gyptians
said that in so ordering the games they had wholly missed the mark of
justice; for it could not be but that they would take part with the man
of their own State, if he was contending, and so act unfairly to the
stranger: but if they really desired, as they said, to order the games
justly, and if this was the cause for which they had come to Egypt, they
advised them to order the contest so as to be for strangers alone to
contend in, and that no Eleian should be permitted to contend. Such was
the suggestion made by the Egyptians to the Eleians.

161. When Psammis had been king of Egypt for only six years and had made
an expedition to Ethiopia and immediately afterwards had ended his life,
Apries the son of Psammis received the kingdom in succession. This man
came to be the most prosperous of all the kings up to that time except
only his forefather Psammetichos; and he reigned five-and-twenty years,
during which he led an army against Sidon and fought a sea-fight with
the king of Tyre. Since however it was fated that evil should come upon
him, it came by occasion of a matter which I shall relate at greater
length in the Libyan history, 138 and at present but shortly. Apries
having sent a great expedition against the Kyrenians, met with
correspondingly great disaster; and the Egyptians considering him
to blame for this revolted from him, supposing that Apries had with
forethought sent them out to evident calamity, in order (as they said)
that there might be a slaughter of them, and he might the more securely
rule over the other Egyptians. Being indignant at this, both these men
who had returned from the expedition and also the friends of those who
had perished made revolt openly.

162. Hearing this Apries sent to them Amasis, to cause them to cease
by persuasion; and when he had come and was seeking to restrain the
Egyptians, as he was speaking and telling them not to do so, one of the
Egyptians stood up behind him and put a helmet 139 upon his head, saying
as he did so that he put it on to crown him king. And to him this
that was done was in some degree not unwelcome, as he proved by his
behaviour; for as soon as the revolted Egyptians had set him up as king,
he prepared to march against Apries: and Apries hearing this sent to
Amasis one of the Egyptians who were about his own person, a man of
reputation, whose name was Patarbemis, enjoining him to bring Amasis
alive into his presence. When this Patarbemis came a