Page 439 by the Thessalians: But being deserted by them, and Alexander assisted by the Athenians and other Confederates, and Meat and Drink and all other Provision being scarce, the Baeotarchs were resolv'd to return home, and accordingly drew off; and in their march through the Plain they were fallen upon in the Rear by Alexander's Horse, who kill'd and wounded many of the Beotians. At length, not being able either to keep their Ground or go forward, they knew not which way to turn themselves, or what to do; and to aggravate the perplexity they were in, they were in want of Food. In this desperate condition Epaminondas (who was then but a private Soldier) was chosen General by the Army; who presently plac'd the best and choicest of the Light Arm'd Men, and the Horse in the Rear; with these he repuls'd the Enemy that press'd upon the backs of the Beotians, and by frequent skirmishes, (making head as occasion serv'd,) and keeping his Troops in good Order, he brought off the Army safe. Thenceforth more and more advancing his own Reputation by his Noble Actions, he wan Praise and Renown both amongst his Citizens, and all their Confederates. But
The Magistrates of Beotia set great Fines upon the Officers and Leaders in this late Expedition, and so rais'd a great deal of Money; But in regard the Question may be very well ask'd, How it came to pass that so great a Man was plac'd in so low a Post as a Common Soldier in that Expedition into Thessaly? It's fit a Reason should be given in justification of Epaminondas. When he had in the Fight at Corinth beaten off the Lacedemonians, who guarded the Fortification, he might have kill'd a great number of them; but resting satisfy'd that he had gain'd the Pass, he forbore all further pursuit. Being therefore suspected that he spar'd the Lacedemonians out of a design to ingratiate himself into their Favour; those that envy'd his Glory, watch'd an opportunity to accuse him of Treason. Upon which, the People were so exasperated, that they depriv'd him of his Command, and order'd him to serve as a Common Soldier. But having by his Noble Actions wip'd off those stains of Dishonour cast upon him, he was restor'd by the People to his former Dignity.
Not long after, a sharp Battel was fought between the Lacedemonians and the Arcadians, in which the former obtain'd a famous Victory; and was the first Fight since that at Leuctra, wherein they had any considerable success. There were above Ten thousand of the Arcadians slain, and not one Man lost of the Lacedemonians. The Priests at Dodona had before foretold, That this War should end without any Mourning on the Lacedemonians part. After this Battle the Arcadians were in that fear of the Lacedemonians, that they built the City call'd Megalopolis, in a place commodiously situated for their security, and brought into it the Menalians, and Parrhasians, out of Twenty Villages in Arcadia. And this was the state of Greece at that time.
In Sicily Dionysius the Tyrant having rais'd a great Army, resolved to take advantage of the present Opportunity, and to fall upon the Carthaginians, who were then but in a very ill Condition, by reason of the Plague that rag'd amongst them, and their being deserted by many of the Africans. And because he had not the least colour and ground for the War, he pretended that the Carthaginians Incroach'd and made Incursions into his Country. Having therefore an Army of Thirty thousand Foot, and Three thousand Horse, besides a Navy of Three hundred Sail, with these he Invades the Carthaginian Territory, and presently wan Salinunte and Entella, and wastes and harrasses all the Country round about: Then taking Aeryx, he at length besieg'd Lilybeum: But the strength of the Garison presently forc'd him to raise his Siege Afterwards, being inform'd that the Arsenals belonging to the Carthaginians were burnt down, and therefore conceiving their whole Fleet was destroy'd he grew secure and despis'd the Enemy; so that he laid up Thirty of his best Gallies in the Haven at Eryx, and sent all the rest back to Syracuse. But the Carthaginians forthwith Mann'd out Two hundred Sail, and entring the Port at Eryx, unexpectedly on a sudden came up to the Ships there, and carry'd away most of them out of the Harbour: But Winter drawing on, both sides made a Truce, and return'd with their Armies to Winter Quarters. And not long after, Dionysius fell Sick, and Died, having reign'd Thirty Eight years; whose Son Dionysius succeeded him, and govern'd Twelve years.
Here it will not be a matter foreign to the design of our History, if we relate the Cause of his Death, and what hapned to this Prince a little before that time.
When he had caus'd a Tragedy of his, call'd the Leneians, to be acted at Athens, and was proclaim'd Victor: one of the Singers or Musitians in the Chorus, hop'd to gain an Honourable Reward by bringing him the first News of his Victory: To that end he Sail'd to Corinth, and thence took Shipping for Sicily, and with a fair Wind arriv'd at Syracuse, and presently gives the Tyrant an account of his Victory: Upon which
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.