o name in connexion
with such a matter, which is in the temple of Athene behind the house
of the goddess, stretching along the whole wall of it; and in the sacred
enclosure stand great obelisks of stone, and near them is a lake adorned
with an edging of stone and fairly made in a circle, being in size,
as it seemed to me, equal to that which is called the "Round Pool" in
Delos. On this lake they perform by night the show of his sufferings,
and this the Egyptians call Mysteries. Of these things I know more fully
in detail how they take place, but I shall leave this unspoken; and of
the mystic rites of Demeter, which the Hellenes call _thesmophoria_, of
these also, although I know, I shall leave unspoken all except so much
as piety permits me to tell. The daughters of Danaos were they who
brought this rite out of Egypt and taught it to the women of the
Pelasgians; then afterwards when all the inhabitants of Peloponnese were
driven out by the Dorians, the rite was lost, and only those who were
left behind of the Peloponnesians and not driven out, that is to say the
Arcadians, preserved it.

Apries having thus been overthrown, Amasis became king, being of the
district of Sais, and the name of the city whence he was is Siuph. Now
at the first the Egyptians despised Amasis and held him in no
great regard, because he had been a man of the people and was of no
distinguished family; but afterwards Amasis won them over to himself by
wisdom and not wilfulness. Among innumerable other things of price which
he had, there was a foot-basin of gold in which both Amasis himself and
all his guests were wont always to wash their feet. This he broke up,
and of it he caused to be made the image of a god, and set it up in the
city, where it was most convenient; and the Egyptians went continually
to visit the image and did great reverence to it. Then Amasis, having
learnt that which was done by the men of the city, called together the
Egyptians and made known to them the matter, saying that the image had
been produced from the foot-basin, into which formerly the Egyptians
used to vomit and make water, and in which they washed their feet,
whereas now they did to it great reverence; and just so, he continued,
had he himself now fared, as the foot-basin; for though formerly he
was a man of the people, yet now he was their king, and he bade them
accordingly honour him and have regard for him. In such manner he won
the Egyptians to himself, so tha