Herodotus - The Histories.pdf

The Histories–Book Three V 31
when he had returned with the loss of so many of
his troops?” The officers made answer, “That one
of their gods had appeared to them, a god who at
long intervals of time had been accustomed to
show himself in Egypt- and that always on his
appearance the whole of Egypt feasted and kept
jubilee.” When Cambyses heard this, he told them
that they lied, and as liars he condemned them all
to suffer death.
When they were dead, he called the priests to his
presence, and questioning them received the same
answer; whereupon he observed, “That he would
soon know whether a tame god had really come
to dwell in Egypt”- and straightway, without
another word, he bade them bring Apis to him. So
they went out from his presence to fetch the god.
Now this Apis, or Epaphus, is the calf of a cow
which is never afterwards able to bear young. The
Egyptians say that fire comes down from heaven
upon the cow, which thereupon conceives Apis.
The calf which is so called has the following
marks:- He is black, with a square spot of white