In truth he who miscarries twice in one and the same thing may justly be accounted a Fool. For what Philemon the Comick Poet says of them that have often escap'd Shipwrack, some have apply'd to this Case.
It's no wonder to see a Man Marry; but to see him twice Marry. For it's safer and more advisable for a Man to expose himself twice to the dangers of the Sea, than to the hazards of a second Wife. For most sad and cruel discords often arise in Families between Parents and Children by the tricks and devices of Stepmothers. Hence we have the frequent and horrid pieces of Villany of this kind represented upon the Stage by the Tragedians.
Charonidas fram'd another very good Law concerning the Guardianship of Orphans. Upon the first view there seems to be little in it worthy taking notice of; but Examining it more closely, we may discern much in it Wisdom and excellent Contrivance. Their Estates he commited to the care and Guardianship of next of Kin on their Fathers side, but their Education and the custody of their Persons to them of the Mothers. At first here seems nothing of any great weight in this Law, but upon more serious Consideration, it will evidently appear to be a most excellent Constitution: For if the Cause be seriously pry'd into why he order'd the care of the Estate to one, and the Education of the Person to another, the Wisdom and Prudence of the Lawmaker will be very evident: For they on the Mother's side would never contrive any thing of prejudice to the Person whose Estate could never come and descend to them; and the mischief was prevented as to the Kindred of the Father's side, because the Person was not committed to their Custody. On the other hand, in regard the Estate of the Orphan was to fall to the Father's Kindred in case of his Death, it was to be presum'd they would take care to preserve and improve it, upon the prospect of the possibility of it's coming unto themselves. Another Law he made against those that ran away from their Colours or refus'd to take up Arms for the Defence of their Country: For whereas former Lawgivers made it Death, his Edict was, That such Men should sit three days in the Forum cloth'd in Womans Apparel; which Constitution as it was more moderate than those in other places, so the greatness of the disgrace did work more upon ingenious Spirits to deterr them from softness and effeminatness; judging it far better to dye than to undergo so much disgrace in their own Country. By this way he destroy'd not those that were Guilty, but reserv'd them for the future Service of the City as occasion should be; who in all likelyhood after such disgrace would carry themselves better, and endeavour to wipe off the stain of their former reproach by doing something more than ordinary for the time to come. The Severity and Strictness likewise of his Laws gave a perpetual vigor to them; For it was absolutly forbidden to depart in the least from the Letter of the Law tho' it were never so severe or inconvenient. But if any were fit to be repealed or amended, he gave power for that purpose. For he judg'd it fit and just for every Man to Stoop to the Authority of the Lawgiver, but to suffer the Cavils and Exceptions of every private Man to prevail (nay though they seem'd to tend to the Public good) was most absurd. And by this means he restrain'd those that would in giving of of Judgment for criminal Matters bring in their own Glosses and Expositions against the express Words of the Law, lest by their Cavils the Authority of the Laws should come to nothing. And hereupon it is reported that some Prosecutors against Criminals said to the Judges, that either the Law or the Malefactor must of necessity be preserv'd, Charonidas therefore appointed something more than usual concerning the amendment of the Laws. For whereas he saw that there were many in diverse Cities who rashly, and hand over head going about to correct and amend the Laws, did nothing else but (by corrupting them) involve the common People in Seditions; he publish'd this most excellent Law (differing from all that were before) That any Person who would have any Law to be
The Histories of Herodotus written in 440 BC is considered to be the founding work of history in Western literature. His history included stories and fables but he claimed to have traveled extensively and learned about many countries through direct observation.
The thesis of Stolen Legacy is that the Egyptians created what is wrongly called Greek philosophy. Dr. James argues that the African origin of Greek Philosophy is well known but rarely discussed. Ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus and Diodorus the Sicilian wrote in significant detail about the contributions of Egypt. Egyptian technology and libraries were unmatched and Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato studied there. The contribution of Africa to the intellectual foundation of modern knowledge is tremendous but unacknowledged.
The Library of History by Diodorus the Sicilian is one of the most highly regarded universal histories in antiquities. His work includes the history of Egypt, Asia, Africa, Greece and Europe. His book is a must read for research of ancient history.
Bible Study The King James Bible (kjv), World English Bible (web) and Bible in Basic English (bbe) are all examples of public domain books. The King James Bible (kjv) online uses the content from these books and open source software to enhance Bible study capabilities. The site includes the verse of the day, search tools, christian literature and links to related content. It demonstrates the use of open source to create a valuable service.