Page 674 that he himself would be content with Sicily, where being freed from all fear of future dangers and troubles from the Carthaginians he should be able with ease and safety to reduce the whole Island to his Obedience. And if he should have a desire to inlarge his Dominion, he said that Italy was near at hand, where he might gratifie his Ambition in that respect. That Africa was far from him, separated by a large Sea, and that he came not into it of choice, but was driven thither of necessity. This therefore coming in the way so heightned him in his former hopes that he readily hearkn'd to him, and sent his Agent to Athens to pray their Aid and Association in this War. For he had marri'd from thence Eurydice the Daughter of Miltiades, who was General of the Conquerors at the Battle of Marathon; and therefore upon the account of this Marriage, and other acts of kindness he was receiv'd into the Franchises of the City; many of the Athenians readily hearkned to this motion, and not a few likewise of the other Grecians willingly join'd in this Expedition, hoping thereby to have the sharing of the richest parts of all Africa with all the wealth of Carthage amongst themselves: For the State of Affairs of Greece by season of the continual Wars, and Quarrels of the Princes among themselves was but in a very weak and low condition, therefore they concluded they should not only reap much advantage, but be freed likewise from those pressing evils which at that time lay heavy upon them.
Ophellas at length (when he had made plentiful provision of all things necessary for the Expedition in hand) led forth his Army, having with him above Ten thousand Foot, and Six hundred Horse, and a Hundred Chariots, and above Three hundred Men-drivers and Soldiers to manage them, besides Extraordinaries and followers of the Camp to the number o • Ten thousand more; many of which drew their Wives and Children with their stuff and Baggage along with them, so that they looked like to a Colony going to be planted. Having therefore march'd Eighteen days journey, and in them gone Three thousand Furlongs, they came to a City call'd Automolus, and there Encamp'd; thence marching forward, they came to a mountain shelving down on both sides with steep and sharp Rocks, having a deep Valley in the midst, out of which rose a soft stone spiring up like unto a sharp Rock, at the Foot of which was a wide Cave overshadow'd with Ivy and Leaves of the Yew tree, in which is reported, Queen Lamia, a Lady of admirable Beauty formerly dwelt; but for her Cruelty, they say her face was afterwards transform'd into the shape of a Beast; for it's reported that being bereav'd of all her Children, she took it so grievously, that she envy'd all other women that had Children, and commanded the poor Infants to be pluck't out of their mothers Arms, and forthwith murther'd. And therefore even to this day the Tale of this woman is fresh among Children, and with the Name of Lamia they are presently put into a very great fright. Moreover, being given much to Drunkeness, she let every one do what they pleas'd, without any inquiry after men's manners; and because she never seriously minded what was done in her Province, it was believ'd that she was blind. And therefore there's a Fable told by some that she put her Eyes into a little purse, excusing her drunken Sottishness by such an invented Tale, as if that was the reason she saw nothing. That she was in Africa one brings in Euripides for a witness, for so he says
But Ophellas removing again. Travel'd with great toil and labour through a dry and thirsty Country full of wild Beasts; for they did not only want Water, but Bread and other Provision, so that the whole Army was in danger to perish. These Sandy Deserts near the Syrtes were pester'd with noisom Serpents and all sorts of hurtful beasts, and it being for the most part deadly to be bitten by these venomous creatures, many were brought into a sad condition; out of the reach both of friends help, and remedy from Medicines. For some of the Serpents were of the same colour with the Earth, so that none could see them before they were hurt, so that many treading upon them were stung to death. At last after two months miserable travel with much ado they carne to Agathocles his Camp, where they pitcht their Camps at a small distance one from another; on the other hand the Carthaginians hearing that they were come up to him, were in a great Consternation, seeing the great forces that were making against them.
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.