the history-第52章

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　allowed　the　people；　who　were　ground　down　to　the　lowest　point　of　misery；　to　return　to　their　occupations；　and　to　resume　the　practice　of　sacrifice。　His　justice　in　the　decision　of　causes　was　beyond　that　of　all　the　former　kings。　The　Egyptians　praise　him　in　this　respect　more　highly　than　any　of　their　other　monarchs；　declaring　that　he　not　only　gave　his　judgments　with　fairness；　but　also；　when　any　one　was　dissatisfied　with　his　sentence；　made　compensation　to　him　out　of　his　own　purse；　and　thus　pacified　his　anger。　Mycerinus　had　established　his　character　for　mildness；　and　was　acting　as　I　have　described；　when　the　stroke　of　calamity　fell　on　him。　First　of　all　his　daughter　died；　the　only　child　that　he　possessed。　Experiencing　a　bitter　grief　at　this　visitation；　in　his　sorrow　he　conceived　the　wish　to　entomb　his　child　in　some　unusual　way。　He　therefore　caused　a　cow　to　be　made　of　wood；　and　after　the　interior　had　been　hollowed　out；　he　had　the　whole　surface　coated　with　gold；　and　in　this　novel　tomb　laid　the　dead　body　of　his　daughter。　　　　　The　cow　was　not　placed　under　ground；　but　continued　visible　to　my　times：　it　was　at　Sais；　in　the　royal　palace；　where　it　occupied　a　chamber　richly　adorned。　Every　day　there　are　burnt　before　it　aromatics　of　every　kind；　and　all　night　long　a　lamp　is　kept　burning　in　the　apartment。　In　an　adjoining　chamber　are　statues　which　the　priests　at　Sais；　declared　to　represent　the　various　concubines　of　Mycerinus。　They　are　colossal　figures　in　wood；　of　the　number　of　about　twenty；　and　are　represented　naked。　Whose　images　they　really　are；　I　cannot　say…　I　can　only　repeat　the　account　which　was　given　to　me。　　　　　Concerning　these　colossal　figures　and　the　sacred　cow；　there　is　also　another　tale　narrated；　which　runs　thus：　〃Mycerinus　was　enamoured　of　his　daughter；　and　offered　her　violence…　the　damsel　for　grief　hanged　herself；　and　Mycerinus　entombed　her　in　the　cow。　Then　her　mother　cut　off　the　hands　of　all　her　tiring…　maids；　because　they　had　sided　with　the　father；　and　betrayed　the　child；　and　so　the　statues　of　the　maids　have　no　hands。〃　All　this　is　mere　fable　in　my　judgment；　especially　what　is　said　about　the　hands　of　the　colossal　statues。　I　could　plainly　see　that　the　figures　had　only　lost　their　hands　through　the　effect　of　time。　They　had　dropped　off；　and　were　still　lying　on　the　ground　about　the　feet　of　the　statues。　　　　　As　for　the　cow；　the　greater　portion　of　it　is　hidden　by　a　scarlet　coverture；　the　head　and　neck；　however；　which　are　visible；　are　coated　very　thickly　with　gold；　and　between　the　horns　there　is　a　representation　in　gold　of　the　orb　of　the　sun。　The　figure　is　not　erect；　but　lying　down；　with　the　limbs　under　the　body；　the　dimensions　being　fully　those　of　a　large　animal　of　the　kind。　Every　year　it　is　taken　from　the　apartment　where　it　is　kept；　and　exposed　to　the　light　of　day…　this　is　done　at　the　season　when　the　Egyptians　beat　themselves　in　honour　of　one　of　their　gods；　whose　name　I　am　unwilling　to　mention　in　connection　with　such　a　matter。　They　say　that　the　daughter　of　Mycerinus　requested　her　father　in　her　dying　moments　to　allow　her　once　a　year　to　see　the　sun。　　　　　After　the　death　of　his　daughter；　Mycerinus　was　visited　with　a　second　calamity；　of　which　I　shall　now　proceed　to　give　an　account。　An　oracle　reached　him　from　the　town　of　Buto；　which　said；　〃Six　years　only　shalt　thou　live　upon　the　earth；　and　in　the　seventh　thou　shalt　end　thy　days。〃　Mycerinus；　indignant；　sent　an　angry　message　to　the　oracle；　reproaching　the　god　with　his　injustice…　〃My　father　and　uncle；〃　he　said；　〃though　they　shut　up　the　temples；　took　no　thought　of　the　gods；　and　destroyed　multitudes　of　men；　nevertheless　enjoyed　a　long　life；　I；　who　am　pious；　am　to　die　so　soon！〃　There　came　in　reply　a　second　message　from　the　oracle…　〃For　this　very　reason　is　thy　life　brought　so　quickly　to　a　close…　thou　hast　not　done　as　it　behoved　thee。　Egypt　was　fated　to　suffer　affliction　one　hundred　and　fifty　years…　the　two　kings　who　preceded　thee　upon　the　throne　understood　this…　thou　hast　not　understood　it。〃　Mycerinus；　when　this　answer　reached　him；　perceiving　that　his　doom　was　fixed；　had　prepared；　which　he　lighted　every　day　at　eventime；　and　feasted　and　enjoyed　himself　unceasingly　both　day　and　night；　moving　about　in　the　marsh…country　and　the　woods；　and　visiting　all　the　places　that　he　heard　were　agreeable　sojourns。　His　wish　was　to　prove　the　oracle　false；　by　turning　the　nights　into　days；　and　so　living　twelve　years　in　the　space　of　six。　　　　　He　too　left　a　pyramid；　but　much　inferior　in　size　to　his　father's。　It　is　a　square；　each　side　of　which　falls　short　of　three　plethra　by　twenty　feet；　and　is　built　for　half　its　height　of　the　stone　of　Ethiopia。　Some　of　the　Greeks　call　it　the　work　of　Rhodopis　the　courtesan；　but　they　report　falsely。　It　seems　to　me　that　these　persons　cannot　have　any　real　knowledge　who　Rhodopis　was；　otherwise　they　would　scarcely　have　ascribed　to　her　a　work　on　which　uncounted　treasures；　so　to　speak；　must　have　been　expended。　Rhodopis　also　lived　during　the　reign　of　Amasis；　not　of　Mycerinus；　and　was　thus　very　many　years　later　than　the　time　of　the　kings　who　built　the　pyramids。　She　was　a　Thracian　by　birth；　and　was　the　slave　of　Iadmon；　son　of　Hephaestopolis；　a　Samian。　Aesop；　the　fable…writer；　was　one　of　her　fellow…slaves。　That　Aesop　belonged　to　Iadmon　is　proved　by　many　facts…　among　others；　by　this。　When　the　Delphians；　in　obedience　to　the　command　of　the　oracle；　made　proclamation　that　if　any　one　claimed　compensation　for　the　murder　of　Aesop　he　should　receive　it；　the　person　who　at　last　came　forward　was　Iadmon；　grandson　of　the　former　Iadmon；　and　he　received　the　compensation。　Aesop　therefore　must　certainly　have　been　the　former　Iadmon's　slave。　　　　　Rhodopis　really　arrived　in　Egypt　under　the　conduct　of　Xantheus　the　Samian；　she　was　brought　there　to　exercise　her　trade；　but　was　redeemed　for　a　vast　sum　by　Charaxus；　a　Mytilenaean；　the　son　of　Scamandronymus；　and　brother　of　Sappho　the　poetess。　After　thus　obtaining　her　freedom；　she　remained　in　Egypt；　and；　as　she　was　very　beautiful；　amassed　great　wealth；　for　a　person　in　her　condition；　not；　however；　enough　to　enable　her　to　erect　such　a　work　as　this　pyramid。　Any　one　who　likes　may　go　and　see　to　what　the　tenth　part　of　her　wealth　amounted；　and　he　will　thereby　learn　that　her　riches　must　not　be　imagined　to　have　been　very　wonderfully　great。　Wishing　to　leave　a　memorial　of　herself　in　Greece；　she　determined　to　have　something　made　the　like　of　which　was　not　to　be　found　in　any　temple；　and　to　offer　it　at　the　shrine　at　Delphi。　So　she　set　apart　a　tenth　of　her　possessions；　and　purchased　with　the　money　a　quantity　of　iron　spits；　such　as　are　fit　for　roasting　oxen　whole；　whereof　she　made　a　present　to　the　oracle。　They　are　still　to　be　seen　there；　lying　of　a　heap；　behind　the　altar　which　the　Chians　dedicated；　opposite　the　sanctuary。　Naucratis　seems　somehow　to　be　the　place　where　such　women　are　most　attractive。　First　there　was　this　Rhodopis　of　whom　we　have　been　speaking；　so　celebrated　a　person　that　her　name　came　to　be　familiar　to　all　the　Greeks；　and；　afterwards；　there　was　another；　called　Archidice；　notorious　throughout　Greece；　though　not　so　much　talked　of　as　her　predecessor。　Charaxus；　after　ransoming　Rhodopis；　returned　to　Mytilene；　and　was　often　lashed　by　Sappho　in　her　poetry。　But　enough　has　been　said　on　the　subject　of　this　cou