Page 284 Whilst Sitalces was thus imploy'd, the Thessalians, Achaians, Magnesians, and all the other Grecians inhabiting within Macedon and Thermopyle, confederated and rais'd a mighty Army; for they were afraid lest the Thracians who were so powerful, should make an inroad into their Country, and bring them under the Thracian Yoke: And the Calcideans did the like. Sitalces hereupon being inform'd of the great Armies rais'd against him by the Grecians, and knowing his Army was not able to indure the sharpness of the approaching Winter, struck up a Peace with Perdiccas, and in confirmation thereof, contracted a Marriage with him, and so march'd his Army back into Thrace.
In the mean time, whilst these things were on foot, the Lacedemonians with their Confederates made another irruption out of Peloponesus into Attica, under their King Archidamus, who had the Sovereign Command of the Army; and after they had destroy'd all the standing Corn when it was near ripe, and made havock and spoil all over the Country, they return'd to their respective Habitations. The Athenians on the other hand, were not in heart to oppose them, but were under sore Calamities by Plague and Famine, and therefore altogether despair'd of any good issue and event of the War. And these were the things observable this Year.
Euclides was Ruler of Athens, when the Romans chose Three Military Tribunes in the room of Consuls, MarcusMannius, Quintus Su'pitius Pretextatus, and Servitius Cornelius Cossus. At this time in Sicily, the Syracusians made War upon them of Leontum, a Colony brought thither from the Calcideans, originally Athenians, who being overpress'd by the power of the Syracusians, and in great danger to lose their City, sent Embassadors to Athens for speedy and seasonable aid, to deliver them from their present Exigency. The chief among them that were sent, was Gorgias the Orator, the most Eloquent Man of his time. He was the first that taught the Rules of Rhetorick, and was so famous for his wise and learned Orations, that all his Scholars as a Gratuity, gave him an Hundred Mina's apiece.
When he came to Athens, and had Audience, he made an Oration to the People concerning the League desired; and by his new and ingenious way of speaking, the Athenians were so taken (who were otherwise Men of great Wisdom and Eloquence) that they were struck with admiration. For he adorn'd his Speech with most excellent Figures, and artificial composures of Words and Sentences, as by Opposites, Paranomacisms, equal Periods like Terminations, and the like gingling strains of Rhetorical Wit, to allure and intice his Auditors, which at that time for its novelty, was much admired. But now it's lookt upon to savour too much of affectation, and to be ridiculous, especially when by frequency and often repetition it becomes fulsome and tedious. Gorgias having perswaded the Athenians to enter into a League with the Leontines, return'd to Leontinum with great Reputation for his Eloquence.
The Athenians for some time before, had an hankering Mind after Sicily, by reason of the richness of the Soyl, and therefore were now more willingly perswaded by Gorgias, and decreed to send Aid as was desir'd. The pretence was to assist them who were their own Countrymen, and were brought into great straits, but in truth their chief Design was to gain the Island; for not many Years before, when the War broke forth between the Corinthians and them of Corcyra, and both address'd themselves to the Athenians for Aid, to make them their Confederates, the People of Athens resolv'd to side with the Corcyreans, because Corcyra was so situated, that it was a very ready and convenient Pass over from thence into Sicily. In short, the Athenians being now Masters at Sea, and every where successful, had many Confederates, and were richly furnished, both with Men and Money, had many Cities under their power, were possess'd of a mighty Treasure in ready Money brought from Delos, gathered from the Inhabitants of Greece to the value of above Ten Thousand Talents.
Moreover, they had likewise many excellent Officers, and expert Commanders; by these Advantages, the Athenians were grown very confident that they should both overcome the Spartans, (and having subdu'd all Greece) win also the
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.