Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

4
THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
would befall any one who was about to be born.
And by his knowledge' he reigned over all the
kings of the earth, and all kings submitted unto
him by reason of the mightiness of his powers of
working" maeic.
Now as concerning this man, whenever [his] ene-
mies lifted themselves up against him to-do battle with
him, he did not march out against them with soldiers,
and armies, and an array of spears, but it was his
His method wont to go into his palace, and to shut the door
magk:°' '"^ upon Iiimself He then took a brazen vessel, and
having filled it with water to resemble the sea, he
muttered over it certain words which he knew. If
the enemy came against him [by sea] he used to
make models of ships out of wax [melted] over a
fire, and to place upon the water " these waxen ships,
that were [intended] to represent the ships [of the
enemy] which were on the sea. Then he muttered
Conquers Qvcr thcm the names of the eods of the country,^ and
armies *-* -'
and
navies by othcr awful and terrible names, and then he set the
his sorce- . , - .,.,..
Ties. waxen ships on the water m his basin,'' in resem-
blance of the ships which were on the sea. If the
' In the MS. flTfl-n • altered into flTfln- •
' Read '^JK. -
i Literally "terrestrial gods"; that the gods of Egypt,
however, are meant is clear from the Leyden MS. which reads
Kai ETTeKaXeiTO tous a-^-^ekovc, Kai Geov Aipui-ig "k\i\xw\a
(Meusel, p. 706). Muller's chief Ms. has Kai axdq ETreKaXeiTO
ujffavei xoij; Qeous tiIjv eiTLjjbuJv, Kai rd depia Trveu|uaTa
Ktti TOU5 KaTaxeovi'oui; 5ai)uova? (p. 2, col. i).
4 Read »»4'A-^ : compare »n^A,^' H'tlC'l' • p. 4, 1 7.