The Greek Romances of Heliodorus, Longus and Achilles Tatius Comprising the Ethiopics; or, Adventures of Theagenes and Chariclea; The pastoral amours of Daphnis and Chloe; and the loves of Clitopho and Leucippe

BOOK IV.

Chapter 176,321 wordsPublic domain

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.