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will groan, but he also says all those who make not the wine from the vine but the Egyptian beer, which itself was illegitimate and muddy, which they used as a drink before the Lord visited them. The Egyptians, and when this also fails, its makers are said to groan with reason and their souls will be in pain. He threatens, therefore, that the sophists of Egypt will suffer these things, being certain brewers and workers of combed flax and fine linen, and fishers, tending to the Egyptian river and the account of Egyptian wisdom. Turning away from which, another prophet cried out, saying: “What have you to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the water of Geon?” And the things spoken next are prophesied concerning obscure rulers, who especially once lay in wait for the greatest and most famous cities of Egypt, I mean Tanis and Memphis, through which things it is said in this way: And the princes of Tanis shall become fools; the wise counsellors of the king, their counsel shall be made foolish, and again: The princes of Tanis have failed, and the princes of Memphis are exalted, and they have led Egypt astray. But according to Symmachus: The princes of Tanis were exhausted, the princes of Memphis grew numb, those who led Egypt astray. for in these cities they say especially all the sorcery of demonic idolatry formerly consisted, and that those ruling Egypt in the time of Moses had their palace here. wherefore it is said that “the signs in the plain of Tanis” happened, both at the time of Moses and at the present time. Therefore, when the Lord visited Egypt, he says that along with the Egyptian river, also certain ruling demons who were revealed will be made foolish, although they professed wisdom when the Lord was not present with them. But indeed he brought a refutation against them, that they partook of no wisdom; and truly they were fools at the presence of the Lord. And these same aforementioned ruling demons were used as if they were counsellors by the kings of Egypt, who were led astray by divinations and oracles and the other demonic deceptions. wherefore it is said: and they led Egypt astray. Then, as if to those very Egyptian demons, the word is addressed, saying: How will you say to the king, We are sons of the wise, sons of kings from the beginning? For with your king no longer existing, how will you be able to pride yourselves on wisdom? How do you say that you are sons of ancient kings, putting forward Horus and Isis and Osiris and Typhon, and saying that races of gods and heroes and corpses ruled Egypt long ago, of which gods and kings you say you are sons and descendants, you who are revealed through the prophecy as rulers of Tanis and Memphis? How could you be gods or what wisdom could you partake of, not having been able to foreknow nor to foretell your refutation and the dissolution of the kingdom, of those of whom you happened to be counsellors, whom you also wore down, enveloping them with all kinds of errors? Next, after these things, he addresses Egypt itself, saying: Where now are your wise men? Let them announce to you and say what the Lord of Sabaoth has planned against Egypt. And where are your wise gods, who through divinations and oracles profess to declare what is to come? Let them come forward into the midst and say: What has the Lord of Sabaoth planned against Egypt? But there are none who say; for it was not for wicked demons to know the counsel of God, but demons do not exist at all. For the rulers of Tanis and Memphis have failed, those who were formerly exalted and led Egypt astray by the permission of the Lord; for the aforementioned would not have been strong enough to lead Egypt astray, with universal providence watching over the whole and supervising in part, unless the Lord himself had permitted them to do this, having mixed for them a spirit of error, wherefore they led the Egyptians astray like drunkards. and so great was the drunkenness produced in the Egyptians from them,

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στενάξειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας φησὶ τοὺς ποιοῦντας οὐ τὸν ἐξ ἀμπέλου οἶνον ἀλλὰ τὸν Αἰγυπτιακὸν ζῦθον, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς νόθος ἦν καὶ τεθολωμένος, ᾧ ἐκέχρηντο ἀντὶ ποτοῦ πρὶν αὐτοῖς ἐπιδημῆσαι τὸν κύριον. οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ τούτου δὲ ἐκλιπόντος εἰκότως στενάξειν λέγονται καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀλγήσειν οἱ τούτου ποιηταί. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν πείσεσθαι τοὺς τῆς Αἰγύπτου σοφιστὰς ἀπειλεῖ, ζυθοποιούς τινας ὄντας καὶ λίνου σχιστοῦ καὶ βύσσου ἐργάτας, ἰχθύων τε θηρευτάς, τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν Αἰγυπτιακὸν περιέποντας καὶ τὸν τῆς Αἰγυπτιακῆς σοφίας λόγον. οὗ ἀποτρέπων ἕτερος προφήτης ἐβόα λέγων· «τί σοι καὶ τῇ ὁδῷ Αἰγύπτου τοῦ πιεῖν ὕδωρ Γειών»; Τὰ δ' ἑξῆς ἐπιλεγόμενα περὶ ἀφανῶν ἀρχόντων, οἳ μάλιστα ταῖς μεγίσταις καὶ διαφανέσι τῆς Αἰγύπτου πόλεσιν ἐφήδρευόν ποτε, λέγω δὲ τῇ Τάνει καὶ τῇ Μέμφει, θεσπίζεται, δι' ὧν εἴρηται τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον· καὶ μωροὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἄρχοντες Τάνεως· οἱ σοφοὶ σύμβουλοι τοῦ βασιλέως, ἡ βουλὴ αὐτῶν μωρανθήσεται, καὶ πάλιν· ἐξέλιπον οἱ ἄρχοντες Τάνεως, καὶ ὑψώθησαν οἱ ἄρχοντες Μέμφεως, καὶ ἐπλάνησαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον. κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· ἐκοπώθησαν οἱ ἄρχοντες Τάνεως, ἐνάρκησαν οἱ ἄρχοντες Μέμφεως, οἱ πλανήσαντες τὴν Αἴγυπτον· ἐν ταύταις γὰρ μάλιστά φασι τὴν πᾶσαν μαγγανείαν τῆς δαιμονικῆς εἰδωλολατρίας συνεστάναι πρότερον, ἐνταῦθά τε τὸ βασίλειον ἔχειν τοὺς ἐν τοῖς Μωσέως χρόνοις βασιλεύοντας τῆς Αἰγύπτου. διὸ λέλεκται «ἐν πεδίῳ Τάνεως τὰ σημεῖα» γεγονέναι τὰ ἐπὶ Μωσέως καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος. τοιγαροῦν ἐπιδημήσαντος τοῦ κυρίου τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ σὺν τῷ Αἰγυπτίῳ ποταμῷ καὶ τοὺς δηλωθέντας ἀρχοντικοὺς δαίμονάς τινας μωρανθήσεσθαί φησι, καίπερ σοφίαν ἐπαγγελομένους ὅτ' οὐ παρῆν αὐτοῖς ὁ κύριος. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔλεγχον αὐτοῖς ἐπῆγεν ὡς οὐδεμιᾶς μετεῖχον σοφίας· μωροὶ δὲ ἦσαν ἀληθῶς ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ κυρίου παρουσίᾳ. τούτοις δὲ αὐτοῖς τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἀρχοντικοῖς δαίμοσιν ὡσπερεὶ συμβούλοις ἐχρῶντο οἱ τῆς Αἰγύπτου βασιλεῖς μαντείαις καὶ χρησμοῖς καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς δαιμονικαῖς ἀπάταις ἀποπλανώμενοι. διὸ λέλεκται· καὶ ἐπλάνησαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον. εἶθ' ὡς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους δαίμονας ὁ λόγος ἀποτείνεται φάσκων· πῶς ἐρεῖτε τῷ βασιλεῖ Υἱοὶ συνετῶν ἡμεῖς, υἱοὶ βασιλέων τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς; μηκέτι γὰρ ὑπάρχοντος ὑμῖν βασιλέως, πῶς οἷοί τε ἔσεσθε ἐπὶ συνέσει σεμνύνεσθαι; πῶς δὲ υἱοὺς βασιλέων παλαιῶν ἑαυτοὺς εἶναί φατε Ὧρον καὶ Ἶσιν καὶ Ὄσιριν καὶ Τυφῶνα προβαλλόμενοι καὶ θεῶν καὶ ἡρώων καὶνεκύων γένη φάσκοντες τὸν πάλαι χρόνον τῆς Αἰγύπτου κεκρατηκέναι, ὧν θεῶν καὶ βασιλέων υἱοὺς καὶ ἀπογόνους ἑαυτοὺς εἶναί φατε ὑμεῖς οἱ διὰ τῆς προφητείας δηλούμενοι ἄρχοντες Τάνεως καὶ Μέμφεως; πῶς δ' ἂν εἴητε θεοὶ ἢ ποίας μετάσχοιτε ἂν σοφίας, μὴ δεδυνημένοι προγνῶναι μηδὲ προαγορεῦσαι τὸν ὑμέτερον ἔλεγχον καὶ τὴν τῆς βασιλείας κατάλυσιν, τούτων ὧν ἐτυγχάνετε σύμβουλοι, οὓς καὶ ἐπετρίβετε παντοίαις πλάναις περιβάλλοντες; τούτοις αὐτοῖς ἑξῆς καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ προσφωνεῖ λέγων· ποῦ εἰσι νῦν οἱ σοφοί σου; ἀναγγειλάτωσάν σοι καὶ εἰπάτωσαν τί βεβούλευται κύριος σαβαὼθ ἐπ' Αἴγυπτον. ποῦ δὲ οἱ σοφοί σου θεοί, οἱ διὰ μαντειῶν καὶ χρησμῶν τὰ μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι προφωνεῖν ἐπαγγελλόμενοι; παρίτωσαν εἰς μέσον καὶ λεγέτωσαν· τί βεβούλευται κύριος σαβαὼθ ἐπ' Αἴγυπτον; ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰσὶν οἱ λέγοντες· οὐδὲ γὰρ δαιμόνων ἦν πονηρῶν τὸ γιγνώσκειν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ βουλήν, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὅλως ὑπάρχουσι δαίμονες. ἐξέλιπον γὰρ οἱ ἄρχοντες Τάνεως καὶ Μέμφεως οἱ πάλαι ὑψωθέντες καὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον κατὰ συγχώρησιν τοῦ κυρίου πλανήσαντες· οὐ γὰρ ἀνίσχυον τῆς καθ' ὅλου προνοίας ἐφορώσης τὸ πᾶν καὶ κατὰ μέρος ἐπισκοπούσης πλανᾶν τὴν Αἴγυπτον οἱ προλεχθέντες, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος τοῦτ' αὐτοῖς πρᾶξαι συνεχώρει πνεῦμα πλανήσεως κεράσας αὐτοῖς, διὸ μεθυόντων δίκην τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἐπλάνων. τοσαύτη τε ἦν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐγγινομένη τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις μέθη,