66

66

off into Persia, as his own daughter. Some time after, on Cambyses's saluting her by her paternal name, the lady addressed him thus: "Sire," said she," you know not that you are deceived by Amasis, who sent me away to you "thus richly adorned, and gave, as his own daughter, me, "who am in reality the daughter of Apries, whom Amasis rose up against, with the Egyptians, and killed, although "his sovereign lord." This information, and the desire of avenging that murder, induced Cambyses, violently exasperated, to invade Egypt. Such is the Persian account. 2 But the Egyptians, on the other hand, claim Cambyses as their countryman; affirming, that he was born of this very same daughter of Apries; for Cyrus was the person that sent to Amasis for his daughter, and not Cambyses: but in so saying, they mistake the truth; for it cannot have escaped the Egyptians-indeed, if any nation in the world is well conversant with the Persian customs, that nation is surely the Egyptian-that, in the first place, among the Persians it is not customary that a bastard should reign, while there still exists a legitimate heir; and, secondly, that Cambyses was the son of Cassandane, the daughter of Pharnaspes, one of the Achæmenidæ, and certainly not sprung from Egypt. But the Egyptians pervert history, in claiming 3 any connection with the family of Cyrus. The following tale is likewise told, but I give no credit to it. Some Persian woman paid a visit to Cyrus's wives; and beholding the tall and beautiful children standing by Cassandane, praised them highly, as one filled with astonishment. Cassandane, one of the wives of Cyrus, answered thus: "Although the "mother of such children, Cyrus slights me; and honours "the foreigner from Egypt." Such was the language of Cassandane, who was envious of Nitetis: and the eldest son, Cambyses, hereupon said: "And therefore, mother, when I "become a man, I will, I assure you, turn Egypt upside "down." This speech was made by a boy of ten years of age only, and was held as a prodigy by the women. Cambyses, when he grew up, remembered accordingly his vow; and, having become king, entered upon a campaign against Egypt.

4 The following other occurrence also took place, and contributed towards the furtherance of this expedition. Among the mercenaries of Amasis was an officer, a native

Matt. 548, 3.

Valckenaer observes, that, in Herodotus, organin means an expedition, and rear an army. Thucydides and

Xenophon make the same difference between rearsia and ergaria. See Schweig. Lex. Herod.

of Halicarnassus, and called Phanes; he was both a wise counsellor and gallant soldier. This individual, disgusted at the behaviour of Amasis, made his escape by sea out of Egypt, with the intention of having an interview with Cambyses. As he was of no humble rank among the mercenaries, and moreover was perfectly acquainted with every thing appertaining to Egypt, Amasis pursued him, making every effort to capture his person: for this purpose he despatched after the fugitive one of his most faithful eunuchs, on board a trireme. The eunuch overtook the deserter, and made him prisoner; but did not convey him back to Egypt; for Phanes cheated dexterously his keeper, made the guards drunk, and went over to the Persians. Cambyses was on the eve of marching against Egypt, and in doubts how he should get his forces across a country wholly without water; when Phanes came over to him, communicated every particular relating to Amasis's affairs, and explained how the passage over the desert was to be performed: he advised that an embassy should be despatched, to request the king of the Arabians to give him a safe passage across his territories. The only practicable entrance into Egypt is by this road: 5 from Phoenicia, down to the confines of the city of Cadytis, the land appertains to the people called Syrian Palæstinians: from Cadytis, which, in my opinion, is scarcely inferior in size to Sardis, the staples along the shore to Jenysus belong to the Arabian prince: from Jenysus, on to Lake Serbonis, the coast is again possessed by the Syrians. Adjoining the above lake, Mount Casius extends down to the sea and from Lake Serbonis, in which tradition says Typhon is concealed, Egypt begins. Accordingly the country between the city of Jenysus and the Lake Serbonis with Mount Casius, no inconsiderable space, for it is a three days' march", is dreadfully scant of water. I am now going to describe 6 what very few of those who have performed the voyage to Egypt know any thing about. Earthenware, filled with wine, is imported twice a year into Egypt, from all parts of Hellas as well as Phoenicia; yet not so much as one winejar-if I may use the expression-is to be seen in Egypt. How then, you may say, are they consumed'? To this question I give the following answer. Every magistrate is held to collect all the earthen-jars of his own town, and transmit them to Memphis: from Memphis they are trans

5 Constr. xal wogíovrı (xarà) cù valent to is: it may also be taken taon. Schweig. in the sense of ubi; where, then, are they consumed ?" Schweig. Lex.

6 Matt. 433. obs. 4.

ou for wou may be taken as equi- Herod.

ported full of water, to those dry parts of Syria. Thus all the earthen jars imported into Egypt, and exhibited for sale, find their way into Syria, and go to increase the old 7 stock. This mode of facilitating the ingress into Egypt, by supplying the above-mentioned desert with water, was adopted by the Persians, as soon as they had got possession of Egypt. At the time, however, we are speaking of, no store of water was at hand: Cambyses, in consequence of information received from the stranger of Halicarnassus, sent ambassadors to the king of Arabia, and requested a safe passage; which he obtained, after a mutual interchange of pledges.

8

The Arabians respect their oaths as religiously as any other people': they plight their faith with the following forms: when two persons are about to plight their faith, a third stands between the two parties, and, with a sharpedged stone, makes a slight incision in the palms of both, near the two middle fingers: he then takes a shred from the cloak of each, and rubs the blood upon seven stones placed between the two; in doing which, he invokes both Bacchus and Urania. This ceremony being gone through, the person that plights his faith tenders his friends, as a bond", to the stranger or the countryman, if the ceremony take place with such; and these friends consider themselves bound to observe the compact. They acknowledge no other gods than Bacchus and Urania; and affirm, that they cut their hair the same as Bacchus does; that is to say, they shear off the hair all around like a wheel, and cut away all the corners about the temples. They call Bacchus, Orotal; 9 and Urania, Alilat. Accordingly, the Arabian prince, after pledging his word to the deputies coming on the part of Cambyses, proceeded to act as follows:-he filled some camels' skins with water, and placed them on the backs of all his living camels: this done, he proceeded to the desert, and there awaited the arrival of Cambyses' army. The above is the more credible of the two accounts given; but it is proper to mention the other also, inasmuch as it certainly does exist. There is in Arabia a great river, called the Corys: it falls into the sea known under the name of Erythræan. From this river, therefore, the Arabian king is represented to have made, by tacking together the hides of oxen and various other animals, an aqueduct, stretching in length to the desert, and thus conducted the water: he is

8 Constr. σάξαντες τὴν ἐσβολὴν ἐπ' Alyværn) idari, Schweig. Lex. Herod. 9 Matt. 289.

10

παριγγιά, "donne ses amis pour garanis." Larcher.

likewise said to have dug deep wells in the desert, to preserve the water thus obtained. The road from the river to the desert is a twelve-days' march; and the water was conducted, by three aqueducts, to three different stations.

Near" the mouth of the Nile called the Pelusiac, Psamme- 10 nitus the son of Amasis pitched his camp, and awaited the coming of Cambyses: for Cambyses found Amasis no longer alive, when he marched against Egypt: that king, after a reign of forty-four years, had departed life. During this period, no great calamity befel him: after his decease, he was embalmed, and his remains deposited in the sepulchral chambers he had built in the temple for himself. Under the reign of Psammenitus the son of Amasis, a mighty prodigy occurred to the Egyptians-rain fell at Thebes; an event that never came to pass before, nor since, to my time, according to the Thebans; for no rain whatever falls in the upper part of Egypt; but in the present instance, a drizzling shower was seen at Thebes13. The Persians, after crossing 11 the waterless desert, halted close to the Egyptians, for the purpose of engaging: at this moment, the mercenaries of the Egyptian prince, who consisted of Hellenes and Carians, laying it to the charge of Phanes that he had brought a foreign host upon Egypt, devised the following act against him. Phanes had left his sons in Egypt: they, therefore, brought the youths to the camp, and within view of their own father; then, placing a wine-bowl in the mid space between the two camps, dragged the youths, one by one, and cut their throats over the bowl. Having thus slaughtered the whole, they poured wine and water into the bowl; and all the mercenaries, having quaffed of the blood", engaged battle. A bloody conflict ensued: great numbers fell on both sides, and the Egyptians were put to flight. In conse- 12 quence of information from the people resident about the field of battle, I had an opportunity of seeing myself a very surprising thing. The bones of the fallen in this battle are scattered about; those of each party separately-for the bones of the Persians lie by themselves, as they were at first; opposite to which are seen those of the Egyptians :-and the

11, does not here signify at: the country at the Pelusian mouth was by no means fit for the encampment of an army. Matt. 557.

12 See Book ii. 169.

13 Lit Thebes of Egypt was watered with rain:" such is the meaning of the passive sola: thus, vira

aly, understand dar: so, a little VOL. I.

R

lower down, xai rórs üotnrav ai Oñßas

adds, "at that time Thebes was watered with drops of rain."Valckenaer. Schneid.

14 ἐμπίοντες δὲ τοῦ αἵματος: literally, "having drunk of the blood." rou aiparos is the partitive genitive.Larcher.

13

sculls of the Persians are so soft, that you may easily make a hole in them by throwing a pebble; while those of the Egyptians are so hard, that you can scarcely break them by repeated blows with a stone. The reason of this, assigned by the people, I at least readily acceded to: it is, that the Egyptians, immediately from their infancy, begin to shave their heads, and the bone of the scull is thickened by exposure to the sun. This accounts likewise for there being few instances of baldness among the Egyptians; for you see less bald men in that country than any other: such, therefore, is the reason of the Egyptians having such strong sculls. With respect to the Persians, the cause of their having such thin sculls is this: from early youth they are brought up with the head shaded by turbans, which they wear in the place of felt caps 15. I witnessed the same thing also at Papreinis, in the sculls of the Persians, under Achæmenes the son of Darius, who were cut off by Inarus, the Libyan prince 16.

The Egyptians, routed in the battle, fled in great confusion, and shut themselves in Memphis. Cambyses sent up the river a ship belonging to Mitylene, with a Persian of rank on board as a herald, inviting the Egyptians to terms: the inhabitants, seeing the ship enter Memphis, poured forth in a mass from their city, destroyed the vessel, and tore, limb from limb, the crew, carrying the fragments into the town. Siege was then laid to the place, and the Egyptians at last surrendered". The Libyans on the borders, in fear of receiving the same treatment as Egypt, gave themselves up without fighting, submitted to tribute, and sent gifts: the Cyrenæans and Barcæans, equally alarmed with the Libyans, acted in the same manner. Cambyses received graciously the Libyan gifts; but found fault with those of the Cyrenæans, on account, I suppose, of their insignifi

15 πίλους τιάρας φορέοντες. The πίλος was the generic name for a hat: the particular sort of hat or covering to the head worn by the Persians was the viga, a sort of turban, if we may rely on Quint. Curt. iii. 3, 19. regium capitis insigne, quod coerulea fascia albo distincta circumibat. Schneid. Gr. Germ. Lex.

16 I have called this Inarus "king of Libya," although Herodotus gives him only the appellation of rou Aißues, "the Libyan;" first, because Herodotus generally calls kings by the name of the nation over which they rule. He says constantly the Persian, the Egyptian,' instead of the

king of Persia, the king of Egypt. O Alyzes, 11, is Psammenitus, king of Egypt. 'O 'Agáßros, 9, is the king of the Arabians. Secondly, I have so called him because this acceptation is clearly determined by Thucydides, i. 104. Larcher.

17 In the verb lernus, and its compounds, the perf. and aor. 2, are taken in a passive sense. Larcher; whose translation is "furent enfin obligés de se rendre."-agarsva signifies, properly," to stand by;" but is often taken by Herodotus in the sense of "to surrender," "to deliver one's self up." iii. 13; v. 65; vi. 99, 140.Schweig. Lex. Herod. Wess.