Editing Leucippe and Clitophon (section)

===Pelusium and Nicochis===
They enter the temple of Zeus where they admire two paintings: one of Andromeda being attacked by [[Cetus (mythology)|Cetus]], and rescued by Perseus, the other of Prometheus whose liver is being torn out by an eagle, with Hercules aiming his bow at the bird, painted by an otherwise unknown artist Euanthes. The paintings are a hint about Leucippe's fate.<ref>Euanthes was the son of Dionysus (Scholion to Homer Odyssey ΙΧ.197), who in Egypt was strongly identified with Osiris. Both gods were resurrected from the dead, as Leucippe will also be.</ref> After waiting two days for their friends, who do not appear, they hire a boat for [[Alexandria]] which goes via the Nile. However, they have not gone far when they are attacked by bandits, who steal their money and shut them in a hut. Clitophon bewails the misery of their wedding, which he imagines he is now having with Leucippe: instead of necklaces she has ropes, the guard is her bridesman, their bridal chamber is a prison, etc., but Leucippe, mortified by her situation, says nothing.

At dawn a savage man arrives on horseback and takes Leucippe away, to be sacrificed as a virgin on behalf of the army. Clitophon is distraught, but the bandits force their remaining captives to move on. On the way, they are attacked by a small force of soldiers, who make light work of the bandits and free Clitophon. Their commander is Charmides, who enlists him in the army as a cavalryman and gives him an Egyptian servant.

On receiving some reinforcements, Charmides advances towards the bandit capital Nicochis, but his way is blocked by a ditch, on the other side of which thousands of bandits have built an altar to which they lead Leucippe. After preparing her for sacrifice, their priest slits open her belly and roasts her innards over the fire, then distributes them for eating. Clitophon is rooted to the spot by the horror of the spectacle, but she cannot be saved. The remains of Leucippe's body are then placed in a coffin. By evening the soldiers are able to build a causeway and cross the ditch. Clitophon tries to kill himself over Leucippe's coffin, when he spies Menelaus and Satyrus running towards him. Menelaus knocks on Leucippe's coffin and she emerges unscathed. Clitophon is astonished, and Menelaus explains that after the shipwreck he and Satyrus were captured by the bandits but freed because some of them recognised him. Satyrus pleaded with Menelaus to save her, and he staged a conjuror's trick using a knife with a retracting blade and a fake belly made of a sheep's skin and sheep innards. Clitophon thanks Menelaus and adopts him as his firm friend.

Charmides decides not to attack before more reinforcements arrive, which have been delayed by the arrival of the [[Phoenix (mythology)|Phoenix]], a sacred bird from Ethiopia.

'''IV.''' Charmides moves the army to a nearby village, where Clitophon is allocated a house. Here Clitophon attempts to make love to Leucippe, but she rebuffs him, claiming that [[Artemis]] told her in a dream that she must remain a virgin until they are formally married. He admits that he had a similar dream, in which he was refused entry to the temple of Aphrodite by the goddess, but with a promise that he will later be made her priest.

While they are enjoying the spectacle of the hippopotamus, Charmides casts his eye on Leucippe. He asks Menelaus privately to bring Leucippe to his bedroom for a fee of 50 gold pieces. Menelaus refuses, and instead reports the story to Clitophon and Leucippe. They decide to tell the general that she will give him what he desires once they reach [[Alexandria]], but right now she has her period. Charmides agrees, but asks to converse with her in the meantime, and even to kiss her, which infuriates Clitophon.

While they are negotiating this, Leucippe falls ill with an unexplained madness. When Menelaus and Clitophon ask her what is the matter she kicks them and struggles against them. When Charmides sees her, he suspects the illness is feigned and orders her tied up. Menelaus asks Charmides for the army doctor, who prescribes purging and sedation.

A message then arrives from the [[List of governors of Roman Egypt|prefect of Egypt]], urging Charmides to attack with the troops he currently has. They cross the causeway, and the bandits gather all their old men and send them out with branches of palm to make them look like suppliants. They offer the general a huge bribe to call off his attack. Charmides refuses, so the old men accept their fate and only ask to be killed in their village. Meanwhile, the bandits have been flooding the area around the causeway. When the old men retreat, they part ranks and let through their main force, which was hidden behind them. Isolated on the causeway and surrounded by water, the army is defeated, and Charmides is killed.

Back at the village Leucippe is still sick. A soldier called Chaereas offers to cure her. He explains that Gorgias, an Egyptian soldier (now dead), also fell in love with Leucippe and tricked her into drinking an aphrodisiac. Chaereas fetches an Egyptian doctor, who offers her a potion to cure her for four pieces of gold. Eventually Clitophon agrees and they administer the drug. Leucippe sleeps through the night and by morning is cured. In the meantime a large army is sent from [[Alexandria]], which razes Nicochis to the ground. They resume their journey to [[Alexandria]] on the Nile, observing the crocodiles en route, and Chaereas accompanies them.