Page 415 by Dionysius, with a great Fleet, set upon the Shipping of the Illyrians; and took and sunk all of them, kill'd Five thousand of their Men, and took Two thousand prisoners.
Dionysius being now in great want of Money, began an Expedition with Threescore Gallies into Hetruria, under colour to scour the Seas of Pyrats, but in truth to rob a famous Temple in those parts, which was very full of rich Gifts and Donations. It stood in the Suburbs of Agylla, a City of Hetruria, where was the Arsenal which they call the Towers. He landed in the Night, and forcing in at break of day, accomplish'd his Design. For there being but a small Guard in the Castle, he easily over-power'd them, rifled the Temple, and took out above a Thousand Talents.
And tho' they of Agylla sally'd out to repel the Enemy, yet he routed 'em, took many prisoners, and after he had wasted and spoil'd the Country, sailed back to Syracuse, where he rais'd no less than Five hundred Talents by the sale of the Spoils. Having thus fill'd his Coffers he rais'd Soldiers from all parts, and got together a great Army, so that it was evident (to the apprehension of all) that he design'd War against the Carthaginians. And these were the things done this year.
Afterwards the Dignity of Archon was conferr'd upon Phanostratus at Athens. And the Romans made Four Military Tribunes Consuls, Lucius Lucretius, Servius Sulpitius,Lucius Emilius, and Lucius Furius. At this time Dionysius the Tyrant of Syracuse being prepar'd for the War against Carthage, watch'd for a fair occasion to colour and countenance his Design. Discerning therefore that the Cities subject to the Carthaginians were inclin'd to a Revolt, he receiv'd into his Protection as many as would come to him, and enter'd into a League with them, carrying himself with great complacency and winning behaviour. Upon this, the Carthaginians first sent Ambassadors to him, and demanded the restitution of the Cities, which being deny'd, was the occasion of a new War.
The Carthaginians therefore entred into Confederacies with their Neighbours, and all join'd together in the War against the Tyrant. And because they prudently foresaw the greatness of the War, they Listed Soldiers out of the choicest of the Citizens, and laid up great Sums of Money wherewith they hir'd a vast number of Foreigners: And having made Mago their General (who at that time bore the Title of King) they Transported many Thousands of Soldiers both into Italy and Sicily, for they had decreed to make War upon them both at once. Dionysius likewise himself divided his Forces, some against the Italiots and others against the Carthaginians: Whereupon many light skirmishes pass'd between Parties here and there every day, but nothing was as yet done of any moment. But there afterwards hapned Two great Battles that were especially famous and remarkable, in one of which, at a place call'd Cabala, Dionysius made himself noted for his Valour, and routed the Enemy, killing above Ten thousand of them, and taking Five thousand prisoners, forc'd the rest to fly to a Hill that was fortify'd, but altogether without Water. In this Fight Mago their General was kill'd, behaving himself with great Gallantry and Resolution. The Carthaginians terrify'd with the greatness of this Slaughter, sent forthwith Ambassadors to make Peace with Dionysius; but he return'd them Answer, that there was only one way left for them to make peace with him, and that was forthwith to quit all the Cities of Sicily, and to reimburse all the charge of the War. This Answer was lookt upon as harsh and proud. Therefore they betook themselves to their old Arts of Fraud and Deceit. For they seem'd as if they allow'd of his terms, but pretended that it was not in their power to deliver up the Cities to him, therefore they desired a Truce for some few days that they might consult with the Magistrates concerning this Affair, which he agreed unto. He was much transported at the Truce, having now a prospect presently (as he conceiv'd) to be Lord of all Sicily. In the mean time the Carthaginians bury'd Mago their King with great Pomp and State, putting his Son into the same place, who tho' he was very young, yet there were marks and appearances in him of more than ordinary Wisdom and Valour. This new General spent all the time of the Truce in Training and Disciplining of his Soldiers, so that, what with his daily Diligence, exact Directions, and frequent exercise of their Arms, he had an Army both readily subject to Command, and hardy and strong for Service. And now the time of the Cessation expir'd, and the Armies on both sides came hastily into the Field; and at Cronion was a sharp Engagement, where God gave the Carthaginians the Victory to make amends for their former slaughter. For they who were grown proud, and boasting by their Victory a little before, were now as low and poor spirited. On the other hand, they who were altogether dejected, and in despair, by reason of their overthrow, had their Spirits on a sudden rais'd by their great and unexpected success.
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.