Page 696 of the Seamen, he plain'd and laid even all the way along which the Engines were to be brought up, to the space of Four Furlongs, so that the breadth of the Work fac'd as much of the City-Wall as consisted of Six Divisions between the Turrets, and of Seven of the Turrets themselves The multitude of Artificers and Workmen that were got together, were no less than Thirty thousand Men. Every thing therefore (through multitude of hands) being perfected and compleated sooner than could be imagin'd, Demetrius became a Terror to the Rhodians; for not only the greatness of the Engines, and the multitude of Men, but the Valour and Diligence of the King in carrying on of Sieges amaz'd them: for he was extraordinary ingenious in invention, and contriv'd many things beyond all the Art and Industry of the Artificers; whence he got the Name of Poliorches: for he was so fierce and violent in his Assaults, that no Wall seem'd to be so strong as to be a sufficient Defence to the Besieg'd against him. And besides, he was so Tall and Beautiful, that he look'd like a Demy God; insomuch as those who came to him but as Guests and Strangers, and saw his Gracely Meen cloath'd with Royal Majesty, they were struck with Admiration, and would often attend upon him in his Expeditions, meerly to have the satisfaction in looking at him. Moreover, he was of an high and noble Spirit, that scorn'd not only to stoop to the common sort, but even to Princes themselves. And that which was most strange and peculiar only to himself was, in times of Peace he was given to Drukenness and Banqueting, to Dancing and Rioting; and would imitate even the Manners of Bacchus himself, such (as is fabulously reported) he us'd to practise when he was upon Earth: But in times of War he was very active and serious, insomuch as he went beyond all the rest, both as to his Head and Hand, when any thing was to be done. For in his time, and by his contrivance, were made the greatest Darts, and such sort of Engines as far exceeded all other Nations in the World: And after this Siege and his Father's Death, he launch'd forth the greatest Ships that ever were before seen. In the mean time the Rhodians perceiving how the Enemy's Works went on, built another Wall within, answerable to that which was now presently to be Assaulted; and to this purpose they us'd the Stones that Wall'd in the Theater, and pull'd down some neighbouring Houses, and some Temples for the same purpose, vowing to the Gods to build larger and fairer, if the City were preserv'd. They sent out likewise Nine Ships, and commanded the Captains that infesting every part, and surprizing what Ships they could, they should sink some of those they took, and bring in others into the City Harbour. These Captains divided their Squadron into three parts; Damophilus with the Ships which the Rhodians call'd Phalacidae sail'd to Carpathus, were surprizing many of Demetrius's Fleet, he sunk some, and burnt others that were drawn up upon the Shoar, making choice of such Prisoners as might be most useful and serviceable; and many Ships that were carrying Corn and other Fruits out of the Island, he brought away with him into his own Country.
Menedemus who commanded three small Gallies betwixt two and three Tire of Oars, made for Patara and Lycia, and there found a Ship at Anchor, and burnt her; all her Men being before gone off to Land: He took likewise many of the Enemies Transport Ships which carry'd Provisions to their Camp, and sent them to Rhodes: He took also a Ship of Four Tire of Oars coming out of Cilicia, which carry'd a Royal Robe, and other rich Furniture which Phila Demetrius his Wife had curiously wrought, and had sent as a Present to her Husband. He order'd the Garments to be convey'd into Egypt, for they were Purple Robes fit for none to wear but Kings; but the Ship he took away with him, and sold all the Seamen he had taken both out of the Galley of four Tire of Oars, and other Vessels. Amyntas who commanded the other Ships sailed to the Islands, and falling in with some of the Enemy, that were conveying away something of use for the Engines, he sunk some of the Ships, and brought in others to the City; in which were taken Eleven famous Artificers, most expert Artists in making of Darts and Engines.
After this was call'd a General Assembly, wherein it was propos'd that the Statues of Antigonus and Demetrius should be pull'd down; affirming, that it was a thing intolerable that Enemies and Besiegers of the City should have the same Honours as those that were Friends and Benefactors: But the People were much incens'd at this motion, and and check'd them that propos'd it as those that did ill: and would not suffer any thing in diminution to the Honour of Antigonus, thereby, wisely consulting both their own Reputation and Advantage: For this greatness of Mind, and soundness of Judgment in a Democratical Government redounded amongst all to the praise of the Besieged, and softned and melted the Spirits of the Besiegers: For they that had set at liberty the Greek Cities, who had testify'd nothing of their good Will towards them as their Benefactors, now seem'd to go about to enslave that City, who had given a clear and evident Demonstration of the firmness and constancy of their Gratitude. This Resolution likewise might reasonably
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.