Beautiful blossomes, gathered by Iohn Byshop, from the best trees of all kyndes, diuine, philosophicall, astronomicall, cosmographical, historical, & humane, that are growing in Greece, Latium, and Arabia, and some also in vulgar orchards, as wel fro[m] those that in auncient time were grafted, as also from them which haue with skilful head and hand beene of late yeares, yea, and in our dayes planted: to the vnspeakable, both pleasure and profite of all such wil vouchsafe to vse them. The first tome

The xxvi. Chapter, Of Domitian.

NEyther were Domitians actes any thing greater, as one that had no de∣light in armes, and in whose reigne the Daces reuolted, and oppressed Appius Sabinus their Lieftenaunt, with his whole armie: and anon af∣ter also Cornelius Fussus captein of his guard (an office in those dayes of all other the greatest) and sent thether, with a power, to reduce them vnto their duetie. Then Domitian went against them him selfe, or more truly, made as though he had gone: for (as Dion affirmes) he neuer during all his reigne gouerned armie, or administred warres, as he that was a man impatient of all bodily labour: for in the citie he woulde neuer goe on foote, and in the field sildome ride on horse, but alwayes be carried in a lieter, and was also of a faint and fearefull heart: but he staying by the way out of danger, sent his capteines against them, who fought with no greater felicitie, then had their predecessours, and shamefully lost a great parte of their armie: and yet this shamelesse God sent lying letters vnto Rome, that he had conquered and subdued them: wherevppon there were so many, and so honourable decrées made for him, that almost in all places of the world that were vnder his dominion, statuies of gold and siluer were set vp. But he might in déede haue truely triumphed of flies, of whome he doubtlesse flue innumerable. For at the beginning of his reigne, he vsed to haue euerie daye a secrete houre to catch flies, and to thrust them through with a long péece of yron made for the nonce: so that it

was as merrily, as wittily answered of Ʋibius Craspus, when one desiering to speake with Domitian, asked him who was within with the Emperour: he answered, not so much as a flie: for then he had béen as busie, as if the whole Senate had bene with him. He also deserued a iust triumph ouer wilde beasts, of whom he would kil vpon the Theatre an hundreth in a day with his bowe, bestowing his arrowes so artificially, that they séemed to be hornes growing out of their heads. For he was so good an archer, that he would oftentimes cause a boy to stand a great distance off, & hold vp his hand abroad, and he would shoote betwéene euery finger, and neuer hurt them. But séeing that not great conquestes, but only riches left vnto him, did make him to conceiue so highly of him selfe: my thinkes he might well haue ben put in minde of his mortalitie, by calling to memorie his youth passed in greate pouertie and infamie, as he that had not one péece of plate, and did shamefully pro∣stitute his body: so that there were at Rome that did of∣ten shewe, after he came to the Empire, his hande and seale for a nights lodging. What shall I rehearse his great daunger in the warres against Vitellius, Competi∣tor in the Empire with his father, when he & his vncle Sabinus, being ouercome in fight, fled into the Capitol: but his enimies breaking into the temple, & setting it on fire, he lodged al that night priuily in great feare w^t the sextene: and in the morning being disguised in the appa∣rell of a priest of Isis, he passed the riuer among y^e priests of that vaine superstition, vnto the mother of one of his schoole fellowes, who hid him selfe so closely, that they whiche following his foote diligently searched for him, could by no meanes finde him. What torments may we thinke tore him, when he vnderstoode the adulterie of his deare wife Domitia, (by whom he had a sonne, and had proclamed her Augusta, or Empresse) with Paris a

common player, whome she loued as openly, as she did feruently. Whervpon he did put her away, but within short time after, being impatient of the diuorce, tooke her againe, séeking to colour his ignominie in so doing with a feigned tale, that the people had desired him to do it. I do omit what griefe his bald head brought him, who would draw vnto his own reproch, if that the like were obiected vnto any other man, eyther in earnest or sport: and also his often infirmities, through whome he became deformously spindle shanked. But in what con∣tinuall feare he led his life, his often murthering of ma∣ny, vnder colour of treason against him (whereby he be∣came hatesome to all men) makes manifest: but much more, the ouercasting of the wals of his gallerie wherin he vsed to walke, with a shining kynd of marble: wher∣in as in a glasse, he might sée who was behind him. Yet this strange kinde of hofulnesse could not kéepe him frō being murthered by a conspiracie of his nearest friends, liberts, and wife (although that he had long time before suspected, & feared the yeare, the day, yea, the houre, and the kind of his death) when he had reigned fiftéen yeres, a long and a rare time for a tyrant, but a very short, for a man to thinke that he had such assured tryall of For∣tune, that he should neuer féele her vnfaithfulnesse, but be aduaunced into the vnchangable felicitie of the gods. His body was carried out of the citie in the common bere by the sextens, the which his nurse burned at home at her owne house, but afterward priuily conueyed the ashes thereof into the sepulchre of his house in their churche. For if that the Senate had knowne thereof, they woulde haue withstoode it, as they whiche decréed, that all statuies, and arckes set vp in his honour, should be broken downe, and al titles scraped out, and all me∣morie of him quite abolished for euer.