Page 288 Demosthenes afterwards marching with an Army to Pylus in Peloponesus, determin'd to draw a Wall round the Place; which was naturally Fortify'd, and Four Hundred Stadia's from Messena: And being well furnished with Multitudes of Men, in Twenty Days space he finished the Work. But the Lacedemonians hearing of the Fortifying of Pylus, prepar'd great Forces, both by Land and Sea, and with a Fleet of Forty Five Sail well man'd and provided, and with Twelve Thousand Land Soldiers, made against Pylus. For it seem'd to them a thing dishonourable, to suffer them who durst not come into the Field to defend Attica from Devastations, now to nestle themselves, and to make Fortifications in Peloponesus. They incamp'd therefore with their Army, under the command of Thrasymedes near to Pylus, and were resolv'd to undergo all hardships and hazards, in order to subdue the Place. To this end they stood with their Fleet in the very Mouth of the Port, to block up all the Passage and Entrance from the Enemy. And by their Forces at Land, they assaulted the Walls with one Body after another by turns, pressing on with wonderful Obstinacy and Resolution.
They put likewise some of the choice of their Souldiers, both of the Lacedemonians and their Confederates, into the Island Sphacteria, which was near at hand, and ran out at length over-against the Port, by which the Harbour was the safer and securer from Storms. And this they did to prevent the Athenians, it being a Place very commodious, and useful for the carrying on of the Siege. They likewise continu'd the Assaults every Day, without intermission, and receiv'd Wounds upon Wounds, from the Towers and Bulwarks upon the Walls, and yet remitted nothing of their Heat and Resolution; so that Multitudes were kill'd, and many wounded, in striving to storm a Place most strongly Fortify'd. For the Athenians being possess'd of a Town of natural Strength, and abundantly furnish'd with Arms and all things necessary for a Defence, most vigorously repell'd their Enemies. For they hop'd, that if they frustrated this Design, Peloponesus would be the Seat of the whole War; and that they should by degrees wast and destroy their Country.
In the mean time, whilst these things were managed at the Siege with the greatest heat imaginable on both sides, and the Spartans exercis'd all their Force and Power, (amongst many others that purchas'd Honour by their Gallantry) Brasidas mounted to the highest step of Glory; for when the other Captains and Commanders in the Fleet durst not make up to the Shoar with the Ships, by reason of sharp Rocks, and the difficulty of the Place, he acting the part of an Admiral, with a loud Voice commanded, and incessantly urged the Pilot of his own Vessel, without any regard to the Ship, to force it ashore: For he said it was a base thing for the Spartans, if they resolving (as they pretended to be victorious) should be more sparing of their Ships than their Lives; and in the mean time suffer the Athenians to Lord it in Laconia. Hereupon the Pilot was forc'd to run the Ship ashore, and forthwith Brasidas (resolvedly fixing himself upon the Hatches) encountered with a whole Troop of Athenians that made up in a Body upon him, and kill'd many of them that first assaulted him; but Darts flying thick about him, and receiving many Wounds, at length (through the loss of much Blood) he fell down as dead; and his Arm slipping off Board, and hanging out of the Ship, his Buckler catcht by the Waves, dropt out of his Left Hand into the Sea, and was seiz'd presently by the Enemy; and he himself lying half Dead amongst the Heaps of those he had kill'd, was taken up and carry'd out of the Ship by his own Men; Thus far excelling others in Valour, that when others have been put to death because they basely threw away their Shields, he by the loss of his, gain'd the highest Honour and Reputation. However the Lacedemonians obstinately persisted in the Siege at Pylus, with great loss of their Men.
Here any one may justly admire at the wonderful and various turns and changes of Fortune at Pylus: For the Athenians drave the Spartans out of Laconia; and they who were usually Victors at Land (now forc'd from Land) over-power the Athenians at Sea; and they who were before Masters at Sea, now repel their Enemies at Land. But the Siege continuing very long, they who were in the Island were in great hazard to be famish'd, because the Athenian Fleet now commanding
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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.