Plinies NaturallHiftorie, 



A 



Chap. xlii. 

 Exdm^Us of Fortunes mutdlliUe, 



INfinite examples otherwife wee have of the variedc and incoaftande of Fortune .-for what 

 great joyes to fpeakcofgavc fhecver, but upon fome mifliap or other? Againe, the greateft 

 miferies and calamities that have becncj have they not enfued upon the moll joyes and eon- 

 centments? 



Chap, xliii, 



of oneMfe otuUrved andoittof^roteclm .' Js afo 6f^Me^ 

 ^ ullm^AndL,SylU, 



Fortune preferved for fixe and thirtie y eeres M'^ Fidaftm a Senator, outlawed by SjlLt >• y cc 

 was his hap afterwards to be outlawed the fecond time: forhee over-lived SjlU and conti- 

 nued unto the time of Marcti^ Antonim , and fot certaine it is knowne^that by him he was 

 banifhed and outlawed againe, for no other reafon but becaufe hee had been fo before timCd 

 So kind was Fortune to ? ^Vcmidim ^zs that fhee would have him triumph alone over the Parthi- 

 ans : but fliee had been before- time fo good as to play with him, when fhee faw him led (being sj 

 boy) as prifoner in Cn.Pom^emStrabo his triumph for the deffeiture and overthrow of the Af^ 

 fulanes. Although Majjnrms teftifiethjthat he was fo led in triumph as a (lave twife, Cicero faith^ 

 Q that he was at firlt but a mulitier & drave mules laden with meale for the ovenjtoferve the camp. 

 Many other affirme^that in his youth he was a poore fouldier, andferved as a footman in his fin- 

 gle trou(fes and grieves. Moreover, fuch good fortune had Corndtm^ as to be the Senior 

 Confull and declared Eled, before his fellow : but before- time he had been in trouble and judi- 

 cially accufed^yea and a jurie was empanelled to goe of him/o as in daunger he was to be whjp- 

 pedjUpon their verdi(5t. Welhthis mans hap for all this, was to be the firftrlomaneGonfwjll of 

 forreinersj and namely, Ilandcrs within the maine ocean: hee (1 fay) attained to that place o£ 

 digniticjwhich our fore-fathers denyed flatly to the Latines their neighbours. Among other no- 

 table examples, L.Fnhms may goe for oncj who .was Confull of the Tufculans when they re- 

 volted and rebelled againft the Romanes :howbeitforfaking his ownecittizensand returning to 

 D Rome, wasprefently by the whole people ad vaunccd to the fame honour among them :and hee 

 was the man alone knowne to have triumphed at Rome over them whofc Confull hee was, cvea 

 the fame yeere that he was himfelfc a Romans encmic in the field. L .SyiLi was the only man un- 

 til! our tin]e,that challenged to himlclfe the furnanic of J^// /. happie, or forr unate. But how 

 was he adopted as it vjereinto this name pforfooth even by fnedding and (pilling fo much blood 

 of good Romane citizens, and by waging warreagainfl his native country. And whereupon, I 

 pray you, grounded he thishappinefle of his, andhadfogreatanopinionthereof,if this v^jere 

 not it, That hee was able tobani[h,con{ifcaic, and put to dcath^fb many thoufand cittizens.^ O 

 falfeanddeceitfullinterpretation^daungerouSjUnhappiejandperniciousjCven topoftcritieand 

 the time to conie ! For were not they more bleiied and happie^ who then fortuned to loofe their 

 E livesj whofc death at this day wee pictic, and whome we take compaflion of, than Syllij vvhomc 

 there is no man living at this day but he hateth andabhorreth PMorcovetj was not his end more 

 cruelland horrible, than themiferic of alhhofc that by him were oudawed and iheir goods for- 

 feit ? for his ownc wretched bodie did eat, gnavvjand confunie it felfcjand bred daily and hourciv 

 vermine to put the fame to paine and torment. And fay that hee diflcmbled all this, and would 

 not be knowne of it ; and luppofe we gave credit to that laftdreame of his (wherein hee lay as ic 

 were dead and in a traunce) upon which he gave out this fpeech,, That iMmfclfe and none but he 

 , had his glorie tofurmount all Enviej yet in this one thing he plainly confefled. That his fciicitie 

 came fliort and was defedive, in that he had not rime to confecrate the Capitoll temple.^¥^- 

 teili^ in that funerall oration of his which he made in praife and commendation (as the manner 

 F was) for L,UMetellm his fatherjgave thefe lawdable reports of him,That he had been the fove- 

 raigne Pontifie or high prieft ot Rome, twife Coufull,Di6tatour, Generall of the horfe, one of 

 the 15 Quindecemvirs deputed for divifion of lands among fouldiers and commons, and that 

 in ihe firfl Punicke warre hee fliewed many Elephants in a triumph : moreover he left in writing, ' 

 That he had accomplifhed ten of the greateft and hcl\ points belonging to this lite 3 in fecking 



whereof 



