_The oration of the Scythian Ambassadours to Alexander the great,
reprouing his ambicion, and desire of Empire._
Tvllie in the firste booke of his Offices, saieth, that very miserable,
is ambicion and desire of honour: and that moste men, whiche be giuen to
cupiditie of gouernement, honor and glorie, bee forgetfull of Iustice.
The truthe of whiche graue wordes, vttred by a Prince of eloquence, the
rude and barbarous Ambassadours of Scythia, in plaine and homelie talke,
boldly did pronounce to king Alexander (surnamed Magnus) when hee was
about to inuade their countrie. For when he had within three dayes
finished twelue thousand boates, to transporte his armie ouer the famous
ryuer of Tanais, (whiche deuideth Asia from Europa) against the poore
Scythians, twenty Ambassadours of the Scythians came to Alexanders campe
to speake with hym, to proue if they coulde by woordes withdrawe his
entended purpose: Before whome when they were placed, the eldest of them
spake these wordes.
“If the Goddes had giuen thee a bodie according to the immoderate desyre
of thy mynde, the whole worlde coulde not be able to holde thee. With
one of thy handes thou wouldest touche the Oriente, and with thy other
hande the Occidente. And when thou haste gotten that, thou wylt desyre
to knowe, where the brightnesse of the Diuine Maiestie is placed. Thus
thou couetest after the thing, thou art not able to receyue. Out of
Europa thou marchest into Asia, and out of Asia thou passest into
Europa. Afterwardes, if thou doest vanquishe all mankynde, thou must
make warre with woodes and Snowes, with Ryuers and wylde beastes. What?
doest thou not knowe, that great trees growe long, and yet be rooted out
of the grounde in a moment? He is a foole that looketh after the fruite,
and doeth not measure the height of the tree wheron it groweth. Take
hede lest whyle thou doest contende to clymme to the toppe, thou fallest
downe with the bowes whiche thou doest imbrace. The lion also sometyme
is made the foode of the smalest byrdes: and rust consumeth iron. There
is nothing so firme, that is not in perill of the weake. What haue we to
doe with thee? We neuer touched thy lande. What thou arte, and from
whence thou commest, is it not lawefull for vs to bee ignoraunte, that
liue in the waste wooddes? Wee can not be subiecte to any man, and wee
desyre not to rule. Wee haue certaine giftes peculiar vnto vs, bicause
thou shalt not be ignoraunte of the state of our nacion: the yoke of
Oxen, the Plough, the Darte, and the Bowl: those things we vse, both
with our frends and against our enemies. Vnto our frendes wee giue the
fruictes, gotten with the labour of our Oxen. And with them in our
Bowle, we sacrifice wine to the Goddes. Our enemies we strike with the
Darte a farre of, and with the Speare nere at hande. After that sorte in
tyme paste, wee ouercame the kyng of Scythia, and afterwardes the kyng
of Media and Persia, and the waye was open vnto vs into Ægipt. But thou
whiche doest boaste, that thou art come to persecute theues, art the
common thefe of all nacions, whereunto thou makest thy repayre. The
countrie of Lidia thou haste taken. Thou haste enioyed Syria. Thou doest
possesse Persia, and the Bactrianes bee vnder thy power. Thou doest goe
into India, and nowe thou extendest thy vnstable and gredie handes vppon
our cattell. What neede haste thou of those ryches, whiche doe make thee
so hungrie? Thou art the first of all men whiche with sacietie hast
gotten famine, that the more thou hast, the more gredely thou couetest
after thinges thou hast not. Doest thou not remember how long thou hast
sticked about Bactria? And whiles thou goest about to bring them in
subiection, the Sogdians begin to reuolte. Thus warre doth grow vnto
thee of thy victorie. For be thou neuer so great, and puissant ouer
other, yet there be none that can indure to be gouerned by straungers.
Passe nowe Tanais, thou shalt perceiue what breadth it beareth, and yet
thou shalt neuer ouertake the Scythians, whose pouertie is swifter then
the armie, which carieth the spoyle of so many nacions. For when thou
shalt thinke vs to be farre of, thou shalt see vs within thy campe, with
like swiftnesse we folowe and flee awaye. I heare that our desertes and
voide places, be mocked by the Greeke prouerbes, we couet rather those
desertes and places vnhabited, then cities and plentifull soyles.
Therefore holde fast thy fortune, for she is tickle and can not be
holden against her will. Folow thou the counsaile that is good,
specially whyles the time doth serue. Bridle thy felicitie, and thou
shalt rule it the better. Our countriemen say, that Fortune is without
feete, and that she hath onely handes and wynges, but when she
stretcheth forth her hand, shee will not suffer her winges to be
touched. Finally, if thou be a God thou oughtest to geue benefites to
mortall men, and not to take away the commodities they haue already: but
if thou bee a man, consider that thou art alway the same that thou arte.
It is a foolishe part to remember those things, and to forget thy selfe.
Those people that fele not thy warres, thou maiest use as thy frendes.
For frendship is most firme and stable emonges equall, and those seeme
to be equall that haue not vsed force and violence emonges them selues.
Beware thou take them not for thy frendes whome thou doest subdue, and
bring in obedience. There is no frendship betwene the maister and the
seruaunt, and in peace the lawe of Armes is obserued. Beleue not that
the Scythians doe bynde frendship with any othe: for they make their
othe by obseruation of faith. The maner of the Greekes is to iustifie
their factes, by inuocation of their Goddes to witnesse: but wee know,
that Religion consisteth in faith her self. They which do not reuerence
to men, do begile the Goddes. Thou hast no nede of him to be thy frende
of whose frendship thou standest in doubt. Thou hast vs as kepers of
Asia and Europa: for we should touche the countrie of Bactria, were it
not for Tanais, whiche deuideth vs. And beyonde Tanais all is ours so
farre as Thracia, and the fame is that Thracia bordreth vppon Macedonia:
wee being neighbours, to bothe thy dominions, chose nowe whether thou
wylte haue vs frendes or foes.” These were the woordes of the Scythians.
Howe be it these homelie and plaine aduertisementes, could not diuerte
kyng Alexander from his intended enterpryse, and according to his
desired successe, he ouercame them.