Plinies Naturall Hiftdne. 



Chap. XXVI. 



The commmdationdfPm^ej the Great, 



AS ednccrning all the titles and victorious triumphs of Pom^cj the great, wherein hee was 

 equall in tenowme and glorie, not onely to the ads oii^lexander the great^buc alfo of 

 Hercules in a manner, and god Bacchm : if 1 fhould make mention thereof in this place, ic 

 would redound not to the honour onely of that one man, but alfo to the grandeur and majcfhe 

 of the Romanc Empire. In the firft place thenjafter he had recovered SicihCjand reduced it un- 

 der obeifanceCwhere his firft rifing was^and where he began to fhew himfelfe in the quarell of the 

 B Commonsjand to fide with Sylla) having alfo conquered and fubdued Affrickej and raungcd it 

 under the obedience of Rome, where hee acquired the furname of LMagnm^ by rea/bii of the 

 great bootie and pillage which hee brought from thence : being no higher of birth and callings 

 than aRomane gentleman or man. of armeSjentrcd with triumphant chariot into Rome: a thing 

 that was never feene before in a man of that place and qualitie. Immediately after tliis^hc made 

 a voiage into the Weft^and havingbrought under obeilancc of the Romanes 87^ great townes_, 

 which he forced by affault betweene the Alpes and the marches of Spaine, he crcdted Trophee? 

 and triumphant columnes upon the mountaincPyrenceuSjwiih the title andinfcription of thefe 

 vidorious exploits: and never made one word of his vidorie over Scrtorim-fo brave a mind hee 

 carried with him. And after the civile troubles and broiles appeafed and quenched (v?hich drew 

 C after them all forraine warrcs) hee triumphed againe the fecond time, being as yet but a knight 

 of Rome : fo oftentimes a generall of eommaund and condud : before hee ever ferved as foldi- 

 oiir in the field. Theie famous deeds atchieved^lent out he was in another expedition>to fcourc 

 and cleere all the feasjand fo forward into the Eafl parts.From whence he returned with more ti- 

 tles ftill of honor to his countrey,after the manner of thoiethat winvidorics atthefblemnfea- 

 ftivail "^Games. For as the vigors ufe not themfelves to accept the chaplets & guirlands in their 

 own namesjbut to be crowned therwith in the behalf of their native countries:cven (ojPompsm^ 

 in that temple which he caufed to be built of thebootie and pillage woon from the enemies, and 

 dedicated to Minerva^ entituled the cittie with the whole honour, and attributed all unto them 

 in an inlcription or table engraven in this manner : P o m p e i u s /^^ Great ^lord general!^ havmg 

 D fim[J)ed the wares which comtnuedthtrtte ArmtSy durwg which hee h^d djfcomfited^ put toflghty 

 P'jiwej or received to mercieupon fubmipc^j 2 183000 men:fmke ortdicn 846 fitic-takmS" brought 

 to Pjh devotion^ofcitics^townes/indcallles^totherjurribir of I'^'i^^ : [ubdiied and put tmderfubtectien 

 all Unds andnAttonsJjetwcene thcLike MsotiSund theredfia, hathdedtcaud ofrtght arid gcoddc- 

 firt this temflc M i n e r v A.This is the breefe and liimmarie of his fervice in the Eafi As for the 

 triumph,wherein he rode the third day before the Calends of O6"lober,in the yeere wherein M. 

 M'jfiU and M.Pifo were Confiilsjthe tenure or title ran in this forme. Whereas Cn, Pompelm 

 hath cleared all the fea-coafts from pirates and rovcrs,and thereby recovered unto the people of 

 Rome the lordfhip and foveraigniie of the feas:andwithall fubdued PozituSjArmenia^sPaphia- 

 gonia5Cappadocia5Cilici3,Syria; the Scythians,Iuda2a,& the Albanois : the liland Creta,and 

 E theBaflarnianSjhath triumphed over them all, as alfo for the vanquifhingof the two kings Idj- 

 thrldates and Ttgranes. But the grcatef^ glorie of all glories in him was this(as himfelfe delivered 

 openly in a ful affcmbly.at what time as he difcourfed of his own exploits)That whcras Afia when 

 he received ir,was the ucmoft frontier province andlimit of the Roman Empire, he ieftthe fame 

 in the very hart & mids therof,and fo delivered it up to his country .Now if a man would fet C^fir 

 on the other fide againfi hinijand likev^ife rehcarfe his noble ad s^who indeed of the two feemed 

 greater inthe fight ofthe worldjhc had need verily to fetch a circuit about the world, & compre- 

 hend the whole globe thereof, which were an infinit pee^e of worke^and in all teafon impoffibk^ 



Chap,: XX VII. 

 ^Thepraifeofcm^thefrfiofthalmm^i 



IN fiindrie other kinds of vermes many men have diverfly excelled. BntO/<?,thefirfl of the 

 Porcim houfe,was thought to be the only perfon who was able to perform three things in the 

 highefl degree that arc n^of^ commendable in a man. For firft and formoft hec was a Angular 



good 



