Page 563 The King receiv'd them very graciously, and in return freed all their Cities to govern according to their own Laws.
Thence he mov'd towards the bordering Nations, amongst whom he found the Agalassians had rais'd an Army of Forty thousand Foot, and Three thousand Horse: Alexander fought 'em, and routed 'em; many were kill'd upon the spot, and the rest fled into Holes and Dens, and the neighbouring Towns and Villages; which being afterwards taken, they were all sold for Slaves. There were 20000 of the rest of the Inhabitants that got together for shelter into a great City, which he took by Storm; though the Indians blocking up all the strait Passages, fought resolutely from the Tops of their Houses, and kill'd multitudes of the Macedonians, which put him into such a Rage, as that he set the Town on fire, and burnt most of them in it; so that only Three thousand remain'd, who fled into the Castle, and su'd for Pardon, and had it.
Then he with his Friends went on board again, and sail'd down the River to the place where the two Rivers (as was said before) and likewise Indus, now met together. But these great Rivers rushing in one upon another in one and the same place, there were most terrible Whirlpools, where the Ships that fell into them were so whirl'd about, that there they perish'd. And the Stream was so fierce and violent, that no Pilot could govern their Ships; so that two long Ships were sunk, and many of the rest driven upon the Shoar. The King's Ship was likewise catch'd in a Whirlpool, and he himself now in the utmost Extremity and Danger of losing his Life; which he perceiving, stript himself naked, and prepar'd for the last Remedy. Whereupon his Friends came round the Ship, endeavouring with all their Might to take in the King, in case his Ship pérish'd. A great Hurry and Confusion there was, while the Men strove with the Violence of the Waves, but the River overmatch'd both their Strength and Skill. Yet the King with great difficulty by the help of the Ships was at length brought to land. Being thus unexpectedly preserv'd, he sacrific'd to the Gods for his Deliverance, and that he had, like another Achilles, conquer'd the River it self. Thence he march'd against the Oxydracans and Mallians, populous and warlike Nations of India, whom he found ready prepar'd with an Army of above Fourscore thousand Foot, and Ten thousand Horse, and Seven hundred Chariots. These People were at War amongst themselves, before the King came amongst them; but being terrify'd at his approach, they were forc'd to agree and confederate against him. And in Confirmation of their League, they mutually dispos'd of Ten thousand Virgins in Marriage, and thereby entred into Affinity one with another. However, they came not against him with their Armies into the Field, but afterwards fell at variance one with another concerning the Chief Command, and slipt away here and there into the Neighbouring Cities. Alexander approaching to the Capital City, design'd without any further delay to assault it: But one Demophoon a Soothsayer, disswaded the King from his Purpose, alledging, That by certain Signs and Prodigies (by him observ'd) were portended, that the King would be in extream danger by a Wound receiv'd in this Siege; and therefore intreated him that he would wave this Town, and apply himself to some other Affair. Upon this, the King was very angry, because he discourag'd the Soldiers; therefore preparing all things necessary for an Assault, he himself led up his Men to the Walls, with an undaunted Spirit, eager to gain the Place by force. His Men being slow in fixing the Engines (as he thought) he was the first that broke through the Gate into the City, upon which many were hewn down, and the rest fled, whom he pursu'd to the very Castle. And because the Macedonians came not on so roundly to make the Assault as he expected, he took a Scaling-Ladder himself, and set it to the Castle-Wall, and holding his Buckler over his Head, mounted the Ladder; and was so quick, that before they within could force him back, he had gain'd the Top of the Wall. None of the Indians durst engage him hand to hand; but they so ply'd him with Darts and Arrows at a distance that he was overprest.
In the mean time, the Macedonians had apply'd two Scaling-Ladders; but two many thronging up at once, the Ladders broke, and down they all fell to the Ground. The King being then left without all hope of Relief, was so desperate, as that he did that which is worth special remark, and almost incredible: For looking upon it as a diminution of his Glory to make back down amongst his own Soldiers, he leapt off the Wall with his Arms in his hand into the Town. Then the Indians came rushing upon him in droves, and he receiv'd their Assault with great Resolution: For having a Tree which grew near to the Wall on his right hand, and the Wall on his left, he more easily defended himself, standing his ground with that Courage and Resolution as became a King that had perform'd such Noble Acts, coveting to end his Days by a glorious and honourable Death. Having now receiv'd many Cuts upon his Helmet, and as many on his
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.