the history-第44章

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nce　of　the　Egyptian　oracle；　and；　as　it　well　deserves　notice；　I　shall　now　proceed　to　give　an　account　of　it　more　at　length。　It　is　a　temple　of　Latona；　situated　in　the　midst　of　a　great　city　on　the　Sebennytic　mouth　of　the　Nile；　at　some　distance　up　the　river　from　the　sea。　The　name　of　the　city；　as　I　have　before　observed；　is　Buto；　and　in　it　are　two　other　temples　also；　one　of　Apollo　and　one　of　Diana。　Latona's　temple；　which　contains　the　oracle；　is　a　spacious　building　with　a　gateway　ten　fathoms　in　height。　The　most　wonderful　thing　that　was　actually　to　be　seen　about　this　temple　was　a　chapel　in　the　enclosure　made　of　a　single　stone；　the　length　and　height　of　which　were　the　same；　each　wall　being　forty　cubits　square；　and　the　whole　a　single　block！　Another　block　of　stone　formed　the　roof　and　projected　at　the　eaves　to　the　extent　of　four　cubits。　　　　　This；　as　I　have　said；　was　what　astonished　me　the　most；　of　all　the　things　that　were　actually　to　be　seen　about　the　temple。　The　next　greatest　marvel　was　the　island　called　Chemmis。　This　island　lies　in　the　middle　of　a　broad　and　deep　lake　close　by　the　temple；　and　the　natives　declare　that　it　floats。　For　my　own　part　I　did　not　see　it　float；　or　even　move；　and　I　wondered　greatly；　when　they　told　me　concerning　it；　whether　there　be　really　such　a　thing　as　a　floating　island。　It　has　a　grand　temple　of　Apollo　built　upon　it；　in　which　are　three　distinct　altars。　Palm　trees　grow　on　it　in　great　abundance；　and　many　other　trees；　some　of　which　bear　fruit；　while　others　are　barren。　The　Egyptians　tell　the　following　story　in　connection　with　this　island；　to　explain　the　way　in　which　it　first　came　to　float：…　〃In　former　times；　when　the　isle　was　still　fixed　and　motionless；　Latona；　one　of　the　eight　gods　of　the　first　order；　who　dwelt　in　the　city　of　Buto；　where　now　she　has　her　oracle；　received　Apollo　as　a　sacred　charge　from　Isis；　and　saved　him　by　hiding　him　in　what　is　now　called　the　floating　island。　Typhon　meanwhile　was　searching　everywhere　in　hopes　of　finding　the　child　of　Osiris。〃　（According　to　the　Egyptians；　Apollo　and　Diana　are　the　children　of　Bacchus　and　Isis；　while　Latona　is　their　nurse　and　their　preserver。　They　call　Apollo；　in　their　language；　Horus；　Ceres　they　call　Isis；　Diana；　Bubastis。　From　this　Egyptian　tradition；　and　from　no　other；　it　must　have　been　that　Aeschylus；　the　son　of　Euphorion；　took　the　idea；　which　is　found　in　none　of　the　earlier　poets；　of　making　Diana　the　daughter　of　Ceres。）　The　island；　therefore；　in　consequence　of　this　event；　was　first　made　to　float。　Such　at　least　is　the　account　which　the　Egyptians　give。　　　　　Psammetichus　ruled　Egypt　for　fifty…four　years；　during　twenty…nine　of　which　he　pressed　the　siege　of　Azotus　without　intermission；　till　finally　he　took　the　place。　Azotus　is　a　great　town　in　Syria。　Of　all　the　cities　that　we　know；　none　ever　stood　so　long　a　siege。　　　　　Psammetichus　left　a　son　called　Necos；　who　succeeded　him　upon　the　throne。　This　prince　was　the　first　to　attempt　the　construction　of　the　canal　to　the　Red　Sea…　a　work　completed　afterwards　by　Darius　the　Persian…　the　length　of　which　is　four　days'　journey；　and　the　width　such　as　to　admit　of　two　triremes　being　rowed　along　it　abreast。　The　water　is　derived　from　the　Nile；　which　the　canal　leaves　a　little　above　the　city　of　Bubastis；　near　Patumus；　the　Arabian　town；　being　continued　thence　until　it　joins　the　Red　Sea。　At　first　it　is　carried　along　the　Arabian　side　of　the　Egyptian　plain；　as　far　as　the　chain　of　hills　opposite　Memphis；　whereby　the　plain　is　bounded；　and　in　which　lie　the　great　stone　quarries；　here　it　skirts　the　base　of　the　hills　running　in　a　direction　from　west　to　east；　after　which　it　turns　and　enters　a　narrow　pass；　trending　southwards　from　this　point　until　it　enters　the　Arabian　Gulf。　From　the　northern　sea　to　that　which　is　called　the　southern　or　Erythraean；　the　shortest　and　quickest　passage；　which　is　from　Mount　Casius；　the　boundary　between　Egypt　and　Syria；　to　the　Gulf　of　Arabia；　is　a　distance　of　exactly　one　thousand　furlongs。　But　the　way　by　the　canal　is　very　much　longer　on　account　of　the　crookedness　of　its　course。　A　hundred　and　twenty　thousand　of　the　Egyptians；　employed　upon　the　work　in　the　reign　of　Necos；　lost　their　lives　in　making　the　excavation。　He　at　length　desisted　from　his　undertaking；　in　consequence　of　an　oracle　which　warned　him　〃that　he　was　labouring　for　the　barbarian。〃　The　Egyptians　call　by　the　name　of　barbarians　all　such　as　speak　a　language　different　from　their　own。　　　　　Necos；　when　he　gave　up　the　construction　of　the　canal；　turned　all　his　thoughts　to　war；　and　set　to　work　to　build　a　fleet　of　triremes；　some　intended　for　service　in　the　northern　sea；　and　some　for　the　navigation　of　the　Erythraean。　These　last　were　built　in　the　Arabian　Gulf　where　the　dry　docks　in　which　they　lay　are　still　visible。　These　fleets　he　employed　wherever　he　had　occasion；　while　he　also　made　war　by　land　upon　the　Syrians　and　defeated　them　in　a　pitched　battle　at　Magdolus；　after　which　he　made　himself　master　of　Cadytis；　a　large　city　of　Syria。　The　dress　which　he　wore　on　these　occasions　he　sent　to　Branchidae　in　Milesia；　as　an　offering　to　Apollo。　After　having　reigned　in　all　sixteen　years；　Necos　died；　and　at　his　death　bequeathed　the　throne　to　his　son　Psammis。　　　　　In　the　reign　of　Psammis；　ambassadors　from　Elis　arrived　in　Egypt；　boasting　that　their　arrangements　for　the　conduct　of　the　Olympic　Games　were　the　best　and　fairest　that　could　be　devised；　and　fancying　that　not　even　the　Egyptians；　who　surpassed　all　other　nations　in　wisdom；　could　add　anything　to　their　perfection。　When　these　persons　reached　Egypt；　and　explained　the　reason　of　their　visit；　the　king　summoned　an　assembly　of　all　the　wisest　of　the　Egyptians。　They　met；　and　the　Eleans　having　given　them　a　full　account　of　all　their　rules　and　regulations　with　respect　to　the　contests　said　that　they　had　come　to　Egypt　for　the　express　purpose　of　learning　whether　the　Egyptians　could　improve　the　fairness　of　their　regulations　in　any　particular。　The　Egyptians　considered　awhile　and　then　made　inquiry；　〃If　they　allowed　their　own　citizens　to　enter　the　lists？〃　The　Eleans　answered；　〃That　the　lists　were　open　to　all　Greeks；　whether　they　belonged　to　Elis　or　to　any　other　state。〃　Hereupon　the　Egyptians　observed；　〃That　if　this　were　so；　they　departed　from　justice　very　widely；　since　it　was　impossible　but　that　they　would　favour　their　own　countrymen　and　deal　unfairly　by　foreigners。　If　therefore　they　really　wished　to　manage　the　games　with　fairness；　and　if　this　was　the　object　of　their　coming　to　Egypt；　they　advised　them　to　confine　the　contests　to　strangers；　and　allow　no　native　of　Elis　to　be　a　candidate。〃　Such　was　the　advice　which　the　Egyptians　gave　to　the　Eleans。　　　　　Psammis　reigned　only　six　years。　He　attacked　Ethiopia；　and　died　almost　directly　afterwards。　Apries；　his　son；　succeeded　him　upon　the　throne；　who；　excepting　Psammetichus；　his　great…grandfather；　was　the　most　prosperous　of　all　the　kings　that　ever　ruled　over　Egypt。　The　length　of　his　reign　was　twenty…five　years；　and　in　the　course　of　it　he　marched　an　army　to　attack　Sidon；　and　fought　a　battle　with　the　king　of　Tyre　by　sea。　When　at　length　the　time　came　that　was　fated　to　bring　him　woe；　an　occasion　arose　which　I　shall　describe　more　fully　in　my　Libyan　history；　only　touching　it　very　briefly　here。　An　army　despatched　by　Apries　to　attack　Cyrene；　having　met　with　a　terrible　reverse；　the　Egyptians　laid　the　blame　on　him；　imagining　that　he　had；　of　malice　prepense；　sent　the　troops　into　the　jaws　of　destruction。　They　believed　he　had　wished　a　vast　number　of　them　to　be　slain　in　order　that　he　himself　might　reign　with　more　security　over　the　rest　of　the　Egyptians。　Indignant　therefore　at　this　usage；　the　soldiers　who　returned　and　the　friends　of　the　slain　broke　instantly　into　revolt。　　　　　Apries；　on　learning　these　circumstances；　sent　Amasis　to　the　rebels　to　appease　the　tumult　by　persuasion。　Upon　his　arrival；　as　he　was　seek。　ing　to　restrain　the　malcontents　by　his　exhortations；　one　of　them；　coming　behind　him；　put　a　helmet　on　his　head；　saying；　as　he　put　it　on；　that　he　thereby　crowned　him　king。　Amasis　was　not　altogether　displeased　at　the　action；　as　his　conduct　soon　made　manifest；　for　no　sooner　had　the　insurgents　agreed　to　make　him　actually　their　king　than　he　prepared　to　march　with　them　against　Apries。　That　monarch；　on　tidings　of　these　events　reaching　him；　sent　Patarbemis；　one　of　his　courtiers；　a　man　of　high　rank；　to　Amasis　with　orders　to　bring　him　alive　into　his　presence。　Patarbemis；　on　arriving　at　the　place　where　Amasis　was；　called　on　him　to　come　back　with　him　to　the　king；　whereupon　Amasis　broke　a　coarse　jest；　and　said；　〃Prythee　take　that　back　to　thy　master。〃　When　the　envoy；　notwithstanding　this　reply；　persisted　in　his　request；　exhorting　Amasis　to　obey　the　summons　of　the　king；　he　made　answer　〃that　this　was　exactly　what　he　had　long　been　intending　to　do；　Apries　would　have　no　reason　to　complain　of　him　on　the　score　of　delay；　he　would　shortly　come　himself　to　the　king；　and　bring　others　with　him。〃　Patarbemis；　upon　this；　comprehending　the　intention　of　Amasis；　partly　from　his　replies　and　partly　from　the　preparations　which　he　saw　in　progress；　departed　hastily；　wishing　to　inform　the　king　with　all　speed　of　what　was　going　on。　Apries；　however；　when　he　saw　him　approaching　without　Amasis；　fell　into　a　paroxysm　of　rage；　and　not　giving　himself　time　for　reflection；　commanded　the　nose　and　ear