e end; and they brought us to the Queen of the
people who place pots upon the heads of strangers, who is a magician
having a knowledge of all things, and life and loveliness that does not
die. And she cast eyes of love upon thy father, Kallikrates, and would
have slain me, and taken him to husband, but he loved me and feared her,
and would not. Then did she take us, and lead us by terrible ways, by
means of dark magic, to where the great pit is, in the mouth of which
the old philosopher lay dead, and showed to us the rolling Pillar of
Life that dies not, whereof the voice is as the voice of thunder; and
she did stand in the flames, and come forth unharmed, and yet more
beautiful. Then did she swear to make thy father undying even as she is,
if he would but slay me, and give himself to her, for me she could
not slay because of the magic of my own people that I have, and that
prevailed thus far against her. And he held his hand before his eyes to
hide her beauty, and would not. Then in her rage did she smite him by
her magic, and he died; but she wept over him, and bore him thence with
lamentations: and being afraid, me she sent to the mouth of the great
river where the ships come, and I was carried far away on the ships
where I gave thee birth, and hither to Athens I came at last after many
wanderings. Now I say to thee, my son, Tisisthenes, seek out the woman,
and learn the secret of Life, and if thou mayest find a way slay her,
because of thy father Kallikrates; and if thou dost fear or fail, this
I say to all thy seed who come after thee, till at last a brave man be
found among them who shall bathe in the fire and sit in the place of the
Pharaohs. I speak of those things, that though they be past belief, yet
I have known, and I lie not._"

[*] Nekht-nebf, or Nectanebo II., the last native Pharaoh of
Egypt, fled from Ochus to Ethiopia, B.C. 339.--Editor.

"May the Lord forgive her for that," groaned Job, who had been listening
to this marvellous composition with his mouth open.

As for myself, I said nothing: my first idea being that my poor friend,
being demented, had composed the whole thing, though it scarcely seemed
likely that such a story could have been invented by anybody. It was too
original. To solve my doubts I took up the potsherd and began to read
the close uncial Greek writing on it; and very good Greek of the period
it is, considering that it came from the pen of an Egyptian born. Here
is an