Page 592 perceiving his Men to run away from him to Antigonus, he possess'd himself of a strong Fort call'd Nora. It was indeed very small, not above Two Furlongs in compass, but in Strength impregnable. For the Houses were built upon a very high Rock, and it was wonderfully fortisy'd both by Nature and Art. Besides, there was there laid up great store of Corn, Fuel, and other Things of that kind, so that all that fled for shelter thither, might be abundantly supply'd with all Things necessary for many Years together. Those that were his fast Friends, accompany'd him in his Flight, and resolv'd at the last and utmost Extremity to die with him. They were in Number, both Horse and Foot, about Six hundred.
Antigonus being now strengthen'd with the Forces of Eumenes, and the Revenues of his Provinces, and having gotten together a great Mass of Treasure, began to aspire to Matters of higher Concern; for none of the Asian Commanders were as yet so Potent, as to dare to contend with him for the Sovereign Command. For the present, indeed he bore a fair outside towards Antipater, but secretly had resolv'd, that when he had firmly settl'd his Affairs, he would neither regard him nor the Kings. And in the first place, he block'd up them in the Fort with a double Wall, and with deep Trenches and Works of Earth of a wonderful height. Then he enter'd into Parley with Eumenes, willing him to renew their ancient Friendship, and endeavour'd to perswade him to join with him as an Associate in all his Affairs. But Eumenes foreseeing a change of Fortune at hand, insisted upon Terms, and that degree of Favour that seem'd very unequal and unfit to be granted to one in his present Circumstances: For he requir'd, as of Right, to be restor'd to all his Provinces, and to be fully acquitted and discharged of all pretended Offences whatsoever. Antigonus promis'd to acquaint Antipater with his Demands, and leaving sufficient Strength for continuing the Siege, he march'd against the Generals, (that were moving towards him with all their Forces,) viz. Alcetas the Brother of Perdiccas, and Attalus the Admiral of the Fleet. Some time after, Eumenes sent Ambassadors to Antipater to treat upon Terms of Peace, (amongst whom was Hieronymus a Colonel, who wrote the History of the Successors.) In the mean time he himself having experienc'd many Changes and Turns of Fortune, was not at all discourag'd, knowing very well what quick and sudden Alterations had happen'd on both Sides. For he saw that the Macedonian Kings were but only vain and insignificant Shadows of Princes, and those many valiant Commanders that were with them, so manag'd their Commands one after another, as to seek only the Advancement of their own private Interests. Therefore he hop'd, (as the Truth fell out afterwards to be,) that many would desire his Help and Assistance, both upon the account of his Skill im Martial Affairs, as of his Constancy and Faithfulness.
But when he saw that the Horse could not be Exercis'd in a Place so strait and craggy, and so were unserviceable for Horse-Engagements, he ingeniously found out a new and unusual way for the Exercise of them: For he ty'd up their Heads by Chains to a Post or strong Stake, and drew them up so high, as that they should stand upon their hinder Feet, and but just touch the Ground with the Ends of their fore Feet. Whereupon the Horse presently striving to get his fore Feet to the Ground, did so curvet and caper, that Legs, Thighs, and every Member was in action, and by this Motion the Horse was all on a Foam; and thus they were all Exercis'd to the highest degree. He himself fed of the meanest Food with the rest of the Soldiers, and by this eating with them in common, not only gain'd to himself the Love of all his Fellow-Soldiers, but caus'd them to be at perfect Peace and Concord one with another. In the mean time Ptolemy in Aegypt (Perdiccas with all the King's Army being broken in pieces) enjoy'd that Country as a Conqueror: And casting his Eye upon Phoenicia and Celo-Syria, (as lying very commodiously to Aegypt,) he us'd his utmost Endeavour to possess himself of the Cities of those Countries. To that end he created Nicanor, one of his Friends, General, and sent him into those Parts with a considerable Army, who coming into Syria, took Laomedon, the Governor of that Province, Prisoner, and brought all Syria under his own Power. He gain'd also all the Cities of Phoenicia, and put Garisons into them, and having in a short time finish'd a troublesom Expedition, return'd into Aegypt.
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.