“But he, who by the rules of his own mind, could construe no other end of men’s doings but self-seeking, suddenly feared what they could do, and as suddenly suspected what they would do, and as suddenly hated them, as having both might and mind to do. But dreading their power, standing so strongly in their own valour, and others’ affection, he durst not take open way against them, and as hard it was to take a secret, they being so continually followed by the best, and every way ablest of that region: and therefore used this devilish slight which I will tell you, not doubting, most wicked man, to turn their own friendship toward him to {241} their own destruction. He, knowing that they well knew there was no friendship between him and the new king of Pontus, never since he succoured Leonatus, and us, to his overthrow, gave them to understand, that of late there had passed secret defiance between them, to meet privately at a place appointed. Which though not so fit a thing for men of their greatness, yet was his honour so engaged, as he could not go back. Yet feigning to find himself weak, by some counterfeit infirmity, the day drawing near, he requested each of them to go in his stead, making either of them swear to keep the matter secret, even each from other, delivering the self-same particularities to both; but that he told Tydeus, the king would meet him in a blue armour; and Telenor that it was a black armour: and with wicked subtlety, as if it had been so appointed, caused Tydeus to take a black armour, and Telenor a blue; appointing them ways how to go, so that he knew they should not meet till they came to the place appointed, where each promised to keep silence, lest the king should discover it was not Plexirtus; and there in a wait had he laid those murderers, that who overlived the other should by them be dispatched: he not daring trust no more than those with that enterprise, and yet thinking them too few till themselves, by themselves, were weakened.