When her thoughts had become thus kindly disposed towards Thoth, he suddenly appeared, almost as if he had been able to read what was passing in her mind. His face was as impassive and immobile as ever, and he made inquiries concerning Daphne’s welfare as if nothing extraordinary had happened. But she shuddered at his callousness, and indignantly cried, “Unless thou canst and wilt explain to me the mystery of these women, never look on me again.” “That,” said he, “is my present purpose. Listen with care.” Daphne signified her assent, and Thoth continued— “In order to resolve this mystery, I must first make thee understand how much this city is different from others in every respect—a fact, indeed, thou canst not have failed to observe. Tell me, apart from these women, what thinkest thou of our people?” “They are truly a wonderful race, and surpass dreams in their knowledge of arts and sciences.” “And, apart from the women, what sayest thou of the government?” “The people seem happy and contented, and they appear to live in the utmost obedience to their rulers through mere love and respect—except these women.” “That,” replied Thoth, “is the plain truth. There is no city under the sun in which the people are so happy, contented, and so easily governed—except these women. “And how,” he continued, “dost thou imagine this wonderful state of affairs has arisen? But it is impossible to divine, and I will tell thee. “Many hundred years ago the father of the rulers of our people, a man of a Grecian tribe, held a high office in Egypt. In knowledge he surpassed all men, and in knowledge lay his authority. He devised many just laws, and was honoured and revered both by the multitude and by the king and his rulers. Had he not been thwarted, he would have made the Egyptians the most powerful people of the world. But he was betrayed and deluded: some time I may tell thee the full history—suffice it to say that he was ruined and subjected to dishonour through the love of a beautiful woman. “Mark this—for it is the key-stone of our policy. He contrived to seize the woman, and with a number of devoted followers he fled away and founded this city. Of the pure Greek race were only my ancestor and this woman, and about half a score of women and men. The rest were aliens, but all devoted to him, and prepared to pay him most implicit obedience, and his knowledge both of men and things was so great that he could exact any obedience. “He determined to found a new state entirely according to reason. The government was to be entirely in the hands of the wisest man, and this wisest man was to be first-born of this new royal race. For Thoth the first, as he is called of us, forced the woman who deceived him to become the mother of his children. And he believed, through the secrets which he had wrested from nature, that, by the careful choice of a mother, he could combine for the future the right by birth with the right by power and wisdom.