by Robert Reed
very careless or ignorant in their bargains, often selling their wares
for a much less price than, with a little trouble and inquiry, they
might have obtained .
They made no purchases themselves, with one exception, and in
this particular they were most fastidious and difficult to please. They
showed the greatest anxiety to buy young female slaves, and they
exercised the greatest care in the selection . They not only demanded
beauty and health, but inquired carefully into their education and
abilities . It was generally complained that it was impossible to sat-
isfy the demands of the merchants, as they appeared to apply tests
which neither the women nor their owners could understand .
As soon as the plague appeared, which happened first of all in the
port, all foreigners, with the exception of these Egyptians, fled away
in their ships . They, however, in spite of the dissatisfaction they
THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 583
expressed with the slaves offered for sale, not only lingered on, but
appeared to be quite regardless of the dangers of infection .
Yet, in truth, both the disease and the circumstances of the plague-
stricken city were such as to shake the courage of the bravest . For, as
the historian narrates, suddenly, without any apparent cause preced-
ing, people who seemed in perfect health were seized with an ex-
treme ache in their heads, and redness and inflammation of the eyes;
then inwardly their throats and tongues grew presently bloody, and
their breath became noisome and unsavoury . Thereupon followed
sneezing and hoarseness, and, not long after, the pain, together with
a mighty cough, came down into the breast . As the disease spread,
most dreadful weakness and, in most cases, strong convulsions en-
sued. The bodies of the afflicted outwardly to the touch were not
very hot, but inwardly they so burned as not to endure the lightest
clothes or linen garment, and they would fain have cast themselves
into the cold water . Their thirst was insatiable, and those who were
not looked after ran to the wells; but whether they drank much or
little, they got neither ease nor power of sleep . Many suffered for
seven or nine days, and then died of the inner burning, while yet
their strength seemed undiminished; others survived the torment,
and then died of weakness . Some escaped with the loss of their eyes
or the extremities of the limbs, and others were so much stricken in
mind that they remembered neither themselves nor their acquain-
tances . And the sickness, and the cruelty wherewith it handled each
one, far surmounted all expression in words—it was so grievous and
terrible .
But the greatest misery of all was the dejection of mind in such
as found themselves beginning to be sick, for they grew presently
desperate, and gave themselves over without making any resistance .
Many died like sheep affected by mutual visitation; and some, for-
saken and forlorn, for want of such as should take care of them .
The mortality was greatly increased by the crowds of country
people who, on account of the war, had come into the city with
their goods and chattels, and having no homes, they lived in stifling
booths and in tents . Dying men lay tumbling one upon another in
THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 584
the streets, and about every spring and conduit . The temples, also,
were full of dead, for, oppressed with the violence of the calamity,
and not knowing what to do, men grew careless even of holy things .
The laws which they formerly used touching funerals were all bro-
ken . When one had made a funeral pile, another getting before him
would throw in his dead and give it fire. And when one was burning,
another would come, and having cast therein him whom he carried,
go his way again . Yet up to that time no feeling amongst the Athe-
nians was more profound than their respect for the dead .
The city was filled with wailing, horror, and loathsomeness, but
in the midst of despair there were frantic outbursts of outrageous
pleasures . Licentiousness was unbridled, and men grasped at wild
delights as if they held their lives but by the day . The rich died, and
the poor, who had never dreamed of riches, slipped into their places,
and thinking they had not a moment to lose, made their only aim the
speedy fruition of their goods . Neither the fear of the gods nor the
laws of men awed any man . For it seemed all one, to worship or not
to worship, seeing that all alike perished, and no one expected his
life would last till he received punishment of his crimes by human
judgment . Many thought that the whole city would be destroyed,
and hastened to enjoy some little part of their lives . Women left
their apartments, and, without friends or guardians, rushed to the
temples or tried, to flee from the pestilence beyond the city bounds.
For all discipline was broken through, and all did what seemed good
to them .
In spite of these dreadful scenes, the Egyptians showed no signs
of haste or alarm, and seemed to regard the terror-stricken people
with mingled curiosity and contempt. At first this conduct was as-
cribed to the gloomy nature of their religion, and to the fact that in
their own cities the plague was said to be never altogether stifled.
But gradually a rumour spread that they had in their possession
some drug or charm by which they made themselves proof against
the pestilence .
In a short time they were surrounded by a tumultuous throng of
men and women . A deafening outcry arose of threats and entreaties .
THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 585
Some tried to embrace the knees of the merchants, and offered them
masses of gold and precious stones; others shrieked like madmen,
“Give us life,—save us!” Some, on the other hand, tried to terrify
them with brandished weapons; whilst others, hoping more from
prayers, threatened the threateners, and assumed the part of defend-
ers of the strangers, appealing to Zeus, the god of hospitality .
As the tumult grew, and the pressure of the crowd increased,
the merchants, speaking in an unknown tongue, seemed to address
one who appeared to be their leader, in terms of remonstrance and
expostulation, mingled, however, with respect and submission . No
interpreter could be found, so that no one could understand what
was said except vaguely from the looks and gestures of the speakers .
Suddenly, the leader made signs as if asking for silence and at-
tention, and a thrill of astonishment passed through the crowd as he
began to speak in a language which many of the people could, with
a little difficulty, understand. It seemed an ancient dialect of Greek,
in most respects like that used by Homer in his poems .
“Men of Athens,” he said, “ye wonder that we seem unmoved in
the midst of this dreadful plague, and ye think that we have some
charm or drug wherewith we defend ourselves from the infection .
But we indeed are careless, because death by the pestilence seems
/> to us no worse than the doom with which we are threatened if we
escape . We come from a country beyond Egypt, and are the descen-
dants of a remnant of Greeks who for many generations have been
held in honourable captivity by the powerful princes of the land . We
have preserved our own customs, and as ye see, our own language,
and we have served as priests to our masters . And often the daugh-
ters of our race have been chosen as queens, and till a little time ago
everything went well with us . Then certain Greeks appeared, who
aroused the envy of our king and his princes by telling of the glories
of Athens, and praising, most of all, the beauty and the wit of the
Athenian women, and they have sent us, not only to bring back a
faithful report of the grandeur of your city, but they have ordered us
to bring a number of your most beautiful and best educated maidens,
to become wives of the king and his nobles . In the meantime they
THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 586
hold those Greeks in captivity, and also our wives and children, and
they have threatened us and them with dreadful punishment if we
do not bring back the maidens; and we thought at first to purchase
slaves, but we fear detection, for how can slaves make fitting queens?
But now the plague which has struck down your people seems to
offer us some hope of safety . For, perhaps, some of your maidens,
being without protectors in this calamity, will themselves be willing
to go with us, or their guardians, fearing the worst, will send them .
And in token of our good faith, we have brought large stores of pre-
cious things to leave with you, and we will bind ourselves with great
oaths that the maidens shall be dealt with in the most honourable
manner . And as regards this pestilence, we can indeed offer you no
certain cure, but we would earnestly warn you, knowing something
of the matter by sad experience, that your only hope of safety is in
avoiding crowds, and keeping as much apart as possible . But see for
yourselves the truth of my words .”
And as he spoke thus, several persons in the throng were sud-
denly taken with the plague, and terror seized on the rest, and they
broke up and fled. Many of the maidens, however, remained, believ-
ing through the extremity of their fear that it was best for them to go
with the Egyptians .
And although it would be easy for any one sitting quietly at home
in the enjoyment of calm prosperity to consider the tale which they
told as unworthy of credence, it was a very different matter under
the actual circumstances of the case . And, as will appear in the se-
quel, there was as much truth as falsehood in the promises, and the
falsehood was chiefly of that kind which consists in the suppression
of truth . One thing at least was certain, and was calculated to im-
press the senses . They had undoubtedly a large amount of treasure,
of which they seemed quite careless . Besides this, it was known that
they had made endeavours to purchase female slaves for their pur-
pose . But, above everything else, the minds even of men of courage
and philosophers had been shaken in the terror, and it was natural
for young maidens to believe in anything which seemed to promise
them a chance of safety from a horrible death .
THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 587
In a short time more than thirty of the fairest young women of
Athens had promised to go on board the Egyptian vessel; and to
these, that no doubt might shake them at the last, the leader told a
thing still more wonderful He said, with an appearance of the great-
est secrecy, that they had a charm by which a small number could
be protected against the plague, and that they had failed to men-
tion this because its virtue would cease if applied beyond this small
number . Then he painted, in the most glowing language, the delights
and pleasures which would be their lot in the distant land . He also
proceeded to terrify those whom he was unwilling to take, and the
maidens he had chosen began to fear now that others might take
their place, and promised to do all he bade them .
CHAPTER II
DAPHNE
Yet, in spite of the promises which the Egyptian made, and the
unspeakable terror of the maidens on account of the plague, it is
doubtful if they would have consented to go at the last had it not
been for Daphne .
For when the men had fled and most of the maidens, and only
those remained whom the stranger had chosen, and to whom he was
telling flattering tales in order to take away their dread. Daphne sud-
denly appeared, having heard of what had taken place .
It chanced that her family had been taken by the plague, and she
was left quite alone,—for, as was well known, she was a native of
Miletus . She had been brought by her parents to Athens as a young
girl, owing to some political troubles, and was at this time less than
twenty years old; and to make this narrative clear to those of a later
time who may chance to read it, something must be said of the char-
acter of Daphne before these adventures began .
First of all, she was strong of will, and rather ruled than obeyed
her parents; and she not only obstinately refused an honourable
THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 588
marriage, but spoke bitterly of the small esteem and respect in which
the Athenians held their lawful wives; and she upheld as a model As-
pasia, her compatriot, the friend of Pericles, and in all but name his
honoured wife . For, whilst the lawful wives of the noblest Athenians
were cooped up like children in their own apartments, Aspasia, en-
joyed perfect freedom, and was entertained of the brightest wits and
the wisest and bravest of Athens; and she was knit to Pericles with
ties of most ardent affection, far stronger than any bonds fastened
by a forced contract, and she was honoured and treated as were the
consorts of noble Greeks in olden times, and not regarded merely as
a nurse for her husband’s children .
And Daphne had determined, in like manner, to enter into no
forced marriage, but to form a fitting connection with some man
whom she loved and honoured, if chance so willed it, in marriage,
but if not, even as Aspasia with Pericles . And what may perhaps to
some seem strange, whilst she had constantly asserted for herself
the truest freedom, she had preserved also the strictest virtue . Many
Athenian youths had loved her, and some men of good standing, but
none had touched her fancy . Like Aspasia, she had been carefully
trained in poetry, rhetoric, and music, and she could converse with
much acuteness and in a pleasing manner .
Now, when the plague had carried off her natural protectors and
desolated the city, Daphne not only despaired in her heart of car-
rying out her idea in practice, but was afraid for her life, and at the
least dreaded that her beauty would be marred or the sharpness of
her mind blunted .
And when she was thus cast down in spirit, a maiden of her ac-
&
nbsp; quaintance came running, and told her all the Egyptian had prom-
ised, saying that they were themselves of Grecian stock, and spoke
the language of the old heroes .
And Daphne, although she thought the report an idle tale or a
snare, still, seeing that it offered some chance of safety, whilst in the
city there seemed none, agreed to hear what the stranger had to say .
She found the maidens in a group apart, weeping and terrified,
and taking counsel together; but the Egyptians were talking to one
THOTH, by Joseph Shield Nicholson | 589
another in an unknown tongue, and laughing, as it were, over a good
jest . To Daphne, however, there seemed to be more bitterness than
mirth in their laughter, and she swiftly determined not to go, and to
dissuade the others also . But suddenly the leader turned his eyes full
upon her, and she felt compelled, as if by some superior power, to
scan his features closely, and to try to pierce his thoughts .
He was of ordinary stature, and evidently in the full vigour of
manhood . His frame was strong, and his appearance denoted the
perfection of health; but he did not appear to be trained in athletic
exercises in the Greek manner, and his whole bearing was that of
a man accustomed to work more with the mind than the body . His
forehead was, both in height and breadth, much more massive than
was customary with the Athenians . His hair, which was cut very
short, and his eyebrows, were perfectly black . He wore no beard,
and the fineness of his skin, although darker than that of even
Asiatics, seemed almost boyish . His nose and mouth were of the
pure Greek type, and the setting of his lips and chin denoted great
determination . His eyes, however, formed by far the most striking
feature of his person . They were deeply seated under overhanging
brows, but their large fulness and intense blackness made them at
once seize the attention of the beholder . Even in momentary repose
they displayed a wonderful and mysterious depth of intelligence, but
the rapid restless motion with which they generally absorbed every
detail in the range of sight, revealed a marvellous power of observa-
tion and quickness of decision . Their glances seemed to penetrate
the inmost recesses of the mind; and the Greek maiden knew at once
that she had never seen such power in any countenance, and she felt