Now who could enumerate the superstitious outrages of Canopus? where, under the pretext of priestly letters (for so they call the ancient writings of the Egyptians), there was an almost public school of the magic art. The pagans venerated that place as a kind of fountain and origin of demons, so much that there was far greater celebrity there than at Alexandria. But it will not be absurd to set forth in a few words concerning the error of this monster too, what sort of origin they ascribe to it. They say that the Chaldeans once, carrying about Fire as their god, had a contest with the gods of all the provinces, so that whichever should conquer, this one should be believed by all to be God.
The gods of the other provinces consisted of bronze or gold or silver, or wood, or stone, or of whatever material, which would without doubt be destroyed by fire. From which it came about that Fire prevailed in all places. When the priest of Canopus had heard this, he devised something cunning. There are wont to be made in the regions of Egypt earthenware water-jars, pierced all over with frequent and very minute holes, through which the turbid water, oozing out, is rendered clearer and purer. One of these he stopped up by sealing the holes with wax, and painted over with various colours besides; and filling it with water, he set it up as a god. And the head, cut out from an old image, which was said to be that of Menelaus's helmsman, he carefully fitted upon it. After this the Chaldeans arrive:
the contest is entered upon; fire is kindled around the water-jar; the wax with which the holes had been stopped melts; the jar sweating, the fire is extinguished. By the priest's fraud, Canopus is shown to be the conqueror of the Chaldeans. Hence the very image of Canopus is formed with very small feet, a drawn-in neck, and a belly swollen as if pinched, in the manner of a water-jar, with a back equally rounded. From this persuasion he was worshipped as the god, conqueror of all. But perhaps these things availed against the Chaldeans at some time. Now, however, when Theophilus the priest of God arrived, no sweating availed, nor did the fraud concealed by the wax come to the rescue. All things were laid waste and levelled to the ground.