the history-第31章

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fancy　themselves　the　most　ancient　race　in　the　world？　Surely　there　was　no　need　of　their　making　the　experiment　with　the　children　to　see　what　language　they　would　first　speak。　But　in　truth　I　do　not　believe　that　the　Egyptians　came　into　being　at　the　same　time　with　the　Delta；　as　the　Ionians　call　it；　I　think　they　have　always　existed　ever　since　the　human　race　began；　as　the　land　went　on　increasing；　part　of　the　population　came　down　into　the　new　country；　part　remained　in　their　old　settlements。　In　ancient　times　the　Thebais　bore　the　name　of　Egypt；　a　district　of　which　the　entire　circumference　is　but　6120　furlongs。　　　　　If；　then；　my　judgment　on　these　matters　be　right；　the　Ionians　are　mistaken　in　what　they　say　of　Egypt。　If；　on　the　contrary；　it　is　they　who　are　right；　then　I　undertake　to　show　that　neither　the　Ionians　nor　any　of　the　other　Greeks　know　how　to　count。　For　they　all　say　that　the　earth　is　divided　into　three　parts；　Europe；　Asia；　and　Libya；　whereas　they　ought　to　add　a　fourth　part；　the　Delta　of　Egypt；　since　they　do　not　include　it　either　in　Asia　or　Libya。　For　is　it　not　their　theory　that　the　Nile　separates　Asia　from　Libya？　As　the　Nile；　therefore；　splits　in　two　at　the　apex　of　the　Delta；　the　Delta　itself　must　be　a　separate　country；　not　contained　in　either　Asia　or　Libya。　　　　　Here　I　take　my　leave　of　the　opinions　of　the　Ionians；　and　proceed　to　deliver　my　own　sentiments　on　these　subjects。　I　consider　Egypt　to　be　the　whole　country　inhabited　by　the　Egyptians；　just　as　Cilicia　is　the　tract　occupied　by　the　Cilicians；　and　Assyria　that　possessed　by　the　Assyrians。　And　I　regard　the　only　proper　boundary…line　between　Libya　and　Asia　to　be　that　which　is　marked　out　by　the　Egyptian　frontier。　For　if　we　take　the　boundary…line　commonly　received　by　the　Greeks；　we　must　regard　Egypt　as　divided；　along　its　whole　length　from　Elephantine　and　the　Cataracts　to　Cercasorus；　into　two　parts；　each　belonging　to　a　different　portion　of　the　world；　one　to　Asia；　the　other　to　Libya；　since　the　Nile　divides　Egypt　in　two　from　the　Cataracts　to　the　sea；　running　as　far　as　the　city　of　Cercasorus　in　a　single　stream；　but　at　that　point　separating　into　three　branches；　whereof　the　one　which　bends　eastward　is　called　the　Pelusiac　mouth；　and　that　which　slants　to　the　west；　the　Canobic。　Meanwhile　the　straight　course　of　the　stream；　which　comes　down　from　the　upper　country　and　meets　the　apex　of　the　Delta；　continues　on；　dividing　the　Delta　down　the　middle；　and　empties　itself　into　the　sea　by　a　mouth；　which　is　as　celebrated；　and　carries　as　large　a　body　of　water；　as　most　of　the　others；　the　mouth　called　the　Sebennytic。　Besides　these　there　are　two　other　mouths　which　run　out　of　the　Sebennytic　called　respectively　the　Saitic　and　the　Mendesian。　The　Bolbitine　mouth；　and　the　Bucolic；　are　not　natural　branches；　but　channels　made　by　excavation。　　　　　My　judgment　as　to　the　extent　of　Egypt　is　confirmed　by　an　oracle　delivered　at　the　shrine　of　Ammon；　of　which　I　had　no　knowledge　at　all　until　after　I　had　formed　my　opinion。　It　happened　that　the　people　of　the　cities　Marea　and　Apis；　who　live　in　the　part　of　Egypt　that　borders　on　Libya；　took　a　dislike　to　the　religious　usages　of　the　country　concerning　sacrificial　animals；　and　wished　no　longer　to　be　restricted　from　eating　the　flesh　of　cows。　So；　as　they　believed　themselves　to　be　Libyans　and　not　Egyptians；　they　sent　to　the　shrine　to　say　that；　having　nothing　in　common　with　the　Egyptians；　neither　inhabiting　the　Delta　nor　using　the　Egyptian　tongue；　they　claimed　to　be　allowed　to　eat　whatever　they　pleased。　Their　request；　however；　was　refused　by　the　god；　who　declared　in　reply　that　Egypt　was　the　entire　tract　of　country　which　the　Nile　overspreads　and　irrigates；　and　the　Egyptians　were　the　people　who　lived　below　Elephantine；　and　drank　the　waters　of　that　river。　　　　　So　said　the　oracle。　Now　the　Nile；　when　it　overflows；　floods　not　only　the　Delta；　but　also　the　tracts　of　country　on　both　sides　the　stream　which　are　thought　to　belong　to　Libya　and　Arabia；　in　some　places　reaching　to　the　extent　of　two　days'　journey　from　its　banks；　in　some　even　exceeding　that　distance；　but　in　others　falling　short　of　it。　　　　　Concerning　the　nature　of　the　river；　I　was　not　able　to　gain　any　information　either　from　the　priests　or　from　others。　I　was　particularly　anxious　to　learn　from　them　why　the　Nile；　at　the　commencement　of　the　summer　solstice；　begins　to　rise；　and　continues　to　increase　for　a　hundred　days…　and　why；　as　soon　as　that　number　is　past；　it　forthwith　retires　and　contracts　its　stream；　continuing　low　during　the　whole　of　the　winter　until　the　summer　solstice　comes　round　again。　On　none　of　these　points　could　I　obtain　any　explanation　from　the　inhabitants；　though　I　made　every　inquiry；　wishing　to　know　what　was　commonly　reported…　they　could　neither　tell　me　what　special　virtue　the　Nile　has　which　makes　it　so　opposite　in　its　nature　to　all　other　streams；　nor　why；　unlike　every　other　river；　it　gives　forth　no　breezes　from　its　surface。　　　　　Some　of　the　Greeks；　however；　wishing　to　get　a　reputation　for　cleverness；　have　offered　explanations　of　the　phenomena　of　the　river；　for　which　they　have　accounted　in　three　different　ways。　Two　of　these　I　do　not　think　it　worth　while　to　speak　of；　further　than　simply　to　mention　what　they　are。　One　pretends　that　the　Etesian　winds　cause　the　rise　of　the　river　by　preventing　the　Nile…water　from　running　off　into　the　sea。　But　in　the　first　place　it　has　often　happened；　when　the　Etesian　winds　did　not　blow；　that　the　Nile　has　risen　according　to　its　usual　wont；　and　further；　if　the　Etesian　winds　produced　the　effect；　the　other　rivers　which　flow　in　a　direction　opposite　to　those　winds　ought　to　present　the　same　phenomena　as　the　Nile；　and　the　more　so　as　they　are　all　smaller　streams；　and　have　a　weaker　current。　But　these　rivers；　of　which　there　are　many　both　in　Syria　and　Libya；　are　entirely　unlike　the　Nile　in　this　respect。　　　　　The　second　opinion　is　even　more　unscientific　than　the　one　just　mentioned；　and　also；　if　I　may　so　say；　more　marvellous。　It　is　that　the　Nile　acts　so　strangely；　because　it　flows　from　the　ocean；　and　that　the　ocean　flows　all　round　the　earth。　　　　　The　third　explanation；　which　is　very　much　more　plausible　than　either　of　the　others；　is　positively　the　furthest　from　the　truth；　for　there　is　really　nothing　in　what　it　says；　any　more　than　in　the　other　theories。　It　is；　that　the　inundation　of　the　Nile　is　caused　by　the　melting　of　snows。　Now；　as　the　Nile　flows　out　of　Libya；　through　Ethiopia；　into　Egypt；　how　is　it　possible　that　it　can　be　formed　of　melted　snow；　running；　as　it　does；　from　the　hottest　regions　of　the　world　into　cooler　countries？　Many　are　the　proofs　whereby　any　one　capable　of　reasoning　on　the　subject　may　be　convinced　that　it　is　most　unlikely　this　should　be　the　case。　The　first　and　strongest　argument　is　furnished　by　the　winds；　which　always　blow　hot　from　these　regions。　The　second　is　that　rain　and　frost　are　unknown　there。　Now　whenever　snow　falls；　it　must　of　necessity　rain　within　five　days；。so　that；　if　there　were　snow；　there　must　be　rain　also　in　those　parts。　Thirdly；　it　is　certain　that　the　natives　of　the　country　are　black　with　the　heat；　that　the　kites　and　the　swallows　remain　there　the　whole　year；　and　that　the　cranes；　when　they　fly　from　the　rigours　of　a　Scythian　winter；　flock　thither　to　pass　the　cold　season。　If　then；　in　the　country　whence　the　Nile　has　its　source；　or　in　that　through　which　it　flows；　there　fell　ever　so　little　snow；　it　is　absolutely　impossible　that　any　of　these　circumstances　could　take　place。　　　　　As　for　the　writer　who　attributes　the　phenomenon　to　the　ocean；　his　account　is　involved　in　such　obscurity　that　it　is　impossible　to　disprove　it　by　argument。　For　my　part　I　know　of　no　river　called　Ocean；　and　I　think　that　Homer；　or　one　of　the　earlier　poets；　invented　the　name；　and　introduced　it　into　his　poetry。　　　　　Perhaps；　after　censuring　all　the　opinions　that　have　been　put　forward　on　this　obscure　subject；　one　ought　to　propose　some　theory　of　one's　own。　I　will　therefore　proceed　to　explain　what　I　think　to　be　the　reason　of　the　Nile's　swelling　in　the　summer　time。　During　the　winter；　the　sun　is　driven　out　of　his　usual　course　by　the　storms；　and　removes　to　the　upper　parts　of　Libya。　This　is　the　whole　secret　in　the　fewest　possible　words；　for　it　stands　to　reason　that　the　country　to　which　the　Sun…god　approaches　the　nearest；　and　which　he　passes　most　dire