of the bufinefs. No pilot performs his office by ftanding ftill. The princes of the Ottoman family, the chief in the world of military fortune, have warmly embraced this opinion; and Bajazet the fecond, with his fon that fwerved from it, fpending their time in the fciences, and other employments within doors, gave great blows to their empire: and Amurath the third, now reigning, following their example, begins to do the fame. Was it not Edward the third, king of England, who faid this of our king Charles the fifth?" There ne"ver was king fo feldom put on his arms, and yet "never king who cut me out fo much work." He might well think it ftrange, as an effect of change more than of reafon and let thofe feek out fome other advocate for them than me, who will reckon the kings of Caftile and Portugal amongst the warlike and magnanimous conquerors, becaufe, at the distance of twelve hundred leagues from their lazy refidence, by the conduct_of their agents, they made themselves mafters of both Indies; which, it is a queftion, if they had but the courage to go and enjoy them. The emperor Julian faid yet further, "that a philofo"pher, and a brave man, ought not fo The activity and fobriety requifite "much as to breathe ;" this is to say, not in princes. to allow any more to bodily neceffities, than what we cannot refufe; "keeping the foul and body "still intent and bufy about things honourable, great, "and virtuous:" he was afhamed, if any one in public faw him fpit or sweat, (which is faid by fome alfo of the Lacedæmonian young men, and which Xenophon fays of the Perfian) because he conceived, that exercise, continual labour, and fobriety, ought to have dried up all those fuperfluities. What Seneca fays will not be unfit for this place; which is, "that the ancient Romans "kept their youth always ftanding, and taught them no、 "thing that they were to learn, fitting *." It is a generous defire to wish to die usefully, and like a man; but the effect lies not fo much in our refolution,as in our good fortune. A thousand have propofSenec. ep. 88. ed The defire of making a useful exit is laudable, though the thing be not in our power. ed to themselves, in battle, either to conqueror die, who have failed both in the one and the other: wounds and imprisonment croffing their defign, and compelling them to live against their wills. There are difeafes that obliterate even our defires, and our knowledge. Fortune was not obliged to fecond the vanity of the Roman legions, who bound themselves, by oath, "either to overcome, or die." Villor, Marte Fabi, revertar ex acie; fi fallo, Jovem patrem, gradivumque Martem, aliofque iratos invoco deos. «I "will return (Marcus Fabius) a conqueror from the "army; and, if I fail, I with the indignation of Jove, "Mars, and the other offended gods, may light upon "me. The Portuguese fay, "that in a certain place "of their conqueft of the Indies, they met with foldiers, "who had damned themfeves, with horrible excrations, "to enter into no compofition, but either to kill, or be "killed; and had their heads and beards shaved in token "of this vow." It is to much purpose to hazard ourfelves, and to be obftinate: it feems as if blows avoid those that present themselves too brifkly to danger; and do not readily fall upon those who too willingly feek them, and fo defeat their defign. There was one, who had tried all ways, and could not obtain dying by the hand of the enemy, was conftrained, in order to make good his refolution of bringing home victory, or of lofing his life, to kill himself, even in the heat of battle. Among other examples, this is one: "Philiftus, general of the "naval army of Dionyfius the younger, against the Syracufans, prefented them battle, which was fharply difputed, their forces being equal. In which engage"he had the better at first, through his valour: but, the Syracufans furrounded his gally, after he had, with "great feats of arms +, tried to difengage himself, and "hoping for no relief, with his own hand he took away "that life he had fo liberally, but in vain, expofed to the enemy. Tit. Liv. lib. ii. cap. 45. Plutarch, in the life of Bion, cap. 8. 66 The intrepid activity of Muley Moluck, king of Fez, in a battle, where he died conqueror of the Muley Moluck, king of Fez, who, Anno 1578, won "the battle againft Sebaftian, king of "Portugal, fo famous for the death of "three kings, and the tranflation of that great kingdom to the crown of Caftile, "was extremely fick when the Portuguese Portuguese. "entered, in an hoftile manner, into his "dominions and, from that day forward, grew worse and worse, ftill drawing nearer to, and forefeeing his end yet never did man employ himself more vigoroufly and bravely, than he did upon this occafion. He found himself too weak to undergo the pomp and ceremony of entering into this camp, which, after their manner, is very magnificent, and full of bustle; "and therefore refigned that honour to his brother: but the office of a general was all that he refigned; all the rest of utility and neceffity, he moft exactly "and gloriously performed: his body lying upon a couch, but his judgment and courage upright and "firm to his last gafp, and in fome fort, beyond it: he "might have wafted his enemy, who was indifcreetly "advanced into his dominions without ftriking a blow; and it was very grievous to his heart, that, for want of a little life, or fomebody to fubftitute in the con"duct of this war, and of the affairs of a troubled ftate, he found himself compelled to feek a doubtful "and bloody victory, when he had another, better and "furer, already in his power: yet he wonderfully ma"naged the continuance of his ficknefs, in wafting the "enemy, and in drawing them from the naval army, " and the fea-ports in the coaft of Africa, even till the "laft day of his life, which he defignedly referved for "this great battle. He formed the main battle in a cir"cle, environing the Portugal army on every fide; which circle, coming to draw up clofe together, did not only hinder them in the conflict, (which was very sharp, "through the valour of the young invading king) con"fidering they were, every way, to make a front; but • Thuanus, Hift. lib. lxv. p. 248. the Geneva edition, in 1720. "alfo "alfo prevented their flight, after the defeat, fo that, "finding all paffages poffeffed and fhut up, they were "conftrained to close up together again; coacervantur 66 que non folum cæde, fed etiam fuga ; and there they who tood, and they who fled, were flain in heaps upon "one another, leaving to the conqueror a very bloody "and entire victory. As he was dying, he caufed him"felf to be carried and hurried from place to place, "where moft need was; and paffing through the files, "encouraged the captains and foldiers one after another. "But, a corner of his main battle being broke, he was "not to be reftrained from mounting on horfeback, "fword in hand. He did his utmoft to break from "thofe about him, and to rush into the thickeft of the "battle, they all the while stopping him, fome by the "bridle, fome by his robe, and others by his ftirrups. "This last effort totally deprived him of the little life "he had left; they again laid him upon his couch, "but, coming to himself again, he started, as it were, "out of his fwoon, all other faculties failing, to give his people notice, that they were to conceal his death (the moft neceffary command he had then to give, that his foldiers might not be difcouraged with the "news) he expired with his finger upon his mouth, the ordinary fignal for keeping filence." Who ever lived fo long and fo far in death? Who ever died more like a man? The moft naural degree of entertaining death, is to look upon it, not only without aftonishment, but without care, continuing the wonted courfe of life even into it; as Cato did, who entertained himself in ftudy, and went to fleep, having a violent and bloody defign upon himself in his heart, and the weapon in his hand to execute it. Thuanus, lib. v. p. 248, obferves, that it was faid Charles of Bourbon gave the fame fignal, when he was expiring at the foot of the walls of Rome, which his troops took by storm, just after his death. CHAP. I Poft horfes firft fet up by Cyrus. CHA P. XXII. Of POSTS. HAVE been none of the leaft able in this exercise, which is proper for men of my pitch, well-fet and fhort; but I give it over, it shakes us too much to continue long. I was just now reading, "That king Cyrus, "the better to have news brought him "from all parts of the empire, which "was of a vaft extent, caufed it to be "tried, how far a horfe could go in a day, before he baited; and at that distance appointed men, whose "bufinefs it was to have horfes always in readiness to "accommodate thofe on who were dispatched away to "him." And fome fay, that this fwift way of travelling is equal to the flight of cranes. They were ufed by the Romans. 66 Cæfar fays, "That Lucius Vibulus Rufus, being in great hafte to carry intelligence to Pompey, rid day and night, often taking "freth horfes for the greater fpeed;" and himself," as Suetonius reports, "travelled a "hundred miles a day in a hired coach; but he was a "furious courier, for, where rivers ftopped his way, he "always paffed them by fwimming, without turn"ing out of his way to look for either bridge or "ford." Tiberius Nero, going to fee his brother Drufus §, who was fick in Germany, travelled two hundred miles in four and twenty hours, having three coaches. In the war of the Romans, against king Antiochus, T. Sempronius Gracchus, fays Livy, Per difpofitos equos propè incredibili celeritato ab Amphifsâ tertio die Pellam pervenit. By horfes purposely laid on the road, he "rid with almoft incredible speed, in three days, from "Amphiffa to Pella." And it appears there, that they were established pofts, and not juft ordered for this occafion. Xenophon's Cyropædia, lib. viii. cap. + De Bello Civili, lib. iii. cap. 4. Plin. Nat. Hift. lib. vii. cap. 20. 6. fect. 9. 1 In Cæfare, fect. 57. |