CHAPTER XIII.
The waters of the Nile had begun to rise again. Two months had passedaway since Phanes' disappearance, and much had happened.
The very day on which he left Egypt, Sappho had given birth to a girl,and had so far regained strength since then under the care of hergrandmother, as to be able to join in an excursion up the Nile, whichCroesus had suggested should take place on the festival of the goddessNeith. Since the departure of Phanes, Cambyses' behavior had become sointolerable, that Bartja, with the permission of his brother, had takenSappho to live in the royal palace at Memphis, in order to escape anypainful collision. Rhodopis, at whose house Croesus and his son, Bartja,Darius and Zopyrus were constant guests, had agreed to join the party.
On the morning of the festival-day they started in a gorgeouslydecorated boat, from a point between thirty and forty miles belowMemphis, favored by a good north-wind and urged rapidly forward by alarge number of rowers.
A wooden roof or canopy, gilded and brightly painted, sheltered themfrom the sun. Croesus sat by Rhodopis, Theopompus the Milesian lay ather feet. Sappho was leaning against Bartja. Syloson, the brother ofPolykrates, had made himself a comfortable resting-place next to Darius,who was looking thought fully into the water. Gyges and Zopyrus busiedthemselves in making wreaths for the women, from the flowers handed themby an Egyptian slave.
"It seems hardly possible," said Bartja, "that we can be rowing againstthe stream. The boat flies like a swallow."
"This fresh north-wind brings us forward," answered Theopompus. "Andthen the Egyptian boatmen understand their work splendidly."
"And row all the better just because we are sailing against the stream,"added Croesus. "Resistance always brings out a man's best powers."
"Yes," said Rhodopis, "sometimes we even make difficulties, if the riverof life seems too smooth."
"True," answered Darius. "A noble mind can never swim with the stream.In quiet inactivity all men are equal. We must be seen fighting, to berightly estimated."
"Such noble-minded champions must be very cautious, though," saidRhodopis, "lest they become contentious, and quarrelsome. Do you seethose melons lying on the black soil yonder, like golden balls? Not onewould have come to perfection if the sower had been too lavish with hisseed. The fruit would have been choked by too luxuriant tendrilsand leaves. Man is born to struggle and to work, but in this, as ineverything else, he must know how to be moderate if his efforts are tosucceed. The art of true wisdom is to keep within limits."
"Oh, if Cambyses could only hear you!" exclaimed Croesus. "Instead ofbeing contented with his immense conquests, and now thinking for thewelfare of his subjects, he has all sorts of distant plans in his head.He wishes to conquer the entire world, and yet, since Phanes left,scarcely a day has passed in which he has not been conquered himself bythe Div of drunkenness."
"Has his mother no influence over him?" asked Rhodopis. "She is a noblewoman."
"She could not even move his resolution to marry Atossa, and was forcedto be present at the marriage feast."
"Poor Atossa!" murmured Sappho.
"She does not pass a very happy life as Queen of Persia," answeredCroesus; "and her own naturally impetuous disposition makes it all themore difficult or her to live contentedly with this husband and mother;I am sorry to hear it said that Cambyses neglects her sadly, and treatsher like a child. But the marriage does not seem to have astonished theEgyptians, as brothers and sisters often marry here."
"In Persia too," said Darius, putting on an appearance of the mostperfect composure, "marriages with very near relations are thought to bethe best."
"But to return to the king," said Croesus, turning the conversation forDarius' sake. "I can assure you, Rhodopis, that he may really be calleda noble man. His violent and hasty deeds are repented of almost as soonas committed, and the resolution to be a just and merciful ruler hasnever forsaken him. At supper, for instance, lately, before his mind wasclouded by the influence of wine, he asked us what the Persians thoughtof him in comparison with his father."
"And what was the answer?" said Rhodopis. "Intaphernes got us out of thetrap cleverly enough," answered Zopyrus, laughing. "He exclaimed: 'Weare of opinion that you deserve the preference, inasmuch as you have notonly preserved intact the inheritance bequeathed you by Cyrus, but haveextended his dominion beyond the seas by your conquest of Egypt.' Thisanswer did not seem to please the king, however, and poor Intapherneswas not a little horrified to hear him strike his fist on the table andcry, 'Flatterer, miserable flatterer!' He then turned to Croesus andasked his opinion. Our wise friend answered at once: 'My opinion is thatyou have not attained to the greatness of your father; for,' added hein a pacifying tone, 'one thing is wanting to you--a son such as Cyrusbequeathed us in yourself."
"First-rate, first-rate," cried Rhodopis clapping her hands andlaughing. "An answer that would have done honor to the ready-wittedOdysseus himself. And how did the king take your honeyed pill?"
"He was very much pleased, thanked Croesus, and called him his friend."
"And I," said Croesus taking up the conversation, "used the favorableopportunity to dissuade him from the campaigns he has been planningagainst the long lived Ethiopians, the Ammonians and the Carthaginians.Of the first of these three nations we know scarcely anything butthrough fabulous tales; by attacking them we should lose much and gainlittle. The oasis of Ammon is scarcely accessible to a large army, onaccount of the desert by which it is surrounded; besides which, itseems to me sacrilegious to make war upon a god in the hope of obtainingpossession of his treasures, whether we be his worshippers or not. Asto the Carthaginians, facts have already justified my predictions. Ourfleet is manned principally by Syrians and Phoenicians, and they have,as might be expected, refused to go to war against their brethren.Cambyses laughed at my reasons, and ended by swearing, when he wasalready somewhat intoxicated, that he could carry out difficultundertakings and subdue powerful nations, even without the help ofBartja and Phanes."
"What could that allusion to you mean, my son?" asked Rhodopis.
"He won the battle of Pelusiam," cried Zopyrus, before his friend couldanswer. "He and no one else!"
"Yes," added Croesus, "and you might have been more prudent, and haveremembered that it is a dangerous thing to excite the jealousy of a manlike Cambyses. You all of you forget that his heart is sore, and thatthe slightest vexation pains him. He has lost the woman he really loved;his dearest friend is gone; and now you want to disparage the last thingin this world that he still cares for,--his military glory."
"Don't blame him," said Bartja, grasping the old man's hand. "My brotherhas never been unjust, and is far from envying me what I must call mygood fortune, for that my attack arrived just at the right time canhardly be reckoned as a merit on my part. You know he gave me thissplendid sabre, a hundred thorough-bred horses, and a golden hand-millas rewards of my bravery."
Croesus' words had caused Sappho a little anxiety at first; but thisvanished on hearing her husband speak so confidently, and by the timeZopyrus had finished his wreath and placed it on Rhodopis' head, all herfears were forgotten.
Gyges had prepared his for the young mother. It was made of snow-whitewater-lilies, and, when she placed it among her brown curls, she lookedso wonderfully lovely in the simple ornament, that Bartja could not helpkissing her on the forehead, though so many witnesses were present. Thislittle episode gave a merry turn to the conversation; every one did hisbest to enliven the others, refreshments of all kinds were handed round,and even Darius lost his gravity for a time and joined in the jests thatwere passing among his friends.
When the sun had set, the slaves set elegantly-carved chairs,footstools, and little tables on the open part of the deck. Our cheerfulparty now repaired thither and beheld a sight so marvellously beautifulas to be quite beyond their expectations.
The feast of Neith, called in Egyptian "the lamp-burning," wascelebrated by a universal illumination, which began at the rising of themoon. The shores of
the Nile looked like two long lines of fire. Everytemple, house and but was ornamented with lamps according to the meansof its possessors. The porches of the country-houses and the littletowers on the larger buildings were all lighted up by brilliant flames,burning in pans of pitch and sending up clouds of smoke, in which theflags and pennons waved gently backwards and forwards. The palm-treesand sycamores were silvered by the moonlight and threw strange fantasticreflections on the red waters of the Nile-red from the fiery glow of thehouses on their shores. But strong and glowing as was the light of theillumination, its rays had not power to reach the middle of the giantriver, where the boat was making its course, and the pleasure-party feltas if they were sailing in dark night between two brilliant days. Nowand then a brightly-lighted boat would come swiftly across the river andseem, as it neared the shore, to be cutting its way through a glowingstream of molten iron.
Lotus-blossoms, white as snow, lay on the surface of the river, risingand falling with the waves, and looking like eyes in the water. Not asound could be heard from either shore. The echoes were carried away bythe north-wind, and the measured stroke of the oars and monotonous songof the rowers were the only sounds that broke the stillness of thisstrange night--a night robbed of its darkness.
For a long time the friends gazed without speaking at the wonderfulsight, which seemed to glide past them. Zopyrus was the first to breakthe silence by saying, as he drew a long breath: "I really envy you,Bartja. If things were as they should be, every one of us would have hisdearest wife at his side on such a night as this."
"And who forbade you to bring one of your wives?" answered the happyhusband.
"The other five," said the youth with a sigh. "If I had allowed Oroetes'little daughter Parysatis, my youngest favorite, to come out alone withme to-night, this wonderful sight would have been my last; tomorrowthere would have been one pair of eyes less in the world."
Bartja took Sappho's hand and held it fast, saying, "I fancy one wifewill content me as long as I live." The young mother pressed his handwarmly again, and said, turning to Zopyrus: "I don't quite trust you, myfriend. It seems to me that it is not the anger of your wives you fear,so much as the commission of an offence against the customs of yourcountry. I have been told that my poor Bartja gets terribly scolded inthe women's apartments for not setting eunuchs to watch over me, and forletting me share his pleasures."
"He does spoil you terribly," answered Zopyrus, "and our wives arebeginning to quote him as an example of kindness and indulgence,whenever we try to hold the reins a little tight. Indeed there will soonbe a regular women's mutiny at the king's gate, and the Achaemenidaewho escaped the swords and arrows of the Egyptians, will fall victims tosharp tongues and floods of salt tears."
"Oh! you most impolite Persian!" said Syloson laughing. "We must makeyou more respectful to these images of Aphrodite."
"You Greeks! that's a good idea," answered the youth. "By Mithras, ourwives are quite as well off as yours. It's only the Egyptian women, thatare so wonderfully free."
"Yes, you are quite right," said Rhodopis. "The inhabitants of thisstrange land have for thousands of years granted our weaker sex the samerights, that they demand for themselves. Indeed, in many respects, theyhave given us the preference. For instance, by the Egyptian law it isthe daughters, not the sons, who are commanded to foster and providefor their aged parents, showing how well the fathers of this now humbledpeople understood women's nature, and how rightly they acknowledged thatshe far surpasses man in thoughtful solicitude and self-forgetful love.Do not laugh at these worshippers of animals. I confess that I cannotunderstand them, but I feel true admiration for a people in the teachingof whose priests, even Pythagoras, that great master in the art ofknowledge, assured me lies a wisdom as mighty as the Pyramids."
"And your great master was right," exclaimed Darius. "You know that Iobtained Neithotep's freedom, and, for some weeks past, have seen himand Onuphis very constantly, indeed they have been teaching me. And oh,how much I have learnt already from those two old men, of which I had noidea before! How much that is sad I can forget, when I am listening tothem! They are acquainted with the entire history of the heavens and theearth. They know the name of every king, and the circumstances of everyimportant event that has occurred during the last four thousand years,the courses of the stars, the works of their own artists and sayings oftheir sages, during the same immense period of time. All this knowledgeis recorded in huge books, which have been preserved in a palace atThebes, called the 'place of healing for the soul.' Their laws are afountain of pure wisdom, and a comprehensive intellect has been shownin the adaptation of all their state institutions to the needs of thecountry. I wish we could boast of the same regularity and order at home.The idea that lies at the root of all their knowledge is the use ofnumbers, the only means by which it is possible to calculate the courseof the stars, to ascertain and determine the limits of all that exists,and, by the application of which in the shortening and lengthening ofthe strings of musical instruments, tones can be regulated.
[We agree with Iamblichus in supposing, that these Pythagorean views were derived from the Egyptian mysteries.]
"Numbers are the only certain things; they can neither be controlled norperverted. Every nation has its own ideas of right and wrong; every lawcan be rendered invalid by circumstances; but the results obtained fromnumbers can never be overthrown. Who can dispute, for instance, thattwice two make four? Numbers determine the contents of every existingthing; whatever is, is equal to its contents, numbers therefore are thetrue being, the essence of all that is."
"In the name of Mithras, Darius, do leave off talking in that style,unless you want to turn my brain," interrupted Zopyrus. "Why, to hearyou, one would fancy you'd been spending your life among these oldEgyptian speculators and had never had a sword in your hand. What onearth have we to do with numbers?"
"More than you fancy," answered Rhodopis. "This theory of numbersbelongs to the mysteries of the Egyptian priests, and Pythagoras learntit from the very Onuphis who is now teaching you, Darius. If you willcome to see me soon, I will show you how wonderfully that great Samianbrought the laws of numbers and of the harmonies into agreement. Butlook, there are the Pyramids!"
The whole party rose at these words, and stood speechless, gazing at thegrand sight which opened before them.
The Pyramids lay on the left bank of the Nile, in the silver moonshine,massive and awful, as if bruising the earth beneath them with theirweight; the giant graves of mighty rulers. They seemed examples ofman's creative power, and at the same time warnings of the vanity andmutability of earthly greatness. For where was Chufu now,--the kingwho had cemented that mountain of stone with the sweat of his subjects?Where was the long-lived Chafra who had despised the gods, and, defiantin the consciousness of his own strength, was said to have closed thegates of the temples in order to make himself and his name immortal bybuilding a tomb of superhuman dimensions?
[Herodotus repeats, in good faith, that the builders of the great Pyramids were despisers of the gods. The tombs of their faithful subjects at the foot of these huge structures prove, however, that they owe their bad repute to the hatred of the people, who could not forget the era of their hardest bondage, and branded the memories of their oppressors wherever an opportunity could be found. We might use the word "tradition" instead of "the people," for this it is which puts the feeling and tone of mind of the multitude into the form of history.]
Their empty sarcophagi are perhaps tokens, that the judges of the deadfound them unworthy of rest in the grave, unworthy of the resurrection,whereas the builder of the third and most beautiful pyramid, Menkera,who contented himself with a smaller monument, and reopened the gates ofthe temples, was allowed to rest in peace in his coffin of blue basalt.
There they lay in the quiet night, these mighty pyramids, shone on bythe bright stars, guarded by the watchman of the desert--the giganticsphinx,--and overlooking the barren rocks of the Libyan stony mountains.At
their feet, in beautifully-ornamented tombs, slept the mummies oftheir faithful subjects, and opposite the monument of the pious Menkerastood a temple, where prayers were said by the priests for the soulsof the many dead buried in the great Memphian city of the dead. In thewest, where the sun went down behind the Libyan mountains, where thefruitful land ended and the desert began--there the people of Memphishad buried their dead; and as our gay party looked towards the west theyfelt awed into a solemn silence.
But their boat sped on before the north-wind; they left the city of thedead behind them and passed the enormous dikes built to protect the cityof Menes from the violence of the floods; the city of the Pharaohs camein sight, dazzlingly bright with the myriads of flames which had beenkindled in honor of the goddess Neith, and when at last the gigantictemple of Ptah appeared, the most ancient building of the most ancientland, the spell broke, their tongues were loosed, and they burst outinto loud exclamations of delight.
It was illuminated by thousands of lamps; a hundred fires burnt on itsPylons, its battlemented walls and roofs. Burning torches flared betweenthe rows of sphinxes which connected the various gates with the mainbuilding, and the now empty house of the god Apis was so surrounded bycolored fires that it gleamed like a white limestone rock in a tropicalsunset. Pennons, flags and garlands waved above the brilliant picture;music and loud songs could be heard from below.
"Glorious," cried Rhodopis in enthusiasm, "glorious! Look how thepainted walls and columns gleam in the light, and what marvellousfigures the shadows of the obelisks and sphinxes throw on the smoothyellow pavement!"
"And how mysterious the sacred grove looks yonder!" added Croesus. "Inever saw anything so wonderful before."
"I have seen something more wonderful still," said Darius. "You willhardly believe me when I tell you that I have witnessed a celebration ofthe mysteries of Neith."
"Tell us what you saw, tell us!" was the universal outcry.
"At first Neithotep refused me admission, but when I promised to remainhidden, and besides, to obtain the freedom of his child, he led me up tohis observatory, from which there is a very extensive view, and told methat I should see a representation of the fates of Osiris and his wifeIsis.
"He had scarcely left, when the sacred grove became so brightlyilluminated by colored lights that I was able to see into its innermostdepths.
"A lake, smooth as glass, lay before me, surrounded by beautiful treesand flower-beds. Golden boats were sailing on this lake and in them satlovely boys and girls dressed in snow-white garments, and singing sweetsongs as they passed over the water. There were no rowers to directthese boats, and yet they moved over the ripples of the lake in agraceful order, as if guided by some magic unseen hand. A large shipsailed in the midst of this little fleet. Its deck glittered withprecious stones. It seemed to be steered by one beautiful boy only,and, strange to say, the rudder he guided consisted of one whitelotus-flower, the delicate leaves of which seemed scarcely to touch thewater. A very lovely woman, dressed like a queen, lay on silken cushionsin the middle of the vessel; by her side sat a man of larger staturethan that of ordinary mortals. He wore a crown of ivy on his flowingcurls, a panther-skin hung over his shoulders and he held a crookedstaff in the right hand. In the back part of the ship was a roof madeof ivy, lotus-blossoms and roses; beneath it stood a milk-white cow withgolden horns, covered with a cloth of purple. The man was Osiris, thewoman Isis, the boy at the helm their son Horus, and the cow was theanimal sacred to the immortal Isis. The little boats all skimmed overthe water, singing glad songs of joy as they passed by the ship, andreceiving in return showers of flowers and fruits, thrown down upon thelovely singers by the god and goddess within. Suddenly I heard the rollof thunder. It came crashing on, louder, and louder, and in the midst ofthis awful sound a man in the skin of a wild boar, with hideous featuresand bristling red hair, came out of the gloomiest part of the sacredgrove, plunged into the lake, followed by seventy creatures likehimself, and swam up to the ship of Osiris.
[We have taken our description of this spectacle entirely from the Osiris-myth, as we find it in Plutarch, Isis and Orisis 13-19. Diod. I. 22. and a thousand times repeated on the monuments. Horus is called "the avenger of his father," &c. We copy the battle with all its phases from an inscription at Edfu, interpreted by Naville.]
"The little boats fled with the swiftness of the wind, and the tremblingboy helmsman dropped his lotus-blossom.
"The dreadful monster then rushed on Osiris, and, with the help of hiscomrades, killed him, threw the body into a coffin and the coffin intothe lake, the waters of which seemed to carry it away as if by magic.Isis meanwhile had escaped to land in one of the small boats, and wasnow running hither and thither on the shores of the lake, with streaminghair, lamenting her dead husband and followed by the virgins who hadescaped with her. Their songs and dances, while seeking the body ofOsiris, were strangely plaintive and touching, and the girls accompaniedthe dance by waving black Byssus scarfs in wonderfully graceful curves.Neither were the youths idle; they busied themselves in making a costlycoffin for the vanished corpse of the god, accompanying their work withdances and the sound of castanets. When this was finished they joinedthe maidens in the train of the lamenting Isis and wandered on the shorewith them, singing and searching.
"Suddenly a low song rose from some invisible lips. It swelled louderand louder and announced, that the body of the god had been transportedby the currents of the Mediterranean to Gebal in distant Phoenicia. Thissinging voice thrilled to my very heart; Neithotep's son, who was mycompanion, called it 'the wind of rumor.'
"When Isis heard the glad news, she threw off her mourning garments andsang a song of triumphant rejoicing, accompanied by the voices of herbeautiful followers. Rumor had not lied; the goddess really found thesarcophagus and the dead body of her husband on the northern shore ofthe lake.
[It is natural, that Isis should find the body of her husband in the north. The connection between Phoenicia and Egypt in this myth, as it has been handed down to us by Plutarch, is very remarkable. We consider the explanation of the close affinity between the Isis and Osiris and the Adonis myths to be in the fact, that Egyptians and Phoenicians lived together on the shores of the Delta where the latter had planted their colonies. Plutarch's story of the finding of Osiris' dead body is very charming. Isis and Osiris. Ed. Parth. 15.]
"They brought both to land with dances; Isis threw herself on thebeloved corpse, called on the name of Osiris and covered the mummy withkisses, while the youths wove a wonderful tomb of lotus-flowers and ivy.
"When the coffin had been laid under this beautiful vault, Isis left thesad place of mourning and went to look for her son. She found him at theeast end of the lake, where for a long time I had seen a beautiful youthpractising arms with a number of companions.
"While she was rejoicing over her newly-found child, a fresh peal ofthunder told that Typhon had returned. This time the monster rushed uponthe beautiful flowering grave, tore the body out of its coffin, hewed itinto fourteen pieces, and strewed them over the shores of the lake.
"When Isis came back to the grave, she found nothing but faded flowersand an empty coffin; but at fourteen different places on the shorefourteen beautiful colored flames were burning. She and her virgins ranto these flames, while Horus led the youths to battle against Typhon onthe opposite shore.
"My eyes and ears hardly sufficed for all I had to see and hear. On theone shore a fearful and interesting struggle, peals of thunder and thebraying of trumpets; on the other the sweet voices of the women, singingthe most captivating songs to the most enchanting dances, for Isis hadfound a portion of her husband's body at every fire and was rejoicing.
"That was something for you, Zopyrus! I know of no words to describethe grace of those girls' movements, or how beautiful it was to seethem first mingling in intricate confusion, then suddenly standing infaultless, unbroken lines, falling again into the same lovely tumult andpassing once more into order, an
d all this with the greatest swiftness.Bright rays of light flashed from their whirling ranks all the time, foreach dancer had a mirror fastened between her shoulders, which flashedwhile she was in motion, and reflected the scene when she was still.
"Just as Isis had found the last limb but one of the murdered Osiris,loud songs of triumph and the flourish of trumpets resounded from theopposite shore.
"Horus had conquered Typhon, and was forcing his way into the netherregions to free his father. The gate to this lower world opened on thewest side of the lake and was guarded by a fierce female hippopotamus.
"And now a lovely music of flutes and harps came nearer and nearer,heavenly perfumes rose into the air, a rosy light spread over the sacredgrove, growing brighter every minute, and Osiris came up from the lowerworld, led by his victorious son. Isis hastened to embrace her risenand delivered husband, gave the beautiful Horus his lotus-flower againinstead of the sword, and scattered fruits and flowers over the earth,while Osiris seated himself under a canopy wreathed with ivy, andreceived the homage of all the spirits of the earth and of the Amenti."
[The lower world, in Egyptian Amenti, properly speaking, the West or kingdom of death, to which the soul returns at the death of the body, as the sun at his setting. In a hieroglyphic inscription of the time of the Ptolemies the Amenti is called Hades.]
Darius was silent. Rhodopis began:
"We thank you for your charming account; but this strange spectaclemust have a higher meaning, and we should thank you doubly if you wouldexplain that to us."
"Your idea is quite right," answered Darius, "but what I know I dare nottell. I was obliged to promise Neithotep with an oath, not to tell talesout of school."
"Shall I tell you," asked Rhodopis, "what conclusions various hints fromPythagoras and Onuphis have led me to draw, as to the meaning of thisdrama? Isis seems to me to represent the bountiful earth; Osiris,humidity or the Nile, which makes the earth fruitful; Horus, the youngspring; Typhon, the scorching drought. The bounteous earth, robbed ofher productive power, seeks this beloved husband with lamentations inthe cooler regions of the north, where the Nile discharges his waters.At last Horus, the young springing power of nature, is grown up andconquers Typhon, or the scorching drought. Osiris, as is the case withthe fruitful principle of nature, was only apparently dead, rises fromthe nether regions and once more rules the blessed valley of the Nile,in concert with his wife, the bounteous earth."
"And as the murdered god behaved properly in the lower regions," saidZopyrus, laughing, "he is allowed, at the end of this odd story, toreceive homage from the inhabitants of Hamestegan, Duzakh and Gorothman,or whatever they call these abodes for the Egyptian spirit-host."
"They are called Amenti," said Darius, falling into his friend's merrymood; "but you must know that the history of this divine pair representsnot only the life of nature, but also that of the human soul, which,like the murdered Osiris, lives an eternal life, even when the body isdead."
"Thank you," said the other; "I'll try to remember that if I shouldchance to die in Egypt. But really, cost what it may, I must see thiswonderful sight soon."
"Just my own wish," said Rhodopis. "Age is inquisitive."
"You will never be old," interrupted Darius. "Your conversation and yourfeatures have remained alike beautiful, and your mind is as clear andbright as your eyes."
"Forgive me for interrupting you," said Rhodopis, as if she had notheard his flattering words, "but the word 'eyes' reminds me of theoculist Nebenchari, and my memory fails me so often, that I must askyou what has become of him, before I forget. I hear nothing now of thisskilful operator to whom the noble Kassandane owes her sight."
"He is much to be pitied," replied Darius. "Even before we reachedPelusium he had begun to avoid society, and scorned even to speak withhis countryman Onuphis. His gaunt old servant was the only being allowedto wait on or be with him. But after the battle his whole behaviorchanged. He went to the king with a radiant countenance, and askedpermission to accompany him to Sais, and to choose two citizens of thattown to be his slaves. Cambyses thought he could not refuse anything tothe man, who had been such a benefactor to his mother, and granted himfull power to do what he wished. On arriving at Amasis' capital, he wentat once to the temple of Neith, caused the high-priest (who had moreoverplaced himself at the head of the citizens hostile to Persia), tobe arrested, and with him a certain oculist named Petammon. He theninformed them that, as punishment for the burning of certain papers,they would be condemned to serve a Persian to whom he should sell them,for the term of their natural lives, and to perform the most menialservices of slaves in a foreign country. I was present at this scene,and I assure you I trembled before the Egyptian as he said thesewords to his enemies. Neithotep, however, listened quietly, and whenNebenchari had finished, answered him thus: If thou, foolish son, hastbetrayed thy country for the sake of thy burnt manuscripts, the deedhas been neither just nor wise. I preserved thy valuable works with thegreatest care, laid them up in our temple, and sent a complete copy tothe library at Thebes. Nothing was burnt but the letters from Amasisto thy father, and a worthless old chest. Psamtik and Petammon werepresent, and it was then and there resolved that a new family tomb inthe city of the dead should be built for thee as a compensation for theloss of papers, which, in order to save Egypt, we were unfortunatelyforced to destroy. On its walls thou canst behold pleasing paintings ofthe gods to whom thou hast devoted thy life, the most sacred chaptersfrom the book of the dead, and many other beautiful pictures touchingthine own life and character."
"The physician turned very pale--asked first to see his books, and thenhis new and beautifully-fitted-up tomb. He then gave his slaves theirfreedom, (notwithstanding which they were still taken to Memphis asprisoners of war), and went home, often passing his hand across hisforehead on the way, and with the uncertain step of one intoxicated. Onreaching his house he made a will, bequeathing all he possessed to thegrandson of his old servant Hib, and, alleging that he was ill, went tobed. The next morning he was found dead. He had poisoned himself withthe fearful strychnos-juice."
"Miserable man" said Croesus. "The gods had blinded him, and he reapeddespair instead of revenge, as a reward for his treachery."
"I pity him," murmured Rhodopis. "But look, the rowers are taking intheir oars. We are at the end of our journey; there are your litters andcarriages waiting for you. It was a beautiful trip. Farewell, my dearones; come to Naukratis soon, I shall return at once with Theopompus andSyloson. Give little Parmys a thousand kisses from me, and tell Melittanever to take her out at noon. It is dangerous for the eyes. Good-night,Croesus; good-night, friends, farewell my dear son."
The Persians left the vessel with many a nod and farewell word, andBartja, looking round once more, missed his footing and fell on thelanding-pier.
He sprang up in a moment without Zopyrus' help, who came running back,calling out, "Take care, Bartja! It's unlucky to fall in steppingashore. I did the very same thing, when we left the ship that time atNaukratis."