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(for this was the name of the queen), because she was saved from the water; for the Egyptians call water mōu, and to be saved sēs. But his parents had previously called him Melcheis. And he was exceedingly handsome in appearance, so that one meeting him on the road would stand aside, 781 struck, and greatly admiring his beauty. Therefore, when he had grown, Thermouthis brought him to her father, asking him to make him successor to his kingdom, and she placed him in his hands. And he, taking him and holding him to his breast, kissed him; and playfully, taking the diadem from his own head, he placed it on his head. But Moses, throwing the diadem to the ground, trampled on it. And the scribe, who had foretold his birth, seeing and understanding that this was the one prophesied to be an enemy of the Egyptian rule, rushed to kill him, but was not able; but shouting, he said to the king: “This is he, O king, whom the oracle declared would arise for us from the Hebrews as a plotter against the kingdom of the Egyptians; who even now has shown no small symbol of what is to come, by throwing the very insignia of the kingdom and trampling it on the ground. By killing this one, therefore, you will deprive the Egyptians of the evils they expect, and you will cause the Hebrews to fail in the hope they have in him.” When he had said these things, the king, by the providence of God, became reluctant to kill him; but Thermouthis, snatching Moses from the hands of the king, kept him safe. But the Ethiopians, being neighbors to the Egyptians, suddenly attacked and laid siege to Egypt, and having routed the Egyptians who drew up against them, they advanced as far as Memphis and the sea, whereupon the Egyptians, in accordance with an oracle, took the race of the Hebrews as an ally and went forth. And Pharaoh, thinking he had found an opportune moment for the destruction of Moses, asked Thermouthis to give Moses to him, so that he might make him general of the Hebrews, swearing that he would do him no harm, but only appoint him commander of the Hebrews, supposing that he would easily be destroyed by the enemies, since he was inexperienced in battle. But she, after first reproaching her father and the scribes at length, because the one whom they wanted to kill as an enemy, they now call upon as a helper, gives Moses to them. And he, having been brought forth as general of his own nation, secretly leads the army by another road, one that was impassable and beast-ridden (for it breeds every nature of wild beast, so that there are even some winged ones in it), and so that they might not be struck by any of the beasts, he orders each man to carry wicker baskets filled with ibises; for this animal is an enemy to asps. So as they traveled through that place, they released the ibises upon the beasts, and they, not withstanding their attack, were destroyed; and having passed through in this manner, he suddenly falls upon the Ethiopians, and having slaughtered a great number of them, he turned the rest to flight. But the Ethiopians, having barely escaped death by flight, occupy the city of Saba. For this was their royal city, fortified with a strong wall and earthworks, inaccessible because of the Nile (since it surrounds it completely with its stream); and for this reason it happened to be 784 difficult for the Egyptians to besiege. Moses therefore brought the army to the city, being in the greatest difficulty, because it was hard to capture. So while the Egyptians were trying many devices, and accomplishing nothing, the daughter of the king, Tharbis by name, seeing Moses from the towers, and being delighted at his beauty, and admiring the ingenuity of his undertakings, came to desire him; and sending the most faithful of her servants, she spoke with him about marriage. And Moses promised to do this, if she would deliver the city to him. And she immediately makes a truce, and delivers the city to him. So when the battle was ended, and

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(τοῦτο γὰρ τῇ βασιλίσσῃ ὄνομα), ἐπειδὴ διεσώθη ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος· Αἰγύπτιοι γὰρ τὸ ὕδωρ μῶϋ, καὶ τὸ σὴς σωθῆναι προσαγορεύουσιν. Ἐκάλουν δὲ τὸ πρὶν αὐτὸν οἱ γονεῖς Μελχείς. Ἦν δὲ ἀστεῖος ἅγαν τῇ ὄψει, ὡς τὸν καθ' ὁδὸν ἀπαντῶντα αὐτῷ ἀφίστασθαι ἐκπληττόμε 781 νον, καὶ ὑπερθαυμάζοντα τὸ κάλλος. Προσάγει αὐτὸν οὖν αὐξηθέντα ἡ Θέρμουθις τῷ πατρὶ αὐτῆς, ἀξιοῦσα ποιῆσαι αὐτὸν τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ διάδοχον, καὶ τίθησιν αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ λαβὼν, καὶ προστερνισάμενος, κατεφίλει· χαριεντιζόμενός τε, περιελὼν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλῆς τὸ διάδημα, ἐπιτίθησι τῇ ἐκείνου κεφαλῇ. Ὁ δὲ Μωϋσῆς, ἀποῤῥίψας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὸ διάδημα, κατεπάτει. Καὶ ὁ γραμματεὺς, ὁ τὴν γένεσιν αὐτοῦ προειπὼν, θεασάμενος καὶ συνεὶς ἐκεῖνον εἶναι τὸν θεσπιζόμενον τῆς Αἰγυπτίων ἀρχῆς πολέμιον, ὥρμησε μὲν ἀποκτεῖναι, καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσε· βοήσας δὲ ἔφη τῷ βασιλεῖ· «Οὗτος ἐκεῖνός ἐστι, βασιλεῦ, ὅνπερ ἡμῖν ἀναφυῆναι ἐκ τῶν Ἑβραίων τὸ δαιμόνιον ἔχρησε τῆς βασιλείας Αἰγυπτίων ἐπίβουλον· ὅσγε καὶ νῦν σύμβολον τοῦ μέλλοντος οὐ μικρὸν ἐπεδείξατο, αὐτὸ δὴ τῆς βασιλείας τὸ σύνθημα ῥίψας, καὶ καταπατήσας εἰς τοὔδαφος Τοῦτον γοῦν ἀνελὼν, Αἰγυπτίους μὲν τῶν προσδοκωμένων στερήσεις κακῶν, Ἑβραίους δὲ σφαλῆναι τῆς ἐλπίδος τῆς ἐπ' αὐτῷ καταστήσεις.» Ταῦτα εἰπόντος αὐτοῦ, ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς κατὰ πρόνοιαν Θεοῦ ὀκνηρὸς πρὸς τὸν φόνον ἐγένετο· ἡ δὲ Θέρμουθις, τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ βασιλέως τὸν Μωϋσῆν ἐξαρπάσασα, ἐφύλαττεν ἀσφαλῶς. Αἰθίοπες δὲ, πρόσοικοι τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις τυγχάνοντες, ἄφνω ἐπελθόντες, ἐπολιόρκουν τὴν Αἴγυπτον, καὶ ἀντιπαραταξαμένους τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους τροπωσάμενοι, προέβησαν ἄχρι Μέμφεως καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, ὅσῳ Αἰγύπτιοι κατὰ χρησμὸν σύμμαχον τὸ τῶν Ἑβραίων γένος λαβόντες ἐπῄεσαν. Καὶ ὁ Φαραὼ, καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον εὑρηκέναι νομίζων πρὸς τὴν Μωϋσέως ἀναίρεσιν, τὴν Θερμούθιδα ἠξίωσε παρασχεῖν αὐτῷ τὸν Μωϋσῆν, ὅπως αὐτὸν στρατηγὸν τῶν Ἑβραίων ποιήσειεν, ἐπομνύμενος μηδὲν κακουργήσειν αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ ταξίαρχον μόνον καταστῆσαι τῶν Ἑβραίων, ὑπολαμβάνω ῥᾳδίως αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων φθαρήσεσθαι, ὡς μάχης ὑπάρχοντα ἄπειρον. Ἡ δὲ πολλὰ πρότερον τὸν πατέρα καὶ τοὺς γραμματεῖς ὀνειδίσασα, ὅτι ὅνπερ ὡς πολέμιον ἀποκτεῖναι ἐβούλοντο, νῦν ὡς ἐπίκουρον παρακαλοῦσι, δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς τὸν Μωϋσῆν. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ οἰκείου ἔθνους στρατηγὸς προαχθεὶς, λάθρα τῶν Αἰθιόπων δι' ἑτέρας ὁδοῦ ἄγει τὴν στρατιὰν, τῆς ἀβάτου καὶ θηριοτόκου (πᾶσαν γὰρ θηρίων ἐκτρέφει φύσιν, ὡς εἶναί τινα ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ πετόμενα), καὶ πρὸς τὸ μὴ πλήττεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων τινὰ, κιβωτοὺς πλεκτὰς προστάττει ἕκαστον ἐπιφέρεσθαι ἴβεων πεπληρωμένας· ἔστι γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ ζῶον ταῖς ἀσπίσι πολέμιον. Ὡς οὖν τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον διώδευον, τὰς ἴβεας τοῖς θηρίοις ἐπαφῆκαν, κἀκεῖνα τὴν ἔφοδον τούτων μὴ ὑπομείναντα, διεφθείροντο· καὶ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον διοδεύσας ἄφνω προσπίπτει τοῖς Αἰθίοψι, καὶ πολὺ πλῆθος αὐτῶν κατασφάξας, τοὺς λοιποὺς εἰς φυγὴν ἔτρεψεν. Οἱ δὲ Αἰθίοπες, μόλις φόνον τῇ φυγῇ διαδράσαντες, τὴν πόλιν Σαβὰ καταλαμβάνουσιν. Ἦν γὰρ αὐτῶν αὕτη βασίλειος, ὠχυρωμένη τείχει κρατερῷ καὶ χώμασιν, ἀπρόσβατος διὰ τὸν Νεῖλον (ἐπειδὴ πᾶσαν αὐτὴν περιτειχίζει τῷ ῥεύματι)· διόπερ καὶ δυσπολι 784 όρκητος τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἐτύγχανεν. Ὁ γοῦν Μωσῆς προσῆγε τῇ πόλει τὴν στρατιὰν, ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ μεγίστῃ ὢν, διὰ τὸ εἶναι δυσάλωτον. Μηχανωμένων οὖν πολλὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, καὶ μηδὲν ἰσχυόντων, ἡ θυγάτηρ τοῦ βασιλέως Θάρμεις ὀνόματι, τὸν Μωϋσέα διὰ τῶν πύργων θεασαμένη, καὶ ἡσθεῖσα ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει αὐτοῦ, καὶ θαυμάσασα τῶν ἐπιχειρήσεων αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν, εἰς πόθον ἔρχεται· καὶ ἀποστείλασα τῶν οἰκετῶν τὸν πιστότατον, περὶ γάμου πρὸς αὐτὸν διελέχθη. Ὁ δὲ Μωϋσῆς ποιήσειν τοῦτο ὑπέσχετο, εἰ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῷ παραδώσειεν. Ἡ δὲ παραχρῆμα τὴν εἰρήνην σπένδεται, καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῷ παραδίδωσιν. Λυθείσης οὖν τῆς μάχης, καὶ