Page 527 City was taken, not a Theban ask'd any Quarter from a Macedonian, not a Man that sordidly bow'd down at the Feet of the Conqueror. Neither had the Enemy any Pitv, notwithstanding the Valour of the miserable People; nay, the whole Day (though it was long) was judg'd too short to satiate their most cruel Revenge. The whole City was plunder'd, poor Children, Boys and Girls, were dragg'd up and down, calling upon their Mothers by their Names with most lamentable Outcries. And to comprehend all in a few Words, whole Families, with all their Kindred, were hurried away, and the whole Body of the People brought under miserable Slavery. The Bodies of some of the Thebans, as they lay wounded upon the Ground, though they were upon the point of Expiring, yet clasping their Enemy in their Arms, breath'd out their Last with a sort of Joy and Content that their Enemy dy'd with them. Others, though they had but a meer Trunk of a Spear to lean upon, yet sought with whomsoever they met; and so by that last Attempt made it evident, how far they preferr'd their Liberty before their Lives. And though there was so great a Slaughter made, that every part of the City was fill'd with dead Carkasses, yet none that saw the miserable Condition of these poor Wretches pitied them. For even the Grecians, as the Thespians, Plateans, Orchomenians, and some others who hated the Thebans, (and who then bore Arms under the King,) broke in with others into the City, and amongst these dreadful Slaughters executed their Malice upon them. So that many sad Spectacles of most inhumane Cruelty might be seen throughout the whole City. Graecians butchering Graecians without all Compassion, and those of the same Language, Blood, and Nation, without any Regard to any of these Obligations, knock'd on the Head one by another. At length when Night came, the Houses were pillag'd, Women young and old were dragg'd out of the Temples, (whither they had sled,) and most vilely and filthily abus'd. There were kill'd of the Thebans above Six Thousand, and Three thousand made Captives, and a vast Treasure carry'd away. Above Five hundred Macedonians were slain, whom the King took care to bury. Presently after, the King caus'd the General Senate of Greece to meet, and referr'd it to their Determination how Thebes should be dealt with. When the Matter came to be debated, some who hated the Thebans were for putting them all to the Sword; and made it appear how they had join'd with the Barbarians against the Greeks. For in the time of Xerxes, they join'd as Confederates with the Persians against Greece; and were the only Graecians that were honour'd as Friends by the Persian King, and their Ambassadors plac'd and preferr'd before Kings. These, and such-like, being remember'd and inforc'd, they so incited the Senators against the Thebans, that they Decreed, That theCity should be raz'd to the Ground, and the Captives sold for Slaves; That all the Fugitives of Thebes should be driven out of all Parts of Greece, and no Theban should be entertain'd by any Graecian. Hereupon the King according to the Decree raz'd the City, which struck a Terror into all the Graecians that had revolted. By the Sale of the Captives, he rais'd Four hundred and forty Talents of Silver.
After this, he sent to Athens to demand Ten of the Orators to be deliver'd up to him, (amongst whom Demosthenes and Lycurgus were the chief,) because they had stirr'd up the People against him. Upon which a General Assembly was call'd, and when the Ambassadors were introduc'd, and had deliver'd their Message, the People were greatly troubled and perplex'd, desiring on the one hand to preserve the Honour and Dignity of the City, and on the other hand to consult their own Safety, considering the Destruction of Thebes, and that some eminent Mischief might befal themselves; and thus they were made more cautious by their Neighbours Misfortunes. At length, after many Speeches made in the Assembly upon this Account, Phocio, that good Man, who differ'd from Demosthenes in his Politicks, stood up and said, That it would very well become those who were demanded to imitate the Daughters of Leo and the Hyacinthides, by offering up their Lives of their own accord to prevent the Ruin of their Country. And told them, That it was Baseness and Cowardise to refuse to dye for the Preservation of the City.
At this Motion the People were highly incens'd, and in a popular Tumult threw Phocio out of the Senate. Then the People (by a studied Speech made by Demosthenes) being mov'd to Compassion, declar'd, That they would defend the Men to the utmost. At length Demades, wrought upon (as is reported) by the Friends of Demosthenes, for Five Talents of Silver, gave his Opinion for the securing and preserving of the Orators; and read the Decree, which was drawn by himself with great Cunning and Artifice.
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.