The Nile produces another monster, more noted for
strength
than even
the river-horse, I mean the crocodile.
the river-horse, I mean the crocodile.
Scriptori Erotici Graeci
.
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. '"
Upon hearing this circumstance, I was very much annoyed at the delay,
but yet rejoiced at the prospect of future happiness opened to me;
and her mention of the dream reminded me of something similar which
had happened to myself. I thought that during the preceding night I
saw the temple of Venus, and could discern the statue of the goddess
within; upon approaching it with the design of offering up my prayers,
the doors were suddenly closed, and while standing there in a state of
disappointment, a female strongly resembling the statue of the goddess
appeared to me and said: "It is not permitted thee to enter the temple
now; but if thou wilt wait for a short period, I will not only open to
thee its doors, but will constitute thee my priest. " I related this
dream to Leucippe, and although my attempts upon her chastity were not
repeated, I could not get over my feelings of vexation.
An occurrence which just then took place gave Charmides an opportunity
of seeing Leucippe and conceiving a passion for her. Some person had
captured a very curious river animal, called by the Egyptians the
Nile-horse, and in truth he resembles that animal in his belly and
legs, except that he has cloven hoofs;[1] his size is equal to that
of the largest ox; he has a short tail, which as well as his body, is
devoid of hair; his head is large and round, with cheeks like those of
a horse; his nostrils are widely expanded and breathe out sparks, as it
were, of fiery vapours;[2] he has an immense under-jaw, which opens to
nearly the length of his head, and it is garnished with canine teeth
like those of a horse in shape and position, but three times as large.
We were invited to see this creature, and looked at it with great
interest; but the eyes of the commander were rivetted upon Leucippe, of
whom he immediately became enamoured.
In order to detain us there the longer, and by this means to feast his
own eyes, he entered upon a lengthy description of the animal, its
nature and habits, and the manner in which it is captured; that it
is so voracious as to eat up a whole field of corn, and is taken by
employing the following stratagem. Having found out his usual haunt,
the hunters dig a deep pit, which they cover with reeds and earth,
underneath is placed a wooden chest with open doors which reach to the
top of the pit. The animal in passing over the spot at once falls into
the chest as into a cave, when the hunters, who have been on the watch,
immediately close the doors, and in this manner secure their prey. It
would be in vain to attempt capturing him by force; for not only is he
very powerful, but has a hide so hard and thick[3] as to render him
proof against any wounds; he may be called the Egyptian elephant, and
in strength comes next to the elephant of India.
"Have you ever seen an elephant? " inquired Menelaus. "I have," replied
Charmides, "and have conversed with persons well acquainted with the
peculiarity attending its birth. "
I here remarked that the animal was known to me only having seen a
picture of it. "Well, then," continued he, "I will give you an account
of it; for we have abundance of leisure. The time of gestation with
the female is ten years,[4] so that when she brings forth her calf he
is already old. To this cause we may, in my opinion, attribute his
great bulk, his unrivalled strength, and his longevity; for he is said
to live longer than Hesiod's crow. [5] His jaw may be said to resemble
the head of an ox, for it appears to have two horns; these, however,
are the curved tusks of the animal, between them projects his trunk,
resembling a trumpet in appearance and size, which is very convenient
for taking up his accustomed food or any other edible; anything of this
description he seizes with it, and bending it inwards, conveys it to
his mouth; but if unsuited for his palate, he turns round his trunk,
and extending it upwards delivers the article to the Ethiopian master,
who sits upon him as a rider does on a horse, and whom he caresses and
also fears, obeying his voice, and submitting to be beaten with an
iron axe. I remember once seeing a strange sight, a Greek inserted his
head into the mouth of the animal, which with expanded jaws continued
to breathe upon him. As you may imagine, I was not a little struck
with the boldness of the man and the good-nature of the elephant. The
man told me that he had given the beast a fee for breathing upon him,
that his breath was almost equal to Indian spices, and was a sovereign
specific against the head-ache. It appears that the elephant is aware
of his medical skill, and will not open his mouth for nothing, but like
a self-conceited physician, asks for his fee beforehand; upon receiving
it he becomes all complaisance, expands his jaws, and keeps his mouth
open as long as the patient pleases, knowing that he has received a
consideration for his breath. "
"How comes so ill-favoured an animal to have so fragrant a breath? "
I asked. "From the nature of the food upon which he feeds," said
Charmides. "The country of the Indians is near the sun; they first
behold the rising of that deity, they feel his hottest rays, and from
his influence their skin acquires its hue. [6] Now there is in Greece
a dark-coloured flower, which among the Indians is not a flower but a
leaf, like those which are seen on any tree; in that land it conceals
its fragrance, and is therefore in little estimation; either it does
not care for celebrity among its countrymen, or else it grudges them
its sweetness; but if only it leave that country and be transplanted,
it opens its secret treasure-house, instead of a leaf becomes a flower,
and clothes itself with perfume. The Indians call this the black
rose, and it is as common a food for the elephant as among us grass is
for oxen; and from feeding upon it, almost from its birth, the animal
exhales the fragrance of his food, and his breath becomes a fount of
sweets. "[7]
When Charmides had ended his dissertation and we were departed,
he not long after--for whoever burns with the fire of love cannot
endure delay--sent for Menelaus, and taking his hand, thus addressed
him:--"Your conduct to Clitopho shows you to be a sincere friend, nor
shall you have to complain of want of friendship upon my part. I have
a favour to request which it is easy for you to grant, and by granting
it you will preserve my life. Know that I am desperately smitten with
Leucippe; you must heal the wound; she is in your debt for having saved
her. [8] Now I will give you fifty gold pieces for the good service
which I require, and she herself shall receive as many as she pleases. "
"Keep your gold," replied Menelaus, "for those who make a traffic of
their favours; you have already received me into your friendship, and
it shall be my endeavour to promote your wishes. "
Immediately afterwards he came to me and related the whole matter.
After deliberating what course to adopt, dissimulation appeared most
feasible, since it would have been dangerous to give him an absolute
refusal, for fear of his employing violence, and it was wholly out of
our power to escape, surrounded as we were by the buccaneers in one
direction, and by his troops on the other.
Returning to Charmides after a short interval, Menelaus said:--"Your
object is accomplished. At first the maiden gave a downright refusal,
but at length, upon my redoubling my entreaties and reminding her of
her debt of gratitude towards me, she consented; stipulating, however,
for a few days' delay until we can reach Alexandria; for this place
being a mere village, everything becomes known, and there are many eyes
upon us. "
"You fix a long postponement to your favour," said Charmides. "Who
can think of deferring his wishes in time of war? With an engagement
before him, and so many ways of death, how can the soldier tell whether
his life will be spared? If you will prevail on Fortune to guarantee
my safety, I will wait. Consider that I am about to fight these
buccaneers, and all the while a war of a different kind is raging in my
soul; a warrior armed with bow and arrow, is committing havoc there;
I feel myself vanquished; I am full of wounds; prithee send for the
leech with speed, for the danger presses. I shall have to carry fire
and sword among the enemy, but love has already kindled his torch to my
destruction; extinguish this flame, I beseech, good Menelaus; it will
be a fair omen to join in love before we join in battle; let Venus,
therefore, herald me on my way to Mars. "
"But you do not consider," rejoined Menelaus, "how difficult it is
to avoid discovery from her intended husband, who is so enamoured of
her. "--"Oh! as for Clitopho, we can easily get him out of the way,"
said Charmides.
Seeing him so firmly bent upon his purpose, Menelaus began to have
fears for my safety, and suddenly he thought himself of a fresh excuse.
"If you must know her real motive for this delay, it is that her
monthly sickness is upon her, consequently she must abstain from sexual
intercourse. "--"In that case," said the other, "I will wait three or
four days, which will be quite sufficient; but in the meanwhile she
can, at any rate, come and talk to me. I can hear her voice, press her
hand, and touch her person, and kiss her lips. Her indisposition need
be no impediment to this. "
When Menelaus told this to me, I exclaimed, that I would sooner die
than have Leucippe bestow her lips upon another. "A kiss," I said, "is
the best part of love; the moment of actual enjoyment is soon over,
and brings with it satiety,[9] and is indeed worth nothing if we take
away the kissing. A kiss need have no limit to its duration; it never
cloys, it is always new. [10] Three things, excellent in their nature,
proceed from the mouth, the breath, the voice, and last of all, the
kiss, of which the lips are the instruments, but the seat of pleasure
is in the soul. Believe me, Menelaus, for my troubles compel me to
reveal the secret,[11] these are the only favours which I have received
from Leucippe; she is a woman only as having been kissed by me; in all
other respects she is still a virgin. I will not put up with the loss
of them; I will not have my kisses adulterously dallied with. "[12]
"If such be the case," said Menelaus, "we must speedily resolve upon
some plan; one who is in love (like Charmides) as long as he has a hope
of success will wait and feed on expectation, but if driven to despair,
his love changes into hate and urges him to take vengeance upon the
obstacle to his desires; and supposing he has the power to do this with
impunity, the very fact of being free from fear deepens his resentment
and urges him on to his revenge. " In the midst of our deliberation
some one hastily entered, and informed us that Leucippe while walking
about had suddenly fallen down, and lay there wildly rolling her eyes.
We hurried to her, and finding her still lying on the ground, we asked
what ailed her? No sooner did she see me, than starting up and glaring
fiercely from her blood-shot eyes, she struck me with violence upon
the face, and when Menelaus endeavoured to support her, she proceeded
to kick his shins. Perceiving that she was labouring under frenzy, we
seized her by main force and endeavoured to overpower her, she on her
part resisted, and in her struggles was at no pains to hide what women
generally wish to keep concealed. So great was the disturbance that at
length the commander himself came in, and witnessed what was going on.
At first he was suspicious of some fraud contrived against himself,
and looked sternly upon Menelaus; but seeing the truth, he became moved
by feelings of compassion.
Meanwhile cords were brought and the unhappy maiden was bound; upon
seeing her hands confined in this manner, I besought Menelaus (all but
a few having left the tent) to set her arms at liberty; "her tender
arms," I said, "cannot endure this harsh treatment; leave me with her
alone; my arms shall be her fetters, and she may exhaust her frenzy
upon, me: why, indeed, should I wish to live, since Leucippe no longer
knows me? How can I behold her lying thus bound, and though having
the power, shew no desire to release her? Has Fortune delivered us
from the hands of buccaneers only that she may fall a prey to madness?
Unhappy that we are, when will our condition change? We escape dangers
at home only to be overtaken by the shipwreck; saved from the fury
of the sea and freed from pirates, we were reserved for the present
visitation--madness! Even shouldst thou recover thy senses, dearest, I
fear lest the evil genius may have something worse in store! Who can be
pronounced more unhappy than ourselves, who have cause to dread even
what bears the appearance of good fortune! Let Fortune, however, again
make us her sport, provided only I can see thee restored to health and
sense! " Menelaus and those present did all they could to comfort me,
saying that such maladies were not lasting, and were very common in
the hot season of youth; at such a time the young blood, heated by the
vigour of the body, runs boiling through the veins, and overflowing the
brain drowns the powers of reason; the proper course, therefore, would
be to have medical advice.
Menelaus went to the commander without delay, and requested that the
physician belonging to the troops might be called in. Charmides readily
complied, for a lover delights in granting favours. After visiting
her, he said, "we must make her sleep in order to subdue the paroxysm
of her disease; for sleep is the medicine of every sickness,[13] and
afterwards we will have recourse to other means. " Before leaving her,
he gave us a portion of some drug, about the size of a pea, which was
to be dissolved in oil and rubbed upon the top of her head, saying that
he would shortly bring a pill to act upon her bowels. We followed his
directions, and after her head had been rubbed for a short time, she
fell asleep, and slept till morning. I sat by her bed side all night in
tears, and when I saw the cords which still confined her hands, I could
not help exclaiming, "Dearest Leucippe, bondage is still thy portion;
not even in sleep is liberty allowed thee! What images, I wonder, are
now passing before thy mind? Does sense attend upon thy sleep? or
do thy dreams also partake of frenzy? " Upon waking she uttered some
incoherent words. Soon after the physician came and administered the
other medicine.
Just at this time pressing orders arrived from the Viceroy of Egypt
urging the commander to lead his men against the enemy. The troops were
immediately mustered with their officers, and appeared on the ground
in marching order, when, after giving them the watchword, he dismissed
them to their quarters for the night, and next morning led them out to
battle.
I will now describe the nature of the district against which they
marched. The Nile flows in an unbroken stream from Egyptian Thebes as
far as Memphis, when it throws out a small branch. Where the wide part
of the river terminates, stands the village Cercasorum[14]; there the
country becomes intersected by three streams; two flowing respectively
to the right and left; the other continuing its onward course
traverses the district called the Delta; none of these streams flow
uninterruptedly to the sea, but upon reaching different cities separate
into various branches, all of them larger than any Grecian rivers; its
waters nevertheless are not enfeebled and rendered useless by the
many divisions in their course; they bear vessels upon their surface;
they are used for drinking, and contribute to fertilize the land. The
mighty Nile is all in all to the Egyptians, both land and river, and
sea and lake, and a singular spectacle it is to see in juxtaposition
the ship and the mattock, the oar and the plough, the rudder and the
hook,[15] sailors' cabins and labourers' huts, a resort for fishes and
a resting-place for oxen; where but lately a ship sailed, is seen a
cultivated plain, and anon the cultivated plain becomes a watery space;
for the Nile periodically comes and goes, and the Egyptians count the
days and anxiously await the inundation, while the river on his part
keeps to his appointed time, regulates the rising of his waters, and
never exposes himself to the imputation of unpunctuality. Then comes
the rivalry between the land and water; each exerts its power against
the other; the water strives to flood the land, and the land does its
endeavour to absorb the fertilizing water; in the end, conquest can
be assigned to neither, but both may claim the victory, for each is
co-extensive with the other. In the pasturage which is the resort of
the buccaneers, a quantity of water is at all times found, for even
when the Nile retires, the lakes formed by its inundation continue
filled with watery mud; over these the inhabitants can either wade on
foot or pass in boats, each of which will contain one person; any other
kind would be imbedded in the mud, but those which they employ are so
light[16] as to require very little water, and should none be found
they take them on their backs, and proceed on foot until they arrive at
more. These lakes, which I have mentioned, are dotted over with islets,
some of them uninhabited, but abounding in papyrus reeds, between the
intervals of which there is only room for a man to stand, while the
space above is overarched by the summits of the leaves; it is in these
places that the buccaneers assemble, and secretly concert their plans,
masked by these reeds as by a fort. Some of the islets have huts upon
them, presenting the appearance of a rudely constructed town, which
serve as the dwellings of the pirates. One of them, more remarkable
than the other for its extent and for the number of its huts, was
called Nicochis, and here it was that the main body of the freebooters
was collected; confiding in their numbers, and in the strength of their
position, the place being entirely insulated by lagoons, except for a
narrow causeway the eighth of a mile long and seventy feet wide. As
soon as they were aware of the commander's approach, they had recourse
to the following stratagem:--mustering all the old men, they equipped
them as suppliants, with palm branches, commanding the most able-bodied
among the youth to follow, armed with swords and shields. The old men
were to hold aloft their suppliant branches, the foliage of which
would serve to conceal those in the rear,[17] who, by way of farther
precaution, were directed to stoop and trail their spears along the
ground.
In case the commander yielded to the old men's supplications, the
others were to make no hostile movements; if, on the contrary, he
should reject their entreaties, they were to invite him to their
city, with the offer of there surrendering themselves up to death; if
he agreed to follow them, upon arriving at the middle of the narrow
causeway, the old men, at a preconcerted signal, were to throw away
their branches and make their escape, while the others were to make
an assault with might and main. They proceeded to execute these
directions, and upon approaching the commander, entreated him to
reverence their old age and suppliant branches, and to take pity upon
their town; they offered him a present of a hundred talents of silver
for himself, together with an hundred hostages, to be forwarded by him
to the seat of goverment. [18]
They were quite sincere in making these proposals, and would have
fulfilled them faithfully had he consented; upon his refusal, "We must
then," said they, "submit to our destiny; at least grant us this one
favour: do not put us to death at a distance from our town, conduct
us to our 'fatherland,' to our hearths and homes, and there let us
find our grave. We ourselves are ready to lead the way! " Upon hearing
these words, Charmides laid aside his dispositions for battle, and
ordered his forces to follow leisurely. The buccaneers had meanwhile
posted some scouts at a distance, who were to watch the movements of
the enemy, and who, when they had reached the causeway, were to let
out the waters upon them. The canals which issue from the branches of
the Nile have high banks, to hinder the river from flooding the land
before the time, and when the fields require watering, a portion of the
bank is cut through. Now there was a long and wide canal behind the
town which we are speaking of; those who were stationed for the purpose
cut through the banks as soon as they saw the enemy approaching, and
in a moment the old men fled, the others charged with their spears, on
rolled the waters rising higher and higher, the causeway was flooded,
and all around became a sea.
The buccaneers at the first onset speared the foremost of the enemy,
together with their commander, who were taken by surprise, and
therefore quite unprepared, and it is difficult to describe the various
ways in which the others perished. Some fell before they could even
handle their weapons; some before they could offer any resistance;
for to see their assailants and to receive their own death-wound was
simultaneous; others were slain before they could see the hand which
slew them; some overcome by terror, remained motionless awaiting
death; others upon attempting to move were taken off their legs by the
force of the stream, while others again, who had betaken themselves to
flight, were carried along and drowned in the deep part of the lagoons,
where the water was above their heads; those even who were upon land
had water up to their middles, which, by turning aside their shields,
exposed their bodies to the enemy. The difficulty of knowing what
was land and what was not, retarded many, and was the cause of their
being taken prisoners; while others supposing themselves still on land
came into deep water and were drowned; here were to be seen mishaps
and wrecks of an unwonted kind,--a land engagement on the water, and a
wreck upon the land. [19]
The buccaneers were greatly elated by their success, and attributed
their victory not to fraud but to their own valour; for among the
Egyptians their fear degenerates into abject cowardice, and their
courage mounts to rashness; in this respect they are always in
extremes, and are wholly subject either to the excess or the defect.
Ten days had now passed and Leucippe was no better; upon one occasion
while asleep she cried out in a frenzied manner, "Gorgias, it is thou
who hast driven me mad! "[20] I told Menelaus of this in the morning,
and began to consider whether there was any one in the village of that
name. We were just going out, when a young man met and accosted me,
saying, "I am come to save you and your wife. " Perfectly astounded,
and thinking that his coming was providential, "Are you Gorgias? " I
inquired. --"No," replied he, "my name is Chæreas; Gorgias is the cause
of all the mischief. " I felt a thrill run through me, as I asked, "What
mischief do you mean? Who is Gorgias? Some deity betrayed his name to
me last night; be you an interpreter of the announcement. "
"Gorgias," he resumed, "was an Egyptian soldier; he is now no more,
having been slain by the buccaneers. He conceived a passion for your
wife, and being well acquainted with the nature of drugs, he compounded
a love philtre which he persuaded your Egyptian servant to mix with
Leucippe's drink; he neglected to dilute the potion, so that instead
of producing love it brought on madness. I was informed of all this
yesterday by Gorgias' servant, who accompanied his master against the
buccaneers, and who seems to have been specially preserved by Fortune
for your sake. He asks four pieces of gold for effecting your wife's
recovery, having, as he says, a drug which will counteract the effects
of that which has been administered. " "All blessings attend you for
this good service! " I exclaimed; "pray bring the man here of whom you
speak. "
No sooner was he departed on this errand, than going in to the
Egyptian, I struck him repeatedly about the head with my clenched fist,
saying at every blow, "What was it which you gave Leucippe? What is
it which has caused her madness? " The fellow in his fright confessed
everything, confirming what Chæreas had already said; upon which we
thrust him into prison, and there kept him. By this time Chæreas had
returned, bringing the man with him. "Here are your four gold pieces as
the reward for your seasonable information; but before you proceed to
do anything, hear my opinion. As this lady's illness has been caused by
swallowing a drug, I cannot but think it dangerous to administer more
physic while the stomach is already under the influence of medicine;
tell me, therefore, what are the ingredients in your proposed remedy,
and compound it in my presence; upon these conditions I will give
you four more gold pieces. " "Your apprehensions are reasonable," he
replied; "but the ingredients in my medicine are all common and fit
for human food, and I will myself swallow the same quantity which I
give the lady. " After specifying the various ingredients, he sent some
one out to procure them; and as soon as they were brought, he pounded
them together in our presence, made two draughts of them, saying, "one
of them I will drink off, the other is for the lady; it will make her
sleep all night, and in the morning she will awake quite recovered. " He
then swallowed the draught, and ordered the other to be taken at night.
"I must now go and lie down," he said, "under the influence of the
medicine. " With these words he left us, having received the stipulated
sum, and with the assurance of the additional reward being paid him, if
Leucippe should recover. When the hour arrived for administering the
draught, I poured it out, and thus addressed it:
"Offspring of the Earth, gift of Æsculapius, may the promises made of
thee be verified; shew thyself propitious and preserve my beloved;
subdue the power of that ruthless potion. " Thus having entered into
a kind of compact with the medicine, I kissed the cup and give it to
Leucippe. She soon fell into a profound sleep, and while sitting beside
her I said to her, as if she could still hear me, "Wilt thou really
recover thy senses? Wilt thou know me again? Shall I hear that dear
voice of thine? Give some token in thy sleep, as yesternight thou didst
concerning Gorgias; happier are thy sleeping than thy waking hours;
frenzy is thy portion when awake, but thou art inspired by Wisdom when
asleep. "
At length my words and thoughts were interrupted by the
anxiously-expected break of day, and I heard Leucippe's voice calling
me by name. Instantly I hurried to her side, and inquired how she felt;
she appeared to have no knowledge of what had passed, and seeing that
her hands were bound, expressed surprise, and inquired who had tied
them. Finding her restored to her right mind, I undid the knots in
great agitation, through excess of joy, and then related to her all
particulars. She blushed upon learning what had passed, and almost
believed herself to be still committing the same extravagance; but my
assurances gradually soothed and restored her to herself. Gladly did
I pay the man the sum which had been promised him, and fortunately
our finances[21] were in safety, for Satyrus had our money about his
person[22] at the time when we were shipwrecked, and neither he nor
Menelaus had been plundered by the buccaneers. While what I have been
relating took place, a much more powerful force arrived from the seat
of government, which succeeded in completely destroying the pirate
settlement.
As the river was now freed from any dangers on the part of these
marauders, we prepared to sail for Alexandria, accompanied by Chæreas,
for whom we had conceived a friendship on account of the discovery
which he had made to us about the potion. He was a native of the
Isle of Pharos, and his calling that of a fisherman; he had served
in a naval expedition against the buccaneers, and at its termination
had been discharged. The river which, owing to the depredations of
the pirates, had for a long time been deserted, was now crowded with
vessels; and a pleasant thing it was to hear the songs of the sailors
and the mirth of the passengers, and to see so many craft passing up
and down. Our voyage was like a continuous festival, and the river
itself seemed to be keeping holiday. [23] I for the first time drank
some of the Nile water, without any admixture of wine, being desirous
to test its sweetness,--and wine, I may remark, always spoils the
flavour of water. Having filled a transparent crystal glass, the liquid
vied with, nay, surpassed it in brightness. It was sweet to the taste,
and had an agreeable coldness, whereas some of the Grecian rivers are
so very cold as to be injurious to the health. On this account the
Egyptians have no fear in drinking its water, and stand in no need of
wine. [24] Their way of drinking struck me as being curious. They do not
draw up the water in a bucket, neither do they use any other cup than
that which Nature has supplied,--their hand; when any one is thirsty
he stoops over the side of the vessel, and, receiving the water in the
hollow of his hand, jerks it upwards with such dexterity, that it is
received into the open mouth, and not a drop is lost.
The Nile produces another monster, more noted for strength than even
the river-horse, I mean the crocodile. [25] His shape is between that
of a fish and a large animal. His length from head to tail is great,
and out of proportion to his breadth; his skin is rough with scales;
the surface of his back hard and of a black colour, while the belly
is white. He has four legs, which bend in an oblique direction,
like those of the land tortoise; his tail is long and thick, forming
a solid mass, and differing from that of other animals in being the
continuation of the spine, and therefore a constituent part of the
body, and on the top it is set with sharp spines, like the teeth of a
saw. It serves the crocodile for an implement with which to capture
his prey; he strikes with it against his antagonist, and a single
stroke will inflict several wounds. His head grows directly out of
his shoulders in one line, for Nature has concealed his neck. [26] The
most formidable part about him are his jaws, which open to an immense
extent; so long as they remain closed they form a head, but when
expanded to take in its prey, they become all mouth; (the animal, I
may observe, moves only the upper jaw) for so great is their expansion
that it reaches to the shoulders and to the orifice of the stomach. He
has many teeth, which are disposed in long rows: they are said to equal
the days of the year in number. Were you to see the animal on land, you
would not suppose him to be possessed of so much strength, judging from
his size.
[Footnote 1: Herod. ii. 71, commits the same error, using the
expression δίχηλον, whereas the foot of the animal is divided into toes
like that of the elephant. In a note Mr. Blakesley remarks, that in
some of the temples of Egypt, the animal is found depicted with cloven
hoofs and huge projecting tusks, as described by Herodotus and Tatius. ]
[Footnote 2: Compare Job's description of Leviathan. "Out of his mouth
go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils
goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. His breath kindleth
coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. "--xli. 19-21. ]
[Footnote 3: "The hide is upwards of an inch and a half in thickness;
it is chiefly used for whips; the well-known 'cowhides' are made of
this material. "--Wood's Nat. Hist. ]
[Footnote 4: Pliny says:--"Decem annis gestare in utero vulgus
existimat. "--Η. N. viii. 10.
The same strange notion is referred to by Plautus, Stich. A. 1, s. iii.
"Audivi sæpe hoc vulgo dicier,
Solere elephantum gravidam perpetuos decem
Esse annos. "
]
[Footnote 5: Hesiod extends the crow's life to 270 years. The passage
referred to has been preserved by Plutarch:·--
"Έννέατοι ζώει γενεὰς λακέρυζα κορώνη
Aνδρῶν ἡβώντων. "
"Servatura diu parem
Cornicis vetulæ temporibus Lycem. "--Hor, iv. Od. xiii. 34.
]
[Footnote 6: "Indi autem, quod calore vicini ignis, sanguis in atrum
colorem versus est, nigri sunt facti. "--Hyginus.
See also Ovid, Met. ii. 235. ]
[Footnote 7: According to the Commentators, it is the καρυόφυλλον, or
clove-tree, which produces this wonderful effect upon the elephant,
making his breath
"Like the sweet south,
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odour. "--Twelfth Night.
]
[Footnote 8: ὀφείλεταί σοι παρ' αὐτής ζωάγρια. ]
[Footnote 9:
"Who rises from a feast,
With that keen appetite that he sits down? "
Merchant of Venice.
]
[Footnote 10: φίλημα δὲ καὶ ἀόριστόν ἐστιν, καὶ ἀκὁρεστον, καὶ καινὸν
ἀεί. ]
[Footnote 11: ἐξορχήσομαι τὰ μυστήρια, an allusion to the revealing of
religious mysteries. --Liddell's Lex. ]
[Footnote 12: οὐ μοιγεὐεται μου τὰ φιλήματα.
"Kόνωνι δέ εἴπεν ὅτι παύσει αὐτὸν μοὶχῶντα τὴν θάλατταν. "
Xen. Hell. I. vi. 15.
]
[Footnote 13:
ὧ φιλον ὕπνου θέλγητρον, ἑπίκουρον νoσου,
. . . . . .
"ὦ πότνια λήθη τῶν κακῶν, ώς εἶ σοφὴ
καὶ τoῖσι δυστυχοῦσιν εὐκτάια θεός. "--Eur. Or.
"Sleep, that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course.
Chief nourisher in life's feast. "
]
[Footnote 14: This reading is taken from the edit. by Jacobs, and is
supported by a passage in Herod. ii. 17. ]
[Footnote 15: Instead of the common reading, τρόπαιoν, which yields no
sense Salmasius proposes κρώπιον, a reaping hook. ]
[Footnote 16: Lucan mentions boats made of the papyrus:--
. . . "sic cum tenet omnia Nilus
Conseritur bibulâ Memphitis cymba papyro. "
Lucan. B. iv.
]
[Footnote 17:
"Let every soldier hew him down a bough,
And bear't before him; thereby shall we shadow
The numbers of our host, and make discovery
Err in report of us. "--Macbeth.
]
[Footnote 18: πpὸς τὴν σατραπείαν. ]
[Footnote 19: The same manner of expression is used by Apuleius, B.
iv. , of the carcases of animals destroyed by pestilence. :--"Passim per
plateas plurima cerneres semivivorum corporum ferina _naufragia_. " The
reader will remember the figurative language employed to describe the
death of Charicles, thrown from his unruly horse. ]
[Footnote 20:
"The drug he gave me, which he said was precious
And cordial to me, have I not found it
Murd'rous to the senses? "--Cymbeline.
]
[Footnote 21: ἐφόδιαν. ]
[Footnote 22: ἔτυχεν ἐζωσμένος;,--ζώνη, the girdle used as a purse. ]
[Footnote 23: See the description of the procession to Babastis, in
Herod. ii. 60, which illustrates the above passage. ]
[Footnote 24: When the soldiers of Pescennius Niger murmured for want
of wine, he replied to them, "Nilum habetis et vinum quæritis? " and the
historian adds, "siquidem tanta illius fluminis dulcedo, ut accolæ vina
non quærant. "--Spartianus. ]
[Footnote 25: See in Herod. ii. 68, 70, a description of the crocodile
and of the mode of taking it. ]
BOOK V.
We arrived at Alexandria after a three days' passage. I entered by
the gate of the Sun, and was at once amazed and delighted by the
splendour of the city. A row of columns, on either side, led in a
straight line to the gate of the Moon--these two divinities being the
guardian gods of the city gates. In the midst of these columns was the
open part of the city, which branched out into so many streets, that
in traversing them, one seemed journeying abroad though all the time
at home. [1] Proceeding a little farther I came to a part named after
the great Alexander; here began a second city and its beauty was of a
twofold kind, two rows of columns equal in extent, intersecting each
other at right angles. It was impossible to satisfy the eye with
gazing upon the various streets, or to take in every object deserving
of admiration; some of these one actually saw, others one was on the
point of seeing; others one longed to see; others, again, one would
not willingly have missed seeing; those which were actually present
rivetted one's gaze; those which were anticipated tempted it to wander:
after turning my eyes therefore, on every side, so distracted were
my feelings of admiration, that I owned my sight to be thoroughly
bewildered and unequal to its task. What most struck me was the extent
of the city and its vast population, each of which in turn bore away
the palm when compared with the other; the former seemed actually a
country, the latter, a nation. When I looked at the vast size of the
city, I doubted whether any number of inhabitants could fill it; and
when I considered the multitude of the inhabitants, I asked myself
whether any city could contain them; so evenly balanced was the
calculation,[2] and so difficult was it to come to a decision.
It chanced at that time to be the festival of the great deity called
Jove by the Greeks, Serapis[3] by the Egyptians; torches were lighted
up throughout the city, and the effect of so much light was marvellous,
for although evening had come on and the sun had set, there was no
such thing as night, another sun might be said to have arisen, only
that his rays were scattered,[4] so that the city vied with heaven in
brightness. I also visited the magnificent temple and saw the statue
of the Milichian Jove, and after paying our devotions to his great
divinity, and praying him to end at last, our troubles, we returned to
the lodgings which Menelaus had engaged for us. The deity, as will
be seen, did not hearken to our prayers, and another trial of fortune
yet awaited us. Chæreas had for some time been enamoured of Leucippe,
which was his motive for communicating to me the circumstance of the
philtre, by doing which he hoped to become on intimate terms with
us and to preserve her life for his own ends. Knowing how difficult
success would be, he had recourse to stratagem. Being a seafaring man,
he had no difficulty in getting together some fellows, half-fishermen
half-pirates, with whom he arranged what was to be done, and then under
pretence of keeping his birth-day, he invited us to an entertainment at
Pharos. As we were leaving the house a sinister omen befell us; a hawk
pursuing a sparrow struck Leucippe on the cheek with its wing; alarmed
at the occurrence I looked up towards heaven and said--"Jove, what
means this omen? If this bird be indeed sent by thee, show us, I pray,
some clearer augury. " Upon turning round, I found myself standing by a
painter's shop where was a picture, the subject of which was in keeping
with what had just taken place; it represented the rape of Philomela,
the cruelty of Tereus in cutting out her tongue, every particular of
the sad drama was seen depicted on the tapestry,[5] which was being
held up by a female slave. Philomela stood pointing to the different
figures which were worked upon it, and Procne was intimating that she
understood her, at the same time casting stern and angry looks upon the
picture. There, the Thracian Tereus was seen struggling with Philomela,
whose hair was dishevelled, her girdle loose, her dress torn, her bosom
half naked; her right hand was planted against the face of Tereus, with
her left she was endeavouring to pull her torn dress over her breast;
Tereus was holding her in his arms, drawing her person towards him,
and embracing her as closely as he could. Such was the subject of the
tapestry. In the remainder of the painting, were seen the two sisters
showing Tereus the relics of his supper, the head and hands of his own
child; fear and bitter laughter are depicted on their faces; Tereus
is leaping up from his couch and drawing his sword against them, and
he has struck out his foot against the table[6] which neither stands
nor falls, but seems in the very act of falling. "In my opinion," said
Menelaus, "we should give up the excursion to Pharos, for we have
encountered two unfavourable omens, the hawk's wing and the threatening
picture; now those who profess to interpret such matters, bid us pay
regard to the subjects of any pictures which we may happen to meet
with, when setting out on any business, and to conjecture the result of
our undertaking from the nature of what we see. Did you not observe how
full of evil augury this picture is? There is depicted in it lawless
love, shameless adultery and female misery; we ought therefore to
defer our expedition. " I concurred in opinion with him, and we excused
ourselves from accompanying Chæreas on that occasion; he left us, very
much vexed at our determination, saying he should come to us the next
day.
Women are naturally fond of hearing stories, accordingly when he
was gone, Leucippe turning to me said, "Pray tell me what is the
subject represented in this picture? What birds are they? who are
the women? and who is that shameless man? " I proceeded to gratify
her wishes. --"The hoopoe," I said, "was once a man called Tereus,
the swallow and the nightingale were two sisters named Philomela and
Procne, natives of Athens. One woman, it seems, is not enough for a
barbarian, especially when an occasion offers for gratifying his lust;
and such an opportunity was offered to Tereus through the sisterly
affection of Procne, who sent her husband to invite Philomela; he
conceived a passion for her, on his way back, made her a second Procne;
then fearing lest she should reveal the deed, he, as the reward for
her virginity deprives her of speech by cutting out her tongue, our
nature's glory. [7] The precaution was fruitless, Philomela, by her
skill contrived a silent voice; she inwove the tragedy into a web,
descriptive of the facts, her hand supplying the place of a tongue, and
revealing to her sister's eyes what otherwise would have been whispered
into her ears. Procne, learning through this device the violence
which had been perpetrated, determines to take fearful vengeance;
and two angry women's minds, conspiring together, and influenced by
mingled feeling of jealousy and sense of wrong, contrive a supper more
detestable even then the rape. [8] They serve up to the father his own
child; Procne had once been his mother, now she had forgotten the
maternal tie, so powerfully do the pangs of jealousy prevail over those
even of travail; for women, when exacting satisfaction for a violated
bed, however deeply they may suffer in what they do, compensate the
pain by the pleasure of inflicting vengeance. [9] Tereus supped upon
this hellish banquet, and afterwards the sisters, trembling with fear
yet laughing horribly, bringing the remnants of his child upon a dish.
He recognizes the miserable tokens, curses the food which he had
swallowed, and discovers himself to be the father of what he had been
feasting on. Maddened with fury, he draws his sword, and is in the act
of rushing upon the women, when lo! the air receives them metamorphosed
into birds. Tereus also becomes a bird, and ascends after them; and to
show that their change of form has wrought no change in their hate,
the hoopoe (Tereus) still pursues, and the nightingale (Procne) still
flies. " We had for once escaped the snare laid for us, but we gained
by it only a single day, for next morning Chæreas arrived, and feeling
ashamed to make any more excuses we went on board a vessel and sailed
to Pharos. Menelaus said that he felt indisposed and remained at home.
Chæreas took us first to the light-house and directed our attention to
the wonderful superstructure upon which it stood--a rock situated in
the sea, almost cloud-capped, and seeming to hang over the waters; upon
the summit of this arose the tower, which with its light served vessels
for a second pilot. [10] When we had viewed this, he took us to a house
at the extremity of the isle and situated on the shore.
In the evening, under pretence of his stomach being disordered, he
went out: in a short time we heard a great noise, and suddenly a
number of powerful men burst into the room, sword in hand, and turned
towards the maiden. Seeing my dearest life about to be carried off, I
rushed into the midst of them armed as they were, and received a wound
in the thigh, from the effect of which I fell bathed in blood; they
immediately put Leucippe into a boat and rowed away. Aroused by the
disturbance and alarm caused by this occurrence, the commandant of the
isle came up whom I had known when with the army. I exhibited my wound,
and earnestly besought him to pursue the pirates. Accordingly, throwing
himself and the soldiers with him into one of the many boats which were
in the harbour, he gave them chase; I likewise was among the number,
having caused myself to be lifted in.
When the pirates saw that we were gaining upon them and were prepared
for an attack, they placed the maiden upon the deck with her hands
bound behind her; some of them, after calling out in a loud voice,
"Behold the prize you wish to win," severed her head from her body,
and threw the trunk into the sea. Upon beholding this I uttered a loud
cry and was on the point of casting myself into the water, but was
prevented by those standing near me; I then requested the crew to lie
upon their oars, that some one might jump into the sea and if possible
recover the body for burial; they complied with my request and two
of the sailors throwing themselves over the boat's side, got hold of
the corpse and brought it on board. Meanwhile the pirates plied their
oars still more vigorously, and when we were again nearing them they
caught sight of another vessel, and recognizing those in her, hailed
them to come to their assistance; these latter were purple-fishers[11]
and like the others pirates. The commandant, seeing the odds against
him, became alarmed and gave orders to back water,[12] for the pirates
instead of continuing their flight, were now eager to provoke an
engagement. Upon reaching the shore and landing, I threw myself upon
the body and shed bitter tears. --"Thou hast indeed died a double death,
my dearest Leucippe,"[13] I exclaimed, "divided as thou art between
land and sea; I have a remnant of thee, but thou thyself art lost to
me; the division is unfair, for thy larger portion which I possess
(thy body) is in reality, thy lesser, (considering its worth,) while
the sea, in retaining the lesser part (thy head[14]), is in fact
guilty of retaining all; since cruel Fortune envies me the happiness
of kissing thy fair face, I will at least kiss thy neck. " After giving
vent to these lamentations, I had the body interred, and returned to
Alexandria, where much against my will my wound was dressed, and where
I continued to live a miserable life, though Menelaus did all in his
power to console me. At the expiration of six months, the violence of
my grief began to subside; time acts as medicine upon sorrow and heals
the wounds which have been inflicted upon the soul, for the light of
day, and the bright sun are full of cheerfulness, and though the mind
may be fevered by excess of sorrow for a time, yet it is gradually
cooled and overcome by the persuasive influence of time.
One day, when walking in the public square, some one came behind me,
and without speaking a word, seized my hand, turned me round, and
warmly embraced me. For a few moments I knew not who the party was,
overcome by surprise I mechanically suffered myself to be embraced;
at length, upon looking up and seeing his features, who should it
prove to be but Clinias, so uttering a cry of joy, I returned his
embrace with ardour. We then retired to my lodging, where I told him
the particulars of Leucippe's death, and he related to me the manner
of his escape. --"When the ship went to pieces," said he, "I laid hold
of one end of the sailyard, which was already crowded with people,
and endeavoured to hang on; after we had been tossed about for some
time, a great wave overtaking us raised and dashed the yard against a
sunken rock, from which it rebounded like an engine, and shot me off as
though I had been hurled from a sling. I swam during the rest of the
day, but with little hope of being saved; at length, when exhausted and
abandoning myself to the will of Fortune, I espied a vessel bearing
down towards me; so alternately lifting up my hands, I supplicated
help by gestures. Moved by pity, or perhaps merely obeying the impulse
of the wind, the ship came near me, and while running by, one of the
sailors cast a rope over the side; I seized it, and was thus drawn out
of the jaws of death. The vessel was bound for Sidon, and some of those
on board to whom I was known showed me every kindness. We arrived at
the above city after two days' sail, when I requested the Sidonians on
board (the merchant Xenodamas, and his father-in-law Theophilus), not
to mention to any of the Tyrians whom they might meet, the circumstance
of my being preserved from shipwreck. I did not wish any one to know
that I had been away from home, and if those two preserved silence in
the matter, I had hopes that nothing would be discovered; five days
only had elapsed since my disappearance, whereas if you recollect, I
had told my servants that I was going into the country for ten days;
and fortunately I found this to be the prevalent belief among my
friends. Your father did not return home until two days after this,
upon his arrival he found a letter from his brother, Sostratus (which
came the very day after our departure), in which he offered you his
daughter's hand. Upon reading it and hearing of our flight your father
was in great trouble, both because you had missed the prize intended
for you, and because after so nearly bringing matters to a favourable
issue, Fortune had failed merely through delay in the arrival of the
letter. Not wishing his brother to know what had happened, he enjoined
secrecy upon Leucippe's mother, thinking it probable he should be able
to discover you, or at any rate, that upon hearing of the betrothment,
you would both gladly return, having it in your power to realize
the object of your flight. He is now using every endeavour to find
you out; and only a few days ago, Diophantus of Tyre, just returned
from Egypt, informed him that he had seen you here; immediately upon
hearing this, I took ship, sailed hither, and have for more than a
week been seeking you in this city. As your father will soon be here,
it is time for you to decide upon some plan. " He ceased speaking,
and I could not help inveighing bitterly against the cruel sport of
Fortune. "How unfortunate is my lot, my uncle Sostratus gives me the
hand of Leucippe, and sends me a bride from the theatre of war, so
exactly measuring the time as to avoid anticipating our flight. My
good luck and happiness comes just one day too late! [15] Marriage and
the nuptial hymn is talked of when death has claimed his victim, and
it is a time for tears! Whom do they now offer me for a bride? Even
her whose corpse I am not permitted to possess entire! " "You have no
leisure for lamentations now," said Clinias; "what you have to settle
is, whether you will return to your own country or await your father's
arrival here. "--"I will do neither the one nor the other," I replied;
"how can I look my father in the face, after basely flying from his
house, and enticing away her whom his own brother had entrusted to his
charge? Nothing remains but to quit this city before he comes. " At
this moment Menelaus came in, accompanied by Satyrus, and upon seeing
Clinias they hastened to embrace him. When informed by us of the state
of affairs,--"You have an opportunity," said Satyrus, "of prosperously
settling all your affairs, and of taking pity upon a heart which burns
with love towards you. Listen," continued he, addressing Clinias,
"Venus has thrown a piece of good fortune in the way of Clitopho
which he is unwilling to accept; a lady, by name Melitta, a native of
Ephesus is doatingly in love with him; so rare is her beauty, that it
fits her for a sculptor's model. [16] She is rich and young, and has
lately lost her husband who was drowned at sea; she earnestly desires
to make Clitopho, I will not say merely her husband but her 'lord
paramount,'[17] and freely surrenders to him herself and all she has.
She has passed two whole months here, endeavouring to persuade him.
Yet he, heaven knows why, looks coldly upon her, and slights her suit,
imagining, I suppose, that Leucippe will come to life again. "
"In my opinion," replied Clinias, "Satyrus speaks sensibly; it is no
time for hesitation and delay, when beauty, health, wealth, and love
combine to woo you; her beauty will yield you delight, her wealth
will supply the means of luxurious enjoyment, and her love will gain
consideration for you; consider, moreover, that the deity hates
pride and arrogance, so follow the advice of Satyrus and yield to
destiny. "--"Well then," said I, with a deep sigh, "do with me what
you will, since Clinias is of your opinion; one stipulation I make,
however, that I am not to be pressed to consummate the marriage until
we arrive at Ephesus, for I have taken a solemn oath to be connected
with no woman in this city where I have been bereaved of my Leucippe. "
Upon hearing me say this, Satyrus hastened to Melitta with the joyful
tidings, and shortly after returned and said, that upon learning them,
she had nearly fainted from excess of joy; he was also the bearer of
an invitation to me to come to supper as a prelude to the marriage.
I complied and proceeded to her house. No sooner did she see me,
than falling on my neck she covered me with kisses. I must do her the
justice of saying that she was really beautiful; her complexion was
fair as milk, but tinted with the rose,[18] her bright and sunny look
was worthy of Venus herself, and she had a profusion of long golden
hair, so that upon the whole I could not look at her without some
pleasurable emotions.
A costly supper was served, she now and then took some of the viands
for appearance sake, but in reality ate nothing, feeding her eyes on
me. Lovers find their chief delight in gazing upon the beloved; and
when once this tender passion has taken possession of the soul, there
is no time or desire for taking food. The pleasure conceived by the
eyes flows through them into the mind, bears along with it the image of
the beloved, and impresses its form upon the mirror of the soul; the
emanation of beauty darting like secret rays and leaving its outline
on the love-sick heart. [19] I said to her, "Why is it that you touch
none of your own delicacies?
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. '"
Upon hearing this circumstance, I was very much annoyed at the delay,
but yet rejoiced at the prospect of future happiness opened to me;
and her mention of the dream reminded me of something similar which
had happened to myself. I thought that during the preceding night I
saw the temple of Venus, and could discern the statue of the goddess
within; upon approaching it with the design of offering up my prayers,
the doors were suddenly closed, and while standing there in a state of
disappointment, a female strongly resembling the statue of the goddess
appeared to me and said: "It is not permitted thee to enter the temple
now; but if thou wilt wait for a short period, I will not only open to
thee its doors, but will constitute thee my priest. " I related this
dream to Leucippe, and although my attempts upon her chastity were not
repeated, I could not get over my feelings of vexation.
An occurrence which just then took place gave Charmides an opportunity
of seeing Leucippe and conceiving a passion for her. Some person had
captured a very curious river animal, called by the Egyptians the
Nile-horse, and in truth he resembles that animal in his belly and
legs, except that he has cloven hoofs;[1] his size is equal to that
of the largest ox; he has a short tail, which as well as his body, is
devoid of hair; his head is large and round, with cheeks like those of
a horse; his nostrils are widely expanded and breathe out sparks, as it
were, of fiery vapours;[2] he has an immense under-jaw, which opens to
nearly the length of his head, and it is garnished with canine teeth
like those of a horse in shape and position, but three times as large.
We were invited to see this creature, and looked at it with great
interest; but the eyes of the commander were rivetted upon Leucippe, of
whom he immediately became enamoured.
In order to detain us there the longer, and by this means to feast his
own eyes, he entered upon a lengthy description of the animal, its
nature and habits, and the manner in which it is captured; that it
is so voracious as to eat up a whole field of corn, and is taken by
employing the following stratagem. Having found out his usual haunt,
the hunters dig a deep pit, which they cover with reeds and earth,
underneath is placed a wooden chest with open doors which reach to the
top of the pit. The animal in passing over the spot at once falls into
the chest as into a cave, when the hunters, who have been on the watch,
immediately close the doors, and in this manner secure their prey. It
would be in vain to attempt capturing him by force; for not only is he
very powerful, but has a hide so hard and thick[3] as to render him
proof against any wounds; he may be called the Egyptian elephant, and
in strength comes next to the elephant of India.
"Have you ever seen an elephant? " inquired Menelaus. "I have," replied
Charmides, "and have conversed with persons well acquainted with the
peculiarity attending its birth. "
I here remarked that the animal was known to me only having seen a
picture of it. "Well, then," continued he, "I will give you an account
of it; for we have abundance of leisure. The time of gestation with
the female is ten years,[4] so that when she brings forth her calf he
is already old. To this cause we may, in my opinion, attribute his
great bulk, his unrivalled strength, and his longevity; for he is said
to live longer than Hesiod's crow. [5] His jaw may be said to resemble
the head of an ox, for it appears to have two horns; these, however,
are the curved tusks of the animal, between them projects his trunk,
resembling a trumpet in appearance and size, which is very convenient
for taking up his accustomed food or any other edible; anything of this
description he seizes with it, and bending it inwards, conveys it to
his mouth; but if unsuited for his palate, he turns round his trunk,
and extending it upwards delivers the article to the Ethiopian master,
who sits upon him as a rider does on a horse, and whom he caresses and
also fears, obeying his voice, and submitting to be beaten with an
iron axe. I remember once seeing a strange sight, a Greek inserted his
head into the mouth of the animal, which with expanded jaws continued
to breathe upon him. As you may imagine, I was not a little struck
with the boldness of the man and the good-nature of the elephant. The
man told me that he had given the beast a fee for breathing upon him,
that his breath was almost equal to Indian spices, and was a sovereign
specific against the head-ache. It appears that the elephant is aware
of his medical skill, and will not open his mouth for nothing, but like
a self-conceited physician, asks for his fee beforehand; upon receiving
it he becomes all complaisance, expands his jaws, and keeps his mouth
open as long as the patient pleases, knowing that he has received a
consideration for his breath. "
"How comes so ill-favoured an animal to have so fragrant a breath? "
I asked. "From the nature of the food upon which he feeds," said
Charmides. "The country of the Indians is near the sun; they first
behold the rising of that deity, they feel his hottest rays, and from
his influence their skin acquires its hue. [6] Now there is in Greece
a dark-coloured flower, which among the Indians is not a flower but a
leaf, like those which are seen on any tree; in that land it conceals
its fragrance, and is therefore in little estimation; either it does
not care for celebrity among its countrymen, or else it grudges them
its sweetness; but if only it leave that country and be transplanted,
it opens its secret treasure-house, instead of a leaf becomes a flower,
and clothes itself with perfume. The Indians call this the black
rose, and it is as common a food for the elephant as among us grass is
for oxen; and from feeding upon it, almost from its birth, the animal
exhales the fragrance of his food, and his breath becomes a fount of
sweets. "[7]
When Charmides had ended his dissertation and we were departed,
he not long after--for whoever burns with the fire of love cannot
endure delay--sent for Menelaus, and taking his hand, thus addressed
him:--"Your conduct to Clitopho shows you to be a sincere friend, nor
shall you have to complain of want of friendship upon my part. I have
a favour to request which it is easy for you to grant, and by granting
it you will preserve my life. Know that I am desperately smitten with
Leucippe; you must heal the wound; she is in your debt for having saved
her. [8] Now I will give you fifty gold pieces for the good service
which I require, and she herself shall receive as many as she pleases. "
"Keep your gold," replied Menelaus, "for those who make a traffic of
their favours; you have already received me into your friendship, and
it shall be my endeavour to promote your wishes. "
Immediately afterwards he came to me and related the whole matter.
After deliberating what course to adopt, dissimulation appeared most
feasible, since it would have been dangerous to give him an absolute
refusal, for fear of his employing violence, and it was wholly out of
our power to escape, surrounded as we were by the buccaneers in one
direction, and by his troops on the other.
Returning to Charmides after a short interval, Menelaus said:--"Your
object is accomplished. At first the maiden gave a downright refusal,
but at length, upon my redoubling my entreaties and reminding her of
her debt of gratitude towards me, she consented; stipulating, however,
for a few days' delay until we can reach Alexandria; for this place
being a mere village, everything becomes known, and there are many eyes
upon us. "
"You fix a long postponement to your favour," said Charmides. "Who
can think of deferring his wishes in time of war? With an engagement
before him, and so many ways of death, how can the soldier tell whether
his life will be spared? If you will prevail on Fortune to guarantee
my safety, I will wait. Consider that I am about to fight these
buccaneers, and all the while a war of a different kind is raging in my
soul; a warrior armed with bow and arrow, is committing havoc there;
I feel myself vanquished; I am full of wounds; prithee send for the
leech with speed, for the danger presses. I shall have to carry fire
and sword among the enemy, but love has already kindled his torch to my
destruction; extinguish this flame, I beseech, good Menelaus; it will
be a fair omen to join in love before we join in battle; let Venus,
therefore, herald me on my way to Mars. "
"But you do not consider," rejoined Menelaus, "how difficult it is
to avoid discovery from her intended husband, who is so enamoured of
her. "--"Oh! as for Clitopho, we can easily get him out of the way,"
said Charmides.
Seeing him so firmly bent upon his purpose, Menelaus began to have
fears for my safety, and suddenly he thought himself of a fresh excuse.
"If you must know her real motive for this delay, it is that her
monthly sickness is upon her, consequently she must abstain from sexual
intercourse. "--"In that case," said the other, "I will wait three or
four days, which will be quite sufficient; but in the meanwhile she
can, at any rate, come and talk to me. I can hear her voice, press her
hand, and touch her person, and kiss her lips. Her indisposition need
be no impediment to this. "
When Menelaus told this to me, I exclaimed, that I would sooner die
than have Leucippe bestow her lips upon another. "A kiss," I said, "is
the best part of love; the moment of actual enjoyment is soon over,
and brings with it satiety,[9] and is indeed worth nothing if we take
away the kissing. A kiss need have no limit to its duration; it never
cloys, it is always new. [10] Three things, excellent in their nature,
proceed from the mouth, the breath, the voice, and last of all, the
kiss, of which the lips are the instruments, but the seat of pleasure
is in the soul. Believe me, Menelaus, for my troubles compel me to
reveal the secret,[11] these are the only favours which I have received
from Leucippe; she is a woman only as having been kissed by me; in all
other respects she is still a virgin. I will not put up with the loss
of them; I will not have my kisses adulterously dallied with. "[12]
"If such be the case," said Menelaus, "we must speedily resolve upon
some plan; one who is in love (like Charmides) as long as he has a hope
of success will wait and feed on expectation, but if driven to despair,
his love changes into hate and urges him to take vengeance upon the
obstacle to his desires; and supposing he has the power to do this with
impunity, the very fact of being free from fear deepens his resentment
and urges him on to his revenge. " In the midst of our deliberation
some one hastily entered, and informed us that Leucippe while walking
about had suddenly fallen down, and lay there wildly rolling her eyes.
We hurried to her, and finding her still lying on the ground, we asked
what ailed her? No sooner did she see me, than starting up and glaring
fiercely from her blood-shot eyes, she struck me with violence upon
the face, and when Menelaus endeavoured to support her, she proceeded
to kick his shins. Perceiving that she was labouring under frenzy, we
seized her by main force and endeavoured to overpower her, she on her
part resisted, and in her struggles was at no pains to hide what women
generally wish to keep concealed. So great was the disturbance that at
length the commander himself came in, and witnessed what was going on.
At first he was suspicious of some fraud contrived against himself,
and looked sternly upon Menelaus; but seeing the truth, he became moved
by feelings of compassion.
Meanwhile cords were brought and the unhappy maiden was bound; upon
seeing her hands confined in this manner, I besought Menelaus (all but
a few having left the tent) to set her arms at liberty; "her tender
arms," I said, "cannot endure this harsh treatment; leave me with her
alone; my arms shall be her fetters, and she may exhaust her frenzy
upon, me: why, indeed, should I wish to live, since Leucippe no longer
knows me? How can I behold her lying thus bound, and though having
the power, shew no desire to release her? Has Fortune delivered us
from the hands of buccaneers only that she may fall a prey to madness?
Unhappy that we are, when will our condition change? We escape dangers
at home only to be overtaken by the shipwreck; saved from the fury
of the sea and freed from pirates, we were reserved for the present
visitation--madness! Even shouldst thou recover thy senses, dearest, I
fear lest the evil genius may have something worse in store! Who can be
pronounced more unhappy than ourselves, who have cause to dread even
what bears the appearance of good fortune! Let Fortune, however, again
make us her sport, provided only I can see thee restored to health and
sense! " Menelaus and those present did all they could to comfort me,
saying that such maladies were not lasting, and were very common in
the hot season of youth; at such a time the young blood, heated by the
vigour of the body, runs boiling through the veins, and overflowing the
brain drowns the powers of reason; the proper course, therefore, would
be to have medical advice.
Menelaus went to the commander without delay, and requested that the
physician belonging to the troops might be called in. Charmides readily
complied, for a lover delights in granting favours. After visiting
her, he said, "we must make her sleep in order to subdue the paroxysm
of her disease; for sleep is the medicine of every sickness,[13] and
afterwards we will have recourse to other means. " Before leaving her,
he gave us a portion of some drug, about the size of a pea, which was
to be dissolved in oil and rubbed upon the top of her head, saying that
he would shortly bring a pill to act upon her bowels. We followed his
directions, and after her head had been rubbed for a short time, she
fell asleep, and slept till morning. I sat by her bed side all night in
tears, and when I saw the cords which still confined her hands, I could
not help exclaiming, "Dearest Leucippe, bondage is still thy portion;
not even in sleep is liberty allowed thee! What images, I wonder, are
now passing before thy mind? Does sense attend upon thy sleep? or
do thy dreams also partake of frenzy? " Upon waking she uttered some
incoherent words. Soon after the physician came and administered the
other medicine.
Just at this time pressing orders arrived from the Viceroy of Egypt
urging the commander to lead his men against the enemy. The troops were
immediately mustered with their officers, and appeared on the ground
in marching order, when, after giving them the watchword, he dismissed
them to their quarters for the night, and next morning led them out to
battle.
I will now describe the nature of the district against which they
marched. The Nile flows in an unbroken stream from Egyptian Thebes as
far as Memphis, when it throws out a small branch. Where the wide part
of the river terminates, stands the village Cercasorum[14]; there the
country becomes intersected by three streams; two flowing respectively
to the right and left; the other continuing its onward course
traverses the district called the Delta; none of these streams flow
uninterruptedly to the sea, but upon reaching different cities separate
into various branches, all of them larger than any Grecian rivers; its
waters nevertheless are not enfeebled and rendered useless by the
many divisions in their course; they bear vessels upon their surface;
they are used for drinking, and contribute to fertilize the land. The
mighty Nile is all in all to the Egyptians, both land and river, and
sea and lake, and a singular spectacle it is to see in juxtaposition
the ship and the mattock, the oar and the plough, the rudder and the
hook,[15] sailors' cabins and labourers' huts, a resort for fishes and
a resting-place for oxen; where but lately a ship sailed, is seen a
cultivated plain, and anon the cultivated plain becomes a watery space;
for the Nile periodically comes and goes, and the Egyptians count the
days and anxiously await the inundation, while the river on his part
keeps to his appointed time, regulates the rising of his waters, and
never exposes himself to the imputation of unpunctuality. Then comes
the rivalry between the land and water; each exerts its power against
the other; the water strives to flood the land, and the land does its
endeavour to absorb the fertilizing water; in the end, conquest can
be assigned to neither, but both may claim the victory, for each is
co-extensive with the other. In the pasturage which is the resort of
the buccaneers, a quantity of water is at all times found, for even
when the Nile retires, the lakes formed by its inundation continue
filled with watery mud; over these the inhabitants can either wade on
foot or pass in boats, each of which will contain one person; any other
kind would be imbedded in the mud, but those which they employ are so
light[16] as to require very little water, and should none be found
they take them on their backs, and proceed on foot until they arrive at
more. These lakes, which I have mentioned, are dotted over with islets,
some of them uninhabited, but abounding in papyrus reeds, between the
intervals of which there is only room for a man to stand, while the
space above is overarched by the summits of the leaves; it is in these
places that the buccaneers assemble, and secretly concert their plans,
masked by these reeds as by a fort. Some of the islets have huts upon
them, presenting the appearance of a rudely constructed town, which
serve as the dwellings of the pirates. One of them, more remarkable
than the other for its extent and for the number of its huts, was
called Nicochis, and here it was that the main body of the freebooters
was collected; confiding in their numbers, and in the strength of their
position, the place being entirely insulated by lagoons, except for a
narrow causeway the eighth of a mile long and seventy feet wide. As
soon as they were aware of the commander's approach, they had recourse
to the following stratagem:--mustering all the old men, they equipped
them as suppliants, with palm branches, commanding the most able-bodied
among the youth to follow, armed with swords and shields. The old men
were to hold aloft their suppliant branches, the foliage of which
would serve to conceal those in the rear,[17] who, by way of farther
precaution, were directed to stoop and trail their spears along the
ground.
In case the commander yielded to the old men's supplications, the
others were to make no hostile movements; if, on the contrary, he
should reject their entreaties, they were to invite him to their
city, with the offer of there surrendering themselves up to death; if
he agreed to follow them, upon arriving at the middle of the narrow
causeway, the old men, at a preconcerted signal, were to throw away
their branches and make their escape, while the others were to make
an assault with might and main. They proceeded to execute these
directions, and upon approaching the commander, entreated him to
reverence their old age and suppliant branches, and to take pity upon
their town; they offered him a present of a hundred talents of silver
for himself, together with an hundred hostages, to be forwarded by him
to the seat of goverment. [18]
They were quite sincere in making these proposals, and would have
fulfilled them faithfully had he consented; upon his refusal, "We must
then," said they, "submit to our destiny; at least grant us this one
favour: do not put us to death at a distance from our town, conduct
us to our 'fatherland,' to our hearths and homes, and there let us
find our grave. We ourselves are ready to lead the way! " Upon hearing
these words, Charmides laid aside his dispositions for battle, and
ordered his forces to follow leisurely. The buccaneers had meanwhile
posted some scouts at a distance, who were to watch the movements of
the enemy, and who, when they had reached the causeway, were to let
out the waters upon them. The canals which issue from the branches of
the Nile have high banks, to hinder the river from flooding the land
before the time, and when the fields require watering, a portion of the
bank is cut through. Now there was a long and wide canal behind the
town which we are speaking of; those who were stationed for the purpose
cut through the banks as soon as they saw the enemy approaching, and
in a moment the old men fled, the others charged with their spears, on
rolled the waters rising higher and higher, the causeway was flooded,
and all around became a sea.
The buccaneers at the first onset speared the foremost of the enemy,
together with their commander, who were taken by surprise, and
therefore quite unprepared, and it is difficult to describe the various
ways in which the others perished. Some fell before they could even
handle their weapons; some before they could offer any resistance;
for to see their assailants and to receive their own death-wound was
simultaneous; others were slain before they could see the hand which
slew them; some overcome by terror, remained motionless awaiting
death; others upon attempting to move were taken off their legs by the
force of the stream, while others again, who had betaken themselves to
flight, were carried along and drowned in the deep part of the lagoons,
where the water was above their heads; those even who were upon land
had water up to their middles, which, by turning aside their shields,
exposed their bodies to the enemy. The difficulty of knowing what
was land and what was not, retarded many, and was the cause of their
being taken prisoners; while others supposing themselves still on land
came into deep water and were drowned; here were to be seen mishaps
and wrecks of an unwonted kind,--a land engagement on the water, and a
wreck upon the land. [19]
The buccaneers were greatly elated by their success, and attributed
their victory not to fraud but to their own valour; for among the
Egyptians their fear degenerates into abject cowardice, and their
courage mounts to rashness; in this respect they are always in
extremes, and are wholly subject either to the excess or the defect.
Ten days had now passed and Leucippe was no better; upon one occasion
while asleep she cried out in a frenzied manner, "Gorgias, it is thou
who hast driven me mad! "[20] I told Menelaus of this in the morning,
and began to consider whether there was any one in the village of that
name. We were just going out, when a young man met and accosted me,
saying, "I am come to save you and your wife. " Perfectly astounded,
and thinking that his coming was providential, "Are you Gorgias? " I
inquired. --"No," replied he, "my name is Chæreas; Gorgias is the cause
of all the mischief. " I felt a thrill run through me, as I asked, "What
mischief do you mean? Who is Gorgias? Some deity betrayed his name to
me last night; be you an interpreter of the announcement. "
"Gorgias," he resumed, "was an Egyptian soldier; he is now no more,
having been slain by the buccaneers. He conceived a passion for your
wife, and being well acquainted with the nature of drugs, he compounded
a love philtre which he persuaded your Egyptian servant to mix with
Leucippe's drink; he neglected to dilute the potion, so that instead
of producing love it brought on madness. I was informed of all this
yesterday by Gorgias' servant, who accompanied his master against the
buccaneers, and who seems to have been specially preserved by Fortune
for your sake. He asks four pieces of gold for effecting your wife's
recovery, having, as he says, a drug which will counteract the effects
of that which has been administered. " "All blessings attend you for
this good service! " I exclaimed; "pray bring the man here of whom you
speak. "
No sooner was he departed on this errand, than going in to the
Egyptian, I struck him repeatedly about the head with my clenched fist,
saying at every blow, "What was it which you gave Leucippe? What is
it which has caused her madness? " The fellow in his fright confessed
everything, confirming what Chæreas had already said; upon which we
thrust him into prison, and there kept him. By this time Chæreas had
returned, bringing the man with him. "Here are your four gold pieces as
the reward for your seasonable information; but before you proceed to
do anything, hear my opinion. As this lady's illness has been caused by
swallowing a drug, I cannot but think it dangerous to administer more
physic while the stomach is already under the influence of medicine;
tell me, therefore, what are the ingredients in your proposed remedy,
and compound it in my presence; upon these conditions I will give
you four more gold pieces. " "Your apprehensions are reasonable," he
replied; "but the ingredients in my medicine are all common and fit
for human food, and I will myself swallow the same quantity which I
give the lady. " After specifying the various ingredients, he sent some
one out to procure them; and as soon as they were brought, he pounded
them together in our presence, made two draughts of them, saying, "one
of them I will drink off, the other is for the lady; it will make her
sleep all night, and in the morning she will awake quite recovered. " He
then swallowed the draught, and ordered the other to be taken at night.
"I must now go and lie down," he said, "under the influence of the
medicine. " With these words he left us, having received the stipulated
sum, and with the assurance of the additional reward being paid him, if
Leucippe should recover. When the hour arrived for administering the
draught, I poured it out, and thus addressed it:
"Offspring of the Earth, gift of Æsculapius, may the promises made of
thee be verified; shew thyself propitious and preserve my beloved;
subdue the power of that ruthless potion. " Thus having entered into
a kind of compact with the medicine, I kissed the cup and give it to
Leucippe. She soon fell into a profound sleep, and while sitting beside
her I said to her, as if she could still hear me, "Wilt thou really
recover thy senses? Wilt thou know me again? Shall I hear that dear
voice of thine? Give some token in thy sleep, as yesternight thou didst
concerning Gorgias; happier are thy sleeping than thy waking hours;
frenzy is thy portion when awake, but thou art inspired by Wisdom when
asleep. "
At length my words and thoughts were interrupted by the
anxiously-expected break of day, and I heard Leucippe's voice calling
me by name. Instantly I hurried to her side, and inquired how she felt;
she appeared to have no knowledge of what had passed, and seeing that
her hands were bound, expressed surprise, and inquired who had tied
them. Finding her restored to her right mind, I undid the knots in
great agitation, through excess of joy, and then related to her all
particulars. She blushed upon learning what had passed, and almost
believed herself to be still committing the same extravagance; but my
assurances gradually soothed and restored her to herself. Gladly did
I pay the man the sum which had been promised him, and fortunately
our finances[21] were in safety, for Satyrus had our money about his
person[22] at the time when we were shipwrecked, and neither he nor
Menelaus had been plundered by the buccaneers. While what I have been
relating took place, a much more powerful force arrived from the seat
of government, which succeeded in completely destroying the pirate
settlement.
As the river was now freed from any dangers on the part of these
marauders, we prepared to sail for Alexandria, accompanied by Chæreas,
for whom we had conceived a friendship on account of the discovery
which he had made to us about the potion. He was a native of the
Isle of Pharos, and his calling that of a fisherman; he had served
in a naval expedition against the buccaneers, and at its termination
had been discharged. The river which, owing to the depredations of
the pirates, had for a long time been deserted, was now crowded with
vessels; and a pleasant thing it was to hear the songs of the sailors
and the mirth of the passengers, and to see so many craft passing up
and down. Our voyage was like a continuous festival, and the river
itself seemed to be keeping holiday. [23] I for the first time drank
some of the Nile water, without any admixture of wine, being desirous
to test its sweetness,--and wine, I may remark, always spoils the
flavour of water. Having filled a transparent crystal glass, the liquid
vied with, nay, surpassed it in brightness. It was sweet to the taste,
and had an agreeable coldness, whereas some of the Grecian rivers are
so very cold as to be injurious to the health. On this account the
Egyptians have no fear in drinking its water, and stand in no need of
wine. [24] Their way of drinking struck me as being curious. They do not
draw up the water in a bucket, neither do they use any other cup than
that which Nature has supplied,--their hand; when any one is thirsty
he stoops over the side of the vessel, and, receiving the water in the
hollow of his hand, jerks it upwards with such dexterity, that it is
received into the open mouth, and not a drop is lost.
The Nile produces another monster, more noted for strength than even
the river-horse, I mean the crocodile. [25] His shape is between that
of a fish and a large animal. His length from head to tail is great,
and out of proportion to his breadth; his skin is rough with scales;
the surface of his back hard and of a black colour, while the belly
is white. He has four legs, which bend in an oblique direction,
like those of the land tortoise; his tail is long and thick, forming
a solid mass, and differing from that of other animals in being the
continuation of the spine, and therefore a constituent part of the
body, and on the top it is set with sharp spines, like the teeth of a
saw. It serves the crocodile for an implement with which to capture
his prey; he strikes with it against his antagonist, and a single
stroke will inflict several wounds. His head grows directly out of
his shoulders in one line, for Nature has concealed his neck. [26] The
most formidable part about him are his jaws, which open to an immense
extent; so long as they remain closed they form a head, but when
expanded to take in its prey, they become all mouth; (the animal, I
may observe, moves only the upper jaw) for so great is their expansion
that it reaches to the shoulders and to the orifice of the stomach. He
has many teeth, which are disposed in long rows: they are said to equal
the days of the year in number. Were you to see the animal on land, you
would not suppose him to be possessed of so much strength, judging from
his size.
[Footnote 1: Herod. ii. 71, commits the same error, using the
expression δίχηλον, whereas the foot of the animal is divided into toes
like that of the elephant. In a note Mr. Blakesley remarks, that in
some of the temples of Egypt, the animal is found depicted with cloven
hoofs and huge projecting tusks, as described by Herodotus and Tatius. ]
[Footnote 2: Compare Job's description of Leviathan. "Out of his mouth
go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils
goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. His breath kindleth
coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. "--xli. 19-21. ]
[Footnote 3: "The hide is upwards of an inch and a half in thickness;
it is chiefly used for whips; the well-known 'cowhides' are made of
this material. "--Wood's Nat. Hist. ]
[Footnote 4: Pliny says:--"Decem annis gestare in utero vulgus
existimat. "--Η. N. viii. 10.
The same strange notion is referred to by Plautus, Stich. A. 1, s. iii.
"Audivi sæpe hoc vulgo dicier,
Solere elephantum gravidam perpetuos decem
Esse annos. "
]
[Footnote 5: Hesiod extends the crow's life to 270 years. The passage
referred to has been preserved by Plutarch:·--
"Έννέατοι ζώει γενεὰς λακέρυζα κορώνη
Aνδρῶν ἡβώντων. "
"Servatura diu parem
Cornicis vetulæ temporibus Lycem. "--Hor, iv. Od. xiii. 34.
]
[Footnote 6: "Indi autem, quod calore vicini ignis, sanguis in atrum
colorem versus est, nigri sunt facti. "--Hyginus.
See also Ovid, Met. ii. 235. ]
[Footnote 7: According to the Commentators, it is the καρυόφυλλον, or
clove-tree, which produces this wonderful effect upon the elephant,
making his breath
"Like the sweet south,
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odour. "--Twelfth Night.
]
[Footnote 8: ὀφείλεταί σοι παρ' αὐτής ζωάγρια. ]
[Footnote 9:
"Who rises from a feast,
With that keen appetite that he sits down? "
Merchant of Venice.
]
[Footnote 10: φίλημα δὲ καὶ ἀόριστόν ἐστιν, καὶ ἀκὁρεστον, καὶ καινὸν
ἀεί. ]
[Footnote 11: ἐξορχήσομαι τὰ μυστήρια, an allusion to the revealing of
religious mysteries. --Liddell's Lex. ]
[Footnote 12: οὐ μοιγεὐεται μου τὰ φιλήματα.
"Kόνωνι δέ εἴπεν ὅτι παύσει αὐτὸν μοὶχῶντα τὴν θάλατταν. "
Xen. Hell. I. vi. 15.
]
[Footnote 13:
ὧ φιλον ὕπνου θέλγητρον, ἑπίκουρον νoσου,
. . . . . .
"ὦ πότνια λήθη τῶν κακῶν, ώς εἶ σοφὴ
καὶ τoῖσι δυστυχοῦσιν εὐκτάια θεός. "--Eur. Or.
"Sleep, that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course.
Chief nourisher in life's feast. "
]
[Footnote 14: This reading is taken from the edit. by Jacobs, and is
supported by a passage in Herod. ii. 17. ]
[Footnote 15: Instead of the common reading, τρόπαιoν, which yields no
sense Salmasius proposes κρώπιον, a reaping hook. ]
[Footnote 16: Lucan mentions boats made of the papyrus:--
. . . "sic cum tenet omnia Nilus
Conseritur bibulâ Memphitis cymba papyro. "
Lucan. B. iv.
]
[Footnote 17:
"Let every soldier hew him down a bough,
And bear't before him; thereby shall we shadow
The numbers of our host, and make discovery
Err in report of us. "--Macbeth.
]
[Footnote 18: πpὸς τὴν σατραπείαν. ]
[Footnote 19: The same manner of expression is used by Apuleius, B.
iv. , of the carcases of animals destroyed by pestilence. :--"Passim per
plateas plurima cerneres semivivorum corporum ferina _naufragia_. " The
reader will remember the figurative language employed to describe the
death of Charicles, thrown from his unruly horse. ]
[Footnote 20:
"The drug he gave me, which he said was precious
And cordial to me, have I not found it
Murd'rous to the senses? "--Cymbeline.
]
[Footnote 21: ἐφόδιαν. ]
[Footnote 22: ἔτυχεν ἐζωσμένος;,--ζώνη, the girdle used as a purse. ]
[Footnote 23: See the description of the procession to Babastis, in
Herod. ii. 60, which illustrates the above passage. ]
[Footnote 24: When the soldiers of Pescennius Niger murmured for want
of wine, he replied to them, "Nilum habetis et vinum quæritis? " and the
historian adds, "siquidem tanta illius fluminis dulcedo, ut accolæ vina
non quærant. "--Spartianus. ]
[Footnote 25: See in Herod. ii. 68, 70, a description of the crocodile
and of the mode of taking it. ]
BOOK V.
We arrived at Alexandria after a three days' passage. I entered by
the gate of the Sun, and was at once amazed and delighted by the
splendour of the city. A row of columns, on either side, led in a
straight line to the gate of the Moon--these two divinities being the
guardian gods of the city gates. In the midst of these columns was the
open part of the city, which branched out into so many streets, that
in traversing them, one seemed journeying abroad though all the time
at home. [1] Proceeding a little farther I came to a part named after
the great Alexander; here began a second city and its beauty was of a
twofold kind, two rows of columns equal in extent, intersecting each
other at right angles. It was impossible to satisfy the eye with
gazing upon the various streets, or to take in every object deserving
of admiration; some of these one actually saw, others one was on the
point of seeing; others one longed to see; others, again, one would
not willingly have missed seeing; those which were actually present
rivetted one's gaze; those which were anticipated tempted it to wander:
after turning my eyes therefore, on every side, so distracted were
my feelings of admiration, that I owned my sight to be thoroughly
bewildered and unequal to its task. What most struck me was the extent
of the city and its vast population, each of which in turn bore away
the palm when compared with the other; the former seemed actually a
country, the latter, a nation. When I looked at the vast size of the
city, I doubted whether any number of inhabitants could fill it; and
when I considered the multitude of the inhabitants, I asked myself
whether any city could contain them; so evenly balanced was the
calculation,[2] and so difficult was it to come to a decision.
It chanced at that time to be the festival of the great deity called
Jove by the Greeks, Serapis[3] by the Egyptians; torches were lighted
up throughout the city, and the effect of so much light was marvellous,
for although evening had come on and the sun had set, there was no
such thing as night, another sun might be said to have arisen, only
that his rays were scattered,[4] so that the city vied with heaven in
brightness. I also visited the magnificent temple and saw the statue
of the Milichian Jove, and after paying our devotions to his great
divinity, and praying him to end at last, our troubles, we returned to
the lodgings which Menelaus had engaged for us. The deity, as will
be seen, did not hearken to our prayers, and another trial of fortune
yet awaited us. Chæreas had for some time been enamoured of Leucippe,
which was his motive for communicating to me the circumstance of the
philtre, by doing which he hoped to become on intimate terms with
us and to preserve her life for his own ends. Knowing how difficult
success would be, he had recourse to stratagem. Being a seafaring man,
he had no difficulty in getting together some fellows, half-fishermen
half-pirates, with whom he arranged what was to be done, and then under
pretence of keeping his birth-day, he invited us to an entertainment at
Pharos. As we were leaving the house a sinister omen befell us; a hawk
pursuing a sparrow struck Leucippe on the cheek with its wing; alarmed
at the occurrence I looked up towards heaven and said--"Jove, what
means this omen? If this bird be indeed sent by thee, show us, I pray,
some clearer augury. " Upon turning round, I found myself standing by a
painter's shop where was a picture, the subject of which was in keeping
with what had just taken place; it represented the rape of Philomela,
the cruelty of Tereus in cutting out her tongue, every particular of
the sad drama was seen depicted on the tapestry,[5] which was being
held up by a female slave. Philomela stood pointing to the different
figures which were worked upon it, and Procne was intimating that she
understood her, at the same time casting stern and angry looks upon the
picture. There, the Thracian Tereus was seen struggling with Philomela,
whose hair was dishevelled, her girdle loose, her dress torn, her bosom
half naked; her right hand was planted against the face of Tereus, with
her left she was endeavouring to pull her torn dress over her breast;
Tereus was holding her in his arms, drawing her person towards him,
and embracing her as closely as he could. Such was the subject of the
tapestry. In the remainder of the painting, were seen the two sisters
showing Tereus the relics of his supper, the head and hands of his own
child; fear and bitter laughter are depicted on their faces; Tereus
is leaping up from his couch and drawing his sword against them, and
he has struck out his foot against the table[6] which neither stands
nor falls, but seems in the very act of falling. "In my opinion," said
Menelaus, "we should give up the excursion to Pharos, for we have
encountered two unfavourable omens, the hawk's wing and the threatening
picture; now those who profess to interpret such matters, bid us pay
regard to the subjects of any pictures which we may happen to meet
with, when setting out on any business, and to conjecture the result of
our undertaking from the nature of what we see. Did you not observe how
full of evil augury this picture is? There is depicted in it lawless
love, shameless adultery and female misery; we ought therefore to
defer our expedition. " I concurred in opinion with him, and we excused
ourselves from accompanying Chæreas on that occasion; he left us, very
much vexed at our determination, saying he should come to us the next
day.
Women are naturally fond of hearing stories, accordingly when he
was gone, Leucippe turning to me said, "Pray tell me what is the
subject represented in this picture? What birds are they? who are
the women? and who is that shameless man? " I proceeded to gratify
her wishes. --"The hoopoe," I said, "was once a man called Tereus,
the swallow and the nightingale were two sisters named Philomela and
Procne, natives of Athens. One woman, it seems, is not enough for a
barbarian, especially when an occasion offers for gratifying his lust;
and such an opportunity was offered to Tereus through the sisterly
affection of Procne, who sent her husband to invite Philomela; he
conceived a passion for her, on his way back, made her a second Procne;
then fearing lest she should reveal the deed, he, as the reward for
her virginity deprives her of speech by cutting out her tongue, our
nature's glory. [7] The precaution was fruitless, Philomela, by her
skill contrived a silent voice; she inwove the tragedy into a web,
descriptive of the facts, her hand supplying the place of a tongue, and
revealing to her sister's eyes what otherwise would have been whispered
into her ears. Procne, learning through this device the violence
which had been perpetrated, determines to take fearful vengeance;
and two angry women's minds, conspiring together, and influenced by
mingled feeling of jealousy and sense of wrong, contrive a supper more
detestable even then the rape. [8] They serve up to the father his own
child; Procne had once been his mother, now she had forgotten the
maternal tie, so powerfully do the pangs of jealousy prevail over those
even of travail; for women, when exacting satisfaction for a violated
bed, however deeply they may suffer in what they do, compensate the
pain by the pleasure of inflicting vengeance. [9] Tereus supped upon
this hellish banquet, and afterwards the sisters, trembling with fear
yet laughing horribly, bringing the remnants of his child upon a dish.
He recognizes the miserable tokens, curses the food which he had
swallowed, and discovers himself to be the father of what he had been
feasting on. Maddened with fury, he draws his sword, and is in the act
of rushing upon the women, when lo! the air receives them metamorphosed
into birds. Tereus also becomes a bird, and ascends after them; and to
show that their change of form has wrought no change in their hate,
the hoopoe (Tereus) still pursues, and the nightingale (Procne) still
flies. " We had for once escaped the snare laid for us, but we gained
by it only a single day, for next morning Chæreas arrived, and feeling
ashamed to make any more excuses we went on board a vessel and sailed
to Pharos. Menelaus said that he felt indisposed and remained at home.
Chæreas took us first to the light-house and directed our attention to
the wonderful superstructure upon which it stood--a rock situated in
the sea, almost cloud-capped, and seeming to hang over the waters; upon
the summit of this arose the tower, which with its light served vessels
for a second pilot. [10] When we had viewed this, he took us to a house
at the extremity of the isle and situated on the shore.
In the evening, under pretence of his stomach being disordered, he
went out: in a short time we heard a great noise, and suddenly a
number of powerful men burst into the room, sword in hand, and turned
towards the maiden. Seeing my dearest life about to be carried off, I
rushed into the midst of them armed as they were, and received a wound
in the thigh, from the effect of which I fell bathed in blood; they
immediately put Leucippe into a boat and rowed away. Aroused by the
disturbance and alarm caused by this occurrence, the commandant of the
isle came up whom I had known when with the army. I exhibited my wound,
and earnestly besought him to pursue the pirates. Accordingly, throwing
himself and the soldiers with him into one of the many boats which were
in the harbour, he gave them chase; I likewise was among the number,
having caused myself to be lifted in.
When the pirates saw that we were gaining upon them and were prepared
for an attack, they placed the maiden upon the deck with her hands
bound behind her; some of them, after calling out in a loud voice,
"Behold the prize you wish to win," severed her head from her body,
and threw the trunk into the sea. Upon beholding this I uttered a loud
cry and was on the point of casting myself into the water, but was
prevented by those standing near me; I then requested the crew to lie
upon their oars, that some one might jump into the sea and if possible
recover the body for burial; they complied with my request and two
of the sailors throwing themselves over the boat's side, got hold of
the corpse and brought it on board. Meanwhile the pirates plied their
oars still more vigorously, and when we were again nearing them they
caught sight of another vessel, and recognizing those in her, hailed
them to come to their assistance; these latter were purple-fishers[11]
and like the others pirates. The commandant, seeing the odds against
him, became alarmed and gave orders to back water,[12] for the pirates
instead of continuing their flight, were now eager to provoke an
engagement. Upon reaching the shore and landing, I threw myself upon
the body and shed bitter tears. --"Thou hast indeed died a double death,
my dearest Leucippe,"[13] I exclaimed, "divided as thou art between
land and sea; I have a remnant of thee, but thou thyself art lost to
me; the division is unfair, for thy larger portion which I possess
(thy body) is in reality, thy lesser, (considering its worth,) while
the sea, in retaining the lesser part (thy head[14]), is in fact
guilty of retaining all; since cruel Fortune envies me the happiness
of kissing thy fair face, I will at least kiss thy neck. " After giving
vent to these lamentations, I had the body interred, and returned to
Alexandria, where much against my will my wound was dressed, and where
I continued to live a miserable life, though Menelaus did all in his
power to console me. At the expiration of six months, the violence of
my grief began to subside; time acts as medicine upon sorrow and heals
the wounds which have been inflicted upon the soul, for the light of
day, and the bright sun are full of cheerfulness, and though the mind
may be fevered by excess of sorrow for a time, yet it is gradually
cooled and overcome by the persuasive influence of time.
One day, when walking in the public square, some one came behind me,
and without speaking a word, seized my hand, turned me round, and
warmly embraced me. For a few moments I knew not who the party was,
overcome by surprise I mechanically suffered myself to be embraced;
at length, upon looking up and seeing his features, who should it
prove to be but Clinias, so uttering a cry of joy, I returned his
embrace with ardour. We then retired to my lodging, where I told him
the particulars of Leucippe's death, and he related to me the manner
of his escape. --"When the ship went to pieces," said he, "I laid hold
of one end of the sailyard, which was already crowded with people,
and endeavoured to hang on; after we had been tossed about for some
time, a great wave overtaking us raised and dashed the yard against a
sunken rock, from which it rebounded like an engine, and shot me off as
though I had been hurled from a sling. I swam during the rest of the
day, but with little hope of being saved; at length, when exhausted and
abandoning myself to the will of Fortune, I espied a vessel bearing
down towards me; so alternately lifting up my hands, I supplicated
help by gestures. Moved by pity, or perhaps merely obeying the impulse
of the wind, the ship came near me, and while running by, one of the
sailors cast a rope over the side; I seized it, and was thus drawn out
of the jaws of death. The vessel was bound for Sidon, and some of those
on board to whom I was known showed me every kindness. We arrived at
the above city after two days' sail, when I requested the Sidonians on
board (the merchant Xenodamas, and his father-in-law Theophilus), not
to mention to any of the Tyrians whom they might meet, the circumstance
of my being preserved from shipwreck. I did not wish any one to know
that I had been away from home, and if those two preserved silence in
the matter, I had hopes that nothing would be discovered; five days
only had elapsed since my disappearance, whereas if you recollect, I
had told my servants that I was going into the country for ten days;
and fortunately I found this to be the prevalent belief among my
friends. Your father did not return home until two days after this,
upon his arrival he found a letter from his brother, Sostratus (which
came the very day after our departure), in which he offered you his
daughter's hand. Upon reading it and hearing of our flight your father
was in great trouble, both because you had missed the prize intended
for you, and because after so nearly bringing matters to a favourable
issue, Fortune had failed merely through delay in the arrival of the
letter. Not wishing his brother to know what had happened, he enjoined
secrecy upon Leucippe's mother, thinking it probable he should be able
to discover you, or at any rate, that upon hearing of the betrothment,
you would both gladly return, having it in your power to realize
the object of your flight. He is now using every endeavour to find
you out; and only a few days ago, Diophantus of Tyre, just returned
from Egypt, informed him that he had seen you here; immediately upon
hearing this, I took ship, sailed hither, and have for more than a
week been seeking you in this city. As your father will soon be here,
it is time for you to decide upon some plan. " He ceased speaking,
and I could not help inveighing bitterly against the cruel sport of
Fortune. "How unfortunate is my lot, my uncle Sostratus gives me the
hand of Leucippe, and sends me a bride from the theatre of war, so
exactly measuring the time as to avoid anticipating our flight. My
good luck and happiness comes just one day too late! [15] Marriage and
the nuptial hymn is talked of when death has claimed his victim, and
it is a time for tears! Whom do they now offer me for a bride? Even
her whose corpse I am not permitted to possess entire! " "You have no
leisure for lamentations now," said Clinias; "what you have to settle
is, whether you will return to your own country or await your father's
arrival here. "--"I will do neither the one nor the other," I replied;
"how can I look my father in the face, after basely flying from his
house, and enticing away her whom his own brother had entrusted to his
charge? Nothing remains but to quit this city before he comes. " At
this moment Menelaus came in, accompanied by Satyrus, and upon seeing
Clinias they hastened to embrace him. When informed by us of the state
of affairs,--"You have an opportunity," said Satyrus, "of prosperously
settling all your affairs, and of taking pity upon a heart which burns
with love towards you. Listen," continued he, addressing Clinias,
"Venus has thrown a piece of good fortune in the way of Clitopho
which he is unwilling to accept; a lady, by name Melitta, a native of
Ephesus is doatingly in love with him; so rare is her beauty, that it
fits her for a sculptor's model. [16] She is rich and young, and has
lately lost her husband who was drowned at sea; she earnestly desires
to make Clitopho, I will not say merely her husband but her 'lord
paramount,'[17] and freely surrenders to him herself and all she has.
She has passed two whole months here, endeavouring to persuade him.
Yet he, heaven knows why, looks coldly upon her, and slights her suit,
imagining, I suppose, that Leucippe will come to life again. "
"In my opinion," replied Clinias, "Satyrus speaks sensibly; it is no
time for hesitation and delay, when beauty, health, wealth, and love
combine to woo you; her beauty will yield you delight, her wealth
will supply the means of luxurious enjoyment, and her love will gain
consideration for you; consider, moreover, that the deity hates
pride and arrogance, so follow the advice of Satyrus and yield to
destiny. "--"Well then," said I, with a deep sigh, "do with me what
you will, since Clinias is of your opinion; one stipulation I make,
however, that I am not to be pressed to consummate the marriage until
we arrive at Ephesus, for I have taken a solemn oath to be connected
with no woman in this city where I have been bereaved of my Leucippe. "
Upon hearing me say this, Satyrus hastened to Melitta with the joyful
tidings, and shortly after returned and said, that upon learning them,
she had nearly fainted from excess of joy; he was also the bearer of
an invitation to me to come to supper as a prelude to the marriage.
I complied and proceeded to her house. No sooner did she see me,
than falling on my neck she covered me with kisses. I must do her the
justice of saying that she was really beautiful; her complexion was
fair as milk, but tinted with the rose,[18] her bright and sunny look
was worthy of Venus herself, and she had a profusion of long golden
hair, so that upon the whole I could not look at her without some
pleasurable emotions.
A costly supper was served, she now and then took some of the viands
for appearance sake, but in reality ate nothing, feeding her eyes on
me. Lovers find their chief delight in gazing upon the beloved; and
when once this tender passion has taken possession of the soul, there
is no time or desire for taking food. The pleasure conceived by the
eyes flows through them into the mind, bears along with it the image of
the beloved, and impresses its form upon the mirror of the soul; the
emanation of beauty darting like secret rays and leaving its outline
on the love-sick heart. [19] I said to her, "Why is it that you touch
none of your own delicacies?
