the history-第40章

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　inhabitants　took　him；　and　putting　a　chaplet　on　his　head；　led　him　out　in　solemn　procession；　intending　to　offer　him　a　sacrifice　to　Jupiter。　For　a　while　he　submitted　quietly；　but　when　they　led　him　up　to　the　altar　and　began　the　ceremonies；　he　put　forth　his　strength　and　slew　them　all。〃　Now　to　me　it　seems　that　such　a　story　proves　the　Greeks　to　be　utterly　ignorant　of　the　character　and　customs　of　the　people。　The　Egyptians　do　not　think　it　allowable　even　to　sacrifice　cattle；　excepting　sheep；　and　the　male　kine　and　calves；　provided　they　be　pure；　and　also　geese。　How；　then；　can　it　be　believed　that　they　would　sacrifice　men？　And　again；　how　would　it　have　been　possible　for　Hercules　alone；　and；　as　they　confess；　a　mere　mortal；　to　destroy　so　many　thousands？　In　saying　thus　much　concerning　these　matters；　may　I　incur　no　displeasure　either　of　god　or　hero！　　　　　I　mentioned　above　that　some　of　the　Egyptians　abstain　from　sacrificing　goats；　either　male　or　female。　The　reason　is　the　following：…　These　Egyptians；　who　are　the　Mendesians；　consider　Pan　to　be　one　of　the　eight　gods　who　existed　before　the　twelve；　and　Pan　is　represented　in　Egypt　by　the　painters　and　the　sculptors；　just　as　he　is　in　Greece；　with　the　face　and　legs　of　a　goat。　They　do　not；　however；　believe　this　to　be　his　shape；　or　consider　him　in　any　respect　unlike　the　other　gods；　but　they　represent　him　thus　for　a　reason　which　I　prefer　not　to　relate。　The　Mendesians　hold　all　goats　in　veneration；　but　the　male　more　than　the　female；　giving　the　goatherds　of　the　males　especial　honour。　One　is　venerated　more　highly　than　all　the　rest；　and　when　he　dies　there　is　a　great　mourning　throughout　all　the　Mendesian　canton。　In　Egyptian；　the　goat　and　Pan　are　both　called　Mendes。　　　　　The　pig　is　regarded　among　them　as　an　unclean　animal；　so　much　so　that　if　a　man　in　passing　accidentally　touch　a　pig；　he　instantly　hurries　to　the　river；　and　plunges　in　with　all　his　clothes　on。　Hence；　too；　the　swineherds；　notwithstanding　that　they　are　of　pure　Egyptian　blood；　are　forbidden　to　enter　into　any　of　the　temples；　which　are　open　to　all　other　Egyptians；　and　further；　no　one　will　give　his　daughter　in　marriage　to　a　swineherd；　or　take　a　wife　from　among　them；　so　that　the　swineherds　are　forced　to　intermarry　among　themselves。　They　do　not　offer　swine　in　sacrifice　to　any　of　their　gods；　excepting　Bacchus　and　the　Moon；　whom　they　honour　in　this　way　at　the　same　time；　sacrificing　pigs　to　both　of　them　at　the　same　full　moon；　and　afterwards　eating　of　the　flesh。　There　is　a　reason　alleged　by　them　for　their　detestation　of　swine　at　all　other　seasons；　and　their　use　of　them　at　this　festival；　with　which　I　am　well　acquainted；　but　which　I　do　not　think　it　proper　to　mention。　The　following　is　the　mode　in　which　they　sacrifice　the　swine　to　the　Moon：…　As　soon　as　the　victim　is　slain；　the　tip　of　the　tail；　the　spleen；　and　the　caul　are　put　together；　and　having　been　covered　with　all　the　fat　that　has　been　found　in　the　animal's　belly；　are　straightway　burnt。　The　remainder　of　the　flesh　is　eaten　on　the　same　day　that　the　sacrifice　is　offered；　which　is　the　day　of　the　full　moon：　at　any　other　time　they　would　not　so　much　as　taste　it。　The　poorer　sort；　who　cannot　afford　live　pigs；　form　pigs　of　dough；　which　they　bake　and　offer　in　sacrifice。　　　　　To　Bacchus；　on　the　eve　of　his　feast；　every　Egyptian　sacrifices　a　hog　before　the　door　of　his　house；　which　is　then　given　back　to　the　swineherd　by　whom　it　was　furnished；　and　by　him　carried　away。　In　other　respects　the　festival　is　celebrated　almost　exactly　as　Bacchic　festivals　are　in　Greece；　excepting　that　the　Egyptians　have　no　choral　dances。　They　also　use　instead　of　phalli　another　invention；　consisting　of　images　a　cubit　high；　pulled　by　strings；　which　the　women　carry　round　to　the　villages。　A　piper　goes　in　front；　and　the　women　follow；　singing　hymns　in　honour　of　Bacchus。　They　give　a　religious　reason　for　the　peculiarities　of　the　image。　　　　　Melampus；　the　son　of　Amytheon；　cannot　（I　think）　have　been　ignorant　of　this　ceremony…　nay；　he　must；　I　should　conceive；　have　been　well　acquainted　with　it。　He　it　was　who　introduced　into　Greece　the　name　of　Bacchus；　the　ceremonial　of　his　worship；　and　the　procession　of　the　phallus。　He　did　not；　however；　so　completely　apprehend　the　whole　doctrine　as　to　be　able　to　communicate　it　entirely；　but　various　sages　since　his　time　have　carried　out　his　teaching　to　greater　perfection。　Still　it　is　certain　that　Melampus　introduced　the　phallus；　and　that　the　Greeks　learnt　from　him　the　ceremonies　which　they　now　practise。　I　therefore　maintain　that　Melampus；　who　was　a　wise　man；　and　had　acquired　the　art　of　divination；　having　become　acquainted　with　the　worship　of　Bacchus　through　knowledge　derived　from　Egypt；　introduced　it　into　Greece；　with　a　few　slight　changes；　at　the　same　time　that　he　brought　in　various　other　practices。　For　I　can　by　no　means　allow　that　it　is　by　mere　coincidence　that　the　Bacchic　ceremonies　in　Greece　are　so　nearly　the　same　as　the　Egyptian…　they　would　then　have　been　more　Greek　in　their　character；　and　less　recent　in　their　origin。　Much　less　can　I　admit　that　the　Egyptians　borrowed　these　customs；　or　any　other；　from　the　Greeks。　My　belief　is　that　Melampus　got　his　knowledge　of　them　from　Cadmus　the　Tyrian；　and　the　followers　whom　he　brought　from　Phoenicia　into　the　country　which　is　now　called　Boeotia。　　　　　Almost　all　the　names　of　the　gods　came　into　Greece　from　Egypt。　My　inquiries　prove　that　they　were　all　derived　from　a　foreign　source；　and　my　opinion　is　that　Egypt　furnished　the　greater　number。　For　with　the　exception　of　Neptune　and　the　Dioscuri；　whom　I　mentioned　above；　and　Juno；　Vesta；　Themis；　the　Graces；　and　the　Nereids；　the　other　gods　have　been　known　from　time　immemorial　in　Egypt。　This　I　assert　on　the　authority　of　the　Egyptians　themselves。　The　gods；　with　whose　names　they　profess　themselves　unacquainted；　the　Greeks　received；　I　believe；　from　the　Pelasgi；　except　Neptune。　Of　him　they　got　their　knowledge　from　the　Libyans；　by　whom　he　has　been　always　honoured；　and　who　were　anciently　the　only　people　that　had　a　god　of　the　name。　The　Egyptians　differ　from　the　Greeks　also　in　paying　no　divine　honours　to　heroes。　　　　　Besides　these　which　have　been　here　mentioned；　there　are　many　other　practices　whereof　I　shall　speak　hereafter；　which　the　Greeks　have　borrowed　from　Egypt。　The　peculiarity；　however；　which　they　observe　in　their　statues　of　Mercury　they　did　not　derive　from　the　Egyptians；　but　from　the　Pelasgi；　from　them　the　Athenians　first　adopted　it；　and　afterwards　it　passed　from　the　Athenians　to　the　other　Greeks。　For　just　at　the　time　when　the　Athenians　were　entering　into　the　Hellenic　body；　the　Pelasgi　came　to　live　with　them　in　their　country；　whence　it　was　that　the　latter　came　first　to　be　regarded　as　Greeks。　Whoever　has　been　initiated　into　the　mysteries　of　the　Cabiri　will　understand　what　I　mean。　The　Samothracians　received　these　mysteries　from　the　Pelasgi；　who；　before　they　went　to　live　in　Attica；　were　dwellers　in　Samothrace；　and　imparted　their　religious　ceremonies　to　the　inhabitants。　The　Athenians；　then；　who　were　the　first　of　all　the　Greeks　to　make　their　statues　of　Mercury　in　this　way；　learnt　the　practice　from　the　Pelasgians；　and　by　this　people　a　religious　account　of　the　matter　is　given；　which　is　explained　in　the　Samothracian　mysteries。　　　　　In　early　times　the　Pelasgi；　as　I　know　by　i