Page 730 next Towns with his arm'd Slaves, and those that came readily to join with him, he furnish'd with Arms, and kill'd all that oppos'd him. Having in a short time got together above 700, he divided them into Companies; and then Fortifying and Intrenching himself, he receiv'd all the Slaves that ran away from their Masters. The Rebellion being nois'd at Rome, the Senate (by the help of prudent advice) gave a stop to the mischief, and happily supprest it.
The care and management of the business for the reducing and punishing of the fugitive Slaves was committed to Lucius Lucullus, who was the only General that was then in the City, who rais'd 600 Men in Rome, and with them the same day march'd to Capua, where he listed 4000 Foot, and 400 Horse. When Minutius heard with what speed Lucullus was making towards him, he possess'd himself of a strong Hill, having with him 3500 Men. In the first Engagement the Fugitives by the advantage of the higher Ground got the better, afterwards Lucullus brib'd Apollonius Minutius his General, to betray his Confederates; withall promising him upon the security of the publick Faith, that he should have his pardon. Whereupon he set upon the Work, and seizing of Minutius, he (to avoid the punishment he fear'd for his Rebellion) ran himself through the Body; the rest were all presently cut off except Apellonius: And these were Prologues to that great Defection in Sicily, whose beginning was thus occasion'd: In the expedition of Marius against the Cimbrians, the Senate had given a Commission to raise Men out of the Countries beyond the Seas; to which end Marius sent Ambassadors to Nicomedes King of Bithynia to help him with some Men. But he return'd answer that most of the Bithynians were violently taken away for Slaves by the Publicans, and were dispers'd here and there through the Provinces. Upon which the Senate decreed, That no Freeman belonging to any of the Roman Allies should in any Province be forc'd to be Servants or Slaves, and that the Proconsuls should take care to see them all set free. In pursuance of this Order Licinius Nerva then Praetor in Sicily (having first consulted with the Judges) manumitted so many, as that in a few days above 800 were set at Liberty. So that all the Slaves in Sicily were hereby presently incourag'd, and grew high Crested in hopes of liberty. The Magistrates therefore address'd themselves to the Praetor or Proconsul, and desir'd him to forbear making any more free. Hereupon he (whether brib'd or to curry favour) laid aside the former determination of the Judges, and with checks and foul words, sent them that came to him to be made free back to their Masters. Upon this the Servants enter'd into a Conspiracy; and after they came from Syracuse, and were got together at the grove of Palicum, they consulted concerning their intended Rebellion. This boldness of the Slaves began to make a noise in many places of the Island: Amongst others 30 Servants of two rich Brothers in the Countrey of the Anycillians were the first that appear'd for their liberty, whose Leader was one Varius. These in the first place kill'd their Masters, when they were asleep in their Beds. Then away they went to the next Towns, and stirr'd up all the Servants and Slaves there to appear for the gaining of their liberty, of whom came in flocking to them in that one Night, to the number of 120 and upwards. Upon this they possess'd themselves of a place naturally strong of it self, which they endeavour'd to make stronger by art and labour, where 80 more well armed came in to them. Licinius Nerva hastens out against them with a purpose to put a stop to their Ravages, but all his labour was in vain. Seeing therefore that the Place was not to be taken by force, he sought how to gain it by Treachery: For he had private Correspondence with one Caius Titinius sirnam'd Gadaeus, whom he wrought upon to be the Instrument of accomplishing his design, promising him safety and protection. This Man had been condemn'd to dye two Years before, but had made an escape, and had Robb'd and Murther'd many Freemen in that Province, but never in the least injur'd any Servant. Titinius with a great Body of Slaves came to this Fort where the Rebels had posted themselves, as if he design'd to join with them in making War upon the Romans: Who being willingly and kindly receiv'd by them, and for his Valour made their General, he at length betray'd the Fort, upon which some of the Rebels were kill'd in Fight, and the lest out of fear of what they should suffer, if they were taken Prisoners, threw themselves down headlong from the top of the Rock. And in this manner was the first rising of the Slaves supprest.
But the Soldiers were no sooner got to their Quarters, but news was brought that about 80 Slaves had caus'd a Tumult to be rais'd, and had cut the Throat of Publius Cloni¦us a Roman Knight, and that now their number was much increas'd. And to aggravate the matter the Praetor being ill advis'd, had disbanded most of his Army, by reason whereof he was so slow, that he gave time to the Rebels the more to strengthen themselves. However he march'd out against them, with those he then had. As soon as
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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.
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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.