What
sepulchre
is it which he carries with him?
Scriptori Erotici Graeci
"
Vir. Æn. iii. 72.
]
[Footnote 58: παρασκηνῶν. ]
[Footnote 59: Tatius appears to have had in his mind the story of the
death of Atys, son of Crœsus. See Herod. B. i. 37.
Compare the spirited account of the Boar-hunt and the death of
Tlepolemus in the viiith book of Apuleius. ]
[Footnote 60: Πάτροκλον πρόφασιν, a proverb derived from a passage in
the Iliad, xix. 302:--
"All her fellow-captives heav'd
Responsive sighs, deploring each, in show
The dead Patroclus, but, in truth, herself. "
]
[Footnote 61: Tatius alludes to Venus Urania and Venus Popularis, the
one the patroness of pure, the other of impure, love. ]
[Footnote 62: Iliad xx. 2, 3, 4. ]
[Footnote 63: See Anthon's Lemprière for the legends attached to their
names. ]
[Footnote 64: Göttling proposes to read "Hebe," which suits the context
better. ]
[Footnote 65: According to some accounts, two; according to others,
three nights were required for the formation of Hercules, son of
Alcmena.
"Violentus ille
Nocte non unâ poterat creari. "--Seneca Ag. 825.
]
[Footnote 66:
"A long, long kiss, a kiss of youth and love,
And beauty, all concentrating like rays
Into one focus, kindled from above;
Such kisses as belong to early days,
Where heart, and soul, and sense, in concert move,
And the blood's lava, and the pulse a blaze,
Each kiss a heart-quake. "--Byron.
Compare Lucret. iv. 1070-1079, and 1099-1114. ]
[Footnote 67:
"Sed quæ mutatis inducitur, atque fovetur
Tot medicaminibus, coctæque siliginis offas,
Accipit et madidæ, facies dicetur, an ulcus. "--Juv. vi. 471.
]
[Footnote 68: "Omnibus autem mulierum omnium ungentis è puerorum
sudoribus afflatus odor antecellet. Jam vero etiam ante venereos
congressus palæstrâ cum iis decertare, palamque, ac sine rubore
amplecti licet; neque ulla est carnis teneritas quæ complexuum tactioni
cedat: sed corpora sibi mutuo resistunt ac voluptate contendunt. Basia
quoque muliebrem illam diligentiam minime sapiunt, nec stulto errore
labris illito decipiunt. Puer quemadmodum quidem novit, suavia dat,
non ab arte aliquâ, sed à natura ipsâ proficiscentia; saneque basii
puerilis imago ejusmodi est, ut si quis concretum, atque in labrà
commutatum nectar oscularetur. Ex quo fieri ullo modo nequit, ut
aliqua basiandi tibi satietas oriatur; quinimmo quo plus haurias, hoc
vehementiore siti labores, neque os indè abstrahere possis, donec præ
voluptate basia ipso refugias. "]
BOOK III.
On the third day of our voyage a sudden change took place in the
weather; the sky, which had been clear, grew so black as quite to
obscure the light of day, and a violent gale ploughing up the sea
blew directly in our teeth. Upon this, the master ordered the yard to
be brought round;[1] the sailors speedily obeyed, furling one-half
of the sail by dint of great exertions, but were compelled by the
violence of the wind to leave the other unfurled. In consequence of
this manœuvre one side of the vessel began to heel, while the contrary
side became proportionally elevated, so that we every moment expected
to be capsized, as the gale continued to blow with undiminished fury.
To prevent this, and to restore, if possible, the vessel's equilibrium,
we all scrambled to the side highest out of water, but it was of no
avail. We ourselves, indeed, were raised, but the position of the ship
was in no way altered; after long and vain endeavours to right her,
the wind suddenly shifted, almost submerging the side which had been
elevated, and raising high out of the water that previously depressed.
An universal shriek arose from those on board, and nothing remained but
to hurry back to our former station. We repeated this several times,
our movements keeping pace with the shifting of the vessel; indeed, we
had scarcely succeeded in hurrying to one side, before we were obliged
to hurry back in the contrary direction. Like those who run backwards
and forwards in the course,[2] we continued these alternate movements
during a great part of the day, momentarily expecting death, who, as it
seemed, was not far off; for about noon the sun entirely disappeared,
and we saw each other as if by moonlight; lightnings flashed from
the clouds, the thunder rolled, filling the sky with its echoes,
which were repeated from below by the strife of waters, while in the
intermediate space was heard the shouts of the discordant winds,[3]
so that the air seemed one mighty trumpet; the ropes breaking loose
rattled against the sail and against each other till at last they were
rent in pieces. We now began to be in no small fear that the vessel,
from the shattered condition of her sides, would open and go to pieces;
the bulwarks[4] too were flooded, being continually washed over by the
waves. We however crawled under them for protection, and abandoning
all hope resigned ourselves to Fortune. Tremendous billows following
in quick succession tumbled one over the other, some in front, some at
the sides of the ship, which as they approached was lifted high up as
if upon a mountain, and when they retired was plunged down as into an
abyss. [5] The most formidable were those which broke against the sides
and made their way over the bulwarks, flooding all the vessel; even
while approaching from a distance these were formidable enough, almost
touching, as they did, the clouds; but when they neared and broke, you
would have supposed that the ship must inevitably be swallowed up. We
could scarcely keep our feet, so violent was the rolling of the vessel,
and a confused din of sounds was heard;--the sea roared, the wind
blustered, the women shrieked, the men shouted, the sailors called to
one another: all was wailing and lamentation. [6]
At length the master ordered the cargo to be thrown overboard; no
distinction was made between gold and silver, and the commonest
articles,--all were pitched over the sides; many of the merchants with
their own hands tumbling into the sea the goods on which all their
hopes were centred. By these means the ship was lightened, but the
storm did not in any degree abate. At length the master, wearied out
and in despair, let go the tiller, abandoned the ship to the waves,
and standing at the gangway ordered the boats to be got ready and
the sailors to embark. Upon this a fearful scene of strife arose; the
sailors in the boat were beginning to cut the rope which attached
it to the ship. Seeing this, the passengers endeavoured to leap in,
which the crew would not allow, threatening with their swords and axes
any who should venture on the attempt. The others upon this arming
themselves as best they could with shattered oars and broken benches,
showed a determination to retaliate, for in a storm might, not right,
must settle matters. A novel kind of sea-fight now commenced; they in
the boat, fearful of being swamped by the numbers who were descending
from the vessel, laid about them in good earnest with their swords
and axes; which the passengers as they leaped in were not backward in
returning with their poles and oars, and some scarcely touched the boat
before they fell into the water; others, who had succeeded in getting
in, were struggling with the sailors to maintain their ground. The laws
of friendship or neighbourly regard were no longer heeded; each looked
to his own preservation, careless of the safety of any other; for the
effect of pressing danger is, that it dissolves even the tenderest
ties. One of the passengers, a robust young fellow, succeeded at last
in getting hold of the rope and dragging the boat towards the vessel;
every one on board holding himself ready to leap in. A few succeeded
in the endeavour, though not without receiving injuries; many in their
attempt were plunged into the sea. The crew without further delay,
cutting the rope with their axes, put off, and committed themselves
to the mercy of the winds; those on board in the meantime having used
every exertion to sink the boat. The vessel, after continuing for some
time to pitch and roll upon the waves, was carried upon a sunken rock,
when she struck and soon went to pieces, the mast falling over on one
side and hastening her destruction. They who were at once swallowed up
in the briny waves experienced a happier lot than their companions,
in not having to remain with death before their eyes; for at sea the
anticipation of drowning kills even before death actually arrives; the
eye, bewildered by the expanse of waters, can set no limits to its
fears: this it is which gives death so much more bitterness, and makes
it regarded with dread proportioned to the vast nature of the sea
itself. [7]
Upon the present occasion some were dashed against rocks and perished,
others were pierced by pieces of broken oars, and some were seen
swimming in a half-exhausted state. When the vessel was wrecked, some
good genius preserved a portion of the prow, upon which I and Leucippe
being seated, were carried along by the current; Menelaus, Satyrus, and
some other passengers, had thrown themselves across the mast; Clinias
at no great distance was swimming supported by the yard, and we could
hear him calling out, "Hold on, Clitopho! " In a moment a wave washed
over him; at which sad spectacle we shrieked aloud. Boiling onward in
our direction, it happily passed us, and we again caught sight of the
yard, and Clinias riding upon its crest. "O, mighty Neptune," exclaimed
I, with a deep groan, "take pity on us, and spare the remnants of this
shipwreck; our terror has caused us already to die many deaths; if it
be thy will to destroy us, do not divide us in our deaths; let one wave
overwhelm us; or if we are fated to become food for the monsters of
the deep let one devour us;--let us have one common death, one common
tomb. " I had not long uttered this prayer before the violence of the
wind abated and the roughness of the waves subsided, and the surface
of the sea was seen covered with floating bodies. Menelaus and his
companions were thrown by the waves upon a part of the coast of Egypt
which was at that time the general haunt of buccaneers. Late in the
evening, Leucippe and I contrived to reach Pelusium, and upon getting
to land thanked the gods for our escape; nor did we omit bewailing
Clinias and Satyrus, believing them to have been drowned.
In the temple of Casian[8] Jupiter, at Pelusium, there is the
statue of a youth very like Apollo; his hand is stretched out and
holds a pomegranate, which has a mystic meaning. [9] After praying
to this deity, and asking tidings of Clinias and Satyrus (for the
god is believed to be prophetic) we walked about the temple; in the
treasury[10] at the rear of this edifice we saw two pictures by the
artist Evanthes. The subject of one was Andromeda, of the other,
Prometheus. Both were represented as bound, for which reason probably
the painter had associated them together. They furnished other points
of resemblance also; both had a rock for their prison house, and savage
beasts for their executioners, the one being a bird of prey, the other
a sea monster. The champions also who came to their rescue were both
Grecians, Hercules and Perseus. The former is represented standing
on the ground and aiming his arrow at the bird of Jove; the latter
poised in air directs his attack against the fish. The rock is hollowed
out, so as to suit the size of the maiden's body, and the rugged
surface given it by the painter, plainly showed that it is intended
to represent a production of nature, not the work of art; the maiden
is fixed in the hollow of this rock, her lovely form giving her the
appearance of a wondrously-carved statue,[11] but the chains and the
sea-monster betokening a hastily-planned tomb. [12] Beauty and fear are
mingled in her countenance, yet the pallor of her cheeks is not wholly
untinged with colour, while the brightness of her eyes is tempered by
a languor such as is seen in violets when they begin to fade; thus had
the painter imparted to her the expression of comely fear. [13] Her
arms, extended on either side, are chained against the rock, the wrists
and fingers hanging down like the clusters from the vine; her arms are
of spotless white, but approaching to a livid hue, and her fingers
appear bloodless. Bound in this fashion she is awaiting death. Her
attire is bridal, of white, and reaching to the feet, of a texture so
fine as to resemble a spider's web, the production not of the wool of
sheep, but of the down of winged insects whose webs Indian women gather
from the trees and weave. [14] The monster is emerging from the sea
opposite the maiden; his head alone appears above the waves, but the
outline of his body is distinguishable beneath the water: the junctures
of his scales, the curvature of his back, the ridge of his spines,
the twisting of his tail; his immense jaws are expanded as far as his
shoulders, and to the very entrance of his maw. In the intermediate
space is seen Perseus descending from the sky, his body naked, with
the exception of a mantle about his shoulders, winged sandals upon his
feet, and a cap resembling Pluto's helmet[15] upon his head; in his
left hand he grasps the Gorgon's head, holding it forth in the manner
of a shield; the face is fearful to behold, and even on the painter's
canvas seems to glare with its eyes, to bristle up its locks, to shake
its serpents. His right hand is armed with a weapon between a straight
sword and a scimitar; from the hilt to the middle it is a sword, it
then partakes of both, remaining sharp so as to inflict a wound, and
becoming curved in order to follow up and improve the stroke. Such was
the "Andromeda. "
Next to it, as I before remarked, was a painting of Prometheus bound
to the rock. Hercules stands near him, armed with his bow and arrows.
The vulture is feasting upon his side, in which it has inflicted a
lacerating wound, and with its beak inserted in the opening, seems to
be digging after the liver, of which the painter allows a portion to
be visible. [16] The talons of the bird are firmly planted upon the
thigh of Prometheus, who shrinks with agony, contracts his side, and
draws back his leg to his own hurt, for the movement brings the eagle
nearer to his liver. The other leg is stretched out straight before
him, and the tension of the muscles is visible to the extreme point
of the toes;[17] his whole appearance is that of acute suffering, his
eyebrows are contracted, his lips drawn in, and his teeth appear; you
could almost compassionate the painting, as though itself felt pain. In
his misery, Hercules is come to his aid, and is preparing to transfix
his tormentor; already the arrow is on the bow, which he extends with
his left hand, while with his right hand he draws the string to his
breast; in doing which the elbow is seen shortened from behind. The
stretching of the bow, the drawing back the string, the hand touching
the breast, all seemed the work of a single moment. [18] Prometheus
appears divided between hope and fear; he looks partly at his wounded
side, partly at Hercules; fain would he fix his eyes upon him alone;
but his agony turns them back, in part, upon himself.
After remaining two days at Pelusium to recruit ourselves after our
fatigues, having fortunately some money left we engaged an Egyptian
vessel, and proceeded by way of the Nile to Alexandria, with the
intention of making some stay there, thinking likewise that we might
find in that city some of our shipwrecked friends. Upon nearing a
certain town, not far from the river, we suddenly heard a loud shout;
upon which the master exclaiming, "The buccaneers are upon us! "
endeavoured to put about his vessel, and to sail back, when in a moment
the bark was thronged with men of formidable and savage mien. They were
all tall and stout; their complexion was black,--not the jet black of
the Indians, but that of a mongrel Ethiopian; they had shaven heads
and very small feet, and spoke a barbarous dialect. [19] As this was
the narrowest part of the river, escape was impossible; so the master
exclaiming, "We are all lost! " brought the vessel to. Four of the
buccaneers came on board and carried off everything which they could
lay hands on, not forgetting our stock of money; we were then taken on
shore, bound and shut up in a hut, when the greater part of them rode
away, leaving guards, who were to conduct us next day to the king, as
their chief is styled, who, as we learnt from our fellow captives, was
about two days' journey distant.
When night came on, and we were lying there bound and our guards
were asleep, I found leisure to bewail Leucippe, reflecting how many
calamities I had brought upon her. Deeply groaning in soul, and
carefully suppressing any outward sound of grief, "Oh, ye gods and
genii! " I said within myself, "if ye really exist and hear me, what
heinous crimes have we committed, that in a few short days we should
be plunged into such a depth of misery? And now, to crown all, ye have
delivered us into the hands of Egyptian buccaneers, cutting us off
from any chance of pity. Our voice and our entreaties might mollify
the heart of a Grecian pirate; for words oftentimes beget compassion,
and the tongue ministering to the necessities of the soul, subdues the
angry feeling of the hearer; but in our present case, what language
can we employ, what oaths of submission can we take? Had I tones more
persuasive than the Syrens', these barbarian homicides would neither
understand nor listen to me; I must then be content to supplicate with
signs and gestures, and pantomimic[20] show; it is not so much for my
own misfortunes, severe as they are, which I lament, but how shall I
sufficiently bewail, how sufficiently weep for thine, Leucippe, thou
who hast shown thyself so faithful in all the straits of love, so
tender towards thy unhappy lover! Behold, the splendid preparation for
thy marriage; a prison for thy bridal chamber, earth for thy couch,
the noose and the rope for thy necklaces and bracelets, a pirate for
thy bridesman,[21] a dirge for thy nuptial hymn. Ο Sea! I have thanked
thee without reason; rather should I upbraid thee for thy mercy;
greater in reality has been thy kindness to those whom thou hast
drowned; our preservation deserves rather to be called destruction,
for thou hast grudged us death except by the hands of buccaneers. " In
this manner did I inwardly lament, but no tears came to my relief;
this is indeed peculiar to the eyes in all great misfortunes; in the
season of any ordinary grief, they flow readily enough,[22] and then
they not only serve as intercessors between the sufferer and the cause
of his sufferings, but they also diminish the inward swelling of the
heart; but in the time of excessive sorrow, tears take to flight and
are traitors to the eyes; sorrow encounters them as they are springing
from their fountain, arrests their progress and compels them to retrace
their way; accordingly, turned from the direction of the eyes they flow
back upon the soul and exasperate its inward wounds.
Turning to Leucippe, who had not spoken a word, I said, "Why are you
silent, dearest? Why do you not speak to me? " "Because," she replied,
"though my soul still lives, my voice is already dead. " The dawn
imperceptibly overtook us while we were engaged in conversation, when a
horseman suddenly rode up with a profusion of long matted hair;[23] his
horse was as shaggy as himself and bare-backed, without housings of any
kind, as is customary with the horses of these buccaneers. He came it
appeared from their captain, with orders to bring away any maiden whom
he might find to be an expiatory offering on behalf of the pirates, to
their god. The guards immediately seized Leucippe, who clung to me with
shrieks, but while some of them struck me, others tore her away, placed
her on horseback and rode away, leaving us who were still bound to
follow at greater leisure. We had scarcely proceeded two furlongs from
the village when we heard a loud shouting mingled with the sounds of a
trumpet, and presently a body of heavy armed soldiers appeared in view,
upon which the pirates, placing us in the centre, stood their ground
and prepared for resistance. The soldiers were about fifty in number,
some bearing long shields reaching to the feet, others having only
bucklers. The buccaneers, who were far superior in numbers, began to
pelt the military with clods of earth:[24] now, an Egyptian clod can do
more execution than any other, for being of stony earth, it is at the
same time heavy, rough, and jagged, can raise a swelling and inflict
a wound. The soldiers relying upon the protection of their shields
cared little for these missiles, and waiting till the buccaneers were
tired with their exertions, they suddenly opened their ranks, when the
light-armed darted out, each armed with a javelin and a sword, and
so skilful was the aim that no one missed his mark; the heavy-armed
proceeded to support them and a stubborn fight took place, in which
abundance of blows and wounds were exchanged on either side. Military
discipline made up for deficiency of numbers, the pirates began to give
ground, which, when we observed, I and the other prisoners bursting
through their ranks went over to the enemy; ignorant of our real
condition the soldiers were about to kill us, when perceiving us to
be naked and bound with cords, they received us into their ranks and
sent us for safety to the rear; meanwhile a body of cavalry came up and
extending their flanks they surrounded the buccaneers, got them into a
narrow space and cut them down; the greater part were soon dispatched,
some though severely wounded still resisted, the rest were taken
prisoners. It was now about evening; the commander of the forces,
Charmides by name, interrogated us severally, asking who we were, and
how we had been captured. The others told their stories and I related
my own adventures; after hearing every particular he desired us to
follow him, promising to supply us with arms; it being his intention,
as soon as the rest of his troops came up, to attack the chief haunt
of the pirates, where it was said there were ten thousand men. Being a
good rider I requested the favour of a horse, and no sooner was my wish
complied with, than mounting I went through the different evolutions of
a cavalry soldier, to the great delight of the commander. He insisted
on having me as a guest at his own table, and after hearing my history
at supper time, expressed his commiseration of my misfortunes.
The listening to others' grief often times begets sympathy in the
hearers, and this sympathy leads to friendship, the soul affected by
the relation of woe, passing from feelings of pity to sensations of
a tenderer kind. [25] Charmides, at any rate, was so much moved, that
he could not refrain from tears; more than this he could not do, as
Leucippe was in the power of the pirates. I may also mention that he
kindly gave me an Egyptian as my servant. The next day he prepared to
advance against the buccaneers, who were seen in great force on the
other side of a trench which it was his object to fill up. They had
constructed a rude altar of earth, and near it lay a coffin; two men
were seen conducting the maiden, whose hands were bound behind her back.
I could not distinguish who they were, because their armour concealed
them, but I easily recognized Leucippe. After pouring a libation upon
her head, they led her round the altar, an Egyptian priest all the
while chanting a hymn as was evident from the motion of his lips and
the muscles of his face;[26] when this was ended, all at a signal
being given retired to a considerable distance, when one of the young
men who had conducted the maiden placed her upon the ground, bound her
to four wooden pegs---just as image makers represent Marsyas bound
to the tree--and then drawing a sword plunged it into her heart, and
drawing the weapon downwards laid open all her belly so that the
intestines immediately protruded; then they removed and laid them upon
the altar, and when roasted they were cut into portions and partaken of
by the pirates. The soldiers and their commander upon witnessing these
proceedings cried out and averted their faces in disgust; strange to
say, I continued to gaze in stupid astonishment, as if thunderstruck
by the surpassing horror of the spectacle. There may really have been
some truth in the legend of Niobe, and from being affected by the loss
of her children, in the same way in which I was now, her motionless
appearance may have given her the appearance of being turned to stone.
When the horrible business was, as I supposed ended, the young men
placed the body in the coffin, covering it with a lid, and after
throwing down the altar, hurried back to their companions, not once
looking behind them, for such had been the injunction of the priest.
By evening the trench was filled up and the soldiers after crossing
it, encamped for the night and prepared their supper. Charmides seeing
my distress, did all in his power to console me, but to no purpose;
for about the first watch of the night, when all were asleep, I took
my sword, proceeded to the spot and prepared to stab myself upon
the coffin. --"Wretched Leucippe," I exclaimed, "thou most ill-fated
of human kind, I lament not so much thy death, nor thy dying in a
foreign land, nor that it has been a death of violence; but that such
insults have been heaped upon thy misfortunes--that thou hast been
made a victim to purify the most polluted of their kind--that thou
hast been ripped up while yet alive, and able to gaze upon the horrid
process--that thou hast had an accursed altar and coffin for thy joint
grave, the former for thy bowels, the latter for thy body. Had the fire
consumed thy entrails, there would be less cause to grieve; but now,
most horrible, they have been made to furnish forth food to a pirate
band! Ο accursed altar-torch, Ο unheard of banquet! and yet the gods
looked quietly down upon such proceedings,[27] and yet the fire was not
extinguished, but polluted as it was sent up its odour with acceptance
to the deities! Leucippe, thou shalt now receive from me the offering
which befits thee. " After uttering these words, I raised the sword and
was on the point of stabbing myself, when by the light of the moon I
perceived two men hastily running towards me; supposing them to be
buccaneers, I paused in the expectation of being put to death by them;
they soon reached the spot where I was standing and both called aloud
to me, and who should they prove to be, but Satyrus and Menelaus. So
profound was my grief at what had taken place, that though I saw before
me two of my friends unexpectedly alive and well, I neither embraced
them nor felt any emotion of joy.
Seizing my hand they endeavoured to wrest the sword from me. "In the
name of the gods," said I, "grudge me not a welcome death, or rather,
I should say, a medicine for all my ills. Do what you please; I will
no longer remain in life, now that Leucippe is gone. You may indeed
deprive me of this weapon, but there will remain a sword of grief
within which slowly kills and drinks my blood; do you wish that I
should die by this slow and lingering death? " Upon this, interrupting
me, Menelaus said, "If this be your only reason for dying, you may
put up your sword; Leucippe shall soon come to life again. " I looked
steadfastly at him, and exclaimed, "Can you insult me in the midst
of such calamities? --have some regard for hospitable Jove. " Without
farther delay he tapped upon the coffin several times, calling out,
"Leucippe, since Clitopho is incredulous, do you bear witness to the
truth of what I say;" and almost immediately a faint voice was heard
proceeding from the interior. A sudden trembling seized me, and I gazed
upon Menelaus, half believing him to be a sorcerer; he proceeded to
remove the lid, when Leucippe slowly rose and came forth, presenting
the most fearful spectacle which can be imagined; the lower part of
her person was entirely laid open and all her bowels had been removed;
we rushed into each other's embrace and both fell to the ground. When
I had recovered myself a little, I said to Menelaus, "Will you not
explain the meaning of all this? Is not this Leucippe whose face I
behold, whose form I press, and whose voice I hear? What was it which
I witnessed yesterday? Either it was an idle dream, or what I now see
is an unreality; and yet this kiss is warm, loving, and sweet, as
Leucippe's was wont to be. "--"Her bowels shall soon be restored," was
his reply; "the wound on her breast shall be healed, and you shall
behold her sound as ever, but be so good as to cover your eyes, for I
must call Hecate to lend us her assistance. "
Believing him in earnest I followed his directions, and he began to
practise his juggling tricks and to mutter certain sounds, at the same
time removing the contrivances from Leucippe's body and restoring her
to her usual appearance. "Uncover your face," he at length exclaimed.
Slowly and with great trepidation--for I really believed that Hecate
was there--I removed my hands from my eyes, and beheld Leucippe's own
sweet self, unharmed in any way: more astonished than ever, "My dear
Menelaus," said I, "if you are the minister of any god, tell me where
we are, and what all these things mean. "--"Do not frighten him any
more," interrupted Leucippe, "but at once tell him how you contrived
to outwit the buccaneers. "--"You may remember my telling you on board
ship," said Menelaus, "that I am by birth an Egyptian; my property lies
chiefly about this village, and I am consequently well acquainted with
the principal persons in it; when I and Satyrus after being shipwrecked
were thrown on shore we were conducted into the presence of the pirate
chief; some of his people soon recognized me, upon which my chains
were taken off, and after assuring me of safety I was strongly urged to
join their company as being in some degree already known to them. Upon
this I required that Satyrus should be delivered up to me, declaring
him to be a slave of mine: 'Your wish shall be complied with,' they
replied, 'provided you first give some proof of courage in our cause. '
Fortunately they had just then been commanded by an oracle to offer up
a virgin as an expiation for their robber band, and after tasting the
victim's entrails they were to place the body in a coffin and to retire
from the scene of sacrifice. The object of this was to strike terror
into the minds of the hostile force; but," continued he, addressing
Satyrus, "the rest of the story belongs more properly to you. "
"Upon learning that Leucippe was taken captive," said Satyrus,
taking up the narrative, "I felt sincere regret on her behalf, and
urged Menelaus by all means to save her; some good genius came to
our assistance; the day before the sacrifice we were sitting by the
sea-shore, overcome with grief and considering what steps were to be
taken. Some of the buccaneers espying a vessel which had got out of her
course from ignorance of the coast, hurried down to attack her; the
crew endeavoured to put out to sea, but being too late they prepared
for resistance.
"There happened to be among them a stage-player or reciter of Homeric
poetry. [28] Arming himself and the rest after the manner of the heroes
of the Iliad, they offered a brave resistance, but being at last
overpowered by a number of the pirate boats, their vessel was sunk
and themselves were slaughtered. It chanced that after this a chest
floated on shore unperceived by the buccaneers; Menelaus getting it
into a retired spot opened it, supposing it might contain something
valuable; among the contents were a cloak and a sword with a hilt five
palms in length, the blade of which was not so long: while Menelaus
was carelessly handling it, the blade flew out and became equal to the
hilt in length, and a different movement reduced it, to its former
dimensions; the ill-fated owner had no doubt been accustomed to use
it upon the stage for the infliction of mimic wounds. I immediately
said to Menelaus, 'if only you will now give proof of your courage,
the deity will second us, and we shall be able to preserve the maiden
without being discovered by the buccaneers. We will get a sheepskin,
one of the softest and most flexible which can be procured, this we
will sew into the shape of a bag, corresponding in size with the
human stomach, and after filling it with entrails and blood, we will
secure the opening; having done this, we will fasten it upon the
maiden's body, and by throwing over her a robe bound by a girdle and
other fastenings we can easily conceal the artifice. The nature of
the oracle given to the pirates and the construction of the sword,
are both strongly in our favour: the oracle commands that the maiden
when adorned for sacrifice is to be ripped open through her dress; and
as for the sword, you see how artfully it is contrived; if you press
it against the human body, the blade flies into the hilt as into a
scabbard, while all the time it will appear to the beholders to have
been run into the body; on the present occasion just enough of the
blade will remain out to cut open the false stomach as soon as the hilt
reaches the sheepskin, and when withdrawn from the wound, the portion
of the sword contained within the hilt will immediately fly out, so
that it will appear to the spectator that the whole of the weapon was
really plunged into the maiden. The pirates will not discover the
deceit, for as I before said, the skin will be concealed by the dress
put over it, and the entrails will immediately protrude from the gash
which it has made; these we shall place upon the altar, and as no one
is to approach the body, we shall be able to place it in the coffin.
You remember the pirate-captain telling you that you were expected to
display some proof of courage; now is the time to go to him and to make
the offer. '
"I followed up my words by many entreaties, invoking Jove the
hospitable, and reminding Menelaus of our having eaten at the same
board[29] and suffered the same perils of shipwreck. The worthy and
true hearted man replied, 'The undertaking is arduous, but one ought
to be prepared to die in the sake of a friend,[30] and death in such
a cause is sweet. ' I then expressed my belief that Clitopho was still
alive, for the maiden had mentioned to me his being left behind,
among the other prisoners, in addition to which the buccaneers who
had fled, brought word to their captain, that all the captives had
contrived to escape into the enemy's ranks during the engagement. 'You
will therefore,' I added, 'be doing him a very great kindness and
will also be the means of delivering this unhappy maiden out of her
misfortunes. ' I succeeded in persuading him, and Fortune favoured us
in our undertaking. While I was busied in preparing what was needed
for our contrivance, Menelaus proceeded to the buccaneers to make the
proposal already mentioned. The chief, by a lucky chance, anticipated
him, and said, 'We have a law, that new comers[31] amongst us, should
first begin the sacrifice, especially when a human victim is to be
offered; be ready therefore against to-morrow; your slave also must
take part in the solemnity. '--'We will endeavour,' replied Menelaus,
'to show ourselves not inferior to any among yourselves. '--'Remember,'
added the pirate-chief, 'that it will be for you to dress and arrange
the maiden in the best manner for consummating the sacrifice. '[32]
Afterwards, when alone, we took the opportunity of fitting out
Leucippe in the manner before related, bidding her have no fear, and
carefully instructing her what to do, enjoining her to remain quiet
in the coffin, if necessary, the whole day, but when an opportunity
offered to seek safety by flying to the encampment; having given her
these directions we led her to the altar: what afterwards occurred you
already know. "
While listening to this narrative, I was overwhelmed by a variety
of feelings, and did not know how sufficiently to express my deep
gratitude to Menelaus; I however adopted the most common method, and
throwing myself at his feet, I embraced his knees and worshipped him
as a god, my heart thrilling with delight. Being now easy concerning
Leucippe, "What," I inquired, "has become of Clinias? " "The last time I
saw him," replied Menelaus, "was when he was clinging to the yard after
the shipwreck; what afterwards became of him I cannot tell. "
Upon hearing this, I could not repress a cry of grief in the midst of
my joy; no doubt some malignant genius envied me the possession of
pure and unalloyed happiness; for this cause doubtless, he whom next
to Leucippe I most valued, was especially selected as a victim by the
sea, that not only his soul might perish,[33] but that he might lose
the rights of sepulture. Oh, ruthless ocean, thus to curtail the full
measure of thy mercy towards us!
There being nothing to detain us longer, we all repaired to the
encampment, and passed the rest of the night in my tent; nor was
it long before the adventure became known. At daybreak, conducting
Menelaus to the commander, I related every particular; Charmides was
highly pleased, and expressed himself in the most friendly terms
towards him. He next inquired what the strength of the enemy amounted
to. Menelaus replied, "That the whole place was full of desperate men,
and that the buccaneers numbered perhaps ten thousand men. "
"Our five thousand," said Charmides, "will be a match for twenty
thousand such as they are: besides which two thousand men will shortly
arrive from the troops who garrison the Delta and Heliopolis. "
While he was still speaking, a boy came in and said that an express
had come from the camp in the Delta, to announce that the expected
reinforcement would not arrive for five days; the incursions of the
buccaneers in that quarter had been repressed indeed, but when the
troops were on the point of marching, the sacred[34] bird, bearing the
sepulchre of his father, had appeared among them, and on this account
the march must be delayed during the period mentioned.
"And pray," inquired I, "what bird is this which is treated with such
respect?
What sepulchre is it which he carries with him? "--"He is
called the Phœnix," was the reply; "and is a native of Ethiopia; he
is about the size of the peacock, but superior to him in beauty; his
plumage is bedropt with gold and purple,[35] and he boasts of being
descended from the sun, a claim which is borne out by the appearance
of his head, which is crowned by a splendid circle, the very image of
that orb. [36] The hues are mingled rose and azure, and the disposition
of the feathers represent the rays. He belongs to the Ethiopians during
his life, but the Egyptians possess him after he is dead. He is very
long lived,[37] and upon his decease; his son bears him to the Nile,
having first prepared his sepulchre in the following manner. Taking
a mass of the most fragrant myrrh, sufficient for the purpose, he
excavates the centre with his beak, and the hollow becomes a receptacle
for the dead; then closing up the aperture with earth, he soars aloft
and carries this fruit of his pious labour to the Nile. A flight of
other birds attends him,[38] as a guard of honour, and he resembles
a monarch making a progress. He never deviates from the place of his
destination, the city of the sun, which is the resting-place of the
departed bird; upon arriving there he stations himself upon an elevated
spot, and awaits the arrival of the minister of religion. Presently
an Egyptian priest comes forth from the sanctuary, bearing a book
containing a picture of the bird, in order that he may judge whether
it be genuine. The phœnix, aware of this, opens the receptacle, and
exhibiting the body, makes intercession for its interment;[39] after
which it is received by the sons of the priest and buried; thus, as I
have already observed, this bird is an Ethiopian during his lifetime,
but makes his grave with the Egyptians. "
[Footnote 1: περιάγειν τὴν κεραίαν. Two ropes hung from the horns of
the antenna or yard, the use of which was to turn it round as the wind
veered, so as to keep the sail opposite the wind. See a cut at p. 52 of
the Greek and Rom. Antiq.
"Cornua velatarum obvertimus antennarum. "--Æn. iii. 549.
"At sunset they began to take in sail,
For the sky showed it would come on to blow,
And carry away, perhaps, a mast or so. "--Byron.
]
[Footnote 2: In the original the movements of the passengers are
described by the words δἰαυλος and δρόμος δολιχὸς, expressions
referring to the stadium, where the runners turned round the goal and
came back to the starting-place. ]
[Footnote 3:
"The high wind made the treble, and as bass
The hoarse harsh waves kept time. "--Byron.
]
[Footnote 4: γέῥῤα; these appear to mean the παραῤῥύματα, made of skins
and wicker-work, raised above the edge of the vessel, and intended as a
protection against high waves, &c. --See Dict. Grk. and Rom. Antiq. ]
[Footnote 5:
"Tollimur in cœlum curvato gurgite; et iidem
Subductâ ad manes imos descendimus undâ. "
Virg. Æn. iii. 564.
]
[Footnote 6:
"Strange sounds of wailing, blasphemy, devotion,
Clamour'd in chorus to the roaring ocean. "--Byron.
]
[Footnote 7:
"O Lord! methought what pain it was to drown!
What dreadful noise of water in mine ears!
What sights of ugly death within mine eyes!
. . . . . .
. . . often did I strive
To yield the ghost, but still the envious flood
Kept in my soul, and would not let it forth
To seek the empty, vast, and wand'ring air,
But smother'd it within my panting bulk,
Which almost burst to belch it in the sea. "
Shaksp. Richard III.
]
[Footnote 8: So named from Mount Casius near Pelusium, where he had a
temple. ]
[Footnote 9: "It seems likely that the productivity of nature was
symbolized by the fruit, remarkable as it was for the number of seeds
it contained. "--Note in Blakesley's Herod. , vii. 41. ]
[Footnote 10: κατὰ τὸν οπισθόδομον. ]
[Footnote 11:
μαστούς τ'ἔδειξε, στέρνα, θ' ὡς ἀγάλματος
κάλλιστα. --Eurip. Hec. 560.
]
[Footnote 12: αὐτoσκέδιος τάφος. ]
[Footnote 13: ἐκόσμησεν εὐμόρφῳ φόβῳ. ]
[Footnote 14: Tatius is supposed to mean the silkworm, which he calls
πτηνός, from its changing into a butterfly.
"Quid nemora Æthiopum molli canentia lanâ
Velleraque ut foliis depectant Seres. "--Virg. G. ii. 120.
In the 10th Book of the Ethiopics, the productions of the silkworm are
called "ἀραχνίων νήματα καὶ ὑφάσματα. "]
[Footnote 15: To put on Pluto's helmet was a proverb for becoming
invisible. See Hom. Il. v. 844. In Crabbe's "Parish Register" the coat
is made to serve the same purpose:---
"His shoes of swiftness on his feet he placed,
His _coat_ of darkness on his loins he brac'd,
His sword of sharpness in his hand he took. "
]
[Footnote 16:
". . . rostroque immanis vultur obunco
Immortale jecur tandens, fœcundaque pœnis
Viscera, rimaturque epulis, habitaque sub alto
Pectore. "--Æn. vi. 697.
]
[Footnote 17: εἰs τους δακτύλους ἀποξύνεται. ]
[Footnote 18:
"Then seizing fast the reed, he drew the barb
Home to his bow, the bowstring to his breast,
And when the horn was rounded to an arch
He twang'd it. "--Homer, Il. iv. 123.
]
[Footnote 19: By comparing the description of the piratical haunt
called the Pasturage (in the 1st Bk. of the Ethiopics) with that here
given us of the personal appearance of the pirates, together with the
account of their stronghold at the end of the 4th Book, we are enabled
to form a good idea of the Egyptian βουκόλοι or buccaneers, and of
their way of life. ]
[Footnote 20: τὸν θρῆνον ὀρχἠσομαι. ]
[Footnote 21: νυμφαγωγός. Tatius probably used the term with reference
to Leucippe being taken to the pirate-chief. The strict sense of the
word will be found at p. 599 of Greek and Roman Antiquities. ]
[Footnote 22: "Curæ leves loquuntur; ingentes stupent. "--Sen. Hipp. A.
2. S. iii. ]
[Footnote 23: In the Second Book of the "Ethiopics," the author remarks
on this peculiarity of the Buccaneers:--"βονκόλοι γὰρ ἅλλα τε πρὸς
το φοβερώτερον φαίνεσθαι, καὶ δὴ καὶ τὴν κόμην εἰς ὀφρὺν ἕλκουσι καὶ
σοβοῦσι τῶν ὥμων ἐπιβαίνουσαν. "]
[Footnote 24: In Xen. Cyrop. ii. 3. 17, there is an account of a sham
fight, where half the soldiers pelt with clods, the other half armed
with canes. ]
[Footnote 25:
. . . . "I did consent,
And often did beguile her of her tears,
When I did speak of some distressful stroke
That my youth suffer'd. My story being done,
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs.
. . . . . .
She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd
And I lov'd her that she did pity them. "--Shaksp. Othello.
]
[Footnote 26:
"Post terga juvenum nobiles revocat manus,
Et mœsta vittâ capita purpureâ ligat;
Non thura desunt, non sacer Bacchi liquor.
. . . . . .
Ipse--sacerdos--ipse funestâ prece
Letale carmen _ore violento_ canit. "
Sen. Thyestes. iv. 686.
]
[Footnote 27:
. . . . "Magne regnator Deum.
Tam lentus audis scelera? tam lentus vides
Ecquando sævâ fulmen emittes manu,
Si nunc serenum est? "--Sen. Hipp. 671.
]
[Footnote 28: ῥαψωδός--one of a class of persons who got their living
by reciting the poems of Homer, and who is here represented as
accoutreing himself and the others in character. ]
[Footnote 29: Tὸ ὁμοτράπεζου--to have eaten at the same table, was
considered an inviolable obligation to friendship; and ἅλα καὶ τράπεζαν
πάραβαίνειν, to transgress the salt and the table; or in other words to
break the laws of hospitality and to injure those by whom they had been
entertained, was considered one of the greatest crimes. --Robinson's
Antiq. of Greece. ]
[Footnote 30:
"Thy friend put in thy bosome;. . .
. . . . . .
If cause require, thou art his sacrifice. "
George Herbert.
]
[Footnote 31: τοὺς πρωτομὐστ ας. ]
[Footnote 32: πρὸς τὴν ἀνατομήν. ]
[Footnote 33: This passage may be illustrated by one which occurs in B.
v. "It is said that the souls of those who have found a watery grave
do not descend to Hades, but wander about the surface of the waves. "
Death by shipwreck, where the body was swallowed up by the deep, was
especially dreaded by the ancients, since without burial of the body,
the soul could not be admitted into the Elysian Fields. --See Ovid,
Trist. i. 2, 61. Virg. Æn. vi. 325, 330. ]
[Footnote 34: Compare the description of the Phœnix with those in
Tacitus, Annal. vi. 28, and in Herod. ii. 73, where see a note in
Blakesley's edit. The object of which is to show that by the Phœnix is
meant a secular period. ]
[Footnote 35: Pliny says, "Auri fulgore circà colla, cetera purpureus,
cæruleam roseis caudam pennis distinguentibus. "--Η. N. x. 2. ]
[Footnote 36:
"Æquatur toto capiti radiata corona
Phœbei referens, verticis alta decus. "
Auctor Carm. incert.
]
[Footnote 37: Five hundred years according to Herodotus, according to
other writers 1560 years. ]
[Footnote 38: "Multo cæterarum volucrum comitatu novam faciem
mirantium. "--Tac. Ann. vi. 28. ]
[Footnote 39: καὶ ἐστι ἐπιτάφιος σοφιστής. ]
BOOK IV.
Upon hearing of the preparations made by the buccaneers, and of the
march of the reinforcements being postponed, Charmides resolved upon
returning to his former quarters, and there to await their arrival. A
lodging was assigned by him to Leucippe and me at a little distance. No
sooner had I entered it, than taking her in my arms, I endeavoured to
accomplish my wishes; she would not consent however, upon which I said
to her: "Do you not observe how many strange and unforeseen accidents
befall us; first we are shipwrecked, then we come into the hands of
pirates, and next you are exposed to be sacrificed, and to undergo a
cruel death. Fortune has just now lulled the storm, let us, therefore,
take advantage of the opportunity, before any yet severer calamity
overtakes us. "
"It is not lawful for me to consent now," was her reply; "for while I
was bewailing myself at the prospect of being sacrificed, the goddess
Diana appeared to me in a dream and said: 'Weep not, maiden, thou shalt
not die; I will protect thee, and thou must remain a virgin until I
conduct thee to thine husband, who shall be Clitopho, and no one else.
Vir. Æn. iii. 72.
]
[Footnote 58: παρασκηνῶν. ]
[Footnote 59: Tatius appears to have had in his mind the story of the
death of Atys, son of Crœsus. See Herod. B. i. 37.
Compare the spirited account of the Boar-hunt and the death of
Tlepolemus in the viiith book of Apuleius. ]
[Footnote 60: Πάτροκλον πρόφασιν, a proverb derived from a passage in
the Iliad, xix. 302:--
"All her fellow-captives heav'd
Responsive sighs, deploring each, in show
The dead Patroclus, but, in truth, herself. "
]
[Footnote 61: Tatius alludes to Venus Urania and Venus Popularis, the
one the patroness of pure, the other of impure, love. ]
[Footnote 62: Iliad xx. 2, 3, 4. ]
[Footnote 63: See Anthon's Lemprière for the legends attached to their
names. ]
[Footnote 64: Göttling proposes to read "Hebe," which suits the context
better. ]
[Footnote 65: According to some accounts, two; according to others,
three nights were required for the formation of Hercules, son of
Alcmena.
"Violentus ille
Nocte non unâ poterat creari. "--Seneca Ag. 825.
]
[Footnote 66:
"A long, long kiss, a kiss of youth and love,
And beauty, all concentrating like rays
Into one focus, kindled from above;
Such kisses as belong to early days,
Where heart, and soul, and sense, in concert move,
And the blood's lava, and the pulse a blaze,
Each kiss a heart-quake. "--Byron.
Compare Lucret. iv. 1070-1079, and 1099-1114. ]
[Footnote 67:
"Sed quæ mutatis inducitur, atque fovetur
Tot medicaminibus, coctæque siliginis offas,
Accipit et madidæ, facies dicetur, an ulcus. "--Juv. vi. 471.
]
[Footnote 68: "Omnibus autem mulierum omnium ungentis è puerorum
sudoribus afflatus odor antecellet. Jam vero etiam ante venereos
congressus palæstrâ cum iis decertare, palamque, ac sine rubore
amplecti licet; neque ulla est carnis teneritas quæ complexuum tactioni
cedat: sed corpora sibi mutuo resistunt ac voluptate contendunt. Basia
quoque muliebrem illam diligentiam minime sapiunt, nec stulto errore
labris illito decipiunt. Puer quemadmodum quidem novit, suavia dat,
non ab arte aliquâ, sed à natura ipsâ proficiscentia; saneque basii
puerilis imago ejusmodi est, ut si quis concretum, atque in labrà
commutatum nectar oscularetur. Ex quo fieri ullo modo nequit, ut
aliqua basiandi tibi satietas oriatur; quinimmo quo plus haurias, hoc
vehementiore siti labores, neque os indè abstrahere possis, donec præ
voluptate basia ipso refugias. "]
BOOK III.
On the third day of our voyage a sudden change took place in the
weather; the sky, which had been clear, grew so black as quite to
obscure the light of day, and a violent gale ploughing up the sea
blew directly in our teeth. Upon this, the master ordered the yard to
be brought round;[1] the sailors speedily obeyed, furling one-half
of the sail by dint of great exertions, but were compelled by the
violence of the wind to leave the other unfurled. In consequence of
this manœuvre one side of the vessel began to heel, while the contrary
side became proportionally elevated, so that we every moment expected
to be capsized, as the gale continued to blow with undiminished fury.
To prevent this, and to restore, if possible, the vessel's equilibrium,
we all scrambled to the side highest out of water, but it was of no
avail. We ourselves, indeed, were raised, but the position of the ship
was in no way altered; after long and vain endeavours to right her,
the wind suddenly shifted, almost submerging the side which had been
elevated, and raising high out of the water that previously depressed.
An universal shriek arose from those on board, and nothing remained but
to hurry back to our former station. We repeated this several times,
our movements keeping pace with the shifting of the vessel; indeed, we
had scarcely succeeded in hurrying to one side, before we were obliged
to hurry back in the contrary direction. Like those who run backwards
and forwards in the course,[2] we continued these alternate movements
during a great part of the day, momentarily expecting death, who, as it
seemed, was not far off; for about noon the sun entirely disappeared,
and we saw each other as if by moonlight; lightnings flashed from
the clouds, the thunder rolled, filling the sky with its echoes,
which were repeated from below by the strife of waters, while in the
intermediate space was heard the shouts of the discordant winds,[3]
so that the air seemed one mighty trumpet; the ropes breaking loose
rattled against the sail and against each other till at last they were
rent in pieces. We now began to be in no small fear that the vessel,
from the shattered condition of her sides, would open and go to pieces;
the bulwarks[4] too were flooded, being continually washed over by the
waves. We however crawled under them for protection, and abandoning
all hope resigned ourselves to Fortune. Tremendous billows following
in quick succession tumbled one over the other, some in front, some at
the sides of the ship, which as they approached was lifted high up as
if upon a mountain, and when they retired was plunged down as into an
abyss. [5] The most formidable were those which broke against the sides
and made their way over the bulwarks, flooding all the vessel; even
while approaching from a distance these were formidable enough, almost
touching, as they did, the clouds; but when they neared and broke, you
would have supposed that the ship must inevitably be swallowed up. We
could scarcely keep our feet, so violent was the rolling of the vessel,
and a confused din of sounds was heard;--the sea roared, the wind
blustered, the women shrieked, the men shouted, the sailors called to
one another: all was wailing and lamentation. [6]
At length the master ordered the cargo to be thrown overboard; no
distinction was made between gold and silver, and the commonest
articles,--all were pitched over the sides; many of the merchants with
their own hands tumbling into the sea the goods on which all their
hopes were centred. By these means the ship was lightened, but the
storm did not in any degree abate. At length the master, wearied out
and in despair, let go the tiller, abandoned the ship to the waves,
and standing at the gangway ordered the boats to be got ready and
the sailors to embark. Upon this a fearful scene of strife arose; the
sailors in the boat were beginning to cut the rope which attached
it to the ship. Seeing this, the passengers endeavoured to leap in,
which the crew would not allow, threatening with their swords and axes
any who should venture on the attempt. The others upon this arming
themselves as best they could with shattered oars and broken benches,
showed a determination to retaliate, for in a storm might, not right,
must settle matters. A novel kind of sea-fight now commenced; they in
the boat, fearful of being swamped by the numbers who were descending
from the vessel, laid about them in good earnest with their swords
and axes; which the passengers as they leaped in were not backward in
returning with their poles and oars, and some scarcely touched the boat
before they fell into the water; others, who had succeeded in getting
in, were struggling with the sailors to maintain their ground. The laws
of friendship or neighbourly regard were no longer heeded; each looked
to his own preservation, careless of the safety of any other; for the
effect of pressing danger is, that it dissolves even the tenderest
ties. One of the passengers, a robust young fellow, succeeded at last
in getting hold of the rope and dragging the boat towards the vessel;
every one on board holding himself ready to leap in. A few succeeded
in the endeavour, though not without receiving injuries; many in their
attempt were plunged into the sea. The crew without further delay,
cutting the rope with their axes, put off, and committed themselves
to the mercy of the winds; those on board in the meantime having used
every exertion to sink the boat. The vessel, after continuing for some
time to pitch and roll upon the waves, was carried upon a sunken rock,
when she struck and soon went to pieces, the mast falling over on one
side and hastening her destruction. They who were at once swallowed up
in the briny waves experienced a happier lot than their companions,
in not having to remain with death before their eyes; for at sea the
anticipation of drowning kills even before death actually arrives; the
eye, bewildered by the expanse of waters, can set no limits to its
fears: this it is which gives death so much more bitterness, and makes
it regarded with dread proportioned to the vast nature of the sea
itself. [7]
Upon the present occasion some were dashed against rocks and perished,
others were pierced by pieces of broken oars, and some were seen
swimming in a half-exhausted state. When the vessel was wrecked, some
good genius preserved a portion of the prow, upon which I and Leucippe
being seated, were carried along by the current; Menelaus, Satyrus, and
some other passengers, had thrown themselves across the mast; Clinias
at no great distance was swimming supported by the yard, and we could
hear him calling out, "Hold on, Clitopho! " In a moment a wave washed
over him; at which sad spectacle we shrieked aloud. Boiling onward in
our direction, it happily passed us, and we again caught sight of the
yard, and Clinias riding upon its crest. "O, mighty Neptune," exclaimed
I, with a deep groan, "take pity on us, and spare the remnants of this
shipwreck; our terror has caused us already to die many deaths; if it
be thy will to destroy us, do not divide us in our deaths; let one wave
overwhelm us; or if we are fated to become food for the monsters of
the deep let one devour us;--let us have one common death, one common
tomb. " I had not long uttered this prayer before the violence of the
wind abated and the roughness of the waves subsided, and the surface
of the sea was seen covered with floating bodies. Menelaus and his
companions were thrown by the waves upon a part of the coast of Egypt
which was at that time the general haunt of buccaneers. Late in the
evening, Leucippe and I contrived to reach Pelusium, and upon getting
to land thanked the gods for our escape; nor did we omit bewailing
Clinias and Satyrus, believing them to have been drowned.
In the temple of Casian[8] Jupiter, at Pelusium, there is the
statue of a youth very like Apollo; his hand is stretched out and
holds a pomegranate, which has a mystic meaning. [9] After praying
to this deity, and asking tidings of Clinias and Satyrus (for the
god is believed to be prophetic) we walked about the temple; in the
treasury[10] at the rear of this edifice we saw two pictures by the
artist Evanthes. The subject of one was Andromeda, of the other,
Prometheus. Both were represented as bound, for which reason probably
the painter had associated them together. They furnished other points
of resemblance also; both had a rock for their prison house, and savage
beasts for their executioners, the one being a bird of prey, the other
a sea monster. The champions also who came to their rescue were both
Grecians, Hercules and Perseus. The former is represented standing
on the ground and aiming his arrow at the bird of Jove; the latter
poised in air directs his attack against the fish. The rock is hollowed
out, so as to suit the size of the maiden's body, and the rugged
surface given it by the painter, plainly showed that it is intended
to represent a production of nature, not the work of art; the maiden
is fixed in the hollow of this rock, her lovely form giving her the
appearance of a wondrously-carved statue,[11] but the chains and the
sea-monster betokening a hastily-planned tomb. [12] Beauty and fear are
mingled in her countenance, yet the pallor of her cheeks is not wholly
untinged with colour, while the brightness of her eyes is tempered by
a languor such as is seen in violets when they begin to fade; thus had
the painter imparted to her the expression of comely fear. [13] Her
arms, extended on either side, are chained against the rock, the wrists
and fingers hanging down like the clusters from the vine; her arms are
of spotless white, but approaching to a livid hue, and her fingers
appear bloodless. Bound in this fashion she is awaiting death. Her
attire is bridal, of white, and reaching to the feet, of a texture so
fine as to resemble a spider's web, the production not of the wool of
sheep, but of the down of winged insects whose webs Indian women gather
from the trees and weave. [14] The monster is emerging from the sea
opposite the maiden; his head alone appears above the waves, but the
outline of his body is distinguishable beneath the water: the junctures
of his scales, the curvature of his back, the ridge of his spines,
the twisting of his tail; his immense jaws are expanded as far as his
shoulders, and to the very entrance of his maw. In the intermediate
space is seen Perseus descending from the sky, his body naked, with
the exception of a mantle about his shoulders, winged sandals upon his
feet, and a cap resembling Pluto's helmet[15] upon his head; in his
left hand he grasps the Gorgon's head, holding it forth in the manner
of a shield; the face is fearful to behold, and even on the painter's
canvas seems to glare with its eyes, to bristle up its locks, to shake
its serpents. His right hand is armed with a weapon between a straight
sword and a scimitar; from the hilt to the middle it is a sword, it
then partakes of both, remaining sharp so as to inflict a wound, and
becoming curved in order to follow up and improve the stroke. Such was
the "Andromeda. "
Next to it, as I before remarked, was a painting of Prometheus bound
to the rock. Hercules stands near him, armed with his bow and arrows.
The vulture is feasting upon his side, in which it has inflicted a
lacerating wound, and with its beak inserted in the opening, seems to
be digging after the liver, of which the painter allows a portion to
be visible. [16] The talons of the bird are firmly planted upon the
thigh of Prometheus, who shrinks with agony, contracts his side, and
draws back his leg to his own hurt, for the movement brings the eagle
nearer to his liver. The other leg is stretched out straight before
him, and the tension of the muscles is visible to the extreme point
of the toes;[17] his whole appearance is that of acute suffering, his
eyebrows are contracted, his lips drawn in, and his teeth appear; you
could almost compassionate the painting, as though itself felt pain. In
his misery, Hercules is come to his aid, and is preparing to transfix
his tormentor; already the arrow is on the bow, which he extends with
his left hand, while with his right hand he draws the string to his
breast; in doing which the elbow is seen shortened from behind. The
stretching of the bow, the drawing back the string, the hand touching
the breast, all seemed the work of a single moment. [18] Prometheus
appears divided between hope and fear; he looks partly at his wounded
side, partly at Hercules; fain would he fix his eyes upon him alone;
but his agony turns them back, in part, upon himself.
After remaining two days at Pelusium to recruit ourselves after our
fatigues, having fortunately some money left we engaged an Egyptian
vessel, and proceeded by way of the Nile to Alexandria, with the
intention of making some stay there, thinking likewise that we might
find in that city some of our shipwrecked friends. Upon nearing a
certain town, not far from the river, we suddenly heard a loud shout;
upon which the master exclaiming, "The buccaneers are upon us! "
endeavoured to put about his vessel, and to sail back, when in a moment
the bark was thronged with men of formidable and savage mien. They were
all tall and stout; their complexion was black,--not the jet black of
the Indians, but that of a mongrel Ethiopian; they had shaven heads
and very small feet, and spoke a barbarous dialect. [19] As this was
the narrowest part of the river, escape was impossible; so the master
exclaiming, "We are all lost! " brought the vessel to. Four of the
buccaneers came on board and carried off everything which they could
lay hands on, not forgetting our stock of money; we were then taken on
shore, bound and shut up in a hut, when the greater part of them rode
away, leaving guards, who were to conduct us next day to the king, as
their chief is styled, who, as we learnt from our fellow captives, was
about two days' journey distant.
When night came on, and we were lying there bound and our guards
were asleep, I found leisure to bewail Leucippe, reflecting how many
calamities I had brought upon her. Deeply groaning in soul, and
carefully suppressing any outward sound of grief, "Oh, ye gods and
genii! " I said within myself, "if ye really exist and hear me, what
heinous crimes have we committed, that in a few short days we should
be plunged into such a depth of misery? And now, to crown all, ye have
delivered us into the hands of Egyptian buccaneers, cutting us off
from any chance of pity. Our voice and our entreaties might mollify
the heart of a Grecian pirate; for words oftentimes beget compassion,
and the tongue ministering to the necessities of the soul, subdues the
angry feeling of the hearer; but in our present case, what language
can we employ, what oaths of submission can we take? Had I tones more
persuasive than the Syrens', these barbarian homicides would neither
understand nor listen to me; I must then be content to supplicate with
signs and gestures, and pantomimic[20] show; it is not so much for my
own misfortunes, severe as they are, which I lament, but how shall I
sufficiently bewail, how sufficiently weep for thine, Leucippe, thou
who hast shown thyself so faithful in all the straits of love, so
tender towards thy unhappy lover! Behold, the splendid preparation for
thy marriage; a prison for thy bridal chamber, earth for thy couch,
the noose and the rope for thy necklaces and bracelets, a pirate for
thy bridesman,[21] a dirge for thy nuptial hymn. Ο Sea! I have thanked
thee without reason; rather should I upbraid thee for thy mercy;
greater in reality has been thy kindness to those whom thou hast
drowned; our preservation deserves rather to be called destruction,
for thou hast grudged us death except by the hands of buccaneers. " In
this manner did I inwardly lament, but no tears came to my relief;
this is indeed peculiar to the eyes in all great misfortunes; in the
season of any ordinary grief, they flow readily enough,[22] and then
they not only serve as intercessors between the sufferer and the cause
of his sufferings, but they also diminish the inward swelling of the
heart; but in the time of excessive sorrow, tears take to flight and
are traitors to the eyes; sorrow encounters them as they are springing
from their fountain, arrests their progress and compels them to retrace
their way; accordingly, turned from the direction of the eyes they flow
back upon the soul and exasperate its inward wounds.
Turning to Leucippe, who had not spoken a word, I said, "Why are you
silent, dearest? Why do you not speak to me? " "Because," she replied,
"though my soul still lives, my voice is already dead. " The dawn
imperceptibly overtook us while we were engaged in conversation, when a
horseman suddenly rode up with a profusion of long matted hair;[23] his
horse was as shaggy as himself and bare-backed, without housings of any
kind, as is customary with the horses of these buccaneers. He came it
appeared from their captain, with orders to bring away any maiden whom
he might find to be an expiatory offering on behalf of the pirates, to
their god. The guards immediately seized Leucippe, who clung to me with
shrieks, but while some of them struck me, others tore her away, placed
her on horseback and rode away, leaving us who were still bound to
follow at greater leisure. We had scarcely proceeded two furlongs from
the village when we heard a loud shouting mingled with the sounds of a
trumpet, and presently a body of heavy armed soldiers appeared in view,
upon which the pirates, placing us in the centre, stood their ground
and prepared for resistance. The soldiers were about fifty in number,
some bearing long shields reaching to the feet, others having only
bucklers. The buccaneers, who were far superior in numbers, began to
pelt the military with clods of earth:[24] now, an Egyptian clod can do
more execution than any other, for being of stony earth, it is at the
same time heavy, rough, and jagged, can raise a swelling and inflict
a wound. The soldiers relying upon the protection of their shields
cared little for these missiles, and waiting till the buccaneers were
tired with their exertions, they suddenly opened their ranks, when the
light-armed darted out, each armed with a javelin and a sword, and
so skilful was the aim that no one missed his mark; the heavy-armed
proceeded to support them and a stubborn fight took place, in which
abundance of blows and wounds were exchanged on either side. Military
discipline made up for deficiency of numbers, the pirates began to give
ground, which, when we observed, I and the other prisoners bursting
through their ranks went over to the enemy; ignorant of our real
condition the soldiers were about to kill us, when perceiving us to
be naked and bound with cords, they received us into their ranks and
sent us for safety to the rear; meanwhile a body of cavalry came up and
extending their flanks they surrounded the buccaneers, got them into a
narrow space and cut them down; the greater part were soon dispatched,
some though severely wounded still resisted, the rest were taken
prisoners. It was now about evening; the commander of the forces,
Charmides by name, interrogated us severally, asking who we were, and
how we had been captured. The others told their stories and I related
my own adventures; after hearing every particular he desired us to
follow him, promising to supply us with arms; it being his intention,
as soon as the rest of his troops came up, to attack the chief haunt
of the pirates, where it was said there were ten thousand men. Being a
good rider I requested the favour of a horse, and no sooner was my wish
complied with, than mounting I went through the different evolutions of
a cavalry soldier, to the great delight of the commander. He insisted
on having me as a guest at his own table, and after hearing my history
at supper time, expressed his commiseration of my misfortunes.
The listening to others' grief often times begets sympathy in the
hearers, and this sympathy leads to friendship, the soul affected by
the relation of woe, passing from feelings of pity to sensations of
a tenderer kind. [25] Charmides, at any rate, was so much moved, that
he could not refrain from tears; more than this he could not do, as
Leucippe was in the power of the pirates. I may also mention that he
kindly gave me an Egyptian as my servant. The next day he prepared to
advance against the buccaneers, who were seen in great force on the
other side of a trench which it was his object to fill up. They had
constructed a rude altar of earth, and near it lay a coffin; two men
were seen conducting the maiden, whose hands were bound behind her back.
I could not distinguish who they were, because their armour concealed
them, but I easily recognized Leucippe. After pouring a libation upon
her head, they led her round the altar, an Egyptian priest all the
while chanting a hymn as was evident from the motion of his lips and
the muscles of his face;[26] when this was ended, all at a signal
being given retired to a considerable distance, when one of the young
men who had conducted the maiden placed her upon the ground, bound her
to four wooden pegs---just as image makers represent Marsyas bound
to the tree--and then drawing a sword plunged it into her heart, and
drawing the weapon downwards laid open all her belly so that the
intestines immediately protruded; then they removed and laid them upon
the altar, and when roasted they were cut into portions and partaken of
by the pirates. The soldiers and their commander upon witnessing these
proceedings cried out and averted their faces in disgust; strange to
say, I continued to gaze in stupid astonishment, as if thunderstruck
by the surpassing horror of the spectacle. There may really have been
some truth in the legend of Niobe, and from being affected by the loss
of her children, in the same way in which I was now, her motionless
appearance may have given her the appearance of being turned to stone.
When the horrible business was, as I supposed ended, the young men
placed the body in the coffin, covering it with a lid, and after
throwing down the altar, hurried back to their companions, not once
looking behind them, for such had been the injunction of the priest.
By evening the trench was filled up and the soldiers after crossing
it, encamped for the night and prepared their supper. Charmides seeing
my distress, did all in his power to console me, but to no purpose;
for about the first watch of the night, when all were asleep, I took
my sword, proceeded to the spot and prepared to stab myself upon
the coffin. --"Wretched Leucippe," I exclaimed, "thou most ill-fated
of human kind, I lament not so much thy death, nor thy dying in a
foreign land, nor that it has been a death of violence; but that such
insults have been heaped upon thy misfortunes--that thou hast been
made a victim to purify the most polluted of their kind--that thou
hast been ripped up while yet alive, and able to gaze upon the horrid
process--that thou hast had an accursed altar and coffin for thy joint
grave, the former for thy bowels, the latter for thy body. Had the fire
consumed thy entrails, there would be less cause to grieve; but now,
most horrible, they have been made to furnish forth food to a pirate
band! Ο accursed altar-torch, Ο unheard of banquet! and yet the gods
looked quietly down upon such proceedings,[27] and yet the fire was not
extinguished, but polluted as it was sent up its odour with acceptance
to the deities! Leucippe, thou shalt now receive from me the offering
which befits thee. " After uttering these words, I raised the sword and
was on the point of stabbing myself, when by the light of the moon I
perceived two men hastily running towards me; supposing them to be
buccaneers, I paused in the expectation of being put to death by them;
they soon reached the spot where I was standing and both called aloud
to me, and who should they prove to be, but Satyrus and Menelaus. So
profound was my grief at what had taken place, that though I saw before
me two of my friends unexpectedly alive and well, I neither embraced
them nor felt any emotion of joy.
Seizing my hand they endeavoured to wrest the sword from me. "In the
name of the gods," said I, "grudge me not a welcome death, or rather,
I should say, a medicine for all my ills. Do what you please; I will
no longer remain in life, now that Leucippe is gone. You may indeed
deprive me of this weapon, but there will remain a sword of grief
within which slowly kills and drinks my blood; do you wish that I
should die by this slow and lingering death? " Upon this, interrupting
me, Menelaus said, "If this be your only reason for dying, you may
put up your sword; Leucippe shall soon come to life again. " I looked
steadfastly at him, and exclaimed, "Can you insult me in the midst
of such calamities? --have some regard for hospitable Jove. " Without
farther delay he tapped upon the coffin several times, calling out,
"Leucippe, since Clitopho is incredulous, do you bear witness to the
truth of what I say;" and almost immediately a faint voice was heard
proceeding from the interior. A sudden trembling seized me, and I gazed
upon Menelaus, half believing him to be a sorcerer; he proceeded to
remove the lid, when Leucippe slowly rose and came forth, presenting
the most fearful spectacle which can be imagined; the lower part of
her person was entirely laid open and all her bowels had been removed;
we rushed into each other's embrace and both fell to the ground. When
I had recovered myself a little, I said to Menelaus, "Will you not
explain the meaning of all this? Is not this Leucippe whose face I
behold, whose form I press, and whose voice I hear? What was it which
I witnessed yesterday? Either it was an idle dream, or what I now see
is an unreality; and yet this kiss is warm, loving, and sweet, as
Leucippe's was wont to be. "--"Her bowels shall soon be restored," was
his reply; "the wound on her breast shall be healed, and you shall
behold her sound as ever, but be so good as to cover your eyes, for I
must call Hecate to lend us her assistance. "
Believing him in earnest I followed his directions, and he began to
practise his juggling tricks and to mutter certain sounds, at the same
time removing the contrivances from Leucippe's body and restoring her
to her usual appearance. "Uncover your face," he at length exclaimed.
Slowly and with great trepidation--for I really believed that Hecate
was there--I removed my hands from my eyes, and beheld Leucippe's own
sweet self, unharmed in any way: more astonished than ever, "My dear
Menelaus," said I, "if you are the minister of any god, tell me where
we are, and what all these things mean. "--"Do not frighten him any
more," interrupted Leucippe, "but at once tell him how you contrived
to outwit the buccaneers. "--"You may remember my telling you on board
ship," said Menelaus, "that I am by birth an Egyptian; my property lies
chiefly about this village, and I am consequently well acquainted with
the principal persons in it; when I and Satyrus after being shipwrecked
were thrown on shore we were conducted into the presence of the pirate
chief; some of his people soon recognized me, upon which my chains
were taken off, and after assuring me of safety I was strongly urged to
join their company as being in some degree already known to them. Upon
this I required that Satyrus should be delivered up to me, declaring
him to be a slave of mine: 'Your wish shall be complied with,' they
replied, 'provided you first give some proof of courage in our cause. '
Fortunately they had just then been commanded by an oracle to offer up
a virgin as an expiation for their robber band, and after tasting the
victim's entrails they were to place the body in a coffin and to retire
from the scene of sacrifice. The object of this was to strike terror
into the minds of the hostile force; but," continued he, addressing
Satyrus, "the rest of the story belongs more properly to you. "
"Upon learning that Leucippe was taken captive," said Satyrus,
taking up the narrative, "I felt sincere regret on her behalf, and
urged Menelaus by all means to save her; some good genius came to
our assistance; the day before the sacrifice we were sitting by the
sea-shore, overcome with grief and considering what steps were to be
taken. Some of the buccaneers espying a vessel which had got out of her
course from ignorance of the coast, hurried down to attack her; the
crew endeavoured to put out to sea, but being too late they prepared
for resistance.
"There happened to be among them a stage-player or reciter of Homeric
poetry. [28] Arming himself and the rest after the manner of the heroes
of the Iliad, they offered a brave resistance, but being at last
overpowered by a number of the pirate boats, their vessel was sunk
and themselves were slaughtered. It chanced that after this a chest
floated on shore unperceived by the buccaneers; Menelaus getting it
into a retired spot opened it, supposing it might contain something
valuable; among the contents were a cloak and a sword with a hilt five
palms in length, the blade of which was not so long: while Menelaus
was carelessly handling it, the blade flew out and became equal to the
hilt in length, and a different movement reduced it, to its former
dimensions; the ill-fated owner had no doubt been accustomed to use
it upon the stage for the infliction of mimic wounds. I immediately
said to Menelaus, 'if only you will now give proof of your courage,
the deity will second us, and we shall be able to preserve the maiden
without being discovered by the buccaneers. We will get a sheepskin,
one of the softest and most flexible which can be procured, this we
will sew into the shape of a bag, corresponding in size with the
human stomach, and after filling it with entrails and blood, we will
secure the opening; having done this, we will fasten it upon the
maiden's body, and by throwing over her a robe bound by a girdle and
other fastenings we can easily conceal the artifice. The nature of
the oracle given to the pirates and the construction of the sword,
are both strongly in our favour: the oracle commands that the maiden
when adorned for sacrifice is to be ripped open through her dress; and
as for the sword, you see how artfully it is contrived; if you press
it against the human body, the blade flies into the hilt as into a
scabbard, while all the time it will appear to the beholders to have
been run into the body; on the present occasion just enough of the
blade will remain out to cut open the false stomach as soon as the hilt
reaches the sheepskin, and when withdrawn from the wound, the portion
of the sword contained within the hilt will immediately fly out, so
that it will appear to the spectator that the whole of the weapon was
really plunged into the maiden. The pirates will not discover the
deceit, for as I before said, the skin will be concealed by the dress
put over it, and the entrails will immediately protrude from the gash
which it has made; these we shall place upon the altar, and as no one
is to approach the body, we shall be able to place it in the coffin.
You remember the pirate-captain telling you that you were expected to
display some proof of courage; now is the time to go to him and to make
the offer. '
"I followed up my words by many entreaties, invoking Jove the
hospitable, and reminding Menelaus of our having eaten at the same
board[29] and suffered the same perils of shipwreck. The worthy and
true hearted man replied, 'The undertaking is arduous, but one ought
to be prepared to die in the sake of a friend,[30] and death in such
a cause is sweet. ' I then expressed my belief that Clitopho was still
alive, for the maiden had mentioned to me his being left behind,
among the other prisoners, in addition to which the buccaneers who
had fled, brought word to their captain, that all the captives had
contrived to escape into the enemy's ranks during the engagement. 'You
will therefore,' I added, 'be doing him a very great kindness and
will also be the means of delivering this unhappy maiden out of her
misfortunes. ' I succeeded in persuading him, and Fortune favoured us
in our undertaking. While I was busied in preparing what was needed
for our contrivance, Menelaus proceeded to the buccaneers to make the
proposal already mentioned. The chief, by a lucky chance, anticipated
him, and said, 'We have a law, that new comers[31] amongst us, should
first begin the sacrifice, especially when a human victim is to be
offered; be ready therefore against to-morrow; your slave also must
take part in the solemnity. '--'We will endeavour,' replied Menelaus,
'to show ourselves not inferior to any among yourselves. '--'Remember,'
added the pirate-chief, 'that it will be for you to dress and arrange
the maiden in the best manner for consummating the sacrifice. '[32]
Afterwards, when alone, we took the opportunity of fitting out
Leucippe in the manner before related, bidding her have no fear, and
carefully instructing her what to do, enjoining her to remain quiet
in the coffin, if necessary, the whole day, but when an opportunity
offered to seek safety by flying to the encampment; having given her
these directions we led her to the altar: what afterwards occurred you
already know. "
While listening to this narrative, I was overwhelmed by a variety
of feelings, and did not know how sufficiently to express my deep
gratitude to Menelaus; I however adopted the most common method, and
throwing myself at his feet, I embraced his knees and worshipped him
as a god, my heart thrilling with delight. Being now easy concerning
Leucippe, "What," I inquired, "has become of Clinias? " "The last time I
saw him," replied Menelaus, "was when he was clinging to the yard after
the shipwreck; what afterwards became of him I cannot tell. "
Upon hearing this, I could not repress a cry of grief in the midst of
my joy; no doubt some malignant genius envied me the possession of
pure and unalloyed happiness; for this cause doubtless, he whom next
to Leucippe I most valued, was especially selected as a victim by the
sea, that not only his soul might perish,[33] but that he might lose
the rights of sepulture. Oh, ruthless ocean, thus to curtail the full
measure of thy mercy towards us!
There being nothing to detain us longer, we all repaired to the
encampment, and passed the rest of the night in my tent; nor was
it long before the adventure became known. At daybreak, conducting
Menelaus to the commander, I related every particular; Charmides was
highly pleased, and expressed himself in the most friendly terms
towards him. He next inquired what the strength of the enemy amounted
to. Menelaus replied, "That the whole place was full of desperate men,
and that the buccaneers numbered perhaps ten thousand men. "
"Our five thousand," said Charmides, "will be a match for twenty
thousand such as they are: besides which two thousand men will shortly
arrive from the troops who garrison the Delta and Heliopolis. "
While he was still speaking, a boy came in and said that an express
had come from the camp in the Delta, to announce that the expected
reinforcement would not arrive for five days; the incursions of the
buccaneers in that quarter had been repressed indeed, but when the
troops were on the point of marching, the sacred[34] bird, bearing the
sepulchre of his father, had appeared among them, and on this account
the march must be delayed during the period mentioned.
"And pray," inquired I, "what bird is this which is treated with such
respect?
What sepulchre is it which he carries with him? "--"He is
called the Phœnix," was the reply; "and is a native of Ethiopia; he
is about the size of the peacock, but superior to him in beauty; his
plumage is bedropt with gold and purple,[35] and he boasts of being
descended from the sun, a claim which is borne out by the appearance
of his head, which is crowned by a splendid circle, the very image of
that orb. [36] The hues are mingled rose and azure, and the disposition
of the feathers represent the rays. He belongs to the Ethiopians during
his life, but the Egyptians possess him after he is dead. He is very
long lived,[37] and upon his decease; his son bears him to the Nile,
having first prepared his sepulchre in the following manner. Taking
a mass of the most fragrant myrrh, sufficient for the purpose, he
excavates the centre with his beak, and the hollow becomes a receptacle
for the dead; then closing up the aperture with earth, he soars aloft
and carries this fruit of his pious labour to the Nile. A flight of
other birds attends him,[38] as a guard of honour, and he resembles
a monarch making a progress. He never deviates from the place of his
destination, the city of the sun, which is the resting-place of the
departed bird; upon arriving there he stations himself upon an elevated
spot, and awaits the arrival of the minister of religion. Presently
an Egyptian priest comes forth from the sanctuary, bearing a book
containing a picture of the bird, in order that he may judge whether
it be genuine. The phœnix, aware of this, opens the receptacle, and
exhibiting the body, makes intercession for its interment;[39] after
which it is received by the sons of the priest and buried; thus, as I
have already observed, this bird is an Ethiopian during his lifetime,
but makes his grave with the Egyptians. "
[Footnote 1: περιάγειν τὴν κεραίαν. Two ropes hung from the horns of
the antenna or yard, the use of which was to turn it round as the wind
veered, so as to keep the sail opposite the wind. See a cut at p. 52 of
the Greek and Rom. Antiq.
"Cornua velatarum obvertimus antennarum. "--Æn. iii. 549.
"At sunset they began to take in sail,
For the sky showed it would come on to blow,
And carry away, perhaps, a mast or so. "--Byron.
]
[Footnote 2: In the original the movements of the passengers are
described by the words δἰαυλος and δρόμος δολιχὸς, expressions
referring to the stadium, where the runners turned round the goal and
came back to the starting-place. ]
[Footnote 3:
"The high wind made the treble, and as bass
The hoarse harsh waves kept time. "--Byron.
]
[Footnote 4: γέῥῤα; these appear to mean the παραῤῥύματα, made of skins
and wicker-work, raised above the edge of the vessel, and intended as a
protection against high waves, &c. --See Dict. Grk. and Rom. Antiq. ]
[Footnote 5:
"Tollimur in cœlum curvato gurgite; et iidem
Subductâ ad manes imos descendimus undâ. "
Virg. Æn. iii. 564.
]
[Footnote 6:
"Strange sounds of wailing, blasphemy, devotion,
Clamour'd in chorus to the roaring ocean. "--Byron.
]
[Footnote 7:
"O Lord! methought what pain it was to drown!
What dreadful noise of water in mine ears!
What sights of ugly death within mine eyes!
. . . . . .
. . . often did I strive
To yield the ghost, but still the envious flood
Kept in my soul, and would not let it forth
To seek the empty, vast, and wand'ring air,
But smother'd it within my panting bulk,
Which almost burst to belch it in the sea. "
Shaksp. Richard III.
]
[Footnote 8: So named from Mount Casius near Pelusium, where he had a
temple. ]
[Footnote 9: "It seems likely that the productivity of nature was
symbolized by the fruit, remarkable as it was for the number of seeds
it contained. "--Note in Blakesley's Herod. , vii. 41. ]
[Footnote 10: κατὰ τὸν οπισθόδομον. ]
[Footnote 11:
μαστούς τ'ἔδειξε, στέρνα, θ' ὡς ἀγάλματος
κάλλιστα. --Eurip. Hec. 560.
]
[Footnote 12: αὐτoσκέδιος τάφος. ]
[Footnote 13: ἐκόσμησεν εὐμόρφῳ φόβῳ. ]
[Footnote 14: Tatius is supposed to mean the silkworm, which he calls
πτηνός, from its changing into a butterfly.
"Quid nemora Æthiopum molli canentia lanâ
Velleraque ut foliis depectant Seres. "--Virg. G. ii. 120.
In the 10th Book of the Ethiopics, the productions of the silkworm are
called "ἀραχνίων νήματα καὶ ὑφάσματα. "]
[Footnote 15: To put on Pluto's helmet was a proverb for becoming
invisible. See Hom. Il. v. 844. In Crabbe's "Parish Register" the coat
is made to serve the same purpose:---
"His shoes of swiftness on his feet he placed,
His _coat_ of darkness on his loins he brac'd,
His sword of sharpness in his hand he took. "
]
[Footnote 16:
". . . rostroque immanis vultur obunco
Immortale jecur tandens, fœcundaque pœnis
Viscera, rimaturque epulis, habitaque sub alto
Pectore. "--Æn. vi. 697.
]
[Footnote 17: εἰs τους δακτύλους ἀποξύνεται. ]
[Footnote 18:
"Then seizing fast the reed, he drew the barb
Home to his bow, the bowstring to his breast,
And when the horn was rounded to an arch
He twang'd it. "--Homer, Il. iv. 123.
]
[Footnote 19: By comparing the description of the piratical haunt
called the Pasturage (in the 1st Bk. of the Ethiopics) with that here
given us of the personal appearance of the pirates, together with the
account of their stronghold at the end of the 4th Book, we are enabled
to form a good idea of the Egyptian βουκόλοι or buccaneers, and of
their way of life. ]
[Footnote 20: τὸν θρῆνον ὀρχἠσομαι. ]
[Footnote 21: νυμφαγωγός. Tatius probably used the term with reference
to Leucippe being taken to the pirate-chief. The strict sense of the
word will be found at p. 599 of Greek and Roman Antiquities. ]
[Footnote 22: "Curæ leves loquuntur; ingentes stupent. "--Sen. Hipp. A.
2. S. iii. ]
[Footnote 23: In the Second Book of the "Ethiopics," the author remarks
on this peculiarity of the Buccaneers:--"βονκόλοι γὰρ ἅλλα τε πρὸς
το φοβερώτερον φαίνεσθαι, καὶ δὴ καὶ τὴν κόμην εἰς ὀφρὺν ἕλκουσι καὶ
σοβοῦσι τῶν ὥμων ἐπιβαίνουσαν. "]
[Footnote 24: In Xen. Cyrop. ii. 3. 17, there is an account of a sham
fight, where half the soldiers pelt with clods, the other half armed
with canes. ]
[Footnote 25:
. . . . "I did consent,
And often did beguile her of her tears,
When I did speak of some distressful stroke
That my youth suffer'd. My story being done,
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs.
. . . . . .
She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd
And I lov'd her that she did pity them. "--Shaksp. Othello.
]
[Footnote 26:
"Post terga juvenum nobiles revocat manus,
Et mœsta vittâ capita purpureâ ligat;
Non thura desunt, non sacer Bacchi liquor.
. . . . . .
Ipse--sacerdos--ipse funestâ prece
Letale carmen _ore violento_ canit. "
Sen. Thyestes. iv. 686.
]
[Footnote 27:
. . . . "Magne regnator Deum.
Tam lentus audis scelera? tam lentus vides
Ecquando sævâ fulmen emittes manu,
Si nunc serenum est? "--Sen. Hipp. 671.
]
[Footnote 28: ῥαψωδός--one of a class of persons who got their living
by reciting the poems of Homer, and who is here represented as
accoutreing himself and the others in character. ]
[Footnote 29: Tὸ ὁμοτράπεζου--to have eaten at the same table, was
considered an inviolable obligation to friendship; and ἅλα καὶ τράπεζαν
πάραβαίνειν, to transgress the salt and the table; or in other words to
break the laws of hospitality and to injure those by whom they had been
entertained, was considered one of the greatest crimes. --Robinson's
Antiq. of Greece. ]
[Footnote 30:
"Thy friend put in thy bosome;. . .
. . . . . .
If cause require, thou art his sacrifice. "
George Herbert.
]
[Footnote 31: τοὺς πρωτομὐστ ας. ]
[Footnote 32: πρὸς τὴν ἀνατομήν. ]
[Footnote 33: This passage may be illustrated by one which occurs in B.
v. "It is said that the souls of those who have found a watery grave
do not descend to Hades, but wander about the surface of the waves. "
Death by shipwreck, where the body was swallowed up by the deep, was
especially dreaded by the ancients, since without burial of the body,
the soul could not be admitted into the Elysian Fields. --See Ovid,
Trist. i. 2, 61. Virg. Æn. vi. 325, 330. ]
[Footnote 34: Compare the description of the Phœnix with those in
Tacitus, Annal. vi. 28, and in Herod. ii. 73, where see a note in
Blakesley's edit. The object of which is to show that by the Phœnix is
meant a secular period. ]
[Footnote 35: Pliny says, "Auri fulgore circà colla, cetera purpureus,
cæruleam roseis caudam pennis distinguentibus. "--Η. N. x. 2. ]
[Footnote 36:
"Æquatur toto capiti radiata corona
Phœbei referens, verticis alta decus. "
Auctor Carm. incert.
]
[Footnote 37: Five hundred years according to Herodotus, according to
other writers 1560 years. ]
[Footnote 38: "Multo cæterarum volucrum comitatu novam faciem
mirantium. "--Tac. Ann. vi. 28. ]
[Footnote 39: καὶ ἐστι ἐπιτάφιος σοφιστής. ]
BOOK IV.
Upon hearing of the preparations made by the buccaneers, and of the
march of the reinforcements being postponed, Charmides resolved upon
returning to his former quarters, and there to await their arrival. A
lodging was assigned by him to Leucippe and me at a little distance. No
sooner had I entered it, than taking her in my arms, I endeavoured to
accomplish my wishes; she would not consent however, upon which I said
to her: "Do you not observe how many strange and unforeseen accidents
befall us; first we are shipwrecked, then we come into the hands of
pirates, and next you are exposed to be sacrificed, and to undergo a
cruel death. Fortune has just now lulled the storm, let us, therefore,
take advantage of the opportunity, before any yet severer calamity
overtakes us. "
"It is not lawful for me to consent now," was her reply; "for while I
was bewailing myself at the prospect of being sacrificed, the goddess
Diana appeared to me in a dream and said: 'Weep not, maiden, thou shalt
not die; I will protect thee, and thou must remain a virgin until I
conduct thee to thine husband, who shall be Clitopho, and no one else.
