Page 651 But Antigonus having for a time carry'd himself as a Friend towards these Barbarians, now judg'd he had a fair opportunity to set upon them, having brought them, as it were, to his bait. To this end therefore he chose out of all his Army, Four thousand Foot light Arm'd, and the swiftest of Foot he could find, and added to them Four thousand Horse, willing them to take with them as many Days Victuals as they could well carry, and such as needed no Cooking; and assigning Demetrius his Son to Command them, he sent them away about the first Watch of the Night with this Charge, that he should by all means be reveng'd of them. He therefore Travell'd Three Days Journey through the Desert, hastning to fall upon them at unawares. But their Scouts perceiving the first approach of the Enemy towards their Borders, immediately gave notice of their coming to the Country: whereupon they presently got them to their Rock, where there was but one way up, and that made by Art, and there laid all their Baggage, and left a sufficient Guard to keep it; and the rest went and drove away their Cattle, some to one place and some to another in the Desert. Demetrius when he came to the Rock and saw all the Cattle driven away, presently went to Besiege it: but they that were within manfully defending it, by the advantage of the place, had all the day long the better of it; so that Demetrius was forc'd at last to draw off. The next Day when he approach'd again with his Forces to the Rock, one of the Barbarians cry'd out: What would'st thou have, O King, DEMETRIUS? or what has provok'd thee to make War upon us who inhabit the Wilderness, and in places where there's neither Water, Corn nor Wine, nor any thing else which you cannot be without. But as for us, who can upon no terms endure to be Slaves, we betake our Selves to a Country destitute of all things that are of absolute necessity to all other Men; and we chuse to live a solitary Life altogether, like the Beasts of the Field, without doing the least harm to any of you. Therefore we intreat you Demetrius, and your Father, that you injure not us, but that you would accept of some Presents, and march away with the Army from us, and receive the Nabatheans into the number of your Friends for the time to come.
Neither can you possibly stay here many days (though you had never so great a mind to do it) for want of Water and all other necessaries; neither can you ever force us to change our course of Life, tho' perhaps you may take some poor dispirited Pris'ners who will never endure to be brought under the Power of other Laws and Rules of Living
After this was said, Demetrius drew off his Army, and wish'd them to send Ambassadors to him to Treat of these Matters. Hereupon the Arabians sent their oldest Men, who (using the same Arguments with those before related) perswaded Demetrius to accept of such Gifts as were of greatest Esteem and Value among them, and so put an end to the War. Upon Hostages therefore given him, and such Gifts as were agreed upon between them, he drew off from the Rock, and so removing with his Army Three hundred Furlongs off, he encamp'd near to the Lake Asphaltes; the nature of which it's not fit to pass over without giving some account of it.
It lies in the midst of the Province of Edom; and stretches forth in length Five hundred Furlongs: but in breadth it is but Threescore. The Water is very bitter and stinking, so that neither Fish, nor any other thing us'd to the Water can live in it. And though many remarkable Rivers of very sweet Water empty themselves into it, yet it remains as corrupt and unsavory, both as to Tast and Smell as ever it did before. Every Year rises out of the middle of it great massy pieces of Bitumen and Pitch, sometimes bigger then Three Plethras, and sometimes a little less then one. And upon that account the Barbarous Inhabitants call the larger pieces Bulls, and the less Calves. These pieces of Pitch and Brimstone floating upon the Water, seem at a distance to be as so many Islands: There are evident Signs that sorgoe and give notice of the casting up of this Bituminous Matter, at least Twenty Days before. For a horrid smell of Brimstone and Pitch infects the Air round about the Lake at many Furlongs distance; and all Metals, whether of Gold, Silver or Copper near the place, change their natural Colour, which presently returns again as soon as the Brimstone is exhal'd. The places bordering upon it are so burning hot (by reason of the Sulphur and Brimstone under ground) and cast forth such an horrible stench, that the Inhabitants are very unhealthy, and short liv'd: yet the Country thereabouts being water'd with many pleasant Rivers and refreshing Springs, bears abundance of Palm-Trees; and in a certain Vale near to this place grows that they call Balm, from which they raise a great Revenue; inasmuch as this Plant grows in no other part of the World beside; and is of excellent use amongst Physitians for the healing and curing of Wounds, and other Distempers. The Inhabitants on both sides this Lake, are so earnest to carry away this Brimstone, that they fight one with nother; and they bring it off in a strange manner without Shipping. For they cast
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.