He who brought the newes of the battell and victorie at Marathon, as Heraclides of Pontus writeth, was one Thersippus of Eroe, or as most historians report, it was one Eulees, who came running in a great heat from the field in his armour as he was, and knocking at the gates of the principall mens houses of Athens, was able to say nothing else but this, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that is to say, rejoice yee, all is well with us, and therewith his breath failed, and so he gave up the ghost, and yet this man came and brought tidings of that battell wherein himselfe was an actour. But tell me I pray you; if there were some goat-herd or neat-herd, who from the toppe of an hill or an high banke, had beheld a farre off this great service, and indeed greater than any words can expresse, should have come into the city with newes thereof, not wounded himselfe, nor having lost one droope of bloud, and for his good tidings demaund afterwards to have [ 10] the same honors and memorials which were graunted unto Cynagirus, to Callimachus, and Poly∣zebus, onely because forsooth he had made report of the doughty deeds, the wounds and death of these brave men; would you not thinke that he surpassed all the impudencie that can be ima∣gined? considering especially, that the Lacedaemonians, by report, sent unto him who brought the first word of the victory at Mantinea, which Thucydides described in his story, a piece of flesh from one of their dinners, or hals, called Pbiclitia, for a recompence of his happy newes? And (to say a truth) what are historiographers else? but certeine messengers to relate and declare the acts of others, having a loud and audible voice, and who by their pleasant eloquence and significant phrases, are able to set foorth the matter to the best, which they take in hand: unto whom they own indeed the reward due for good tidings, who first doe light upon their compo∣sitions, [ 20] and have the first reading of them: for surely, praised they bee onely when they make mention of such exploits, and read they be in regard of those singular persons whom they make knowen, as the authours and actours thereof. Neither are they the goodly words and fine phra∣ses in histories that performe the deeds, or deserve so greatly to be heard: for even poetry hath a grace, and is esteemed, for that it describeth and relateth things as if they had beene done, and which carie a resemblance of truth: and according as Homer in one place saith:

Many false tales how for to tell, Much like to trueths, she knowes full well.

And it is reported, that one of Menanders familiar friends said unto him upon a time: Menam∣der, the Bacchanale feasts are at hand, and hast not thou yet done thy comoedy? who returned [ 30] him this answer: Yes iwis have I, so helpe me the gods, composed if I say, I have: for the mat∣ter thereof is laid foorth, and the disposition digested already; there remaineth no more to be done, but onely to set thereto the verses that must go to it. So that you see that the poets them∣selves reputed the things and deeds more necessary and important than words and speech. The famous courtizan Corinna one day reprooved Pindarus, who then was a yoong man, and tooke a great pride in himselfe, for his learning and knowledge: Thou hast no skill at all Pinda∣rus (quoth she) in poetrie, for that thou doest not invent and devise fables, which is indeed the proper and peculiar worke of poesie; as for thy tongue, it ministreth some rhetoricall fi∣gures, catachreses and metaphrases, songs, musicall measures and numbers, unto the matter and argument onely, as pleasant sauces to commend the same. Pindarus pondering well these [ 40] words and admonitions of hers, thought better of the matter, and thereupon out of his poeticall veine, powred out this canticle:

Ismenus, or the launce with staffe of gold, Sir Cadmus, or that sacred race of old, Which dragons teeth they say sometime did yeeld, Of warriours brave, when sowen they were in field: Or Hercules who was in such account, And his maine force of body, to surmount, &c.

Which when he had shewed to Corinna, the woman laughed a good, & said: That corne should be sowen out of ones hand, and not immediately from out of the full sacke: for in trueth much [ 50] after this sort had Pindarus gathered and heaped up a miscellane deale of fables, and powred them foorth all huddle together in this one canticle. But that poesie consisteth much in the fine invention of fables, Plato himselfe hath written: and verily a fable or tale is a false narrati∣on, resembling that which is true, and therefore farre remote it is from the thing indeed, if it be so, that a narration is the image of an act done, & a fable the image or shadow of a narration. Whereupon this may be inferred, that they who devise and feigne fabulous deeds of armes, are so much inferiour to historiographers that make true reports, as historiographers who relate

onely such deeds come behinde the actours and authours themselves. Certes this city of A∣thens had never any excellent or renowmed worke-men in the feat of poetrie, no not so much as in the Lyrick part thereof, which professeth musicall odes and songs: for Cynesias seemeth to have made his dithyrambes or canticles in the honor of Bacchus, hardly and with much ado, and was himselfe barren and of no grace or gift at all; besides, he was so mocked and flouted by the comicall poets, that he grew to be of no reckoning and reputation, but incurred an ill and odi∣ous name: As for that part of poetrie which dealeth in representation of personages in plaies upon a stage, so small account they made at Athens of the Comedians and their profession; nay they disdained and scorned it so much, that a law there was enacted, forbidding expresly, that no senatour of the counsell Areopagus, might make a comedy: contrariwise, the tragoedie [ 10] flourished, and was in much request, for delivering the best eare-sport, and representing the most woonderfull spectacle that men in those daies could heare or behold; giving both unto fictions, & affections a deceiveable power, which was of such a propertie, according to the say∣ing of Gorgias: That he who deceived thereby, was more just than he who deceived not; and he who was deceived became wiser than he that was not deceived at all: the deceiver (I say) was more just, because he performed that which he promised, and the deceived person wiser; for that such as are not altogether grosse, doltish, and senslesse, are soonest caught with the plea∣sure and delight of words.

To come now to the maine point: what profit ever brought these excellent tragoedies unto the citie of Athens, comparable unto that which the prudent policie of Themistocles effected in [ 20] causing the walles of the citie to be built? or to the vigilant care and diligence of Pericles, who adorned the castle and citadell with so many beautifull buildings; or to the valour of Militades who delivered the citie from the danger of servitude; or to the brave minde of Cimon, who ad∣vanced that State to the soveraigntie and command of all Greece? If the learning of Euripides, the eloquence of Sophocles, or the sweet and pleasant tongue of Aeschylus had freed them from any perils and extremities, or purchased and procured them any glory more than they had be∣fore, good reason peradventure it were, to compare poeticall fictions and inventions with war∣like triumphs and trophaes; to set the theater against the generals pavilion and palace; and to oppose the schooling and teaching of plaiers how to act comedies and tragoedies, unto prow∣esses and brave feats of armes. Will you that we bring in place the personages themselves? ca∣rying [ 30] with them the marks, badges & ensignes that testifie their deeds, and allow either of them entrance apart by themselves, and passage along by us. Then let there march on the one side poets with their flutes, harps, lutes, and viols, singing and saying:

Silence, my masters, or all words ossing good: * 1.1 Depart he must, there is no remedie, Our learning here who never under stood, And hath no skill in play or tragoedie: Whose tongue's impure, or who in melodie And dance unexpret is, that doth belong To service of the sacred muses nine, [ 40] Or who is not professed by the tongue To Bacchus rites of belli-god Cratine.

Let them bring with them their furniture, their vestments and players apparel, their masks, their altars, their rolling engins and devices to be turned and removed to & 〈◊〉〈◊〉 about the stage and scaffold, together with their trevets of gold the prises of their victories. Let them be accom∣panied with their traine, of players and actors, to wit Nicostrates, Callipides, Meniscus, and Pollus and such as they, attending upon a tragoedie, to tricke and trim her, or to beare up her traine, and carry her litter, as if she were some stately and sumptuous dame; or rather as enamillers, guilders, and painters of immages following after. Let there be provision made I say of abilli∣ments, of visours, of purple mantles & royall robes of estate, of fabricks & pageants devised to stand and be imployed upon the stage, of dancers, jesters, of stage keepers, wifelars & henchmen [ 50] a trouble some sort and be rable of grooms: and in one word let there be brought all the geere and implements belonging to such plaies exceeding costly & chargable: such as when a Laconian saw upon a time and wisely beheld, brake out into this speech, and that to very good purpose: ô how farre amisse and out of the way are the Athenians, to dispend so much mony, and im∣ploy such serious study in games and fooleries: surely they deffray in the furniture and setting out of a theater, as much as would serve to set astole a royall armado at sea, and mainteine a

puisant army upon the land. For he that would set downe and cast accoumpt, how much every comaedie cost them, shall find that the people of Athens spent more in exhibiting the tragoe∣dies of Bacchae, Phenissae, of both the Oedipodes, & of Antigon, or in representing the calamities of Medea and Electra, than they disbursed in their warrs against the Barbarians, either to win the soveraignty and dominion over them, or to defend their owne freedome and libertie: for many times their great captaines and commanders led foorth their souldiers to battell, having made proclamation before, for to carrie with them such victuals as * 1.2 required no fire for their dres∣sing. This is certeine, that the captaines of gallies and war-ships, for their sailers, having provi∣ded no other cates and viands, but meale, onions and cheese for their mariners, aswell rowers as sailers, have so embarked them & gone to sea: whereas the wardens and Aediles who were to set [ 10] forth plaies and dances have (to their great cost) fed their actors and plaiers with delicate eeles, with tender lectuces, with cloves of garlicke, and with good marrow-bones, feasting them a long time before, most deintilie, and whiles they did nought els but exercise their voice, scowre their throats and cleere their brests, they made good cheere full merrily. And what good had these wastefull spenders of their goods (spent about such vanities) in the end? If their plaies sped not well, but lost the victorie, they were well mocked, hissed and laughed at for all their paines and cost: but say they went away winners and having the better hand, what got they by it? surely not a trevet or threefooted stoole nor any other marke and monument of victorie, as De∣metrius said, but to remaine a lamentable example of unthrifts, who have laied all they had upon toies and fooleries, and left behinde them their houses like emptie sepulchres and imaginarie [ 20] tombs. This is the end that commeth of such expenses about poetrie; and no greater honour is to be looked for.

Now on the other side, let us beholde likewise their brave captaines and warriours: and while these passe along,

There should indeed be silence or good words: They ought to void out of this company, Who idle live, and never drew their swords In field, or serv'd with care and agonie In common weale: whose heart would never stand To such exploits, whose minde is eke prosane, [ 30] Who neither by Miltiades his hand, That slew the Medes nor by the Persians bane, Themistocles, was ever institute, And sworne to lawes of knighthood resolute,

Yea mary, heere (me thinks) I see a martiall maske, and brave shew toward: set out with squa∣drons embatteled on land, with fleetes arranged for to fight at sea, loden and heavily charged with rich spoiles and glorious trophaees:

Alal' Alala, daughter deare, Of bloudy warre, come foorth and heare.

Behold and see a forrest of pikes and launces in the fore-front, the very preamble and flourish [ 40] before the battell: me thinks I heare one of them resound: Embrace death most hardy knights, the best sacrifice and most sant oblations, that is, (for so saith Epaminondas the Thebane) figh∣ting valiantly, and exposing your selves to the most honorable and bravest services that be in defence of countrey, of your auncestors tombes and sepulchers, and of your temples and reli∣gion: mee thinks also I see their victories, comming toward mee in solemne pompe and procession, not drawing or leading after them for their prize and reward, an ox or a goat; nei∣ther be the said victories crowned with ivie, or smelling strong of new wine in the lees, as the Bacchanales doe; but they have in their traine, whole cities, islands, continents, and firme lands, as well mediterranean as maritime sea-coasts, together with new colonies of ten thousand men a piece, to be planted heere and there; and withall, crowned they be and adorned on eve∣ry [ 50] side with trophaes, with triumphes, pillage and booty of all sorts; the ensignes, badges, and armes that these victorious captaines give; the images also that they represent in shew, be their stately & beautiful temples, as the Parthenon, the Hecatompedos; their city walles on the south side; the arcenals to receive & lodge their ships; their beautifull porches and galleries; the pro∣vince of the demy isle Chersonesus, & the city Amphipolis; as for the plaine of Marathon, it goeth before the laureat garland and victorie of Miltiades; Solanius accompanieth that of Themisto∣cles, trampling under his feet, and going over the broken timber and shipwracke of a thousand

vessels: as for the victory of Cimon, it bringeth with it an hundred Phaenician great gallies, from the rivers Eurymedon: that of Demosthenes and Cleon, comes from Sphacteria, with the tar∣guet of captaine Brasidas wonne in the field, and a number of his souldiers captive and bound in chaines: the victory of Conon walled the city, and that of Thrasibulus reduced the people with victorie and liberty from Phyle: the sundry victories of Alcibiades set upright the State of the city, which by the infortunate overthrow in Sicilie, reeled, and was ready to fall to the ground; and by the battels fought by Neleus and Androclus in Lydia and Carta: Greece saw all Jonta rai∣sed up againe and supported. And if a man demaund of each one of the other victories, what benefit hath accrued unto the city by them? one will name the isle Lesbos, and another Samos: one will speake of the Euxine sea, and another of sive hundred gallies, and he shall have another [ 10] talke of ten thousand talents; over and above the honour and glory of trophaees. These be the causes why this city doeth solemnize and celebrate to many festivall daies, and heereupon it is that it offreth sacrifices as it doeth to the gods; not iwis for the victory of Aeschylus or Sopho∣cles, nor for the prizes of poetry: no, nor when Carcinus lay with Aerope or * 1.3 Astidamus with Hector: But upon the sixth of May, even to this present day, the city holdeth festivall the me∣mory of that victory, in the plaines of Marathon: and the sixth day of [* another *] moneth, maketh a solemne offring of wine unto the gods, in remembrance of that victorie which Cha∣brias obteined neere unto the isle Naxos: and upon the 12. day of the same moneth, there is another sacrifice likewise performed in the name of a thankes-giving to the gods, for their li∣berty recovered, because upon the same day those citizens which were prisoners and in bon∣dage [ 20] within Phyle, came downe and returned into the city: upon the third day of March they wonne the famous field of Platea: and the sixteenth day of the said March, they consecrated to Diana; for on that day this goddesse shone bright, and it was full moone, to the victorious Greeks, before the isle of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 . The noble victory which they archieved before the citie of Mantinea, made the twelfth day of September more holy, and with greater solemnity obser∣ved, for upon that day when all other their allies and associates were discomfited and put to flight, they onely by their valour wonne the field, and erected a trophae over their enemies who were upon the point of victory. See what hath raised this city to such grandence! Lo what hath exalted it to so high a pitch of honor! and this was the cause that Pindarus called the city of Athens, the pillar that supported Greece; not for that by the tragedies of Phrynichus or Thespis, [ 30] if set the fortune of the Greeks upright, but in regard of this, that as himselfe writeth in ano∣ther place, along the coast of Artemisium:

Where Athens youth as poet Pindar said, Of freedome first the glorious ground worke laid.

And afterwards at Salamis, at Mycale, and Plataees, having setled it firme and strong as upon a rocke of diamonds, they delivered it from hand to hand unto others.

But haply some man will say: True it is indeed, all that ever poets doe, are no better than sports and pastimes: But what say you to oratours, they seeme to have some prerogative gative and ought to be compared with martiall captaines: whereupon it may seeme, as Aeschynes scoffing merily, and quipping at Demosthenes said: That there is some reason why the barre or pulpit for [ 40] publicke orations, may commence action and processe against the tribunall seat of generals, and their chaire of estate. Is it then meet and reasonable that the oration of Hyperides intitu∣led Plataicus, should be preferred before the victory which Aristides wonne before the city Pla∣tea? or the oration of Lysies against the thirty tyrants, goe before the massacre and execution of them performed by Thrasybelus and Archias? or that of Aeschines against Timarchus, be∣ing accused for keeping harlots, and a brothell house, before the aide that Phocion brought into the city of Byzantium, besieged? by which succour he impeached the Macedonians, and re∣pressed their insolent vilanies and outrages committed in abusing the children of the Athenian consederates? or shall we compare the oration of Demosthenes as touching the crowne, with those publicke and honorable coronets which Themistocles received for setting Greece free? [ 50] considering that the most excellent place of all the said oration, and fullest of eloquence is that wherein the said oratour conjureth the soules of those their auncestors, and citeth them for wit∣nesses, who in the battell of Marathon exposed their lives with such resolution for the saftie of Greece? or shall we put in balance to weigh against woorthy warriours, these that in schooles teach yoong men rhetoricke, namely, such as Isocrates, Antiphon, and Isaeus? But certeine it is, that this city honored those valiant captaines with publicke funerals, and with great devoti∣on

gathered up the reliques of their bodies; yea, and the same oratour canonized them for gods in heaven, when he sware by them, although he followed not their steps: and Isocrates who extolled and highly praised those who manfully sought & willing were to spend their hartbloud in the battell of Marathon, saying, that they made so little account of their lives, as if their owne soules had bene else-where, & other mens in their bodies, magnifying this their resolution, and the small reckoning which they made of this life; yet when himselfe was very old, upon occa∣sion that one asked him how he did: answered: I doe even as an aged man, (having above 90. yeeres upon my backe) may do; and who thinketh death to be the greatest misery in the world: and how waxed he thus old: certes, not by filing and sharpening the edge of his sword, not by grinding and whetting the point of his speares head, not with scouring & forbishing his head∣piece [ 10] or morion; not with bearing armes in the field; not by rowing in the gallies: but forsooth with couching, knitting, and gluing as it were together rhetoricall tropes and figures; to wit, his antitheta, consisting of contraries, his Parisa, standing upon equall weight and measure of syllables, his homooptata, precisely observing the like termination, and falling even of his clauses, polishing, smoothing, and perusing his periods and sentences, not with the rough ham∣mer and pickax, but with the file and plainer most exactly. No marvell then, if the man could not abide the rustling of harneis, and clattering of armour; no marvell (I say) if hee feared the shocke and encounter of two armies, who was afraid that one vowell should runne upon ano∣ther, and led he should pronounce a clause or number of a sentence which wanted one poore syllable: for the very morrow after that Miltiades had wonne that field upon the plaines of Ma∣rathon, [ 20] he returned with his victorious armie into the citie of Athens: and Pericles having vanquished and subdued the Samians within the space of nine moneths, gloried more than Agamemnon did, who had much adoe to winne Troie, at the tenth yeeres end: whereas Isocrates spent the time well neere of three, Olympiades in penning one oration which hee called Pane∣giricus: notwithstanding all that long time, he never served in the warres, nor went in any em∣bassage: he built no city, nor was sent out as a captaine of a galley and warre-ship, and yet that verie time brought foorth infinit warres: But during the space that Timotheus delivered the islle Eubaea out of bondage; all the while that Chabrias warred at sea about the island Naxos, and Iphicrates defeited and hewed in pieces one whole regiment of the Lacedaemonians, neere the port of Lechaeum, and in which time the people of Athens having enfranchised all cities, en∣dued [ 30] Greece throughout with the same libertie of giving voices in the generall assemblie of the States, as they had themselves, hee sat at home in his house poring at his booke, seeking out proper phrases and choise words for the said oration of his; in which space, Pericles raised great porches, and the goodly temple Hecatompedes; and yet the comicall poet Cratinus, scoffing even at this Pericles, for that he went but slowly about his works, speaketh thus as touching his wal, halfe done and halfe vndone:

In words long since our Pericles, hath rear'd us up a wall, But in effect and very deed, he doth nothing at all. [ 40]

Consider now I pray you a little, the base minde of this great professour of rhetoricke, who spent the ninth part of his life, in composing of one onely oration: but were it meet and rea∣sonable to compare the orations of Demosthenes as he was an oratour, with the martiall exploits of Demosthenes being a captaine; namely, that which he made against the considerate folly of Conon, with the trophees which himselfe erected before Pylos, or that which hee wrote against Amathusius as concerning slaves, with his woorthy service, whereby hee brought the Lacedae∣monians to be slaves: neither in this respect, for that he composed one oration for the graun∣ting of free bourgesie to those who were newly come to inhabit Athens, therefore he deserved as much honour as Alcibiades did, who combined the Mantineans and Elians in one league to be associates with the Athenians against the Lacedaemonians: [ 50] and yet this must needs be confessed, that his publicke orations deserved this praise, that in his Philip∣piques, he inciteth the Athenians to take armes, and commen∣deth the enterprise of Leptiues.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.2

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Some expoūd it, unsodden, unrosted, un∣baked.
• * 1.3

  The names of two poets.