Page 536 perish'd without a Stroke of the Enemy; for they lay on Heaps, some with their Arms, others without them; some held their naked Swords as long in their Hands, as that their Fellow-Soldiers ran themselves upon them, and so were slain. But many got away into the open Plain, and by the swiftness of their Horses, escap'd to the several Cities of the Allies.
During this time, the Macedonian Phalanx and the Persian Foot fought a while; for the Flight of the Horse was the Preludium to the Victory. The Barbarians therefore taking to their Heels, and so many Thousands making away through the same Straits, all Places thereabouts were in a short time cover'd with dead Carcasses: But the Persians, by the advantage of the Night, got away here and there into several Places of shelter.
The Macedonians therefore left off the Pursuit, and betook themselves to the rifling of the Camp, especially the King's Pavillion, because there were the richest Booties; so that there was found and carry'd thence vast Sums of Gold and Silver, and exceeding rich Garments and Furniture; an abundance likewise of Treasure belonging to his Friends and Kindred, and the Commanders of his Army: For the Wives not only from the King's Houshold, but from the Families of his Kindred and Attendants, mounted in Chariots glittering with Gold (according to the Custom of the Persians) accompany'd the Camp in their march from place to place. And every one of these (through their Luxury and Delicateness, to which they had commonly inur'd themselves) carry'd with them abundance of rich Furniture, and a multitude of beautiful Women. But the captive Ladies were then in a most miserable Condition: For they who before, by reason of their Nicety, could scarcely be plac'd in their stately Chariots so as to please them, and had their Bodies so attir'd, as that no Air might touch them, now rent their Garments in pieces, and scarce with one simple Veil to cover their Nakedness, threw themselves shrieking out of their Chariots, and with their Eyes and Hands lifted up to Heaven, cast themselves down at the Feet of the Conquerors. Some with their trembling Hands pull'd off all their Jewels and Ornaments from their own Bodies, and ran up steep Rocks and craggy Places, with their Hair flying about their Ears; and thus meeting in Throngs together, some call'd for Help from those who wanted the Relief of others as much as themselves: Some were dragg'd along by the Hair of their Heads, others were stripp'd naked, and then kill'd, and sometimes cudgell'd to death with the heavy end of the Soldiers Lances. Nay, even all manner of Disgrace and Contempt was pour'd upon the Glory of the Persians, so famous and honourable heretofore all the World over.
But the more sober and moderate of the Macedonians seeing that strange Turn of Fortune, much pity'd the Condition of those miserable Creatures, who had lost every thing that was near and dear to them in this World, and were now environ'd with nothing but Strangers and Enemies, and fallen into miserable and dishonourable Captivity. But the Mother of Darius, and his Wife, and two Daughters, now Marriageable (and his little Son especially) drew Tears from the Eyes of the Beholders: For their sad change of Fortune, and the greatness of their sudden and unexpected Calamity (presented thus to their view) could not but move them to a compassionate Resentment of their present Condition: For as yet it was not known whether Darius was alive or dead. And in the mean time they perceiv'd his Tent pillag'd and rifled by arm'd Men, who knew no difference of Persons, and therefore committed many indecent and unworthy Actions, and saw likewise all Asia brought under the Power of a Conquering Sword as well as themselves. The Wives of the Governors of the Provinces that fell at their Feet to beg Protection, were so far from finding Relief, that they themselves earnestly pray'd them to rescue them out of their present Calamity.
Alexander's Servants having possess'd themselves of Darius his Tents, prepar'd the Tables and Baths which were us'd by Darius himself, and lighted up many Lamps in expectation of the King, that in his return from the pursuit he might take possession of all the Furniture of Darius, as an earnest of the Empire and Government of all Asia. Of the Barbarians there fell in this Battel above an Hundred and twenty thousand Foot, and no fewer than Ten thousand Horse. Of the Macedonians, Three hunded Foot, and an Hundred and fifty Horse. And this was the Issue of the Battel at Issus.
But to return to the Kings themselves: Darius with all his Army being thus routed, fled, and by changing from time to time one Horse after another the best he had, he made away with all speed to escape out of the Hands of Alexander, and to get to the Governors of the Upper Provinces. But Alexander, with the best of his Horse and chiefest of his Friends, pursu'd him close at the very Heels, earnestly longing to be Lord of Darius. But after he had rid Two hundred Furlongs, he return'd at midnight into the
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.