count, and, upon faith in his word, to seek shelter in the town.
(b) Eumenes, in the city of Nora, being urged by Antigonus, who was besieging him, to come forth to treat with him, Antigonus alleging, after many other pretences, that it was right that he should come to him since he [Antigonus] was the greater and stronger, — having made this noble response: “I shall never deem any man greater than myself so long as my sword is mine,” — did not consent to come out until Antigonus had given him, at his demand, his own nephew, Ptolomeus, as a hostage.[1] (a) It is indeed true that there have been others who have found it very advisable to go out on the word of the assailant: witness Henry de Vaux, a knight of Champagne, who being besieged in the Castle of Commercy, and Barthelemy de Bonnes, who commanded the besiegers, having from outside caused the greater part of the castle to be mined, so that nothing was needed, to bury the besieged under the ruins, but to fire the train — he summoned the said Henry to come out to parley with him for his own advantage, which he did, with three others; and his certain destruction being made plain to his own eyes, he perceived himself to be deeply indebted to his enemy, by whose direction, after he and his troop had surrendered, the mine being fired, and the wooden props giving way, the castle was destroyed from roof to cellar.[2]
(b) I readily trust to the word of another, but I should be slow to do so when it could be thought that I had done it more from despair and lack of courage, than in freedom of spirit and from confidence in his loyalty.
