No More Learning

She
is probably Grecian, for she has not at all the air of an Egyptian. "

"She is from Greece," replied Hydaspes: "who are her parents she will
presently declare; shew them she cannot, though such has been her
promise. To deliver her from sacrifice is impossible: were it in my
power, I should be very glad to do so; for I feel, I know not why,
great compassion and affection for her. But you are aware that the law
requires a male to be offered to the Sun, and a female to the Moon; and
she being the first captive presented to me, and having been allotted
for the sacrifice, the disappointment of the people's wishes would
admit of no excuse. One only chance can favour her escape, and that is,
if she should be found when she ascends the pile, not to have preserved
her chastity inviolate; for the law demands a pure victim to be offered
to the goddess as well as to the god--the condition of those offered on
the altar of Bacchus is indifferent. But should she be found unchaste,
reflect whether it would be proper that she should be received into
your family. "

"Let her," replied Persina, "be found unchaste, provided only
she be preserved. Captivity and war, absence from friends, and a
wandering life, furnish an excuse for guilt, particularly in her,
whose transcendent beauty must have exposed her to more than common
temptations. "

While she was weeping and striving to conceal her weakness from the
people, Hydaspes ordered the fire-altar[5] to be prepared, and brought
out. A number of young children, collected by the officials from among
the multitude, brought it from the temple (they alone being permitted
to touch it), and placed it in the midst. Each of the captives was then
ordered to ascend it. It was furnished with golden bars of such mystic
virtue, that whenever any unchaste or perjured person placed his foot
upon it, it burnt him immediately, and he was obliged to retire: the
pure, on the contrary, and the uncontaminated, could mount it uninjured.

The greatest part of the prisoners failed in the trial, and were
destined as victims to Bacchus, and the other gods--save two or three
Grecian maidens whose virginity was found intact. Theagenes at length
ascended it, and was found pure. It raised great admiration in the
assembly, that with his beauty, stature, and in the flower of youth, he
should be a stranger to the power of love--accordingly he was destined
as an offering to the Sun. He said softly to Chariclea--"Is death then,
and sacrifice, the reward which the Ethiopians bestow upon purity and
integrity? But why, my dearest life, do you not discover yourself? How
long will you delay? Until the sacrificer's knife is at your throat?
Speak, I beseech you, and disclose your condition. Perhaps when you
are known, your intercession may preserve me; but if that should
not happen, you will be safe, and then I shall die with comfort and
satisfaction. "

"Our trial," said Chariclea, "now approaches--our fate trembles in the
balance. "[6]--So saying, and without awaiting any command, she drew
from out of a scrip which she had with her, and put on, her sacred
Delphic robe, interwoven and glittering with rays of light. She let her
hair fall dishevelled upon her shoulders, and as under the influence
of inspiration, leaped upon the altar, and remained there a long time,
unhurt.

Dazzling every beholder with more than ever resplendent beauty; visible
to all from this elevated place, and with her peculiar dress, she
resembled an image of the goddess, more than a mere mortal maiden. An
inarticulate murmur of applause ran through the multitude, expressive
of their surprise and admiration, that with charms so superhuman,
she should have preserved her honour, enhancing her beauty by her
chastity. [7] Yet they were almost sorry that she was found a pure
and fitting victim for the goddess. Notwithstanding their religious
reverence they would have been glad could she by any means escape. But
Persina felt more for her than all the rest. She could not help saying
to Hydaspes--"How miserable and ill-fated is this poor maiden! To no
purpose giving token of her purity! Receiving for her many virtues only
an untimely death! Can nothing be done to save her? "

"Nothing, I fear," replied the king: "your wishes and pity are
unavailable. It seems that the gods have from the beginning selected
by reason of her very excellence this perfect victim for themselves. "
And then directing his discourse to the Gymnosophists: "Sages,"
said he, "since every thing is ready, why do you not begin the
sacrifice? "--"Far be it from us," said Sisimithres (speaking in
Greek, that the multitude might not understand him) "to assist at such
rites; our eyes and ears have already been sufficiently wounded by the
preparations. We will retire into the temple, abhorring ourselves the
detestable offering of a human victim, and believing too that the gods
do not approve it. Would that the sacrifices even of brute animals
might cease; those consisting of prayers and incense being, to our
mind, sufficient. [8] Do you, however, remain; for the presence of a
ruler is sometimes necessary to stay the turbulence of the multitude.
Go on with this unhallowed sacrifice, since the inveterate custom
of the people has made it unavoidable; remembering that when it is
performed, yourself will stand in need of expiation, though perhaps,
you will not need it, for I think this rite will never be brought to
consummation. I judge from various divine tokens, and particularly
from a kind of glory shed around these strangers, signifying that they
are under the peculiar protection of the gods;"--having said this, he
arose, and was about to retire with his brethren.

At this instant Chariclea leapt down from the altar; rushed towards
Sisimithres, and fell at his feet. The officials would have hindered
her, supposing that she was deprecating death, but she exclaimed "Stay,
Sages, I beseech you! I have a cause to plead before the king and
queen; you are the only judges, in such a presence; you must decide in
this, the trial for my life. You will find that it is neither possible
nor just that I should be sacrificed to the gods. " They listened to
her readily, and addressing the king, said,--"Do you hear, Ο king, the
challenge and averment of this foreign maiden. "

Hydaspes smiling, replied, "What controversy can she have with me?
From what pretext, or from what right, can it arise? "--"That, her
own relation will discover," said Sisimithres. --"But will it not be
an indignity, rather than an act of justice," rejoined the monarch,
"for a king to enter into a judicial dispute with a slave? "--"Equity
regards not lofty rank," said the sage. "He is king in judgment
who prevails by strength of arguments. "--"But," returned Hydaspes,
"your office gives you a right of deciding only when a controversy
arises between the king and his own subjects, not between him and
foreigners. "--"Justice," said Sisimithres, "is weighed among the wise,
not by mere appearances, but by facts. "--"It is clear that she can have
nothing serious to advance," said the king, "but some mere idle pretext
to delay her fate, as is the case with those who are in fear of their
lives. Let her, however, speak, since Sisimithres would have it so. "

Chariclea, who had always been sanguine, in expecting her deliverance,
was now inspired with additional confidence when she heard the name of
Sisimithres. He was the person to whose care she had been committed
ten years before, and who delivered her to Charicles at Catadupa, when
he was sent ambassador to Oroondates in the matter of the emerald
mines--he was then one of the ordinary Gymnosophists: but now, he
was their president. Chariclea did not call to mind his face (having
been parted from him when only seven years' old), but recollected and
rejoiced at hearing his name, trusting that she should find in him a
support and an advocate. Stretching out then her hands towards heaven,
and speaking audibly,--"O Sun! " she exclaimed, "author of my family;
and you, ye gods and heroes who adorn my race! I call you to witness
the truth of what I say. Be you my supporters and assistants in the
trial which I am about to undergo--my cause is just, and thus I enter
upon it:--Does the law, Ο king, command you to sacrifice natives or
foreigners? "

"Foreigners only," replied Hydaspes. --"You must then seek another
victim," said she, "for you will find me a native. " The king seemed
surprised, declaring it to be a figment. "Do you wonder at this? " said
she; "you will hear much stranger things. I am not only a native, but
closely allied to the royal family. " This assertion was received with
contempt, as so much idle speech: when she added--"Cease, my father, to
despise and reject your daughter! "

By this time the king began to appear not only contemptuous, but
indignant, taking the matter as a personal insult to himself. He said,
therefore, to Sisimithres,--"Behold the reward of my endurance! Is
not the maiden downright mad! Endeavouring with wild and incredible
fictions to escape the fate awaiting her! desperately feigning herself
to be my daughter, as in some sudden appearance and discovery upon
the stage--mine, who was never so fortunate as to have any offspring.
Once, indeed, I heard of a daughter's birth, only, however, to learn
her death. Let then some one lead her away, that the sacrifice may be
no longer deferred. "--"No one shall lead me away," cried out Chariclea,
"till the judges have given sentence. You are in this affair a party,
not a judge; the law perhaps permits you to sacrifice foreigners, but
to sacrifice your children, neither law nor nature allows; and the
gods shall this day declare you to be my father, however unwilling
you appear to own me. Every cause, Ο king, which comes for judgment,
leans principally upon two kinds of proof, written evidence, and that
of living witnesses: both these will I bring forward to prove myself
your child. I shall appeal to no common witness, but to my judge
himself (the consciousness of the judge is the prisoner's best ground
of confidence); as to my written evidence it shall be a history of my
own and your misfortunes. " So saying, she loosened from her waist the
fillet[9] which had been exposed with her, unrolled, and presented it
to Persina. She, as soon as it met her sight, appeared struck dumb with
astonishment; she continued a considerable time casting her eyes first
on the writing, then again on the maiden. A cold sweat bedewed her
limbs, and convulsive tremblings shook her frame.

Her first emotions were those of joy and hope; but anxiety and doubt
succeeded. Dread of the suspicions of Hydaspes followed; of his
incredulity, and perhaps of his anger and vengeance.

The king observing her agitation and astonishment, said to her,
"Persina! what is it which ails you? from what cause has this writing
such effect upon you? "--"My king, my lord, and my husband! " she
replied, "I know not what to answer you: take and read it yourself:
let this fillet explain everything. " She gave it him, and remained
trembling, in anxious silence.

He took the fillet, and began to read it, calling to the Gymnosophists
to read it with him. As he proceeded, he was struck with doubt
and amazement; but Sisimithres was still more astonished: his
ever-changing colour betrayed the various emotions of his mind: he
fixed his eyes now on the fillet, and now on Chariclea.

At length Hydaspes, when he came to the account of the exposing of the
infant, and the cause of it, broke silence, and said, "I know that I
had once a daughter born to me, having been told that it died almost as
soon as it was born. This writing now informs me that it was exposed:
but who took it up, who preserved, who educated it? who brought it into
Egypt? Was that person, whoever he were, taken captive at the same
time with her? How shall I be satisfied that this is the real child
that was exposed? May she not have perished? May not these tokens have
fallen into the hands of some one, who takes advantage of this chance?
May not some evil genius be paltering with my desire of offspring, and
clothed with the person of this maiden, be endeavouring to pass off a
supposititious birth as my successor,--overshadowing the truth with
this fillet, as with a cloud? "

But now Sisimithres replied, "I can clear up some of your doubts; for I
am the person who took her up, who educated and carried her into Egypt,
when you sent me thither on an embassy. You know me too well to suspect
me of asserting what is untrue. I perfectly recollect the fillet,
which is inscribed with the royal characters of the kings of Ethiopia,
which you cannot suspect to have been counterfeited elsewhere; for you
yourself must recognize the handwriting of Persina. But there were
other tokens exposed with her, which I delivered at the same time
to him who received the damsel from me, who was a Grecian, and, in
appearance, an honest and worthy man. "

"I have preserved them likewise," said Chariclea, and immediately
shewed the necklace and the bracelet. Persina was yet more affected
when she saw these.

Hydaspes still inquiring what all this agitation could mean, and
whether she had anything to discover which might throw light upon
this matter; she answered, "that she certainly had, but it was an
examination more proper to be made in private than in public. "

Hydaspes was more than ever perplexed, and Chariclea proceeded--"These
are the tokens of my mother; but this ring is a present of your own;"
and produced the stone Pantarbè.

The king instantly recollected it as a present which he had made to his
wife during the time of their betrothment; and he said, "Maiden, these
tokens were certainly mine; but how does it appear that you possess
them as my child, and have not obtained them by some other means?
Besides, in addition to my other doubts, your complexion is totally
different from that of an Ethiopian. "

Here Sisimithres interposed, and said, "The child whom I took up
was perfectly white: and farther, the time when I found her seems
very closely to coincide with the age of the maiden, for it is just
seventeen years since this happened. The colour of her eyes too
occurred to me as being the same; in short, I recognize in her the
general expression of her features, and in her surpassing beauty a
resemblance with what I recollect of the child then exposed. "

"This is all very well," replied Hydaspes, "you speak with the fervour
of the advocate more than as the judge; but take care lest while you
are clearing up one doubt, you do not raise another, and that a more
serious one; throwing suspicions upon the virtue of my consort; as we
are both Ethiopians, how could we for our offspring have a white child? "

Sisimithres, with rather a sarcastic smile, replied, "I know not why
you should object to me, that I am an advocate for this maiden. He is
the best judge who inclines to the side of right: may I not rather
be called an advocate for you, while I am endeavouring, with the
assistance of the gods, to establish your right to be called a father;
and neglecting no means to restore to you, in the bloom of her youth,
that daughter whom I preserved in swathing bands? However, deem of me
as you please, I do not esteem it necessary to make any apology; we do
not shape our lives so as to please others: we endeavour to follow the
dictates of truth and virtue, and think it sufficient if we can approve
our conduct to ourselves: yet, as to the doubt which you entertain
concerning her complexion, the writing clears this up, explaining how
Persina, from her contemplation of Andromeda, might have received an
impression upon her mind agreeing with the subject of the picture.
If you wish for farther proof, the original is at hand; examine the
Andromeda, the likeness between the picture and the maiden will be
found unmistakeably exact. "

The king complied: and had the picture brought; when being placed near
Chariclea, an instant cry of surprise, admiration, and joy, was raised
throughout the assembly, at the striking likeness; those who were near
enough to understand what was passing, spreading the intelligence among
the rest.

Hydaspes could no longer doubt, and he stood for some time motionless,
between wonder and pleasure. But Sisimithres added, "One thing is
still necessary to complete the proof; for recollect the succession to
the kingdom, and the truth itself is now in question. Bare your arm,
my child; there was a black mark upon it, a little above the elbow.
There is nothing unseemly in doing this, in order to establish the
evidence of your birth and family. " Chariclea obeyed, and uncovered her
left arm, when there appeared, as it were, an ebon ring, staining the
ivory[10] of her arm.

But Persina could now no longer contain herself--she leapt from her
throne, burst into tears, rushed into her daughter's embrace, and could
express her transports only by an inarticulate murmur. For excess of
joy will sometimes beget grief. They had nearly fainted and fallen on
the ground.

Hydaspes felt for his consort, affected as she was, and a kindred
emotion was gaining possession of himself; yet he gazed upon the
spectacle with eyes as unmoved[11] as though they were of iron,
struggling against his tears, his mind contending between fatherly
feeling and manly fortitude, and tossed to and fro as by opposing
tides. At last he was overpowered by all conquering nature; he not
only believed himself to be a father, but was sensible of a father's
feelings. Raising Persina, he was seen to embrace his daughter, pouring
over her the paternal libation of his tears.

He was not, however, driven from that propriety which the circumstances
demanded. Recollecting himself a little, and observing the multitude
equally affected, shedding tears of pleasure and compassion at the
wonderful events which had taken place, and not heeding the voices
of the heralds, who were enjoining silence, he waved his hand, and
stilling the tumult, thus addressed them:--"You see me, by the favour
of the gods, and beyond all my expectations, entitled at length to the
name of a father. This maiden is shewn to be my daughter by proofs
which are infallible: but[12] my love for you, and for my country,
is so great, that disregarding the continuance of my race, and the
succession to my throne, and the new and dear appellation which I
have just acquired, I am ready to sacrifice her to the gods for your
advantage. I see you weep; I see you moved by the feelings of humanity;
you pity the age of this maiden, immature for death; you pity my
vainly cherished hope of a successor, yet even against your wills, I
must obey the customs of my country, and prefer the public weal to any
private feelings of my own. Whether it be the will of the gods just
to shew me a daughter, and then take her away again (shewing her to
me at her birth, taking her away now that she is found),[13] I leave
you to judge: I am unable to determine. As little can I decide whether
they will permit her to be sacrificed, when, after driving her from
her native land to the extremest ends of the earth, they have, as by a
miracle, brought her back again a captive; but if it be expedient that
I sacrifice her whom I slew not as an enemy, nor injured as a prisoner,
at the instant when she is recognized to be my daughter I will not
hesitate, nor yield to affections which might be pardonable in any
other father. I will not falter nor implore your compassion to acquit
me of obedience to the law, out of regard to the feelings of nature
and affection, nor even suggest that it is possible the deity may be
appeased and satisfied by another victim; but as I see you sympathize
with me, and feel my misfortunes as your own, even so much more does
it become me to prefer your good to every other consideration, little
regarding this sore grief, little regarding the distress of my poor
Queen, made a mother and at the same moment rendered childless. Dry
then your tears, repress your ineffectual grief for ever, and prepare
for this necessary sacrifice: and, thou, my daughter! (now first and
now last do I address thee by this longed-for name,) beauty is to no
purpose, and in vain discovered to thy parents! thou who hast found
thy native land more cruel than any foreign region! who hast found
a strange land thy preserver, but wilt find thy native country thy
destroyer! do not thou break my heart, by mournful tears; if ever thou
hast shewed a high and royal spirit, shew it now. Follow thy father,
who is unable to adorn thee as a bride; who leads thee to no nuptial
chamber; but who decks thee for a sacrifice; who kindles, not torch of
marriage, but the altar torch, and now offers as a victim this thine
unrivalled loveliness. Do you too, Ο ye gods! be propitious, even if
anything unbecoming or disrespectful has escaped me, overcome as I am,
by grief, at calling this maiden daughter, and at the same time being
her destroyer! " So saying, he made a show of leading Chariclea to
the pyre, with palpitating heart, and deprecating the success of the
speech, which he had made in order to steal away the people's wills.

The whole multitude was strongly excited by these words--they would not
suffer her to be led a step towards the altar; but loudly and with one
voice cried out---"Save the maiden! Preserve the royal blood! Deliver
her whom the gods evidently protect! We are satisfied; the custom has
been sufficiently complied with. We acknowledge thee our king: do
thou acknowledge thyself a father; may the gods pardon the seeming
disobedience; we shall be much more disobedient by thwarting their
will; let no one slay her who has been preserved by them. Thou who art
the father of thy country, be also the father of thy family! " These,
and a thousand such like exclamations, were heard from every side. At
length they prepared to prevent by force the sacrifice of Chariclea,
and demanded steadily that the other victims alone should be offered to
the gods.

Gladly and readily did Hydaspes suffer himself to be persuaded, and to
submit to this seeming violence: he heard with pleasure the cries and
congratulations of the assembly, and allowed them the indulgence of
their wills, waiting till the tumult should spontaneously subside.

Finding himself near Chariclea, he said:--"My dear daughter (for the
tokens you have produced, the wise Sisimithres, and the benevolence of
the gods declare you to be such), who is this stranger who was taken
with you, and is now led out to be sacrificed? How came you to call him
your brother, when you were first brought into my presence at Syene?
He is not likely to be found my son, for Persina had only one child,
yourself. "

Chariclea, casting her eyes on the ground, blushed, and said:--"He is
not, I confess, my brother: necessity extorted that fiction from me.
Who he is, he will better explain than I can. "

Hydaspes not readily comprehending what she meant, replied:--"Forgive
me, my child, if I have asked a question concerning this young man
which it seems to hurt your maiden modesty to answer. Go into the tent
to your mother, cause her more rejoicing now, than you caused her pain
when she gave you birth; add to her present enjoyment, by relating
every particular about yourself. Meanwhile, we will proceed with the
sacrifice, selecting, if possible, a victim worthy to be offered with
this youth instead of you. "

Chariclea was nearly shrieking at mention of sacrificing the young man;
hardly could she for ultimate advantage, check her frenzied feelings,
so as to wind her way covertly towards the end she had in view. "Sire,"
said she, "perhaps there needs not to seek out another maiden, since
the people remitted in my person the sacrifice of any female victim?
But if they insist that a pair of either sex should be sacrified, see
if it be not necessary for you to find out another youth, as well as
another maiden; or, if that be not done, whether I must not still be
offered. "

"The gods forbid! " replied Hydaspes; "but why should you say this? "

"Because," said she, "the gods have decreed that he is to live with me,
or die with me. "

"I commend your humanity," replied the king, "in that having so hardly
escaped yourself, you are desirous of saving a foreigner, a Greek, a
fellow-prisoner, and of the same age, with whom, from a communion in
misfortunes, you must have contracted some degree of familiarity and
friendship: but he cannot be exempted from the sacrifice; religion will
not permit our country's custom to be in everything curtailed, neither
would the people suffer it, who have with difficulty been persuaded by
the goodness of the deities to spare you. "

"Ο king! " said Chariclea, "for perhaps I may not presume to call you
father, since the mercy of the gods has saved my body, let me implore
their and your clemency to preserve my soul:[14] they know with how
much justice I call him so, since they have so closely interwoven
the web of my destiny with his. But if his fate is irretrievably
determined; as if a foreigner he must necessarily suffer, I ask only
one favour---Let me with my own hand perform the sacrifice; let me
grasp the sword--even like a precious treasure--and signalize my
fortitude before the Ethiopians. "

Hydaspes was astonished and confounded at this strange request. "I know
not what to make," said he, "of this sudden change in your disposition:
but a moment ago you were anxious to save this stranger, and now you
desire permission to destroy him as an enemy with your own hands; but
there is nothing either honourable or becoming your sex or age in such
a deed: granting that there were, it is impossible; it is an office
exclusively belonging to the priests and priestesses of the Sun and
Moon, the one must be a husband; the other is required to be a wife; so
that even the fact of your virginity would be sufficient to preclude
this unaccountable request. "

"There need be no obstacle here," rejoined Chariclea, blushing, and
whispering her mother, she said, "give but your consent and I already
have one who answers to the name of husband. "--"We will consent,"
replied Persina, smiling, "and will bestow your hand at once, if we
can find a match worthy of yourself and us. "--"Then," said Chariclea,
raising her voice, "your search need not be long, it is already found. "

She was proceeding (for the imminent danger of Theagenes made her bold,
and caused her to break through the restraints of maiden modesty),
when Hydaspes, becoming impatient, said--"How do ye, Ο gods, mingle
blessings and misfortunes! and mar the happiness ye have bestowed
upon me! ye restore, beyond all my hopes, a daughter, but ye restore
her frenzy-stricken! for is not her mind frenzied when she utters
such inconsistencies? She first calls this stranger her brother, who
is no such thing; next, when asked who the stranger is, she says she
knows not; then she is very anxious to preserve him, as a friend,
from suffering; and, failing in this, appears desirous of sacrificing
him with her own hands; and when we tell her that none but one who is
wedded can lawfully perform this office, then she declares herself
a wife but does not name her husband. How can she indeed? She whom
the altar proves never to have had a husband; unless the unfailing
ordeal of chastity among the Ethiopians has, in her case only, proved
fallacious, dismissing her unscathed, and bestowing upon her the
spurious reputation of virginity; upon her, who with one breath calls
the same person her friend and enemy, and invents a brother and a
husband who have no existence? Do you, then, my Queen, retire into your
tent, and endeavour to recall this maiden to her senses: for either
she is frenzied by the deity, who is approaching the sacrifices, or
else she is distraught through her unexpected preservation. I will
have search made for the victim, due to the gods, as an offering
in her stead; meanwhile I will give audience to the ambassadors of
the different nations, and will receive the presents brought in
congratulation of my victory. " So saying, he seated himself in a
conspicuous place near the tent, and commanded the ambassadors to be
introduced, and to bring what gifts they had to offer.

Harmonias, the lord in waiting,[15] inquired whether they should all
approach without distinction, or a few selected from every nation; or
whether he should introduce each separately.

"Let them come separately in turn," said the king, "that each may be
questioned according to his deserts. "

"Your nephew, then, Merœbus," said Harmonias, "must first appear; he is
just arrived, and is waiting outside the troops for his introduction. "

"You silly, stupid fellow," replied Hydaspes, "why did you not announce
him instantly? Do you not know that he is not a mere ambassador, but a
king, the son of my own brother (not long deceased), placed by me on
his father's throne, and adopted by me as my own son? "

"I was aware of it, my lord," replied Harmonias; "but I considered that
the duty of a lord in waiting required him above all things, to observe
a proper time and season. Pardon me, therefore, if when I saw you
speaking with the royal ladies, I felt averse to drawing your attention
from matters of such delight. "

"Let him enter now, then," replied the king. The master of the
ceremonies hastened out, and soon returned with him.

Merœbus was a handsome youth, just past the season of boyhood, his age
being about seventeen; but he exceeded in stature almost all those who
surrounded him, and his suite was splendid and numerous.
The Ethiopian
guards opened on either side to let him pass, and regarded him with
wonder and respect.

Hydaspes himself rose from his throne to meet him, embraced him with
fatherly affection, placed him by his side, and taking him by the
hand said, "Nephew, you are come very seasonably both to assist at a
triumphal sacrifice, and a nuptial ceremony; for the gods, the authors
and protectors of our family, have restored to me a daughter, and
provided, as it seems, for you a wife. The particulars you shall hear
hereafter; at present if you have any business relating to the nation
which you govern, make me acquainted with it. "

The youth,[16] at the mention of a wife, was seen to blush through his
dark complexion from mingled pleasure and modesty (the red rushing,
as it were, to the surface of the black). After an interval he said,
"The other ambassadors, my Father, in honour of your splendid victory,
bring you the choicest productions of their several countries: I, as
a suitable compliment to a brave and first-rate warrior, make you an
offering after your own heart, a champion who is invincible; not to
be matched either in wrestling, or boxing, or in the race;" and so,
saying, he motioned to the man alluded to, to advance.

He came forward and made his adoration to Hydaspes. So vast and "old
world[17]" was his stature, that when kissing the king's knees, his
head nearly equalled those who sat on raised seats above him; and,
without waiting for any orders, he stripped and challenged any one
to engage with him, either with skill of arms, or with strength of
hands. And when, after many proclamations made, no antagonist appeared
to oppose him--"You shall have," said Hydaspes, "a reward quite in
character;" and he ordered an old and very bulky elephant to be brought
out and given to him.

The man was pleased with, and vain of the present; but the people
burst into a shout of laughter; delighted at the humour of the king;
consoling themselves by their derision of his boastfulness, for the
inferiority which they had virtually expressed.

The ambassadors of the Seres came next. They brought spun and woven
garments, both white and purple; the materials of which were the
produce of an insect,[18] which is bred in their country. These gifts
being accepted, they begged and obtained the release of certain
prisoners who had been condemned.

After them, the envoys from Arabia the Happy approached. They presented
many talents worth of fragrant leaves, lavender, cinnamon, and other
productions, with which that land of perfume abounds; all which filled
the air around with an agreeable odour.

Then appeared the Troglodites. They brought gold dust (which is turned
up by the ant-eater[19]), also a pair of hippogriffs guided by golden
reins.

The ambassadors of the Blemmyæ offered bows and arrows, formed of
serpents' bones, and disposed into the form of a crown.

"These our presents," said they, "in value fall far behind those of
others; nevertheless, they did good service against the Persians, at
the river, as you yourself can testify. "

"They are of more value," said Hydaspes, "than other costly gifts, and
are the cause of my now receiving other presents;"--at the same time he
bid them declare their wishes. They requested some diminution of their
tributes, and obtained a full remission of them for ten years. When
almost all the ambassadors had been admitted, and had been presented,
some with rewards equal to their gifts, others with such as were far
greater, at last the ambassadors of the Axiomitæ appeared. These were
not tributaries, but allies: they came to express their satisfaction
at the king's success, and brought with them their presents; and among
the rest there was an animal of a very uncommon and wonderful kind:
his size approached to that of a camel! his skin was marked over with
florid spots: his hind-quarters were low and lionshaped: but his fore
legs, his shoulders, and breast, were far higher in proportion than
his other parts; his neck was slender, towering up from his large body
into a swanlike throat, and his head, like that of a camel, was about
twice as large as that of a Lybian ostrich; his eyes were very bright
and rolled with a fierce expression; his manner of moving was different
from that of every other land or water animal; he did not use his
legs alternately, one on each side at once, but moved both those on
the right together, and then, in like manner, both those on the left;
one side at a time being raised before the other; and yet so docile
in movement and gentle in disposition was he, that his keeper led
him by a thin cord fastened round his neck; his master's will having
over him the influence of an irresistible chain. At the appearance
of this animal the multitude were astonished; and extemporising his
name[20] from the principal features in his figure, they called him a
camelopard. [21] He was, however, the occasion of no small confusion
in the assembly. There happened to stand near the altar of the Moon a
pair of bulls, and by that of the Sun four white horses, prepared for
sacrifice. At the sudden sight of this strange outlandish beast, seen
for the first time, terrified as if they had beheld some phantom, one
of the bulls, and two of the horses, bursting from the ropes of those
who held them, galloped wildly away. They were unable to break through
the circle of the soldiery, fortified as it was with a wall of locked
shields; but running in wild disorder through the middle space, they
overturned vessels and victims--everything, in short, that came in
their way; so that mingled cries arose, some of fear in those towards
whom the animals were making; some of mirth for the accidents which
happened to others whom they saw fallen and trampled upon. Persina and
her daughter, upon this, could not remain quiet in their tent; but
gently drawing aside the curtain they became spectators of what was
done.

But now Theagenes, whether excited by his own courageous spirit, or
by the inspiration of the gods, observing the keepers who were placed
around him dispersed in the tumult, rose from his knees, in which
which posture he had placed himself before the altar, awaiting his
approaching sacrifice; and seizing a piece of cleft wood, many of which
lay prepared for the ceremony, he leaped upon one of the horses who had
not burst his bands; and grasping the mane with one hand, and using it
for a bridle, with his heel (as with a spur) and the billet he urged on
the courser, and pursued, on full speed, one of the flying bulls.

At first, those present supposed it an attempt of Theagenes to escape
in the confusion, and called out not to let him pass the ring of
soldiers; but they soon had reason to be convinced that it was not
the effect of fear or dread of being sacrificed. He quickly overtook
the bull and followed him for some time close behind, fatiguing him,
and urging on his course, pursuing him in all his doublings, and if
he endeavoured to turn and make at him, avoiding him with wonderful
dexterity. When he had made the animal a little familiar with his
presence and his movements, he galloped up close by his side, actually
touching him, mingling the breath and sweat of both animals, and so
equalizing their courses, that they who were at a distance might
imagine their heads had grown together. Every one extolled Theagenes
who had found means to join together this strange hippotaurine
pair. [22] While the multitude was intent upon, and diverted with this
spectacle, Chariclea was agitated, and trembled. She knew not what was
the object of Theagenes; should he fall and be wounded it would be
death to her; her emotion, in short, was such that it could not escape
the observation of Persina.

"My child," said she, "what is the matter with you? You seem very
anxious about this stranger. I feel some concern for him myself, and
pity his youth. I hope he will escape the danger to which he has
exposed himself, and be preserved for the sacrifice; lest all the
honours which we meant to pay the gods, should be found failing and
deficient. "

"Yours is strange compassion," replied Chariclea, "to wish that he may
avoid one death, in order that he may suffer a worse. But if it be
possible, Ο my mother! save this young man for my sake. "

Persina not understanding the real case, but suspecting that love had
some share in it, said, "This is impossible; but let me know the nature
of your connection with this youth, in whom you seem to take so great
an interest. Open your mind with freedom and confidence, and recollect
that you are speaking to a mother. Even if giving way to any youthful
weakness, you have felt more for this stranger than perhaps a maiden
ought to own, a parent knows how to excuse the failings of a daughter;
and a woman can throw a cloak over the frailties of her sex. "

"This too is my additional misfortune," replied Chariclea; "I am
speaking[23] to those of understanding, yet I am not understood. While
speaking of my own misfortunes, I am not supposed to speak of them. I
must enter then upon a 'plain unvarnished' accusation of myself. " She
was preparing to declare everything which related to her situation
and connections, when she was interrupted by a sudden and loud shout
from the multitude; for Theagenes, after urging his horse at its
swiftest speed and getting even with the bull's head, suddenly leaping
from the animal (which he allowed to run loose) threw himself on the
bull's neck. He placed his face between his horns, closely embraced
his forehead with his arms (as with a chaplet), clasped his fingers
in front, and letting his body fall on the beast's right shoulder,
sustained his bounds, and shocks with little hurt. When he perceived
him to be fatigued with his weight, and that his muscles began to be
relaxed and yield, just as he passed by the place where Hydaspes sat,
he shifted his body to the front, entangled his legs with those of the
bull, continuously kicking him and hindering his progress. The beast
being thus impeded, and borne down at the same time by the weight
and force of the youth, trips and tumbles upon his head, rolls upon
his back, and there lies supine, his horns deeply imbedded in the
ground, and his legs quivering in the air, testifying to his defeat.
Theagenes kept him down with his left hand, and waved his right towards
Hydaspes and the multitude, inviting them, with a smiling and cheerful
countenance, to take part in his rejoicing, while the bellowings of the
bull served instead of a trumpet to celebrate his triumph. The applause
of the multitude was expressed not so much by articulate words, as by
a shout, giving open-mouthed token of their wonderment, and with its
sounds extolling him to the very skies. By order of Hydaspes, Theagenes
was brought before him, and the bull, by a rope tied over his horns,
was led back weak and dispirited towards the altar, where they again
fastened him, together with the horse which had escaped. The king
was preparing to speak to Theagenes, when the multitude, interested
in him from the first, and now delighted with this instance of his
strength and courage, but still more moved with jealousy towards the
foreign wrestler, called out with one voice--"Let him be matched with
Marœbus's champion. Let him who has received the elephant contend,
if he dare, with him who has subdued the bull. " They pressed and
insisted on this so long, till at length they extorted the consent of
Hydaspes. The fellow was called out: he advanced, casting around fierce
and contemptuous looks, stepping haughtily, dilating his chest, and
swinging his arms with insolent defiance. [24] When he came near the
royal tent, Hydaspes looking at Theagenes, said to him in Greek--"The
people are desirous that you should engage with this man, you must
therefore do so. "

"Be it as they please," replied Theagenes. "But what is to be the
nature of the contest? "--"Wrestling," said the king. --"Why not with
swords, and in armour? " returned the other, "that either by my fall
or by my victory I may satisfy Chariclea, who persists in concealing
everything which relates to our connection, or perhaps at last has cast
me off. "

"Why you thus bring in the name of Chariclea," replied Hydaspes, "you
best know; but you must wrestle, and not fight with swords, for no
blood must be shed on this day, but at the altar. " Theagenes perceived
the king's apprehension lest he should fall before the sacrifice, and
said, "You do well, Ο king, to reserve me for the gods; they too, you
may be assured, will watch over my preservation. " So saying, taking up
a handful of dust, he sprinkled it over his limbs, already dripping
with sweat, from his exertions in pursuit of the bull. He shook off all
which did not adhere; and stretching out his arms, planting his feet
firmly, bending his knees a little, rounding his back and shoulders,
throwing back his neck, and contracting all his muscles, he stood
anxiously waiting the gripe of his antagonist. The Ethiopian seeing
him, grimly smiled, and by his contemptuous gestures seemed to slight
his adversary.

Making a rush he let fall his arm, like some mighty bar, upon the
neck of Theagenes--at the echo which it made the braggart laughed
exultingly. Theagenes, trained in the wrestling-school tricks from
his youth, and familiar with all the tricks of the Mercurial art,[25]
determined to give ground at first, and having made trial of his
adversary, not to stand up against such tremendous weight and savage
ferocity, but to elude his undisciplined strength by skill and
subtlety. Staggering back, then, a little from his place he affected to
suffer more than he really did, and exposed the other side of his neck
to his opponent's blow; and when the African planted another hit in
that quarter, purposely giving way, he pretended almost to be falling
upon his face. But when waxing stronger in contempt and confidence,
his antagonist was now a third time, unguardedly rushing on, and
about to let fall his upraised arm, Theagenes got within his guard,
eluding his blow by a sudden twist, and with his right elbow struck up
the other's left arm, and dashed him to the earth, already impelled
downwards by the sway of his own missed blow; then slipping his hand
under his armpits, he got upon his back, and with difficulty spanning
his brawny waist, incessantly kicked his feet and ancles, and compelled
him to rise upon his knees, strode over him, pressed him in the groin
with his legs, struck from under him the support of his hands, and
twining his arms about his temples, dragged his head back upon his
shoulders, and so stretched him with his belly on the ground. [26]

An universal shout of applause, greater than before, now burst from the
multitude; nor could the king contain himself, but springing from his
throne--"Ο hateful necessity," he cried, "what a hero of a man are we
compelled to sacrifice! " and calling him to him he said, "Young man,
it now remains for you to be crowned for the altar, according to our
custom. You have deserved a crown too for your glorious but useless
victory, and transitory triumph; and though it be out of my power,
however willing I may be, to preserve your life, whatever I can do for
you I will. If therefore there is any thing you wish to have done,
either before or after your death, ask it freely. " So saying he took a
crown of gold, set with precious stones, and put it on his head; and,
while he placed it there, was seen to shed tears.

"I have but one thing to ask," said Theagenes, "and this I earnestly
beseech you that I may obtain. If it be impossible for me to avoid
being sacrificed, grant that I may suffer by the hands of this your
newly recovered daughter. "

Hydaspes was annoyed at this reply, and called to mind the conformity
of this request to that made just before by Chariclea; but, as the time
pressed, he did not think it necessary to inquire particularly into
the reasons of it, and only said, "Whatever is possible, Stranger! I
encouraged you to ask, and promised that you should obtain; but she,
who performs the sacrifice the law distinctly declares, must be one who
has a husband, not a maiden. "

"Chariclea has a husband," said Theagenes. --"These are the words,"
replied Hydaspes, "of one who trifles and is about to die. The altar
has declared her unmarried and a virgin--unless indeed you call this
Merœbus her husband (having somehow heard the rumour); he however is
not yet her husband--he is yet in accordance with my will, only her
intended. "

"Nor will he ever be her husband," said Theagenes, "if I know aught of
Chariclea's sentiments; and, if being a victim, credit is due to me
as inspired by prophecy. "--"But, fair Sir," said Merœbus, "it is not
living but slaughtered victims which afford knowledge to the Seers. You
are right, Sire, in saying that the stranger talks folly, and like one
just about to die. Command, therefore, that he be led to the altar; and
when you shall have finished all your business, begin the rites, I pray
you. "

Theagenes was being led away; and Chariclea, who had breathed again
when he was victorious, was once more plunged into grief, when she saw
it had profited him nothing. Persina observed her tears, and feeling
for her affliction, said--"It is possible I may yet have power to save
this Grecian, if you will explain more clearly all the particulars
relating to yourself. "

Chariclea, who saw that there was not a moment to be lost, was a second
time preparing to own everything; when Hydaspes inquiring from the lord
in waiting whether any ambassadors remained who had not had audience,
was told only those from Syene, who were that instant arrived, with
letters from Oroondates, and presents. "Let them too approach, and
execute their commission," said the monarch. They were introduced, and
delivered letters to this effect:--

"Oroondates, Viceroy of the Great King, to Hydaspes, the king of
Ethiopia.

"Since conqueror in fight, you are yet more conqueror in magnanimity,
in restoring to me a viceroyalty unasked, I have little doubt that I
shall obtain a slight request. A young maiden who was being conducted
from Memphis to my camp, became involved in the perils of war, and as
I am informed, was sent by you into Ethiopia. This I have learnt from
those who were with her and who escaped: I beg she may be sent to me,
both on account of the maiden herself, as well as for her father's
sake, who, after having wandered over half the globe, in search of his
daughter, came at last to Elephantine, and was taken prisoner by the
garrison. When reviewing those of my soldiers who survived, I saw him
and he earnestly desired to be sent to your clemency. He is among the
ambassadors, his manners and bearing show him to be of noble birth,
and his very countenance and looks speak strongly in his favour.
Dismiss him then, Ο king, I beseech you, happy and contented from your
presence. Send back to me one who is a father not merely in name but
in reality. "

Hydaspes, having read the letter, inquired who it was, who was come in
quest of his daughter. When he was pointed out to him, he said, "I am
ready, stranger, to do every thing which Oroondates requests of me. Out
of the ten captive maidens whom we have brought hither, one assuredly
is not your daughter; examine the rest, and if she be found among them
take her. "

The old man, falling down, kissed his feet. The maidens were
brought, and passed in review before him; but when he saw not her
whom he sought, he said sorrowfully--"None of these, Ο king, is my
daughter. "--"You have my good will in your behalf," replied Hydaspes.
"You must blame Fortune if you have not discovered your child. It is in
your power to search, if you will, through the camp; and to ascertain
that none else has been brought hither besides these. "

The old man smote his forehead, and wept; and, then after raising
his eyes, and looking round him, he suddenly sprang forward, like
one distracted; and upon coming to the altar, he twisted the end of
his long robe into the form of a halter, threw it over the neck of
Theagenes, and pulled him towards him, crying out--"I have found you,
my enemy! I have found you, man of blood, detested wretch! "--The guards
interposed, and endeavoured to resist and pull him away, but keeping
a firm hold and clinging closely to him, he succeeded in bringing him
before Hydaspes and the council.

"This, Ο king," said he, "is the man who stole away my daughter. This
is he who has rendered my house childless and desolate; who, after
ravishing away my daughter from the midst of Apollo's altar, now sits
as though he were holy beside the altars of the gods. "

The assembly was thrown into commotion at what was taking place. They
did not understand what he said, but wondered at what they saw him do;
and Hydaspes commanded him to explain himself more plainly, and say
what he would have; when the old man (it was Charicles), concealing the
true circumstances of the birth and exposure of Chariclea, lest, if
she should have perished in her flight or journey, he might come into
some collision with her real parents, explained briefly such matters as
could produce ηo ill results.

"I had a daughter, Ο king! and had you seen her various and uncommon
perfections, both of mind and person, you would say I have good cause
for speaking as I do. She lived the life of a virgin, a priestess of
Diana, in the temple at Delphi. This noble Thessalian, forsooth, who
was sent by his country to preside over a solemn embassy and sacrifice
to be celebrated in our holy city, stole her away from the very shrine,
I say, of Apollo.

"Justly may he be considered to have insulted you by profaning your
national deity Apollo and his temple, Apollo being identical with the
Sun. His assistant in this impious outrage was a pretended priest of
Memphis. In my pursuit, I came to Thessaly; and the Thessalians offered
to give him up should he be found as one accursed and deserving death.
Thinking it probable that Calasiris might have chosen Memphis as a
place of refuge, I hastened thither. Calasiris, I found, was dead; but
I learnt all particulars concerning my daughter from his son Thyamis,
who told me that she had been sent to Oroondates at Syene. After being
disappointed at not finding the latter at Syene, and having been
myself detained prisoner at Elephantis, I now appear before you as a
suppliant, to seek my child. You will, then, deeply oblige me, a man of
many griefs, and will also gratify your own self, by not disregarding
the Viceroy's intercession. " He ceased, and burst into tears.

The king asked Theagenes what reply he had to make to all this. "The
whole charge," said he, "is true. To this man I have been a ravisher,
unjust, and violent; but to you I have been a benefactor. "--"Restore,
then, another's daughter," said Hydaspes. "You have been dedicated to
the gods; let your death be a holy and glorious sacrifice--not the just
punishment of crime. "

"Not he who committed the violence," said Theagenes; "but he who reaps
the fruits of it, is bound to make restitution. Do you then restore
Chariclea, for she is in your possession. The old man, you shall see,
will own your daughter to be her whom he seeks. "

None could repress their emotion: all were in confusion. But
Sisimithres, who had hitherto kept silence, though long since
understanding all that was being said and done, yet waiting till the
circumstances should become yet clearer, now ran up and embraced
Charicles. "Your adopted child," said he, "she whom I formerly
delivered into your hands, is safe: she is, and has been acknowledged
to be, the daughter of those whom you know. "

Upon this Chariclea rushed out of the tent, and overlooking all
restraints of sex or maidenly reserve, flung herself at the feet of
Charicles, and cried out, "O my father! Ο not less revered than the
authors of my birth, punish me, your cruel and ungrateful daughter, as
you think fit, regardless of my only excuse, that what has been done
was ordained by the irresistible will and appointment of the gods. "
Persina, on the other side, threw her arms round Hydaspes, and said,
"My dear husband, be assured that all this is truth, and that this
stranger Greek is her betrothed. " The people, on the other hand, leaped
and danced for joy; every age and condition were, without exception,
delighted--not understanding, indeed, the greater part of what was
said, but conjecturing the facts from what had taken place with
Chariclea. Perhaps, too, they were brought to a comprehension of the
truth by some secret influence of the deity, who had ordered all these
events so dramatically, producing out of the greatest discords the most
perfect harmony: joy out of grief; smiles from tears; out of a stern
spectacle a gladsome feast; laughter from weeping; rejoicing out of
mourning; the finding[27] of those who were not sought; the losing[28]
of those who were in imagination found; in one word, a holy sacrifice
out of an anticipated[29] slaughter.

At length Hydaspes said to Sisimithres, "Ο sage! what are we to do? To
defraud the gods of their victims is not pious; to sacrifice those who
appear to be preserved and restored by their providence is impious. It
needs that some expedient be found out. "

Sisimithres, speaking, not in the Grecian, but in the Ethiopian tongue,
so as to be heard by the greatest part of the assembly, replied: "Ο
king! the wisest among men, as it appears, often have the understanding
clouded through excess of joy, else, before this time, you would have
discovered that the gods regard not with favour the sacrifice which you
have been preparing for them. First they, from the very altar, declared
the all-blessed Chariclea to be your daughter; next they brought her
foster-father most wonderfully from the midst of Greece to this spot;
they struck panic and terror into the horses and oxen which were being
prepared for sacrifice, indicating, perhaps, by that event, that those
whom custom considered as the more perfect and fitting victims were to
be rejected. Now, as the consummation of all good, as the perfection of
the piece,[30] they show this Grecian youth to be the betrothed husband
of the maiden. Let us give credence to these proofs of the divine and
wonder-working will; let us be fellow workers with this will; let us
have recourse to holier offerings; let us abolish, for ever, these
detested human sacrifices. "

When Sisimithres had uttered this, in a loud voice, Hydaspes, speaking
also in the Ethiopian tongue, and taking Theagenes and Chariclea by the
hand, thus proceeded:--

"Ye who are this day assembled! since these things have been thus
brought to pass by the will of the deities, to oppose them would be
impious. Wherefore, calling to witness those who have woven these
events into the web of destiny, and you whose minds appear to be in
concert with them, I sanction the joining together of this pair in
wedlock and procreative union. If you approve, let a sacrifice confirm
this resolution, and then proceed we with the sacred rites. "

The assembly signified their approval by a shout, and clapped their
hands, in token of the nuptials being ratified. Hydaspes approached
the altar, and, in act to begin the ceremony, said, "Ο lordly Sun and
queenly Moon! since by your wills Theagenes and Chariclea have been
declared man and wife, they may now lawfully be your ministers. " So
saying, he took off his own and Persina's mitre, the symbol of the
priesthood, and placed his own upon the head of the youth, that of his
consort upon the maiden's head.

Upon this Charicles called to mind the oracle which had been given to
them in the temple before their flight from Delphi, and acknowledged
its fulfilment.

In regions torrid shall arrive at last,
There shall the gods reward their pious vows,
And snowy chaplets bind their dusky brows. [31]

The youthful pair then, crowned by Hydaspes with white mitres, and
invested with the dignity of priesthood, sacrificed under propitious
omens; and, accompanied by lighted torches and the sounds of pipes and
flutes, Theagenes and Hydaspes, Charicles and Sisimithres, in chariots
drawn by horses, Persina and Chariclea, in one drawn by milk white
oxen, were escorted, into Meröe (amidst shouts, clapping of hands, and
dances), there to celebrate with greater magnificence the more mystic
portions of the nuptial rites.

Thus ends the Romance of the "Ethiopics," or Adventures of Theagenes
and Chariclea, written by a Phœnician of Emesa, in Phœnicia, of the
race of the Sun--Heliodorus, the son of Theodosius.


[Footnote 1: In. Bk. viii. , 98, Herodotus gives an account of the
Persian system of estafette--comparing it to the torch race:--"Kατάπερ
Ἔλλησι ἡ λαμπαδηφορίη, τὴν τῷ Ἡφαίστῳ επιτέλεουσι. " See also, Xen.
Cyrop. viii. 6, 17. ]

[Footnote 2: Solinus describes these fabulous creatures as "alites
ferocissimæ et ultra omnem rabiem sævientes;" others speak of them as
resembling an eagle in the upper part, a horse in the lower. --See Æsch.
P. V. , 395 and 803. ]

[Footnote 3: See Blakesley's edit. of Herod. iii. 98: where mention
is made of boats made of bamboo, used by the Indians, of which Pliny
says, that the length of the boats, made of the internodal wood, often
exceeded five cubits, and that they would hold three persons. ]

[Footnote 4: Herod. i. 216, states the same concerning the Massagetæ,
and assigns the same cause:--"Τῶν θεῶν τῴ ταχίστῳ πάντων τῶν θνητῶν τὸ
τάχιστον δατέονται. "]

[Footnote 5: Τὴν ἐσχάρα. ]

[Footnote 6: Taλaντεύει καθ' ἡμας ἡ μοῖρα. ]

[Footnote 7:

"Gratior et pulchro veniens in corpora virtus. "
Virg. Æn. v. 344.
]

[Footnote 8:

"Immunis aram si tetigit manus,
Non sumptuosa blandior hostia
Mollivit aversos penates
Farre pio et saliente micâ. "
Hor. III. Od. xxiii. 17.
]

[Footnote 9: See Book IV.