nd the name of the city whence he was is Siuph.
Now at the first the Egyptians despised Amasis and held him in no
great regard, because he had been a man of the people and was of no
distinguished family; but afterwards Amasis won them over to himself by
wisdom and not wilfulness. Among innumerable other things of price which
he had, there was a foot-basin of gold in which both Amasis himself and
all his guests were wont always to wash their feet. This he broke up,
and of it he caused to be made the image of a god, and set it up in the
city, where it was most convenient; and the Egyptians went continually
to visit the image and did great reverence to it. Then Amasis, having
learnt that which was done by the men of the city, called together the
Egyptians and made known to them the matter, saying that the image had
been produced from the foot-basin, into which formerly the Egyptians
used to vomit and make water, and in which they washed their feet,
whereas now they did to it great reverence; and just so, he continued,
had he himself now fared, as the foot-basin; for though formerly he
was a man of the people, yet now he was their king, and he bade them
accordingly honour him and have regard for him.

173. In such manner he won the Egyptians to himself, so that they
consented to be his subjects; and his ordering of affairs was thus:--In
the early morning, and until the time of the filling of the market he
did with a good will the business which was brought before him;
but after this he passed the time in drinking and in jesting at his
boon-companions, and was frivolous and playful. And his friends being
troubled at it admonished him in some such words as these: "O king,
thou dost not rightly govern thyself in thus letting thyself descend
to behaviour so trifling; for thou oughtest rather to have been sitting
throughout the day stately upon a stately throne and administering thy
business; and so the Egyptians would have been assured that they were
ruled by a great man, and thou wouldest have had a better report: but as
it is, thou art acting by no means in a kingly fashion." And he answered
them thus: "They who have bows stretch them at such time as they wish to
use them, and when they have finished using them they loose them again;
148 for if they were stretched tight always they would break, so that
the men would not be able to use them when they needed them. So also
is the state of man: if he should always be in earnest an