in an island that lies off Libya, whose name, as I before mentioned, is Platea. This island is said to be equal in extent to the present city of the Cyrenæans.

157. Having inhabited this island for two years, as nothing turned out prosperously for them, they left one of their company behind, and the rest set sail for Delphi; and having come to the oracle, they consulted it, saying, that they had settled in Libya, and fared no better since they had settled there. But the Pythian gave them the following answer : "If you, who have never been there, know Libya abounding in sheep, better than I who have been there, I very much admire your wisdom." When Battus and his companions heard this, they sailed back again; for the god did not release them from founding the colony, until they had come to Libya itself. Having, therefore, arrived at the island, they took on board the man they had left there, and settled in a place on Libya itself, opposite the island: its name was Aziris, and most beautiful hills enclose it on two sides, and a river flows by it on the third. 158. They inhabited this spot for six years, but in the seventh, the Libyans, having promised to conduct them to a better place, persuaded them to leave it. But the Libyans, having removed them, conducted them from thence towards the west; and in order that the Greeks might not see the most beautiful part of their country as they passed through, they computed the time of the day, so as to lead them through it by night: the name of this country is Irasa. Having conducted them to a fountain, accounted sacred to Apollo, they said, "Grecians, here it is fittting for you to dwell, for here the heavens are open." 159. Now, during the life of Battus the founder, who reigned forty years, and of his son Arcesilaus, who reigned sixteen years, the Cyrenæans continued the same in number as when they were first sent to settle the colony: but under the third king, Battus, surnamed the Fortunate, the Pythian by an oracle encouraged all Grecians to sail to Libya, and join the Cyrenæans in colonizing it; for the Cyrenæans invited them to a division of the country. The words of the oracle were these: "He who shall come too late to lovely Libya, when the land is divided, shall hereafter one day repent. A great multitude having assembled at Cyrene, the neighbouring Libyans and their king, whose name was Adicran, being curtailed of much of

their land, finding that they were deprived of their territory, and injuriously treated by the Cyrenæans, sent an embassy to Egypt, and gave themselves up to Apries, king of Egypt: but he, having assembled a large army of Egyptians, sent it against Cyrene; and the Cyrenæans, having drawn out their forces to the district of Irasa, and near the fountain Thestes, came to an engagement with the Egyptians, and conquered them for the Egyptians, not having before made trial of the Greeks, and despising them, were so thoroughly defeated, that only a few of them returned to Egypt. In consequence of this, the Egyptians, laying the blame on Apries, revolted from him.

160. This Battus had a son, Arcesilaus, who, having come to the throne, first of all quarrelled with his own brothers, so that they left him, and went to another part of Libya; and consulting among themselves, they founded the city which was then and is still called Barce; and as they were building it, they persuaded the Libyans to revolt from the Cyrenæans. But afterwards Arcesilaus led an army against those Libyans who had received them, and against the revolters themselves; but the Libyans, through dread of him, fled to the eastern Libyans. Arcesilaus pursued them in their flight, until he overtook them at Leucon in Libya, and the Libyans resolved to attack him; and having come to an engagement, they conquered the Cyrenæans so completely, that seven thousand heavy-armed of the Cyrenæans fell upon the spot. After this blow, his brother Learchus strangled Arcesilaus, who was sick, and under the influence of some drug. The wife of Arcesilaus, whose name was Eryxo, put Learchus to death by stratagem. 161. Battus the son of Arcesilaus, a lame man, and not perfect in his feet, succeeded to the kingdom. The Cyrenæans, on account of the disaster that had befallen them, sent to Delphi to inquire of the Delphian oracle under what form of government they might live most happily; the Pythian commanded them to procure an arbitrator from Mantinea, a city of the Arcadians. The Cyrenæans accordingly asked, and the Mantineans gave them a man, highly esteemed among the citizens, whose name was Demonax. This person, therefore, having arrived in Cyrene, and become acquainted with the state of affairs, first of all formed them into three tribes, dividing them as follows: of the Theræans and their immediate neighbours, he formed one division; another of Peloponnesians and Cretans; and a

third of all the Islanders: and in the next place, having reserved certain portions of land and the office of the priesthood for king Battus, he restored to the people every thing else that the kings had before.

162. During the reign of this Battus matters continued in this state; but in the time of his son Arcesilaus great disorders arose about the public offices. For Arcesilaus, son of the lame Battus and Pheretime, declared he would not submit to the constitutions of Demonax, but demanded back the prerogatives of his ancestors; and thereupon having raised a sedition, he was defeated, and fled to Samos; and his mother fled to Salamis, in Cyprus. At that time Euelthon bore rule over Salamis, the same who dedicated the curious censer at Delphi, which is deposited in the treasury of the Corinthians. Pheretime, having come to him, asked for an army, which should reinstate them in Cyrene; but Euelthon would give her any thing rather than an army: but she, accepting what was given, said, "This indeed is handsome, but it would be still more handsome to give the army she asked for:" this she said at every present that was made. At last, Euelthon sent her a golden spindle and distaff, and some wool was on it; and when Pheretime again made the same speech, Euelthon said, "that women should be presented with such things, and not with armies." 163. In the mean time Arcesilaus, continuing at Samos, collected men of all classes, by a promise of a division of lands; and when a large army was collected, Arcesilaus set out to Delphi, to consult the oracle concerning his return; and the Pythian gave him the following answer: 'Apollo grants you to reign over Cyrene, during the time of four Battuses and four Arcesilauses, eight generations of men; he advises you however not to attempt any more than this. Do you therefore be quiet and return home; and if you find a furnace full of amphora, do not bake the amphora, but send them away with a favourable wind. But if you heat the furnace, enter not into a place surrounded with water; otherwise you will perish yourself, and the most beautiful bull." 164. The Pythian gave this answer to Arcesilaus; but he, having taken with him the men from Samos, returned to Cyrene; and having recovered the mastery, he forgot the oracle, and exacted vengeance of the adverse party for his own exile; so that some of them

abandoned their country altogether; and others Arcesilaus seized and sent to Cyprus to be put to death: now these last, being carried to their country, the Cnidians rescued, and sent away to Thera. Some others of the Cyrenians, who had taken refuge in a large private tower belonging to Aglomachus, Arcesilaus surrounded with wood and burnt. After this was done, understanding that this was the meaning of the oracle, that the Pythian forbad him, when he found amphora in a furnace, to bake them, he of his own accord withdrew from the city of the Cyrenæans, dreading the predicted death, and supposing that Cyrene was the place surrounded with water. He had a wife who was his own kinswoman, and daughter to the king of the Barcæans, whose name was Alazir; to him he retired: and the Barcæans, and some of the exiles from Cyrene, having discovered him in the public place, killed him, and moreover his father-in-law Alazir. Thus Arcesilaus, whether wilfully or otherwise, disobeying the oracle, accomplished his own destiny.

165. While Arcesilaus was living at Barce, working out his own destruction, his mother Pheretime held the honours of her son at Cyrene, both exercising his other functions, and taking her seat in the council; but when she heard that her son had been put to death at Barce, she fled to Egypt; for Arcesilaus had performed some services for Cambyses son of Cyrus, for it was this Arcesilaus who gave Cyrene to Cambyses, and imposed a tribute on himself. Pheretime having arrived in Egypt, seated herself as a suppliant of Aryandes, entreating him to avenge her, alleging as a pretext, that her son had died in consequence of his attachment to the Medes. 166. Aryandes had been appointed governor of Egypt by Cambyses; he in succeeding time was put to death for attempting to make himself equal with Darius. For having been informed that Darius desired to leave such a memorial of himself as had been accomplished by no other king, he imitated him until he received the reward of his presumption. For Darius, having refined gold to the utmost perfection, coined money; and Aryandes, governor of Egypt, made the same in silver; now this Aryandian silver is the purest. But Darius, when informed that he had done this, brought another charge against him, that he designed to rebel, and put him to death. 167. At that time, however, this Aryandes, taking

compassion on Pheretime, gave her all the forces of Egypt, both army and navy; and he appointed Amasis, a Maraphian, commander of the army; and of the fleet, Badres, a Pasargadian by birth. But before he despatched the forces, he sent a herald to Barce, to inquire who it was that had slain Arcesilaus. All the Barcæans took it upon themselves; for that they had suffered many injuries at his hands. And when Aryandes received their answer, he despatched the army with Pheretime. Now this cause was only a pretext for his proceeding; but in my opinion, the expedition was undertaken with the intention of subduing the Libyans. For there are many and various nations of Libyans, and some few of them were subject to the king, but the greater part paid no regard to Darius.

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168. The Libyans dwell as follows. Egypt the Adrymachidæ are the first of the Libyans we meet with: they for the most part observe the usages of Egypt, but they wear the same dress as the other Libyans. The women wear a chain of brass on each leg; they let their hair grow long, and when they catch vermin, each bites those from her own person, and then throws them away; these alone of the Libyans do this; and they alone exhibit to the king their virgins who are about to marry; and should any one be agreeable to the king, she is deflowered by him. These Adrymachidæ reach from Egypt to the harbour named Plunus. 169. Next to these are the Giligamma, who occupy the country westward, as far as the island Aphrodisias. Midway on this coast the island of Platea is situate, which the Cyrenæans colonized, and on the continent is the port of Menelaus, with Aziris, which the Cyrenæans inhabited. At this place the plant Silphium is first found, and extends from the island of Platea to the mouth of the Syrtis. These people use nearly the same customs as the others. 170. The Asbystæ adjoin the Giligammæ westward; they inhabit the country above Cyrene, but the Asbyste do not reach to the sea; for the Cyrenæans occupy the sea-coast. They drive four-horsed chariots, more than any of the Libyans; and endeavour to imitate most of the customs of the Cyrenæans. 171. The Auschise adjoin the Asbysta westward; these are situate above Barce, extending to the sea near the Euesperides. In the midst of the territory of the Auschise, the