Page 271 But having spoken enough of Charonidas, we shall now relate something in short of Zaleuchus the Law-maker, because they were much alike in their Consultations, and bent their Minds and Thoughts to the same things, and flourished in Cities near adjoyning one to another. Zaleuchus was an Italian born at Locris, of a noble Family, of great Learning, and Scholar to Pythagoras. He was of great esteem and account in his Country, and chosen by the People to be their Law-maker. He began his Laws first with the Worship of the Gods. In the Preface he requires the Inhabitants,
That in the First place, and above all, they should be fully perswaded, and undoubtedly believe that there were Gods; and that devoutly looking up to Heaven, and viewing the Beauty and admirable Harmony and Order thereof, they should judge and certainly conclude, that that great Work was not of Men, or came there by chance: And therefore he ordain'd, they should adore and worship the Gods, from whom all that is good descends upon Men. And to that end, that they ought to have their Minds pure and unspotted, inasmuch as the Gods are better pleas'd with the just and honest Actions of Righteous Men, than with all their costly Sacrifices.
Having made this Preface or Introduction, he then subjoyns his Precepts. First,
That none should be implacable one against another, but that all should so manage their Animosities; as to keep a reserve in a short time to be reconcil'd, and in full Friendship with their Adversaries; and if any did otherwise, such a Man should be reputed of a fierce and inhumane Disposition. Secondly, He commanded the Magistrates that they should not be Proud and Domineering; that they should not give Judgment in any matter, either for Love or Hatred.
And in other particulars, he devised many things with great Wisdom, Prudence and Ingenuity. 3. Whereas in all other Countries, by the excess and extravagance of Women much Silver was spent and wasted, by a witty and ingenious kind of Punishment, he restrain'd their Excess, for he ordered,
That no Woman that was Free of the City should be attended Abroad with any more than one Servant, unless she were Drunk. That none should walk abroad in the Night, except it were with an intent to play the Who • e, nor wear golden Ornaments or Garments embroider'd with Gold, unless with the same intent: Nor that any Man should wear a Gold Ring, of a Milesian Garment, unless he were guilty of Fornication or Adultery.
By these dishonourable Exceptions and Conditions of Indempnity (which were Punishments in themselves) he easily restrain'd the Citizens from Luxury and Excess, for none were willing to expose themselves as laughing-stocks to their Fellow Citizens, by owning themselves guilty of such foul Offences. Many other Laws concerning Contracts and other Differences which might arise, were with great Judgment made by him, which would be too tedious particularly to relate, and beside the scope and intent of our History: We shall therefore return whence we made a digression.
Lysimachides was chief Ruler of Athens, when the Romans conferr'd the Consular dignity upon Titus Menenius, and Poplius Sestius Capitolinus. In their time the Sybarites that had escap'd in the late Sedition, seated themselves at the River Tarentum, where they continu'd for some time, but at length were rooted out, and utterly destroy'd by the Brutii. In Greece in the mean time, the Athenians having recovered Eubea, drave the Hestians out of the City; and sending thither a Colony of a Thousand Citizens of their own, they divided the City and Land adjacent amongst them by Lot.
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.