Page 698 ran all in a Body together to defend them. The Night being very dark, no Moon appearing, Firebrands flying about with great violence, gave Light to the Night; and Darts and Stones from the Catapults and Ballistas (not discern'd when they were shot) wounded and gall'd many of the Combatants, who could not see how to avoid them. And now at this very time some of the Iron Plates fell off from the great Engine, and the Firebrands had the good Fortune to fall upon that part that was bare: Upon which Demetrius was in a great Fright lest the Engine should be totally consum'd as the Fire encreas'd; and therefore endeavour'd to prevent it with all the speed possible, and to quench the raging Flame by the Water before prepar'd, and ready in the Apartments of the Engine for such Accidents. At length he call'd together by sound of Trumpet those that were to move the Engines, and by their Help, brought them off out of the reach of the Darts. When it was day, he order'd the Boys and Pages in the Army to gather all the Darts and Arrows shot by the Rhodians; because he had a desire by numbering of these, to make a Conjecture how the Citizens were furnish'd and provided. These Boys performing what they were commanded, there were in number of Fire-brands and other Vehicles for Fire of several sizes, above Eight Hundred, of Darts no fewer than Fifteen hundred This vast number of Darts, Arrows, Firebrands, and Balls, shot in in so little a portion of the Night, caus'd him to admire the Store and Provision of the City in their Ammunition; and likewise their great Charge and Expence in providing them. Then he set about repairing of his Engines, burying the Dead, and curing those that were Wounded: During which time, the Citizens (having a Respite from the Assaults and Batteries of the Engines) built a third Wall in the shape of an Half-Moon, which compass'd in all that part of the Wall that lay most open and obnoxious to the Enemies Batteries: And besides this, they drew a deep Trench round that part of the Wall which was ready to fall, that the King might not enter on a sudden at the first Push. They sent out likewise some Ships (that were swift Sailers) under the Command of Amyntas; who made over to the Continent in Asia, and there set upon some Privateers that were Commission'd by Demetrius: They had three open Vessels, and were reputed the stoutest Men the King had in his Fleet. After a short Fight, the Rhodians took both the Ships and Men together, among whom were Timocles, the chief of the Pirates: They fell likewise upon some Merchant Ships, and took some light Vessels loaden with Corn, and with these and the Pirates open Vessels they secretly pass'd by the Enemy, and got into Rhodes.
Demetrius having repair'd his Machines, brings them up again to the Walls, and with showers of Darts and Arrows forc'd the Besieg'd off from the Bulwarks, and battering the Place adjoining with his Rams, beat down two Spaces between the Towers. In the heat of this Action the Besieg'd with all their Might defended the middle Tower, and were continually press'd upon with strong Parties of fresh Men one after another, so that Aminias their chief Commander (couragiously behaving himself) was there slain, with many other of the common Soldiers.
While these Things were doing, King Ptolemy sent to the Rhodians as much Corn and other Provision as he had done before; and Fifteen Hundred Soldiers besides, under the Command of Antigonus a Macedonian. About the same time there came to Demetrius above Fifty Ambassadors from Athens, and other Cities of Greece, all solliciting the King to compose Matters, and strike up a Peace with the Rhodians: Whereupon there was a Cessation of Arms, and many Harangues were now made to the People, and then again to Demetrius, but they could not agree upon any Terms; and therefore the Ambassadors went away without effecting any thing.
Demetrius afterwards was contriving to make an Attack upon the City in the Night, at that part of the Wall that was fallen down; to this end he pick'd out the best of his Soldiers, and some others fit for the Purpose, in all to the number of Fifteen Hundred, whom he commanded to approach the Walls secretly about the second Watch. He himself stood ready with the rest of the Army, and gave Orders to the Officers of every Regiment, upon a Signal given to set up a Shout, and forthwith to make an Assault upon the City both by Sea and Land; who all executed his Commands accordingly; and presently one Party made to the Ruines, and killing the Watch at the Trench, broke into the City, and possess'd themselves of all the Places round the Theatre. The Rhodians seeing all the City in an Uproar upon the knowledge of what had happen'd, commanded them that guarded the Port and the Walls, every one to keep their several Posts, and endeavour to beat off the Enemy that attempted to enter. They in the Town with the stoutest of the Citizens, and those Soldiers then lately come from Alexandria, set upon them that were broke in within the Walls: But as soon as it was Day, Demetrius lifted up
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.