Page 589 thing for the most part that he undertook, while many that lov'd the Man chearfully expos'd themselves to undergo all Hazards for his sake. But Perdiccas, to repair his Losses, call'd together the Commanders, and having regain'd some by Gifts, and others by large Promises, and all by smooth Words, he hearten'd himself so as to bear up against the Hazards and Difficulties that were coming apace upon him. And when he had order'd them all to be ready for a March, about Evening he mov'd from thence with his whole Army. Not acquainting any whither he would lead them, he march'd all Night with a swift March, and at length encamp'd upon the Banks of the Nile, not far from a Castle call'd the Camel's Wall.
When it was Day he pass'd his Army over, the Elephants leading the Way, and next to them the Targateers, with those that carry'd the Sealing Ladders, and other things he had occasion to use in a Siege: His best Horse at length brought up the Rear, with whom he intended to attack the Ptolemeans, if it happen'd that they appear'd. In the middle of their March Ptolemy's Horse shew'd themselves, making forward in a swift Career for the Defence of the Town; who though they hasted away to enter the Fort, and by sounding of Trumpets and shouts of Men gave sufficient notice to all of their Approach, yet Perdiccas was not at all amus'd, but boldly led up his Army close to the Fort; and forthwith the Targateers with their Ladders mounted the Wall; and those that rid the Elephants threw down the Fortifications, and demolish'd the Bulwarks. Whereupon Ptolemy, with those of his own Guard about him, to encourage the rest of his Officers and Friends manfully to behave themselves, catch'd hold of a Sarissa and mounted the Bulwark, and so being on the higher Ground, struck out the Eyes of the foremost Elephant, and wounded the Indian that sate upon him. And as for those that seal'd the Walls. he hurl'd them down shamefully cut and wounded (together with their Arms) into the River. After his Example Ptolemy's Friends valiantly bestirr'd themselves, and by killing the Indian that govern'd the next Elephant, the Beast became unserviceable. The Assault continuing long, Perdiccas his Soldiers assaulted the Wall by turns, striving with all the Vigour imaginable to gain the Fort by Storm. On the other hand Ptolemy calling to his Friends now to approve their Faithfulness and Loyalty to him by their Courage, fought like a Hero, and gave an Example of Valour to all the rest. In this sharp Dispute, many fell on both Sides. The Ptolemeans had the advantage in the Height of the Place, and the Perdicceans in Greatness of their Number, which far exceeded the other. At length the whole Day being spent in the Assault, Perdiccas rais'd his Siege, and march'd back to his Camp, and in the Night decamp'd, and with a quiet and silent March came into a part of the Country over-against Memphis, where Nile (dividing it self into two Parts) made an Island sufficient to receive and encamp the greatest Army. Into this Place therefore he pass'd over part of his Army, though the Passage was very difficult through the depth of the River; for the Water reaching up to the Chin, the Soldiers could not stand upon their Legs, and were likewise cumber'd with their Arms. Perdicca, therefore discerning the Unruliness of the River, plac'd the Elephants on the Left, to break the force of the Stream. The Horse went on the Right, by whose Help he took up them that were hurry'd down by the Current, and set them safe on the Shoar on the other side. But there happen'd in this Passage that which was strange and unusual: For when the first were gotten over, those that follow'd were in very great Hazard. For the River rose on a sudden, without any apparent Cause, and swept away whole Sholes of Bodies at a time, which put all into a Consternation. The Cause of this Inundation could not be found out, though it was enquir'd into. Some imputed it to a Dyke or Sluce in the higher Grounds, whose Banks might be broken down, and so all its Water ran into Nile, by which means the Ford was so much the higher. Others conceiv'd it was great Rains that fell in the Lands above that increas'd the Waters of the River. But it was neither of these. But the true Cause why the Passage at first was without danger, was because the Sand then was firm and unmov'd; but afterwards when by the treading of the Horses and Elephants, and the Passage of the Army, the Sand was stirr'd and carry'd away by the Force of the River, the Ford by this means was, as it were, dug into, and made into Holes, and so the Passage was deeper in the middle of the River. Perdiccas therefore not being able to pass the rest of his Army over, fell into a great strait, being those that were got to the other side were very unequal to the force of the Enemy, and those on this side the River were not able to succour them. Hereupon he commanded all those that were landed in the Island, to return. The Army thus forc'd to repass the River, those that could swim, and were strong-bodied Men, with great difficulty recover'd the other side of the Nile; but most of them lost their Arms. The rest who were not so skilful, some of them were drown'd, and others were carry'd down the Stream, and
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.