Roger Ascham Toxophilus 1545

Ranting. 73

other a fharpe heeded fliafte: that men Herod ;n-
ni}'ght knowe, what weapon is hoofte Euterpe.
vfed, In conqueryng fo manye people. Diod sic. 2.

Cyrus, counted as a god amonges the Gentyles, for
his nobleneffe and felicitie in warre : yet at
the laft when he fet vpon the Maffagetanes m

(which people neuer went without their bowe nor their
quiuer, nether in warre nor peace) he and all his were
flayne, and that by fhotyng, as appeareth in the Horye.

Polycrates the prince of Samos (a very little yle)
was lorde ouer all the Greke fees, and with- , . ...

n j , i *• ji T» ./• 11 Herod.in thalia.

ftode the power of the Perfians, onely by
the helpe of a thoufande archers.

The people of Scythia, of all other men loued, and
vfed mooft fhotyng, the hole rycheffe and houfehoulde
fluffe of a man in Scythia, was a yocke of oxen, a
plough, his nagge and his dogge, his bowe and his
quiuer : which quiuer was couered with the ikynne of
a man, whiche he toke or flewe fyrfte in battayle.
The Scythians to be inuincib]e by reafon of their
fhotyng, the greate voyages of fo manye noble con-
querours fpent in that countrie in vayne, doeth well
proue : But fpecially that of Darius the myghtie kyng
of Perfie, which when he had taryed there a-great
fpace, and done no good, but had forweryed his
hofle with trauayle and hunger: At laft the men
of Scythia fent an ambaffadour with. iiii. Herod- in.
gyftes : a byrde, a frogge, a moufe, and. Meipomen.
v. fhaftes. Darius meruaylyng at the ftraungeneffe
of the gyftes, alked the meffenger what they fignifyed :
the meffenger anfwered, that he had no further com-
maundement, but onely to delyuer his gyftes, and
retourne agayne with all fpede : but I am fure (fayeth
he) you Perfians for your great wyfdome, can foone
boult out what they meane. When the meffenger was
gone, euery man began to fay his verdite. Darius
Judgment was this, that ye Scythians gaue ouer into
the Perfians handes, their lyues, their hole power,
both by lande and fee, fignifyinge by the moufe the