tyrant with his mercenaries returning from the chase, looked very heavily when he saw what was fallen out. Yet with a lusty troop of horse about him, he made towards the bridge, hoping to find the Achæans in disorder, and to set upon their backs as they were carelessly pursuing their victory. But when he and his company saw Philopomen ready to make good the bridge against them, then began every one to look which way he might shift for himself. The tyrant, with no more than two in his company, rode along the ditch side, and searched for an easy passage over. He was easily discovered by his purple cassock, and the costly trappings of his horse. Philopomen therefore leaving the charge of the bridge unto another, coasted him all the way as he rode, and falling upon him at length in the ditch itself, as he was getting over it, slew him there with his own hand. There died in this battle on the Lacedæmonians' side about four thousand, and more than four thousand were taken prisoners. Of the Achæan mercenaries, probable it is that the loss was not greatly cared for, since that war was at an end, and for their money they might hire more when they should have need.

SECT. VI.

Philip, having peace with Rome and with all Greece, prepares against Asia. Of the kings of Pergamus, Cappadocia, Pontus, Paphlagonia, Bithynia, and their lineages. Of the Galatians.

BY this victory the Achæans learned to think well of themselves. Neither needed they indeed after a while (such was their discipline and continual exercise) to account themselves in matter of war inferior to any that should have brought against them no great odds of number. As for the Macedonian, he made no great use of them; but when he had once concluded peace with the Romans and Ætolians, he studied how to enlarge his dominion eastward, since the fortune of his friends the Carthaginians declined in the west. He took in hand many matters together, or very nearly together, and some of them not honest; wherein if the Achæans would have done him service, they must, by helping

him to oppress others that never had wronged him, have taught him the way how to deal with themselves. He greatly hated Attalus king of Pergamus, who had joined with the Romans and Etolians in war against him.

This Attalus, though a king, was scarce yet a nobleman, otherwise than as he was ennobled by his own and by his father's virtue. His fortune began in Philetarus his uncle, who being gelded, by reason of a mishap which he had when he was a child, grew afterwards thereby to be the more esteemed; as great men in those times reposed much confidence in eunuchs, whose affections could not be obliged unto wives or children. He was entertained into the family of Docimus, a captain following Antigonus the First; and after the death of Antigonus, he accompanied his master, that betook himself to Lysimachus king of Thrace. Lysimachus had good opinion of him, and put him in trust with his money and accounts. But when at length he stood in fear of this king, that grew a bloody tyrant, he fled into Asia, where he seized upon the town of Pergamus, and nine thousand talents belonging to Lysimachus. The town and money, together with his own service, he offered unto Seleucus the First, that then was ready to give Lysimachus battle. His offer was kindly accepted, but never performed; for that Seleucus having slain Lysimachus, died shortly after himself, before he made use of Philetarus or his money. So this eunuch still retained Pergamus, with the country about it, and reigned therein twenty years as an absolute king. He had two brethren; of which the elder is said to have been a poor carter, and the younger perhaps was not much better, before such time as they were raised by the fortune of this eunuch. Philetærus left his kingdom to the elder of these, or to the son of the elder, called Eumenes. This Eumenes enlarged his kingdom, making his advantage of the dissension between Seleucus Callinicus and Antiochus Hierax, the sons of the second Antiochus. He fought a battle with Hierax, near unto Sardis, and won the victory. At which time, to animate his men against the Gauls that served under his enemy, he used a pretty de

vice. He wrote the word i victory upon the hand of his soothsayer, in such colours as would easily come off; and when the hot liver of the beast that was sacrificed had cleanly taken the print of the letters, he published this unto his army as a miracle, plainly foreshewing that the gods would be assistant in that battle.

After this victory, he grew a dreadful enemy to Seleucus, who never durst attempt to recover from him, by war, the territory that he had gotten and held. Finally, when he had reigned two and twenty years, he died by a surfeit of overmuch drink, and left his kingdom to Attalus, of whom we now entreat, that was son unto Attalus the youngest brother of Philetarus. Attalus was an undertaking prince, very bountiful, and no less valiant. By his own proper forces he restored his friend Ariarathes the Cappadocian into his kingdom, whence he had been expelled. He was grievously molested by Achæus, who, setting up himself as king against Antiochus the Great, reigned in the Lesser Asia. He was besieged in his own city of Pergamus; but by help of the Tectosage, a nation of the Gauls, whom he called over out of Thrace, he recovered all that he had lost. When these Gauls had once gotten footing in Asia, they never wanted employment; but were either entertained by some of the princes reigning in those quarters, or interposed themselves without invitation, and found themselves work in quarrels of their own making. They caused Prusias king of Bithynia to cease from his war against Byzantium. Whereunto when he had condescended, they nevertheless within a while after invaded his kingdom. He obtained against them a great victory, and used it with great cruelty, sparing neither age nor sex. But the swarm of them increasing, they occupied the region about Hellespont, where, in seating themselves, they were much beholding unto Attalus. Nevertheless, presuming afterwards upon their strength, they forced their neighbour princes and cities to pay them tribute, in the sharp exaction whereof, they had no more respect unto Attalus than to any that had worse

i Jul. Front. Strat. lib. 1. c. 11.

deserved of them. By this they compelled him to fight against them; and he being victorious, compelled them to contain themselves within the bounds of that province, which took name from them in time following, and was called Galatia. Yet continued they still to oppress the weakest of their neighbours, and to fill up the armies of those that could best hire them.

The kings reigning in those parts were the posterity of such as had saved themselves and their provinces in the slothful reign of the Persians, or in the busy times of Alexander and his Macedonian followers. The Cappadocians were very ancient; for the first of their line had married with Atossa, sister unto the great king Cyrus. Their country was taken from them by Perdiccas, as is shewed before. But the son of that king, whom Perdiccas crucified, espying his time while the Macedonians were at civil wars among themselves, recovered his dominion, and passed it over to his offspring. The kings of Pontus had also their beginning from the Persian empire, and are said to have issued from the royal house of Achæmenes. The Paphlagonians derived themselves from Pylæmenes, a king that assisted Priamus at the war of Troy. These, applying themselves unto the times, were always conformable unto the strongest. The ancestors of Prusias had begun to reign in Bithynia some few generations before that of the Great Alexander. They lay somewhat out of the Macedonian's way; by whom therefore, having other employment, they were the less molested. Calantus, one of Alexander's captains, made an expedition into their country, where he was vanquished. They had afterwards to do with a lieutenant of Antigonus, that made them somewhat more humble. And thus they shuffled, as did the rest, until the reign of Prusias, whom we have already sometimes mentioned.

SECT. VII.

The town of Cios taken by Philip, at the instance of Prusias king of Bithynia, and cruelly destroyed. By this and like actions, Philip grows hateful to many of the Greeks, and is warred upon by Attalus king of Pergamus, and by the Rhodians.

PRUSIAS, as a neighbour king, had neighbour king, had many quarrels with Attalus, whose greatness he suspected. He therefore strengthened himself, by taking to wife the daughter of Philip; as Attalus, on the contrary side, entered into a strict confederacy with the Etolians, Rhodians, and other of the Greeks. But when Philip had ended his Etolian war, and was devising with Antiochus about sharing between them two the kingdom of Egypt, wherein Ptolomy Philopater, a friend unto them both, was newly dead, and had left his son Ptol. Epiphanes, a young child, his heir, the Bithynian entreated this his father-in-law to come over into Asia, there to win the town of the Ciani, and bestow it upon him. Prusias had no right unto the town, nor just matter of quarrel against it; but it was fitly seated for him, and therewithal rich. Philip came, as one that could not well deny to help his son-in-law; but hereby he mightily offended no small part of Greece. Ambassadors came to him, whilst he lay at the siege, from the Rhodians, and divers other states, entreating him to forsake the enterprise. He gave dilatory, but otherwise gentle answers, making show as if he would condescend to their request, when he intended nothing less. At length he got the town, where, even in presence of the ambassadors, of whose solicitation he had seemed so regardful, he omitted no part of cruelty. Hereby he rendered himself odious to his neighbours as a perfidious and cruel prince. Especially his fact was detested of the Rhodians, who had made vehement intercession for the poor Ciani; and were advertised by ambassadors of purpose sent unto them from Philip, that, howsoever it were in his power to win the town as soon as he listed, yet, in regard of his love to the Rhodians, he was contented to give it over. And by this his clemency the