Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans
Englished by Sir Thomas North. Trans. Sir Thomas North. Vol. 6 (1579; London: David Nutt, 1896) 213.

GRECIANS AND ROMANS 
  
     thinges as they brought. Nowe when the fire had gottenMARCUS
     into all the partes of the citie, and that the flame burntBRUTUS
     bright in every place: Brutus beeing sorye to see it, gotte
     uppon his horse, and rode rownde about the walles of
     the citie, to see if it were possible to save it, and helde uppe his
     handes to the inhabitants, praying them to pardon their
     citye, and to save them selves. Howbeit they woulde not
     be perswaded, but did all that they coulde possible to cast
     them selves away, not onely men and women, but also litle
     children. For some of them weeping and crying out, did
     cast them selves into the flre: others headlong throwing
     them selves downe from the walles, brake their neckes:
     others also made their neckes bare, to the naked swordes of
     their fathers, and undid their clothes, praying them to kill
     them with their owne handes. After the citye was burnt, they
     founde a woman hanged uppe by the necke, holding one of
     her children in her hande deade by her, hanged uppe also:
     and in the other hande a burning torche setting fire on her
     house. Some woulde have had Brutus to have seene her,
     but he woulde not see so horrible and tragicall a sight: but
     when he heard it, he fell a weeping, and caused a Herauld
     to make proclamation by sownd of trompet, that he woulde
     give a certaine summe of money, to every souldier that
     coulde save a Xanthian. So there were not (as it is reported)
     above fiftye of them saved, and yet they were saved against
     their willes. Thus the Xanthians having ended the revolu-
     tion of their fatall destinie, after a longe continuance of
     tyme: they did through their desperation, renue the memorie
     of the lamentable calamities of their Auncestors. Who in
     like manner, in the warres of the Persians, did burne their
     citie, and destroyed them selves. Therefore Brutus likewise
     beseeging the citie of the Patareians, perceyving that they
     stowtly resisted him: he was also affrayde of that, and could
     not well tell whether he should give assault to it, or not,
     least they woulde fall into the dispayre and desperation of
     the Xanthians. Howbeit having taken certaine of their
     women prisoners, he sent them backe agayne, without pay-
     ment of ransome. Nowe they that were the wives and
     Daughters of the noblest men of the citie, reporting unto
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