Page 565 It was certainly an imprudent Act in him to fight with a Macedonian, but far more Folly in him to destroy himself: Therefore many who blam'd him for this piece of Madness, added this to his further Disgrace: That a great Body and a great Wit seldom meet together. When the King read the Letter, he was exceedingly troubled at his Death, and would often commend him for his Valour: And he who undervalu'd him when he was alive, now in vain wish'd for him when he was dead; and came perfectly to understand the Honesty of the Man, by the Knavery of his Accusers and Slanderers.
And now the King order'd his Army to march along the Bank of the River, over against his Fleet, and began again to sail down into the Ocean, and in his Passage arriv'd at the Country of the Sambestans. These People for Number and Courage are nothing inferior to any of the Indians, and their Cities are Democratical in their Government.
Having intelligence of the approach of the Macedonians, they brought into the Field Threescore thousand Foot, Six thousand Horse, and Five hundred Chariots. But when the Fleet drew near, they were so terrify'd with the strangeness of the Sight, and the Fame and Glory of the Macedonians which was nois'd abroad in all Places, that the Old Men among them dissuaded them from vent'ring a Battel; whereupon they sent Fifty of the best Qua • ity, as Ambassadors to Alexander to pray his Favour. The King (upon the Address made to him) granted them Peace as they desir'd, and receiv'd large and honourable Presents (becoming a Demy-god) from the Inhabitants. Then he receiv'd the Submission of the Sodrans and Massanians, who border'd on both sides the River. Here Alexander built another City call'd Alexandria, near the River, and furnish'd it with a Thousand Inhabitants. Afterwards he arriv'd at the Kingdom of Musicanus, whom he took and kill'd, and subdu'd his Country. Then he came to the Territory of Porticanus, and took two Cities upon the first Assault, and gave the Spoil of them to his Soldiers, and then burnt them. Porticanus who had fled for shelter into the Castle, was kill'd fighting in his own Defence. Then he took all the Cities within his Dominion by Assault; and raz'd them to the Ground, which struck a great Terror into the Neighbouring Inhabitants. Next he wasted the Territories of Sambus, razing many of the Cities, and selling the Citizens for Slaves, and put to the Sword above Fourscore thousand Barbarians. These were the Plagues the Brachmans suffer'd. All the rest who submitted (except such as were the Authors and Ring-leaders of the Defection) he Pardon'd. In the mean time, King Sambus got away with Thirty Elephants, into the furthest Parts beyond the River Indus, and so escap'd.
Amongst the Brachmans the last City attempted was Harmatelia, which greatly confided in the Valour of its Inhabitants, and the Strength of its Situation. Here the King commanded some few of his Party to go up near to the Place, and provoke the Citizens to fall upon them, and then to make as if they fled; thereupon Five hundred approach'd to the very Walls, who for their inconsiderable Number were contemn'd by the Enemy: Three thousand therefore made a Sally out of the Town upon them; whhreupon they took to their Heels as if they had been in a great Fright. But the King with some few of his Troops, fell upon the Backs of the Pursuers, upon which there was a smart Engagement, and many of the Barbarians were kill'd and taken. But a great number of those that were kill'd and wounded on the King's side, were in a desperate Condition; for the Barbarians had poyson'd the Heads of their Weapons with a deadly Poyson, which made them more Courageous and forward to Engage with the King. This strong Poyson is made of certain Serpents taken by Hunting, which after they are kill'd, they lay out and expose to the Heat of the Sun; where the Heat does so fry their Flesh as if it were melting away, from which distills a sweaty Moisture, wherein the Poyson of the Beast is convey'd, and may be discern'd. The Working of this Poyson is such, that a Benumm'dness and Stupidity presently seizes upon the Body of him that is wounded; and in a short time after follows most tormenting Pains, Convulsions and Trembling, wrecking every Member of the Body. The Skin grows excessive Cold and Black, and the Party vomits black Choler: Moreover, a black frothy Matter flows from the Wound, which causes Putrefaction, and presently spreads all over the principal Parts of the Body, and so the Party dies in a most Miserable manner. And hence it was, that he that was never so slightly touch'd, was as much tormented, as he that had the greatest Wounds. After all that were thus wounded were dead, the King griev'd for none so much, as he did for the Misfortune of Ptolemy (who Reign'd afterwards) and whom at that time he dearly lov'd. There happen'd at this time something extraordinary remarkable in reference to Ptolemy, which some ascribe to the special Providence of God. He was a Man that was belov'd of all, both for his Valour and his wonderful obliging Carriage to every one, and therefore met with a Cureworthy his kind and gracious Disposition. The King dreamt
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.