Page 381 durst not bring his Ships out of the Port; for he knew that the Mouth being very narrow and straight, a few Ships were able to Fight with many above their Number, and to Advantage. And therefore, having many Soldiers, he easily drew the Ships over the Land into the Sea, at a further distance from the Harbour, and so preserv'd them.
In the mean time, Imilco pressing upon those Gallies that lay foremost and next to him, was by multitude of Darts repuls'd; for many Darters and Slingers were plac'd upon the Decks. The Syracusians likewise from Land kill'd great numbers of the Enemy, by their sharp Arrows shot out of their Engines of Battery. And in truth these sort of Darts struck great terror into the Enemy, being the first time that they were us'd and found out. When the Carthaginian saw he could not accomplish his design, he drew off and sail'd back for Africk, judging it in nowise prudent to Engage in a Sea-fight with an Enemy double his number.
When Dionysius, by the help of many Workmen had perfected the Bank or Rampier, he applied all sorts of Engines of Battery to the Walls, battering the Towers with the Rams, and driving the Defendants from the Bulwarks with the shot from the Engines. He approach'd likewise to the Walls with six floor'd Towers which mov'd upon Wheels, and were as high as any House.
However, the Citizens of Motya, although they were now in imminent Danger, and destitute of all aid from their Consederates, yet fear'd not all the Force and Power of Dionysius, but bravely opposing the Assailants, they first plac'd Soldiers cloath'd in Coats of Mail upon the Masts of their Ships, who hoisting up their Main-yards threw burning Firebrands and Sticks dipp'd in Pitch, down upon the Engines, which set them presently on Fire; upon which the Sicilians ran in, and having quench'd the Flame, so ply'd their work, that with the frequent and Repeated Batteries by the Rams, a great part of the Wall fell down. Upon which both sides rushing into the Breach with great Fury, there was a sharp Engagement: For the Sicilians thinking the Town now had been their own, endur'd any thing out of the insatiable desire they had to revenge themselves upon the Carthaginians, for the many Injuries they had suffer'd by them. On the other hand, the Besieg'd to avoid the misery of Bondage and Slavery, and seeing no hopes to escape either by Sea or Land, resolved valiantly to Die. At length despairing to defend the Walls any longer, they stopt up all the Sally Ports and betook themselves to the Hold and Buildings at the Foot of the Walls, which were perfectly built as another strong Wall. From hence the Soldiers of Dionysius were put harder to it than they were before; for when they had got within the Walls (thronging in one upon another) and thought they had now gain'd the Town, they were presently most miserably gall'd by them that were on the Tops and Roofs of these Buildings. However, with all the speed they could by the help of their wooden Towers, they advanc'd their Scaling-Ladders to the Houses that were next to them; and now they sought hand to hand from the Towers and the Tops of the Houses which equall'd one another in height: And here the Motyans stood to it, and fought with undaunted Resolution, having their Wives and Children in their Eyes, and possess'd with the sense of the imminent danger of the Ruine and Destruction both of them and theirs: For some mov'd with the earnest Prayers of their poor Parents then present, intreating them not to suffer them to be made a scoff and scorn to their Enemies, renew'd their Courage, and without any regard to their Lives rush'd into the midst of the Assailants: Others hearing the Cries and Complaints of their Wives and Children, made the more haste rather to die valiantly, than to see the Captivity and Slavery of their dearest Relations. There was no way left to escape or fly out of the City, for they were hemm'd in by the Sea, which was commanded by their Enemies. The Cruelty of the Graecians which they had already executed upon their Prisoners, and in all likelihood would execute upon them, was that which chiefly terrify'd the Carthaginians and made them desperate. And therefore nothing remain'd but either to Conquer or Die.
This Obstinacy of the Besieged, occasion'd great Toil and Hardship to the Sicilians: For they were lamentably hurl'd off the Scaffolds which they had made; and besides, the straitness of the Place (by which they were greatly prejudiced) they fought with Men that were Desperate and prodigal of their Lives.
Thus therefore being Engag'd, some giving and receiving Wounds fell on the one hand, others repuls'd by the Motyans, were thrown down Headlong from the Scaffolds and House Tops, and so miserably perish'd on the other. At length the Assault having continu'd on this manner several whole days together, and every Evening Dionysius by a Trumpet sounding a Retreat to his Men, the Motyans were inur'd now to this way of Fighting: After therefore both sides were drawn off, Dionysius sent forth Archylus the Thurian, with some of the best Regiments, who on a sudden in the dead of Night by Scaling-Ladders go •
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.