and
fashioned his aparell after the maner of the Persians, without
scrupulosity of any euil token that is signified, for the
victorer to change his habite into the fashion of him whom he
had vanquished: and although he vaunted, that he ware the
spoyles of his enemies, yet with those spoiles he put vpon him
their euil maners, and the insolency of the mynde followed the
pride of the apparell. Besides he sealed sutch Letters as he
sent into Europa, with his accustomed seale, but all the Letters
he sent abroade into Asia, were sealed with Darius Ringe. So it
appeared that one minde could not beare the greatnesse that
appertayned to two. He apparelled also his frends, his Captayns,
and his horsemen in Persian apparell, whereat though they
grudged in their mindes, yet they durst not refuse it, for feare
of his displeasure. His courte was replenished with Concubins,
for he still mainteined three hundred, and threescore that
belonged to Darius, and amonge them were flocks of Eunuches
accustomed to performe the vse of women. The olde Souldiours of
Philip naturally abhorringe sutch thinges, manyfestly withstoode
to be infected with sutch voluptuousnes, and strange customes:
wherevpon there rose a general talke and opinion throughout the
campe, that they had lost more by the victory, than they won by
the wars. For when they sawe themselues ouercome in sutch
excesse, and forayne customes so to preuayle, they iudged it a
simple guerdon of their longe beeinge abroade, to returne home
in prisoners maner. They began to be ashamed of their kinge,
that was more like to sutch as were subdued, than to them that
were victorious: and that of a kinge of Macedon, was become a
Prince of Persia, and one of Darius Courtiers. Thus this noble
Prince from continency and mercy fell into all kynde of
disorder, the originall whereof, hee tooke by delite in Women,
which beinge vsed in sort lawfull, be great comfortes and
delightes, otherwise, the very springe of all cruelty and
mischife.

THE THIRD NOUELL.

_Timoclia, a gentlewoman of Thebes, vnderstandinge the couetous
desire of a Thracian knight, that had abused hir, and promised her
mariage, rather for her goods than loue, well acquited hir selfe
from his falshoode._

Qvintus Curtius, that notable Historiographer, remembringe the
stout fact of thys Thebane gentlewoman, amonges other the Gestes
and Facts of Alexander the great, I haue deemed not altogeather
vnfit for this plac