Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

LII
INTRODUCTION.
he arrives in the "Country of the Living" in three
days and three nights more.
Chap. ix. Alexander puts forth to sea and eagles
summaryofdrag hls ships along; at length he comes to the
tian ^^^'ro- city
mance".
of the Saints. The water thereof is sweeter
^^lan sugar, the stones are of sard, chalcedony,
sapphire, etc., from the herb of the iield manna
is obtained, there is there neither cold nor heat,
summer nor winter, every cistern is filled with
honey, and every beast with milk. It is quite clear
that this description is based upon the account of
the Makrobioi and their island Taprobane {z. e.,
Ceylon), by Palladius, which is found in Pseudo-
Callisthenes, iii. 7 ff.
Chap. X. Alexander and his horse are seized by
the Spirit and carried into the desert where live
Enoch and Elijah, and they hold converse with
him and describe the manner of the Life which
they lead; in this country is the water of Life,
and there is no death therein.' While they are
talking the two saints are snatched away, and
Alexander returns to his army.
Chap. xi. A fisherman catches fish in the water
of Life and is unable to kill them even thoueh
he beats them to pieces with a stick, these fish
live after they have been cut up and also when
they are being cooked on the fire. On hearing
' Compare ZiJJai ^oip e'S Triv vrjffov eKeivriv Koi eai?
^Karov TTevtriKOVTa eruiv oi YepovTe? hi uTteppoXriv Tf\c, tojv
depujv euKpaffiai;; see Pseudo-Callisthenes, iii. 7. (Miiller, p.
103, col. i).