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34 MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYES
her selfe into a river; the other, to shun the force of
Maxentius, the Emperor, slew her selfe. It shall peradventure
redound to our honour in future ages, that a
wise author of these dayes, and namely a Parisian, doth
labour to perswade the ladies of our times rather to
hazard upon any resolution than to embrace so horrible
a counsell of such desperation. I am sorie that to put
amongst his discourses he knew not the good saying I
learnt of a woman at Tholouse, who had passed througli
the hands of some souldiers: ' God be praised/ said
she, 'that once in my life I have had my belly full
without sinne.' Verily these cruelties are not worthy
of the French curtesie. And God be thanked, since
this good advertisement, our ayre is infinitely purged
of them. Let it suffice that in doing it they say no,
and take it, following the rule of Marot. The historie
is very full of such, who a thousand ways have changed
a lingering, toylsome life with death. Lucius A run ti us
killed himselfe, as he said, to avoid what was past and
eschue what was to come. Granius Sylvanus and
Statius Proximus, after they had beene pardoned by
Nero, killed themselves, either because they scorned to
live by the favour of so wicked a man, or because they
would not another time be in danger of a second
pardon, seeing his so easic-yielding unto suspicions and
accusations against honest men. Spargapises, sonne
unto Queene Tomiris, prisoner by the law of warre
unto Cyrus, employed the first favour that Cyrus did
him, by setting him free, to kill himselfe, as he who
never pretended to reap other fruit by his liberty, than
to revenge the infamie of his taking upon himselfe.
Boges, a Governor for King Xerxes, in the country of
Ionia, being besieged by the Athenians army, under
the conduct of Cymon, refused the composition to
returne safely, together with his goods and treasure,
into Asia, as one impatient to survive the loss of
what his master had given him in charge; and after he
had stoutly, and even to the last extremity, defended
the towne, having no manner of victuals left; him; first
he cast all the gold and treasure, with whatsoever he