namely that I asked the priests whether it is but an idle tale which
the Hellenes tell of that which they say happened about Ilion; and they
answered me thus, saying that they had their knowledge by inquiries from
Menelaos himself. After the rape of Helen there came indeed, they said,
to the Teucrian land a large army of Hellenes to help Menelaos; and
when the army had come out of the ships to land and had pitched its
camp there, they sent messengers to Ilion, with whom went also Menelaos
himself; and when these entered within the wall they demanded back Helen
and the wealth which Alexander had stolen from Menelaos and had taken
away; and moreover they demanded satisfaction for the wrongs done: and
the Teucrians told the same tale then and afterwards, both with oath and
without oath, namely that in deed and in truth they had not Helen nor
the wealth for which demand was made, but that both were in Egypt; and
that they could not justly be compelled to give satisfaction for that
which Proteus the king of Egypt had. The Hellenes however thought that
they were being mocked by them and besieged the city, until at last they
took it; and when they had taken the wall and did not find Helen, but
heard the same tale as before, then they believed the former tale and
sent Menelaos himself to Proteus. And Menelaos having come to Egypt and
having sailed up to Memphis, told the truth of these matters, and not
only found great entertainment, but also received Helen unhurt, and
all his own wealth besides. Then, however, after he had been thus dealt
with, Menelaos showed himself ungrateful to the Egyptians; for when
he set forth to sail away, contrary winds detained him, and as this
condition of things lasted long, he devised an impious deed; for he took
two children of natives and made sacrifice of them. After this, when it
was known that he had done so, he became abhorred, and being pursued he
escaped and got away in his ships to Libya; but whither he went besides
after this, the Egyptians were not able to tell. Of these things they
said that they found out part by inquiries, and the rest, namely that
which happened in their own land, they related from sure and certain
knowledge.
Thus the priests of the Egyptians told me; and I myself also agree with
the story which was told of Helen, adding this consideration, namely
that if Helen had been in Ilion she would have been given up to the
Hellenes, whether Alexander consented or no; for Priam assuredly was not
so mad, nor yet the others of his house, that they were desirous to run
risk of ruin for themselves and their children and their city, in order
that Alexander might have Helen as his wife: and even supposing that
during the first part of the time they had been so inclined, yet when
many others of the Trojans besides were losing their lives as often as
they fought with the Hellenes, and of the sons of Priam himself always
two or three or even more were slain when a battle took place (if one
may trust at all to the Epic poets),--when, I say, things were coming
thus to pass, I consider that even if Priam himself had had Helen as his
wife, he would have given her back to the Achaians, if at least by so
doing he might be freed from the evils which oppressed him. Nor even
was the kingdom coming to Alexander next, so that when Priam was old the
government was in his hands; but Hector, who was both older and more
of a man than he, would certainly have received it after the death of
Priam; and him it behoved not to allow his brother to go on with his
wrong-doing, considering that great evils were coming to pass on his
account both to himself privately and in general to the other Trojans.
In truth however they lacked the power to give Helen back; and the
Hellenes did not believe them, though they spoke the truth; because,
as I declare my opinion, the divine power was purposing to cause them
utterly to perish, and so make it evident to men that for great wrongs
great also are the chastisements which come from the gods. And thus have
I delivered my opinion concerning these matters.
After Proteus, they told me, Rhampsinitos received in succession the
kingdom, who left as a memorial of himself that gateway to the temple of
Hephaistos which is turned towards the West, and in front of the gateway
he set up two statues, in height five-and-twenty cubits, of which the
one which stands on the North side is called by the Egyptians Summer and
the one on the South side Winter; and to that one which they call Summer
they do reverence and make offerings, while to the other which is called
Winter they do the opposite of these things. This king, they said, got
great wealth of silver, which none of the kings born after him could
surpass or even come near to; and wishing to store his wealth in safety
he caused to be built a chamber of stone, one of the walls whereof was
towards the outside of his palace: and the builder of this, having a
design against it, contrived as follows, that is, he disposed one of the
stones in such a manner that it could be taken out easily from the wall
either by two men or even by one. So when the chamber was finished, the
king stored his money in it, and after some time the builder, being near
the end of his life, called to him his sons (for he had two) and to them
he related how he had contrived in building the treasury of the king,
and all in forethought for them, that they might have ample means of
living. And when he had clearly set forth to them everything concerning
the taking out of the stone, he gave them the measurements, saying that
if they paid heed to this matter they would be stewards of the king's
treasury. So he ended his life, and his sons made no long delay in
setting to work, but went to the palace by night, and having found the
stone in the wall of the chamber they dealt with it easily and carried
forth for themselves great quantity of the wealth within. And the king
happening to open the chamber, he marvelled when he saw the vessels
falling short of the full amount, and he did not know on whom he should
lay the blame, since the seals were unbroken and the chamber had been
close shut; but when upon his opening the chamber a second and a third
time the money was each time seen to be diminished, for the thieves
did not slacken in their assaults upon it, he did as follows:--having
ordered traps to be made he set these round about the vessels in which
the money was; and when the thieves had come as at former times and one
of them had entered, then so soon as he came near to one of the vessels
he was straightway caught in the trap: and when he perceived in what
evil case he was, straightway calling his brother he showed him what the
matter was, and bade him enter as quickly as possible and cut off
his head, for fear lest being seen and known he might bring about the
destruction of his brother also. And to the other it seemed that he
spoke well, and he was persuaded and did so; and fitting the stone into
its place he departed home bearing with him the head of his brother.
Now when it became day, the king entered into the chamber and was very
greatly amazed, seeing the body of the thief held in the trap without
his head, and the chamber unbroken, with no way to come in by or go out:
and being at a loss he hung up the dead body of the thief upon the
wall and set guards there, with charge if they saw any one weeping or
bewailing himself to seize him and bring him before the king. And when
the dead body had been hung up, the mother was greatly grieved, and
speaking with the son who survived she enjoined him, in whatever way he
could, to contrive means by which he might take down and bring home the
body of his brother; and if he should neglect to do this, she earnestly
threatened that she would go and give information to the king that he
had the money. So as the mother dealt hardly with the surviving son, and
he though saying many things to her did not persuade her, he contrived
for his purpose a device as follows:--Providing himself with asses he
filled some skins with wine and laid them upon the asses, and after
that he drove them along: and when he came opposite to those who were
guarding the corpse hung up, he drew towards him two or three of the
necks of the skins and loosened the cords with which they were tied.
Then when the wine was running out, he began to beat his head and cry
out loudly, as if he did not know to which of the asses he should first
turn; and when the guards saw the wine flowing out in streams, they ran
together to the road with drinking vessels in their hands and collected
the wine that was poured out, counting it so much gain; and he abused
them all violently, making as if he were angry, but when the guards
tried to appease him, after a time he feigned to be pacified and to
abate his anger, and at length he drove his asses out of the road and
began to set their loads right. Then more talk arose among them, and one
or two of them made jests at him and brought him to laugh with them;
and in the end he made them a present of one of the skins in addition
to what they had. Upon that they lay down there without more ado, being
minded to drink, and they took him into their company and invited him
to remain with them and join them in their drinking: so he (as may be
supposed) was persuaded and stayed. Then as they in their drinking bade
him welcome in a friendly manner, he made a present to them also of
another of the skins; and so at length having drunk liberally the guards
became completely intoxicated; and being overcome by sleep they went to
bed on the spot where they had been drinking. He then, as it was now far
on in the night, first took down the body of his brother, and then in
mockery shaved the right cheeks of all the guards; and after that he
put the dead body upon the asses and drove them away home, having
accomplished that which was enjoined him by his mother. Upon this the
king, when it was reported to him that the dead body of the thief had
been stolen away, displayed great anger; and desiring by all means that
it should be found out who it might be who devised these things, did
this (so at least they said, but I do not believe the account),--he
caused his own daughter to sit in the stews, and enjoined her to receive
all equally, and before having commerce with any one to compel him to
tell her what was the most cunning and what the most unholy deed which
had been done by him in all his life-time; and whosoever should relate
that which had happened about the thief, him she must seize and not let
him go out. Then as she was doing that which was enjoined by her father,
the thief, hearing for what purpose this was done and having a desire to
get the better of the king in resource, did thus:--from the body of one
lately dead he cut off the arm at the shoulder and went with it under
his mantle: and having gone in to the daughter of the king, and being
asked that which the others also were asked, he related that he had done
the most unholy deed when he cut off the head of his brother, who had
been caught in a trap in the king's treasure-chamber, and the most
cunning deed in that he made drunk the guards and took down the dead
body of his brother hanging up; and she when she heard it tried to take
hold of him, but the thief held out to her in the darkness the arm of
the corpse, which she grasped and held, thinking that she was holding
the arm of the man himself; but the thief left it in her hands and
departed, escaping through the door. Now when this also was reported to
the king, he was at first amazed at the ready invention and daring of
the fellow, and then afterwards he sent round to all the cities and made
proclamation granting a free pardon to the thief, and also promising a
great reward if he would come into his presence. The thief accordingly
trusting to the proclamation came to the king, and Rhampsinitos greatly
marvelled at him, and gave him this daughter of his to wife, counting
him to be the most knowing of all men; for as the Egyptians were
distinguished from all other men, so was he from the other Egyptians.
After these things they said this king went down alive to that place
which by the Hellenes is called Hades, and there played at dice with
Demeter, and in some throws he overcame her and in others he was
overcome by her; and he came back again having as a gift from her a
handkerchief of gold: and they told me that because of the going down of
Rhampsinitos the Egyptians after he came back celebrated a feast, which
I know of my own knowledge also that they still observe even to my time;
but whether it is for this cause that they keep the feast or for
some other, I am not able to say. However, the priests weave a robe
completely on the very day of the feast, and forthwith they bind up the
eyes of one of them with a fillet, and having led him with the robe to
the way by which one goes to the temple of Demeter, they depart back
again themselves. This priest, they say, with his eyes bound up is led
by two wolves to the temple of Demeter, which is distant from the city
twenty furlongs, and then afterwards the wolves lead him back again from
the temple to the same spot. Now as to the tales told by the Egyptians,
any man may accept them to whom such things appear credible; as for me,
it is to be understood throughout the whole of the history that I write
by hearsay that which is reported by the people in each place. The
Egyptians say that Demeter and Dionysos are rulers of the world below;
and the Egyptians are also the first who reported the doctrine that the
soul of man is immortal, and that when the body dies, the soul enters
into another creature which chances then to be coming to the birth, and
when it has gone the round of all the creatures of land and sea and of
the air, it enters again into a human body as it comes to the birth;
and that it makes this round in a period of three thousand years. This
doctrine certain Hellenes adopted, some earlier and some later, as if
it were of their own invention, and of these men I know the names but I
abstain from recording them.
Down to the time when Rhampsinitos was king, they told me there was in
Egypt nothing but orderly rule, and Egypt prospered greatly; but after
him Cheops became king over them and brought them to every kind of
evil: for he shut up all the temples, and having first kept them from
sacrifices there, he then bade all the Egyptians work for him. So some
were appointed to draw stones from the stone-quarries in the Arabian
mountains to the Nile, and others he ordered to receive the stones after
they had been carried over the river in boats, and to draw them to those
which are called the Libyan mountains; and they worked by a hundred
thousand men at a time, for each three months continually. Of this
oppression there passed ten years while the causeway was made by which
they drew the stones, which causeway they built, and it is a work not
much less, as it appears to me, than the pyramid; for the length of it
is five furlongs and the breadth ten fathoms and the height, where it
is highest, eight fathoms, and it is made of stone smoothed and with
figures carved upon it. For this they said, the ten years were spent,
and for the underground he caused to be made as sepulchral chambers for
himself in an island, having conducted thither a channel from the Nile.
For the making of the pyramid itself there passed a period of twenty
years; and the pyramid is square, each side measuring eight hundred
feet, and the height of it is the same. It is built of stone smoothed
and fitted together in the most perfect manner, not one of the stones
being less than thirty feet in length. This pyramid was made after the
manner of steps which some called "rows" and others "bases": and when
they had first made it thus, they raised the remaining stones with
machines made of short pieces of timber, raising them first from the
ground to the first stage of the steps, and when the stone got up to
this it was placed upon another machine standing on the first stage,
and so from this it was drawn to the second upon another machine; for as
many as were the courses of the steps, so many machines there were also,
or perhaps they transferred one and the same machine, made so as easily
to be carried, to each stage successively, in order that they might
take up the stones; for let it be told in both ways, according as it
is reported. However that may be the highest parts of it were finished
first, and afterwards they proceeded to finish that which came next to
them, and lastly they finished the parts of it near the ground and the
lowest ranges. On the pyramid it is declared in Egyptian writing how
much was spent on radishes and onions and leeks for the workmen, and if
I rightly remember that which the interpreter said in reading to me this
inscription, a sum of one thousand six hundred talents of silver was
spent; and if this is so, how much besides is likely to have been
expended upon the iron with which they worked, and upon bread and
clothing for the workmen, seeing that they were building the works for
the time which has been mentioned and were occupied for no small time
besides, as I suppose, in the cutting and bringing of the stones and in
working at the excavation under the ground? Cheops moreover came, they
said, to such a pitch of wickedness, that being in want of money he
caused his own daughter to sit in the stews, and ordered her to obtain
from those who came a certain amount of money (how much it was they did
not tell me): and she not only obtained the sum appointed by her father,
but also she formed a design for herself privately to leave behind her
a memorial, and she requested each man who came in to give her one stone
upon her building: and of these stones, they told me, the pyramid was
built which stands in front of the great pyramid in the middle of the
three, each side being one hundred and fifty feet in length.
This Cheops, the Egyptians said, reigned fifty years; and after he was
dead his brother Chephren succeeded to the kingdom. This king followed
the same manner of dealing as the other, both in all the rest and also
in that he made a pyramid, not indeed attaining to the measurements
of that which was built by the former (this I know, having myself also
measured it), and moreover there are no underground chambers beneath nor
does a channel come from the Nile flowing to this one as to the other,
in which the water coming through a conduit built for it flows round
an island within, where they say that Cheops himself is laid: but for a
basement he built the first course of Ethiopian stone of divers colours;
and this pyramid he made forty feet lower than the other as regards
size, building it close to the great pyramid. These stand both upon the
same hill, which is about a hundred feet high. And Chephren they said
reigned fifty and six years. Here then they reckon one hundred and six
years, during which they say that there was nothing but evil for the
Egyptians, and the temples were kept closed and not opened during all
that time. These kings the Egyptians by reason of their hatred of them
are not very willing to name; nay, they even call the pyramids after the
name of Philitis the shepherd, who at that time pastured flocks in those
regions. After him, they said, Mykerinos became king over Egypt, who was
the son of Cheops; and to him his father's deeds were displeasing, and
he both opened the temples and gave liberty to the people, who were
ground down to the last extremity of evil, to return to their own
business and to their sacrifices: also he gave decisions of their causes
juster than those of all the other kings besides. In regard to this then
they commend this king more than all the other kings who had arisen in
Egypt before him; for he not only gave good decisions, but also when
a man complained of the decision, he gave him recompense from his own
goods and thus satisfied his desire. But while Mykerinos was acting
mercifully to his subjects and practising this conduct which has been
said, calamities befell him, of which the first was this, namely that
his daughter died, the only child whom he had in his house: and being
above measure grieved by that which had befallen him, and desiring to
bury his daughter in a manner more remarkable than others, he made a cow
of wood, which he covered over with gold, and then within it he buried
this daughter who as I said, had died. This cow was not covered up in
the ground, but it might be seen even down to my own time in the city
of Sais, placed within the royal palace in a chamber which was greatly
adorned; and they offer incense of all kinds before it every day, and
each night a lamp burns beside it all through the night. Near this cow
in another chamber stand images of the concubines of Mykerinos, as the
priests at Sais told me; for there are in fact colossal wooden statues,
in number about twenty, made with naked bodies; but who they are I am
not able to say, except only that which is reported. Some however tell
about this cow and the colossal statues the following tale, namely that
Mykerinos was enamoured of his own daughter and afterwards ravished her;
and upon this they say that the girl strangled herself for grief, and
he buried her in this cow; and her mother cut off the hands of the maids
who had betrayed the daughter to her father; wherefore now the images of
them have suffered that which the maids suffered in their life. In thus
saying they speak idly, as it seems to me, especially in what they say
about the hands of the statues; for as to this, even we ourselves saw
that their hands had dropped off from lapse of time, and they were to be
seen still lying at their feet even down to my time. The cow is covered
up with a crimson robe, except only the head and the neck, which are
seen, overlaid with gold very thickly; and between the horns there is
the disc of the sun figured in gold. The cow is not standing up but
kneeling, and in size is equal to a large living cow. Every year it is
carried forth from the chamber, at those times, I say, the Egyptians
beat themselves for that god whom I will not name upon occasion of such
a matter; at these times, I say, they also carry forth the cow to the
light of day, for they say that she asked of her father Mykerinos, when
she was dying, that she might look upon the sun once in the year.
After the misfortune of his daughter it happened, they said, secondly
to this king as follows:--An oracle came to him from the city of Buto,
saying that he was destined to live but six years more, in the seventh
year to end his life: and he being indignant at it sent to the Oracle
a reproach against the god, making complaint in reply that whereas
his father and uncle, who had shut up the temples and had not only not
remembered the gods, but also had been destroyers of men, had lived for
a long time, he himself, who practised piety, was destined to end his
life so soon: and from the Oracle came a second message, which said
that it was for this very cause that he was bringing his life to a swift
close; for he had not done that which it was appointed for him to do,
since it was destined that Egypt should suffer evils for a hundred and
fifty years, and the two kings who had arisen before him had perceived
this, but he had not. Mykerinos having heard this, and considering that
this sentence had passed upon him beyond recall, procured many lamps,
and whenever night came on he lighted these and began to drink and take
his pleasure, ceasing neither by day nor by night; and he went about to
the fen-country and to the woods and wherever he heard there were the
most suitable places of enjoyment. This he devised (having a mind to
prove that the Oracle spoke falsely) in order that he might have twelve
years of life instead of six, the nights being turned into days.