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.

CHAP. XIV. Of the Desire of Honour.

Among the Romans.

• 1. P. Africanus the Grea∣ter.
• 2. D. Brutus Gallaicus.
• 3. Cn. Pompey the Great.
• 4. Sulla the Happy.
• 5. A certain Knight.
• 6. C. Fabius Pictor.

STRANGERS.

• 1. Themistocles of A∣thens.
• 2. Alexander the Great.
• 3. Aristotle the Stagy∣rite.
• 4. Pausanias of Macedon.
• 5. Herostratus.

HOnour, whence it arises, or of whatsoever it may be the Habit, or how it ought to be purchas'd, and whether it may not be neglected by vertue, as un∣necessary, let them take care that employ their Con∣templations upon these things, and who are able elo∣quently to express what they have prudently observed. I in this work being content to finde out Authors for deeds, and deeds for Authors, shall endeavour to finde out by proper Examples, how great the des••••e of it is wont to be.

1. The Elder Africanus would have the Effigies of Ennius placed among the Monuments of the Corn••lia•• Family, because he thought his Acts illustrated by his Wit. Not ignorant, that as long as the Roman Em∣pire might flourish, and Africa lay captive at the feet of Italy, and that the Capitol possess'd the Pillar of

the whole World, their Remembrance could not be extinguished; especially enlightned by the Beams of Learning: A man more worthy of Homer's, than a rude and unpolish'd Eulogy.

2. The same was the honorable minde of D. Bru∣tus, a famous Captain in his time, toward Accius the Poet: With whose familiar Courtship and acute ap∣plauses being mainly delighted, he adorn'd the Entries of the Temples, which he had consecrated out of his Spoils, with his Verses.

3. Neither was Pompey averse from this affectation of Glory, who bestowed upon Theophanes the Mytele∣nian, a Writer of his Acts, a whole City, in a Ha∣rangue before the Souldiers. Prosecuting the Gran∣deur of his Gift, with an accurate and approved Oration.

4. L. Sulla, though he minded no Writer, yet he so vehemently assum'd to himself the honour of Iu∣gurth's being brought to Marius by King Bocchus, that he wore that Delivery in his Seal Ring. Afterwards how great an admirer of Honour, the slightest foot∣step whereof he ador'd!

5. And that I may adde to Generals the noble minde of a Souldier; When Scipio was dividing the Military gifts to those that had done bravely; T. Labienus put∣ting him i•• minde of giving a Golden Bracelet to an eminent and stout Kn••ght; which the General resu∣fing to do, that the honour of the field might not be ••solated in him, who h••d serv'd but a little before, he gave the Knight Gold himself out of the Gallie plunder. Neither did Scipio put it up silently: For, said he to the Knight, thou hast the Gift of a rich man. Which when he had taken, casting the Gold at Labienus feet, he held down his Countenance. But when Scipio said to him, The General gives thee Silver Bracelets, he went away with a chearful Countenance.

So that there is no Humility so great, which is not touched wi••h a desire of Glory.

6. It is also sought sometimes out of the lowest things. For what meant C. Fabius, that most noble Commonwealths man? For when he painted the walls of the Temple of Safety, which C. Iunius Bu∣bulcus had consecrated, he inscribed his Name upon them. For that only Ornament was wanting to a Family most famous for Consulships, Priesthoods, and Triumph••. And though he stoopt to a merce∣nary Art, yet he would not have his labours oblite∣rated, how mean soever: they were following the example of Phidias, who included his own face upon the Shield of Minerva, in such manner, that if it were pull'd away, the whole work would be quite spoiled.

STRANGERS.

1. But better had he done to have imitated Themi∣stocles, had he bin taken with forraign Examples; who is reported to have bin so prick'd with the sting of Honour, that he could not sleep a nights; and be∣ing ask'd, what he did abroad at that time of the night, made answer, That he could not sleep for the Trophies of Miltiades. For Marathon rous'd up his noble Minde to ennoble Artemisium and Salamis with Naval Glory. The same person going to the Thea∣ter, and being ask'd whose voice was most pleasing to his ears, made answer, His that shall sing my acts: ••he best and loudest. He added as it were an honour∣able sweetness to Honour it self.

2. The Breast of Alexander was insatiable of Ap∣plause; who when Anaxarchus his Companion, by the authority of Democritus, affirm'd, that there were innumerable worlds; How miserable then, said he,

am I, that have not conquered one! Man thought his Honour too much confin'd, that had not all that which suffices for the Habitation of the Gods.

3. I will adde the thirst of Aristotle after Honour, as great as that of a King and a young man. For he had given certain Books of Oratory to Theodectes his Disciple, to put forth in his own name: and be∣ing afterwards vex'd that he had let go the Title to another, insisting upon some things in his own Vo∣lume, he addes, that he had discoursed more plainly of them in the Books of Theodectes. Did not the Mo∣desty of so great and so diffusive a Science withhold me, I would say, he was a Philosopher, whose great parts ought to have been delivered to a Philosopher of a nobler Soul. But Honour is not contemn'd by thos•• that desire to introduce the Contempt of it, For to those very Volumes they diligently set their Names, that what they take away by Profession, they may attain by Usurpation of Memory. But this dissimulation of theirs, whatever it be, is more to be endur'd than the purpose of those, who while they labour for eternal Memories, strive to become famous by wickedness.

4. Among which I know not whether Pausanias may not be first mentioned; for when he had ask'd Hermocrates how he might suddenly become famous, and that the other had answered, By killing some great person, presently went and slew Philip. And indeed what he covered he had; for he render'd him∣self as infamously famous for the Murther, as Philip was eminent for his Vertue to Posterity.

5. But this desire of Glory was sacrilegious. For there was one sound out, who would set on fire the Temple of Diana at Ephesus, t••at by the destruction of that lovely Pile, his name might be known to the whole world. Which fury of his minde he discove∣red

upon the Rack. Yet the Ephesians had taken care, by a Decree, to abolish the memory of the worst of men, had not the eloquent. Wit of Theopompus com∣prehended the fact in his History.