Having passed this country in the forty days, you must go on board another boat, and sail for twelve days; and then you will arrive at a large city, called Meroe; this city is said to be the capital of all Ethiopia.  The inhabitants worship no other gods than Jupiter and Bacchus; but these they honour with great magnificence.  They have also an oracle of Jupiter; and they make war whenever that god bids them by an oracular warning, and against whatever country he bids them.  Sailing from this city, you will arrive at the country of the Automoli, in a space of time equal to that which you took in coming from Elephantine to the capital of the Ethiopians.  These Automoli are called by the name of Asmak, which, in the language of Greece, signifies “those that stand at the left hand of the king.”  These, to the number of two hundred and forty thousand of the Egyptian war-tribe, revolted to the Ethiopians on the following occasion.  In the reign of King Psammitichus garrisons were stationed at Elephantine against the Ethiopians, and another at the Pelusian Daphnae against the Arabians and Syrians, and another at Marea against Libya; and even in my time garrisons of the Persians are stationed in the same places as they were in the time of Psammitichus, for they maintain guards at Elephantine and Daphnae.  Now, these Egyptians, after they had been on duty three years, were not relieved; therefore, having consulted together and come to an unanimous resolution, they all revolted from Psammitichus, and went to Ethiopia.  Psammitichus, hearing of this, pursued them; and when he overtook them he entreated them by many arguments, and adjured them not to forsake the gods of their fathers, and their children and wives But one of them is reported to have uncovered [ ] and to have said, that wheresoever these were there they

<<"which it is said that one of them pointed to his privy member and said that wherever this was, there would they have both children and wives”—­ Macaulay tr.; published edition censors>>

should find both children and wives.”  These men, when they arrived in Ethiopia, offered their services to the king of the Ethiopians, who made them the following recompense.  There were certain Ethiopians disaffected towards him; these he bade them expel, and take possession of their land.  By the settlement of these men among the Ethiopians, the Ethiopians became more civilized, and learned the manners of the Egyptians.

Now, for a voyage and land journey of four months, the Nile is known, in addition to the part f the stream that is in Egypt; for, upon computation, so many months are known to be spent by a person who travels from Elephantine to the Automoli.  This river flows from the west and the setting of the sun; but beyond this no one is able to speak with certainty, for the rest of the country is desert by reason of the excessive heat.  But I have heard the following account from certain Cyrenaeans, who