For several places, all in Egypt, bore the name of Busir, or Busiris, so famous in Greek fable. The first, where Mervan was slain was to the west of the Nile, in the province of Fium, or Arsinoe; the second in the Delta, in the Sebennytic nome; the third near the pyramids; the fourth, which was destroyed by Diocletian (see vol. ii. ), in the Thebais. I shall here transcribe a note of the learned and orthodox Michaelis:
Videntur in
pluribus Aegypti superioris urbibus Busiri Coptoque arma
sumpsisse Christiani, libertatemque de religione sentiendi
defendisse, sed succubuisse quo in bello Coptus et Busiris
diruta, et circa Esnam magna strages edita. Bellum narrant
sed causam belli ignorant scriptores Byzantini, alioqui
Coptum et Busirim non rebellasse dicturi, sed causam
Christianorum suscepturi (Not. 211, p. 100.)
For the geography of the four Busirs, see Abulfeda (Descript. Aegypt. p. 9, vers. Michaelis, Gottingae, 1776, in 4to.), Michaelis (Not. 122 - 127, p. 58 - 63), and D'Anville (Memoire sua l'Egypte, p. 85, 147, 205).