two new-born children
belonging to persons of the common sort he gave them to a shepherd to
bring up at the place where his flocks were, with a manner of bringing
up such as I shall say, charging him namely that no man should utter any
word in their presence, and that they should be placed by themselves in
a room where none might come, and at the proper time he should bring to
them she-goats, and when he had satisfied them with milk he should do
for them whatever else was needed. These things Psammetichos did and
gave him this charge wishing to hear what word the children would let
break forth first, after they had ceased from wailings without sense.
And accordingly so it came to pass; for after a space of two years had
gone by, during which the shepherd went on acting so, at length, when
he opened the door and entered, both the children fell before him in
entreaty and uttered the word bekos, stretching forth their hands. At
first when he heard this the shepherd kept silence; but since this word
was often repeated, as he visited them constantly and attended to them,
at last he declared the matter to his master, and at his command he
brought the children before his face. Then Psammetichos having himself
also heard it, began to inquire about what nation of men named anything
bekos, and inquiring he found that the Phrygians had this name for
bread. In this manner and guided by an indication such as this, the
Egyptians were brought to allow that the Phrygians were a more ancient
people than themselves.

3. That so it came to pass I heard from the priests of that Hephaistos
who dwells at Memphis; 2 but the Hellenes relate, besides many other
idle tales, that Psammetichos cut out the tongues of certain women, and
then caused the children to live with these women.

With regard then to the rearing of the children they related so much as
I have said: and I heard also other things at Memphis when I had speech
with the priests of Hephaistos. Moreover I visited both Thebes and
Heliopolis 3 for this very cause, namely because I wished to know
whether the priests at these places would agree in their accounts with
those at Memphis; for the men of Heliopolis are said to be the most
learned in records of the Egyptians. Those of their narrations which I
heard with regard to the gods I am not earnest to relate in full, but
I shall name them only, 4 because I consider that all men are equally
ignorant of these matters: 5 and whatever thi