afterwards transport them to the Syrian deserts. Thus all the earthen vessels carried into Egypt, and there carefully collected, are continually added to those already in Syria.

VII. Such are the means which the Persians have constantly adopted to provide themselves with water in these deserts, from the time that they were first masters of Egypt. But as, at the time of which we' speak, they had not this resource, Cambyses listened to the advice of his Halicarnassian guest, and solicited of the Arabian prince a safe passage through his territories; which was granted, after mutual promises of friendship.

VIII. These are the ceremonies which the Arabians observe when they make alliances, of which no people in the world are more tenacious. On these occasions some one connected with both parties stands betwixt them, and with a sharp stone opens a vein of the hand, near the middle finger, of those who are about to contract. He then takes a piece of the vest of each person, and dips it in their blood, with which he stains several stones purposely placed in the midst of the

others do wine. They keep it three or four years, and sometimes longer, and the age of this water is with them an increase of its value, as the age of wine is elsewhere.-Aristides Orat. Egyptiac.

Modern writers and travellers are agreed about the excellence of the water of the Nile; but the above assertion, with respect to its keeping, wants to be corroborated. Much the same is said respecting the water of the Thames.

1 How faithful the Arabs are at this day, when they have pledged themselves to be so, is a topic of admiration and of praise with all modern travellers. They who once put themselves under their protection have nothing afterwards to fear, for their word is sacred. Singular as the mode here described of forming alliances may appear to an English reader, that of taking an oath by putting the hand under the thigh, in use among the patriarchs, was surely not less so.

assembly, invoking during the process Bacchus and Urania. When this is finished, he who solicits the compact to be made pledges his friends for the sincerity of his engagements to the stranger or citizen, or whoever it may happen to be; and all of them conceive an indispensable necessity to exist of performing what they promise. Bacchus and Urania are the only deities whom they venerate. They cut off their hair round their temples, from the supposition that Bacchus wore his in that form: him they call Urotalt ; Urania, Alilat.

IX. When the Arabian prince had made an alliance with the messengers of Cambyses, he ordered all his camels to be laden with camel-skins filled with water, and to be driven to the deserts, there to wait the arrival of Cambyses and his army. Of this incident the above seems to me the more probable narrative. There is also another, which however I may disbelieve, I think I ought not to omit. In Arabia is a large river called Corys, which loses itself in the Red Sea from this river the Arabian is said to have formed a canal of the skins of oxen and other animals sewed together, which was continued to the abovementioned deserts, where he also sunk a number of cisterns to receive the water so introduced. From the river to the desert is a journey of twelve days; and they say that the water was conducted by three distinct canals into as many different places.

X. At the Pelusian mouth of the Nile Psammenitus, the son of Amasis, was encamped, and expected Cambyses in arms. Amasis himself, after a reign of fortyfour years, died before Cambyses had advanced to Egypt, and during the whole enjoyment of his power he experienced no extraordinary calamity. At his death his body was embalmed, and deposited in a

sepulchre which he had erected for himself in the temple of Minerva. During the reign of his son Psammenitus Egypt beheld a most remarkable prodigy; there was rain at the Egyptian Thebes, a circumstance which never happened before, and which, as the Thebans themselves assert, has never occurred since. In the higher parts of Egypt it never rains, but at that period we read it rained at Thebes in distinct drops.

XI. The Persians having passed the deserts, fixed their camp opposite to the Egyptians, as with the design of offering them battle. The Greeks and Carians, who were the confederates of the Egyptians, to show their resentment against Phanes, for introducing a foreign army against Egypt, adopted this expedient: his sons, whom he had left behind, they brought into the camp, and in a conspicuous place, in the sight of their father, they put them one by one to death on a vessel brought thither for that purpose. When they had done this, they filled the vase which had received the blood with wine and water; having drank which,' all the auxiliaries immediately engaged the enemy. The battle was obstinately disputed; but after considerable loss on both sides, the Egyptians fled.

XII. By the people inhabiting the place where this battle was fought a very surprising thing was pointed out to my attention. The bones of those who fell in

1 They probably swore at the same time to avenge the treason of Phanes, or perish. The blood of a human victim mixed with wine accompanied the most solemn forms of execration among the ancients. Catiline made use of this superstition to bind his adherents to secrecy : 'He carried round,' says Sallust, the blood of a human victim, mixed with wine; and when all had tasted it, after a set form of execration (sicut in solennibus sacris fieri consuevit) he imparted his design.'-T.

the engagement were soon afterwards collected, and separated into two distinct heaps. It was observed of the Persians, that their heads were so extremely soft as to yield to the slight impression even of a pebble ; those of the Egyptians, on the contrary, were so firm, that the blow of a large stone could hardly break them. The reason which they gave for this was very satisfactory-the Egyptians from a very early age shave their heads,' which by being constantly exposed to the action of the sun, become firm and hard: this treatment also prevents baldness, very few instances of which are ever to be seen in Egypt. Why the skulls of the Persians are so soft may be explained from their being from their infancy accustomed to shelter them from the sun, by the constant use of turbans. I saw the very same fact at Papremis, after examining the bones of those who, under the conduct of Achæmenes, son of Darius, were defeated by Inarus the African.

XIII. The Egyptians after their defeat fled in great disorder to Memphis. Cambyses despatched a Persian up the river in a Mitylenian vessel to treat with them; but as soon as they saw the vessel enter Memphis, they rushed in a crowd from the citadel, destroyed the vessel, tore the crew in pieces,2 and afterwards carried them into the citadel. Siege was immediately laid to the place, and the Egyptians were

1 The same custom still subsists. I have seen every where the children of the common people, whether running in the field, assembled round the village, or swimming in the waters, with their heads shaved and bare. Let us but imagine the hardness a skull must acquire thus exposed to the scorching sun, and we shall not be astonished at the remark of Herodotus.-Savary.

2 They were two hundred in number; this appears from a following paragraph, where we find that for every Mitylenian massacred on this occasion ten Egyptians were put to death, and that two thousand Egyptians thus perished.-Larcher.

finally compelled to surrender. Those Africans who lived nearest to Egypt, apprehensive of a similar fate, submitted without contest, imposing a tribute on themselves, and sending presents to the Persians. Their example was followed by the Cyreneans and Barceans, who were struck with the like panic. The African presents Cambyses received very graciously, but he expressed much resentment at those of the Cyreneans, as I think, on account of their meanness. They sent him five hundred minæ of silver, which, as soon as he received, with his own hands he threw amongst his soldiers.

XIV. On the tenth day after the surrender of the citadel of Memphis Psammenitus, the Egyptian king, who had reigned no more than six months, was by order of Cambyses ignominiously conducted, with other Egyptians, to the outside of the walls, and by way of trial of his disposition, thus treated his daughter, in the habit of a slave, was sent with a pitcher to draw water; she was accompanied by a number of young women clothed in the same garb, and selected from families of the first distinction. They passed with much and loud lamentation before their parents, from whom their treatment excited a correspondent violence of grief. But when Psammenitus beheld the spectacle, he merely declined his eyes on the ground: when this train was gone by, the son of Psammenitus, with two thousand Egyptians of the same age, were made to walk in procession with ropes round their necks, and bridles in their mouths. These were intended to avenge the death of those Mitylenians who, with their vessel, had been torn to pieces at Memphis. The king's counsellors had determined that for every one put to death on that occasion ten of the first rank of the Egyptians should be sacrificed. Psammenitus observed these as they passed; but al