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) 212.

LIVES OF THE NOBLE 
 
MARCUS    mountaines, thinking by that meanes to stoppe Brutus pas- 
BRUTUS    sage. Wherefore Brutus sent his horsemen against them, 
    who stale uppon them as they were at dinner, and slue six 
    hundred of them: and taking all the small townes and 
    villages, he did let all the prisoners he tooke, goe without 
    payment of ransome, hoping by this his great curtesie to 
    winne them, to drawe all the rest of the contry unto him. 
Brutus jests*    But they were so fierce and obstinate, that they would 
in Lycia.    mutyne for every small hurt they receyved as they passed 
    by their contry, and did despise his curtesie and good 
    nature: untill that at length he went to beseege the citie 
    of the Xanthians, within the which were shut uppe the 
    cruellest and most warrelikest men of Lycia. There was a 
    ryver that ranne by the walls of the citie, in the which many 
    men saved them selves, swymming betweene two waters, and 
    fledde: howbeit they layed nettes overthwart the ryver, and 
    tyed litle bells on the toppe of them, to sownd when any 
    man was taken in the nettes. The Xanthians made a salye 
    out by night, and came to fire certaine engynes of battery 
    that bette downe their walls: but they were presently driven 
    in agayne by the Romanes, so soone as they were discovered. 
    The winde by chaunce was marvelous bygge, and increased 
The citie of    the flame so sore, that it violently caried it into the cranewes 
Xanthus set    of the wall of the citie, so that the next houses unto them 
a fire.    were straight set a fire thereby. Wherefore Brutus beeing 
    afrayde that all the citie woulde take of a fire, he presently 
    commaunded his men to quenche the fire, and to save the 
    towne if it might be. But the Lycians at that instant fell 
    into such a frensie, and straunge and horrible dispayre, that 
    no man can well expresse it: and a man can not more rightly 
    compare or lyken it, then to a franticke and moste desperate 
The desperat    desire to dye. For all of them together, with their wives 
ende of the    and children, Maisters and servaunts, and of all sortes of age 
Xanthians.    whatsoever, fought uppon the ramper of their walles, and 
    did cast downe stones and fierworkes on the Romanes, which 
    were very busie in quenching the flame of the fire, to save 
    the citie. And in contrary manner also, they brought 
    fagotts, drye wodde, and reedes, to bringe the fire further 
    into the citie asmuch as might bee, increasing it by suche 
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