ostensuram
esse, si me prius occisa regine contubernium mallet; neque enim ipsa me
occidere valuit, propter nostratum magicam cujus egomet partem habeo.
Ille vero nichil hujus generis malebat, manibus ante oculos passis, ne
mulieris formositatem adspiceret: postea illum magica percussit arte,
at mortuum efferebat inde cum fletibus et vagitibus, et me per timorem
expulit ad ostium magni fluminis, velivoli, porro in nave, in qua te
peperi, vix post dies huc Athenas vecta sum. At tu, O Tisisthenes, ne
quid quorum mando nauci fac: necesse enim est mulierem exquirere si qua
Vite mysterium impetres et vindicare, quautum in te est, patrem tuum
Callieratem in regine morte. Sin timore sue aliqua causa rem reliquis
infectam, hoc ipsum omnibus posteris mando, dum bonus quis inveniatur
qui ignis lavacrum non perhorrescet, et potentia dignus dominabitur
hominum.

Talia dico incredibilia quidem at minime ficta de rebus michi cognitis.

Hec Grece scripta Latine reddidit vir doctus Edmundus de Prato, in
Descretis Licenciatus, e Collegio Exoniensi Oxoniensi doctissimi Grocyni
quondam e pupillis, Idibus Aprilis Anno Domini MCCCCLXXXXV deg..

"Well," I said, when at length I had read out and carefully examined
these writings and paragraphs, at least those of them that were still
easily legible, "that is the conclusion of the whole matter, Leo, and
now you can form your own opinion on it. I have already formed mine."

"And what is it?" he asked, in his quick way.

"It is this. I believe that potsherd to be perfectly genuine, and that,
wonderful as it may seem, it has come down in your family from since
the fourth century before Christ. The entries absolutely prove it, and
therefore, however improbable it may seem, it must be accepted. But
there I stop. That your remote ancestress, the Egyptian princess, or
some scribe under her direction, wrote that which we see on the sherd
I have no doubt, nor have I the slightest doubt but that her sufferings
and the loss of her husband had turned her head, and that she was not
right in her mind when she did write it."

"How do you account for what my father saw and heard there?" asked Leo.

"Coincidence. No doubt there are bluffs on the coast of Africa that
look something like a man's head, and plenty of people who speak bastard
Arabic. Also, I believe that there are lots of swamps. Another thing
is, Leo, and I am sorry to say it, but I do not believe that your poor
father was quite right when