the history-第48章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


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　surrounds　the　entire　building。　There　are　two　different　sorts　of　chambers　throughout…　half　under　ground；　half　above　ground；　the　latter　built　upon　the　former；　the　whole　number　of　these　chambers　is　three　thousand；　fifteen　hundred　of　each　kind。　The　upper　chambers　I　myself　passed　through　and　saw；　and　what　I　say　concerning　them　is　from　my　own　observation；　of　the　underground　chambers　I　can　only　speak　from　report：　for　the　keepers　of　the　building　could　not　be　got　to　show　them；　since　they　contained　（as　they　said）　the　sepulchres　of　the　kings　who　built　the　Labyrinth；　and　also　those　of　the　sacred　crocodiles。　Thus　it　is　from　hearsay　only　that　I　can　speak　of　the　lower　chambers。　The　upper　chambers；　however；　I　saw　with　my　own　eyes；　and　found　them　to　excel　all　other　human　productions；　for　the　passages　through　the　houses；　and　the　varied　windings　of　the　paths　across　the　courts　excited　in　me　infinite　admiration　as　I　passed　from　the　courts　into　chambers；　and　from　the　chambers　into　colonnades；　and　from　the　colonnades　into　fresh　houses；　and　again　from　these　into　courts　unseen　before。　The　roof　was　throughout　of　stone；　like　the　walls；　and　the　walls　were　carved　all　over　with　figures；　every　court　was　surrounded　with　a　colonnade　which　was　built　of　white　stones　exquisitely　fitted　together。　At　the　corner　of　the　Labyrinth　stands　a　pyramid；　forty　fathoms　high；　with　large　figures　engraved　on　it；　which　is　entered　by　a　subterranean　passage。　　　　　Wonderful　as　is　the　Labyrinth；　the　work　called　the　Lake　of　Moeris；　which　is　close　by　the　Labyrinth；　is　yet　more　astonishing。　The　measure　of　its　circumference　is　sixty　schoenes；　or　three　thousand　six　hundred　furlongs；　which　is　equal　to　the　entire　length　of　Egypt　along　the　sea…coast。　The　lake　stretches　in　its　longest　direction　from　north　to　south；　and　in　its　deepest　parts　is　of　the　depth　of　fifty　fathoms。　It　is　manifestly　an　artificial　excavation；　for　nearly　in　the　centre　there　stand　two　pyramids；　rising　to　the　height　of　fifty　fathoms　above　the　surface　of　the　water；　and　extending　as　far　beneath；　crowned　each　of　them　with　a　colossal　statue　sitting　upon　a　throne。　Thus　these　pyramids　are　one　hundred　fathoms　high；　which　is　exactly　a　furlong　（stadium）　of　six　hundred　feet：　the　fathom　being　six　feet　in　length；　or　four　cubits；　which　is　the　same　thing；　since　a　cubit　measures　six；　and　a　foot　four；　palms。　The　water　of　the　lake　does　not　come　out　of　the　ground；　which　is　here　excessively　dry；　but　is　introduced　by　a　canal　from　the　Nile。　The　current　sets　for　six　months　into　the　lake　from　the　river；　and　for　the　next　six　months　into　the　river　from　the　lake。　it　runs　outward　it　returns　a　talent　of　silver　daily　to　the　royal　treasury　from　the　fish　that　are　taken；　but　when　the　current　is　the　other　way　the　return　sinks　to　one…third　of　that　sum。　　　　　The　natives　told　me　that　there　was　a　subterranean　passage　from　this　lake　to　the　Libyan　Syrtis；　running　westward　into　the　interior　by　the　hills　above　Memphis。　As　I　could　not　anywhere　see　the　earth　which　had　been　taken　out　when　the　excavation　was　made；　and　I　was　curious　to　know　what　had　become　of　it；　I　asked　the　Egyptians　who　live　closest　to　the　lake　where　the　earth　had　been　put。　The　answer　that　they　gave　me　I　readily　accepted　as　true；　since　I　had　heard　of　the　same　thing　being　done　at　Nineveh　of　the　Assyrians。　There；　once　upon　a　time；　certain　thieves；　having　formed　a　plan　to　get　into　their　possession　the　vast　treasures　of　Sardanapalus；　the　Ninevite　king；　which　were　laid　up　in　subterranean　treasuries；　proceeded　to　tunnel　a　passage　from　the　house　where　they　lived　into　the　royal　palace；　calculating　the　distance　and　the　direction。　At　nightfall　they　took　the　earth　from　the　excavation　and　carried　it　to　the　river　Tigris；　which　ran　by　Nineveh；　continuing　to　get　rid　of　it　in　this　manner　until　they　had　accomplished　their　purpose。　It　was　exactly　in　the　same　way　that　the　Egyptians　disposed　of　the　mould　from　their　excavation；　except　that　they　did　it　by　day　and　not　by　night；　for　as　fast　as　the　earth　was　dug；　they　carried　it　to　the　Nile；　which　they　knew　would　disperse　it　far　and　wide。　Such　was　the　account　which　I　received　of　the　formation　of　this　lake。　　　　　The　twelve　kings　for　some　time　dealt　honourably　by　one　another；　but　at　length　it　happened　that　on　a　certain　occasion；　when　they　had　met　to　worship　in　the　temple　of　Vulcan；　the　high…priest　on　the　last　day　of　the　festival；　in　bringing　forth　the　golden　goblets　from　which　they　were　wont　to　pour　the　libations；　mistook　the　number　and　brought　eleven　goblets　only　for　the　twelve　princes。　Psammetichus　was　standing　last；　and；　being　left　without　a　cup；　he　took　his　helmet；　which　was　of　bronze；　from　off　his　head；　stretched　it　out　to　receive　the　liquor；　and　so　made　his　libation。　All　the　kings　were　accustomed　to　wear　helmets；　and　all　indeed　wore　them　at　this　very　time。　Nor　was　there　any　crafty　design　in　the　action　of　Psammetichus。　The　eleven；　however；　when　they　came　to　consider　what　had　been　done；　and　bethought　them　of　the　oracle　which　had　declared　〃that　he　who；　of　the　twelve；　should　pour　a　libation　from　a　cup　of　bronze；　the　same　would　be　king　of　the　whole　land　of　Egypt；〃　doubted　at　first　if　they　should　not　put　Psammetichus　to　death。　Finding；　however；　upon　examination；　that　he　had　acted　in　the　matter　without　any　guilty　intent；　they　did　not　think　it　would　be　just　to　kill　him；　but　determined；　instead；　to　strip　him　of　the　chief　part　of　his　power　and　to　banish　him　to　the　marshes；　forbidding　him　to　leave　them　or　to　hold　any　communication　with　the　rest　of　Egypt。　　　　　This　was　the　second　time　that　Psammetichus　had　been　driven　into　banishment。　On　a　former　occasion　he　had　fled　from　Sabacos　the　Ethiopian；　who　had　put　his　father　Necos　to　death；　and　had　taken　refuge　in　Syria　from　whence；　after　the　retirement　of　the　Ethiop　in　consequence　of　his　dream；　he　was　brought　back　by　the　Egyptians　of　the　Saitic　canton。　Now　it　was　his　ill…fortune　to　be　banished　a　second　time　by　the　eleven　kings；　on　account　of　the　libation　which　he　had　poured　from　his　helmet；　on　this　occasion　he　fled　to　the　marshes。　Feeling　that　he　was　an　injured　man；　and　designing　to　avenge　himself　upon　his　persecutors；　Psammetichus　sent　to　the　city　o