Page 690 was reduc'd to most miserable Streights, and to that degree of fear of those Mischiefs that hung over his Head, as that he was altogether hopeless of retaining his Principality, and was upon the very Point of mounting his Horse, and • lying away from Syracuse; Heloris, one of the ancientest of his Noblemen (to put a stop to his Carreer) said to him, The Sepulchre of a King is honourable. And the like to this is what his Father-in-Law, Megacles, said to him, that He who is depriv'd of a Kingdom, should part with it so, as if forc'd from between his very Thighs, and not as one making a voluntary Abdication. By which serious admonitions, Dionysius was so encourag'd, that he went through all courageously, though they seem'd never so terrible; and afterwards mightily enlarg'd his Dominion; and continu'd in this height of Prosperity till he was old, leaving the greatest Principality in Europe to his Children.
But Agathocles not in the least incourag'd by any of these Considerations, nor considering the vanity of Humane Confidence and Expectations by what he had learnt by his own Experience, set to Sale so great a Principality for a trifle: But yet the Proposals took no effect; for though Agathocles would willingly have had them confirm'd, yet the Ambition of Dinocrates rejected them; for he affected an absolute Monarchy, and therefore hated the Syracusian Democracy, and was better pleas'd with the Command (as General of the Army) which he then enjoy'd: For he had at that time under his Command above Twenty thousand Foot, and Three thousand Horse, and many of the largest and chiefest Cities; so, that though he was call'd only General of the Exiles, yet in truth he had the Majesty and Authority of a King; the chief and absolute Power of every thing being in his hands; for if he return'd to Syracuse, he concluded he must of necessity be no more than a private Man, and be reputed but one of the many (for Liberty loves Equality) and subject to be undermin'd and degraded by the suffrage of every Demagogue in the publick Assemblies; for the common People are ever Enemies to those that are rising Men, and speak their Minds most freely. And therefore a Man may justly say, that Agathocles voluntarily Lower'd his Sails; and that Dinocrates was the only cause of what ever Good was done by this Prince at any time afterwards. For Agathecles often sent Agents to him to Sollicite and Treat about the Conditions of Peace, still insisting upon having the Two Castles for his Subsistence, and he as often contriv'd some specious pretence or another, to dash and break all in pieces; sometimes requiring that he should depart wholly out of Sicily, and at others, that he should give up his Children as Hostages.
Agathocles therefore smelling out his Design, sent Agents to the Exiles to accuse Dinocrates of the Project he was carrying on, to obstruct the Restitution of their ancient Liberties. He sent likewise an Ambassador to the Carthaginians, and made Peace with them upon the following Conditions, viz. That all the Cities the Carthaginians formerly enjoy'd, should be forthwith surrender'd to them: For which he receiv'd of the Carthaginians Three hundred Talents of Gold, according to the Account and Value of Silver: But as Timaeus says, a Hundred and Fifty Talents, and Two hundred Thousand Medimnas of Wheat. Thus stood the Affairs of Sicily at that time.
In Italy the Samnites took Sora and Atia, (two Confederate Cities of the Romans) by Storm, and sold all the Captives for Slaves: Upon which, the Consuls broke in with mighty Forces into Japygia, and sate down before the City Sylvia, a Garison of the Samnites, which the Romans took by Assault after a few days Siege, and carry'd away above Five thousand Prisoners, and abundance of rich Spoil and Booty. Then they harrass'd the Country of the Samnites, cutting down all the Trees, and making havock and spoil where-ever they came. For Rome having for many years been in contest with this Nation for the supream Command, hop'd at length, that the Enemy being strip'd out of all they had all over the Country, would be forc • d to sloop to the Stronger; and to that end they continu'd Spoiling and Wasting the Country Five Months together, within which time they burnt down to the Ground almost all the Towns, and rooted up every Plant and Tree, and whatever other thing that might yield any Fruit for Daily Food. After this the Aeginetes proclaim'd War for the Injuries done them, and took Fr 〈…〉 by Assault, and Sold the Territories belonging to it.
After the End of this Year, Xenippus Govern'd at Athens, and Lucius Posthumius, and Tiberius Minucius, bore the Office of Consuls at Rome. About this time the Rhedians were at War with Antigonus upon the accounts following. The City of Rhodes was very strong in Shipping, and the best Govern'd of any City among the Greeks, and therefore all the Kings and Petty Princes strove which should gain the greatest Interest in the Citizens, every one endeavouring to have her for their Confederate. But foreseeing afar off, what would be most for her Advantage, she secretly made Peace with all, but would not meddle
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.