the history-第42节

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　had　lived　in　the　marsh…region　the　whole　time；　having　formed　for　himself　an　island　there　by　a　mixture　of　earth　and　ashes。　While　he　remained；　the　natives　had　orders　to　bring　him　food　unbeknown　to　the　Ethiopian；　and　latterly；　at　his　request；　each　man　had　brought　him；　with　the　food；　a　certain　quantity　of　ashes。　Before　Amyrtaeus；　no　one　was　able　to　discover　the　site　of　this　island；　which　continued　unknown　to　the　kings　of　Egypt　who　preceded　him　on　the　throne　for　the　space　of　seven　hundred　years　and　more。　The　name　which　it　bears　is　Elbo。　It　is　about　ten　furlongs　across　in　each　direction。　　　　　The　next　king；　I　was　told；　was　a　priest　of　Vulcan；　called　Sethos。　This　monarch　despised　and　neglected　the　warrior　class　of　the　Egyptians；　as　though　he　did　not　need　their　services。　Among　other　indignities　which　he　offered　them；　he　took　from　them　the　lands　which　they　had　possessed　under　all　the　previous　kings；　consisting　of　twelve　acres　of　choice　land　for　each　warrior。　Afterwards；　therefore；　when　Sanacharib；　king　of　the　Arabians　and　Assyrians；　marched　his　vast　army　into　Egypt；　the　warriors　one　and　all　refused　to　come　to　his　aid。　On　this　the　monarch；　greatly　distressed；　entered　into　the　inner　sanctuary；　and；　before　the　image　of　the　god；　bewailed　the　fate　which　impended　over　him。　As　he　wept　he　fell　asleep；　and　dreamed　that　the　god　came　and　stood　at　his　side；　bidding　him　be　of　good　cheer；　and　go　boldly　forth　to　meet　the　Arabian　host；　which　would　do　him　no　hurt；　as　he　himself　would　send　those　who　should　help　him。　Sethos；　then；　relying　on　the　dream；　collected　such　of　the　Egyptians　as　were　willing　to　follow　him；　who　were　none　of　them　warriors；　but　traders；　artisans；　and　market　people；　and　with　these　marched　to　Pelusium；　which　commands　the　entrance　into　Egypt；　and　there　pitched　his　camp。　As　the　two　armies　lay　here　opposite　one　another；　there　came　in　the　night；　a　multitude　of　field…mice；　which　devoured　all　the　quivers　and　bowstrings　of　the　enemy；　and　ate　the　thongs　by　which　they　managed　their　shields。　Next　morning　they　commenced　their　fight；　and　great　multitudes　fell；　as　they　had　no　arms　with　which　to　defend　themselves。　There　stands　to　this　day　in　the　temple　of　Vulcan；　a　stone　statue　of　Sethos；　with　a　mouse　in　his　hand；　and　an　inscription　to　this　effect…　〃Look　on　me；　and　learn　to　reverence　the　gods。〃　　　　　Thus　far　I　have　spoken　on　the　authority　of　the　Egyptians　and　their　priests。　They　declare　that　from　their　first　king　to　this　last…mentioned　monarch；　the　priest　of　Vulcan；　was　a　period　of　three　hundred　and　forty…one　generations；　such；　at　least；　they　say；　was　the　number　both　of　their　kings；　and　of　their　high…priests；　during　this　interval。　Now　three　hundred　generations　of　men　make　ten　thousand　years；　three　generations　filling　up　the　century；　and　the　remaining　forty…one　generations　make　thirteen　hundred　and　forty　years。　Thus　the　whole　number　of　years　is　eleven　thousand；　three　hundred　and　forty；　in　which　entire　space；　they　said；　no　god　had　ever　appeared　in　a　human　form；　nothing　of　this　kind　had　happened　either　under　the　former　or　under　the　later　Egyptian　kings。　The　sun；　however；　had　within　this　period　of　time；　on　four　several　occasions；　moved　from　his　wonted　course；　twice　rising　where　he　now　sets；　and　twice　setting　where　he　now　rises。　Egypt　was　in　no　degree　affected　by　these　changes；　the　productions　of　the　land；　and　of　the　river；　remained　the　same；　nor　was　there　anything　unusual　either　in　the　diseases　or　the　deaths。　　　　　When　Hecataeus　the　historian　was　at　Thebes；　and；　discoursing　of　his　genealogy；　traced　his　descent　to　a　god　in　the　person　of　his　sixteenth　ancestor；　the　priests　of　Jupiter　did　to　him　exactly　as　they　afterwards　did　to　me；　though　I　made　no　boast　of　my　family。　They　led　me　into　the　inner　sanctuary；　which　is　a　spacious　chamber；　and　showed　me　a　multitude　of　colossal　statues；　in　wood；　which　they　counted　up；　and　found　to　amount　to　the　exact　number　they　had　said；　the　custom　being　for　every　high　priest　during　his　lifetime　to　set　up　his　statue　in　the　temple。　As　they　showed　me　the　figures　and　reckoned　them　up；　they　assured　me　that　each　was　the　son　of　the　one　preceding　him；　and　this　they　repeated　throughout　the　whole　line；　beginning　with　the　representation　of　the　priest　last　deceased；　and　continuing　till　they　had　completed　the　series。　When　Hecataeus；　in　giving　his　genealogy；　mentioned　a　god　as　his　sixteenth　ancestor；　the　priests　opposed　their　genealogy　to　his；　going　through　this　list；　and　refusing　to　allow　that　any　man　was　ever　born　of　a　god。　Their　colossal　figures　were　each；　they　said；　a　Piromis；　born　of　a　Piromis；　and　the　number　of　them　was　three　hundred　and　forty…five；　through　the　whole　series　Piromis　followed　Piromis；　and　the　line　did　not　run　up　either　to　a　god　or　a　hero。　The　word　Piromis　may　be　rendered　〃gentleman。〃　　　　　Of　such　a　nature　were；　they　said；　the　beings　represented　by　these　images…　they　were　very　far　indeed　from　being　gods。　However；　in　the　times　anterior　to　them　it　was　otherwise；　then　Egypt　had　gods　for　its　rulers；　who　dwelt　upon　the　earth　with　men；　one　being　always　supreme　above　the　rest。　The　last　of　these　was　Horus；　the　son　of　Osiris；　called　by　the　Greeks　Apollo。　He　deposed　Typhon；　and　ruled　over　Egypt　as　its　last　god…king。　Osiris　is　named　Dionysus　（Bacchus）　by　the　Greeks。　　　　　The　Greeks　regard　Hercules；　Bacchus；　and　Pan　as　the　youngest　of　the　gods。　With　the　Egyptians；　contrariwise；　Pan　is　exceedingly　ancient；　and　belongs　to　those　whom　they　call　〃the　eight　gods；〃　who　existed　before　the　rest。　Hercules　is　one　of　the　gods　of　the　second　order；　who　are　known　as　〃the　twelve〃；　and　Bacchus　belongs　to　the　gods　of　the　third　order；　whom　the　twelve　produced。　I　have　already　mentioned　how　many　years　intervened　according　to　the　Egyptians　between　the　birth　of　Hercules　and　the　reign　of　Amasis。　From　Pan　to　this　period　they　count　a　still　longer　time；　and　even　from　Bacchus；　who　is　the　youngest　of　the　three；　they　reckon　fifteen　thousand　years　to　the　reign　of　that　king。　In　these　matters　they　say　they　cannot　be　mistaken；　as　they　have　always　kept　count　of　the　years；　and　noted　them　in　their　registers。　But　from　the　present　day　to　the　time　of　Bacchus；　the　reputed　son　of　Semele；　daughter　of　Cadmus；　is　a　period　of　not　more　than　sixteen　hundred　years；　to　that　of　Hercules；　son　of　Alcmena；　is　about　nine　hundred；　while　to　the　time　of　Pan；　son　of　Penelope　（Pan；　according　to　the　Greeks；　was　her　child　by　Mercury）；　is　a　shorter　space　than　to　the　Trojan　war；　eight　hundred　years　or　thereabouts。　　　　　It　is　open　to　all　to　receive　whichever　he　may　prefer　of　these　two　traditions；　my　own　opinion　about　them　has　been　already　declared。　If　indeed　these　gods　had　been　publicly　known；　and　had　grown　old　in　Greece；　as　was　the　case　with　Hercules；　son　of　Amphitryon；　Bacchus；　son　of　Semele；　and　Pan；　son　of　Penelope；　it　might　have　been　said　that　the　last…mentioned　personages　were　men　who　bore　the　names　of　certain　previously　existing　deities。　But　Bacchus；　according　to　the　Greek　tradition；　was　no　sooner　born　than　he　was　sewn　up　in　Jupiter's　thigh；　and　carried　off　to　Nysa；　above　Egypt；　in　Ethiopia；　and　as　to　Pan；　they　do　not　even　profess　to　know　what　happened　to　him　after　his　birth。　To　me；　therefore；　it　is　quite　manifest　that　the　names　of　these　gods　became　known　to　the　Greeks　after　those　of　their　other　deities；　and　that　they　count　their　birth　from　the　time　when　they　first　acquired　a　knowledge　of　them。　Thus　far　my　narrative　rests　on　the　accounts　given　by　the　Egyptians。　　　　　In　what　follows　I　have　the　authority；　not　of　the　Egyptians　only；　but　of　others　also　who　agree　with　them。　I　shall　speak　likewise　in　part　from　my　own　observation。　When　the　Egyptians　regained　their　liberty　after　the　reign　of　the　priest　of　Vulcan；　unable　to　continue　any　while　without　a　king；　they　divided　Egypt　into　twelve　districts；　and　set　twelve　kings　over　them。　These　twelve　kings；　united　together　by　intermarriages；　ruled　Egypt　in　peace；　having　entered　into　engagements　with　one　another　not　to　depose　any　of　their　number；　nor　to　aim　at　any　aggrandisement　of　one　above　the　rest；　but　to　dwell　together　in　perfect　amity。　Now　the　reason　why　they　made　these　stipulations；　and　guarded　with　care　against　their　infraction；　was　because　at　the　very　first　establishment　of　the　twelve　kingdoms　an　oracle　had　declared…　〃That　he　among　them　who　should　pour　in　Vulcan's　temple　a　libation　from　a　cup　of　bronze　would　become　monarch　of　the　whole　land　of　Egypt。〃　Now　the　twelve　held　their　meetings　at　all　the　temples。　　　　　To　bind　themselves　yet　more　closely　together；　it　seemed　good　to　them　to　leave　a　common　monument。　In　pursuance　of　this　resolution　they　made　the　Labyrinth　which　lies　a　little　above　Lake　Moeris；　in　the　neighbourhood　of　the　place　called　the　city　of　Crocodiles。　I　visited　this　place；　and　found　it　to　surpass　description；　for　if　all　the　walls　and　other　great　works　of　the　Greeks　could　be　put　together　in　one；　they　would　not　equal；　either　for　labour　or　expense；　this　Labyrinth；　and　yet　the　temple　of　Ephesus　is　a　building　worthy　of　note；　and　so　is　the　temple　of　Samos。　The　pyramids　likewise　surpass　description；　and　are　severally　equal　to　a　number　of　the　greatest　works　of　the　Greeks；　but　the　Labyrinth　surpasses　the　pyramids。　It　has　twelve　courts；　all　of　them　roofed；　with　gates　exactly　opposite　one　another；　six　looking　to　the　north；　and　six　to　the　south。　A　single　wall　surround