Page 763 and freedom from Covetousness before Aristides and Epaminondas that were so famous and eminent among the Grecians upon that account. For they only refus'd Money that was offer'd them by such as thereby design'd and aim'd at their own advantage; but this Man medled not with any thing where he had possession of all, and might have taken to his use as much as he pleas'd.
And if any look upon this as a thing incredible, let such consider that they must not judge of the Sobriety and Moderation of the Ancient Romans, by the griping Covetousness of those at this day. For in truth in this our Age the Romans exceed all other Nations in their Insatiableness after Riches. But since we now revive the memory of so excellent a Person, we shall briefly say something of Scipio his Son, he that afterwards raz'd Numantia, lest ignorance of his Care and Diligence in the Study of the most excellent, and commendable Arts and Sciences, should occasion Incredulity, that he should attain to such an Eminency in all virtuous Qualifications. Publius Scipio therefore was the natural Son of Lucius Aemilius who conquer'd Perseus, as we have before declar'd; but was the Adopted Son of Scipio that conquer'd Hannibal, and the Carthaginians, and so by Adoption Scipio Africanus the most Eminent of all the Romans that ever were before him, was his Grandfather.
Scipio thus Nobly descended and taken into so famous a Family, approv'd himself not the least unworthy the Glory and Renown of his Ancestors. For he was brought up and instructed from his Childhood in the Learning of the Greeks; and when he was 18 years of age, apply'd himself to the study of Philosophy under the Inspection of Polybius of Megalopolis the Historian his Tutor, with whom he continu'd a considerable time; and increasing in all manner of Virtue, he not only excell'd his equals in years, but those far elder than himself, in Sobriety, Affableness, Generosity, and all other virtnous qualifications. But before he fell to the study of Philosophy, it was every bodies Opinion that he was but dull and blockish, very unworthy to be Heir to so great a Family. In the first place he made it his chief Care and Business to be Sober, as conducing much to the commendation of his youthful age, which was then at his years a very difficult Task. For the Youth at that time were hurried away by filthy Lusts, and an Excess of intemperance, with an impetuous Current, some to Sodomy, others to Whores, Gluttony, Drunkenness, Revellings, and such like Luxurious and Voluptuous Courses: For the Romans presently learnt the Effeminate Manners of the Greeks in this kind, through the long continuance of the Persian War; and besides, having gain'd abundance of Wealth, they were plentifully supply'd with Fuel to seed their Luxury.
76. But Scipio following another course of Life, and combating with all his natural corrupt Lusts, as with so many wild Beasts, within the space of Five years attain'd to a fix'd and habitual state of Sobriety and Temperance. To which all giving their Testimony, and generally crying him up upon that account, he then put forth himself in acts of Bounty, Generosity, and Liberality in distributing his Money for the good of others: For which sort of Virtue he had an Example in his Father Aemilius, under whose instruction he was long bred up, and now exhibited, as it were, a perfect Copy of his Virtue: But Fortune likewise presented him an Eminent occasion of expressing his Liberality. For when Aemilia the Wife of Great Scipio, the Sister of Aemilius who conquer'd Perseus, dy'd, and left a great Estate behind her, of which Scipio was Heir; he first gave an instance of his generous disposition upon this occasion. For his Mother Papiria being cast off long before the death of his Father, had liv'd a considerable time separate from her Husband, in a far meaner condition than became one of her Noble Birth: But Aemilia the Mother of his adopted Father leaving behind her a great Inheritance, besides other Riches, had a rich Robe and Womans Gown, together with a splendid Retinue of Houshold-Servants, as being the Wife of the Great Scipio, and so Sharer with him in his Estate and Fortune: All these Scipio Nobly bestow'd upon his Mother; in which stately Habit, when she appear'd in publick amongst the Ladies of Quality, the Bounty and Generosity of the young Man, and his Piety towards his Mother was highly applauded, First among the Women, and then among all Companies and Societies of Men, throughout the whole City. This piece of Liberality was lookt upon by the whole City, not only as a thing commendable, but even wonderful, especially at Rome, in which City none easily parts with any thing they have to another. After this, there being a great sum of Money owing to the Daughters of the Great Scipio, as their Dowries; and whereas by the Roman Laws the Party that was to pay such Portions, had liberty to pay them in Three years time, by a certain proportion every year, he paid the whole down at once. Afterwards when his natural Father Aemilius was dead, and he and his Brother Fabius were constituted joint Heirs of his Estate, Scipio did another Honourable Act, well
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.