Page 650 may serve them for Three Days, lest while they are in their flight in dry and parch'd places, they should be ever and anon put to a stop by the continual watering of their Cattle.
Their Food is Flesh, Milk and Roots. For Drink they have abundance of wild Honey, and a kind of Pepper growing upon some Trees, both which they mix together in Water for that purpose.
There are likewise other kinds of Arabians, some of whom imploy themselves in Husbandry, Selling of Corn, with other Provisions, and agree with the Syrians in all other things, except dwelling in Houses. And such were then the Customs of these Arabians.
Near at hand there was a Publick Meeting of these Arabians, whither all bordering Nations us'd to come, as to a common Mart to sell off to them their Commodities, and to buy from them the Merchandize of their Country. To this Mart the Nabatheans now went, leaving their Wealth and Old Men with their Wives and Children upon the top of a Rock. The place was very strong, but Un-Wall'd, and distant Two Days Journey from the Countrey that was inhabited. Atheneus watching his opportunity, march'd speedily to this Rock; and having march'd out of the Province of Edom the space of Two thousand and two hundred Furlongs in Three Days and Three Nights, late at Midnight (the Arabians knowing nothing of his coming) possess'd himself of the Place; of the Soldiers there sound, some he put to the Sword, and others he made Prisoners, and such as were wounded he there left behind him; and carry'd away the greatest part of their Mirrh and Frankincense, with Five hundred Talents of Silver, and staying there * not past Three Hours, for fear of the Countreys coming in upon him, return'd presently again. And now he and his Soldiers having gone Two hundred Furlongs, could go no further for very weariness, and therefore rested there, keeping neither Watch nor Ward, as presuming that the Country People could not reach thither in Two or Three Days after. But the Arabians receiving intelligence by some that saw the Army, presently got together, left the Fair and return'd to the Rock; where being more fully inform'd by the wounded Men, of what was done, they incontinently pursu'd the Greeks with Might and Main. And because Atheneus his Men kept no Watch, and after their long Journey lay weary and fast asleep, some of the Prisoners stole away from them; from whom, when their Country-men (whom they met) had learnt how the Enemies Camp lay, they hasted to the place, and coming upon them at Three of the Clock in the Morning, fell into their Trenches, to the number of Eight Thousand of them, and cut the Throats of some snorting in their Cabins; others that made resistance they slew. To make short, they utterly destroy'd all their Foot, only Fifty of their Horse got away, and they wounded too for the most part. And thus Atheneus, tho' he began well, yet through his own imprudence lost all in the close. And therefore some, not without Cause, are of Opinion, that it's easier to improve Misfortunes to the best advantage, than to carry it with Prudence under extraordinary Successes. For the first through Fear of what further mischief may afterwards follow, puts a Man on to a more exact and careful management of his Concerns; but by prosperous Adventures Men are many times flatter'd into gross negligence and security.
The Nabatheans having thus reveng'd themselves of their Enemies, and recover'd their Goods again, return'd to the Rock; and by a Letter of theirs, written to Antigonus in Syriac Characters, complain'd of Atheneus, and the wrong he had done them, and excus'd themselves. To whom Antigonus wrote back again cunningly, telling them, that Atheneus was well enough serv'd by them; blaming him for what he had done, and assuring them he had given him no such Orders. This he did to cover what he was really designing against them, and to make them the more secure, that thereby he might with more ease effectually accomplish what he was in contriving. For without some Stratagem it was no easie matter to overcome Men that wander'd up and down continually here and there, and had the Wilderness for an inaccessible Shelter and Refuge at the last.
The Arabians upon the receit of the Letter rejoyc'd that they seem'd at present to be free'd from their great fears; but yet they did not wholly rely upon his Letter; But being between Hope and Fear, plac'd Spies upon Watch-Towers and other high places, whence they might easily see afar off, when any Enemy made an incursion into Arabia; and they themselves put all things in readiness, waiting for the issue and event.
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.