The acttes are to bee described, farre passed, by the pre-
sente state thereof, and also by the tyme to come.
As if the warre of Troie, should be set forthe in a descrip-
cion, it must bée described, what happened before the Greci-
ans arriued at Troie, and how, and after what sorte it was
ouerthrowne, & what thing chaunced, Troie being destroid.
So likewise of Carthage, destroied by the Romaines.
Of Hierusalem, destroied by Titus Uespasianus, what ad-
monicion thei had before: of what monsterous thynges hap-
pened also in that ceason: Of a Comete or blasyng Starre,
and after that what followed.
Lucane also setteth forthe the warres of Pompe and Ce-
sar, what straunge and marueilous thynges fell of it.
Hen Darius was dedde, Xerxes his soonne did
succede hym, who also tooke vpon him to finishe
the warres, begō by his father Darius, against
Grece. For the whiche warres, preperacion
was made, for the space of fiue yeres, after that
The armie
of Xerxes. Xerxes entered Grece, with seuen hundred thousande Persi-
ans, and thrée hundred thousande of forrain power aided him
that not without cause, Chronicles of aunciente tyme dooe
shewe, mightie floodes to be dried vp of his armie. The migh[-]
tie dominions of Grece, was not hable to receiue his houge,
and mightie power, bothe by sea and lande: he was no small
Prince, whom so many nacions, so mightie people followed
hym, his Nauie of Shippes was in nomber tenne hundred
Xerxes a
cowarde. thousande, Xerxes had a mightie power, but Xerxes was a
cowarde, in harte a childe, all in feare the stroke of battaile
moued. In so mightie an armie it was marueile, the chiefe
Prince and Capitaine to be a cowarde, there wanted neither
men, nor treasure, if ye haue respecte to the kyng hymself, for
cowardlinesse ye will dispraise the kyng, but his threasures
beeyng so infinite, ye will maruaile at the plentie thereof,
whose armie and infinite hoste, though mightie floodes and
streames, were not able to suffice for drinke, yet his richesse
Xerxes laste
in battaile,
and first to
runne awaie. semed not spente nor tasted of. Xerxes hymself would be laste
in battaile to fight, and the firste to retire, and runne awaie.
In daungers he was fearfull, and when daunger was paste,
he was stoute, mightie, glorious, and wonderfull crakyng,
The pride
of Xerxes. before this hassarde of battaile attempted. He thought hym
self a God ouer nature, all landes and Seas to giue place to
hym, and puffed with pride, he forgatte hymself: his power
was terrible, his harte fainte, whereupon his enteryng into
Grece was not so dreaded, as his flight frō thence was sham[-]
full, mocked and scorned at, for all his power he was driuen
backe from the lande, by Leonides king of the Lacedemoni-
ans, he hauing but a small nomber of men, before his second
battaile fought on the Sea: he sente fower thousande armed
men, to spoile the riche and sumpteous temple of Apollo, at
Delphos, from the whiche place, not one man escaped. After
that Xerxes entered Thespia, Platea, and Athenes, in the
whiche not one man remained, those he burned, woorkyng
his anger vpon the houses: for these citees were admonished
to proue the maisterie in wodden walles, whiche was ment
to bee Shippes, the power of Grece, brought into one place
Themi-
stocles. Themistocles, fauoryng their part, although Xerxes thought
otherwise of Themistocles, then Themistocles perswaded
Xerxes to assaie the Grecians. Artemisia the Quene of Hali-
carnasis aided Xerxes in his battaile: Artemisia fought man[-]
fullie, Xerxes cowardly shronke, so that vnnaturally there
was in the one a manlie stomacke, in the other a cowardlie
harte. The men of Ionia, that fought vnder Xerxes banner,
by the treason of Themistocles, shrāke from Xerxes, he was
not so greate a terrour or dreade, by his maine hoste, as now
smally regarded & least feared. What is power, men, or mo-
ney, when God chaungeth and pulleth doune, bothe the suc-
cesse, and kyngdome of a Prince. He was in all his glorie, a
vnmanlie, and a cowardly prince, yet for a time happie state
fell on his side, now his might and power is not feared. He
flieth awaie in a Fisher boate, whom all the worlde dreaded
and obaied, whom all Grece was not able to receiue, a small
boate lodgeth and harboureth. His owne people contemned
hym at home, his glorie fell, and life ingloriously ended, whō
[whom] God setteth vp, neither treason nor malice, power nor
money can pull doune. Worthelie it is to be pondered of all
Princes, the saiyng of Uespasianus Emperour of Rome, at
a certain time a treason wrought and conspired against him,
the conspiratours taken, Uespasianus satte doune betwene
The saiyng
of Uespasi-
anus. theim, commaunded a sworde to be giuen to either of theim,
and saied to them: Nonne videtis fato potestatem dari. Dooe
you not see? Power, aucthoritée, and regimente, by the ordi-
A sentence
comfortable
to al princes. naunce of God, is lefte and giuen to princes: A singuler sen-
tence, to comforte all good Princes in their gouernemente,
not to feare the poisoned hartes of men, or the traiterous har-
tes of pestiferous men. No man can pull doune, where God
exalteth, neither power can set vp and extoll, where God dis-
plaseth or putteth doune: Soche is the state of Princes, and
their kyngdomes.
¶ Thesis.
Hesis, is a certain question in consultacion had, to bée
declaimed vpon vncertaine, notyng no certaine per-
sone or thyng.