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she-第6部分

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end; and they brought us to the Queen of the people 
who place pots upon the heads of strangers; who is a 
magician having a knowledge of all things; and life 
and loveliness that does not die。 And she cast eyes of 
love upon thy father; Kallikrates; and would have 
slain me; and taken him to husband; but he loved me 
and feared her; and would not。 Then did she take us; 
and lead us by terrible ways; by means of dark magic; 
to where the great pit is; in the mouth of which the 
old philosopher lay dead; and showed to us the rolling 
Pillar of Life that dies not; whereof the voice is as 
the voice of thunder; and she did stand in the flames; 
and come forth unharmed; and yet more beautiful。 Then 
did she swear to make thy father undying even as she 
is; if he would but slay me; and give himself to her; 
for me she could not slay because of the magic of my 
own people that I have; and that prevailed thus far 
against her。 And he held his hand before his eyes to 
hide her beauty; and would not。 Then in her rage did 
she smite him by her magic; and he died; but she wept 
over him; and bore him thence with lamentations: and 
being afraid; me she sent to the mouth of the great 
river where the ships come; and I was carried far away 
on the ships where I gave thee birth; and hither to 
Athens I came at last after many wanderings。 Now I say 
to thee; my son; Tisisthenes; seek out the woman; and 
learn the secret of Life; and if thou mayest find a 
way slay her; because of thy father Kallikrates; and 
if thou dost fear or fail; this I say to all of thy 
seed who come after thee; till at last a brave man be 
found among them who shall bathe in the fire and sit 
in the place of the Pharaohs。 I speak of those things; 
that though they be past belief; yet I have known; and 
I lie not。〃

〃May the Lord forgive her for that;〃 groaned Job; who 
had been listening to this marvellous composition with 
his mouth open。

As for myself; I said nothing: my first idea being 
that my poor friend; being demented; had composed the 
whole thing; though it scarcely seemed likely that 
such a story could have been invented by anybody。 It 
was too original。 To solve my doubts I took up the 
potsherd and began to read the close uncial Greek 
writing on it; and very good Greek of the period it 
is; considering that it came from the pen of an 
Egyptian born。

Besides the uncial writing on the convex side of the 
sherd at the top; painted in dull red; on what had 
once been the lip of the amphora; was the cartouche 
already mentioned as being on the _i_ scarabaeus _i_ ; 
which we had also found in the casket。 The 
hieroglyphics or symbols; however; were reversed; just 
as though they had been pressed on wax。 Whether this 
was the cartouche of the original Kallikrates; or of 
some prince or Pharaoh from whom his wife Amenartas 
was descended; I am not sure; nor can I tell if it was 
drawn upon the sherd at the same time that the uncial 
Greek was inscribed; or; copied on more recently from 
the Scarab by some other member of the family。 Nor was 
this all。 At the foot of the writing; painted in the 
same dull red; was the faint outline of a somewhat 
rude drawing of the head and shoulders of a sphinx 
wearing two feathers; symbols of majesty; which; 
though common enough upon the effigies of sacred bulls 
and gods; I have never before met with on a sphinx。

Also on the right…hand side of this surface of the 
sherd; painted obliquely in red on the space not 
covered by the uncial; and signed in blue paint; was 
the following quaint inscription:

IN EARTH AND SKIE AND SEA

STRANGE THYNGES THER BE。 

HOC FECIT

DOROTHEA VINCEY。

Perfectly bewildered; I turned the relic over。 It was 
covered from top to bottom with notes and signatures 
in Greek; Latin; and English。 The first in Uncial 
Greek was by Tisisthenes; the son to whom the writing 
was addressed。 It was; 〃I could not go。 Tisisthenes to 
his son; Kallikrates。〃

This Kallikrates (probably; in the Greek fashion; so 
named after his grandfather) evidently made some 
attempt to start on the quest; for his entry; written 
in very faint and almost illegible uncial; is; 〃I 
ceased from my going; the gods being against me。 
KaIlikrates to his son。〃

Between these two ancient writingsthe second of 
which was inscribed upside down and was so faint and 
worn that; had it not been for the transcript of it 
executed by Vincey; I should scarcely have been able 
to read it; since; owing to its having been written on 
that portion of the tile which had; in the course of 
ages; undergone the most handling; it was nearly 
rubbed outwas the bold; modern…looking signature of 
one Lionel Vincey; 〃AEtate sua 17;〃 which was written 
thereon; I think; by Leo's grandfather。 To the right 
of this were the initials 〃J。 B。 V。;〃 and below came a 
variety of Greek signatures; in uncial and cursive 
character; and what appeared to be some carelessly 
executed repetitions of the sentence 〃to my son;〃 
showing that the relic was religiously passed on from 
generation to generation。

The next legible thing after the Greek signatures was 
the word 〃ROMAE; A。U。C。;〃 showing…that the family had 
now migrated to Rome。 Unfortunately; however; with the 
exception of its termination (cvi) the date of their 
settlement there is forever lost; for just where it 
had been placed a piece of the potsherd is broken 
away。

Then followed twelve Latin signatures; jotted about 
here and there; wherever there was a space upon the 
tile suitable to their inscription。 These signatures; 
with three exceptions only; ended with the name 
〃Vindex〃 or 〃the Avenger;〃 which seems to have been 
adopted by the family after its migration to Rome as a 
kind of equivalent to the Grecian 〃Tisisthenes;〃 which 
also means an avenger。 Ultimately; as might be 
expected; this Latin cognomen of Vindex was 
transformed first into De Vincey; and then into the 
plain; modern Vincey。 It is very curious to observe 
how the idea of revenge; inspired by an Egyptian 
before the time of Christ; is thus; as it were; 
embalmed in an English family name。

A few of the Roman names inscribed upon the sherd I 
have actually since found mentioned in history and 
other records。 They were; if I remember right;

MVSSIVS。 VINDEX

SEX。 VARIVS。 MARVLLVS 

C。 FVFIDIVS。 C。 F。 VINDEX

and

LABERIA POMPEIANA。 CONIVX。 MACRINI。 VINDICIS 

the last being; of course; the name of a Roman lady。

The following list; however; comprises all the Latin 
names upon。 the sherd:

C。 CAECILIVS VINDEX 

M。 AIMILIVS VINDEX 

SEX。 VARIVS。 MARVLLVS

Q。 SOSIVS PRISCVS SENECIO VINDEX 

L。 VALERIVS COMINIVS VINDEX 

SEX。 OTACILIVS。 M。 F。 

L ATTIVS。 VINDEX 

MVSSIVS VINDEX

C。 FVFIDIVS。 C。 F。 VINDEX 

LICINIVS FAVSTVS

LAVERIA POMPEIANA CONIVX MACRINI VINDICIS 

MANILIA LVCILLA CONIVX MARVLLI VINDICIS

After the Roman names there is evidently a gap of very 
many centuries。 Nobody will ever know now what was the 
history of the relic during those dark ages; or how it 
came to have been preserved in the family。 My poor 
friend Vincey had; it will be remembered; told me that 
his Roman ancestors finally settled in Lombardy; and; 
when Charlemagne invaded it; returned with him across 
the Alps; and made their home in Brittany; whence they 
crossed to England in the reign of Edward the 
Confessor。 How he knew this I am not aware; for there 
is no reference to Lombardy or Charlemagne upon the 
tile; though; as will presently be seen; there is a 
reference to Brittany。 To continue: the next entries 
on the sherd; if I may except a long splash either of 
blood or red coloring matter of some sort; consist of 
two crosses drawn in red pigment; and probably 
representing Crusaders' swords; and a rather neat 
monogram (〃D。 V。〃) in scarlet and blue; perhaps 
executed by that same Dorothea Vincey who wrote; or 
rather painted; the doggerel couplet。 To the left of 
this; scribed in faint blue; were the initials A。V。; 
and after them a date; 1300。

Then came what was perhaps as curious an entry as 
anything upon this extraordinary relic of the past。 It 
is executed in black…letter; written over…the crosses 
or Crusaders' swords; and dated fourteen hundred and 
forty…five。 As the best plan will be to allow it to 
speak for itself; I here give the black…letter 
facsimile; together with the original Latin without 
the contractions; from which it will be seen that the 
writer was a fair medieval Latinist。 Also we 
discovered what is still more curious; an English 
version of the black…letter Latin。 This; also written 
in black…letter; we found inscribed on a second 
parchment that was in the coffer; apparently somewhat 
older in date than that on which was inscribed the 
mediaeval Latin translation of the uncial Greek。

Expanded Version of the Black…Letter Inscription。

〃ISTA reliquia est valde misticum et myrificum opus; 
quod majores mei ex Armorica; scilicet Britannia 
Minore; secum convehebant; et quidam sanctus clericus 
semper patri meo in manu ferebat quod penitus illud 
destrueret; affirmans quod esset ab ipso Sathana 
conflatum pre
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