Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

NECTANEBUS INSTRUCTS OLYMPIAS. 1
"wherein I may pray."' And Olympias said tooiympias
him, "Take thou this chamber' which is behind neb^ug fuim
"this place, and if I find that I do in very truth J^'^^^
"become with child, I will honour thee as a king,
"and I will hold thee to be the father of the child."
Nectanebus said to her, "When this god of the
"country cometh^ unto thee this shall be the sign.
"A serpent shall glide before thee, and when thou
"seest him dismiss all those who are sitting round
"about thee, but do not extinguish the lamp which
"burneth by thy side. Only, take heed when thou
"liest down upon thy couch to cover over thy face,
"and do not look at the god of the country who
"shall come on to thy couch unto thee." And
having said this he went out from her chamber.
And it came to pass on the morrow that she sent
him to a chamber behind her own and she gave
him a jDlace wherein to dwell near her."
Then^ Nectanebus took soft rams' wool, and the
horns of a ram, and a crown,* and he put on Nectanebus
white raiment, and he took with him the skin(.'') 1,,-^s'^u!'^
' /. e., entreat him on thy behalf.
' Read Ot-iaC • 3 {J-ffA* ' altered into 9"R-Ji-f- :
* Read ah'^VtiV
5 See Pseudo-Callisthenesj Bk. i, chap. 7 (Miiller, p. y,
Meusel, p. 710).
^ The Egyptian monuments supply many examples of
Amen-Ra with a ram's head and horns, but it is not easy
to account for the introduction of the serpent; for the principal
forms of the god see Lanzone, Diziojiario, tav. XVIII £f.
c
'^""