Histories

When I inquired of the priests, they told me that this was the story of Helen. After carrying off Helen from Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta, Alexandrus sailed away for his own country; violent winds caught him in the +Aegean Sea [25,38.5] (sea) Aegean and drove him into the Egyptian sea; and from there (as the wind did not let up) he came to Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, to the mouth of the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile called the Canopic mouth, and to the Salters'.

Now there was (and still is) on the coast a temple of Heracles; if a servant of any man takes refuge there and is branded with certain sacred marks, delivering himself to the god, he may not be touched. This law continues today the same as it has always been from the first.

Hearing of the temple law, some of Alexandrus' servants ran away from him, threw themselves on the mercy of the god, and brought an accusation against Alexandrus meaning to injure him, telling the whole story of Helen and the wrong done Menelaus. They laid this accusation before the priests and the warden of the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile mouth, whose name was Thonis.

When Thonis heard it, he sent this message the quickest way to Proteus at Mit Rahina [31.25,29.85] (inhabited place), Giza, Upper Egypt, Egypt, AfricaMemphis:

“A stranger has come, a Trojan, who has committed an impiety in Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas. After defrauding his guest-friend, he has come bringing the man's wife and a very great deal of wealth, driven to your country by the wind. Are we to let him sail away untouched, or are we to take away what he has come with?”

Proteus sent back this message: “Whoever this is who has acted impiously against his guest-friend, seize him and bring him to me, that I may know what he will say.”