Romæ antiquæ descriptio a view of the religion, laws, customs, manners, and dispositions of the ancient Romans, and others : comprehended in their most illustrious acts and sayings agreeable to history / written in Latine by ... Quintus Valerius Maximus ; and now carefully rendred into English ; together with the life of the author.

STRANGERS.

1. I will adde to these, two Kings, whose long life was very advantageous to the People of Rome. The King of Sicily, Hiero, numbred ninety years. Massa∣nissa King of Numidia, reigning threescore years, was superior to all men in vigour of age. Cicero in his Book of Old Age, reports of him, that no shower or ••old could compel him to cover his head. He was wont also to keep his station for several hours, and would never stir from hard labour, till he had tired the young men: And if it were requisite for him to do any thing sitting, he would off-times for a whole day sit in the same posture, without moving his bod•• for ease, either one way or other. When he led his Army a Horseback by day, he never alighted that night; omitting none of those labours, which youth is wont to endure, when he was of that extream age. And so vigorous he was in reference to Women, that he beg••t his Son Methymnaius, when he was four∣score and six years of age. The Countrey also which he sound untill'd, by perpetual culture he left very fruitful.

2. Gorgi••s also of Leo••tiu••••, the Master of Isocrates ••nd several other great men, by his own saying was

most happy. For when he had lived an hundred and seven years, being asked why he would live 〈◊〉〈◊〉 long: Because, said he, I ayle nothing to accuse my Old Ag••. What could be longer or more happy than such a tract of Life? For being entered into the second Cen∣tury of years, be neither found any cause of complaint in it, nor left any behinde him of it.

3. Xenophilus of Chalcis wanted two of his years, yet not inferior in enjoyment of health. For as A∣ristoxenus the Musician saies of him, Free from all the inconveniencies of old Age, he died in the full splen∣dour of consummate Learning.

4. Arganthonius the Gaditane reigned so long, as would have sufficed another to live. For he govern'd his Kingdom fourscore years, being forty years of age before he came to the Throne: For which there are most certain and credible Authors. Asinius Pollio, not the least part of Roman Eloquence, in the third Book of his History, relates him to have lived an hundred and twenty years: No mean example of sinewy vigour.

5. The Ethiopians render the long life of this King less admirable; whom Herodotus writes to have ex∣ceeded an hundred and twenty years: and the Indi∣ans, of whom Cresius delivers the same. And Epi∣menides the Gnossian, whom Theopompus reports to have lived an hundred fifty and seven years.

6. Hellanicus also avers, that certain of the Epii, who were a people of Aetolia, lived two hundred years; with whom Damasthes agrees, adding this moreover, that one Litorius among them, of an ex∣ceeding great strength and stature, compleated three hundred years.

7. Alexander, in his Volume of the Illyrian Tract, affirms, that one Dantho lived full out five hundred years, without the least complaint of Age. But

much more liberal is Xenophon, who gives to the King of the Lachnii eight hundred years of Life. And that his Father might not take it ill, he allows him six hundred.