Egypt

ἤρξατο δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον, ὡς λέγεται, ἐξ Αἰθιοπίας τῆς ὑπὲρ Αἰγύπτου, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ἐς Αἴγυπτον καὶ Λιβύην κατέβη καὶ ἐς τὴν βασιλέως γῆν τὴν πολλήν.

It began, people say, in Ethiopia, beyond Egypt. From there it spread down into Egypt and Libya and across most of the Persian Empire.

Anni certus modus apud solos semper Aegyptios fuit. aliarum gentium dispari numero pari errore nutabat, et ut contentus sim referendo paucarum morem regionum, Arcades annum suum tribus mensibus explicabant, Acarnanes sex, Graeci reliqui trecentis quinquaginta quattuor diebus annum proprium computabant.

Only the Egyptians have always had a fixed length for the year. Among other peoples the year wavered. Their numbers differed, but they were all equally wrong. To name the custom of just a few places, the Arcadians finished their year in three months and the Acarnanians in six. The rest of the Greeks counted their year as 354 days.

Augustus deinde est, qui Sextilis antea uocabatur, donec honori Augusti daretur ex senatus consulto, cuius uerba subieci: cum imperator Caesar Augustus mense Sextili et primum consulatum inierit, et triumphos tres in urbem intulerit, et ex Ianiculo legiones deductae secutaeque sint eius auspicia ac fidem, sed et Aegyptus hoc mense in potestatem populi Romani redacta sit, finisque hoc mense bellis ciuilibus inpositus sit, atque ob has causas hic mensis huic imperio felicissimus sit ac fuerit, placere senatui ut hic mensis Augustus appelletur. item plebiscitum factum ob eandem rem Sexto Pacuuio tribuno plebem rogante.

August comes next. It was called Sextilis until a decree of the senate gave it in honor of Augustus. Here are the decree's words: "Whereas the emperor Caesar Augustus, in the month of Sextilis, entered on his first consulship and brought three triumphs into the city; and the legions were led down from the Janiculum to follow his command and his cause; and in this month Egypt was brought under the power of the Roman people, and in this month the civil wars were ended; and whereas for these reasons this month is and has been the most fortunate for this empire, the senate resolves that this month shall be called Augustus." A law of the people was also passed for the same purpose, on the motion of Sextus Pacuvius, tribune of the people.

ergo C. Caesar exordium nouae ordinationis initurus dies omnes, qui adhuc confusionem poterant facere, consumpsit, eaque re factum est, ut annus confusionis ultimus in quadringentos quadraginta tres dies protenderetur. post hoc imitatus Aegyptios, solos diuinarum rerum omnium conscios ad numerum solis, qui diebus tricenis sexaginta quinque et quadrante cursum conficit, annum dirigere contendit.

So when Gaius Caesar was about to start the new order, he used up all the days that could still cause confusion. As a result the last year of confusion was stretched to 443 days. After this he followed the Egyptians, the only people who understand all things divine. He set out to fit the year to the number of the sun, which completes its course in 365 and a quarter days.

Ἤρξατο μὲν ἐξ Αἰγυπτίων οἳ ᾤκηνται ἐν Πηλουσίῳ. γενομένη δὲ δίχα πὴ μὲν ἐπί τε Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ τῆς ἄλλης Αἰγύπτου ἐχώρησε, πὴ δὲ ἐπὶ Παλαιστίνους τοὺς Αἰγυπτίοις ὁμόρους ἦλθεν, ἐντεῦθέν τε κατέλαβε τὴν γῆν σύμπασαν, ὁδῷ τε ἀεὶ προϊοῦσα καὶ χρόνοις βαδίζουσα τοῖς καθήκουσιν.

It began among the Egyptians who live in Pelusium. From there it split in two. One branch moved toward Alexandria and the other parts of Egypt, while the other came to the Palestinians, Egypt's neighbors. From there it took hold of the whole earth, always moving forward along its road and traveling at its appointed times.

فمنها: اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وسلم ونجنا بجاهه من طغيان الطاعون وسلم الطاعون روع وأمات وابتدأ خبره من الظلمات فواها له من زائر من خمس عشرة سنة دائر ما صين عنه الصين ولا منع منه حصن حصين سل هنديا في الهند واشتد على السند وقبض بكفيه وشبك على بلاد أزبك وكم قصم من ظهر فيما وراء النهر، ثم ارتفع ونجم وهجم على العجم وأوسع الخطا إلى أرض الخطا وقرم القرم ورمى الروم بجمر مضطرم وجر الجرائر إلى قبرص والجزائر ثم قهر خلقا بالقاهرة وتنبهت عينه لمصر فأذاهم بالساهرة وأسكن حركة الإسكندرية فعمل شغل الفقراء مع الحريرية.

From the essay: O God, bless our master Muhammad and grant him peace. Through his favor with You, save us from the tyranny of the plague, and keep us safe. The plague brought terror and death. Its story began in the Land of Darkness. Alas for this visitor, making its rounds for fifteen years! China was not shielded from it, and the strongest fortress could not keep it out. It drew its Indian blade in India, and it pressed hard on Sind. It seized the lands of Uzbek with both hands and locked its fingers around them. How many backs it broke in Transoxiana! Then it rose up, came into view, and fell on the Persians. It stretched its stride as far as Cathay. It gnawed at the Crimea and pelted the Rum with blazing coals. It dragged its crimes to Cyprus and the islands. Then it conquered people in Cairo. Its eye woke up to Egypt, and it struck them down on the plain of the Last Day. It stilled the bustle of Alexandria, and there it did the work of the Sufi poor among the Hariri brethren.

E nell’ultimo di questo tempo s’aggiunse alle nazioni del Mare maggiore, e alle ripe del Mare tirreno, nella Soria e Turchia, e in verso lo Egitto e la riviera del Mar rosso, e dalla parte settentrionale la Rossia e la Grecia, e l’Erminia e l’altre conseguenti provincie. E in quello tempo galee d’italiani si partirono del Mare maggiore, e della Soria e di Romania per fuggire la morte, e recare le loro mercatanzie in Italia: e’ non poterono cansare, che gran parte di loro non morisse in mare di quella infermità. E arrivati in Cicilia conversaro co’ paesani, e lasciarvi di loro malati, onde incontanente si cominciò quella pestilenzia ne’ Ciciliani. E venendo le dette galee a Pisa, e poi a Genova, per la conversazione di quegli uomini cominciò la mortalità ne’ detti luoghi, ma non generale. Poi conseguendo il tempo ordinato da Dio a’ paesi, la Cicilia tutta fu involta in questa mortale pestilenzia.

Toward the end of that time it reached the peoples of the Great Sea and the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in Syria and Turkey, toward Egypt and the coast of the Red Sea, and to the north Russia, Greece, Armenia, and the lands beyond. At that time Italian galleys left the Great Sea, Syria, and Romania to flee death and bring their goods to Italy. They could not keep a great part of their crews from dying of the sickness at sea. When they arrived in Sicily they mixed with the people there and left some of their sick behind, and at once the pestilence began among the Sicilians. When the galleys came to Pisa and then to Genoa, the mortality began in those places through contact with those men, but it did not become general. Then, when the time God had set for each country came, all Sicily was caught up in this deadly pestilence.

What was there lacking about that programme, to make it perfectly irresistible? Nothing, that any finite mind could discover. Paris, England, Scotland, Switzerland, Italy — Garibaldi! The Grecian archipelago! Vesuvius! Constantinople! Smyrna! The Holy Land! Egypt and “our friends the Bermudians!” People in Europe desiring to join the Excursion — contagious sickness to be avoided — boating at the expense of the ship — physician on board — the circuit of the globe to be made if the passengers unanimously desired it — the company to be rigidly selected by a pitiless “Committee on Applications” — the vessel to be as rigidly selected by as pitiless a “Committee on Selecting Steamer.” Human nature could not withstand these bewildering temptations. I hurried to the Treasurer's office and deposited my ten per cent. I rejoiced to know that a few vacant state-rooms were still left. I did avoid a critical personal examination into my character, by that bowelless committee, but I referred to all the people of high standing I could think of in the community who would be least likely to know any thing about me.

What was there lacking about that program, to make it perfectly irresistible? Nothing that any finite mind could discover. Paris, England, Scotland, Switzerland, Italy—Garibaldi! The Grecian archipelago! Vesuvius! Constantinople! Smyrna! The Holy Land! Egypt and “our friends the Bermudians!” People in Europe wanting to join the excursion. Contagious sickness to be avoided. Boating at the expense of the ship. Physician on board. The circuit of the globe to be made if the passengers unanimously desired it. The company to be rigidly selected by a pitiless “Committee on Applications.” The vessel to be as rigidly selected by as pitiless a “Committee on Selecting Steamer.” Human nature could not withstand these bewildering temptations. I hurried to the treasurer's office and deposited my 10 percent. I rejoiced to know that a few vacant staterooms were still left. I did avoid a critical personal examination into my character by that heartless committee. But I named as references all the people of high standing I could think of in the community who would be least likely to know anything about me.