the history-第32节

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re　many　other　practices　whereof　I　shall　speak　hereafter；　which　the　Greeks　have　borrowed　from　Egypt。　The　peculiarity；　however；　which　they　observe　in　their　statues　of　Mercury　they　did　not　derive　from　the　Egyptians；　but　from　the　Pelasgi；　from　them　the　Athenians　first　adopted　it；　and　afterwards　it　passed　from　the　Athenians　to　the　other　Greeks。　For　just　at　the　time　when　the　Athenians　were　entering　into　the　Hellenic　body；　the　Pelasgi　came　to　live　with　them　in　their　country；　whence　it　was　that　the　latter　came　first　to　be　regarded　as　Greeks。　Whoever　has　been　initiated　into　the　mysteries　of　the　Cabiri　will　understand　what　I　mean。　The　Samothracians　received　these　mysteries　from　the　Pelasgi；　who；　before　they　went　to　live　in　Attica；　were　dwellers　in　Samothrace；　and　imparted　their　religious　ceremonies　to　the　inhabitants。　The　Athenians；　then；　who　were　the　first　of　all　the　Greeks　to　make　their　statues　of　Mercury　in　this　way；　learnt　the　practice　from　the　Pelasgians；　and　by　this　people　a　religious　account　of　the　matter　is　given；　which　is　explained　in　the　Samothracian　mysteries。　　　　　In　early　times　the　Pelasgi；　as　I　know　by　information　which　I　got　at　Dodona；　offered　sacrifices　of　all　kinds；　and　prayed　to　the　gods；　but　had　no　distinct　names　or　appellations　for　them；　since　they　had　never　heard　of　any。　They　called　them　gods　（Theoi；　disposers）；　because　they　disposed　and　arranged　all　things　in　such　a　beautiful　order。　After　a　long　lapse　of　time　the　names　of　the　gods　came　to　Greece　from　Egypt；　and　the　Pelasgi　learnt　them；　only　as　yet　they　knew　nothing　of　Bacchus；　of　whom　they　first　heard　at　a　much　later　date。　Not　long　after　the　arrival　of　the　names　they　sent　to　consult　the　oracle　at　Dodona　about　them。　This　is　the　most　ancient　oracle　in　Greece；　and　at　that　time　there　was　no　other。　To　their　question；　〃Whether　they　should　adopt　the　names　that　had　been　imported　from　the　foreigners？〃　the　oracle　replied　by　recommending　their　use。　Thenceforth　in　their　sacrifices　the　Pelasgi　made　use　of　the　names　of　the　gods；　and　from　them　the　names　passed　afterwards　to　the　Greeks。　　　　　Whence　the　gods　severally　sprang；　whether　or　no　they　had　all　existed　from　eternity；　what　forms　they　bore…　these　are　questions　of　which　the　Greeks　knew　nothing　until　the　other　day；　so　to　speak。　For　Homer　and　Hesiod　were　the　first　to　compose　Theogonies；　and　give　the　gods　their　epithets；　to　allot　them　their　several　offices　and　occupations；　and　describe　their　forms；　and　they　lived　but　four　hundred　years　before　my　time；　as　I　believe。　As　for　the　poets　who　are　thought　by　some　to　be　earlier　than　these；　they　are；　in　my　judgment；　decidedly　later　writers。　In　these　matters　I　have　the　authority　of　the　priestesses　of　Dodona　for　the　former　portion　of　my　statements；　what　I　have　said　of　Homer　and　Hesiod　is　my　own　opinion。　　　　　The　following　tale　is　commonly　told　in　Egypt　concerning　the　oracle　of　Dodona　in　Greece；　and　that　of　Ammon　in　Libya。　My　informants　on　the　point　were　the　priests　of　Jupiter　at　Thebes。　They　said　〃that　two　of　the　sacred　women　were　once　carried　off　from　Thebes　by　the　Phoenicians；　and　that　the　story　went　that　one　of　them　was　sold　into　Libya；　and　the　other　into　Greece；　and　these　women　were　the　first　founders　of　the　oracles　in　the　two　countries。〃　On　my　inquiring　how　they　came　to　know　so　exactly　what　became　of　the　women；　they　answered；　〃that　diligent　search　had　been　made　after　them　at　the　time；　but　that　it　had　not　been　found　possible　to　discover　where　they　were；　afterwards；　however；　they　received　the　information　which　they　had　given　me。〃　　　　　This　was　what　I　heard　from　the　priests　at　Thebes；　at　Dodona；　however；　the　women　who　deliver　the　oracles　relate　the　matter　as　follows：…　〃Two　black　doves　flew　away　from　Egyptian　Thebes；　and　while　one　directed　its　flight　to　Libya；　the　other　came　to　them。　She　alighted　on　an　oak；　and　sitting　there　began　to　speak　with　a　human　voice；　and　told　them　that　on　the　spot　where　she　was；　there　should　henceforth　be　an　oracle　of　Jove。　They　understood　the　announcement　to　be　from　heaven；　so　they　set　to　work　at　once　and　erected　the　shrine。　The　dove　which　flew　to　Libya　bade　the　Libyans　to　establish　there　the　oracle　of　Ammon。〃　This　likewise　is　an　oracle　of　Jupiter。　The　persons　from　whom　I　received　these　particulars　were　three　priestesses　of　the　Dodonaeans；　the　eldest　Promeneia；　the　next　Timarete；　and　the　youngest　Nicandra…　what　they　said　was　confirmed　by　the　other　Dodonaeans　who　dwell　around　the　temple。　　　　　My　own　opinion　of　these　matters　is　as　follows：…　I　think　that；　if　it　be　true　that　the　Phoenicians　carried　off　the　holy　women；　and　sold　them　for　slaves；　the　one　into　Libya　and　the　other　into　Greece；　or　Pelasgia　（as　it　was　then　called）；　this　last　must　have　been　sold　to　the　Thesprotians。　Afterwards；　while　undergoing　servitude　in　those　parts；　she　built　under　a　real　oak　a　temple　to　Jupiter；　her　thoughts　in　her　new　abode　reverting…　as　it　was　likely　they　would　do；　if　she　had　been　an　attendant　in　a　temple　of　Jupiter　at　Thebes…　to　that　particular　god。　Then；　having　acquired　a　knowledge　of　the　Greek　tongue；　she　set　up　an　oracle。　She　also　mentioned　that　her　sister　had　been　sold　for　a　slave　into　Libya　by　the　same　persons　as　herself。　　　　　The　Dodonaeans　called　the　women　doves　because　they　were　foreigners；　and　seemed　to　them　to　make　a　noise　like　birds。　After　a　while　the　dove　spoke　with　a　human　voice；　because　the　woman；　whose　foreign　talk　had　previously　sounded　to　them　like　the　chattering　of　a　bird；　acquired　the　power　of　speaking　what　they　could　understand。　For　how　can　it　be　conceived　possible　that　a　dove　should　really　speak　with　the　voice　of　a　man？　Lastly；　by　calling　the　dove　black　the　Dodonaeans　indicated　that　the　woman　was　an　Egyptian。　And　certainly　the　character　of　the　oracles　at　Thebes　and　Dodona　is　very　similar。　Besides　this　form　of　divination；　the　Greeks　learnt　also　divination　by　means　of　victims　from　the　Egyptians。　　　　　The　Egyptians　were　also　the　first　to　introduce　solemn　assemblies；　processions；　and　litanies　to　the　gods；　of　all　which　the　Greeks　were　taught　the　use　by　them。　It　seems　to　me　a　sufficient　proof　of　this　that　in　Egypt　these　practices　have　been　established　from　remote　antiquity；　while　in　Greece　they　are　only　recently　known。　　　　　The　Egyptians　do　not　hold　a　single　solemn　assembly；　but　several　in　the　course　of　the　year。　Of　these　the　chief；　which　is　better　attended　than　any　other；　is　held　at　the　city　of　Bubastis　in　honour　of　Diana。　The　next　in　importance　is　that　which　takes　place　at　Busiris；　a　city　situated　in　the　very　middle　of　the　Delta；　it　is　in　honour　of　Isis；　who　is　called　in　the　Greek　tongue　Demiter　（Ceres）。　There　is　a　third　great　festival　in　Sais　to　Minerva；　a　fourth　in　Heliopolis　to　the　Sun；　a　fifth　in　Buto　to　Latona；　and　a　sixth　in　Papremis　to　Mars。　　　　　The　following　are　the　proceedings　on　occasion　of　the　assembly　at　Bubastis：…　Men　and　women　come　sailing　all　together；　vast　numbers　in　each　boat；　many　of　the　women　with　castanets；　which　they　strike；　while　some　of　the　men　pipe　during　the　whole　time　of　the　voyage；　the　remainder　of　the　voyagers；　male　and　female；　sing　the　while；　and　make　a　clapping　with　their　hands。　When　they　arrive　opposite　any　of　the　towns　upon　the　banks　of　the　stream；　they　approach　the　shore；　and；　while　some　of　the　women　continue　to　play　and　sing；　others　call　aloud　to　the　females　of　the　place　and　load　them　with　abuse；　while　a　certain　number　dance；　and　some　standing　up　uncover　themselves。　After　proceeding　in　this　way　all　along　the　river…course；　they　reach　Bubastis；　where　they　celebrate　the　feast　with　abundant　sacrifices。　More　grape…wine　is　consumed　at　this　festival　than　in　all　the　rest　of　the　year　besides。　The　number　of　those　who　attend；　counting　only　the　men　and　women　and　omitting　the　children；　amounts；　according　to　the　native　reports；　to　seven　hundred　thousand。　　　　　The　ceremonies　at　the　feast　of　Isis　in　the　city　of　Busiris　have　been　already　spoken　of。　It　is　there　that　the　whole　multitude；　both　of　men　and　women；　many　thousands　in　number；　beat　themselves　at　the　close　of　the　sacrifice；　in　honour　of　a　god；　whose　name　a　religious　scruple　forbids　me　to　mention。　The　Carian　dwellers　in　Egypt　proceed　on　this　occasion　to　still　greater　lengths；　even　cutting　their　faces　with　their　knives；　whereby　they　let　it　been　seen　that　they　are　not　Egyptians　but　foreigners。　　　　　At　Sais；　when　the　assembly　takes　place　for　the　sacrifices；　there　is　one　night　on　which　the　inhabitants　all　burn　a　multitude　of　lights　in　the　open　air　round　their　houses。　They　use　lamps　in　the　shape　of　flat　saucers　filled　with　a　mixture　of　oil　and　salt；　on　the　top　of　which　the　wick　floats。　These　burn　the　whole　night；　and　give　to　the　festival　the　name　of　the　Feast　of　Lamps。　The　Egyptians　who　are　absent　from　the　festival　observe　the　night　of　the　sacrifice；　no　less　than　the　rest；　by　a　general　lighting　of　lamps；　so　that　the　illumination　is　not　confined　to　the　city　of　Sais；　but　extends　over　the　whole　of　Egypt。　And　there　is　a　religious　reason　assigned　for　the　special　honour　paid　to　this　night；　as　well　as　for　the　illumination　which　accompanies　it。　　　　　At　Heliopolis　and　Buto　the　assemblies　are　merely　for　the　purpose　of　sacrifice；　but　at　Papremis；　besides　the　sacrifices　and　other　rites　which　are　performed　there　as　elsewhere；　the　following　custom　is　observed：…　When　the　sun　is　getting　low；　a　few　only　of　the　priests　continue　occupied　abou