The historical library of Diodorus the Sicilian in fifteen books : the first five contain the antiquities of Egypt, Asia, Africa, Greece, the islands, and Europe : the last ten an historical account of the affairs of the Persians, Grecians, Macedonians and other parts of the world : to which are added the fragments of Diodorus that are found in the Bibliotheca of Photius : together with those publish'd by H. Valesius, L. Rhodomannus, and F. Ursinus / made English by G. Booth ..., Esq.

TO THE READER.

SO many are the Encomiums of History, both by Ancient and Modern Authors, that little or nothing can be fur∣ther added to what is already extant upon that Subject; and therefore I shall wave troubling my Self or the Reader with Discourses of that kind, but leave every Judicious Person to his own Experience, which is the best Judge, and will give the surest Testimony to the Truth of these Commendations. He that rests barely in the Matter of Fact related in History, pleases his Fancy for a Moment while he is Reading, but never Improves his Judgment to make it Usefull in Conversation, or in the Management of Publick Affairs. He gains no more than Children by hearing a Winter Tale, and Strange Stories of this brave Hero, and that mighty Giant, who did Wonders in the Land of Ʋtopia. The Profitable Reader is He that not only seeks to please his Fancy, but makes use of his Reason in observing chiefly the Wonderful Providence of God, in Ruling and Governing the World in all Ages to this day; His Setting up, and Pulling down of States, Kingdoms and Empires in cer∣tain Periods of Time; His Justice in punishing Wickedness, and therein the Confirmation of his Truth and Holiness; to see and consider his Wisdom, in Ordering and Disposing of one Event for the Effecting of his Purpose in another. To observe the Causes, Progress, and End of this or that Accident, this War, that Revolution, this Success and that miserable Disaster, are the main and chief Ends and Designs of Reading of Hi∣story; whereby the Understanding and Memory are not only furnish'd with Notions of Things done, and long since past; but the Judgment is improv'd with that Moral Prudence (and sometimes Religious too) as to be careful to avoid the Rocks others have before split upon; and to imitate the Virtue and honourable Actions of others, (at least for the sake of Repu∣tation that attends upon them in this World.) Here may be found Examples which may justly put Christians to the Blush, who come not up to the Moral Virtues of poor Heathens

heretofore famous (upon that account) in the Ages wherein they liv'd; as Themistocles for his Faithfulness to his Country, Aristides for his Justice, Scipio for his Chastity, Cato for his Sobriety, and several others for Eminent and Virtuous Quali∣fications. As to this present Author, and his History, he's well known among the Learned to be a Treasury of Ancient History. Amongst others, Henry Stephen, in his Tract of Dio∣dorus, gives him this honourable Encomium: Quantum Solis lumen inter Stellas, tantum inter Omnes, quotquot ad nostra tempora pervenerunt, Historicos (si utilitas potius, quam voluptatis aurium habenda est ratio) noster hic Diodorus eminere dici potest. And Justin Martyr, and some others, call him the most famous Au∣thor of all the Greek Historians. Amongst other Excellencies of this Author, he is peculiarly observable to have a Regard and Respect to the Providence of God in the Affairs of the World; and is the Only ancient Author that takes notice in the Course of his History of the Times, wherein the most fa∣mous Historians, Philosophers and Poets flourish'd. Our Au∣thor himself liv'd about Threescore Years before our Saviour's Birth, in the time of Julius Caesar, and the Reign of Augustus; and writ a General History from the beginning of the World to his own time, in Forty Books call'd the Historical Library, of which only Fifteen are extant, the rest lost by the Injury of Time. The Five first are properly the Mythological Part of the History, more incertain, and full of Egyptian and Grecian Fables; but very useful for the Understanding of Ancient Au∣thors, and the Knowledge of the Assyrian Monarchy. They give an Account of the Affairs of the World from the Begin∣ning of Time (known to the Heathens) to the Trojan War exclusively: The Five next in order are perish'd, which is the reason the Eleventh Book immediaelty follows, which begins with the Expedition of Xerxes into Greece, and from thence the History is continued in Five Books to the beginning of the Reign of Philip King of Macedon, Father of Alexander the Great; and from the Reign of Philip in Five more, to the Ex∣pedition of Seleucus Nicanor in Capadocia, containing an Ac∣count of Things done for the space of 179 Years.

The Books are divided into Chapters, for the Ease of the Reader, who may thereby the better Pause and Breath when he thinks fit; and to supply a Chronological Table in the Ten last Books, the distinction of Times is observ'd in the Margin, both by the Olympiads, and the Christian Aera; for the Rela∣tions in the first Five Books, were long before the Olympiads

began, and the History is so ancient, that the certain Times of Persons and Things there related, are for the most part un∣known or very uncertain.

To the present Translation, is added that of the Excerpts or Pragments of some of those Books of Diodorus Siculus that are lost, Collected by Photius in his Bibliotheca, and by others, an∣nexed at the end of the Edition of Diodorus Publish'd by Rho∣domannus. You have here likewise a further Addition of Va∣lesius his Excerpts, Publish'd by him in the Year of Our Lord 1634.

After the Fragments, there's a Supplement taken out of Quintus Curtius and Arrianus, to fill up a great Chasm in Dio∣dorus, lib. 17. p. 557. where that part of his History is lost. As those Authors had their Materials from him, (as is not doubted among the Learned) so 'tis but a piece of common Gratitude to help him over the Ditch by a Staff made out of his own Pile. That the Matter contained in this Supplement is that which is wanting in Diodorus, is apparent not only from some Part of the broken History that is there, but from the Index immediately before the 17th Book in Rhodomannus's Edition, where the Heads of the Subject Matter are to be found in their Order together, but nothing of 'em in the Body of the History. The said Heads are placed over every distinct Subject in the said Supplement.

But as to the Translation of the Whole, it may be very well expected some Apology should be made, or Reason given, for Translating the Five first Books, which appeared in the English Tongue above Forty Years ago. To give therefore Satisfaction in that Particular, we can truly and sincerely say, it was not undertaken without some Regret, not willing to seem a capti∣ous Censurer of other Mens Labours; therefore to obviate that Suspicion, we are willing to be an Advocate to excuse what was before done in this Kind, as to those Five Books; for the Er∣rors and Defects that appear in the former Translation, are chiefly occasion'd by an old Latin Edition of Diodorus, where∣unto the Translator wholly apply'd himself, having at that time (without doubt) no better an Edition to direct him. At the first it was design'd to have spar'd so much time, because they had been before Translated, but often hearing the former Cen∣sur'd, and a new Translation desir'd of those Five Books (which thro' a Mistake are divided by the old Latin Edition into Six, by taking the First Book to be two, because it's in two Parts) we were the more inclin'd, and at length resolv'd to endure the

Toil, tho' withal we might, perhaps, fall under Censure, in undertaking to Reform the Errors of another, and yet prove as much, if not more Faulty in the same Things our selves.

But whatever it be, here we Present it to the Judgment of the Ingenuous Reader, together with the other Books, intrea∣ting him to accept what he Judges worthy his Approbation, and, with a Favourable Censure, to pass by the Errors and Mistakes he may espy in the Perusal. As for the Carping Mo∣mus, if the whole were in all respects Exact and Compleat, (which were a Vanity to pretend,) it were far more likely from such to meet with a Cavilling Sarcasm, than to be Indulg'd with any Favourable Acceptance.

Note: The Pages plac'd in the Margin, are the same with Stephanus his Edition, to which Authors generally refer; and by these, any thing may be readily found in Rhodomannus his Edition.

Note also: That from Page 1, to Page 69, and also from Page 508, to Page 640, there wants (by Mistake of the Press) the Pages in the Margin that refer to the Greek Copy.