histories-第70章

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put　to　death；　alleging　that　dissension　would　never　cease；　if　he　did



not　destroy　all　seeds　of　civil　war。　Nor　would　he　suffer　Antonius



Primus　to　be　taken　into　the　number　of　Domitian's　attendants；　for　he



felt　uneasy　at　his　popularity　with　the　troops；　and　feared　the　proud



spirit　of　the　man；　who　could　not　endure　an　equal；　much　less　a



superior。　Antonius　then　went　to　Vespasian；　who　received　him；　not



indeed　as　he　expected；　but　in　a　not　unfriendly　spirit。　Two　opposite



influences　acted　on　the　Emperor；　on　the　one　hand　were　the　merits　of



Antonius；　under　whose　conduct　the　war　had　beyond　all　doubt　been



terminated；　on　the　other；　were　the　letters　of　Mucianus。　And　everyone



else　inveighed　against　him；　as　an　ill…affected　and　conceited　man；



nor　did　they　forget　the　scandals　of　his　early　life。　Antonius　himself



failed　not　to　provoke　offence　by　his　arrogance　and　his　excessive



propensity　to　dwell　on　his　own　services。　He　reproached　other　men



with　being　cowards；　Caecina　he　stigmatized　as　a　captive　and　a　prisoner



of　war。　Thus　by　degrees　he　came　to　be　thought　of　less　weight　and



worth；　though　his　friendship　with　the　Emperor　to　all　appearance



remained　the　same。



　　In　the　months　during　which　Vespasian　was　waiting　at　Alexandria　for



the　periodical　return　of　the　summer　gales　and　settled　weather　at



sea；　many　wonders　occurred　which　seemed　to　point　him　out　as　the　object



of　the　favour　of　heaven　and　of　the　partiality　of　the　Gods。　One　of



the　common　people　of　Alexandria；　well　known　for　his　blindness；　threw



himself　at　the　Emperor's　knees；　and　implored　him　with　groans　to　heal



his　infirmity。　This　he　did　by　the　advice　of　the　God　Serapis；　whom　this



nation；　devoted　as　it　is　to　many　superstitions；　worships　more　than　any



other　divinity。　He　begged　Vespasian　that　he　would　deign　to　moisten　his



cheeks　and　eye…balls　with　his　spittle。　Another　with　a　diseased　hand；



at　the　counsel　of　the　same　God；　prayed　that　the　limb　might　feet　the



print　of　a　Caesar's　foot。　At　first　Vespasian　ridiculed　and　repulsed



them。　They　persisted；　and　he；　though　on　the　one　hand　he　feared　the



scandal　of　a　fruitless　attempt；　yet；　on　the　other；　was　induced　by



the　entreaties　of　the　men　and　by　the　language　of　his　flatterers　to



hope　for　success。　At　last　he　ordered　that　the　opinion　of　physicians



should　be　taken；　as　to　whether　such　blindness　and　infirmity　were



within　the　reach　of　human　skill。　They　discussed　the　matter　from



different　points　of　view。　〃In　the　one　case；〃　they　said；　〃the　faculty



of　sight　was　not　wholly　destroyed；　and　might　return；　if　the



obstacies　were　removed；　in　the　other　case；　the　limb；　which　had



fallen　into　a　diseased　condition；　might　be　restored；　if　a　healing



influence　were　applied；　such；　perhaps；　might　be　the　pleasure　of　the



Gods；　and　the　Emperor　might　be　chosen　to　be　the　minister　of　the　divine



will；　at　any　rate；　all　the　glory　of　a　successful　remedy　would　be



Caesar's；　while　the　ridicule　of　failure　would　fall　on　the



sufferers。〃　And　so　Vespasian；　supposing　that　all　things　were



possible　to　his　good　fortune；　and　that　nothing　was　any　longer　past



belief；　with　a　joyful　countenance；　amid　the　intense　expectation　of　the



multitude　of　bystanders；　accomplished　what　was　required。　The　hand



was　instantly　restored　to　its　use；　and　the　light　of　day　again　shone



upon　the　blind。　Persons　actually　present　attest　both　facts；　even　now



when　nothing　is　to　be　gained　by　falsehood。



　　Vespasian　thus　came　to　conceive　a　deeper　desire　to　visit　the



sanctuary　of　Serapis；　that　he　might　consult　the　God　about　the



interests　of　his　throne。　He　gave　orders　that　all　persons　should　be



excluded　from　the　temple。　He　had　entered；　and　was　absorbed　in　worship；



when　he　saw　behind　him　one　of　the　chief　men　of　Egypt；　named　Basilides；



whom　he　knew　at　the　time　to　be　detained　by　sickness　at　a



considerable　distance；　as　much　as　several　days　journey　from



Alexandria。　He　enquired　of　the　priests；　whether　Basilides　had　on



this　day　entered　the　temple。　He　enquired　of　others　whom　he　met；



whether　he　had　been　seen　in　the　city。　At　length；　sending　some



horsemen；　he　ascertained　that　at　that　very　instant　the　man　had　been



eighty　miles　distant。　He　then　concluded　that　it　was　a　divine



apparition；　and　discovered　an　oracular　force　in　the　name　of　Basilides。



　　The　origin　of　this　God　Serapis　has　not　hitherto　been　made



generally　known　by　our　writers。　The　Egyptian　priests　give　this



account。　While　Ptolemy；　the　first　Macedonian　king　who　consolidated　the



power　of　Egypt；　was　setting　up　in　the　newly…built　city　of　Alexandria



fortifications；　temples；　and　rites　of　worship；　there　appeared　to　him



in　his　sleep　a　youth　of　singular　beauty　and　more　than　human　stature；



who　counselled　the　monarch　to　send　his　most　trusty　friends　to



Pontus；　and　fetch　his　effigy　from　that　country。　This；　he　said；　would



bring　prosperity　to　the　realm；　and　great　and　illustrious　would　be



the　city　which　gave　it　a　reception。　At　the　same　moment　he　saw　the



youth　ascend　to　heaven　in　a　blaze　of　fire。　Roused　by　so　significant



and　strange　an　appearance；　Ptolemy　disclosed　the　vision　of　the　night



to　the　Egyptian　priests；　whose　business　it　is　to　understand　such



matters。　As　they　knew　but　little　of　Pontus　or　of　foreign　countries；　he



enquired　of　Timotheus；　an　Athenian；　one　of　the　family　of　the



Eumolpids；　whom　he　had　invited　from　Eleusis　to　preside　over　the　sacred



rites；　what　this　worship　was；　and　who　was　the　deity。　Timotheus；



questioning　persons　who　had　found　their　way　to　Pontus；　learnt　that



there　was　there　a　city　Sinope；　and　near　it　a　temple；　which；



according　to　an　old　tradition　of　the　neighbourhood；　was　sacred　to



the　infernal　Jupiter；　for　there　also　stood　close　at　hand　a　female



figure；　to　which　many　gave　the　name　of　Proserpine。　Ptolemy；　however；



with　the　true　disposition　of　a　despot；　though　prone　to　alarm；　was；



when　the　feeling　of　security　returned；　more　intent　on　pleasures　than



on　religious　matters；　and　he　began　by　degrees　to　neglect　the　affair；



and　to　turn　his　thoughts　to　other　concerns；　till　at　length　the　same



apparition；　but　now　more　terrible　and　peremptory；　denounced　ruin



against　the　king　and　his　realm；　unless　his　bidding　were　performed。



Ptolemy　then　gave　directions　that　an　embassy　should　be　despatched　with



presents　to　king　Scydrothemis；　who　at　that　time　ruled　the　people　of



Sinope；　and　instructed　them；　when　they　were　on　the　point　of　sailing；



to　consult　the　Pythian　Apollo。　Their　voyage　was　prosperous；　and　the



response　of　the　oracle　was　clear。　The　God　bade　them　go　and　carry



back　with　them　the　image　of　his　father；　but　leave　that　of　his　sister



behind。



　　On　their　arrival　at　Sinope；　they　delivered　to　Scydrothemis　the



presents　from　their　king；　with　his　request　and　message。　He　wavered



in　purpose；　dreading　at　one　moment　the　anger　of　the　God；　terrified



at　another　by　the　threats　and　opposition　of　the　people。　Often　he　was



wrought　upon　by　the　gifts　and　promises　of　the　ambassadors。　And　so



three　years　passed　away；　while　Ptolemy　did　not　cease　to　urge　his



zealous　solicitations。　He　continued　to　increase　the　dignity　of　his



embassies；　the　number　of　his　ships；　and　the　weight　of　his　gold。　A



terrible　vision　then　appeared　to　Scydrothemis；　warning　him　to　thwart



no　longer　the　purposes　of　the　God。　As　he　yet　hesitated；　various



disasters；　pestilence；　and　the　unmistakable　anger　of　heaven；　which



grew　heavier　from　day　to　day；　continued　to　harass　him。　He　summoned



an　assembly；　and　explained　to　them　the　bidding　of　the　God；　the　visions



of　Ptolemy　and　himself；　and　the　miseries　that　were　gathering　about



them。　The　people　turned　away　angrily　from　their　king；　were　jealous



of　Egypt；　and；　fearing　for　themselves；　thronged　around　the　temple。　The



story　becomes　at　this　point　more　marvellous；　and　relates　that　the



God　of　his　own　will　conveyed　himself　on　board　the　fleet；　which　had



been　brought　close　to　shore；　and