BVt for her Pedigree, I leaue it to the Assyrian Heralds: and for her vicious life, I ascribe the report thereof to the enuious and lying Grecians. For delicacie and ease doe more often accompanie licentiousnesse in men and women, then labour and hazzard 〈◊〉〈◊〉. And if the one halfe be true which is reported of this Lady, then there neuer liued any Prince or Princesse more worthy of fame then Semiramis was, both for the workes she did at Babylon and elsewhere, and for the warres she made with glorious successe: all but her last enterprise of India; from whence both Strabo and Arianus report that [unspec 30] she neuer returned: and that of all her most powerfull Armie there suruiued but on∣ly twentie persons: the rest being either drowned in the Riuer of Indus, dead of the famine, or slaine by the sword of Staurobates. But as the multitude which went out are more then reason hath numbred: so were those that returned lesse then could haue escaped of such an Armie, as consisted of foure millions & vpwards. For these* 1.1 numbers which she leuied by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Lieutenant Dercetaeus (saith 〈◊〉〈◊〉) did consist of Foot-men three millions; of Horse-men one million; of Charriots armed with hookes on each side one hundred thousand; of those which fought vpon Camels as many; of Camels for burden two hundred thousand; of raw Hides for all vses three hundred thousand; of Galleyes with brazen heads three thousand, by which [unspec 40] shee might transport ouer Indus at once three hundred thousand Souldiers: which Gallies were furnished with Syrians, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Cilicians, and men of Cyprus. These incredible and impossible numbers, which no one place of the earth was able to nourish (had euery man and beast but fed vpon grasse) are taken from the authority of Ctesias whom Diodorus followeth. But as the one may be taxed with many fri∣uolous reports: so Diodorus himselfe hath nothing of certaynetie, but from Xerxes expedition into Greece and afterwards: whose Armie (though the same was farre in∣ferior to that of Semiramis) yet had it weight enough to ouerlode the beliefe of any reasonable man. For all Authors consent, that Xerxes transported into Greece an Ar∣mie of 1700000. and gathered together (therein to passe the Hellespont) three thou∣sand [unspec 50] Gallies, as Herdotus out of the seuerall Prouinces whence those Galleyes were taken hath collected the number.
But of what multitude soeuer the Armie of Semiramis consisted: the same being broken and ouerthrown by Staurobates vpon the banks of Indus, canticum cantauit ex∣tremum: