the history-第30章

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the　road　from　Athens　to　Pisa　falls　short　of　fifteen　hundred　furlongs　by　exactly　fifteen；　whereas　the　distance　of　Heliopolis　from　the　sea　is　just　the　round　number。　　　　　As　one　proceeds　beyond　Heliopolis　up　the　country；　Egypt　becomes　narrow；　the　Arabian　range　of　hills；　which　has　a　direction　from　north　to　south；　shutting　it　in　upon　the　one　side；　and　the　Libyan　range　upon　the　other。　The　former　ridge　runs　on　without　a　break；　and　stretches　away　to　the　sea　called　the　Erythraean；　it　contains　the　quarries　whence　the　stone　was　cut　for　the　pyramids　of　Memphis：　and　this　is　the　point　where　it　ceases　its　first　direction；　and　bends　away　in　the　manner　above　indicated。　In　its　greatest　length　from　east　to　west　it　is；　as　I　have　been　informed；　a　distance　of　two　months'　journey　towards　the　extreme　east　its　skirts　produce　frankincense。　Such　are　the　chief　features　of　this　range。　On　the　Libyan　side；　the　other　ridge　whereon　the　pyramids　stand　is　rocky　and　covered　with　sand；　its　direction　is　the　same　as　that　of　the　Arabian　ridge　in　the　first　part　of　its　course。　Above　Heliopolis；　then；　there　is　no　great　breadth　of　territory　for　such　a　country　as　Egypt；　but　during　four　days'　sail　Egypt　is　narrow；　the　valley　between　the　two　ranges　is　a　level　plain；　and　seemed　to　me　to　be；　at　the　narrowest　point；　not　more　than　two　hundred　furlongs　across　from　the　Arabian　to　the　Libyan　hills。　Above　this　point　Egypt　again　widens。　　　　　From　Heliopolis　to　Thebes　is　nine　days'　sail　up　the　river；　the　distance　is　eighty…one　schoenes；　or　4860　furlongs。　If　we　now　put　together　the　several　measurements　of　the　country　we　shall　find　that　the　distance　along　shore　is；　as　I　stated　above；　3600　furlongs；　and　the　distance　from　the　sea　inland　to　Thebes　6120　furlongs。　Further；　it　is　a　distance　of　eighteen　hundred　furlongs　from　Thebes　to　the　place　called　Elephantine。　　　　　The　greater　portion　of　the　country　above　described　seemed　to　me　to　be；　as　the　priests　declared；　a　tract　gained　by　the　inhabitants。　For　the　whole　region　above　Memphis；　lying　between　the　two　ranges　of　hills　that　have　been　spoken　of；　appeared　evidently　to　have　formed　at　one　time　a　gulf　of　the　sea。　It　resembles　（to　compare　small　things　with　great）　the　parts　about　Ilium　and　Teuthrania；　Ephesus；　and　the　plain　of　the　Maeander。　In　all　these　regions　the　land　has　been　formed　by　rivers；　whereof　the　greatest　is　not　to　compare　for　size　with　any　one　of　the　five　mouths　of　the　Nile。　I　could　mention　other　rivers　also；　far　inferior　to　the　Nile　in　magnitude；　that　have　effected　very　great　changes。　Among　these　not　the　least　is　the　Achelous；　which；　after　passing　through　Acarnania；　empties　itself　into　the　sea　opposite　the　islands　called　Echinades；　and　has　already　joined　one…half　of　them　to　the　continent。　　　　　In　Arabia；　not　far　from　Egypt；　there　is　a　long　and　narrow　gulf　running　inland　from　the　sea　called　the　Erythraean；　of　which　I　will　here　set　down　the　dimensions。　Starting　from　its　innermost　recess；　and　using　a　row…boat；　you　take　forty　days　to　reach　the　open　main；　while　you　may　cross　the　gulf　at　its　widest　part　in　the　space　of　half　a　day。　In　this　sea　there　is　an　ebb　and　flow　of　the　tide　every　day。　My　opinion　is　that　Egypt　was　formerly　very　much　such　a　gulf　as　this…　one　gulf　penetrated　from　the　sea　that　washes　Egypt　on　the　north；　and　extended　itself　towards　Ethiopia；　another　entered　from　the　southern　ocean；　and　stretched　towards　Syria；　the　two　gulfs　ran　into　the　land　so　as　almost　to　meet　each　other；　and　left　between　them　only　a　very　narrow　tract　of　country。　Now　if　the　Nile　should　choose　to　divert　his　waters　from　their　present　bed　into　this　Arabian　gulf；　what　is　there　to　hinder　it　from　being　filled　up　by　the　stream　within；　at　the　utmost；　twenty　thousand　years？　For　my　part；　I　think　it　would　be　filled　in　half　the　time。　How　then　should　not　a　gulf；　even　of　much　greater　size；　have　been　filled　up　in　the　ages　that　passed　before　I　was　born；　by　a　river　that　is　at　once　so　large　and　so　given　to　working　changes？　　　　　Thus　I　give　credit　to　those　from　whom　I　received　this　account　of　Egypt；　and　am　myself；　moreover；　strongly　of　the　same　opinion；　since　I　remarked　that　the　country　projects　into　the　sea　further　than　the　neighbouring　shores；　and　I　observed　that　there　were　shells　upon　the　hills；　and　that　salt　exuded　from　the　soil　to　such　an　extent　as　even　to　injure　the　pyramids；　and　I　noticed　also　that　there　is　but　a　single　hill　in　all　Egypt　where　sand　is　found；　namely；　the　hill　above　Memphis；　and　further；　I　found　the　country　to　bear　no　resemblance　either　to　its　borderland　Arabia；　or　to　Libya…　nay；　nor　even　to　Syria；　which　forms　the　seaboard　of　Arabia；　but　whereas　the　soil　of　Libya　is；　we　know；　sandy　and　of　a　reddish　hue；　and　that　of　Arabia　and　Syria　inclines　to　stone　and　clay；　Egypt　has　a　soil　that　is　black　and　crumbly；　as　being　alluvial　and　formed　of　the　deposits　brought　down　by　the　river　from　Ethiopia。　　　　　One　fact　which　I　learnt　of　the　priests　is　to　me　a　strong　evidence　of　the　origin　of　the　country。　They　said　that　when　Moeris　was　king；　the　Nile　overflowed　all　Egypt　below　Memphis；　as　soon　as　it　rose　so　little　as　eight　cubits。　Now　Moeris　had　not　been　dead　900　years　at　the　time　when　I　heard　this　of　the　priests；　yet　at　the　present　day；　unless　the　river　rise　sixteen；　or；　at　the　very　least；　fifteen　cubits；　it　does　not　overflow　the　lands。　It　seems　to　me；　therefore；　that　if　the　land　goes　on　rising　and　growing　at　this　rate；　the　Egyptians　who　dwell　below　Lake　Moeris；　in　the　Delta　（as　it　is　called）　and　elsewhere；　will　one　day；　by　the　stoppage　of　the　inundations；　suffer　permanently　the　fate　which　they　told　me　they　expected　would　some　time　or　other　befall　the　Greeks。　On　hearing　that　the　whole　land　of　Greece　is　watered　by　rain　from　heaven；　and　not；　like　their　own；　inundated　by　rivers；　they　observed…　〃Some　day　the　Greeks　will　be　disappointed　of　their　grand　hope；　and　then　they　will　be　wretchedly　hungry〃；　which　was　as　much　as　to　say；　〃If　God　shall　some　day　see　fit　not　to　grant　the　Greeks　rain；　but　shall　afflict　them　with　a　long　drought；　the　Greeks　will　be　swept　away　by　a　famine；　since　they　have　nothing　to　rely　on　but　rain　from　Jove；　and　have　no　other　resource　for　water。〃　　　　　And　certes；　in　thus　speaking　of　the　Greeks　the　Egyptians　say　nothing　but　what　is　true。　But　now　let　me　tell　the　Egyptians　how　the　case　stands　with　themselves。　If；　as　I　said　before；　the　country　below　Memphis；　which　is　the　land　that　is　always　rising；　continues　to　increase　in　height　at　the　rate　at　which　it　has　risen　in　times　gone　by；　how　will　it　be　possible　for　the　inhabitants　of　that　region　to　avoid　hunger；　when　they　will　certainly　have　no　rain；　and　the　river　will　not　be　able　to　overflow　their　cornlands？　At　present；　it　must　be　confessed；　they　obtain　the　fruits　of　the　field　with　less　trouble　than　any　other　people　in　the　world；　the　rest　of　the　Egyptians　included；　since　they　have　no　need　to　break　up　the　ground　with　the　plough；　nor　to　use　the　hoe；　nor　to　do　any　of　the　work　which　the　rest　of　mankind　find　necessary　if　they　are　to　get　a　crop；　but　the　husbandman　waits　till　the　river　has　of　its　own　accord　spread　itself　over　the　fields　and　withdrawn　again　to　its　bed；　and　then　sows　his　plot　of　ground；　and　after　sowing　turns　his　swine　into　it…　the　swine　tread　in　the　corn…　after　which　he　has　only　to　await　the　harvest。　The　swine　serve　him　also　to　thrash　the　grain；　which　is　then　carried　to　the　garner。　　　　　If　then　we　choose　to　adopt　the　views　of　the　Ionians　concerning　Egypt；　we　must　come　to　the　conclusion　that　the　Egyptians　had　formerly　no　country　at　all。　For　the　Ionians　say　that　nothing　is　really　Egypt　but　the　Delta；　which　extends　along　shore　from　the　Watch…tower　of　Perseus；　as　it　is　called；　to　the　Pelusiac　Salt…Pans；　a　distance　of　forty　schoenes；　and　stretches　inland　as　far　as　the　city　of　Cercasorus；　where　the　Nile　divides　into　the　two　streams　which　reach　the　sea　at　Pelusium　and　Canobus　respectively。　The　rest　of　what　is　accounted　Egypt　belongs；　they　say；　either　to　Arabia　or　Libya。　But　the　Delta；　as　the　Egyptians　affirm；　and　as　I　myself　am　persuaded；　is　formed　of　the　deposits　of　the　river；　and　has　only　recently；　if　I　may　use　the　expression；　come　to　light。　If；　then；　they　had　formerly　no　territory　at　all；　how　came　they　to　be　so　extravagant　as　to　fancy　themselves　the　most　ancient　race　in　the　world？　Surely　there　was　no　need　of　their　making　the　ex