Page 541 To conclude, the Tyrians were not short in any thing, whereby their Valour might be made to appear for the Defence of the Place. And being sufficiently supported with fresh aid, they were the more Couragious, and to that degree, that they left the Walls and Towers, and leap'd out upon the Bridges to oppose the Assailants, and Hand to Hand fought it out smartly in the Defence of their Country. There were some, that with Axes cut off whole Limbs at once of all that were in their way. For among the rest, there was one Admetus, a Macedonian Captain, a strong and valiant Man, in the heat of his Contest with the Tyrians, had his Head cloven in the midst with an Ax, and so Perish'd.
Alexander seeing that the Tyrians had the better on't, and Night approaching, sounded a Retreat. And indeed, at first he had thoughts to raise his Siege, and to go on with his Expedition into Aegypt, But he presently chang'd his Mind, looking upon it as Base and Dishonourable to give up all the Glory to the Tyrians. And therefore set himself again to carry on the Siege, though he had only one of his Friends call'd Amyntas, the Brother of Andromenes, who approv'd of his Resolution.
Having therefore encourag'd the Macedonians to stick to him, and furnish'd his Fleet with all things necessary, he besieg'd the City both by Sea and Land. And observing that part of the Wall near the Arsenal, was weaker than the rest, he brought all his Gallies, (which carry'd his best Engines) chain'd fast together, to that Place. There he attempted an Act which the Beholders scarcely believ'd, though they saw it with their Eyes. For he cast a Plank from a Wooden Tower, with one end upon the Battlements of the Walls, as a Bridge, and by this himself alone mounted the Rampire, not regarding any Danger, nor in the least affrighted with the violent Assaults of the Tyrians; but in the View of that Army which had conquer'd the Persians, he shew'd his own Personal Valour, and call'd to the Macedonians to follow him, and was the first that came to handy strokes with the Enemy; and killing some with his Spear, others with his Sword, and tumbling down many with the Bosies of his Buckler, he thus allay'd the Courage of his Adversaries.
In the mean time, the Rams batter'd down a great Part of the Wall in another Place. And now the Macedonians enter'd through the Breach on one side, and Alexander with his Party pass'd over the Wall in another, so that the City was now taken; yet the Tyrians valiantly bestirr'd themselves, and encouraging one another, Guarded and block'd up all the Narrow Passes, and fought it out to the last Man, insomuch as above Seven thousand were cut in pieces upon the Place; the King made all the Women and Children Slaves, and hung up all the young Men that were left, to the number of Two thousand. And there were found so great a Number of Captives, that though the greatest Part of the Inhabitants were transported to Carthage, yet the remainder amounted to Thirteen thousand. Into so great Miseries fell the Tyrians, after they had endur'd a Siege of seven Months with more Obstinacy than Prudence.
Then the King took away the Golden Chains from the Image of Apollo, and caus'd this God to be call'd Apollo Philaxandrus. When he had offer'd splendid Sacrifices to Hercules, and rewarded those who had signaliz'd their Valour, he honourably buried the Dead, and made one Ballonymus King of Tyre. But it would be a thing justly to be condemn'd to neglect to give a further and larger Account of this Man, whose Advancement and wonderful change of Condition, was so extraordinary.
After Alexander had gain'd the City, Strato the former Prince, by reason of his Faithfulness to Dari •s, was depriv'd of the Command; upon which the King gave Power and Liberty to Hephestion, to bestow the Kingdom of Tyre upon which of his Friends he pleas'd. Hephestion hereupon, minding to gratify one where he had been courteously entertain'd, resolv'd to Invest him with the Principality of Tyre; but he though he was very Rich and Honourable above the rest of his Fellow Citizens, yet (because he was not of the Lineage of the Kings) refus'd it. Then Hephestion wish'd him to name some one that was of the Royal Blood; He thereupon told him of one who was a very prudent and good Man, but extream Poor. Hephestion hereupon, forthwith grants the Principality to him, and the Officer assign'd for this Purpose hastens away with the Royal Robes, and finds him in an Orchard in Rags, drawing of Water for his Hire. Having inform'd him of the Change and Alteration of his Condition, he cloath'd him with the Robe and other Ornaments becoming his State and Dignity, and then introduc'd him into the Forum, and there declar'd him King of Tyre. Which unexpected and wonderful Occurrence, was very grateful and acceptable to the People.
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.