The estates, empires, & principallities of the world Represented by ye description of countries, maners of inhabitants, riches of prouinces, forces, gouernment, religion; and the princes that haue gouerned in euery estate. With the begin[n]ing of all militarie and religious orders. Translated out of French by Edw: Grimstone, sargeant at armes.

¶ The raigne of Cyrus alone.

[ V] THe Medians being thus subdued, and the Assyrians ruined, Cyrus to be reuenged of the Lydian, who was the mightiest prince of Asia, passed the mountaine of Taur, or Corthestan, or Aman, or the blacke mountaine, and sending his great friend Harpagus into the lesser Asia to subdue it, he ioined with him against Cresus, vanquished him in bat∣taile, tooke him prisoner, and was readie to haue him burnt, had he not remembered the saying of Solon to this Lydian king: That no man should hold himselfe happie before his [ E] death; the historie whereof is common. In the ruine of the realme of Lydia was com∣prehended all Asia, from Hellespont vnto Corthestan, the which obeyed Cresus, yet the Grecian Ionians of Asia liued in libertie, and were onely allied vnto the Lydian, yet they were forced to come vnder the Persians yoake, and to acknowledge him for their soueraigne; so as Cyrus commaunded at that time from the Egean sea, and the Propon∣tides, vnto the East Indies: but as ambition is insatiable; and not content with any great∣nesse, he resolued to subiect the Scythians, who had committed great spoiles in Asia; so as he marched with his armie towards that part of Scythia, which lies beyond the riuer of Araxis, and also beyond the Bactrians and Hyrcanians, into the countrie of the Mas∣••agets and Issedons, who are now called Tartarians, or the countrie of Samureund. Cyrus [ F] hauing encountered no prince able to make head against him, knowing there was none but a woman that commaunded these Scythians and Massagets, whom they called To∣•••••• he sent to demaund her in marriage, not that he cared for her, but to haue meanes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vpon her realme. But she vnderstanding the Persians desseignes, forbad him the

[ A] entrie into her countrie, arming what forces she could to make head against Cyrus, ma∣••ing her onely sonne Generall of her armie, who not acquainted with the stratagems of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was surprised; for Cyrus making shew to flie, left his campe full of wine & victuals, where these poore Massageres entring, (not accustomed to such dainties) feas••ed and drunke in such sort, as they fel a sleepe in their drunkennesse: but this was their last sleepe, for Cyrus lying in ambush, came and cut some of them in peeces, and tooke the rest prito∣••••ners. Spagarpise, sonne to Tomyris, and Generall of the armie, was among the capriues. The queene aduertised of her sonnes disaster, sent a Harold to Cyrus for his deliuerie, ad∣monishing him to go out of her countrie, or else she would giue him his fill of warre. In [ B] the meane time, Spagarpise besought Cyrus to let him be vnbound; the which he did in courtesie, and then this prince seeing himselfe at libertie, and hauing a sword by his side ••etesting his misfortune to be a captiue, slew himselfe before the king. Tomyris being refused by Cyrus, came to fight with him, with the rest of her forces, and although the P••rsians and Medians did fight valiantly, yet they were in the end vanquished, and most 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of them cut in peeces, and among the dead was also the great Cyrus, for that he had 〈◊〉〈◊〉 too much in his good fortune, and not taken example by the calimities of kings 〈◊〉〈◊〉 mightie than himselfe, whom he had ruined and depriued of their Estates. Tomyris ••••ing of his death, caused his bodie to be presently sought for, which being found, she [ C] ••••••ff his head, and put it into a vessell ful of bloud, saying vnto it in mockerie, Glut thy 〈◊〉〈◊〉 with bloud in thy death, whereof thou wert so insatiable in thy life time: such was 〈◊〉〈◊〉 end of great Cyrus. The Persians carried his bodie to Pasagarde, where his tombe was 〈◊〉〈◊〉. This Pasagarde was in old time the seat of the kings of Persia: Alexander the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was also there, after he had burnt Persepolis: and it was there whereas the Priests ••••••nnoint their kings.

As for Cyrus, he was a courteous, bountifull, vertuous, and gentle prince, louing that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was worthie to be respected, reasonably just, and vpright, valiant in combats, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the greatest vndertakers of the earth: his ordinarie aboad when he was not with∣••••••ne by warre, was in the cities of Suze, and Ecbarane, or Babylon: It was he (as it [ D] 〈◊〉〈◊〉) that was first called the King of Kings, for they found it in the inscription of his 〈◊〉〈◊〉, by the report of Strabo, which title was continued vnto his successours, as we 〈◊〉〈◊〉 see in Esdras, the first Booke, the seuenth Chapter, and in the mixt Epistles of Hypo∣••••••, in that which Artaxerxes did write to Poetus. It was Cyrus also that brought in vse ••••ong robe of the kings of Persia, which was a garment (according to Procopius of gold purple diuersified with many figures of beasts and fowles. Moreouer, they had a 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and sometimes a cloake of purple: yet they said that this cloake was rather a kind 〈◊〉〈◊〉, hauing sleeues hanging vnto the hand. It is not certaine whether he or Artax∣•••••• began to weare a Tyare, but whosoeuer it was it is verie auncient. Cyrus in the end 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sonne for successour, whom he had by his wife Cassandana, daughter to Pharnaspes [ E] 〈◊〉〈◊〉 he loued in such sort, as he did not onely weare a mourning weed himselfe, but ••••ould haue his subiects doe the like) after he had raigned nine and twentie yeares, the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 happened about the yeare of the World 1435.