Page 431 Upon which the ancient Men again with protestations dissuaded him from going any
And tho' Epaminondas who was a great Philosopher manag'd all this Affair with great Prudence and Discretion, yet in the mean time he incurr'd the Censure of many. But not long after when success of the Action evinc'd the Excellency of his Military Conduct, we see him instrumental in performing many things to the great Advantage and Service of his Country. For he March'd away directly, and gain'd the Streights near Coronea, and Encamp'd there. Cleombrotus, when he heard that the Enemy had possess'd themselves of that Pass, not looking upon it Feazible to regain it, turn'd aside another way by Phocis, and March'd along by the Sea-shore, where tho' the way was very rugged and difficult, yet at length he came without any prejudice to the Confines of Beotia: But in his passage he took in some small Towns, and gain'd some Gallies. At last he arriv'd at Leuctra, and there Encamp'd, and refresh'd his Army.
In the mean time the Beotians Marching forward, drew near to the Enemy; and as soon as they recover'd the Hills, and saw the greatness of the Lacedemonian Army, Covering the Plains of Leuctra, they were not a little amaz'd. Hereupon the Booetarchs call'd a Council of War to Consider whether it were advisable to go on, and Fight upon such unequal Terms, or else to March Back, and Engage with the Enemy in some more commodious Place. It happen'd that upon this Consult, the Votes were equal: For there being Six of these Boeotarchs or Governors of Boeotia, Three were for going Back, and the other Three for abiding where they were, and to try their Fortune by a Battle, of which last Number Epaminondas was one. While the matter stood thus doubtful, and nothing could be determin'd, the Seventh Boeotarch at length came in, and Epaminondas persuaded him to give his Vote on his side, and so he carry'd it. And thus it was determin'd to lay all at Stake and try it out by a Battle. Epaminondas then perceiving that the Soldiers were still superstitiously possess'd with the former ominous Signs, and Prodigies, endeavour'd by all the Art and Industry possibly he could to remove these Opinions and Suspicions of his Soldiers. To this end, upon some Persons coming newly into the Camp, from Thebe's, he caus'd a Report to be spread abroad, that all the Arms that hung up in Hercules Temple were on a sudden gone and not to be found, and that it was commonly nois'd in Thebes, That the Ancient Heroes had taken them away, and were gone out to the assistance of the Thebans. He Suborn'd likewise another to say, he lately came up out of Trophonius his Cell, and he affirm'd that the Oracle there Commanded him to tell them that when they had gain'd the Victory at Leuctra, they should institute the Coronet Festivals to Jupiter. From whence arose that Custom of keeping a yearly Solemnity by the Boeotians at Lebadia. And besides this Skill and Prudence of the General, Leandras the Spartan (who was Banish'd from Lacedemon, and then in Arms with the Thebans) was not little serviceable in this Affair. For being call'd into the Assembly, he affirm'd that the Spartans had an ancient Prophecy, That when they were beaten by the Thebans at Leuctra, they should lose their Principality. At length some of the Inhabitants of the Country who undertook to Interpret the Oracles came to Epaminondas, and declar'd that it was decreed by the Gods, That a great slaughter should be made of the Lacedemonians at the Tombs of the Daughters of Leuctrus and Schedasus, for the Reasons herein after related. Leuotrus was he from whom the Field was so call'd. And his Daughters, and the Daughters of one Schedasus, Virgins, in the Flow'r of their Age, were Deflowr'd by the Spartan Ambassadors; the young Women not able to endure that great Dishonour and Disgrace, (with many Imprecations against that Nation who sent such wicked Ambassadors) laid violent hands on themselves. When these and other such like things were alledg'd, Epaminondas call'd the Soldiers together, and in an Oration fitted for the purpose, encourag'd them to the Battle: Upon which the Soldiers (being now freed from their Superstitious conceits) chang'd their minds, and long'd to be Engag'd with the Enemy.
About this time came some Auxiliary Forces to the Thebans from Thessaly, Fifteen hundred Foot, and Five hundred Horse, under the Command of Jason. This Man advis'd both the Thebans and the Lacedemonians (upon consideration of the uncertainty of the Events of War) to agree upon terms of Peace; which took its effect. And now Cleombrotus withdrew his Forces out of Beotia, and in his March a great Army from the Lacedemonians and their Confederates under the Command of Archidamus the Son of Agesilaus met him For the Spartans seeing the Courage and Resolution of the Beotians, and not judging it advisable to slight Men that seem'd to be resolv'd, and to run upon the Pikes at
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.