University of Virginia Library

Orondates , when th'Æthiopian Hoast
He saw, past Cataracts, begin to coast
Siene-ward, he wisely them preuents,
By comming first, repairing battlements,
Renforcing Garrisons on Towre and wall,
Preparing engines th'enemy to gaule,
And barricading gates. Hydaspes thought
Be there before; and now his Armie brought,
And planted round about the wals; at least,
Some three-score hundred thousand, man and beast;
As Hunter plants his toyle on eu'rie side
The thicket, where the Stag himselfe doth hide;
So Blackmore King the Towne enuironed,
To take the Prince that Persian Armie led.
And there, without assault or skirmish lay
As quietly, as sitting at a play.
And when the spies their pris'ners him present,
He lookes vpon the Greekes with great content;
And as his children, knowing not their race,
Yet, for good liking, gaue them kinde embrace,
And for good lucke; for loe the Gods, he said,
Before vs bound our enemies haue laid;
And these, because the first, as is our guise,
We will be kept for humane sacrifice:
So gaue commandment they should take their rest,
Be neatly kept, and fare still of the best;
And leauing th'iron guiues be lockt in gold.
The man then smil'd, and said; sweetheart, behold
A braue exchange! we goe th'row diuers hands,
And captiue still; yet richest now in bands.
O flatt'ring Fortune! O deceitfull show!
Characlia smil'd to; but soone made him know
Her better hopes: and what hath beene fore-told.
Of their far trauell to the land of gold;
Her natiue soile, as she is borne in hand;
And gold for iron goes in Blackmorland.
Ere long the King in pers'n assaults the Towne;
And thought their courage would at first come downe:
But they defend themselues most valiantly,
With deed and word prouoking th'enemy.

At length, to make them soundly pay the price
Of that presumption, seekes he new deuice;
That shall full soone their heat of courage quench,
He sets his Hoast to cast a banke and trench
About the wals: there were so many men.
That soone 'tis done, by ten pole eu'rie ten.
Orondates, and Sienæans all
Were well content to see another wall
About their Towne, and let them worke their fill,
And them derided all the while, vntill
They saw at Circles ends a fearfull signe:
For why? they met not: either, straight as line,
An hundred foot asunder ran a file,
Vnto the neerest banke of raging Nile,
And alway some what vp-hill: so the Towne,
Below the riuer, fit was made to drowne.
In riuers hether side they made a vent;
Then broader wat'r in narrow channell pent;
Ran downe amaine, and with so wrackfull streame,
As if it would haue ouerflow'd the Realme.
With hideous noise at Goole, at new-cut throat,
And all the way it set the Towne afloat:
Which when the Townes-men heard, and saw, and waigh'd,
Their fearfull case; they labour all for aid.

And first with mucke and straw they stop the chinkes
Of eu'rie gate, that new-come water drinkes.
Then make they butrases and prop she wall
In many places, so preuent the fall.
Lest by the waters vndersoaking, straight
The spongie ground refuse to beare the wait.
Some wood, some stone, some clay, some lime and sand;
And some bring thither what came first to hand.
Not one sat idle, but in case of life
Will all take paines, old, young, man, maid, and wife;
They bend to worke their Sun-burnt hands and necks;
Not one desires excuse of state or sex.
The stronger men, and such as might beare armes,
With littl' offence to put-off greater harmes,
Within and vnder wall are set to mine,
By light of torch, by leauell and by line,
A ten-foot deepe and broad trench that may reach
Their foes new banke, and there in make a breach
With in-let waters. But (alas) before
It halfe was done, the floud came with a roare
So downe the new-cut channell from the goole;
That all within the banke was made a poole.
And so Siene quickly, that ere while
A mid-land Citie was, is made an Isle.

The wall endur'd, at first and for a day,
The waters force; and then began to sway
By waight opprest of floud now round about;
That soaking th'row the yawning chaps of drought,
Foundation wets, and makes new springs arise
All o're the Towne in lamentable wise.
And part of wall betwixt two Tow'rs that night
Aboue the water broke, t'encrease th'affright.
For though the waters yet no breach doe win,
It made them see what danger they were in.
Whereat they rais'd so lamentabl'a crie,
As heard was to the Camp of th'Enemie.
And cry to Heau'n to haue the water staid:
For out of hope they were of humane aide.
And yet to try, with much adoe, i'th'end
They ou'r-entreat Orondates to send
A yeelding message to the Blackmore King:
And wanting boat were faine to vse a sling;
Whereout they sent a letter ti'd t'a stone;
But short it fell; then striue they eu'richone,
That had the skill, with engine, bow, and string,
Now 'tis for life; and yet they cannot bring
Th'intent to passe, they cannot reach the road,
Or foot-way land; the waters are so broad.
Then make they signes, at first with held-vp hands,
As supplicating: then (intending bands)
Behinde them put: Hydaspes sees they craue
But only life, and meanes they shall it haue,
Nor was it other like: For grace t'impart,
The yeelding foe commands the gracious heart
Of such a King: yet wisely thus he tries
The faithfull meaning of his enemies.

When first he cut the goole came many a boat
From maine of Nilus downe his trench afloat;
That landed all at th'inbent of the banke;
And ten of these with Archers all in ranke
To Towne he sent, instructed what to say:
Now strange it was to see, in plow-mans way
An armed galley row'd; with men on land
A ship to fight: but this can war command.

The Sienæans seeing them draw neare
Their broken wall; as All thing puts in feare
Distressed men; it thought for townes behoofe
To shoot at them, and make them keepe aloofe.
But shot or short, or vp, or downe the winde;
As not to hurt, but make them know their minde,
For this declares of mans desire the prime,
Despairing life would gaine some little time.
The blacke men shoot againe with surer aime,
And many Townes-men kill, and many maime.
Great had the slaughter beene, but that a wise
And ancient man the Towne did thus aduise:

What meane you Sirs? Hath this calamitie
So dull'd your sense, that these you will put-by,
Who come to saue vs at our humble suit?
If ill they meanes vs, 'tis without dispute,
They cannot hurt vs here, although they land:
Yet if we slay them, can we get by th'hand,
When cloud so backe hath round about beset vs
At land and water? O then rather let vs
Them entertaine with speeches faire and kinde;
And giue attentiue eares vnto their minde.
The Gouernour himselfe and all the rest
Commend his words: and standing there abrest
On either side the breach, lay downe their armes,
To heare the Blacke mans oratorie charmes;
From ship, as 'twere at hau'n, who thus began:
Of Perse or Sien know you eu'rie man,
Both young and old, From meanest state to best;
Hydaspes King of Indies East and West,
Yours also now, can tame his proudest foes,
And yet is gracious euermore to those
That yeeld and mercie craue: on you therefore,
Whose life is in his hands, he layes no more,
Now after your so pitifull petitions,
Then turne to him and make your owne conditions
No Tyrant is he gouerning by lust;
But towards all his people kingly iust.

To this the Sienæans answer gaue;
That they, their wiues and children, all they haue,
Were at his seruice; vse them as he please:
As for the Gouernour Orondates,
He promiseth to leaue the Smaragd-Mines,
With Towne of Phile, and all the next confines,
Which caus'd the warre; and only craues the grace,
That to his person nought be tender'd base:
And that they would two Persian Souldiours take,
And beare, and let goe safe beyond the Lake
Vnt' Elpentine, pretending thither sent,
To know if that Towne also were content,
To yeeld as doth Siene: they the two
Take to their King, and message quickly doe.

He smiles to see the Persian captiuate,
Now past all helpe of man, capitulate:
Yet, loth to stroy a multitude for one,
Forbeares him, yea and lets his spies alone;
As light-regarding, what they could in fine
Against his drift consult at Elpentine:
But sets his owne a worke with pin and planke
Of wood that grew on either side the banke;
And some whole trees, to make a stanke, and take
The goole of Nile, before they draine the Lake:
Then steele-shod piles are driu'n th'row channel-rocks,
With iron-bound commanders downe-right knocks.
And, for the draine, of trench they cut the band;
That inlet stopt, and outlet made, the land
About the Towne might sooner drie and beare
An Armies waight: and, as they labour there
(Though night her darknesse did vpon them send,
Ere either could their purpose bring t'an end)
So in the Citie nothing is forgot
To saue their liues; and now their mining plot
Is follow'd hard; from wall to banke the scope
Aboue with eye, below they meat with rope.
By torch their wall, by torch they view their cell,
And finding all, as for the time, but well;
Had thought to rest: yet were they sore affright,
By sudden fearfull sound they heard that night.
Themselues and enemies it thought a fall,
And of no lesse than their whole Citie-wall;
But was not so: part of that circle-bay
Relaps'd, the water made it selfe a way.

The morning light them put all out of doubt;
And shew'd the drained Lake all round about.
Aboue the mud are crawling seene by millions,
Ichneumonets, Lagartos, Crocodillions
New out of shell, and on the sandie sholts,
Sirenets, Sea-calues, Hippopotam-colts.
For th'elder monsters wontin channell deepe,
With seuen-head Nilus, or with Neptune keepe.
So wont the Pow'rs Diuine (as well they can)
In sauing life preuent the worke of man,
Though first by diligence the goole was caught:
The Gods will helpe such as for helpe haue wrought.
Though water's gone; yet neither t'other come,
Nor can, the ground o're-spred with muddy scum,
So soft as yet, will beare nor horse, nor man:
Thus two or three dayes passe they, and for than
In signe of peace the Blackemoore disarmates,
And they of Sien open wide their gates;
Nay celebrate a feast, that fell the while,
In honour of their mightie riuer Nile,
Whom they as God adore, and him. to pray,
When Summer and Sunsted makes the longest day.
But, after feasting, when the night grew deepe,
And all the Sienæans fast asleepe
Lay buried in their wines, Orondates
Occasion tooke to crosse those muddy seas;
Commanding eu'rie Souldiour beare a planke,
And one at others heeles succeed in ranke;
So made a sudden bridge, at hay now hay,
To liue or die; and closely stole away
With all his forces, leauing horse behinde,
For feare of noyse and waking those of Inde:
They soundly slept that night, and set no watch,
But such as were to finish and dispatch
That worke begun at Nilus broken flanke;
With stone and clay to ram the boorded stanke:
And earnest these, and busie about their charge
Perceiue them not: nor came they neere the marge
Of Nilus streame. And by this sleight so fine,
The Persian brought his men int' Elpentine:
A Towne (he knew) that soone receiue them ment,
Prepar'd thereto by those two men he sent.
The Sienæans knew not they were fled,
Till such, as had the Souldiours billetted,
Them mist in house; and from the wall to banke,
At morning saw the ioyntlesse bridge of planke.
For this the Towne perplexed was the more,
Their second faults reuenge now fearing sore;
That, after mercie shew'd them, trayterously
May seeme gaue way for Persian force to fly.
To cleere themselues, and get a second grace,
Both old and young they come forth of their place;
And o're the planke-bridge toward th'Æthiopes,
In humble sort goe to renew their hopes.
And all afar-off kneeling on their knees
Made lowly signe of suite. Hydaspes sees,
And sends to know the cause, why came they then
Without the Persian Leader and his men.

Their Priests that went before declare the case,
And how the Persians, to their foule disgrace,
Vnknown to Sien, stoleaway by night,
When all the Towne was doing Nilus right.
What further meant was could they not define,
But thought, to gather force at Elpentine:
And pray'd Hydaspes ent'r and take the Towne,
And euermore command it as his owne.
He thought not meet himselfe to goe, but sent,
To sound yet further th'enemies intent,
And keepe the Towne, a Garrison of strong
And well appointed men; and sent along
The Sienæans with them, promising
Both life and freedome like a gracious King.

Then led his Armie forth in good array,
To giue or take encounter by the way.
And forth with word was brought him by his Spies,
That fast were comming-on his enemies.
And now began the Persian pride appeare;
Orondates, and many in armour cleare
All double-guilt, against the rising Lamp
Reflects a lightning on the Blackmore Camp.
His right wing holds the Persian and the Mede;
Of them the strongest-armed still precede:
And vnder these, more safe to shoot and fight,
Their Archers follow nimbl' and armed light.
Vpon his left wing care was had to range,
Th'Ægyptians, Afers, and all people strange:
And after them came other Bowes, and Slings,
To fight aflanke, and counterguard the wings.
Himselfe betweene them rode in charr'ot bright,
With sharp-edg'd hookes all round about bedight.
His strong Phalanges march on either side;
And troopes of Cataphracts before him ride:
With whom he counts himselfe most safe and sure:
And this the guise is of that Armature.

Some choyce well-timber'd man of courage stout
An helmet close puts-on, which round about
His head defends, and from the Crowne to necke;
His left hand holds the reine his horse to checke,
His right a launce whereof butte-end is set
In horses armed flanke that will not let
It backward slide, but guided with a span
Combines in thrust the strength of horse and man;
Which armed both in steele wrought smooth by file,
And ioynted close like scales of Crocodile,
When horse hath reine on necke, and spur at flanks,
As iron Statue breakes the formost ranks;
And piercing th'armour first, then flesh and bones,
Some two, or three, sometime thrusts th'row at once.
Now Persian Satrap, with such men and horses,
And as before had order'd all his forces;
He forward sets. And so the Blackmore King;
Who sets against the Mede-and-Persian wing,
His Meroans, not men of armourlight,
But well appointed for a standing fight.
On th'other side his Troglodyte; and those
Who dwell where all the best Amomy growes;
All armed light, and verie swift of foot,
And cunning all to hit whereat they shoot.

And when he saw in middle battaile most
Consist the strength of all the Persian Hoast;
Himselfe in person leads against the same
His towred Elephants, with Sere and Blame;
A people strong, who, fighting though on foot,
Such armour wore as none could thorow-shoot.
And these, although at first they meet at large,
Had, after battell ioyn'd, a speciall charge;
To creepe aground, accustom'd to such acts,
And gore th'vnarmed paunch of Cataphracts.

With trump the Persian, th'Æthiope with drum,
Both strike Alarm when they to th'Onset come.
The Persian came-on with a full careere
Of armed horse-men, thunder-like to heare:
Hydaspes softly, that the Persian horse,
Before th'encounter, might abate his force:
And lest he should, by speeding-on th'Auants,
Vngarded leaue his slow-pac'd Elephants:
But when they met, these hardy men of Blame
Creepe vnd'r vnarmed horses, hoh them lame,
And wound th'vnarmed paunch with thrust and cuts,
So make the gored beast run-out his guts,
And cast the riders: who, for armours waight,
Now cannot stirre, and are dispatched straight,
By first-come enemie: me thinkes to fight
Were bett'r on foot, both for pursuit and flight.
A whizzing cloud of arrowes dimd the Sun,
And blowes are strooke as loud as moderne gun
To cut-off aimed limbs; the field is spred
With legs, armes, heads, and bodies but halfe-dead:
At right wing and at left, areare, avant.
The neighing Horse, and roring Elephant,
With fall of beast and man, some o're, some vnder,
Made such a noyse they could not heare it thunder.

And now begin the nimble men of Sere,
Retire to guard their Elephants areare.
The Persian horse, as many as scapt the gore,
At Seres run: yet backward start, and snore
At sight of th'Elephant, that hill of beast;
That with his snout can take of graine the least;
And yet enroule an armed man and send him
Aloft int' aire, and by the downfall rend him,
As then were many seru'd: each Elephant
Had two men on each side, and two avant,
In foure-square armed towre; there was no faile,
But only that way which was next the taile.
And fed the beasts were, more to make them fight,
With grapes and mulberries, their chiefe delight.

The Seres were so skill'd in Archeries,
They made their arrowes sticke in Persian eyes;
That on their browes they seem'd haue growing hornes,
Or in mid-forhead like our Vnicornes:
Yea, some in mouth receiu'd a hidden stripe,
And 'twixt their lips hung th'arrow like a pipe.
So Persian Leaders, troubled in their face,
Fly backe themselues, and draw the rest apace.
Orondates on swiftest horse of Nyze,
His chariot leauing, with the formost flyes.
And this the wise and valiant King of Blacke,
From turret, set on tallest Elpen backe,
Beholds, triumphing in his victorie;
And loth to shed much bloud of enemie,
Sends-out command to spare their liues, and bring
The Persian Duke aliue vnto the King.
And so they did, while he the manner view'd.
The Persian noting first the multitude
Of Blackemors Armie, kept the Nile behinde him;
For feare they should all round about enwinde him:
So barr'd himselfe the flight, and now forsaken
Of all his men, on banke aliue is taken;
Though Achæmen repenting what he told,
And fearing th'end in flying was so bold
To stab his Lord: it was no deadly blow;
And yet reueng'd with Æthiopian bow,
That surer strooke the Traytour; so with ease
Was into presence brought Orondates.
To whom the King; I hold it most renowne
By weapon standing, and by fauour downe,
To vanquish foe: and you doe freely giue
(Though euer false to me) this leaue to liue.
The Satrap answer'd; False I was to you;
But thereby more vnto my Master true.
The King reply'd; Say truth and doe not swerue,
Y'are ouercome; what doe you now deserue?
The same (quoth he) that would my King require
Of one of yours, that were to you entire.
But, O my friend, then quoth the King againe,
Although you trustie were, it was in vaine,
And part vnwise for you to set vpon
My forces here, that are ten to your one.
I knew it well, quoth he; but euer finde,
How much my King mislikes a fearfull minde.
And seeing plaine you meant to set on me,
Thought best begin. For oft a ieoperdee
May fall out well; and many a chance in war,
May bring th'vnlikely lucke, the likely bar.
So might befall me well; and oft in doubt
Some friendly Fortune fauours courage stout;
But if it fell out so, I did but liue;
I might the bett'r account my Sou'raigne giue.
The King his answer lik'd, and straight him sent
To Sien Towne, and after softly went:
And, leauing th'armies in Lieutenants charge,
In royall state vpon his Elpen large
Enters the gate; that strange it was to see,
On monster blacke so blacke a King as hee.
Then forth to meet him all the Citie went
Man, woman, childe, of high and low descent;
And cast him garlands, coronets, and posies
Of all the fairest liliies, pinks, and roses,
That grew on banke of Nile, congratulating
His victories, and him-to them prostrating.
He first of all vnto the Temple goes,
Pesents the Gods with sundrie solemne showes
For victorie: then lookes vpon the Well,
That wont with Nilus floud to sinke and swell:
The polisht stone within it hauing lines,
To count how much it rises or declines:
And Dials saw (though they no newes to him,
Because they had the like at Meroim
Both Citie and Isle) with Gnomons bolt-vpright,
That gaue no shade at noone, but round had light:
There also puits, that nere so deepe were sunke,
Had Sun at noone that of their water drunke:
For North and South on each side equall lay,
And Nadir mid-night, Zenith made mid-day:
For either Pole respectiue seene was there,
At landskop-erd, South Crosse and Northerne Beare.
Then such as came from North-side of the Line,
To South-ward of Siene and Elpentine,
With much amazement saw, where now they stood,
To left-hand run the shadowes of the wood.
Of Vnicornes some to the King relate,
And shew them richly wrought on cloth of state;
Like cloue-foot horse (if wrought it were not wrong)
With horne in forhead straight some seu'n foot long.
There also painted shew they him the Rucke,
So huge a bird, as strong enough to tucke,
Or trusse (as Faulk'ners speake) an Elpen fierce,
With ell-long tallons) toughest hide to pierce:
Yea foure-foot winged Dragons wrought he saw,
And Gryffins also, contrarie to Law,
That Nature keepes in other creatures all,
Affording them but foure limbs principall;
Not mingling kindes; as this to ramp and fly-on,
Before an Eagl'is, and behinde a Lyon;
As here set-out by cunning workmans hand:
But, that there were such liuing in that land,
On furth'r enquirie made the truth to touch,
An old-man called Heare-say did auouch.

Then set they forth the praises of their Nile,
And in their praising giue him such a stile,
As if the Sun and Moone were lesse than hee
The causes of their Lands fertilitee,
With yeerely slime there filling eu'rie creeke;
Whereof that streame first got that name in Greeke.
They further say their Riuer was the Yeare,
And with some reasons make it thus appeare:
What other floud hath flowers like the Nile
To shew the Spring? and there the Crocodile
In winter-quarter breeds; by waters heape
The Summer's known; and Autumne time by Neape.
Besides, the letters of that name amount
To summe of dayes i'th' yeare by iust account.
For N his fiftie, and E his fiue commands,
And I for ten, and L for thirtie stands,
and O for seuentie, for two hundred ς,
To tell in Greeke; and these all make no lesse,
(By rule of Adding if you them contriue)
Than dayes i'th' yeare three hundred sixtie fiue.
Then said the King, sith you this way haue trod,
And sith you worship Nilus for a God;
And him we send you downe from Blackmorland;
For this, me thinkes, we should your loue command,
You shall, repli'd the Priests; and much the more
For such a gracious King; whom we adore
For sauing vs more like a God than King,
And this his victorie still shall we sing.
With moderance (quoth he) your praises scan,
And still remeb'r, a King is but a man.
So part of day he spent in talke, the rest
With Negroes and Sienians in feast.
Then sent his Armie Goats, Sheepe, Oxen, Swine,
Whole Herds at once, and many Butts of wine.

The next day seated on a loftie throne,
His well-deseruing men cals eu'rychone:
And with the spoyle, before he thence depart,
Will see them all rewarded by desert.
To him that tooke Orondates, he said;
Aske what thou wilt: he saith, I'm well appaid
With that I haue, if please your Maiestee,
With your most royall word confirme it mee:
And shew'd the ponyard of that Persian Earle,
Most richly set with precious stone and pearle,
That many a million cost: the standers-by,
Too much for priuate man, began to cry,
More fit to make a treasure for a King.
Hydaspes smiling said; is any thing
More Kingly, than to cast-off couetise,
And that, which common men admire, despise?
Besides now, bee't a thing of worth or trifle,
The man that takes a pris'ner, may him rifle
By Law of Armes; we grant him then his right,
Which he might well haue kept out of our sight.
And, after this man, call'd-for next are they
Who tooke Theagen and Chariclia,
And say (O King) nor gold, nor precious stone,
But fairest two we bring of flesh and bone:
To serue your Highnesse and your gracious Queene.
Well put in minde (quoth he) I haue them seene,
But did not marke them well; now then againe
Them bring before me: then one ran amaine
To Camp, and will'd the keepers quickly bring
That faire young man and maid before the King.
They asking whither now, and why they went,
Are told Hydaspes King hath for them sent.

O Gods, quoth they, at King Hydaspes name,
Till then not knowing still had raign'd the same.
Then heto her, sweet heart (in whisper-vaine)
Tell you our case; Hydaspes still doth raigne,
Your fath'r, as oft you told me. Whereto shee,
Haue patience a while (sweet heart) and see
Yet more; A matt'r of such a consequence
Must not be dealt-in rashly, for offence.
And things, that haue beginnings intricate,
Are brought t'an end with some more solemne state.
Besides, my mother (though we heare she liues)
Of our estate most pregnant witnesse giues;
And is not here. Theagenes replies;
But, if we offer'd be for sacrifice,
Or giu'n to some as Captiues in reward;
Too late we make you known, I am afeard.
O feare it not, quoth she; we must be seene
At Meroë, and there shall meet the Queene
Ere sacrifice. Our ouer-hastie ioy
In matt'r unripe may breed vs much anoy.
To shew our case in absence of our proofe,
I thinke can no wayes make for our behoofe;
But rath'r offend the King, when such as we,
In seruile state, his heires shall claime to be.
But you haue euidence (quoth he) and show it:
'Tis euidence (quoth she) to them that know it,
And know the passage; otherwise, althow
The King himselfe some of these jewels know,
In such a case as this, he may deny them,
Or else suspect we came not truly by them.
Who knowes the Queene this writing e're compil'de,
Or as a mother left it with her childe?
It may be said that some confederate
This wrought, to raise a tumult in the state.
Instinct of Nature is a wondrous signe,
That at the first encounter will encline
The mother to the childe. Then is't not best
This signe to loose that makes good all the rest.
The Fable saith, one had a bird did lay
Him egges of gold; who, thinking long to stay
Till lay-day came (because he kept no measure)
Did kill his bird, for in-her-hidden treasure:
But true that saying is (thinke on't my Deare)
He hasteth well that wisely can forbeare.

And now they two, with Eunuch Bagoas,
Th'row all the Blackmore Guard haue way to passe,
And come before the King: he ey'd them well;
But how affected hard it is to tell:
He rose a littl' and said; me Heau'n excuse!
And sate him downe againe as in a muse.
The Peeres about him askt him what he ment.
He said, I drempt the Gods this night had sent
Me such a daught'r, and suddenly so grown;
I little thought theron, nor would it owne;
Till now is come before my waking sight
The verie same (me thinkes) I saw by night.
They told him, dreames sometime will let one see
A thing before-hand that will shortly bee.
Then setting light thereby, he askt them, what
And whence they were? Theagenes to that
Repli'd, we broth'r and sister be, and come
Late out of Greece. But is that Maiden dombe
(Repli'd the King)? Chariclia said, we heare,
We must to th'Altar; and my Parents there
Will soone be known. But heare (O King) the troth;
That one is here, and there they will be both.

To that Hydaspes said, and saying smil'de,
Me thinkes now dreameth this my dreame-borne childe;
Imagining her Parents, swift as thought,
Shall out of Greece to Meroë be brought:
Well, take and vse these two with all the grace
They had before: but what's that Eunuchs face?
The same, say they. The King then, let him passe
Along with them, to keepe vntaint the Lasse:
For Eunuch is a kinde of jealous Elfe,
Enuying others that he lacks himselfe.

Thus hauing said, all other Captiues there
He call'd, and view'd them well; and all that were,
As borne to serue, of fath'r and mother slaue,
Among his well-deseruing Souldiours gaue.
The rest, that seem'd of better birth to bee,
Without imposed ransome let goe free,
And whither so they list; saue only ten
The fairest younger maids, and younger men,
T'encrease the Sacrifice: then Iustice found
All such as did their cases there propound.
And some there were who though they fought not hard,
For good intelligence obtain'd reward;
And some for counsaile, some for Engin-Art;
For victorie depends not all on Mart.

At last Orondates he cals him nigh,
And bids him hold his former Satrapie.
Thus further saying; When you come before
My broth'r of Babel, tell him I full sore
Against my will to bloudy war am forc'd,
Albee't as any King well mann'd and hors'd.
And yet, in bloud-shed though I not delight,
Must take vp arms and will to keepe my right;
Which now I haue recouer'd, strike no drum
T'enlarge my Territorie, as would doe some:
But am content with share on Nature grounded,
Which Ægypt hath from Æthiopie bounded
By Cataracts: so, if he will, let cease
This war betwixt vs for a friendly peace.
As for the Sienæans, I release them
A ten yeares tribute; doe not you oppresse them.
But wish your Master grant that libertee,
I know he will, commended so by mee.
No wicked man I praise, although my friend;
Nor good man enemy will discommend.

The Persian hearing this, with hands before
His brest athwart, bow'd downe his head t'adore;
And prayd the Gods his royall dayes encrease,
That Perse and Indies euer keepe in peace.
Then all gaue thanks, deuoutly promising
Their loyaltie to such a gracious King.