heds where their
ships were drawn up and the ruins of their houses.

Thus then Psammetichos obtained Egypt: and of the Oracle which is in
Egypt I have made mention often before this, and now I give an account
of it, seeing that it is worthy to be described. This Oracle which is in
Egypt is sacred to Leto, and it is established in a great city near that
mouth of the Nile which is called Sebennytic, as one sails up the river
from the sea; and the name of this city where the Oracle is found is
Buto, as I have said before in mentioning it. In this Buto there is a
temple of Apollo and Artemis; and the temple-house of Leto, in which the
Oracle is, is both great in itself and has a gateway of the height of
ten fathoms: but that which caused me most to marvel of the things to be
seen there, I will now tell. There is in this sacred enclosure a house
of Leto made of one single stone upon the top, the cornice measuring
four cubits. This house then of all the things that were to be seen by
me in that temple is the most marvellous, and among those which come
next is the island called Chemmis. This is situated in a deep and broad
lake by the side of the temple at Buto, and it is said by the Egyptians
that this island is a floating island. I myself did not see it either
floating about or moved from its place, and I feel surprise at hearing
of it, wondering if it be indeed a floating island. In this island of
which I speak there is a great temple-house of Apollo, and three several
altars are set up within, and there are planted in the island many
palm-trees and other trees, both bearing fruit and not bearing fruit.
And the Egyptians, when they say that it is floating, add this story,
namely that in this island which formerly was not floating, Leto, being
one of the eight gods who came into existence first, and dwelling in the
city of Buto where she has this Oracle, received Apollo from Isis as a
charge and preserved him, concealing him in the island which is said now
to be a floating island, at that time when Typhon came after him seeking
everywhere and desiring to find the son of Osiris. Now they say that
Apollo and Artemis are children of Dionysos and of Isis, and that Leto
became their nurse and preserver; and in the Egyptian tongue Apollo is
Oros, Demeter is Isis, and Artemis is Bubastis. From this story and from
no other AEschylus the son of Euphorion took this which I shall say,
wherein he differs from all the preceding poets; he