[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D. W. ] AN EGYPTIAN PRINCESS, Part 2. By Georg Ebers Volume 9. CHAPTER XI. According to the law of Egypt, Zopyrus had deserved death. As soon as his friends heard this, they resolved to go to Sais and try torescue him by stratagem. Syloson, who had friends there and could speakthe Egyptian language well, offered to help them. Bartja and Darius disguised themselves so completely by dyeing their hairand eyebrows and wearing broad-brimmed felt-hats, --that they couldscarcely recognize each other. Theopompus provided them with ordinaryGreek dresses, and, an hour after Zopyrus' arrest, they met thesplendidly-got-up Syloson on the shore of the Nile, entered a boatbelonging to him and manned by his slaves, and, after a short sail, favored by the wind, reached Sais, --which lay above the waters of theinundation like an island, --before the burning midsummer sun had reachedits noonday height. They disembarked at a remote part of the town and walked across thequarter appropriated to the artisans. The workmen were busy at theircalling, notwithstanding the intense noonday heat. The baker's men wereat work in the open court of the bakehouse, kneading bread--the coarserkind of dough with the feet, the finer with the hands. Loaves of variousshapes were being drawn out of the ovens-round and oval cakes, and rollsin the form of sheep, snails and hearts. These were laid in baskets, andthe nimble baker's boys would put three, four, or even five such basketson their heads at once, and carry them off quickly and safely to thecustomers living in other quarters of the city. A butcher wasslaughtering an ox before his house, the creature's legs having beenpinioned; and his men were busy sharpening their knives to cut up a wildgoat. Merry cobblers were calling out to the passers-by from theirstalls; carpenters, tailors, joiners and weavers--were all there, busy attheir various callings. The wives of the work-people were going outmarketing, leading their naked children by the hand, and some soldierswere loitering near a man who was offering beer and wine for sale. But our friends took very little notice of what was going on in thestreets through which they passed; they followed Syloson in silence. At the Greek guard-house he asked them to wait for him. Syloson, happening to know the Taxiarch who was on duty that day, went in andasked him if he had heard anything of a man accused of murder having beenbrought from Naukratis to Sais that morning. "Of course, " said the Greek. "It's not more than half an hour since hearrived. As they found a purse full of money in his girdle, they thinkhe must be a Persian spy. I suppose you know that Cambyses is preparingfor war with Egypt. " "Impossible!" "No, no, it's a fact. The prince-regent has already receivedinformation. A caravan of Arabian merchants arrived yesterday atPelusium, and brought the news. " "It will prove as false as their suspicions about this poor young Lydian. I know him well, and am very sorry for the poor fellow. He belongs toone of the richest families in Sardis, and only ran away for fear of thepowerful satrap Oroetes, with whom he had had a quarrel. I'll tell youthe particulars when you come to see me next in Naukratis. Of courseyou'll stay a few days and bring some friends. My brother has sent mesome wine which beats everything I ever tasted. It's perfect nectar, andI confess I grudge offering it to any one who's not, like you, a perfectjudge in such matters. " The Taxiarch's face brightened up at thesewords, and grasping Syloson's hand, he exclaimed. "By the dog, myfriend, we shall not wait to be asked twice; we'll come soon enough andtake a good pull at your wine-skins. How would it be if you were to askArchidice, the three flower-sisters, and a few flute-playing-girls tosupper?" [Archidice--A celebrated Hetaira of Naukratis mentioned by Herod. II. 135. Flute-playing girls were seldom missing at the young Greeks' drinking-parties] "They shall all be there. By the bye, that reminds me that the flower-girls were the cause of that poor young Lydian's imprisonment. Somejealous idiot attacked him before their house with a number of comrades. The hot-brained young fellow defended himself . . . . " "And knocked the other down?" "Yes; and so that he'll never get up again. " "The boy must be a good boxer. " "He had a sword. " "So much the better for him. " "No, so much the worse; for his victim was an Egyptian. " "That's a bad job. I fear it can only have an unfortunate end. Aforeigner, who kills an Egyptian, is as sure of death as if he had therope already round his neck. However, just now he'll get a few days'grace; the priests are all so busy praying for the dying king that theyhave no time to try criminals. " "I'd give a great deal to be able to save that poor fellow. I know hisfather. " "Yes, and then after all he only did his duty. A man must defendhimself. " "Do you happen to know where he is imprisoned?" "Of course I do. The great prison is under repair, and so he has beenput for the present in the storehouse between the principal guard-houseof the Egyptian body-guard and the sacred grove of the temple of Neith. I have only just come home from seeing them take him there. " "He is strong and has plenty of courage; do you think he could get away, if we helped him?" "No, it would be quite impossible; he's in a room two stories high; theonly window looks into the sacred grove, and that, you know, issurrounded by a ten-foot wall, and guarded like the treasury. There aredouble sentries at every gate. There's only one place where it is leftunguarded during the inundation season, because, just here, the waterwashes the walls. These worshippers of animals are as cautious as water-wagtails. " "Well, it's a great pity, but I suppose we must leave the poor fellowto his fate. Good-bye, Doemones; don't forget my invitation. " The Samian left the guard-room and went back directly to the two friends, who were waiting impatiently for him. They listened eagerly to his tidings, and when he had finished hisdescription of the prison, Darius exclaimed: "I believe a little couragewill save him. He's as nimble as a cat, and as strong as a bear. I havethought of a plan. " "Let us hear it, " said Syloson, "and let me give an opinion as to itspracticability. " "We will buy some rope-ladders, some cord, and a good bow, put all theseinto our boat, and row to the unguarded part of the temple-wall at dusk. You must then help me to clamber over it. I shall take the things overwith me and give the eagle's cry. Zopyras will know at once, because, since we were children, we have been accustomed to use it when we wereriding or hunting together. Then I shall shoot an arrow, with the cordfastened to it, up into his window, (I never miss), tell him to fasten aweight to it and let it down again to me. I shall then secure the rope-ladder to the cord, Zopyrus will draw the whole affair up again, and hangit on an iron nail, --which, by the bye, I must not forget to send up withthe ladder, for who knows whether he may have such a thing in his cell. He will then come down on it, go quickly with me to the part of the wallwhere you will be waiting with the boat, and where there must be anotherrope-ladder, spring into the boat, and there he is-safe!" "First-rate, first-rate!" cried Bartja. "But very dangerous, " added Syloson. "If we are caught in the sacredgrove, we are certain to be severely punished. The priests hold strangenightly festivals there, at which every one but the initiated is strictlyforbidden to appear. I believe, however, that these take place on thelake, and that is at some distance from Zopyrus' prison. " "So much the better, " cried Darius; "but now to the main point. We mustsend at once, and ask Theopompus to hire a fast trireme for us, and haveit put in sailing order at once. The news of Cambyses' preparations havealready reached Egypt; they take us for spies, and will be sure not tolet either Zopyrus or his deliverers escape, if they can help it. Itwould be a criminal rashness to expose ourselves uselessly to danger. Bartja, you must take this message yourself, and must marry Sappho thisvery day, for, come what may, we must leave Naukratis to-morrow. Don'tcontradict me, my friend, my brother! You know our plan, and you mustsee that as only one can act in it, your part would be that of a merelooker-on. As it was my own idea I am determined to carry it out myself. We shall meet again to-morrow, for Auramazda protects the friendship ofthe pure. " It was a long time before they could persuade Bartja to leave his friendsin the lurch, but their entreaties and representations at last tookeffect, and he went down towards the river to take a boat for Naukratis, Darius and Syloson going at the same time to buy the necessary implementsfor their plan. In order to reach the place where boats were to be hired, Bartja had topass by the temple of Neith. This was not easy, as an immense crowd wasassembled at the entrance-gates. He pushed his way as far as theobelisks near the great gate of the temple with its winged sun-disc andfluttering pennons, but there the temple-servants prevented him fromgoing farther; they were keeping the avenue of sphinxes clear for aprocession. The gigantic doors of the Pylon opened, and Bartja, who, inspite of himself, had been pushed into the front row, saw a brilliantprocession come out of the temple. The unexpected sight of many faces hehad formerly known occupied his attention so much, that he scarcelynoticed the loss of his broad-brimmed hat, which had been knocked off inthe crowd. From the conversation of two Ionian mercenaries behind him helearnt that the family of Amasis had been to the temple to pray for thedying king. The procession was headed by richly-decorated priests, either wearinglong white robes or pantherskins. They were followed by men holdingoffice at the court, and carrying golden staves, on the ends of whichpeacocks' feathers and silver lotus-flowers were fastened, and these byPastophori, carrying on their shoulders a golden cow, the animal sacredto Isis. When the crowd had bowed down before this sacred symbol, thequeen appeared. She was dressed in priestly robes and wore a costlyhead-dress with the winged disc and the Uraeus. In her left hand sheheld a sacred golden sistrum, the tones of which were to scare awayTyphon, and in her right some lotus-flowers. The wife, daughter andsister of the high-priest followed her, in similar but less splendidornaments. Then came the heir to the throne, in rich robes of state, aspriest and prince; and behind him four young priests in white carryingTachot, (the daughter of Amasis and Ladice and the pretended sister ofNitetis, ) in an open litter. The heat of the day, and the earnestness ofher prayers, had given the sick girl a slight color. Her blue eyes, filled with tears, were fixed on the sistrum which her weak, emaciatedhands had hardly strength to hold. A murmur of compassion ran through the crowd; for they loved their dyingking, and manifested openly and gladly the sympathy so usually felt foryoung lives from whom a brilliant future has been snatched by disease. Such was Amasis' young, fading daughter, who was now being carried pastthem, and many an eye grew dim as the beautiful invalid came in sight. Tachot seemed to notice this, for she raised her eyes from the sistrumand looked kindly and gratefully at the crowd. Suddenly the color lefther face, she turned deadly pale, and the golden sistrum fell on to thestone pavement with a clang, close to Bartja's feet. He felt that he hadbeen recognized and for one moment thought of hiding himself in thecrowd; but only for one moment--his chivalrous feeling gained the day, hedarted forward, picked up the sistrum, and forgetting the danger in whichhe was placing himself, held it out to the princess. Tachot looked at him earnestly before taking the golden sistrum from hishands, and then said, in a low voice, which only he could understand:"Are you Bartja? Tell me, in your mother's name--are you Bartja?" "Yes, I am, " was his answer, in a voice as low as her own, "your friend, Bartja. " He could not say more, for the priests pushed him back among the crowd. When he was in his old place, he noticed that Tachot, whose bearers hadbegun to move on again, was looking round at him. The color had comeback into her cheeks, and her bright eyes were trying to meet his. Hedid not avoid them; she threw him a lotus-bud-he stooped to pick it up, and then broke his way through the crowd, for this hasty act had rousedtheir attention. A quarter of an hour later, he was seated in the boat which was to takehim to Sappho and to his wedding. He was quite at ease now aboutZopyrus. In Bartja's eyes his friend was already as good as saved, andin spite of the dangers which threatened himself, he felt strangely calmand happy, he could hardly say why. Meanwhile the sick princess had been carried home, had had her oppressiveornaments taken off, and her couch carried on to one of the palace-balconies where she liked best to pass the hot summer days, sheltered bybroad-leaved plants, and a kind of awning. From this veranda, she could look down into the great fore-court of thepalace, which was planted with trees. To-day it was full of priests, courtiers, generals and governors of provinces. Anxiety and suspensewere expressed in every face: Amasis' last hour was drawing very near. Tachot could not be seen from below; but listening with feverisheagerness, she could hear much that was said. Now that they had to dreadthe loss of their king, every one, even the priests, were full of hispraises. The wisdom and circumspection of his plans and modes ofgovernment, his unwearied industry, the moderation he had always shown, the keenness of his wit, were, each and all, subjects of admiration. "How Egypt has prospered under Amasis' government!" said a Nomarch. "And what glory he gained for our arms, by the conquest of Cyprus and thewar with the Libyans!" cried one of the generals. "How magnificently heembellished our temples, and what great honors he paid to the goddess ofSais!" exclaimed one of the singers of Neith. "And then how graciousand condescending he was!" murmured a courtier. "How cleverly hemanaged to keep peace with the great powers!" said the secretary ofstate, and the treasurer, wiping away a tear, cried: "How thoroughly heunderstood the management of the revenue! Since the reign of RamesesIII. The treasury has not been so well filled as now. " "Psamtik comesinto a fine inheritance, " lisped the courtier, and the soldier exclaimed, "Yes, but it's to be feared that he'll not spend it in a glorious war;he's too much under the influence of the priests. " "No, you are wrongthere, " answered the temple-singer. "For some time past, our lord andmaster has seemed to disdain the advice of his most faithful servants. ""The successor of such a father will find it difficult to secureuniversal approbation, " said the Nomarch. "It is not every one who hasthe intellect, the good fortune and the wisdom of Amasis. " "The godsknow that!" murmured the warrior with a sigh. Tachot's tears flowed fast. These words were a confirmation of what theyhad been trying to hide from her: she was to lose her dear father soon. After she had made this dreadful certainty clear to her own mind, anddiscovered that it was in vain to beg her attendants to carry her to herdying father, she left off listening to the courtiers below, and beganlooking at the sistrum which Bartja himself had put into her hand, andwhich she had brought on to the balcony with her, as if seeking comfortthere. And she found what she sought; for it seemed to her as if thesound of its sacred rings bore her away into a smiling, sunny landscape. That faintness which so often comes over people in decline, had seizedher and was sweetening her last hours with pleasant dreams. The female slaves, who stood round to fan away the flies, said afterwardsthat Tachot had never looked so lovely. She had lain about an hour in this state, when her breathing became moredifficult, a slight cough made her breast heave, and the bright red bloodtrickled down from her lips on to her white robe. She awoke, and lookedsurprised and disappointed on seeing the faces round her. The sight ofher mother, however, who came on to the veranda at that moment, brought asmile to her face, and she said, "O mother, I have had such a beautifuldream. " "Then our visit to the temple has done my dear child good?" asked thequeen, trembling at the sight of the blood on the sick girl's lips. "Oh, yes, mother, so much! for I saw him again. " Ladice's glance at theattendants seemed to ask "Has your poor mistress lost her senses?"Tachot understood the look and said, evidently speaking with greatdifficulty: "You think I am wandering, mother. No, indeed, I really sawand spoke to him. He gave me my sistrum again, and said he was myfriend, and then he took my lotus-bud and vanished. Don't look sodistressed and surprised, mother. What I say is really true; it is nodream. --There, you hear, Tentrut saw him too. He must have come to Saisfor my sake, and so the child-oracle in the temple-court did not deceiveme, after all. And now I don't feel anything more of my illness; Idreamt I was lying in a field of blooming poppies, as red as the blood ofthe young lambs that are offered in sacrifice; Bartja was sitting by myside, and Nitetis was kneeling close to us and playing wonderful songs ona Nabla made of ivory. And there was such a lovely sound in the airthat I felt as if Horus, the beautiful god of morning, spring, and theresurrection, was kissing me. Yes, mother, I tell you he is coming soon, and when I am well, then--then--ah, mother what is this? . . . I amdying!" Ladice knelt down by her child's bed and pressed her lips in burningkisses on the girl's eyes as they grew dim in death. An hour later she was standing by another bedside--her dying husband's. Severe suffering had disfigured the king's features, the coldperspiration was standing on his forehead, and his hands grasped thegolden lions on the arms of the deep-seated invalid chair in which he wasresting, almost convulsively. When Ladice came in he opened his eyes; they were as keen and intelligentas if he had never lost his sight. "Why do not you bring Tachot to me?" he asked in a dry voice. "She is too ill, and suffers so much, that . . . " "She is dead! Then it is well with her, for death is not punishment; itis the end and aim of life, --the only end that we can attain withouteffort, but through sufferings!--the gods alone know how great. Osirishas taken her to himself, for she was innocent. And Nitetis is dead too. Where is Nebenchari's letter?" "Here is the place: 'She took her own life, and died calling down a heavycurse on thee and thine. The poor, exiled, scorned and plundered oculistNebenchari in Babylon sends thee this intelligence to Egypt. It is astrue as his own hatred of thee. ' Listen to these words, Psamtik, andremember how on his dying bed thy father told thee that, for every drachmof pleasure purchased on earth by wrong-doing, the dying bed will beburdened by a talent's weight of remorse. Fearful misery is coming onEgypt for Nitetis' sake. Cambyses is preparing to make war on us. Hewill sweep down on Egypt like a scorching wind from the desert. Much, which I have staked my nightly sleep and the very marrow of my existenceto bring into existence, will be annihilated. Still I have not lived invain. For forty years I have been the careful father and benefactor of agreat nation. Children and children's children will speak of Amasis as agreat, wise and humane king; they will read my name on the great workswhich I have built in Sais and Thebes, and will praise the greatness ofmy power. Neither shall I be condemned by Osiris and the forty-twojudges of the nether world; the goddess of truth, who holds the balances, will find that my good deeds outweigh my bad. "--Here the king sigheddeeply and remained silent for some time. Then, looking tenderly at hiswife, he said: "Ladice, thou hast been a faithful, virtuous wife to me. For this I thank thee, and ask thy forgiveness for much. We have oftenmisunderstood one another. Indeed it was easier for me to accustommyself to the Greek modes of thought, than for a Greek to understand ourEgyptian ideas. Thou know'st my love of Greek art, --thou know'st how Ienjoyed the society of thy friend Pythagoras, who was thoroughlyinitiated in all that we believe and know, and adopted much from us. Hecomprehended the deep wisdom which lies in the doctrines that I reverencemost, and he took care not to speak lightly of truths which our priestsare perhaps too careful to hide from the people; for though the many bowdown before that which they cannot understand, they would be raised andupheld by those very truths, if explained to them. To a Greek mind ourworship of animals presents the greatest difficulty, but to my own theworship of the Creator in his creatures seems more just and more worthyof a human being, than the worship of his likeness in stone. The Greekdeities are moreover subject to every human infirmity; indeed I shouldhave made my queen very unhappy by living in the same manner as her greatgod Zeus. " At these words the king smiled, and then went on: "And what has givenrise to this? The Hellenic love of beauty in form, which, in the eye ofa Greek, is superior to every thing else. He cannot separate the bodyfrom the soul, because he holds it to be the most glorious of formedthings, and indeed, believes that a beautiful spirit must necessarilyinhabit a beautiful body. Their gods, therefore, are only elevated humanbeings, but we adore an unseen power working in nature and in ourselves. The animal takes its place between ourselves and nature; its actions areguided, not, like our own, by the letter, but by the eternal laws ofnature, which owe their origin to the Deity, while the letter is adevice of man's own mind. And then, too, where amongst ourselves do wefind so earnest a longing and endeavor to gain freedom, the highest good, as among the animals? Where such a regular and well-balanced life fromgeneration to generation, without instruction or precept?" Here the king's voice failed. He was obliged to pause for a few moments, and then continued: "I know that my end is near; therefore enough ofthese matters. My son and successor, hear my last wishes and act uponthem; they are the result of experience. But alas! how often have Iseen, that rules of life given by one man to another are useless. Everyman must earn his own experience. His own losses make him prudent, hisown learning wise. Thou, my son, art coming to the throne at a matureage; thou hast had time and opportunity to judge between right and wrong, to note what is beneficial and what hurtful, to see and compare manythings. I give thee, therefore, only a few wholesome counsels, and onlyfear that though I offer them with my right hand, thou wilt accept themwith the left. "First, however, I must say that, notwithstanding my blindness, myindifference to what has been going on during the past months has beenonly apparent. I left you to your own devices with a good intention. Rhodopis told me once one of her teacher AEsop's fables: 'A traveller, meeting a man on his road, asked him how long it would be before hereached the nearest town. ' 'Go on, go on, ' cried the other. 'But I wantto know first when I shall get to the town. ' 'Go on, only go on, ' wasthe answer. The traveller left him with angry words and abuse; but hehad not gone many steps when the man called after him: 'You will be therein an hour. I could not answer your question until I had seen yourpace. ' "I bore this fable in my mind for my son's sake, and watched in silenceat what pace he was ruling his people. Now I have discovered what I wishto know, and this is my advice: Examine into everything your self. It isthe duty of every man, but especially of a king, to acquaint himselfintimately with all that concerns the weal or woe of his people. You, myson, are in the habit of using the eyes and ears of other men instead ofgoing to the fountain-head yourself. I am sure that your advisers, thepriests, only desire what is good; but . . . Neithotep, I must beg youto leave us alone for a few moments. " When the priest was gone the king exclaimed "They wish for what is good, but good only for themselves. But we are not kings of priests andaristocrats only, we are kings of a nation! Do not listen to the adviceof this proud caste alone, but read every petition yourself, and, byappointing Nomarchs devoted to the king and beloved by the people, makeyourself acquainted with the needs and wishes of the Egyptian nation. Itis not difficult to govern well, if you are aware of the state of feelingin your land. Choose fit men to fill the offices of state. I have takencare that the kingdom shall be properly divided. The laws are good, andhave proved themselves so; hold fast by these laws, and trust no one whosets himself above them; for law is invariably wiser than the individualman, and its transgressor deserves his punishment. The people understandthis well, and are ready to sacrifice themselves for us, when they seethat we are ready to give up our own will to the law. You do not carefor the people. I know their voice is often rude and rough, but itutters wholesome truths, and no one needs to hear truth more than a king. The Pharaoh who chooses priests and courtiers for his advisers, will hearplenty of flattering words, while he who tries to fulfil the wishes ofthe nation will have much to suffer from those around him; but the latterwill feel peace in his own heart, and be praised in the ages to come. Ihave often erred, yet the Egyptians will weep for me, as one who knewtheir needs and considered their welfare like a father. A king whoreally knows his duties, finds it an easy and beautiful task to win thelove of the people--an unthankful one to gain the applause of the great--almost an impossibility to content both. "Do not forget, --I say it again, --that kings and priests exist for thepeople, and not the people for their kings and priests. Honor religionfor its own sake and as the most important means of securing theobedience of the governed to their governors; but at the same time showits promulgators that you look on them, not as receptacles, but asservants, of the Deity. Hold fast, as the law commands, by what is old;but never shut the gates of your kingdom against what is new, if better. Bad men break at once with the old traditions; fools only care for whatis new and fresh; the narrowminded and the selfish privileged class clingindiscriminately to all that is old, and pronounce progress to be a sin;but the wise endeavor to retain all that has approved itself in the past, to remove all that has become defective, and to adopt whatever is good, from whatever source it may have sprung. Act thus, my son. The priestswill try to keep you back--the Greeks to urge you forward. Choose oneparty or the other, but beware of indecision--of yielding to the oneto-day, to the other to-morrow. Between two stools a man falls to theground. Let the one party be your friends, the other your enemies; bytrying to please both, you will have both opposed to you. Human beingshate the man who shows kindness to their enemies. In the last fewmonths, during which you have ruled independently, both parties have beenoffended by your miserable indecision. The man who runs backwards andforwards like a child, makes no progress, and is soon weary. I have tillnow--till I felt that death was near--always encouraged the Greeks andopposed the priests. In the active business of life, the clever, braveGreeks seemed to me especially serviceable; at death, I want men who canmake me out a pass into the nether regions. The gods forgive me for notbeing able to resist words that sound so like a joke, even in my lasthour! They created me and must take me as I am. I rubbed my hands forjoy when I became king; with thee, my son, coming to the throne is agraver matter. --Now call Neithotep back; I have still something to say toyou both. " The king gave his hand to the high-priest as he entered, saving: "I leaveyou, Neithotep, without ill-will, though my opinion that you have been abetter priest than a servant to your king, remains unaltered. Psamtikwill probably prove a more obedient follower than I have been, but onething I wish to impress earnestly on you both: Do not dismiss the Greekmercenaries until the war with the Persians is over, and has endedwe will hope--in victory for Egypt. My former predictions are not worthanything now; when death draws near, we get depressed, and things beginto look a little black. Without the auxiliary troops we shall behopelessly lost, but with them victory is not impossible. Be clever;show the Ionians that they are fighting on the Nile for the freedom oftheir own country--that Cambyses, if victorious, will not be contentedwith Egypt alone, while his defeat may bring freedom to their ownenslaved countrymen in Ionia. I know you agree with me, Neithotep, forin your heart you mean well to Egypt. --Now read me the prayers. I feelexhausted; my end must be very near. If I could only forget that poorNitetis! had she the right to curse us? May the judges of the dead-mayOsiris--have mercy on our souls! Sit down by me, Ladice; lay thy hand onmy burning forehead. And Psamtik, in presence of these witnesses, swearto honor and respect thy step-mother, as if thou wert her own child. Mypoor wife! Come and seek me soon before the throne of Osiris. A widowand childless, what hast thou to do with this world? We brought upNitetis as our own daughter, and yet we are so heavily punished for hersake. But her curse rests on us--and only on us;--not on thee, Psamtik, nor on thy children. Bring my grandson. Was that a tear? Perhaps;well, the little things to which one has accustomed one's self aregenerally the hardest to give up. " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhodopis entertained a fresh guest that evening; Kallias, the son ofPhoenippus, the same who first appeared in our tale as the bearer of newsfrom the Olympic games. The lively, cheerful Athenian had just come back from his native country, and, as an old and tried friend, was not only received by Rhodopis, butmade acquainted with the secret of Sappho's marriage. Knakias, her old slave, had, it is true, taken in the flag which was thesign of reception, two days ago; but he knew that Kallias was alwayswelcome to his mistress, and therefore admitted him just as readily as herefused every one else. The Athenian had plenty to tell, and when Rhodopis was called away onbusiness, he took his favorite Sappho into the garden, joking and teasingher gaily as they looked out for her lover's coming. But Bartja did notcome, and Sappho began to be so anxious that Kallias called old Melitta, whose longing looks in the direction of Naukratis were, if possible, moreanxious even than those of her mistress, and told her to fetch a musicalinstrument which he had brought with him. It was a rather large lute, made of gold and ivory, and as he handed itto Sappho, he said, with a smile: "The inventor of this gloriousinstrument, the divine Anakreon, had it made expressly for me, at my ownwish. He calls it a Barbiton, and brings wonderful tones from itschords--tones that must echo on even into the land of shadows. I havetold this poet, who offers his life as one great sacrifice to the Muses, Eros and Dionysus, a great deal about you, and he made me promise tobring you this song, which he wrote on purpose for you, as a gift fromhimself. "Now, what do you say to this song? But by Hercules, child, how pale youare! Have the verses affected you so much, or are you frightened at thislikeness of your own longing heart? Calm yourself, girl. Who knows whatmay have happened to your lover?" "Nothing has happened, --nothing, " cried a gay, manly voice, and in a fewseconds Sappho was in the arms of him she loved. Kallias looked on quietly, smiling at the wonderful beauty of these twoyoung lovers. "But now, " said the prince, after Sappho had made him acquainted withKallias, "I must go at once to your grandmother. We dare not wait fourdays for our wedding. It must be to-day! There is danger in every hourof delay. Is Theopompus here?" "I think he must be, " said Sappho. "I know of nothing else, that couldkeep my grandmother so long in the house. But tell me, what is thisabout our marriage? It seems to me . . . " "Let us go in first, love. I fancy a thunder-storm must be coming on. The sky is so dark, and it's so intolerably sultry. " "As you like, only make haste, unless you mean me to die of impatience. There is not the slightest reason to be afraid of a storm. Since I was achild there has not been either lightning or thunder in Egypt at thistime of year. " "Then you will see something new to-day, " said Kallias, laughing; for alarge drop of rain has just fallen on my bald head, "the Nile-swallowswere flying close to the water as I came here, and you see there is acloud coming over the moon already. Come in quickly, or you will getwet. Ho, slave, see that a black lamb is offered to the gods of thelower world. " They found Theopompus sitting in Rhodopis' own apartment, as Sappho hadsupposed. He had finished telling her the story of Zopyrus' arrest, andof the journey which Bartja and his friends had taken on his behalf. Their anxiety on the matter was beginning to be so serious, that Bartja'sunexpected appearance was a great relief. His words flew as he repeatedthe events of the last few hours, and begged Theopompus to look out atonce for a ship in sailing order, to convey himself and his friends fromEgypt. "That suits famously, " exclaimed Kallias. "My own trireme brought mefrom Naukratis to-day; it is lying now, fully equipped for sea, in theport, and is quite at your service. I have only to send orders to thesteersman to keep the crew together and everything in sailing order. --Youare under no obligations to me; on the contrary it is I who have to thankyou for the honor you will confer on me. Ho, Knakias!--tell my slavePhilomelus, he's waiting in the hall, --to take a boat to the port, andorder my steersman Nausarchus to keep the ship in readiness for starting. Give him this seal; it empowers him to do all that is necessary. " "And my slaves?" said Bartja. "Knakias can tell my old steward to take them to Kallias' ship, " answeredTheopompus. "And when they see this, " said Bartja, giving the old servant his ring, "they will obey without a question. " Knakias went away with many a deep obeisance, and the prince went on:"Now, my mother, I have a great petition to ask of you. " "I guess what it is, " said Rhodopis, with a smile. "You wish yourmarriage to be hastened, and I see that I dare not oppose your wish. " "If I'm not mistaken, " said Kallias, "we have a remarkable case here. Two people are in great peril, and find that very peril a matter ofrejoicing. " "Perhaps you are right there, " said Bartja, pressing Sappho's handunperceived. And then, turning to Rhodopis again, he begged her to delayno longer in trusting her dearest treasure to his care, --a treasure whoseworth he knew so well. Rhodopis rose, she laid her right hand on Sappho's head and her left onBartja's, and said: "There is a myth which tells of a blue lake in theland of roses; its waves are sometimes calm and gentle, but at othersthey rise into a stormy flood; the taste of its waters is partly sweet ashoney, partly bitter as gall. Ye will learn the meaning of this legendin the marriage-land of roses. Ye will pass calm and stormy-sweet andbitter hours there. So long as thou wert a child, Sappho, thy lifepassed on like a cloudless spring morning, but when thou becam'st amaiden, and hadst learnt to love, thine heart was opened to admit pain;and during the long months of separation pain was a frequent guest there. This guest will seek admission as long as life lasts. Bartja, it will beyour duty to keep this intruder away from Sappho, as far as it lies inyour power. I know the world. I could perceive, --even before Croesustold me of your generous nature, --that you were worthy of my Sappho. This justified me in allowing you to eat the quince with her; thisinduces me now to entrust to you, without fear, what I have always lookedupon as a sacred pledge committed to my keeping. Look upon her too onlyas a loan. Nothing is more dangerous to love, than a comfortableassurance of exclusive possession--I have been blamed for allowing suchan inexperienced child to go forth into your distant country, wherecustom is so unfavorable to women; but I know what love is;--I know thata girl who loves, knows no home but the heart of her husband;--the womanwhose heart has been touched by Eros no misfortune but that of separationfrom him whom she has chosen. And besides, I would ask you, Kallias andTheopompus, is the position of your own wives so superior to that of thePersian women? Are not the women of Ionia and Attica forced to passtheir lives in their own apartments, thankful if they are allowed tocross the street accompanied by suspicious and distrustful slaves? As tothe custom which prevails in Persia of taking many wives, I have no feareither for Bartja or Sappho. He will be more faithful to his wife thanare many Greeks, for he will find in her what you are obliged to seek, onthe one hand in marriage, on the other in the houses of the cultivatedHetaere:--in the former, housewives and mothers, in the latter, animatedand enlivening intellectual society. Take her, my son. I give her toyou as an old warrior gives his sword, his best possession, to hisstalwart son:--he gives it gladly and with confidence. Whithersoever shemay go she will always remain a Greek, and it comforts me to think thatin her new home she will bring honor to the Greek name and friends to ournation, Child, I thank thee for those tears. I can command my own, butfate has made me pay an immeasurable price for the power of doing so. The gods have heard your oath, my noble Bartja. Never forget it, buttake her as your own, your friend, your wife. Take her away as soon asyour friends return; it is not the will of the gods that the Hymenaeusshould be sung at Sappho's nuptial rites. " As she said these words she laid Sappho's hand in Bartja's, embraced herwith passionate tenderness, and breathed a light kiss on the forehead ofthe young Persian. Then turning to her Greek friends, who stood by, muchaffected: "That was a quiet nuptial ceremony, " she said; "no songs, no torch-light!May their union be so much the happier. Melitta, bring the bride'smarriage-ornaments, the bracelets and necklaces which lie in the bronzecasket on my dressing-table, that our darling may give her hand to herlord attired as beseems a future princess. " "Yes, and do not linger on the way, " cried Kallias, whose oldcheerfulness had now returned. "Neither can we allow the niece of thegreatest of Hymen's poets to be married without the sound of song andmusic. The young husband's house is, to be sure, too far off for ourpurpose, so we will suppose that the andronitis is his dwelling. [The Hymenaeus was the wedding-song, so called because of its refrain "Hymen O! Hymenae' O!" The god of marriage, Hymen, took his origin and name from the hymn, was afterwards decked out richly with myths, and finally, according to Catullus, received a seat on Mount Helikon with the Muses. ] [A Greek bride was beautifully adorned for her marriage, and her bridesmaids received holiday garments. Homer, Odyss. VI. 27. Besides which, after the bath, which both bride and bridegroom were obliged to take, she was anointed with sweet-smelling essences. Thucyd. II. 15. Xenoph. Symp. II. 3. ] "We will conduct the maiden thither by the centre door, and there we willenjoy a merry wedding-feast by the family hearth. Here, slavegirls, comeand form yourselves into two choruses. Half of your number take the partof the youths; the other half that of the maidens, and sing us Sappho'sHymenaeus. I will be the torch-bearer; that dignity is mine by right. You must know, Bartja, that my family has an hereditary right to carrythe torches at the Eleusinian mysteries and we are therefore calledDaduchi or torch-bearers. Ho, slave! see that the door of theandronitis is hung with flowers, and tell your comrades to meet us with ashower of sweetmeats as we enter. That's right, Melitta; why, how didyou manage to get those lovely violet and myrtle marriage-crowns made soquickly? The rain is streaming through the opening above. You see, Hymen has persuaded Zeus to help him; so that not a single marriage-riteshall be omitted. You could not take the bath, which ancient customprescribes for the bride and bridegroom on the morning of their wedding-day, so you have only to stand here a moment and take the rain of Zeus asan equivalent for the waters of the sacred spring. Now, girls, beginyour song. Let the maidens bewail the rosy days of childhood, and theyouths praise the lot of those who marry young. " Five well-practised treble voices now began to sing the chorus of virginsin a sad and plaintive tone. Suddenly the song was hushed, for a flash of lightning had shone downthrough the aperture beneath which Kallias had stationed the bride andbridegroom, followed by a loud peal of thunder. "See!" cried theDaduchus, raising his hand to heaven, "Zeus himself has taken thenuptial-torch, and sings the Hymenaeus for his favorites. " At dawn the next morning, Sappho and Bartja left the house and went intothe garden. After the violent storm which had raged all night, thegarden was looking as fresh and cheerful in the morning light as thefaces of the newly-married pair. Bartja's anxiety for his friends, whom he had almost forgotten in theexcitement of his marriage, had roused them so early. The garden had been laid out on an artificial hill, which overlooked theinundated plain. Blue and white lotus-blossoms floated on the smoothsurface of the water, and vast numbers of water-birds hovered along theshores or over the flood. Flocks of white, herons appeared on the banks, their plumage gleaming like glaciers on distant mountain peaks; asolitary eagle circled upward on its broad pinions through the puremorning air, turtle-doves nestled in the tops of the palm-trees; pelicansand ducks fluttered screaming away, whenever a gay sail appeared. Theair had been cooled by the storm, a fresh north-wind was blowing, and, notwithstanding the early hour, there were a number of boats sailing overthe deluged fields before the breeze. The songs of the rowers, theplashing strokes of their oars and the cries of the birds, allcontributed to enliven the watery landscape of the Nile valley, which, though varied in color, was somewhat monotonous. Bartja and Sappho stood leaning on each other by the low wall which ranround Rhodopis' garden, exchanging tender words and watching the scenebelow, till at last Bartja's quick eye caught sight of a boat makingstraight for the house and coming on fast by the help of the breeze andpowerful rowers. A few minutes later the boat put in to shore and Zopyrus with hisdeliverers stood before them. Darius's plan had succeeded perfectly, thanks to the storm, which, by itsviolence and the unusual time of its appearance, had scared theEgyptians; but still there was no time to be lost, as it might reasonablybe supposed that the men of Sais would pursue their fugitive with all themeans at their command. Sappho, therefore, had to take a short farewell of her grandmother, allthe more tender, however, for its shortness, --and then, led by Rartja andfollowed by old Melitta, who was to accompany her to Persia, she went onboard Syloson's boat. After an hour's sail they reached a beautifully-built and fast-sailing vessel, the Hygieia, which belonged to Kallias. He was waiting for them on board his trireme. The leave-taking betweenhimself and his young friends was especially affectionate. Bartja hung aheavy and costly gold chain round the neck of the old man in token of hisgratitude, while Syloson, in remembrance of the dangers they had sharedtogether, threw his purple cloak over Darius' shoulders. It was amaster-specimen of Tynan dye, and had taken the latter's fancy. Dariusaccepted the gift with pleasure, and said, as he took leave: "You mustnever forget that I am indebted to you, my Greek friend, and as soon aspossible give me an opportunity of doing you service in return. " "You ought to come to me first, though, " exclaimed Zopyrus, embracing hisdeliverer. "I am perfectly ready to share my last gold piece with you;or what is more, if it would do you a service, to sit a whole week inthat infernal hole from which you saved me. Ah! they're weighing anchor. Farewell, you brave Greek. Remember me to the flower-sisters, especiallyto the pretty, little Stephanion, and tell her her long-legged loverwon't be able to plague her again for some time to come at least. Andthen, one more thing; take this purse of gold for the wife and childrenof that impertinent fellow, whom I struck too hard in the heat of thefray. " The anchors fell rattling on to the deck, the wind filled the sails, theTrieraules--[Flute-player to a trireme]--took his flute and set themeasure of the monotonous Keleusma or rowing-song, which echoed againfrom the hold of the vessel. The beak of the ship bearing the statue ofHygieia, carved in wood, began to move. Bartja and Sappho stood at thehelm and gazed towards Naukratis, until the shores of the Nile vanishedand the green waves of the Hellenic sea splashed their foam over the deckof the trireme. CHAPTER XII. Our young bride and bridegroom had not travelled farther than Ephesus, when the news reached them that Amasis was dead. From Ephesus they wentto Babylon, and thence to Pasargadae, which Kassandane, Atossa andCroesus had made their temporary residence. Kassandane was to accompanythe army to Egypt, and wished, now that Nebenchari had restored hersight, to see the monument which had lately been built to her greathusband's memory after Croesus' design, before leaving for so long ajourney. She rejoiced in finding it worthy of the great Cyrus, and spenthours every day in the beautiful gardens which had been laid out roundthe mausoleum. It consisted of a gigantic sarcophagus made of solid marble blocks, andresting like a house on a substructure composed of six high marble steps. The interior was fitted up like a room, and contained, beside the goldencoffin in which were preserved such few remains of Cyrus as had beenspared by the dogs, vultures, and elements, a silver bed and a table ofthe same metal, on which were golden drinking-cups and numerous garmentsornamented with the rarest and most costly jewels. The building was forty feet high. The shady paradises--[Persianpleasure-gardens]--and colonnades by which it was surrounded had beenplanned by Croesus, and in the midst of the sacred grove was a dwelling-house for the Magi appointed to watch over the tomb. The palace of Cyrus could be seen in the distance--a palace in which hehad appointed that the future kings of Persia should pass at least somemonths of every year. It was a splendid building in the style of afortress, and so inaccessibly placed that it had been fixed on as theroyal treasure-house. Here, in the fresh mountain air of a place dedicated to the memory of thehusband she had loved so much, Kassandane felt well and at peace; she wasglad too to see that Atossa was recovering the old cheerfulness, whichshe had so sadly lost since the death of Nitetis and the departure ofDarius. Sappho soon became the friend of her new mother and sister, andall three felt very loath to leave the lovely Pasargadm. Darius and Zopyrus had remained with the army which was assembling in theplains of the Euphrates, and Bartja too had to return thither before themarch began. Cambyses went out to meet his family on their return; he was muchimpressed with Sappho's great beauty, but she confessed to her husbandthat his brother only inspired her with fear. The king had altered very much in the last few months. His formerly paleand almost noble features were reddened and disfigured by the quantitiesof wine he was in the habit of drinking. In his dark eyes there was theold fire still, but dimmed and polluted. His hair and beard, formerly soluxuriant, and black as the raven's wing, hung down grey and disorderedover his face and chin, and the proud smile which used so to improve hisfeatures had given way to an expression of contemptuous annoyance andharsh severity. Sometimes he laughed, --loudly, immoderately and coarsely; but this wasonly when intoxicated, a condition which had long ceased to be unusualwith him. He continued to retain an aversion to his wives; so much so that theroyal harem was to be left behind in Susa, though all his court tooktheir favorite wives and concubines with them on the campaign. Still noone could complain that the king was ever guilty of injustice; indeed heinsisted more eagerly now than before on the rigid execution of the law;and wherever he detected an abuse his punishments were cruel andinexorable. Hearing that a judge, named Sisamnes, had been bribed topronounce an unjust sentence, he condemned the wretched man to be flayed, ordered the seat of justice to be covered with his skin, appointed theson to the father's vacant place and compelled him to occupy this fearfulseat. --[Herodot. V. 25. ]--Cambyses was untiring as commander of theforces, and superintended the drilling of the troops assembled nearBabylon with the greatest rigor and circumspection. The hosts were to march after the festival of the New Year, whichCambyses celebrated this time with immense expense and profusion. Theceremony over, he betook himself to the army. Bartja was there. He cameup to his brother, beaming with joy, kissed the hem of his robe, and toldhim in a tone of triumph that he hoped to become a father. The kingtrembled as he heard the words, vouchsafed his brother no answer, drankhimself into unconsciousness that evening, and the next morning calledthe soothsayers, Magi and Chaldaeans together, in order to submit aquestion to them. "Shall I be committing a sin against the gods, if Itake my sister to wife and thus verify the promise of the dream, which yeformerly interpreted to mean that Atossa should bear a future king tothis realm?" The Magi consulted a short time together. Then Oropastes cast himself atthe king's feet and said, "We do not believe, O King, that this marriagewould be a sin against the gods; inasmuch as, first: it is a custom amongthe Persians to marry with their own kin; and secondly, though it be notwritten in the law that the pure man may marry his sister, it is writtenthat the king may do what seemeth good in his own eyes. That whichpleaseth thee is therefore always lawful. " Cambyses sent the Magi away with rich gifts, gave Oropastes full powersas regent of the kingdom in his absence, and soon after told hishorrified mother that, as soon as the conquest of Egypt and thepunishment of the son of Amasis should have been achieved, he intended tomarry his sister Atossa. At length the immense host, numbering more than 800, 000 fighting men, departed in separate divisions, and reached the Syrian desert in twomonths. Here they were met by the Arabian tribes whom Phanes hadpropitiated--the Amalekites and Geshurites--bringing camels and horsesladen with water for the host. At Accho, in the land of the Canaanites, the fleets of the Syrians, Phoenicians and Ionians belonging to Persia, and the auxiliary ships fromCyprus and Samos, won by the efforts of Phanes, were assembled. The caseof the Samian fleet was a remarkable one. Polykrates saw in Cambyses'proposal a favorable opportunity of getting rid of all the citizens whowere discontented with his government, manned forty triremes with eightthousand malcontent Samians, and sent them to the Persians with therequest that not one might be allowed to return home. --[Herod. III. 44. ] As soon as Phanes heard this he warned the doomed men, who at once, instead of sailing to join the Persian forces, returned to Samos andattempted to overthrow Polykrates. They were defeated, however, on land, and escaped to Sparta to ask help against the tyrant. A full month before the time of the inundation, the Persian and Egyptianarmies were standing face to face near Pelusium on the north-east coastof the Delta. Phanes' arrangements had proved excellent. The Arabian tribes had keptfaith so well that the journey through the desert, which would usuallyhave cost thousands of lives, had been attended with very little loss, and the time of year had been so well chosen that the Persian troopsreached Egypt by dry roads and without inconvenience. The king met his Greek friend with every mark of distinction, andreturned a friendly nod when Phanes said: "I hear that you have been lesscheerful than usual since the death of your beautiful bride. A woman'sgrief passes in stormy and violent complaint, but the sterner characterof a man cannot so soon be comforted. I know what you feel, for I havelost my dearest too. Let us both praise the gods for granting us thebest remedy for our grief--war and revenge. " Phanes accompanied the kingto an inspection of the troops and to the evening revel. It wasmarvellous to see the influence he exercised over this fierce spirit, andhow calm--nay even cheerful--Cambyses became, when the Athenian was near. The Egyptian army was by no means contemptible, even when compared withthe immense Persian hosts. Its position was covered on the right by thewalls of Pelusium, a frontier fortress designed by the Egyptian kings asa defence against incursions from the east. The Persians were assured bydeserters that the Egyptian army numbered altogether nearly six hundredthousand men. Beside a great number of chariots of war, thirty thousandKarian and Ionian mercenaries, and the corps of the Mazai, two hundredand fifty thousand Kalasirians, one hundred and sixty thousandHermotybians, twenty thousand horsemen, and auxiliary troops, amountingto more than fifty thousand, were assembled under Psamtik's banner;amongst these last the Libyan Maschawascha were remarkable for theirmilitary deeds, and the Ethiopians for their numerical superiority. The infantry were divided into regiments and companies, under differentstandards, and variously equipped. [In these and the descriptions immediately following, we have drawn our information, either from the drawings made from Egyptian monuments in Champollion, Wilkinson, Rosellini and Lepsius, or from the monuments themselves. There is a dagger in the Berlin Museum, the blade of which is of bronze, the hilt of ivory and the sheath of leather. Large swords are only to be seen in the hands of the foreign auxiliaries, but the native Egyptians are armed with small ones, like daggers. The largest one of which we have any knowledge is in the possession of Herr E. Brugsch at Cairo. It is more than two feet long. ] The heavy-armed soldiers carried large shields, lances, and daggers; theswordsmen and those who fought with battle-axes had smaller shields andlight clubs; beside these, there were slingers, but the main body of thearmy was composed of archers, whose bows unbent were nearly the height ofa man. The only clothing of the horse-soldiers was the apron, and theirweapon a light club in the form of a mace or battle-axe. Those warriors, on the contrary, who fought in chariots belonged to the highest rank ofthe military caste, spent large sums on the decoration of their two-wheeled chariots and the harness of their magnificent horses, and went tobattle in their most costly ornaments. They were armed with bows andlances, and a charioteer stood beside each, so that their undividedattention could be bestowed upon the battle. The Persian foot was not much more numerous than the Egyptian, but theyhad six times the number of horse-soldiers. As soon as the armies stood face to face, Cambyses caused the greatPelusian plain to be cleared of trees and brushwood, and had the sand-hills removed which were to be found here and there, in order to give hiscavalry and scythe-chariots a fair field of action. Phanes' knowledge ofthe country was of great use. He had drawn up a plan of action withgreat military skill, and succeeded in gaining not only Cambyses'approval, but that of the old general Megabyzus and the best tacticiansamong the Achaemenidae. His local knowledge was especially valuable onaccount of the marshes which intersected the Pelusian plain, and might, unless carefully avoided, have proved fatal to the Persian enterprise. At the close of the council of war Phanes begged to be heard once more:"Now, at length, " he said, "I am at liberty to satisfy your curiosity inreference to the closed waggons full of animals, which I have hadtransported hither. They contain five thousand cats! Yes, you maylaugh, but I tell you these creatures will be more serviceable to us thana hundred thousand of our best soldiers. Many of you are aware that theEgyptians have a superstition which leads them rather to die than kill acat, I, myself, nearly paid for such a murder once with my life. Remembering this, I have been making a diligent search for cats during mylate journey; in Cyprus, where there are splendid specimens, in Samosand in Crete. All I could get I ordered to be caught, and now proposethat they be distributed among those troops who will be opposed to thenative Egyptian soldiers. Every man must be told to fasten one firmly tohis shield and hold it out as he advances towards the enemy. I willwager that there's not one real Egyptian, who would not rather fly fromthe battle-field than take aim at one of these sacred animals. " This speech was met by a loud burst of laughter; on being discussed, however, it was approved of, and ordered to be carried out at once. Theingenious Greek was honored by receiving the king's hand to kiss, hisexpenses were reimbursed by a magnificent present, and he was urged totake a daughter of some noble Persian family in marriage. [Themistocles too, on coming to the Persian court, received a high- born Persian wife in marriage. Diod. XI. 57. ] The king concluded by inviting him to supper, but this the Atheniandeclined, on the plea that he must review the Ionian troops, with whom hewas as yet but little acquainted, and withdrew. At the door of his tent he found his slaves disputing with a ragged, dirty and unshaven old man, who insisted on speaking with their master. Fancying he must be a beggar, Phanes threw him a piece of gold; the oldman did not even stoop to pick it up, but, holding the Athenian fast byhis cloak, cried, "I am Aristomachus the Spartan!" Cruelly as he was altered, Phanes recognized his old friend at once, ordered his feet to be washed and his head anointed, gave him wine andmeat to revive his strength, took his rags off and laid a new chiton overhis emaciated, but still sinewy, frame. Aristomachus received all in silence; and when the food and wine hadgiven him strength to speak, began the following answer to Phanes' eagerquestions. On the murder of Phanes' son by Psamtik, he had declared his intention ofleaving Egypt and inducing the troops under his command to do the same, unless his friend's little daughter were at once set free, and asatisfactory explanation given for the sudden disappearance of the boy. Psamtik promised to consider the matter. Two days later, as Aristomachuswas going up the Nile by night to Memphis, he was seized by Egyptiansoldiers, bound and thrown into the dark hold of a boat, which, after avoyage of many days and nights, cast anchor on a totally unknown shore. The prisoners were taken out of their dungeon and led across a desertunder the burning sun, and past rocks of strange forms, until theyreached a range of mountains with a colony of huts at its base. Thesehuts were inhabited by human beings, who, with chains on their feet, weredriven every morning into the shaft of a mine and there compelled to hewgrains of gold out of the stony rock. Many of these miserable men hadpassed forty years in this place, but most died soon, overcome by thehard work and the fearful extremes of heat and cold to which they wereexposed on entering and leaving the mine. [Diodorus (III. 12. ) describes the compulsory work in the gold mines with great minuteness. The convicts were either prisoners taken in war, or people whom despotism in its blind fury found it expedient to put out of the way. The mines lay in the plain of Koptos, not far from the Red Sea. Traces of them have been discovered in modern times. Interesting inscriptions of the time of Rameses the Great, (14 centuries B. C. ) referring to the gold-mines, have been found, one at Radesich, the other at Kubnn, and have been published and deciphered in Europe. ] "My companions, " continued Aristomachus, "were either condemned murderersto whom mercy had been granted, or men guilty of high treason whosetongues had been cut out, and others such as myself whom the king hadreason to fear. Three months I worked among this set, submitting to thestrokes of the overseer, fainting under the fearful heat, and stiffeningunder the cold dews of night. I felt as if picked out for death and onlykept alive by the hope of vengeance. It happened, however, by the mercyof the gods, that at the feast of Pacht, our guards, as is the custom ofthe Egyptians, drank so freely as to fall into a deep sleep, during whichI and a young Jew who had been deprived of his right hand for having usedfalse weights in trade, managed to escape unperceived; Zeus Lacedaemoniusand the great God whom this young man worshipped helped us in our need, and, though we often heard the voices of our pursuers, they neversucceeded in capturing us. I had taken a bow from one of our guards;with this we obtained food, and when no game was to be found we lived onroots, fruits and birds' eggs. The sun and stars showed us our road. Weknew that the gold-mines were not far from the Red Sea and lay to thesouth of Memphis. It was not long before we reached the coast; and then, pressing onwards in a northerly direction, we fell in with some friendlymariners, who took care of us until we were taken up by an Arabian boat. The young Jew understood the language spoken by the crew, and in theircare we came to Eziongeber in the land of Edom. There we heard thatCambyses was coming with an immense army against Egypt, and travelled asfar as Harma under the protection of an Amalekite caravan bringing waterto the Persian army. From thence I went on to Pelusium in the company ofsome stragglers from the Asiatic army, who now and then allowed me a seaton their horses, and here I heard that you had accepted a high command inCambyses' army. I have kept my vow, I have been true to my nation inEgypt; now it is your turn to help old Aristomachus in gaining the onlything he still cares for--revenge on his persecutors. " "And that you shall have!" cried Phanes, grasping the old man's hand. "You shall have the command of the heavy-armed Milesian troops, andliberty to commit what carnage you like among the ranks of our enemies. This, however, is only paying half the debt I owe you. Praised be thegods, who have put it in my power to make you happy by one singlesentence. Know then, Aristomachus, that, only a few days after yourdisappearance, a ship arrived in the harbor of Naukratis from Sparta. It was guided by your own noble son and expressly sent by the Ephori inyour honor--to bring the father of two Olympic victors back to his nativeland. " The old man's limbs trembled visibly at these words, his eyes filled withtears and he murmured a prayer. Then smiting his forehead, he cried in avoice trembling with feeling: "Now it is fulfilled! now it has become afact! If I doubted the words of thy priestess, O Phoebus Apollo! pardonmy sin! What was the promise of the oracle? "If once the warrior hosts from the snow-topped mountains descending, Come to the fields of the stream watering richly the plain, Then shall the lingering boat to the beckoning meadows convey thee, Which to the wandering foot peace and a home can afford. When those warriors come, from the snow-topped mountains descending, Then will the powerful Five grant thee what long they refused. " "The promise of the god is fulfilled. Now I may return home, and I will;but first I raise my hands to Dice, the unchanging goddess of justice, and implore her not to deny me the pleasure of revenge. " "The day of vengeance will dawn to-morrow, " said Phanes, joining in theold man's prayer. "Tomorrow I shall slaughter the victims for the dead--for my son--and will take no rest until Cambyses has pierced the heart ofEgypt with the arrows which I have cut for him. Come, my friend, let metake you to the king. One man like you can put a whole troop ofEgyptians to flight. " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It was night. The Persian soldiers, their position being unfortified, were in order of battle, ready to meet any unexpected attack. The foot-soldiers stood leaning on their shields, the horsemen held their horsessaddled and bridled near the camp-fires. Cambyses was riding through theranks, encouraging his troops by words and looks. Only one part of thearmy was not yet ranged in order of battle--the centre. It was composedof the Persian body-guard, the apple-bearers, Immortals, and the king'sown relatives, who were always led into battle by the king in person. The Ionian Greeks too had gone to rest, at Phanes' command. He wanted tokeep his men fresh, and allowed them to sleep in their armor, while hekept watch. Aristomachus was welcomed with shouts of joy by the Greeks, and kindly by Cambyses, who assigned him, at the head of one half theGreek troops, a place to the left of the centre attack, while Phanes, with the other half, had his place at the right. The king himself was totake the lead at the head of the ten thousand Immortals, preceded by theblue, red and gold imperial banner and the standard of Kawe. Bartja was to lead the regiment of mounted guards numbering a thousandmen, and that division of the cavalry which was entirely clothed in mail. Croesus commanded a body of troops whose duty it was to guard the campwith its immense treasures, the wives of Cambyses' nobles, and his ownmother and sister. At last Mithras appeared and shed his light upon the earth; the spiritsof the night retired to their dens, and the Magi stirred up the sacredfire which had been carried before the army the whole way from Babylon, until it became a gigantic flame. They and the king united in feeding itwith costly perfumes, Cambyses offered the sacrifice, and, holding thewhile a golden bowl high in the air, besought the gods to grant himvictory and glory. He then gave the password, "Auramazda, the helper andguide, " and placed himself at the head of his guards, who went into thebattle with wreaths on their tiaras. The Greeks offered their ownsacrifices, and shouted with delight on hearing that the omens wereauspicious. Their war-cry was "Hebe. " Meanwhile the Egyptian priests had begun their day also with prayer andsacrifice, and had then placed their army in order of battle. Psamtik, now King of Egypt, led the centre. He was mounted on a goldenchariot; the trappings of his horses were of gold and purple, and plumesof ostrich feathers nodded on their proud heads. He wore the doublecrown of Upper and Lower Egypt, and the charioteer who stood at his lefthand holding the reins and whip, was descended from one of the noblestEgyptian families. The Hellenic and Karian mercenaries were to fight at the left of thecentre, the horse at the extreme of each wing, and the Egyptian andEthiopian foot were stationed, six ranks deep, on the right and left ofthe armed chariots, and Greek mercenaries. Psamtik drove through the ranks of his army, giving encouraging andfriendly words to all the men. He drew up before the Greek division, andaddressed them thus: "Heroes of Cyprus and Libya! your deeds in arms arewell known to me, and I rejoice in the thought of sharing your glory to-day and crowning you with fresh laurels. Ye have no need to fear, thatin the day of victory I shall curtail your liberties. Malicious tongueshave whispered that this is all ye have to expect from me; but I tellyou, that if we conquer, fresh favors will be shown to you and yourdescendants; I shall call you the supporters of my throne. Ye arefighting to-day, not for me alone, but for the freedom of your owndistant homes. It is easy to perceive that Cambyses, once lord of Egypt, will stretch out his rapacious hand over your beautiful Hellas and itsislands. I need only remind you, that they be between Egypt and yourAsiatic brethren who are already groaning under the Persian yoke. Youracclamations prove that ye agree with me already, but I must ask for astill longer hearing. It is my duty to tell you who has sold, not onlyEgypt, but his own country to the King of Persia, in return for immensetreasures. The man's name is Phanes! You are angry and inclined todoubt? I swear to you, that this very Phanes has accepted Cambyses' goldand promised not only to be his guide to Egypt, but to open the gates ofyour own Greek cities to him. He knows the country and the people, andcan be bribed to every perfidy. Look at him! there he is, walking by theside of the king. See how he bows before him! I thought I had heardonce, that the Greeks only prostrated themselves before their gods. Butof course, when a man sells his country, he ceases to be its citizen. AmI not right? Ye scorn to call so base a creature by the name ofcountryman? Yes? then I will deliver the wretch's daughter into yourhands. Do what ye will with the child of such a villain. Crown her withwreaths of roses, fall down before her, if it please you, but do notforget that she belongs to a man who has disgraced the name of Hellene, and has betrayed his countrymen and country!" As he finished speaking the men raised a wild cry of rage and tookpossession of the trembling child. A soldier held her up, so that herfather--the troops not being more than a bow-shot apart--could see allthat happened. At the same moment an Egyptian, who afterwards earnedcelebrity through the loudness of his voice, cried: "Look here, Athenian!see how treachery and corruption are rewarded in this country!" A bowlof wine stood near, provided by the king, from which the soldiers hadjust been drinking themselves into intoxication. A Karian seized it, plunged his sword into the innocent child's breast, and let the bloodflow into the bowl; filled a goblet with the awful mixture, and drainedit, as if drinking to the health of the wretched father. Phanes stoodwatching the scene, as if struck into a statue of cold stone. The restof the soldiers then fell upon the bowl like madmen, and wild beastscould not have lapped up the foul drink with greater eagerness. --[Herodotus tells this fearful tale (III. Ii. )] In the same moment Psamtik triumphantly shot off his first arrow into thePersian ranks. The mercenaries flung the child's dead body on to the ground; drunk withher blood, they raised their battle-song, and rushed into the strife farahead of their Egyptian comrades. But now the Persian ranks began to move. Phanes, furious with pain andrage, led on his heavy-armed troops, indignant too at the brutalbarbarity of their countrymen, and dashed into the ranks of those verysoldiers, whose love he had tried to deserve during ten years of faithfulleadership. At noon, fortune seemed to be favoring the Egyptians; but at sunset thePersians had the advantage, and when the full-moon rose, the Egyptianswere flying wildly from the battle-field, perishing in the marshes and inthe arm of the Nile which flowed behind their position, or being cut topieces by the swords of their enemies. Twenty thousand Persians and fifty thousand Egyptians lay dead on theblood-stained sea-sand. The wounded, drowned, and prisoners couldscarcely be numbered. [Herod. III. 12. Ktesias, Persica 9. In ancient history the loss of the conquered is always far greater than that of the conquerors. To a certain extent this holds good in the present day, but the proportion is decidedly not so unfavorable for the vanquished. ] Psamtik had been one of the last to fly. He was well mounted, and, witha few thousand faithful followers, reached the opposite bank of the Nileand made for Memphis, the well-fortified city of the Pyramids. Of the Greek mercenaries very few survived, so furious had been Phanes'revenge, and so well had he been supported by his Ionians. Ten thousandKarians were taken captive and the murderer of his little child waskilled by Phanes' own hand. Aristomachus too, in spite of his wooden leg, had performed miracles ofbravery; but, notwithstanding all their efforts, neither he, nor any ofhis confederates in revenge, had succeeded in taking Psamtik prisoner. When the battle was over, the Persians returned in triumph to theirtents, to be warmly welcomed by Croesus and the warriors and priests whohad remained behind, and to celebrate their victory by prayers andsacrifices. The next morning Cambyses assembled his generals and rewarded them withdifferent tokens of distinction, such as costly robes, gold chains, rings, swords, and stars formed of precious stones. Gold and silvercoins were distributed among the common soldiers. The principal attack of the Egyptians had been directed against thecentre of the Persian army, where Cambyses commanded in person; and withsuch effect that the guards had already begun to give way. At thatmoment Bartja, arriving with his troop of horsemen, had put fresh courageinto the wavering, had fought like a lion himself, and by his bravery andpromptitude decided the day in favor of the Persians. The troops were exultant in their joy: they shouted his praises, as "theconqueror of Pelusium" and the "best of the Achaemenidae. " Their cries reached the king's ears and made him very angry. He knew hehad been fighting at the risk of life, with real courage and the strengthof a giant, and yet the day would have been lost if this boy had notpresented him with the victory. The brother who had embittered his daysof happy love, was now to rob him of half his military glory. Cambysesfelt that he hated Bartja, and his fist clenched involuntarily as he sawthe young hero looking so happy in the consciousness of his own well-earned success. Phanes had been wounded and went to his tent; Aristomachus lay near him, dying. "The oracle has deceived me, after all, " he murmured. "I shall diewithout seeing my country again. " "The oracle spoke the truth, " answered Phanes. "Were not the last wordsof the Pythia?" 'Then shall the lingering boat to the beckoning meadows convey thee, Which to the wandering foot peace and a home will afford?' "Can you misunderstand their meaning? They speak of Charon's lingeringboat, which will convey you to your last home, to the one great resting-place for all wanderers--the kingdom of Hades. " "Yes, my friend, you are right there. I am going to Hades. " "And the Five have granted you, before death, what they so long refused, --the return to Lacedaemon. You ought to be thankful to the gods forgranting you such sons and such vengeance on your enemies. When my woundis healed, I shall go to Greece and tell your son that his father died aglorious death, and was carried to the grave on his shield, as beseems ahero. " "Yes, do so, and give him my shield as a remembrance of his old father. There is no need to exhort him to virtue. " "When Psamtik is in our power, shall I tell him what share you had in hisoverthrow?" "No; he saw me before he took to flight, and at the unexpected vision hisbow fell from his hand. This was taken by his friends as a signal forflight, and they turned their horses from the battle. " "The gods ordain, that bad men shall be ruined by their own deeds. Psamtik lost courage, for he must have believed that the very spirits ofthe lower world were fighting against him. " "We mortals gave him quite enough to do. The Persians fought well. Butthe battle would have been lost without the guards and our troops. " "Without doubt. " "I thank thee, O Zeus Lacedaemonius. " "You are praying?" "I am praising the gods for allowing me to die at ease as to my country. These heterogeneous masses can never be dangerous to Greece. Ho, physician, when am I likely to die?" The Milesian physician, who had accompanied the Greek troops to Egypt, pointed to the arrow-head sticking fast in his breast, and said with asad smile, "You have only a few hours more to live. If I were to drawthe arrow from your wound, you would die at once. " The Spartan thanked him, said farewell to Phanes, sent a greeting toRhodopis, and then, before they could prevent him, drew the arrow fromhis wound with an unflinching hand. A few moments later Aristomachus wasdead. The same day a Persian embassy set out for Memphis on board one of theLesbian vessels. It was commissioned to demand from Psamtik thesurrender of his own person and of the city at discretion. Cambysesfollowed, having first sent off a division of his army under Megabyzus toinvest Sais. At Heliopolis he was met by deputations from the Greek inhabitants ofNaukratis and the Libyans, praying for peace and his protection, andbringing a golden wreath and other rich presents. Cambyses received themgraciously and assured them of his friendship; but repulsed themessengers from Cyrene and Barka indignantly, and flung, with his ownhand, their tribute of five hundred silver mince among his soldiers, disdaining to accept so contemptible an offering. In Heliopolis he also heard that, at the approach of his embassy, theinhabitants of Memphis had flocked to the shore, bored a hole in thebottom of the ship, torn his messengers in pieces without distinction, as wild beasts would tear raw flesh, and dragged them into the fortress. On hearing this he cried angrily: "I swear, by Mithras, that thesemurdered men shall be paid for; ten lives for one. " Two days later and Cambyses with his army stood before the gates ofMemphis. The siege was short, as the garrison was far too small for thecity, and the citizens were discouraged by the fearful defeat atPelusium. King Psamtik himself came out to Cambyses, accompanied by his principalnobles, in rent garments, and with every token of mourning. Cambysesreceived him coldly and silently, ordering him and his followers to beguarded and removed. He treated Ladice, the widow of Amasis, whoappeared at the same time as her step-son, with consideration, and, atthe intercession of Phanes, to whom she had always shown favor, allowedher to return to her native town of Cyrene under safe conduct. Sheremained there until the fall of her nephew, Arcesilaus III. And theflight of her sister Pheretime, when she betook herself to Anthylla, thetown in Egypt which belonged to her, and where she passed a quiet, solitary existence, dying at a great age. Cambyses not only scorned to revenge the imposture which had beenpractised on him on a woman, but, as a Persian, had far too much respectfor a mother, and especially for the mother of a king, to injure Ladicein any way. While he was engaged in the siege of Sais, Psamtik passed hisimprisonment in the palace of the Pharaohs, treated in every respectas a king, but strictly guarded. Among those members of the upper class who had incited the people toresistance, Neithotep, the high-priest of Neith, had taken the foremostplace. He was therefore sent to Memphis and put in close confinement, with one hundred of his unhappy confederates. The larger number of thePharaoh's court, on the other hand, did homage voluntarily to Cambyses atSais, entitled him Ramestu, "child of the sun, " and suggested that heshould cause himself to be crowned King of Upper and Lower Egypt, withall the necessary formalities, and admitted into the priestly casteaccording to ancient custom. By the advice of Croesus and Phanes, Cambyses gave in to these proposals, though much against his own will:he went so far, indeed, as to offer sacrifice in the temple of Neith, and allowed the newly-created high-priest of the goddess to give him asuperficial insight into the nature of the mysteries. Some of thecourtiers he retained near himself, and promoted different administrativefunctionaries to high posts; the commander of Amasis' Nile fleetsucceeded so well in gaining the king's favor, as to be appointed one ofthose who ate at the royal table. [On a statue in the Gregorian Museum in the Vatican, there is an inscription giving an account of Cambyses' sojourn at Sais, which agrees with the facts related in our text. He was lenient to his conquered subjects, and, probably in order to secure his position as the lawful Pharaoh, yielded to the wishes of the priests, was even initiated into the mysteries and did much for the temple of Neith. His adoption of the name Ramestu is also confirmed by this statue. E. De Rough, Memoire sur la statuette naophore du musee Gregorian, au Vatican. Revue Archeol. 1851. ] On leaving Sais, Cambyses placed Megabyzus in command of the city; butscarcely had the king quitted their walls than the smothered rage of thepeople broke forth; they murdered the Persian sentinels, poisoned thewells, and set the stables of the cavalry on fire. Megabyzus at onceapplied to the king, representing that such hostile acts, if notrepressed by fear, might soon be followed by open rebellion. "The twothousand noble youths from Memphis whom you have destined to death as anindemnification for our murdered ambassadors, " said he, "ought to beexecuted at once; and it would do no harm if the son of Psamtik wereadded to the number, as he can some day become a rallying centre for therebels. I hear that the daughters of the dethroned king and of the high-priest Neithotep have to carry water for the baths of the noble Phanes. " The Athenian answered with a smile: "Cambyses has allowed me to employthese aristocratic female attendants, my lord, at my own request. " "But has forbidden you to touch the life of one member of the royalhouse, " added Cambyses. "None but a king has the right to punish kings. " Phanes bowed. The king turned to Megabyzus and ordered him to have theprisoners executed the very next day, as an example. He would decide thefate of the young prince later; but at all events he was to be taken tothe place of execution with the rest. "We must show them, " he concluded, "that we know how to meet all their hostile manifestations withsufficient rigor. " Croesus ventured to plead for the innocent boy. "Calm yourself, oldfriend, " said Cambyses with a smile; "the child is not dead yet, andperhaps will be as well off with us as your own son, who fought so wellat Pelusium. I confess I should like to know, whether Psamtik bears hisfate as calmly and bravely as you did twenty-five years ago. " "That we can easily discover, by putting him on trial, " said Phanes. "Let him be brought into the palace-court to-morrow, and let the captivesand the condemned be led past him. Then we shall see whether he is a manor a coward. " "Be it so, " answered Cambyses. "I will conceal myself and watch himunobserved. You, Phanes, will accompany me, to tell me the name and rankof each of the captives. " The next morning Phanes accompanied the king on to a balcony which ranround the great court of the palace--the court we have already describedas being planted with trees. The listeners were hidden by a grove offlowering shrubs, but they could see every movement that took place, andhear every word that was spoken beneath them. They saw Psamtik, surrounded by a few of his former companions. He was leaning against apalm-tree, his eyes fixed gloomily on the ground, as his daughtersentered the court. The daughter of Neithotep was with them, and somemore young girls, all dressed as slaves; they were carrying pitchers ofwater. At sight of the king, they uttered such a loud cry of anguish asto wake him from his reverie. He looked up, recognized the miserablegirls, and bowed his head lower than before; but only for a moment. Drawing himself up quickly, he asked his eldest daughter for whom she wascarrying water. On hearing that she was forced to do the work of a slavefor Phanes, he turned deadly pale, nodded his head, and cried to thegirls, "Go on. " A few minutes later the captives were led into the court, with ropesround their necks, and bridles in their mouths. [This statement of Herodotus (III. 14. ) is confirmed by the monuments, on which we often see representations of captives being led along with ropes round their necks. What follows is taken entirely from the same passage in Herodotus. ] At the head of the train was the little prince Necho. He stretched hishands out to his father, begging him to punish the bad foreigners whowanted to kill him. At this sight the Egyptians wept in their exceedinggreat misery; but Psamtik's eyes were dry. He bowed his tearless facenearly to the earth, and waved his child a last farewell. After a short interval, the captives taken in Sais entered. Among themwas Neithotep, the once powerful high-priest, clothed in rags and movingwith difficulty by the help of a staff. At the entrance-gate he raisedhis eyes and caught sight of his former pupil Darius. Reckless of allthe spectators around him, he went straight up to the young man, pouredout the story of his need, besought his help, and ended by begging analms. Darius complied at once, and by so doing, induced others of theAchaemenidae, who were standing by, to hail the old man jokingly andthrow him little pieces of money, which he picked up laboriously andthankfully from the ground. At this sight Psamtik wept aloud, and smote upon his forehead, calling onthe name of his friend in a voice full of woe. Cambyses was so astonished at this, that he came forward to thebalustrade of the veranda, and pushing the flowers aside, exclaimed:"Explain thyself, thou strange man; the misfortunes of a beggar, not evenakin to thee, move thy compassion, but thou canst behold thy son on theway to execution and thy daughters in hopeless misery without shedding atear, or uttering a lament!" Psamtik looked up at his conqueror, and answered: "The misfortunes of myown house, O son of Cyrus, are too great for tears; but I may bepermitted to weep over the afflictions of a friend, fallen, in his oldage, from the height of happiness and influence into the most miserablebeggary. " Cambyses' face expresseed his approval, and on looking round he saw thathis was not the only eye which was filled with tears. Croesus, Bartja, and all the Persians-nay, even Phanes himself, who had served asinterpreter to the kings-were weeping aloud. The proud conqueror was not displeased at these signs of sympathy, andturning to the Athenian: "I think, my Greek friend" he said, "we mayconsider our wrongs as avenged. Rise, Psamtik, and endeavor to imitateyonder noble old man, (pointing to Croesus) by accustoming yourself toyour fate. Your father's fraud has been visited on you and your family. The crown, which I have wrested from you is the crown of which Amasisdeprived my wife, my never-to-be-forgotten Nitetis. For her sake I beganthis war, and for her sake I grant you now the life of your son--sheloved him. From this time forward you can live undisturbed at our court, eat at our table and share the privileges of our nobles. Gyges, fetchthe boy hither. He shall be brought up as you were, years ago, among thesons of the Achaemenidae. " The Lydian was hastening to execute this delightful commission, butPhanes stopped him before he could reach the door, and placing himselfproudly between the king and the trembling, thankful Psamtik, said: "Youwould be going on a useless errand, noble Lydian. In defiance of yourcommand, my Sovereign, but in virtue of the full powers you once gave me, I have ordered the grandson of Amasis to be the executioner's firstvictim. You have just heard the sound of a horn; that was the sign thatthe last heir to the Egyptian throne born on the shores of the Nile hasbeen gathered to his fathers. I am aware of the fate I have to expect, Cambyses. I will not plead for a life whose end has been attained. Croesus, I understand your reproachful looks. You grieve for themurdered children. But life is such a web of wretchedness anddisappointment, that I agree with your philosopher Solon in thinkingthose fortunate to whom, as in former days to Kleobis and Biton, the godsdecree an early death. [Croesus, after having shown Solon his treasures, asked him whom he held to be the most fortunate of men, hoping to hear his own name. The sage first named Tellus, a famous citizen of Athens, and then the brothers Kleobis and Biton. These were two handsome youths, who had gained the prize for wrestling, and one day, when the draught- animals had not returned from the field, dragged their mother themselves to the distant temple, in presence of the people. The men of Argos praised the strength of the sons, --the women praised the mother who possessed these sons. She, transported with delight at her sons' deed and the people's praise, went to the statue of the goddess and besought her to give them the best that could fall to the lot of men. When her prayer was over and the sacrifice offered, the youths fell asleep, and never woke again. They were dead. Herod. I, 31. Cicero. Tuscul. I. 47. ] "If I have ever been dear to you, Cambyses--if my counsels have been ofany use, permit me as a last favor to say a few more words. Psamtikknows the causes that rendered us foes to each other. Ye all, whoseesteem is worth so much to me, shall know them too. This man's fatherplaced me in his son's stead at the head of the troops which had beensent to Cyprus. Where Psamtik had earned humiliation, I won success andglory. I also became unintentionally acquainted with a secret, whichseriously endangered his chances of obtaining the crown; and lastly, Iprevented his carrying off a virtuous maiden from the house of hergrandmother, an aged woman, beloved and respected by all the Greeks. These are the sins which he has never been able to forgive; these are thegrounds which led him to carry on war to the death with me directly I hadquitted his father's service. The struggle is decided now. My innocentchildren have been murdered at thy command, and I have been pursued likea wild beast. That has been thy revenge. But mine!--I have deprivedthee of thy throne and reduced thy people to bondage. Thy daughter Ihave called my slave, thy son's death-warrant was pronounced by my lips, and my eyes have seen the maiden whom thou persecutedst become the happywife of a brave man. Undone, sinking ever lower and lower, thou hastwatched me rise to be the richest and most powerful of my nation. In thelowest depth of thine own misery--and this has been the most deliciousmorsel of my vengeance--thou wast forced to see me--me, Phanes sheddingtears that could not be kept back, at the sight of thy misery. The man, who is allowed to draw even one breath of life, after beholding his enemyso low, I hold to be happy as the gods themselves I have spoken. " He ceased, and pressed his hand on his wound. Cambyses gazed at him inastonishment, stepped forward, and was just going to touch his girdle--an action which would have been equivalent to the signing of a death-warrant when his eye caught sight of the chain, which he himself had hunground the Athenian's neck as a reward for the clever way in which he hadproved the innocence of Nitetis. [The same sign was used by the last Darius to denote that his able Greek general Memnon, who had offended him by his plainness of speech, was doomed to death. As he was being led away, Memnon exclaimed, in allusion to Alexander, who was then fast drawing near: "Thy remorse will soon prove my worth; my avenger is not far off. " Droysen, Alex. D. Grosse, Diod. XVII. 30. Curtius III. 2. ] The sudden recollection of the woman he loved, and of the countlessservices rendered him by Phanes, calmed his wrath his hand dropped. Oneminute the severe ruler stood gazing lingeringly at his disobedientfriend; the next, moved by a sudden impulse, he raised his right handagain, and pointed imperiously to the gate leading from the court. Phanes bowed in silence, kissed the king's robe, and descended slowlyinto the court. Psamtik watched him, quivering with excitement, sprangtowards the veranda, but before his lips could utter the curse which hisheart had prepared, he sank powerless on to the ground. Cambyses beckoned to his followers to make immediate preparations for alion-hunt in the Libyan mountains. ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: Between two stools a man falls to the groundHuman beings hate the man who shows kindness to their enemiesMisfortune too great for tearsNothing is more dangerous to love, than a comfortable assuranceOrdered his feet to be washed and his head anointedRules of life given by one man to another are useless