Page 691 with any of the Wars wherein the Princes were ingag'd one against another; so that she was courted and richly presented by every one of them, and grew exceeding rich by the injoyment of a long Peace. For she became so potent, that in the Pyrattick War. undertaken for the Common good of all Greece, she scowr'd the Seas and freed them from Pyrats at her own charge.
Alexander the most potent Prince of any that is recorded, honour'd this City above all others; for there he laid up his last Will concerning the disposal of his whole Kingdom, and honouring her in other respects, advanc'd her to the state of a Royal City. The Rhodians thus in amity with all the Princes, kept themselves (with all the Art they could) from giving any just offence by outward appearance; though in their hearts they most favour'd Ptolemy: for they were most inricht by the Merchants which traded thence into Aegypt; and the whole City was maintain'd and supported by the Wealth of that Kingdom: which being understood by Antigonus, he did all he could to draw them off from siding with Ptolemy: And therefore at first when he was ingag'd in a War against Ptolemy for the Island of Cyprus, he sent Ambassadors thither to sollicit them them to send Aid and shipping to Demetrius; which they denying, he commanded one his Admirals to sail away with his Fleet against them, and intercept and rifle all the Ships that made out of the Port at Rhodes for Aegypt. But the Rhodians beating the Admiral, he charg'd them to be the Aggressors and beginners of an unjust War, and threatn'd to besiege their City with the strength of his whole Army: upon which the Rhodians decreed him great Honours; and sent Ambassadors to him to intreat him that he would not force them to ingage in a War against Ptolemy, contrary to the League they had made with him: But the King hereat growing more inrag'd, sent Demetrius with the Army and all manner of Engines, for a Siege against them, who were thereupon so terrifi'd with the mighty power of the King, that at first they signifi'd to Demetrius by their Ambassadors that they would assist Antigonus against Ptolemy: But afterwards when he requir'd a Hundred of the Nobility for Hostages, and that his Fleet might be admitted into the Harbour; they concluded that he design'd to surprize the City, and therefore they prepar'd for War.
Demetrius on the other hand Rendesvouz'd all his Fleet in the Port at Elorymna, and put all in readiness for an Expedition to Rhodes. He had with him Two hundred Men of War of several dimensions; a Hundred and seventy Ships of burthen, in which were carri'd about Forty thousand Soldiers, together with Horse and Auxiliaries from the Pirats, Besides there were on Board abundance of all sorts of Darts, Arrows, and other Engines, fit for the carrying on of an Assault. And along with all these there follow'd almost a Thousand Vessels, belonging to private Men, full of Wares and Merchandize. And whereas the Country of the Rhodians had been free from all devastations for many years together, a vast multitude of men that had inricht themselves by the losses of others in the War, flockt thither from all places. Demetrius therefore drawing up his Fleet in a line of Battle, as ready prepar'd for a Sea sight, commanded his Men of War (which carri'd Engines upon their Fore Castles to cast Darts and Arrows of three spans long) to sail before: and the Transport Ships and such as had Horses on board, they that row'd in lesser Vessels tow'd after them by Cable Ropes. In the Rear came the Pirats Vessels, and a numerous Company (as is before said) of Merchants Ships loaden with Corn and other Provisions; so that all the Sea between them and the Island and opposite shoar seem'd to be cover'd over with Ships, which struck a great Terror and Amazement into those that had the prospect from the City. For the Rhodian Soldiers who were plac'd upon the Walls there, waited for the Enemies approach: the old Men and Women likewise had a prospect of them from the tops of their Houses; (for the City was in its situation like a Theater) and all being amaz'd and terrifi'd with the greatness of the Fleet, and glittering of the Arms, were in no small perplexity; for all they had in this World was now lying at stake.
Demetrius now at last arriv'd at the Island, and Landed his Men, and then encampt near the City, but not within the Cast of a Dart: which done he forthwith sent out some of the Pirats, and others fit for the purpose to spoil and pillage all before them, both by Sea and Land. He cut down also all the Trees of the Country next adjoining, and raz'd the Towns; and with the Timber and materials from thence he fortifi'd his Camp, drawing round it a treble Trench, and many great and strong Ramparts; so that by the misery and losses of the Enemy he effectually provided for his Armies security. Then by the labour of his whole Army and the Seamen that came along with him, in a few daies he took in with a Rampart of Earth all that part of Ground lying between
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.