Page 685 they had plenty of Provision) and by protracting of Time, they hop'd to starve the Enemy, and so be Masters of their Camp without fighting.
Agathocles therefore not being able to draw the Enemy forth to a Battel in the open Field, and being necessitated by his present Circumstances to attempt something, and enter upon some desperate Action, marches up with his whole Army close to the Enemy's Camp: Thereupon the Carthaginians make out against him; and though they had the advantage of Ground, and far exceeded him in number of Men, yet Agathocles (prest hard on every side) for some time resolutely bore up against them: But his Mercenaries and some others at length giving Ground, he was forc'd to retreat to his Camp. The Barbarians pursu'd them close; but to gain the Good-will and Favour of the Africans, they past by them without doing any execution: But the Greeks (whom they knew by their Arms) they kill'd all along till they had driven the rest into their Camp. There were slain of Agathocles his Men at that time Three thousand.
The next night a sudden and unexpected Disaster fell upon both the Armies: For the Carthaginians, when they were sacrificing the most eminent and considerable Persons among their Prisoners, in Gratitude to their Gods for the Victory they had gain'd, the Flame rising high that enwrapt the Bodies of the sacrific'd Captives, a fierce Wind on a sudden carry'd the Flame to the Sacred Tabernacle near the Altar, where it catch'd and burnt it down to the Ground; thence it proceeded to the General's Pavilion, and the Officers Tents next adjoining: Upon which arose a mighty Consternation, and Astonishment fill'd the whole Camp, while some endeavouring to quench the Fire, others striving to carry away Arms and rich Furniture, were consumed by the Flames. The Tents were made of Reeds and Straw; and therefore the Fire (through the height of the Wind) rag'd the more; so that that by its quickness, it prevented all help and assistance that the Soldiers could any ways contribute. The whole Camp being presently in a Flame, many in strait and narrow Passes were intercepted by the Fire, and burnt to death. And thus they presently paid for their Cruelty to the Captives, suffering the like Punishment as a Retaliation of their Impiety. And others who tumultuously with woful Cries got out of the Camp, were pursu'd with another and greater Misfortune: For those Africans that were in Agathocles his Army, to the number of Five thousand, deserted the Grecians, and were flying to the Barbarians. When those that went out to scout, saw those Deserters make towards the Carthaginians Camp, thinking the whole Grecian Army were at hand ready to fall upon them, they forthwith gave Intelligence to their own Party, that the Enemy's whole Army approach'd: Which being nois'd abroad, Confusion and Dread of the Enemy's being just in the midst of them, ran through the whole Camp: Whereupon every one plac'd his own Safety in the Swiftness of his Heels; and in regard no Word of Command was given by any of the Officers, nor any Order kept among the Soldiers, the Run-aways fell down one upon another; and some of them through the Darkness of the Night, and others out of excess of Fear, fell a fighting with their own Men, not knowing who they were. The Mistake still continuing and encreasing, a great Slaughter was made; and some were kill'd hand to hand, and others running away with the loss of their Arms, in the height of a surprizing Fear, in their hast, fell down steep and craggy Rocks, and were broken in pieces; about Five thousand of them being destroy'd, the rest at length got to Carthage. The Citizens within the Town (deceiv'd by the Report of their own Men,) believ'd they were routed, and that the greatest part of the Army was cut off; in this fright they open'd the Gates, and receiv'd them with great Terror and Amazement into the Town, fearing lest the Enemy should likewise break in at the Heels of them. And though when it was full Day, they came to understand the Truth of the matter, yet they could scarce allay the Fears they had been in, as if the Evils were still even at their Doors.
About the same time, (through a vain Fear and foolish Imagination) Agathocles fell into a Misfortune something of the same kind For the African Deserters, after the burning of the Carthaginian Camp, and the Hurly-burly and Uproar that follow'd thereupon, durst not march forward, but made their way back to the place from whence they came; whom some of the Greeks espying to make towards them, they took them to be the Carthaginian Army, and thereupon gave Intelligence to Agathocles, that the Enemy was near at hand. Upon which, by the King's Order, they cry'd out, Arms! Arms! and forthwith the Soldiers came pouring out in great Tumult and Confusion out of the Camp: And besides all this, when they saw the Flame in the Enemy's Camp to mount up into the Air, and heard the Shouts and Cries of the Carthaginians, they were the more confirm'd in their Opinion, that the Barbarians were making towards them with their whole Army.
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.