the history-第41章

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e　the　sun。　　　　　After　the　death　of　his　daughter；　Mycerinus　was　visited　with　a　second　calamity；　of　which　I　shall　now　proceed　to　give　an　account。　An　oracle　reached　him　from　the　town　of　Buto；　which　said；　〃Six　years　only　shalt　thou　live　upon　the　earth；　and　in　the　seventh　thou　shalt　end　thy　days。〃　Mycerinus；　indignant；　sent　an　angry　message　to　the　oracle；　reproaching　the　god　with　his　injustice…　〃My　father　and　uncle；〃　he　said；　〃though　they　shut　up　the　temples；　took　no　thought　of　the　gods；　and　destroyed　multitudes　of　men；　nevertheless　enjoyed　a　long　life；　I；　who　am　pious；　am　to　die　so　soon！〃　There　came　in　reply　a　second　message　from　the　oracle…　〃For　this　very　reason　is　thy　life　brought　so　quickly　to　a　close…　thou　hast　not　done　as　it　behoved　thee。　Egypt　was　fated　to　suffer　affliction　one　hundred　and　fifty　years…　the　two　kings　who　preceded　thee　upon　the　throne　understood　this…　thou　hast　not　understood　it。〃　Mycerinus；　when　this　answer　reached　him；　perceiving　that　his　doom　was　fixed；　had　prepared；　which　he　lighted　every　day　at　eventime；　and　feasted　and　enjoyed　himself　unceasingly　both　day　and　night；　moving　about　in　the　marsh…country　and　the　woods；　and　visiting　all　the　places　that　he　heard　were　agreeable　sojourns。　His　wish　was　to　prove　the　oracle　false；　by　turning　the　nights　into　days；　and　so　living　twelve　years　in　the　space　of　six。　　　　　He　too　left　a　pyramid；　but　much　inferior　in　size　to　his　father's。　It　is　a　square；　each　side　of　which　falls　short　of　three　plethra　by　twenty　feet；　and　is　built　for　half　its　height　of　the　stone　of　Ethiopia。　Some　of　the　Greeks　call　it　the　work　of　Rhodopis　the　courtesan；　but　they　report　falsely。　It　seems　to　me　that　these　persons　cannot　have　any　real　knowledge　who　Rhodopis　was；　otherwise　they　would　scarcely　have　ascribed　to　her　a　work　on　which　uncounted　treasures；　so　to　speak；　must　have　been　expended。　Rhodopis　also　lived　during　the　reign　of　Amasis；　not　of　Mycerinus；　and　was　thus　very　many　years　later　than　the　time　of　the　kings　who　built　the　pyramids。　She　was　a　Thracian　by　birth；　and　was　the　slave　of　Iadmon；　son　of　Hephaestopolis；　a　Samian。　Aesop；　the　fable…writer；　was　one　of　her　fellow…slaves。　That　Aesop　belonged　to　Iadmon　is　proved　by　many　facts…　among　others；　by　this。　When　the　Delphians；　in　obedience　to　the　command　of　the　oracle；　made　proclamation　that　if　any　one　claimed　compensation　for　the　murder　of　Aesop　he　should　receive　it；　the　person　who　at　last　came　forward　was　Iadmon；　grandson　of　the　former　Iadmon；　and　he　received　the　compensation。　Aesop　therefore　must　certainly　have　been　the　former　Iadmon's　slave。　　　　　Rhodopis　really　arrived　in　Egypt　under　the　conduct　of　Xantheus　the　Samian；　she　was　brought　there　to　exercise　her　trade；　but　was　redeemed　for　a　vast　sum　by　Charaxus；　a　Mytilenaean；　the　son　of　Scamandronymus；　and　brother　of　Sappho　the　poetess。　After　thus　obtaining　her　freedom；　she　remained　in　Egypt；　and；　as　she　was　very　beautiful；　amassed　great　wealth；　for　a　person　in　her　condition；　not；　however；　enough　to　enable　her　to　erect　such　a　work　as　this　pyramid。　Any　one　who　likes　may　go　and　see　to　what　the　tenth　part　of　her　wealth　amounted；　and　he　will　thereby　learn　that　her　riches　must　not　be　imagined　to　have　been　very　wonderfully　great。　Wishing　to　leave　a　memorial　of　herself　in　Greece；　she　determined　to　have　something　made　the　like　of　which　was　not　to　be　found　in　any　temple；　and　to　offer　it　at　the　shrine　at　Delphi。　So　she　set　apart　a　tenth　of　her　possessions；　and　purchased　with　the　money　a　quantity　of　iron　spits；　such　as　are　fit　for　roasting　oxen　whole；　whereof　she　made　a　present　to　the　oracle。　They　are　still　to　be　seen　there；　lying　of　a　heap；　behind　the　altar　which　the　Chians　dedicated；　opposite　the　sanctuary。　Naucratis　seems　somehow　to　be　the　place　where　such　women　are　most　attractive。　First　there　was　this　Rhodopis　of　whom　we　have　been　speaking；　so　celebrated　a　person　that　her　name　came　to　be　familiar　to　all　the　Greeks；　and；　afterwards；　there　was　another；　called　Archidice；　notorious　throughout　Greece；　though　not　so　much　talked　of　as　her　predecessor。　Charaxus；　after　ransoming　Rhodopis；　returned　to　Mytilene；　and　was　often　lashed　by　Sappho　in　her　poetry。　But　enough　has　been　said　on　the　subject　of　this　courtesan。　　　　　After　Mycerinus；　the　priests　said；　Asychis　ascended　the　throne。　He　built　the　eastern　gateway　of　the　temple　of　Vulcan；　which　in　size　and　beauty　far　surpasses　the　other　three。　All　the　four　gateways　have　figures　graven　on　them；　and　a　vast　amount　of　architectural　ornament；　but　the　gateway　of　Asychis　is　by　far　the　most　richly　adorned。　In　the　reign　of　this　king；　money　being　scarce　and　commercial　dealings　straitened；　a　law　was　passed　that　the　borrower　might　pledge　his　father's　body　to　raise　the　sum　whereof　he　had　need。　A　proviso　was　appended　to　this　law；　giving　the　lender　authority　over　the　entire　sepulchre　of　the　borrower；　so　that　a　man　who　took　up　money　under　this　pledge；　if　he　died　without　paying　the　debt；　could　not　obtain　burial　either　in　his　own　ancestral　tomb；　or　in　any　other；　nor　could　he　during　his　lifetime　bury　in　his　own　tomb　any　member　of　his　family。　The　same　king；　desirous　of　eclipsing　all　his　predecessors　upon　the　throne；　left　as　a　monument　of　his　reign　a　pyramid　of　brick。　It　bears　an　inscription；　cut　in　stone；　which　runs　thus：…　〃Despise　me　not　in　comparison　with　the　stone　pyramids；　for　I　surpass　them　all；　as　much　as　Jove　surpasses　the　other　gods。　A　pole　was　plunged　into　a　lake；　and　the　mud　which　clave　thereto　was　gathered；　and　bricks　were　made　of　the　mud；　and　so　I　was　formed。〃　Such　were　the　chief　actions　of　this　prince。　　　　　He　was　succeeded　on　the　throne；　they　said；　by　a　blind　man；　a　native　of　Anysis；　whose　own　name　also　was　Anysis。　Under　him　Egypt　was　invaded　by　a　vast　army　of　Ethiopians；　led　by　Sabacos；　their　king。　The　blind　Anysis　fled　away　to　the　marsh…country；　and　the　Ethiopian　was　lord　of　the　land　for　fifty　years；　during　which　his　mode　of　rule　was　the　following：…　When　an　Egyptian　was　guilty　of　an　offence；　his　plan　was　not　to　punish　him　with　death：　instead　of　so　doing；　he　sentenced　him；　according　to　the　nature　of　his　crime；　to　raise　the　ground　to　a　greater　or　a　less　extent　in　the　neighbourhood　of　the　city　to　which　he　belonged。　Thus　the　cities　came　to　be　even　more　elevated　than　they　were　before。　As　early　as　the　time　of　Sesostris；　they　had　been　raised　by　those　who　dug　the　canals　in　his　reign；　this　second　elevation　of　the　soil　under　the　Ethiopian　king　gave　them　a　very　lofty　position。　Among　the　many　cities　which　thus　attained　to　a　great　elevation；　none　（I　think）　was　raised　so　much　as　the　town　called　Bubastis；　where　there　is　a　temple　of　the　goddess　Bubastis；　which　well　deserves　to　be　described。　Other　temples　may　be　grander；　and　may　have　cost　more　in　the　building；　but　there　is　none　so　pleasant　to　the　eye　as　this　of　Bubastis。　The　Bubastis　of　the　Egyptians　is　the　same　as　the　Artemis　（Diana）　of　the　Greeks。　　　　　The　following　is　a　description　of　this　edifice：…　Excepting　the　entrance；　the　whole　forms　an　island。　Two　artificial　channels　from　the　Nile；　one　on　either　side　of　the　temple；　encompass　the　building；　leaving　only　a　narrow　passage　by　which　it　is　approached。　These　channels　are　each　a　hundred　feet　wide；　and　are　thickly　shaded　with　trees。　The　gateway　is　sixty　feet　in　height；　and　is　ornamented　with　figures　cut　upon　the　stone；　six　cubits　high　and　well　worthy　of　notice。　The　temple　stands　in　the　middle　of　the　city；　and　is　visible　on　all　sides　as　one　walks　round　it；　for　as　the　city　has　been　raised　up　by　embankment；　while　the　temple　has　been　left　untouched　in　its　original　condition；　you　look　down　upon　it　wheresoever　you　are。　A　low　wall　runs　round　the　enclosure；　having　figures　engraved　upon　it；　and　inside　there　is　a　grove　of　beautiful　tall　trees　growing　round　the　shrine；　which　contains　the　image　of　the　goddess。　The　enclosure　is　a　furlong　in　length；　and　the　same　in　breadth。　The　entrance　to　it　is　by　a　road　paved　with　stone　for　a　distance　of　about　three　furlongs；　which　passes　straight　through　the　market…place　with　an　easterly　direction；　and　is　about　four　hundred　feet　in　width。　Trees　of　an　extraordinary　height　grow　on　each　side　the　road；　which　conducts　from　the　temple　of　Bubastis　to　that　of　Mercury。　　　　　The　Ethiopian　finally　quitted　Egypt；　the　priests　said；　by　a　hasty　flight　under　the　following　circumstances。　He　saw　in　his　sleep　a　vision：…　a　man　stood　by　his　side；　and　counselled　him　to　gather　together　all　the　priests　of　Egypt　and　cut　every　one　of　them　asunder。　On　this；　according　to　the　account　which　he　himself　gave；　it　came　into　his　mind　that　the　gods　intended　hereby　to　lead　him　to　commit　an　act　of　sacrilege；　which　would　be　sure　to　draw　down　upon　him　some　punishment　either　at　the　hands　of　gods　or　men。　So　he　resolved　not　to　do　the　deed　suggested　to　him；　but　rather　to　retire　from　Egypt；　as　the　time　during　which　it　was　fated　that　he　should　hold　the　country　had　now　（he　thought）　expired。　For　before　he　left　Ethiopia　he　had　been　told　by　the　oracles　which　are　venerated　there；　that　he　was　to　reign　fifty　years　over　Egypt。　The　years　were　now　fled；　and　the　dream　had　come　to　trouble　him；　he　therefore　of　his　own　accord　withdrew　from　the　land。　　　　　As　soon　as　Sabacos　was　gone；　the　blind　king　left　the　marshes；　and　resumed　the　government。　He　had　lived　in　the　marsh…region　the　whole　time；　having　formed　for　himself　an　island　there　by　a　mixtur