herodotus

was known that he had done so, he became abhorred, and being pursuedhe escaped and got away in his ships to Libya; but whither he wentbesides after this, the Egyptians were not able to tell. Of thesethings they said that they found out part by inquiries, and the rest,namely that which happened in their own land, they related from sureand certain knowledge.120. Thus the priests of the Egyptians told me; and I myself alsoagree with the story which was told of Helen, adding thisconsideration, namely that if Helen had been in Ilion she would havebeen given up to the Hellenes, whether Alexander consented or no; forPriam assuredly was not so mad, nor yet the others of his house, thatthey were desirous to run risk of ruin for themselves and theirchildren and their city, in order that Alexander might have Helen ashis wife: and even supposing that during the first part of the timethey had been so inclined, yet when many others of the Trojans besideswere losing their lives as often as they fought with the Hellenes, andof the sons of Priam himself always two or three or even more wereslain when a battle took place (if one may trust at all to the Epicpoets),--when, I say, things were coming thus to pass, I consider thateven if Priam himself had had Helen as his wife, he would have givenher back to the Achaians, if at least by so doing he might be freedfrom the evils which oppressed him. Nor even was the kingdom coming toAlexander next, so that when Priam was old the government was in hishands; but Hector, who was both older and more of a man than he, wouldhave received it after the death of Priam; and him it behoved not toallow his brother to go on with his wrong-doing, considering thatgreat evils were coming to pass on his account both to himselfprivately and in general to the other Trojans. In truth however theylacked the power to give Helen back; and the Hellenes did not believethem, though they spoke the truth; because, as I declare my opinion,the divine power was purposing to cause them utterly to perish, and somake it evident to men that for great wrongs great also are thechastisements which come from the gods. And thus have I delivered myopinion concerning these matters.121. After Proteus, they told me, Rhampsinitos received in successionthe kingdom, who left as a memorial of himself that gateway to thetemple of Hephaistos which is turned towards the West, and in front ofthe gateway he set up two statues, in height five-and-twenty cubits,of which the one which stands on the North side is called by theEgyptians Summer and the one on the South side Winter; and to that onewhich they call Summer they do reverence and make offerings, while tothe other which is called Winter they do the opposite of these things.(a) This king, they said, got great wealth of silver, which none ofthe kings born after him could surpass or even come near to; and