uled over them, and at the same time they
said as follows: "The king of the Persians Cambyses, desiring to become
a friend and guest to thee, sent us with command to come to speech with
thee, and he gives thee for gifts these things which he himself most
delights to use." The Ethiopian however, perceiving that they had
come as spies, spoke to them as follows: "Neither did the king of the
Persians send you bearing gifts because he thought it a matter of great
moment to become my guest-friend, nor do ye speak true things (for ye
have come as spies of my kingdom), nor again is he a righteous man; for
if he had been righteous he would not have coveted a land other than his
own, nor would he be leading away into slavery men at whose hands he has
received no wrong. Now however give him this bow and speak to him these
words: The king of the Ethiopians gives this counsel to the king of the
Persians, that when the Persians draw their bows (of equal size to mine)
as easily as I do this, then he should march against the Long-lived
Ethiopians, provided that he be superior in numbers; but until that time
he should feel gratitude to the gods that they do not put it into the
mind of the sons of the Ethiopians to acquire another land in addition
to their own."

22. Having thus said and having unbent the bow, he delivered it to those
who had come. Then he took the garment of purple and asked what it was
and how it had been made: and when the Ichthyophagoi had told him the
truth about the purple-fish and the dyeing of the tissue, he said that
the men were deceitful and deceitful also were their garments. Then
secondly he asked concerning the twisted gold of the collar and the
bracelets; and when the Ichthyophagoi were setting forth to him the
manner in which it was fashioned, the king broke into a laugh and said,
supposing them to be fetters, that they had stronger fetters than those
in their country. Thirdly he asked about the perfumed ointment, and when
they had told him of the manner of its making and of the anointing with
it, he said the same as he had said before about the garment. Then when
he came to the wine, and had learned about the manner of its making,
being exceedingly delighted with the taste of the drink he asked besides
what food the king ate, and what was the longest time that a Persian
man lived. They told him that he ate bread, explaining to him first the
manner of growing the wheat, and they said that eighty years was