Page 669 About this time Amilcar, General of the Forces in Sicily, having reduc'd the rest of that Island, marches with his Army to Syracuse, as if he would presently gain that City by force of Arms; and to that end hindred all Provision from the Town, having been a long time Master at Sea; and having wasted and destroy'd all the Corn, and other Fruits of the Field, attempted to possess himself of all the Places about Olympias lying before the Town. Then he resolv'd forthwith to assault the Walls, being incourag'd thereunto by the Augur, who by viewing of the Intrals of the Sacrifice, foretold that he should certainly sup the next day in Syracuse. But the Townsmen smelling out the Enemies Design, sent out in the night Three thousand Foot, and about Four hundred Horse, with Orders to possess themselves of Euryclus, who presently effected what they were commanded to do. The Carthaginians thinking to surprize the Enemy, fell on about midnight. Amilcar commanded the whole Body, and led them up, having always a strong Party near to support him. Dinocrates, Master of the Horse, follow'd him. The Army was divided into two Battalions, one of Barbarians, and the other of Grecian Confederates. A Rabble likewise of divers other Nations follow'd, to get what Plunder they could; which sort of People, as they are of no use in an Army, so they are many times the cause of sudden Alarms, and vain and needless Fears, which often occasions great Mischief and Prejudice. And at that time the Passes being strait and rough, the Drivers of the Carriages, and other Servants and Attendants of the Army that were not of any form'd Companies, quarrell'd one with another for the Way, and not being able to move forward by reason of the Throng, some fell to down-right Blows; so that many on each side coming in to help their several Parties, a great Tumult, Noise and Clamour, ran through the whole Army. Upon which, the Syracusians, who were posted at Euryclus, understanding the approach of the Barbarians by their tumultuous March, and having the higher Ground, fell in upon the Enemy. Some from the high Places where they were posted, gall'd them as they came on with their Darts and Arrows, and some prevented them by gaining the necessary Passes, and so block'd up their Way. Others drave those that fled Headlong down the Rocks; for by reason of the Darkness of the Night, and want of Intelligence, they thought the Enemy was coming upon them with a mighty Army; so that the Carthaginians. by reason of the Disturbance and Tumult amongst their own Men, their Ignorance of the Ways, and straitness of the Passages, were at a stand, and confounded, and at last fled outright: And because there was no room to give way, great numbers of them were trodden under Foot by their own Horse; and part of the Army fought one with another, as if they had been Enemies, led into the Error by the Darkness of the Night. Amilcar indeed at the first receiv'd the Enemy's Charge with great Resolution, and call'd out to the Colonels and Commanders to stand to it, and valiantly bear the Brunt with the rest. But afterwards being deserted by his Soldiers, through the Consternation that was amongst them, (having much ado to save his Life) he fell into the hands of the Syracusians.
Here a Man may justly observe the Inconstancy of Fortune, and the surprizing Events Men are overtaken with, contrary to what they expected. For Agathocles not inferiour to any for Valour, and who had the Command of a great Army in the Battel at Himera, was not only beaten by the Barbarians, but lost the best and greatest part of his Army. But those that were left, and penn'd up within the Walls of Syracuse, with a small handful of Men, that had been before beaten, not only routed the Army of the Carthaginians, by whom they were besieg'd, but took Amilcar the General, one of the noblest of the Citizens of Carthage, Prisoner: And that most to be admir'd is, that a small Body of Men by an Ambuscado, and the Advantage of the Place, should utterly rout an Army of an Hundred and twenty thousand Foot, and Five thousand Horse. So that it's very true what's in every Body's Mouth, Many things are vain and to no purpose inWar.
After this Flight, the Carthaginians scatter'd and dispers'd far one from another, scarce got together the next day. But the Syracusians returning to the City with much Spoil, deliver'd Amilcar to them that were resolv'd to revenge themselves of him: They remembred what was foretold by the Augur, That he should Sup in Syracuse the next day; the Truth of which, the Deity now confirm'd by the Event. The Kindred therefore of them that were slain, led Amilcar bound through all Parts of the City, and after they had most horridly tormented him, kill'd him with the greatest Scorn and Contempt imaginable. Then the principal Men of the City sent his Head to Agathocles, with an Express to give him an Account of the late Victory.
But the Army of the Carthaginians after their Defeat, though they came to understand what was the Cause of such great Calamities and Misfortunes, yet were scarce after all
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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.