the history-第27章

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been　spoken　of；　appeared　evidently　to　have　formed　at　one　time　a　gulf　of　the　sea。　It　resembles　（to　compare　small　things　with　great）　the　parts　about　Ilium　and　Teuthrania；　Ephesus；　and　the　plain　of　the　Maeander。　In　all　these　regions　the　land　has　been　formed　by　rivers；　whereof　the　greatest　is　not　to　compare　for　size　with　any　one　of　the　five　mouths　of　the　Nile。　I　could　mention　other　rivers　also；　far　inferior　to　the　Nile　in　magnitude；　that　have　effected　very　great　changes。　Among　these　not　the　least　is　the　Achelous；　which；　after　passing　through　Acarnania；　empties　itself　into　the　sea　opposite　the　islands　called　Echinades；　and　has　already　joined　one…half　of　them　to　the　continent。　　　　　In　Arabia；　not　far　from　Egypt；　there　is　a　long　and　narrow　gulf　running　inland　from　the　sea　called　the　Erythraean；　of　which　I　will　here　set　down　the　dimensions。　Starting　from　its　innermost　recess；　and　using　a　row…boat；　you　take　forty　days　to　reach　the　open　main；　while　you　may　cross　the　gulf　at　its　widest　part　in　the　space　of　half　a　day。　In　this　sea　there　is　an　ebb　and　flow　of　the　tide　every　day。　My　opinion　is　that　Egypt　was　formerly　very　much　such　a　gulf　as　this…　one　gulf　penetrated　from　the　sea　that　washes　Egypt　on　the　north；　and　extended　itself　towards　Ethiopia；　another　entered　from　the　southern　ocean；　and　stretched　towards　Syria；　the　two　gulfs　ran　into　the　land　so　as　almost　to　meet　each　other；　and　left　between　them　only　a　very　narrow　tract　of　country。　Now　if　the　Nile　should　choose　to　divert　his　waters　from　their　present　bed　into　this　Arabian　gulf；　what　is　there　to　hinder　it　from　being　filled　up　by　the　stream　within；　at　the　utmost；　twenty　thousand　years？　For　my　part；　I　think　it　would　be　filled　in　half　the　time。　How　then　should　not　a　gulf；　even　of　much　greater　size；　have　been　filled　up　in　the　ages　that　passed　before　I　was　born；　by　a　river　that　is　at　once　so　large　and　so　given　to　working　changes？　　　　　Thus　I　give　credit　to　those　from　whom　I　received　this　account　of　Egypt；　and　am　myself；　moreover；　strongly　of　the　same　opinion；　since　I　remarked　that　the　country　projects　into　the　sea　further　than　the　neighbouring　shores；　and　I　observed　that　there　were　shells　upon　the　hills；　and　that　salt　exuded　from　the　soil　to　such　an　extent　as　even　to　injure　the　pyramids；　and　I　noticed　also　that　there　is　but　a　single　hill　in　all　Egypt　where　sand　is　found；　namely；　the　hill　above　Memphis；　and　further；　I　found　the　country　to　bear　no　resemblance　either　to　its　borderland　Arabia；　or　to　Libya…　nay；　nor　even　to　Syria；　which　forms　the　seaboard　of　Arabia；　but　whereas　the　soil　of　Libya　is；　we　know；　sandy　and　of　a　reddish　hue；　and　that　of　Arabia　and　Syria　inclines　to　stone　and　clay；　Egypt　has　a　soil　that　is　black　and　crumbly；　as　being　alluvial　and　formed　of　the　deposits　brought　down　by　the　river　from　Ethiopia。　　　　　One　fact　which　I　learnt　of　the　priests　is　to　me　a　strong　evidence　of　the　origin　of　the　country。　They　said　that　when　Moeris　was　king；　the　Nile　overflowed　all　Egypt　below　Memphis；　as　soon　as　it　rose　so　little　as　eight　cubits。　Now　Moeris　had　not　been　dead　900　years　at　the　time　when　I　heard　this　of　the　priests；　yet　at　the　present　day；　unless　the　river　rise　sixteen；　or；　at　the　very　least；　fifteen　cubits；　it　does　not　overflow　the　lands。　It　seems　to　me；　therefore；　that　if　the　land　goes　on　rising　and　growing　at　this　rate；　the　Egyptians　who　dwell　below　Lake　Moeris；　in　the　Delta　（as　it　is　called）　and　elsewhere；　will　one　day；　by　the　stoppage　of　the　inundations；　suffer　permanently　the　fate　which　they　told　me　they　expected　would　some　time　or　other　befall　the　Greeks。　On　hearing　that　the　whole　land　of　Greece　is　watered　by　rain　from　heaven；　and　not；　like　their　own；　inundated　by　rivers；　they　observed…　〃Some　day　the　Greeks　will　be　disappointed　of　their　grand　hope；　and　then　they　will　be　wretchedly　hungry〃；　which　was　as　much　as　to　say；　〃If　God　shall　some　day　see　fit　not　to　grant　the　Greeks　rain；　but　shall　afflict　them　with　a　long　drought；　the　Greeks　will　be　swept　away　by　a　famine；　since　they　have　nothing　to　rely　on　but　rain　from　Jove；　and　have　no　other　resource　for　water。〃　　　　　And　certes；　in　thus　speaking　of　the　Greeks　the　Egyptians　say　nothing　but　what　is　true。　But　now　let　me　tell　the　Egyptians　how　the　case　stands　with　themselves。　If；　as　I　said　before；　the　country　below　Memphis；　which　is　the　land　that　is　always　rising；　continues　to　increase　in　height　at　the　rate　at　which　it　has　risen　in　times　gone　by；　how　will　it　be　possible　for　the　inhabitants　of　that　region　to　avoid　hunger；　when　they　will　certainly　have　no　rain；　and　the　river　will　not　be　able　to　overflow　their　cornlands？　At　present；　it　must　be　confessed；　they　obtain　the　fruits　of　the　field　with　less　trouble　than　any　other　people　in　the　world；　the　rest　of　the　Egyptians　included；　since　they　have　no　need　to　break　up　the　ground　with　the　plough；　nor　to　use　the　hoe；　nor　to　do　any　of　the　work　which　the　rest　of　mankind　find　necessary　if　they　are　to　get　a　crop；　but　the　husbandman　waits　till　the　river　has　of　its　own　accord　spread　itself　over　the　fields　and　withdrawn　again　to　its　bed；　and　then　sows　his　plot　of　ground；　and　after　sowing　turns　his　swine　into　it…　the　swine　tread　in　the　corn…　after　which　he　has　only　to　await　the　harvest。　The　swine　serve　him　also　to　thrash　the　grain；　which　is　then　carried　to　the　garner。　　　　　If　then　we　choose　to　adopt　the　views　of　the　Ionians　concerning　Egypt；　we　must　come　to　the　conclusion　that　the　Egyptians　had　formerly　no　country　at　all。　For　the　Ionians　say　that　nothing　is　really　Egypt　but　the　Delta；　which　extends　along　shore　from　the　Watch…tower　of　Perseus；　as　it　is　called；　to　the　Pelusiac　Salt…Pans；　a　distance　of　forty　schoenes；　and　stretches　inland　as　far　as　the　city　of　Cercasorus；　where　the　Nile　divides　into　the　two　streams　which　reach　the　sea　at　Pelusium　and　Canobus　respectively。　The　rest　of　what　is　accounted　Egypt　belongs；　they　say；　either　to　Arabia　or　Libya。　But　the　Delta；　as　the　Egyptians　affirm；　and　as　I　myself　am　persuaded；　is　formed　of　the　deposits　of　the　river；　and　has　only　recently；　if　I　may　use　the　expression；　come　to　light。　If；　then；　they　had　formerly　no　territory　at　all；　how　came　they　to　be　so　extravagant　as　to　fancy　themselves　the　most　ancient　race　in　the　world？　Surely　there　was　no　need　of　their　making　the　experiment　with　the　children　to　see　what　language　they　would　first　speak。　But　in　truth　I　do　not　believe　that　the　Egyptians　came　into　being　at　the　same　time　with　the　Delta；　as　the　Ionians　call　it；　I　think　they　have　always　existed　ever　since　the　human　race　began；　as　the　land　went　on　increasing；　part　of　the　population　came　down　into　the　new　country；　part　remained　in　their　old　settlements。　In　ancient　times　the　Thebais　bore　the　name　of　Egypt；　a　district　of　which　the　entire　circumference　is　but　6120　furlongs。　　　　　If；　then；　my　judgment　on　these　matters　be　right；　the　Ionians　are　mistaken　in　what　they　say　of　Egypt。　If；　on　the　contrary；　it　is　they　who　are　right；　then　I　undertake　to　show　that　neither　the　Ionians　nor　any　of　the　other　Greeks　know　how　to　count。　For　they　all　say　that　the　earth　is　divided　into　three　parts；　Europe；　Asia；　and　Libya；　whereas　they　ought　to　add　a　fourth　part；　the　Delta　of　Egypt；　since　they　do　not　include　it　either　in　Asia　or　Libya。　For　is　it　not　their　theory　that　the　Nile　separates　Asia　from　Libya？　As　the　Nile；　therefore；　splits　in　two　at　the　apex　of　the　Delta；　the　Delta　itself　must　be　a　separate　country；　not　contained　in　either　Asia　or　Libya。　　　　　Here　I　take　my　leave　of　the　opinions　of　the　Ionians；　and　proceed　to　deliver　my　own　sentiments　on　these　subjects。　I　consider　Egypt　to　be　the　whole　country　inhabited　by　the　Egyptians；　just　as　Cilicia　is　the　tract　occupied　by　the　Cilicians；　and　Assyria　that　possessed　by　the　Assyrians。　And　I　regard　the　only　proper　boundary…line　between　Libya　and　Asia　to　be　that　which　is　marked　out　by　the　Egyptian　frontier。　For　if　we　take　the　boundary…line　commonly　received　by　the　Greeks；　we　must　regard　Egypt　as　divided；　along　its　whole　length　from　Elephantine　and　the　Cataracts　to　Cercasorus；　into　two　parts；　each　belonging　to　a　different　portion　of　the　world；　one　to　Asia；　the　other　to　Libya；　since　the　Nile　divides　Egypt　in　two　from　the　Cataracts　to　the　sea；　running　as　far　as　the　city　of　Cercasorus　in　a　single　stream；　but　at　that　point　separating　into　three　branches；　whereof　the　one　which　bends　eastward　is　called　the　Pelusiac　mouth；　and　that　which　slants　to　the　west；　the　Canobic。　Meanwhile　the　straight　course　of　the　stream；　which　comes　down　from　the　upper　country　and　meets　the　apex　of　the　Delta；　continues　on；　dividing　the　Delta　down　the　middle；　and　empties　itself　into　the　sea　by　a　mouth；　which　is　as　celebrated；　and　carries　as　large　a　body　of　water；　as　most　of　the　others；　the　mouth　called　the　Sebennytic。　Besides　these　there　are　two　other　mouths　which　run　out　of　the　Sebennytic　called　respectively　the　Saitic　and　the　Mendesian。　The　Bolbitine　mouth；　and　the　Bucolic；　are　not　natural　branches；　but　channels　made　by　excavation。　　　　　My　judgment　as　to　the　extent　of　Egypt　is　confirmed　by　an　oracle　delivered　at　the　shrine　of　Ammon；　of　which　I　had　no　knowledge　at　all　until　after　I　had　formed　my　opinion。　It　happened　that　the　people　of　the　cities　Marea　and　Apis；　who　live　in　the　part　of　Egypt　that　borders　on　Libya；　took　a　dislike　to　the　religious　usages　of　the　country　concerning　sacrificial　animals；　an