By Water & Blood

Chapter 5

The Acts of Sesostris the Second. Of Ammosis, Actisanes, Mendes, Proteus or Cetes, Remphis, Chemmis, (the great Pyramids built by him), Cephres, Mycerinus, Bocchoris, Sabach. The Reign of Twelve Kings in Egypt. Psammetichus Saites, one of the Kings, gained the whole; Two Hundred Thousand of his Army forsake him, and settle themselves in Ethiopia. Apries succeeds long after. Amasis rebels, and next succeeds; and Apries is strangled by the People. Amasis the last King, to the Time of the Conquest of Egypt by Cambyses.

THE son of Sesostris succeeded his father in the kingdom, and took upon him the same name, yet performed nothing remarkable by his arms; but the affliction and misery that befell him was observable; for he became blind, as his father did before him, deriving the malady either from his father in his birth, or as a judgment upon him for his impiety against the river, against which, (as it is fabulously reported), he threw his javelin; whereupon, falling under this misfortune, he was forced to apply himself for help to the gods, whom he sought to appease with many offerings and sacrifices for a long time together, yet could find no relief, till, at the end of ten years he was directed by the oracle to go and worship the god of Heliopolis, and wash his face in the urine of a woman that never had known any other man besides her own husband. Hereupon he began with his own wife, and made trial of many others, but found none honest except a gardener's wife, whom he afterwards married when he was recovered. All the adulteresses he caused to be burnt in a little village, which, from this execution, the Egyptians called the' Holy Field, to testify his gratitude to the god of Heliopolis for this great benefit. At the command of the oracle, he erected two obelisks, each of one entire stone, eight cubits in breadth, and a hundred in height, and dedicated them to the deity. After this Sesostris the second, were many successions of kings in Egypt, of whom there is nothing worth remark to be found. But many ages after, Ammosis came to the crown, who carried it tyrannically towards his subjects. For he put many to death against all law and justice, and as many he stripped of all they had, and turned them out of their estates, and carried himself haughtily and proudly in every thing towards all persons he had to deal with. This the poor oppressed people endured for a time, while they had no power to resist those that overpowered them. But as soon as Actisanes king of Ethiopia invaded him, (having now an opportunity to discover their hatred, and to revenge themselves), most of his subjects revolted from him, so that he was easily conquered, and Egypt became subject to the kings of Ethiopia. Actisanes bore his prosperity with great moderation, and carried himself kindly and obligingly towards all his subjects. Against robbers he contrived a notable device, neither putting them that were guilty to death, nor wholly acquitting or discharging them from punishment. For he caused all that were guilty, to be brought together from all parts of the country, and after a just and strict inquiry, and certain knowledge of their guilt, he ordered all their noses to be cut off, and banished them into the utmost parts of the desert; and built a city for them, called, from the cutting off of the noses of the inhabitants, Rhinocorura, which is situated in the confines of Egypt and Syria, in a barren place, destitute of all manner of provision. All the country round about is full of salt and brackish ponds, and the wells within the walls, afford but very little water, and that stinking and very bitter. And he sent them to this place on purpose that they might not for the future do any more hurt, nor lie lurking and unknown among other men. But, being1 banished to such a barren place, void almost of all things necessary for the support of man's life, (men naturally contriving all manner of arts to prevent starving), they wittily found out a way to supply their wants. For they cut up out of the neighbouring fields, reeds, and slit them in several pieces, and made long nets of them, and placed them several furlongs all along upon the shore, with which they catched the quails, (which came flying over the sea in great flocks), and by that means sufficiently provided for themselves. After this king's death, the Egyptians recovered their liberty, and set up a king of their own nation to rule over them, Meudes, (whom some call Marus), who never undertook any warlike design, but made a sepulchre for himself called a labyrinth, not to be admired so much for its greatness, as it was inimitable for its workmanship. For he that went in, could not easily come out again, without a very skilful guide. Some say that Dredalus, who came into Egypt, admired the curiosity of this work, and made a labyrinth for Minos king of Crete, like to this in Egypt, in which they fabulously relate the Minotaur was kept. But that in Crete was either ruined by some of their kings, or came to nothing through length of time, but that in Egypt continued whole and entire to our days. After the death of this Mendes, and five generations spent, (during which time there was an interregnum), the Egyptians chose one Cetes, of an ignoble extraction, to be their king, whom the Grecians call Proteus ; this fell out in the time of the Trojan war. This prince, they say, was a magician, and could transform himself sometimes into the shape of a beast, other times into a tree, or appearance of fire, or any other form and shape whatsoever. And this agrees with the account the priests of Egypt give of him; from his daily converse with the astrologers, they say, he learnt this art. The Greeks raised this story of transformation, from a custom amongst the kings; for the Egyptian princes used to wear upon' their heads, (as badges of their royal authority), the shapes of lions, bulls, and dragons; and sometimes to fix upon their heads sprouts of trees, fire, and strong perfumes of frankincense, and other sweet odours. And with those they both adorned themselves, and struck a. terror and superstitious awe into the hearts of their subjects at one and the same time. After the death of Proteus, his son Remphis succeeded him, who spent all his time in filling his coffers, and heaping up wealth. The poorness of his spirit, and his sordid covetousness was such, that they would not suffer him to part with any thing, either for the worship of the gods, or the good of mankind; and therefore, more like a good steward than a king, instead of a name for valour and noble acts, he left vast heaps of treasure behind him, greater than any of the kings that ever were before him : for it is said he had a treasure of four hundred thousand talents of gold and silver. After this king's death, for seven generations together, there reigned successively a company of kings, who gave themselves up to sloth and idleness, and did nothing but wallow in pleasures and luxury; and therefore there is no record of any great work, or other thing worthy to be remembered that ever any f»f them did, except Nile, who called the river after his own name, which was before called Egyptus. For being that he cut many canals and dykes in convenient places, and used his utmost endeavour to make the river more useful and serviceable, it was therefore called Nile. Chemmis, the eighth king from Remphis, was of Memphis, and reigned fifty years. He built the greatest of the three pyramids, which were accounted amongst the seven wonders of the world. They stand towards Libya, one hundred and twenty furlongs. from Memphis, and forty-five from the Nile. The greatness of these works, and the excessive labour of the workmen seen in them, do even strike the beholders with admiration and astonishment. The greatest being four-square, took up, on every square, seven hundred feet of ground in the basis, and above six hundred feet in height, spiring up narrower by little and little, till it came up to the point, the top of which was six cubits square. It is built of solid marble throughout, of rough work, but of perpetual duration: for though it be now a thousand years since it was built, (some say above three thousand and four hundred)., yet the stones are as firmly jointed, and the whole building as entire and without the least decay, as they were at the first laying an erection. The stone, they say, was brought a long way off, out of Arabia, and that the work was raised by making mounts of earth; cranes and other engines being not known at that time. And that which is most to be admired, is to see such a foundation so imprudently laid, as it seems to be, in a sandy place, where there is not the least sign of any earth cast up, nor marks where any stone was cut and polished; so that the whole pile seems to be reared all at once, and fixed in the midst of heaps of sand by some god, and not built by degrees by the hands of men. Some of the Egyptians tell wonderful things, and invent strange fables concerning these works, affirming that the mounts were made of salt and salt-petre, and that they were melted by the inundation of the river, and being so dissolved, every thing was washed away but the building itself. But this is not the truth of the thing; but the great multitude of hands that raised the mounts, the same carried back the earth to the place whence they dug it; for they say, there were three hundred and sixty thousand men employed in this work, and the whole was scarce completed in twenty years time. When this king was dead, his brother Cephres * succeeded him, and reigned six-and-fifty years: some say it was not his brother, but his son Chabryis that came to the crown: but all agree in this, that the successor, in imitation of his predecessor, erected another pyramid like to the former, both in structure and artificial workmanship, but not near so large, every square of the basis being only a furlong in breadth. Upon the greater pyramid was inscribed the value of the herbs and onions that were spent upon the labourers during the works, which amounted to above sixteen hundred talents. There is nothing written upon the lesser: the entrance and ascent is only on one side, cut by steps into the main stone. Although the kings designed these two for their sepulchres, yet it happened that

* Cephres, Chabreris. Supposed to reign in the name of David, and the beginning ol Solomon reign, Heir. Chron. 42.

neither of them were there buried. For the people, being incensed at them by the reason of the toil and labour they were put to, and the cruelty and oppression of their kings, threatened to drag their carcases out of their graves, and pull them by piece-meal, and cast them to the dogs j and therefore both of them upon their beds commanded their servants to bury them in some obscure place. After him reigned Mycerinus, (otherwise called Cherinus), the son of 'him who built the first pyramid. This prince began a third, but died before it was finished; every square of the basis was three hundred feet. The walls for fifteen stories high were of black marble, like that of Thebes, the rest was of the same stone with the other pyramids. Though the other pyramids went beyond this in greatness, yet this far excelled the rest in the curiosity of the structure, and the largeness of the stones. On that side of the pyramid towards the north, was inscribed the name of the founder Mycerinus. This king, they say, detesting the severity of the former kings, carried himself all his days gently and graciously towards all his subjects, and did all that possibly he could to gain their love and good will towards him; besides other things, he expended vast sums of money upon the oracles and worship of the gods; and bestowing large gifts upon honest men, whom he judged to be injured, and to be hardly dealt with in the courts of justice. There are other pyramids, every square of which are two hundred feet in the basis; and in all things like unto the others, except in bigness. It is said that these three last kings built them for their wives. It is not in the least to be doubted, but that these pyramids far excel all the other works throughout Egypt, not only in the greatness and costs of the building, but in the excellency of the workmanship: for the architects, (they say), are much more to be admired than the kings themselves that were at the cost. For those performed all by their own ingenuity, but these did nothing but by the wealth handed to them by descent from their predecessors, and by the toil and labour of other men. Yet, concerning the first builders of these pyramids, there is no consent, either amongst the inhabitants or historians. For some say, they were built by the kings before mentioned, some by others. As that the greatest was built by Armeus, the second by Amasis, and the third by Inarouas. But some say, that this last was the sepulchre of one Rhodopides, a courtezan, and was built in remembrance of her, at the common charge of some of the governors of the provinces, who had amours with her.

Bocchoris*, was the next who succeeded in the kingdom, a very little man for body, and of a mean and contemptible presence; bat its to his wisdom and prudence, far excelling all the kings that ever were before him in Egypt. A long time after him, one Sabach (*t), an Ethiopian, came to the throne, going beyond all his predecessors in his worship of the gods, and 'kindness to his subjects. Any man may judge, and have a clear evidence of his gentle disposition in this, that when the laws pronounced the severest judgment, (I mean sentence of death), he changed the punishment, and made an edict, that the condemned persons should be kept to work in the towns in chains, by whose labour, he raised many mounts, and made many commodious canals, conceiving by this means, he should not only moderate the severity of the punishment, but instead of that which was unprofitable, advance the public good, by the service and labours of the condemned. A man may likewise judge of his extraordinary piety, from his dream, and his abdication of the government; for the tutelar god of Thebes, seemed to speak to him in his sleep, and told him, that he could not long reign happily and prosperously in Egypt, unless he cut all the priests in pieces, when he passed through the midst of them with his guards and servants; which advice being often repeated, be at length sent for the priests from all parts, and told them, that if he staid in Egypt any longer, he found that he should displease God, who never at any time before, by dreams or visions, commanded any such thing. And that he would rather be gone and lose his life, being pure and innocent, than displease God, or enjoy the crown of Egypt, by staining his life with the horrid murder of the innocent. And so at length, giving up the kingdom into the hands of the people, he returned into Ethiopia. Upon this, there was an anarchy for the space of two years; but the people falling into tumults and intestine broils and slaughters one of another, twelve of the chief nobility of the kingdom joined in a solemn oath, and then calling a senate at Memphis, and making some laws, for the better directing and cementing of them in mutual peace and fidelity, they took upon them the regal power and authority, After they had governed the kingdom very amicably for the space of fifteen years, (according to the agreement which they had mutually sworn to observe), they applied themselves to the building of u sepulchre, where they might all lie together; that, as in their life time, they had been equal in their power and au-

• Biocchoris, in the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah, An. Men. 3283. Before Christ, Pod. Helv. Cbton. *t Subacon, or Subaco, who joined with Hoshes, King of Israel.

thority, and had always carried it with love and respect one towards another; so, after death, (being all buried together in one place), they might continue the glory of their names, in one and the same monument. To this end, they made it their business to excel all their predecessors in the greatness of their works: for near the lake of Meris in Libya, they built a four-square monument of polished marble, every square a furlong in length, for curious carvings, and other pieces of art, not to be equalled by any that should come after them. When you are entered within the wall, there is presented a stately fabric, supported round with pillars, forty on every side. The roof was of one entire stone, whereon was curiously carved, racks and mangers for horses, and other excellent pieces of workmanship; and painted and adorned with divers sorts of pictures and images; where likewise were pourtrayed, the resemblances of the kings, the temples, and the sacrifices, in most beautiful colours. And such was the cost and stateliness of this sepulchre, begun by these kings, that, (if they had not been dethroned before it was perfected), none ever after could have 'exceeded them in the state and magnificence of their works. But after they had reigned over Egypt fifteen years, all of them but one lost their sovereignty in the following manner: Psaummeticus Saites*, one of the kings, whose province was upon the sea coast, trafficked with all sorts of merchants, and especially with the Phoenicians and Grecians; by this means, enriching his province, by vending his own commodities, and the importation of those that came from Greece, he not only grew very wealthy, but gained an interest in the nations and princes abroad; upon which account, he was envied by the rest of the kings, who for that reason made war upon him. Some antient historians tell a story, that these princes were told by the oracle, that which of them should first pour wine out of a brazen phial, to the god adored at Memphis, should be sole lord of all Egypt. Whereupon Psaummeticus, when the priest brought out of the temple twelve golden phials, plucked off his helmet, and poured out a wine-offering from thence; which when his colleagues took notice of, they forebore putting him to death, but deposed him, and banished him into the fens, bordering upon the sea coast. Whether, therefore, it were this, or envy, as it is said before, that gave birth to this dissension and difference amongst them, it is certain Psammeticus hired soldiers out of Arabia, Caria, and Ionia, and, in a field-fight near the city Moniemphis, he got the day. Some of the kings of the other side were slain, and the rest fled into Africa, and were not able further to contend for the kingdom. * Psaummeticus An. Mun. 3788. Ant. Ch. 669. Twenty-ninth year of Mananeith, king of Judah. Psammeticus having now gained possession of the whole, built a portico to the east gate of the temple at Memphis, in honour of that god, and incompassed the temple with a wall, supporting it with Colossuses of twelve cubits high, in the room of pillars. He bestow* ed likewise upon his mercenary soldiers many large rewards over and above their pay promised them. He gave them also a place called Stratopedon to inhabit, and divided amongst them by lot a large piece of land, a little above the mouth of Pelusium, whom Amasis, (who reigned many years after), transplanted to Memphis. Being therefore that he had gained the kingdom by the help of his stipendiary soldiers, he intrusted them chiefly in the concerns of the government, and entertained great combers of strangers and foreigners. Afterwards undertaking un expedition into Syria, (to honour the foreigners), he placed them in the right wing of his army; but out of slight and disregard to the natural Egyptians, he drew them up in the left; with which affront the Egyptians were so incensed, that above two hundred thousand of them revolted, and marched away towards Ethiopia, there to settle themselves in new habitations. At first the king sent some of his captives after them, to make an apology for the dishonour done them; but these not being hearkened unto, the king himself, with some of his nobility, followed them by water. But they marched on, and entered Egypt, near the river Nile, where he earnestly entreated them to alter their purpose, and to remember their gods, their country, wives, and children: they all cried out, (beating upon their shields, and shaking their spears), that as long as they had arms in their hands, they could easily gain another country; and then turning aside the flaps of their coats, they shewed their privy members, bawling out, that as long as they were so furnished, they should never want wives or children. Possessed with this resolution and magnanimity of mind, they despised every thing that by all others are highly prized and valued, and settled themselves in a rich and fruitful soil in Ethiopia, dividing the laud amongst themselves by lot. Psammeticus laid this greatly to heart, and made it his business to settle the affairs of Egypt, and to increase his revenues, and entered into league with the Athenians and other Grecians, and was very kind and liberal to all strangers that came into Egypt. He was so taken with the Grecians, that he caused his son to be instructed in the Grecian learning. He was certainly the first of all the kings of Egypt that encouraged foreigners to traffic in his country, giving safe conduct to all strangers that sailed hither. For the former kings allowed no strangers to come into Egypt, and if any did arrive, they either put them to death, or made them slaves: and it was the churlishness of this nation, which caused all that noise among the Greeks, concerning the cruelty and wickedness of Busiris, though all was not true as it was related, but the extraordinary severity of the country gave occasion to the raising of those fables. After Psammeticus, and four generations past, Apries reigned twenty-two years. He invaded, with mighty forces, Cyprus and Phoenicia, and took Sidon by storm; and through fear and terror of him, brought other cities of Phoenicia into subjection. And having routed the Cyprians and Phoenicians in a great sea-fight, he returned into Egypt, loaden with the spoils of his enemies. But afterwards sending an army against Cyrene and Barca, he lost most of them; at which those that escaped, were extraordinarily enraged; and suspecting that he employed them in this expedition on purpose to have them all cut off, that he might reign the more securely over the rest, they all revolted. For Amasis, a nobleman of Egypt, being sent against them by the king, not only slighted the king's commands in endeavouring to make all whole again, but, on the contrary, incited the rebels to a higher degree of rage and indignation against him, and turned rebel himself, and was created king. And not long after, when the rest of the people all went over to him, the king, not knowing what to do, was forced to fly for aid to the stipendiary soldiers, who were about thirty thousand; but being routed in a field-fight, near to a town called Marius, he was there taken prisoner and strangled. Amasis, having settled his affairs in Egypt, so as he judged most conducive to the public good, governed the Egyptians with all justice and moderation, and by this gained the good will of all the people. He conquered also the cities of Cyprus, and adorned the temples of the gods with many rich gifts and offerings. Having reigned fifty-five years, he died about the time Cambyses king of Persia first invaded Egypt, in the third year of the sixty-third olympiad, in which Parmenides of Camarina was victor*.