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to have a clear advantage in the battles; and he says that the people of Heliopolis say 9.27.9 that this war lasted for ten years. Therefore, those with Moses, because of the size of the army, built a city in this place and consecrated the ibis in it, because this animal destroys the creatures that harm humans; and to call 9.27.10 it the city of Hermes. Thus indeed the Ethiopians, although they were enemies, came to love Moses so much as even to learn from him the circumcision of the genitals; 9.27.11 and not only them, but also all the priests. But Chenephres, when the war was over, received him in word, but in deed plotted against him. For taking away his troops, he sent some to the borders of Ethiopia for the sake of a vanguard, and ordered others to tear down the temple in the city of Dios, which was constructed of baked brick, and to build another of stone, having quarried the nearby mountain; and he appointed Nacherotes as supervisor of the construction. 9.27.12 And he, having come with Moses to Memphis, inquired of him if there was anything else useful to men; and he said the race of oxen, because the land is plowed by them; and Chenephres, calling a bull Apis, commanded the troops to establish a temple for it and ordered them to bring the animals that had been consecrated by Moses there and bury them, wishing to conceal the inventions of Moses. 9.27.13 But when the Egyptians had alienated him, he made his friends swear an oath not to report to Moses the plot being formed against him 9.27.14 and to put forward men to kill him. But when no one obeyed, Chenephres reproached Chanethothes, who was especially addressed by him; 9.27.15 and he, having been reproached, promised the attack, when he got an opportunity. About this time, when Merris died, Chenephres promised both Moses and Chanethothes that they should convey her body to the regions beyond Egypt and bury it, supposing that Moses would be killed by Chanethothes. 9.27.16 But as they were traveling, one of those in the know reported the plot to Moses; and he, protecting himself, buried Merris, and called the river and the city in it Meroe; and this Merris 9.27.17 is honored by the natives not less than Isis. And Aaron, the brother of Moses, having learned about the plot, advised his brother to flee to Arabia; and he, being persuaded, sailed across the Nile from Memphis and departed 9.27.18 to Arabia. But Chanethothes, having learned of Moses' flight, lay in wait to kill him; and seeing him coming, he drew his dagger against him, but Moses, having rushed forward, seized his hand and, drawing his sword, killed Chanethothes; 9.27.19 and he escaped into Arabia and lived with Raguel, the ruler of the region, having taken his daughter; but Raguel wished to march against the Egyptians, wanting to bring Moses back and to establish the rule for both his daughter and his son-in-law; but Moses prevented him, thinking of his kinsmen; but Raguel, since he was prevented from marching, ordered the Arabs 9.27.20 to plunder Egypt. And about the same time Chenephres, having been the first of all men to contract elephantiasis, died; and he fell into this affliction because he had ordered the Jews to wear linen garments, and not to put on woolen clothes, so that being conspicuous they might be punished by him. 9.27.21 But Moses prayed to God to at last put an end to the sufferings of the peoples. And as he was praying, he says that suddenly a fire was kindled from the earth and this was burning, although there was neither fuel nor any other kind of wood in the place. And Moses, fearing what had happened, fled; but a divine voice told him to march against Egypt and, having saved the Jews, to the

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πλεονεκτεῖν ἐπιφανῶς κατὰ τὰς μάχας· λέγειν δέ φησιν Ἡλιουπολίτας 9.27.9 γενέσθαι τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον ἔτη δέκα. τοὺς οὖν περὶ τὸν Μώϋσον διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς στρατιᾶς πόλιν ἐν τούτῳ κτίσαι τῷ τόπῳ καὶ τὴν ἶβιν ἐν αὐτῇ καθιερῶσαι, διὰ τὸ ταύτην τὰ βλάπτοντα ζῷα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀναιρεῖν· προσ9.27.10 αγορεῦσαι δὲ αὐτὴν Ἑρμοῦ πόλιν. οὕτω δὴ τοὺς Αἰθίοπας, καίπερ ὄντας πολεμίους, στέρξαι τὸν Μώϋσον ὥστε καὶ τὴν περιτομὴν τῶν αἰδοίων παρ' 9.27.11 ἐκείνου μαθεῖν· οὐ μόνον δὲ τούτους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἅπαντας. τὸν δὲ Χενεφρῆν λυθέντος τοῦ πολέμου λόγῳ μὲν αὐτὸν ἀποδέξασθαι, ἔργῳ δὲ ἐπιβουλεύειν. παρελόμενον γοῦν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὄχλους τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τὰ ὅρια τῆς Αἰθιοπίας πέμψαι προφυλακῆς χάριν, τοῖς δὲ προστάξαι τὸν ἐν ∆ιὸς πόλει ναὸν ἐξ ὀπτῆς πλίνθου κατεσκευασμένον καθαιρεῖν, ἕτερον δὲ λίθινον κατασκευάσαι τὸ πλησίον ὄρος λατομήσαντας· τάξαι δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκοδομίας ἐπιστάτην Ναχέ9.27.12 ρωτα. τὸν δὲ ἐλθόντα μετὰ Μωΰσου εἰς Μέμφιν πυθέσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ εἴ τι ἄλλο ἐστὶν εὔχρηστον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· τὸν δὲ φάναι γένος τῶν βοῶν, διὰ τὸ τὴν γῆν ἀπὸ τούτων ἀροῦσθαι· τὸν δὲ Χενεφρῆν, προσαγορεύσαντα ταῦρον Ἆπιν, κελεῦσαι ἱερὸν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὄχλους καθιδρύσασθαι καὶ τὰ ζῷα τὰ καθιερωθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ Μωΰσου κελεύειν ἐκεῖ φέροντας θάπτειν, κατακρύπτειν θέλοντα τὰ τοῦ 9.27.13 Μωΰσου ἐπινοήματα. ἀποξενωσάντων δὲ αὐτὸν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὁρκωμοτῆσαι τοὺς φίλους μὴ ἐξαγγεῖλαι τῷ Μωΰσῳ τὴν ἐπισυνισταμένην αὐτῷ ἐπιβου9.27.14 λὴν καὶ προβαλέσθαι τοὺς ἀναιρήσοντας αὐτόν. μηδενὸς δ' ὑπακούσαντος ὀνειδίσαι τὸν Χενεφρῆν Χανεθώθην, τὸν μάλιστα προσαγορευόμενον ὑπ' αὐ9.27.15 τοῦ· τὸν δὲ ὀνειδισθέντα ὑποσχέσθαι τὴν ἐπίθεσιν, λαβόντα καιρόν. ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν τῆς Μέρριδος τελευτησάσης ὑποσχέσθαι τὸν Χενεφρῆν τῷ τε Μωΰσῳ καὶ τῷ Χανεθώθῃ τὸ σῶμα διακομίσαντας εἰς τοὺς ὑπὲρ Αἴγυπτον τόπους θάψαι, ὑπολαβόντα τὸν Μώϋσον ὑπὸ τοῦ Χανεθώθου ἀναιρεθήσε9.27.16 σθαι. πορευομένων δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν τῷ Μωΰσῳ τῶν συνειδότων ἐξαγγεῖλαί τινα· τὸν δὲ φυλάσσοντα αὑτὸν τὴν μὲν Μέρριν θάψαι, τὸν δὲ ποταμὸν καὶ τὴν ἐν ἐκείνῳ πόλιν Μερόην προσαγορεῦσαι· τιμᾶσθαι δὲ τὴν Μέρριν 9.27.17 ταύτην ὑπὸ τῶν ἐγχωρίων οὐκ ἐλαχίστως ἢ τὴν Ἶσιν. Ἀάρωνα δὲ τὸν τοῦ Μωΰσου ἀδελφὸν τὰ περὶ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἐπιγνόντα συμβουλεῦσαι τῷ ἀδελφῷ φυγεῖν εἰς τὴν Ἀραβίαν· τὸν δὲ πεισθέντα, ἀπὸ Μέμφεως τὸν Νεῖλον διαπλεύ9.27.18 σαντα ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι εἰς τὴν Ἀραβίαν. τὸν δὲ Χανεθώθην πυθόμενον τοῦ Μωΰσου τὴν φυγὴν ἐνεδρεύειν ὡς ἀναιρήσοντα· ἰδόντα δὲ ἐρχόμενον σπάσασθαι τὴν μάχαιραν ἐπ' αὐτόν, τὸν δὲ Μώϋσον προκαταταχήσαντα τήν τε χεῖρα κατασχεῖν αὐτοῦ καὶ σπασάμενον τὸ ξίφος φονεῦσαι τὸν Χανεθώθην· 9.27.19 διεκδρᾶναι δὲ εἰς τὴν Ἀραβίαν καὶ Ῥαγουήλῳ τῷ τῶν τόπων ἄρχοντι συμβιοῦν, λαβόντα τὴν ἐκείνου θυγατέρα· τὸν δὲ Ῥαγουῆλον βούλεσθαι στρα τεύειν ἐπὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, κατάγειν βουλόμενον τὸν Μώϋσον καὶ τὴν δυναστείαν τῇ τε θυγατρὶ καὶ τῷ γαμβρῷ κατασκευάσαι· τὸν δὲ Μώϋσον ἀποκωλῦσαι, στοχαζόμενον τῶν ὁμοφύλων· τὸν δὲ Ῥαγουῆλον διακωλύοντα στρατεύειν τοῖς 9.27.20 Ἄραψι προστάξαι λῃστεύειν τὴν Αἴγυπτον. ὑπὸ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον καὶ τὸν Χενεφρῆν πρῶτον ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐλεφαντιάσαντα μεταλλάξαι· τούτῳ δὲ τῷ πάθει περιπεσεῖν διὰ τὸ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους προστάξαι σινδόνας ἀμφιέννυσθαι, ἐρεᾶν δὲ ἐσθῆτα μὴ ἀμπέχεσθαι, ὅπως ὄντες ἐπίσημοι κολάζωνται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. 9.27.21 τὸν δὲ Μώϋσον εὔχεσθαι τῷ θεῷ, ἤδη ποτὲ τοὺς λαοὺς παῦσαι τῶν κακοπαθειῶν. ἱλασκομένου δ' αὐτοῦ αἰφνιδίως φησὶν ἐκ τῆς γῆς πῦρ ἀναφθῆναι καὶ τοῦτο κάεσθαι, μήτε ὕλης μήτε ἄλλης τινὸς ξυλείας οὔσης ἐν τῷ τόπῳ. τὸν δὲ Μώϋσον δείσαντα τὸ γεγονὸς φεύγειν· φωνὴν δ' αὐτῷ θείαν εἰπεῖν στρατεύειν ἐπ' Αἴγυπτον καὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους διασώσαντα εἰς τὴν