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[93]
But now I shall produce the Egyptians as witnesses to the antiquity
of our nation. I shall therefore here bring in Manetho again, and what
he writes as to the order of the times in this case; and thus he speaks:
"When this people or shepherds were gone out of Egypt to Jerusalem,
Tethtoosis the king of Egypt, who drove them out, reigned afterward twenty-five
years and four months, and then died; after him his son Chebron took the
kingdom for thirteen years; after whom came Amenophis, for twenty years
and seven months; then came his sister Amesses, for twenty-one years and
nine months; after her came Mephres, for twelve years and nine months;
after him was Mephramuthosis, for twenty-five years and ten months; after
him was Thmosis, for nine years and eight months; after him came Amenophis,
for thirty years and ten months; after him came Orus, for thirty-six years
and five months; then came his daughter Acenchres, for twelve years and
one month; then was her brother Rathotis, for nine years; then was Acencheres,
for twelve years and five months; then came another Acencheres, for twelve
years and three months; after him Armais, for four years and one month;
after him was Ramesses, for one year and four months; after him came Armesses
Miammoun, for sixty-six years and two months; after him Amenophis, for
nineteen years and six months; after him came Sethosis, and Ramesses, who
had an army of horse, and a naval force. This king appointed his brother,
Armais,, to be his deputy over Egypt." [In another copy it stood thus:
After him came Sethosis, and Ramesses, two brethren, the former of whom
had a naval force, and in a hostile manner destroyed those that met him
upon the sea; but as he slew Ramesses in no long time afterward, so he
appointed another of his brethren to be his deputy over Egypt.] He also
gave him all the other authority of a king, but with these only injunctions,
that he should not wear the diadem, nor be injurious to the queen, the
mother of his children, and that he should not meddle with the other concubines
of the king; while he made an expedition against Cyprus, and Phoenicia,
and besides against the Assyrians and the Medes. He then subdued them all,
some by his arms, some without fighting, and some by the terror of his
great army; and being puffed up by the great successes he had had, he went
on still the more boldly, and overthrew the cities and countries that lay
in the eastern parts. But after some considerable time, Armais, who was
left in Egypt, did all those very things, by way of opposition, which his
brother had forbid him to do, without fear; for he used violence to the
queen, and continued to make use of the rest of the concubines, without
sparing any of them; nay, at the persuasion of his friends he put on the
diadem, and set up to oppose his brother. But then he who was set over
the priests of Egypt wrote letters to Sethosis, and informed him of all
that had happened, and how his brother had set up to oppose him: he therefore
returned back to Pelusium immediately, and recovered his kingdom again.
The country also was called from his name Egypt; for Manetho says,
that Sethosis was himself called Egyptus, as was his brother Armais called
Danaus."
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