roper for them. He chiefly aimed to secure
the eastern parts, as fore-seeing that the Assyrians, who had then the
greatest power, would be desirous of that kingdom, and invade them; and
as he found in the Saite Nomos, [Sethroite,] a city very proper for this
purpose, and which lay upon the Bubastic channel, but with regard to a
certain theologic notion was called Avaris, this he rebuilt, and made
very strong by the walls he built about it, and by a most numerous
garrison of two hundred and forty thousand armed men whom he put into
it to keep it. Thither Salatis came in summer time, partly to gather his
corn, and pay his soldiers their wages, and partly to exercise his
armed men, and thereby to terrify foreigners. When this man had reigned
thirteen years, after him reigned another, whose name was Beon, for
forty-four years; after him reigned another, called Apachnas, thirty-six
years and seven months; after him Apophis reigned sixty-one years, and
then Janins fifty years and one month; after all these reigned Assis
forty-nine years and two months. And these six were the first rulers
among them, who were all along making war with the Egyptians, and were
very desirous gradually to destroy them to the very roots. This whole
nation was styled Hycsos, that is, Shepherd-kings: for the first
syllable Hyc, according to the sacred dialect, denotes a king, as is Sos
a shepherd; but this according to the ordinary dialect; and of these is
compounded Hycsos: but some say that these people were Arabians." Now
in another copy it is said that this word does not denote Kings, but,
on the contrary, denotes Captive Shepherds, and this on account of the
particle Hyc; for that Hyc, with the aspiration, in the Egyptian tongue
again denotes Shepherds, and that expressly also; and this to me seems
the more probable opinion, and more agreeable to ancient history. [But
Manetho goes on]: "These people, whom we have before named kings,
and called shepherds also, and their descendants," as he says, "kept
possession of Egypt five hundred and eleven years." After these, he
says, "That the kings of Thebais and the other parts of Egypt made an
insurrection against the shepherds, and that there a terrible and long
war was made between them." He says further, "That under a king, whose
name was Alisphragmuthosis, the shepherds were subdued by him, and were
indeed driven out of other parts of Egypt, but were shut up in a place
that contained ten thousand acre