An abridgement of the notable woorke of Polidore Vergile conteignyng the deuisers and firste finders out as well of artes, ministeries, feactes & ciuill ordinaunces, as of rites, and ceremonies, commo[n]ly vsed in the churche: and the originall beginnyng of the same. Co[m]pendiously gathered by Thomas Langley

The .x. Chapiter. ¶Who found trus••, leages, sundrye kyndes of makyng it, triumphe and ouacions.

* 1.1TRVSE, that is called a couenaunte of peace for a season was instituted by Licaon: it was takē som¦tyme for yeres, as y^e Ro∣manes toke truse with the Veientes for .cl. yeres,* 1.2 with the Cerites for an hūdreth: Sometyme truse was made for houres as Caius Pontius a Sam¦nite required of the dictator of Rome truse for .vi. houres.* 1.3 * 1.4Leages of peace and cryes in cōmon places Theseus dyd ordeyne in Grece, but Diodorus assigneth it to Mercurie. Neuerthe∣les

they were in frequent vse long a∣fore that tyme in Assirie and Aegipt, and namely among the Hebrues▪ For Iacob made a leage with Labā.* 1.5 And Moses offered cōdicious of peace to the prynces of the coūtries by whom he passed:* 1.6 and after him Iehosuah stroke vp a bonde of peace, and made a loue day w^t the Gabaonites. Ther∣fore it is a great difficultie to appoīct the inuentor of it. Ther were diuerse fashions of makyng leages, as the Romanes maner was of this fashiō. The Heraulde of armes at the com∣maundemente of the kyng tooke and smit a hogge appointed for that pur∣pose, saiyng:* 1.7 so let Iupiter smyt him that disanulleth this holye leage, as I stryke this hogge. But Polibius wryteth that the herolde toke a stone in his hand and sayd: If I performe and stande to the couenaunte of this leage without gyle or fraud, the god∣des geue me all thynges prosperous: If I either do or thinke the cōtrary, I pray God that I alone be destroy∣ed and cast away, as I cast this stone from me, and furth with he threwe doune the stone.

When the Arabiens make a leage of peace, ther standeth one betwene the twoo parties y^t cutteth with a sharp stone the holowe of the hande of the cōfederates, and with the blode, that issueth out, he anoynteth with rag∣ges taken out of their garmentes .vii sto••es that stande betwene them and inuocateth Dionisius and Vrania their goddes: then the soliciter and entreater for the peace findeth sure∣tie for the straunger or citezen that was partie. The like order was vsed in amities made emong frindes.

THE Scythiās made leages after this maner:* 1.8 thei filled a bowlle of wyne, and mingled it with the bloud of theim that should enter the bonde of peace, and then thei weete in the boule their arrowes, axes, halbar∣des and dartes that dooen, thei with many wordes vowed and cursed thē selues and so dronke the wyne bothe thei and all the nobles presente. The same vse was emong traitoures in their cōspiracies at Rome.* 1.9 The Bar∣ceans cōsented on their leages thus Thei made their loue daye ouer a depe Caue verye priuie, and so long

as the yearth continued, so the pacte endured. Dionisius, whiche was re∣plenished with the spoyles of many countrees led the first triumph,* 1.10 and afterward, it was receiued of sundry nacions, as y^e capitains of Carthage when thei sped well, triumphed. In Rome Romulus, after he had conque¦red Acron Kyng of the Ceninens, crouned with Laurell and caried in chariot with foure horses entred in∣to the citee triūphantly. And dedica∣ted his praie and spoyles to Iupiter as Dionisius writeth. Albeit, Eutro∣pius saieth that Tarquinius Priscus first triumphed of the conquest of the Sabines.* 1.11 Camillus ledde the first so∣lemne triumphe with white horses▪ and a gilded chariot, and a garlande of gold, with all the captiues folow∣yng the chariot with themes and fet¦ters aboute their neckes. And the se∣nate goyng before into the Capitole to Iupiters temple, where thei offe∣red a white Bull and then returned. It was lawfull for none to triumph but suche as were dictatour, consull, or pretor, albeit, Cneius Pompeiu•• beeyng but of the ordre of knightes,

triumphed as Cicero telleth. Oua∣cion is a lesse royalte then triumphes and was the worship of suche as had ended any battel or acheued any feat w^tout blodshedyng, or when y^e battel lacked any of the due cyrcumstances of apointyng, they that came into the cytie with that pompe, were crouned with a garland of myrtyl. And went a foot into the capitole, al the senate folowing him, & there offered a shepe The fyrst y^t had any Ouatiō was Po∣sthumius Tubertus.* 1.12 The Lacedemo∣nians when they vāquished theyr ene¦mies by craft, policie, or deceit offred a bul: when thei did valiantly subdue thē by force of armes, they sacrificed a cocke, of y^e maner of triumph, reade Appianus Liuius or Iulius Capitoli¦nus.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Truse.
• * 1.2

  Truse for yeres.
• * 1.3

  Houres.
• * 1.4

  L••ages. Cryes.
• * 1.5

  Iacob made a leage with Laban.
• * 1.6

  Iehosuah w^t Gabaonites.
• * 1.7

  The Romay∣nes leage.
• * 1.8

  The Scythi∣ans leage.
• * 1.9

  Barceans leage.
• * 1.10

  Triumph.
• * 1.11

  Camillus.
• * 1.12

  Posthumius Tubertus. The offering of the Lacede¦monians.