talke wary, in promise constant, to his frends familiar, and
to his enemies seuere, and which is more to be esteemed, he
could not forget seruice, nor yet reuenge wronge. It came to
passe that in the XIV. yeare of his raygne, there rose sutch
cruell Warres in Asia, that forced he was to go thither in his
owne person, to resist Sapor king of the Persians, a very
valyaunt man of Warre and fortunate in his enterprises, which
happinesse of hys not long time after the arryuall of Valerian
into Asia, hee manifested and shewed. For beeyng betwene them
such hot and cruell warres, in a skyrmish, throughe the greate
faulte of the General, (which had the conduct of the armye) the
Emperour Valerian was taken, and brought into the puissance of
King Sapor hys ennimy, whych cursed tyrant so wickedlye vsed
that victory, as hee woulde by no meanes put the Emperour to
raunsome, towards whom hee vsed such cruelty, that so oft and so
many tymes, as hee was disposed to gette vp on horsebacke hee
vsed the body of olde Valerian to serue hym for aduauntage,
setting his feete vppon the throate of that aged gentleman. In
that myserable office and vnhappy captiuity serued and dyed the
good Emperour Valerian, not wyth oute the greate sorrowe of them
that knew him, and the rueful compassion of those that sawe him,
which the Romans considering, and that neither by offre of gold,
or siluer, or other meanes, they were able to redeeme Valerian,
they determined to choose for Emperour his owne sonne called
Galienus: which they did more for respect of the father, than
for any minde or corage they knew to bee in the sonne. Who
afterwardes shewed himselfe to bee farre different from the
conditions of his father Valerian, being in his enterprises a
cowarde, in his promisses a lyer, in correction cruell, towards
them that serued him vnthanckfull, (and which is worse,) hee
gaue himselfe to his desires, and yealded place to sensuality.
By meanes wherof, in his tyme the Romain Empyre more than in any
others raygne, lost most prouinces and receiued greatest shame.
In factes of warre he was a cowarde, and in gouernement of
common wealth, a very weake and feeble man. Galienus not caryng
for the state of the Empire, became so myserable as the
Gouernors of the same gaue ouer their obedience, and in the tyme
of hys raygne, there rose vp thyrty tyrants, whych vsurped the
same. Whose names doe followe, Cyriades, Posthumus the yonger,
Lollius, Victorinus, Marius, Ingen