us himself remarks, contrary to Persian ideas
about the sanctity of fire. I think that by his cruel
treatment of the mummy, Cambyses wished to satisfy the
hatred of the natives against the Greek-loving king, and so
render himself more acceptable to them. The destruction of
the mummy entailing that of the soul, his act gave the
Saitic population a satisfaction similar to that experienced
by the refined cruelty of those who, a few centuries ago,
killed their enemies when in a state of deadly sin, and so
ensure not only their dismissal from this world, but also
their condemnation in the next.

[Illustration: 145.jpg THE NAOPHOROS STATUETTE OF THE VATICAN]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a photograph: the head and
hands are a restoration of the eighteenth century, in the
most inappropriate Graeco-Roman style.

He removed his troops from the temple of Nit, which they had turned into
a barrack to the horror of the faithful, and restored at his own expense
the damage they had done to the building. He condescended so far as
to receive instruction in the local religion, and was initiated in the
worship of the goddess by the priest Uzaharrisniti. This was, after
all, a pursuance of the policy employed by his father towards the
Babylonians, and the projects which he had in view necessitated his
gaining the confidence of the people at all costs. Asia having no more
to offer him, two almost untried fields lay open to his ambition--Africa
and Europe--the Greek world and what lay beyond it, the Carthaginian
world and Ethiopia. The necessity of making a final reckoning with Egypt
had at the outset summoned him to Africa, and it was therefore in that
continent that he determined to carry on his conquests. Memphis was
necessarily the base of his operations, the only point from which
he could direct the march of his armies in a westerly or southerly
direction, and at the same time keep in touch with the rest of his
empire, and he would indeed have been imprudent had he neglected
anything which could make him acceptable to its inhabitants. As soon as
he felt he had gained their sympathies, he despatched two expeditions,
one to Carthage and one to Ethiopia. Cyrene had spontaneously offered
him her homage; he now further secured it by sending thither with all
honour Ladike, the widow of Amasis, and he apparently contemplated
taking advantage of the good will of the Cyrenians t