73

128

which occurred five centuries before he wrote.
Having in his mind the fact that Pythagoras
had been in Egypt, that he was captured by
the Persians, and that Cambyses, the general
of Cyrus conquered Egypt, it was most natural
that in the loose way that is
eminently characteristic of him he would
have put these things together as he did.

However, we must not miss any opportunity
of putting the elements of our conjecture to
the test during the process of constructing
it; and therefore since this supposition
that Pythagoras was taken prisoner by Cyrus
involves a date, we must inquire whether
or not that date fits in to all our other