Page 426 his Officers therefore seeing Pelusium so strongly and wonderfully Fortify'd and well Mann'd, thought it most adviseable to forbear to attempt to enter by Force, and rather to sail to some other Mouth of the River, and endeavour a Passage for the Fleet there. Whereupon they put off to Sea again, and being out of Kenning, that they might not be discern'd by the Enemy they steer'd their Course for Mendesium, another Mouth of Nile, where the Shore runs a great way out from the Main Land. Here they Landed Three thousand Men, and Pharnabazus and Iphicrates assaulted a Fort built upon the very Mouth of the River; but the Aegyptians came down with Three thousand Horse and Foot to the Relief of the Place; Upon which there was a sharp Engagement, in which the Aegyptians being over-power'd with Multitude, (for more came in running to them from their Ships) were hemm'd in, and a great Slaughter made amongst them, but very few being taken Prisoners; the rest were forc'd to fly into a little Town hard by. But the Soldiers of Iphicrates enter'd pell mell with them of the Garison into the Place, and having thus taken it by Force they demolish'd it, and carry'd away the Inhabitants as Captives.
After this, there arose a Difference between the Generals, which brought all to nought. Iphicrates learnt from the Captives, that there was a Garison call'd Memphis, which Place was of the greatest Consequence of any throughout all Aegypt; therefore he advis'd that they should sail with the Fleet thither before the rest of the Aegyptians's Army got together; but Pharnabazus and all his Forces were for staying till all the Persian and Land Forces came up, and so there would be less danger in the Expedition. But Iphicrates then offer'd to undertake the Reduction of the City with those Mercenaries that were then with him, if he might have but Liberty. Upon which, Pharnabazus grew Envious at the Valour and Confidence of the Man, and began to be Jealous lest all Aegypt should be conquer'd only by his Arms, and therefore deny'd his request. hereupon, Iphicrates made a Solemn Protestation against them, declaring that all this Expedition would be Fruitless and Vain, through their Neglect, if they let slip the present Opportunity. But Pharnabazus envy'd him the more, and very undeservedly gave him opprobrious Language.
In the mean while, the Aegyptians (having now gain'd more time) put a strong Garison into Memphis, and march'd with all their Army to the little Town before demolished; and prevailing in sundry skirmishes against the Persians, they never let them rest, but growing still stronger and stronger, made a great Slaughter of them, and grew every day more obstinate. But the Persian Army having now staid a long time about this Castle, the River Nile (by force of the Etesian Winds) beginning to overflow, insomuch as all the Land was cover'd with Water (whereby Aegypt was now more inaccessable, and by that means as it were Fortify'd) the Commanders (for that Nature seem'd to Fight against them) resolv'd forthwith to leave Aegypt.
As soon therefore as they return'd into Asia, Pharnabazus renew'd the Quarrel with Iphicrates: Upon which, Iphicrates (fearing he should be laid by the Heels as Conon formerly had been) consulted how to withdraw himself privately from the Camp. To this end, (having prepar'd a Vessel for his purpose) he went on board in the Night, and so sail'd to Athens: But Pharnabazus sent Ambassadors after him, and accus'd him as being the occasion of the Miscarriage of the Design relating to the Reducing of Aegypt. To whom the Athenians answer'd, That if he were Guilty they would punish him according to his Desert: But in a very short time after they made him Admiral of their whole Fleet.
In this place we think it not much beside our purpose if we say something concerning what is reported of the Valour of Iphicrates. He is said to be a very Skilful Commander, and of a quick and ready Wit in contriving any useful Project and Stratagem: Having therefore gain'd large Experience and Judgment in Martial Discipline, by his long and continual Exercise in the Wars of Persia, he found out many things of great advantage in matters of War, especially he employ'd himself in contriving the making of New sorts of Arms.
It was hitherto a Custom among the Graecians to carry great and heavy Shields: But because these by their Weight much hinder'd the Soldiers in their March, he chang'd the Form of them, and order'd Targets of a moderate Size in their room: In which alteration he had a respect to two things, one that their Bodies should be sufficiently defended, and by the other, that by their Lightness they might be the more easily manag'd. Experience presently approv'd the Invention, and they who from their Heavy Arms were before call'd Hopliti, Heavy arm'd Men, were from these New Targets call'd Peltasti, Targateers. He chang'd likewise the Fashion of their Spears and Swords. The Spears he caus'd to be made half as long again as they were before, and the Swords longer almost by two Parts. This Alteration was likewise presently approv'd by Use and Experience, and the Reputation of the General was highly advanc'd by the Usefulness of his Ingenious
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.