Page 279 unanimous Assent of all the Assembly, they sent Ambassadors to the Athenians, with order to require them to rescind the Decree against them of Megara; And that if they refus'd, then that their Embassadors should denounce War against them in the name both of them and their Confederates. Upon hearing of the Embassadors, an Assembly was call'd to debate this matter; where Pericles, (that far surpass'd all the rest in Eloquence and strength of Reason) gave his Reasons against the abrogating of the Decree. He alledged it was a step to Bondage and Slavery, and against the common good to yield to the Demands of the Lacedemonians; but advis'd them rather that they should draw all their Goods and Concerns out of the Country into the City; and being now Masters at Sea, to enter into a War with the Lacedemonians. And hereupon making an accurate Discourse of the War, he told them what a Multitude of Confederats they had, what a brave and well man'd Fleet they were Masters of, what a vast Treasure they were possessed of, brought from Delos, gather'd from the common Contribution of the Cities, amounting to Ten Thousand Talents; and though Four Thousand of it were spent in the building of the Propyle, or Citadel, and in the Siege at Potidea, yet every Year Four Hundred and Sixty Talents were rais'd by Tribute from their Confederates. And besides all this, that the Adornments belonging to the Shows, and the Persian Spoils amouned to Five Hundred Talents more. And that in the Temples and other publick Works of the City, there were great Riches, so that the very Image of Minerva it self alone was worth Fifty Talents of Gold; whose Ornaments were so plac'd, that they might be taken off; and all of them when necessity requir'd might be borrow'd from the Goddess, so that they be faithfully restor'd in time of Peace. And as to the Estate of the Citizens, he told them, through the Enjoyment of a long Peace the City was grown exceeding Rich; he added moreover, that they had Twelve Thousand Armed Men, besides their Confederates, and what were in their Garrisons. And those in their Garrisons, together with their Colonies, were more than Seventeen Thousand; and that they had ready a Fleet of Three Hundred Sail. On the contrary, the Spartans were Poor, and far inferior to the Athenians in Naval Forces. Having fired the Citizens with these Discourses, he vehemently pressed the People not to give ear to the imperious Demands of the Lacedemonians: And by the earnestness of his Speech, he easily prevail'd; for which reason he was called Olympius. Aristophanes the Comick Poet, who flourished in the time of Pericles, mentions these things in the Verses following—
And likewise the Comick Poet Eupolis, in other Verses, says of Pericles, whom they call Olympius.
And these were the causes of the Peloponesian War, as they are related by Ephorus.
The principal Grecian Cities thus provoked to War, the Lacedemonians (in a general Convention with them of Peloponesus) declar'd War against the Athenians, and forthwith sent their Embassadors to the King of Persia, to enter into a League offensive with them. Embassadors were likewise sent, to desire Two Hundred Ships of their Confederates in Sicily and Italy.
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.