the history-第49章

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n　injured　man；　and　designing　to　avenge　himself　upon　his　persecutors；　Psammetichus　sent　to　the　city　of　Buto；　where　there　is　an　oracle　of　Latona；　the　most　veracious　of　all　the　oracles　of　the　Egyptians；　and　having　inquired　concerning　means　of　vengeance；　received　for　answer　that　〃Vengeance　would　come　from　the　sea；　when　brazen　men　should　appear。〃　Great　was　his　incredulity　when　this　answer　arrived；　for　never；　he　thought；　would　brazen　men　arrive　to　be　his　helpers。　However；　not　long　afterwards　certain　Carians　and　Ionians　who　had　left　their　country　on　a　voyage　of　plunder；　were　carried　by　stress　of　weather　to　Egypt　where　they　disembarked；　all　equipped　in　their　brazen　armour；　and　were　seen　by　the　natives；　one　of　whom　carried　the　tidings　to　Psammetichus；　and；　as　he　had　never　before　seen　men　clad　in　brass；　he　reported　that　brazen　men　had　come　from　the　sea　and　were　plundering　the　plain。　Psammetichus；　perceiving　at　once　that　the　oracle　was　accomplished；　made　friendly　advances　to　the　strangers；　and　engaged　them；　by　splendid　promises；　to　enter　into　his　service。　He　then；　with　their　aid　and　that　of　the　Egyptians　who　espoused　his　cause；　attacked　the　eleven　and　vanquished　them。　　　　　When　Psammetichus　had　thus　become　sole　monarch　of　Egypt；　he　built　the　southern　gateway　of　the　temple　of　Vulcan　in　Memphis；　and　also　a　court　for　Apis；　in　which　Apis　is　kept　whenever　he　makes　his　appearance　in　Egypt。　This　court　is　opposite　the　gateway　of　Psammetichus；　and　is　surrounded　with　a　colonnade　and　adorned　with　a　multitude　of　figures。　Instead　of　pillars；　the　colonnade　rests　upon　colossal　statues；　twelve　cubits　in　height。　The　Greek　name　for　Apis　is　Epaphus。　　　　　To　the　Ionians　and　Carians　who　had　lent　him　their　assistance　Psammetichus　assigned　as　abodes　two　places　opposite　to　each　other；　one　on　either　side　of　the　Nile；　which　received　the　name　of　〃the　Camps。〃　He　also　made　good　all　the　splendid　promises　by　which　he　had　gained　their　support；　and　further；　he　intrusted　to　their　care　certain　Egyptian　children　whom　they　were　to　teach　the　language　of　the　Greeks。　These　children；　thus　instructed；　became　the　parents　of　the　entire　class　of　interpreters　in　Egypt。　The　Ionians　and　Carians　occupied　for　many　years　the　places　assigned　them　by　Psammetichus；　which　lay　near　the　sea；　a　little　below　the　city　of　Bubastis；　on　the　Pelusiac　mouth　of　the　Nile。　King　Amasis　long　afterwards　removed　the　Greeks　hence；　and　settled　them　at　Memphis　to　guard　him　against　the　native　Egyptians。　From　the　date　of　the　original　settlement　of　these　persons　in　Egypt；　we　Greeks；　through　our　intercourse　with　them；　have　acquired　an　accurate　knowledge　of　the　several　events　in　Egyptian　history；　from　the　reign　of　Psammetichus　downwards；　but　before　his　time　no　foreigners　had　ever　taken　up　their　residence　in　that　land。　The　docks　where　their　vessels　were　laid　up　and　the　ruins　of　their　habitations　were　still　to　be　seen　in　my　day　at　the　place　where　they　dwelt　originally；　before　they　were　removed　by　Amasis。　Such　was　the　mode　by　which　Psammetichus　became　master　of　Egypt。　　　　　I　have　already　made　mention　more　than　once　of　the　Egyptian　oracle；　and；　as　it　well　deserves　notice；　I　shall　now　proceed　to　give　an　account　of　it　more　at　length。　It　is　a　temple　of　Latona；　situated　in　the　midst　of　a　great　city　on　the　Sebennytic　mouth　of　the　Nile；　at　some　distance　up　the　river　from　the　sea。　The　name　of　the　city；　as　I　have　before　observed；　is　Buto；　and　in　it　are　two　other　temples　also；　one　of　Apollo　and　one　of　Diana。　Latona's　temple；　which　contains　the　oracle；　is　a　spacious　building　with　a　gateway　ten　fathoms　in　height。　The　most　wonderful　thing　that　was　actually　to　be　seen　about　this　temple　was　a　chapel　in　the　enclosure　made　of　a　single　stone；　the　length　and　height　of　which　were　the　same；　each　wall　being　forty　cubits　square；　and　the　whole　a　single　block！　Another　block　of　stone　formed　the　roof　and　projected　at　the　eaves　to　the　extent　of　four　cubits。　　　　　This；　as　I　have　said；　was　what　astonished　me　the　most；　of　all　the　things　that　were　actually　to　be　seen　about　the　temple。　The　next　greatest　marvel　was　the　island　called　Chemmis。　This　island　lies　in　the　middle　of　a　broad　and　deep　lake　close　by　the　temple；　and　the　natives　declare　that　it　floats。　For　my　own　part　I　did　not　see　it　float；　or　even　move；　and　I　wondered　greatly；　when　they　told　me　concerning　it；　whether　there　be　really　such　a　thing　as　a　floating　island。　It　has　a　grand　temple　of　Apollo　built　upon　it；　in　which　are　three　distinct　altars。　Palm　trees　grow　on　it　in　great　abundance；　and　many　other　trees；　some　of　which　bear　fruit；　while　others　are　barren。　The　Egyptians　tell　the　following　story　in　connection　with　this　island；　to　explain　the　way　in　which　it　first　came　to　float：…　〃In　former　times；　when　the　isle　was　still　fixed　and　motionless；　Latona；　one　of　the　eight　gods　of　the　first　order；　who　dwelt　in　the　city　of　Buto；　where　now　she　has　her　oracle；　received　Apollo　as　a　sacred　charge　from　Isis；　and　saved　him　by　hiding　him　in　what　is　now　called　the　floating　island。　Typhon　meanwhile　was　searching　everywhere　in　hopes　of　finding　the　child　of　Osiris。〃　（According　to　the　Egyptians；　Apollo　and　Diana　are　the　children　of　Bacchus　and　Isis；　while　Latona　is　their　nurse　and　their　preserver。　They　call　Apollo；　in　their　language；　Horus；　Ceres　they　call　Isis；　Diana；　Bubastis。　From　this　Egyptian　tradition；　and　from　no　other；　it　must　have　been　that　Aeschylus；　the　son　of　Euphorion；　took　the　idea；　which　is　found　in　none　of　the　earlier　poets；　of　making　Diana　the　daughter　of　Ceres。）　The　island；　therefore；　in　consequence　of　this　event；　was　first　made　to　float。　Such　at　least　is　the　account　which　the　Egyptians　give。　　　　　Psammetichus　ruled　Egypt　for　fifty…four　years；　during　twenty…nine　of　which　he　pressed　the　siege　of　Azotus　without　intermission；　till　finally　he　took　the　place。　Azotus　is　a　great　town　in　Syria。　Of　all　the　cities　that　we　know；　none　ever　stood　so　long　a　siege。　　　　　Psammetichus　left　a　son　called　Necos；　who　succeeded　him　upon　the　throne。　This　prince　was　the　first　to　attempt　the　construction　of　the　canal　to　the　Red　Sea…　a　work　completed　afterwards　by　Darius　the　Persian…　the　length　of　which　is　four　days'　journey；　and　the　width　such　as　to　admit　of　two　triremes　being　rowed　along　it　abreast。　The　water　is　derived　from　the　Nile；　which　the　canal　leaves　a　little　above　the　city　of　Bubastis；　near　Patumus；　the　Arabian　town；　being　continued　thence　until　it　joins　the　Red　Sea。　At　first　it　is　carried　along　the　Arabian　side　of　the　Egyptian　plain；　as　far　as　the　chain　of　hills　opposite　Memphis；　whereby　the　plain　is　bounded；　and　in　which　lie　the　great　stone　quarries；　here　it　skirts　the　base　of　the　hills　running　in　a　direction　from　west　to　east；　after　which　it　turns　and　enters　a　narrow　pass；　trending　southwards　from　this　point　until　it　enters　the　Arabian　Gulf。　From　the　northern　sea　to　that　which　is　called　the　southern　or　Erythraean；　the　shortest　and　quickest　passage；　which　is　from　Mount　Casius；　the　boundary　between　Egypt　and　Syria；　to　the　Gulf　of　Arabia；　is　a　distance　of　exactly　one　thousand　furlongs。　But　the　way　by　the　canal　is　very　much　longer　on　account　of　the　crookedness　of　its　course。　A　hundred　and　twenty　thousand　of　the　Egyptians；　employed　upon　the　work　in　the　reign　of　Necos；　lost　their　lives　in　making　the　excavation。　He　at　length　desisted　from　his　undertaking；　in　consequence　of　an　oracle　which　warned　him　〃that　he　was　labouring　for　the　barbarian。〃　The　Egyptians　call　by　the　name　of　barbarians　all　such　as　speak　a　language　different　from　their　own。　　　　　Necos；　when　he　gave　up　the　construction　of　the　canal；　turned　all　his　thoughts　to　war；　and　set　to　work　to　build　a　fleet　of　triremes；　some　intended　for　service　in　the　northern　sea；　and　some　for　the　navigation　of　the　Erythraean。　These　last　were　built　in　the　Arabian　Gulf　where　the　dry　docks　in　which　they　lay　are　still　visible。　These　fleets　he　employed　wherever　he　had　occasion；　while　he　also　made　war　by　land　upon　the　Syrians　and　defeated　them　in　a　pitched　battle　at　Magdolus；　after　which　he　made　himself　master　of　Cadytis；　a　large　city　of　Syria。　The　dress　which　he　wore　on　these　occasions　he　sent　to　Branchidae　in　Milesia；　as　an　offering　to　Apollo。　After　having　reigned　in　all　sixteen　years；　Necos　died；　and　at　his　death　bequeathed　the　throne　to　his　son　Psammis。　　　　　In　the　reign　of　Psammis；　ambassad