Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

to themselves, in Battle, either to Conquer or Die, who have failed both in the one and the other :

The Defire of making a ufeful Exit is laudable, tho the Thing be not in our

Wounds and Imprisonment croffing their Defign, and compelling them to live againft their Wills. There are Diseases that demolish 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.' Victor, Marce Fabi, revertar ex acie; fi fallo, Jovem patrem, Gradivumque Martem, aliofque iratos invoco Deos *. I will return

C

[ocr errors]

Power.

(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 Soldiers, who had damned themselves, with horrible Execrations, to enter into no Compofition, but either to kill, or be killed; and had their Heads and Beards fhaved in Token of this Vow.' 'Tis to much Purpose to hazard ourselves, and to be obftinate It seems as if Blows avoid thofe that prefent themselves too brifkly to Danger; and do not willingly 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 constrained, 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 sharply disputed, their Forces being equal. In which Engagement he had the better at firft, through his Valour: But, the Syracufans ⚫ furrounding 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 E⚫nemy.' • Muley

× Tit. Liv. lib. ii. c. 45. y Plutarch in the Life of Bion, c. 8.

6

The intrepid Activity of Muley Moluck, King of Fez, in a Battle, where he died Conqueror of the Portuguefe.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Muley Moluck, King of Fez, who, Anno 1578, won the Battle against 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 entered, in an hostile 'manner, into his Dominions; and, from that Day forward, grew worse and worse, ftill drawing nearer to, and foreseeing his End: Yet never did Man imploy his own Sufficiency more vigorously 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 Buftle; and therefore refigned that Honour to his • Brother: But the Office of a General was all that he refigned; all the reft, of Utility and Neceffity, he most • exactly and glorioufly performed; his Body lying upon a Couch, but his Judgment and Courage upright and firm to his last Gasp, 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 Some-body to substitute in the Conduct of this War 2, and of the Affairs of a troubled State, 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 managed the Continuance of his Sickness, in wafting the Enemy, and in drawing them from the Naval Army, and the Sea-Ports in the Coaft of Africa, even till the last Day of his Life, which he defignedly reserved for this great Battle. He formed the main Battle in a Circle, environing the Portugal Army on every Side; 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) confidering they were, every Way, to make a Front; but

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

2 Thuanus, Hift. lib. lxv. p. 248. the Geneva Edition, in 1720.

alfo

6

[ocr errors]

• alfo prevented their Flight after the Defeat, fo that, finding all Paffages poffeffed and fhut up, they were • constrained to close up together again; coacervanturque non folum cæde, fed etiam fuga; and there they who stood, and they who fled, were flain in Heaps upon one ano⚫ther, leaving to the Conqueror a very bloody and intire Victory. As he was dying, he caufed himself to be carried and hurried from Place to Place, where most Need was; and, paffing thro' the Files, encouraged the Captains and Soldiers one after another. But, a Corner of his main Battle being broke, he was not to be reftrained from mounting on Horfeback, Sword in Hand, He did his utmost to break from those about him, and to rush into the thickest of the Battle, they all the while ftopping him, fome by the Bridle, fome by his Robe, and others by his Stirrups. This laft Effort totally deprived him of the little Life he had left; they again laid him upon his Couch, but, coming to himself again, he ftarted, as it were, out of his Swoon, all other Faculties failing, to give his People Notice, that they were to conceal his Death (the most neceffary Command he had then to give, that his Soldiers might not be difcouraged with the News) he expired with his Finger upon his Mouth, the ordinary Signal for keeping Silence a.' Who ever lived fo long and fo far in Death? Who ever died more like a Man? The most extreme, and the moft natural Degree of entertaining Death, is to look upon it, not only without Astonishment, but without Care, continuing the wonted Courfe of Life even into it; as Cato did, who entertained himself in Study, 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 Signal, when he was expiring at the Foot of the Walls of Rome, which his Troops took by Storm, just after his Death.

С НА Р.

I

Poft Horfes firft fet up by Cyrus.

CHA P. XXII.

Of POSTS.

HAVE been none of the least 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 juft now reading, That King Cyrus, the better to have News brought him from all Parts of the Empire, which was of a vaft Extent, caused it to be tried, how far a Horfe could go, in a Day, before he baited; and at that Distance appointed Men, whofe Business it was to • have Horfes always in readiness, to mount those on who were dispatched away to him. And fome fay, that this swift Way of Travelling is equal to the Flight of Cranes.

[ocr errors]

Cæfar fays,

They were ufed by the Romans.

[ocr errors]

c

That Lucius Vibulus Rufus, being in great Hafte to carry Intelligence to Pompey, rid Day and Night, often taking fresh Horses for the greater Speed;' and himfelf, 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 turning 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 celeritate ab Amphifsâ tertio die Pellam pervenit. By Horfes purposely laid on the Road, he rid with almost incredible Speed, in three Days, from Amphia to Pella. And it appears there, that they were established Posts, and not just ordered for this Occasion.

[ocr errors]

Xenophon's Cyropædia, lib. viii. c. 6. fect. 9.
De Bello Civili, lib. iii. c. 4.

In Cæfare, fe&t. 57.

Plin. Nat. Hift. lib. vii. c. 20.

Tit. Liv. lib. xxxvii. c. 7.

Cecinna's

[ocr errors]

Cecinna's Invention, to fend back News to his Family, was performed with much more Speed, for Swallows and he took Swallows along with him, from Pigeons taught Home, and turned them out towards their to carry Letters. Nefts, when he would fend back any News; fetting a Mark of fome Colour upon them to fignify his Meaning, according to what he and his People had before agreed upon. At the Theatre at Rome, Masters of Families carried Pigeons in their Bofoms, to which they tied Letters, when they had a mind to fend any Orders to their People at Home; and the Pigeons were trained up to bring back an Answer. h D. Brutus made Ufe of the fame Device, when befieged in Mutina; and others elsewhere have done the fame. ".

[ocr errors]

In Peru, they rid Poft upon Men's Shoulders, who took them up in a kind of Litter, and ran How they trawith full Speed, the firft Bearers throwing velled Poft a their Load to the fecond, without making any Stop; and so on.

Peru.

I understand, that the Walachians, who are the Grand Seignior's Couriers, perform wonderful Diligences, by reason they have Liberty to difmount the first Horfeman they meet on the Road, giving him their own tired Horse: To keep themselves alert, they gird themselves tight about the Middle with a broad Belt, as many others do; but I could never find any Relief by it.

[ocr errors]

T

CHAP. XXIII.

Of ill Means imployed to a good End.

Political States

HERE is a wonderful Relation and Correfpondence in this univerfal Syftem of the Works of Nature, which makes it plainly appear, that it is neither accidental, nor carried on by diverse Mafters. The Diseases and Conditions of our Bodies are also manifeft in

Plin. Nat. Hig. lib. 1o. c. 24.

fubject to the fame Accident as the Human Body.

Idem, ibid, c. 37.

States,

« AnteriorContinuar »