herodotus

now expiring, and the vision of the dream also disturbed him, Sabacosdeparted out of Egypt of his own free will.140. Then when the Ethiopian had gone away out of Egypt, the blind mancame back from the fen-country and began to rule again, having livedthere during fifty years upon an island which he had made by heapingup ashes and earth: for whenever any of the Egyptians visited himbringing food, according as it had been appointed to them severally todo without the knowledge of the Ethiopian, he bade them bring alsosome ashes for their gift.[123] This island none was able to findbefore Amyrtaios; that is, for more than seven hundred years[124] thekings who arose before Amyrtaios were not able to find it. Now thename of this island is Elbo, and its size is ten furlongs each way.141. After him there came to the throne the priest of Hephaistos,whose name was Sethos. This man, they said, neglected and held in noregard the warrior class of the Egyptians, considering that he wouldhave no need of them; and besides other slights which he put uponthem, he also took from them the yokes of corn-land[125] which hadbeen given to them as a special gift in the reigns of the formerkings, twelve yokes to each man. After this, Sanacharib king of theArabians and of the Assyrians marched a great host against Egypt. Thenthe warriors of the Egyptians refused to come to the rescue, and thepriest, being driven into a strait, entered into the sanctuary of thetemple[126] and bewailed to the image of the god the danger which wasimpending over him; and as he was thus lamenting, sleep came upon him,and it seemed to him in his vision that the god came and stood by himand encouraged him, saying that he should suffer no evil if he wentforth to meet the army of the Arabians; for he himself would send himhelpers. Trusting in these things seen in sleep, he took with him,they said, those of the Egyptians who were willing to follow him, andencamped in Pelusion, for by this way the invasion came: and not oneof the warrior class followed him, but shop-keepers and artisans andmen of the market. Then after they came, there swarmed by night upontheir enemies mice of the fields, and ate up their quivers and theirbows, and moreover the handles of their shields, so that on the nextday they fled, and being without defence of arms great numbers fell.And at the present time this king stands in the temple of Hephaistosin stone, holding upon his hand a mouse, and by letters inscribed hesays these words: "Let him who looks upon me learn to fear the gods."142. So far in the story the Egyptians and the priests were they whomade the report, declaring that from the first king down to thispriest of Hephaistos who reigned last, there had been three hundredand forty-one generations of men, and that in them there had been thesame number of chief-priests and of kings: but three hundred