Page:Philological Museum v2.djvu/191

Memnon. 181 to promote the trade of Alexandria, and to unite his Greek and Egyptian subjects, by the introduction of a new deity, who might be considered as belonging equally to both. The God of Sinope was recommended by the variety and am- biguity of his attributes and ensigns, which, with the help of a little pious fraud, rendered him peculiarly fit for the purpose. If the neighbourhood of Colchis had influenced the king's choice, that circumstance would probably have been mentioned among the proofs by which Manetho and Timotheus convinced him of the identity of Pluto and Se- rapis ^^. But to return from this digression, it appears that we cannot rely on the expedition of Sesostris as a historical ground for the legend of Memnon, even though we may admit it to be highly probable that he, or some other king of Egypt, really gained those naval victories which are represented in the sculptures of Medinat-Abou ^^ ; for we shall not look for the scene of these exploits among the Cyclades, but in the Arabian gulf, where the monuments mentioned by Strabo may certainly be genuine '^ There is however still a third supposition which I will venture to hint, with the difiidence ^^ The nature of the transaction will be best understood by comparing the pagan writers Tacitus H. iv. 83. Plutarch De Is. et Os. 28^ to whom may be added Eu- stath. ad Dionys. 255, with two of the fathers^ Clemens Al. Protrept. e. 4. and Cyril contra Jul. p. 13. Lest I should appear to dismiss the subject too hastily, I will trans- cribe the remark of a modern critic, Bernhardy on Eustathius : Serapidis cultum, quern Jovem Ditem fuere qui interpretarentur, a Ptolemaeo Sotere, prudentissimo consilio, ne sacra peregrina videretur Aegyptiis invitis obtrusisse, monitu scilicet insom- nii, Sinope (cujus nummos effigium dei exhibere docet Eckhel D. N. P. I. Vol. ii. p. 391, eique accedit Diogenis facetia ap. Diog. Laert. vi. (i3) fuisse depromptum expo- suit Tacitus. Nam G. I. Vossii hariolatiohuic deo per Aegyptum priscam adjudicantis venerationem, nititur conjecturis et argumentationibus incertis : quamquam proximo abest sententia Jacobsio (de Memnon. p. 19) probata, ut Serapis ab Aegyptiis mercato- ribus in Colchidem sit translatus posteaque patria in jura restitutus. ^^ Ritter, Afrika p. 744, remarks : what Herodotus and Diodorus, following Heca- tasus and the accounts of the priests, relate of Sesostris, seems to be confirmed by these sculptures." This however depends on the question whether the hostile navy and crews are really Indian. "'^ Strab. XVI. p. 709. At Deira on the straits of Babelmandel it was said (ttyiX^v elvai ^€a(jo<TTpL09 tov AiyvirTLov fxi]vvov<Tau lepols ypdfXfxaaL Tiju oidpaGLV avTOv. <^aLU€TaL yap T)]V AWioTrioa Kal Trju TpwyXoSvTLKrjv tt/Owtos KaTa(TTp6j/cip.evo9 ovtos' €lTa OLapds ek Tyjv 'Apaf^laVy KavTevdeu tt]V 'Acriav eireXdwu Trju (Tvp.7raarav' 6l6 Kal TToXXaxov ^€(TUJfTTpios x^P^*^^^ 7rpo(Tayop6vovTaL Kai dipiopvp^aTo. kcTTlV AlyVTTTLWV e<rwi; lepcZv. This must be compared with the passage above quoted about Semiramis. Pliny, N. H. vi. 34, says Hucusque Sesostris exercitum duxit.