, 1875-06-05
B E's HAIR
TRANSLATED from "F@drelandet."O
By 0. K.

A straight line imagined to be drawn be-
tween the two last stars Of the Constellation
Ursd Major or the Great Bear, would pass
through a bright star of the first magnitude,
Arcturus. in the Constellation B00teS. Just
below the four foremost stars in the Great
Bear will be found four others, forming a sort
of trapezoid, and belonging to the constellation
Leo MAJOR or the Great Lion. Between Arctu-
rus and these four stars there is a very re-
markable group of stars. First, a large, dense
cluster, the outer border forming a circle
then, below this comes q collection of stars
resembling q riban, aud from this a less dense
collection is spread out, as it were, like the
two ends Of a bow. This group is called
Berenioe's Hair; first the bulge" then
comes cross-plaits; and then some long pend
ing locks.
Queen Berenice of Egypt was in her time
a celebrated beauty and a woman possessing
great stability of mind and energy. She lived
at a time when the Greek language had been
spread all over the East, owing to the expedi.
tions of Alexander the Great. The family of
the Ptolemies had succeeded that of the
Pharaohs, and Alexandria was the most flourish
ing theatre of Greek culture and civilisatiOn.
Berenice was a daughter of King Magas of
Cyrene, a Greek colony to the West Of Egypt
and situated not far from the sea, in the pro-
vince now called Barka. Cyrene was one of
the most Opulent places among those that had
adopted Greek culture. At the time Of the
First Ptolemies, Cyrene was a dependency Of
Egypt: Magas styled himself King, but he
was in reality a vassal of his brother PtOlemy
the Second. surnamed PhiIadelphus. The two
brothers were frequently at variance with each
other; Magas endeavoured to do his part to
put an end to the strife, by STIMULATING, shortly
before his demise, that his only daughter,
Berenice, should marry Philadelphus' heir,
the subsequent Ptolemy Euergetes of Egypt.
Whatever has been said about the Greek
women having been kept in q state of seclusion.
as in a harem, History does not corro-
borate it. King Magas' spouse, Queen
Arsinoe, felt her dignity as woman and mother
slighted by that stipulation of the King.
How could he-so she reasoned-knoW 50 con-
fdently what would benefit his daughter most ?
Only a mothers judgment, only a sympathetic
female guardians heart, could reasonably be
capable Of forming any notion as to the turn
of ideas and desires OF a daughter. and then
an only daughter besides, so as to make a
suitable choice. The deceased King had
taken that resolve from political reasons, with
out consulting the tender mother of his daugh-
ter: hence, that act of his was 10 Arsino6's
eyes entirely unwarrantable and objectionable
Bat who, then, was to be Berenice's hus-
band? Any one else except Ptolemy Euerge-
ties. Neither mother nor daughter was person.
ally acquainted with Euergstes, of whose ex-
oellent qualities report spoke so loudly. he
was said to be as talented and as learned as
his father, who had done exceedingly much to
promote and encourage science in Alexandria;
with a warriors bravery he united a kindly dis
,~osition. and this latter feature had acquired
i'm the surname Of Eusrgetes. Princess