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THE MIRACULOUS
DISCOVERY OF
PSAMMETICHUS I
By Daniel Mason
1. his presence. And having himself other foolish tales, a different version,
Now, the Egyptians, before the reign heard them pronounce “becos,” he namely that Psammetichus sent the
of Psammetichus, believed themselves made inquiries into what people might children to live with women whose
to be the most ancient race of tongues he had removed.
mankind. But Psammetichus, —Herodotus, The Histories,
upon ascending the throne, set Book II (adapted from the trans-
out to determine who truly was lation by G. Rawlinson, 1858)
the most primitive. Finding it
impossible to do so by dint of 2.
inquiry, he contrived the fol- Now, it is said that Psammeti-
lowing method of discovery. chus, upon discovering the
Taking two children of the origin of human speech, did
common sort, he gave them to not rest but pushed forth in
a herdsman to raise, charging other inquiries. After unifying
him to let no one utter a word Egypt and liberating her from
in their presence but to keep the yoke of Assyrian rule, he
them in a secluded cottage, came to be blessed with hours
introducing only milk goats so of leisure with which to con-
that they might slake their template the mysteries of the
thirst. His intention was to world. And so it was that sit-
know, after the babblings of ting in his gardens, he found
infancy were over, what word himself bewitched by the chat-
they would first articulate. tering of parrots. Now, having
And so it happened. The discovered the antiquity of
herdsman obeyed his orders for Phrygian, he began to wonder
two years, until one day, when whether the birds might speak
he opened the door to the cot- an even older tongue. Thus he
tage, the children ran to him betook the following method
with outstretched arms and of experiment. He selected a
shouted “becos.” At first the herdsman use this word and learned that “becos” pair of newborn children from two
took no notice, but soon the word was was the Phrygian name for bread. fisherwomen and gave them to his
constantly in their mouths. So he in- Thus the Egyptians yielded their aviarist to raise amongst his flocks
formed his lord, and Psammetichus claims and admitted the greater antiq- with these instructions: No one was to
commanded them to be brought into uity of the Phrygians. utter a word in the children’s presence;
These were the real facts I learned they should be given birdseed for their
Daniel Mason is the author of the novels at Memphis from the priests of He- hunger and perches for their sleep, and
The Piano Tuner and A Far Country. phaistos. The Greeks relate, among so be raised to think that they were
STORY 63
STORY 65