amorc - of gods and miracles (1954) first edition!!!!

8/13/2019 AMORC - Of Gods and Miracles (1954) First edition!!!!

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V V V

Volume

I

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XVXVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

XX

XXI

XXII

XXIII

XXIV

Rosicrucian Quest ions and Answers with Complete

H i s t o r y o f t he O r de r

Rosicrucian Principles for the Home and Business

The Mystical Life of Jesus

The Secret Doctr ines of Jesus

U nt o Thee I G r an t . . .

(Secret Teachings of T ibet)

A Thousand Years of Yesterdays

(A Revelat ion of Reincarnat ion)

Self Mastery and Fate with the Cycles of L ife

(A Vocat ional Guide )

Rosicrucian Manual

Myst ics at P rayer

Behold the Sign

(A Book of Ancient Symbolism)

Mansions of the Soul

(The Cosmic Concept ion)Lemuria, The Lost Continent of the Pacific

The Technique of the Master

The Symbolic P rophecy of the Grea t Pyramid

The Book of Jasher

The Technique of the Disciple

Mental Poisoning

Glands —O ur Invisible Guardians

Along Civilization's Trail (Out of Print)

The Wo rd We nt Forth (Ou t of P r int)

W ha t t o E a t — A nd W hen

The Sanctuary of Self

Sepher Yezirah (Book of the Kabala)

Of God s and Miracles (Ancient Egypt ian Tales)

CARRINGTON

< C P

By U L R I C H S T E I N D O R F F C A R R I N G T O N '

A M O R C

S

W r i t e f o r com pl e t e f r ee ca t a l ogue t o :

Rosicrucian Supply Bureau

Rosicrucian Park

San J ose, Californ ia, U. S. A.

W O N D R O U S T A L E S



CARRINGTON

G g p

K M O R C

B y U LR I C H S T E I N D O R F F C A R R I N G T O N

W O N D R O U S T A L E S



Tales of high adventure

salvaged from the sands of

Egypt.

HPThe life and times of a

unique people: gifted in the

arts— excell ing in science—

and deeply endowed with

spiritual awareness.

P r i m o g e n i t o r o f t h e

A r a b i a n N i g h t s , A e s o p ' s

Fables, and modern proverbs.

Authent ic t ranscr ipt ions of

Egypt ian papyr i ; f ree f rom

scienti f ic jargon— wri t ten for

easy readabil ity.

Universal truths pictured

in homey, real-life stories.

The author's youth was

' l iving Egypt. ' Son of a fa

mous Egyptologist, he felt

the pulse-beat of that an

cient civil ization.

Egyptian literature extend

ing over a period of almost

4000 years.

Another intr iguing volume

of historical wealth and in

spirational reading from the

Rosicrucian Library (see back

cover).

P-16 254 LITHOIN US A.



pCXSSs^O — —

( J ^ f < §obs

anb Jtltracleb

Wondrous Tales of the

Ancient Egyptians

Translated by

U l r ic h S t e i n d o r f f C a r r in g t o n

Rosicrucian Library

Volume XXIV

Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC

Printing and Publishing Department

San Jose, California



Copyright, 1954

By the Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Library of Congress Catalog Card Nu mber : 53-9733

Printed and Bound in U. S. A.

THE ROSICRUCIAN PRESS, LTD.

San Jose, California , U . S. A.

TO MY FATHER

THE EGYPTOLOGIST

DR. GEORGE STEINDORFF

IN GRATITUDE



THE ROSICRUCIAN LIBRARY

V V VVOLUME

I Rosicrucian Questions and Answers with CompleteHistory of the Order

II Rosicrucian Principles for the Home and Business

III The Mystical Life of Jesus

IV The Secret Doctrines of Jesus

V “Unto Thee I Grant . .(Secret Teachings of Tibet)

VI A Thousa nd Years of Yesterdays(A Revelation of Reincarnation)

VII Self Mastery and Fate with the Cycles of Life(A Vocational Guide)

VII I Rosicrucian Manu al

IX Mystics at Prayer

X Behold the Sign(A Book of Ancient Symbolism)

XI Mansions of the Soul(The Cosmic Conception)

XII Lemuria—T he Lost Contine nt of the Pacific

XIV The Symbolic Prophecy of the Great Pyramid

XV The Book of Jasher

XVI The Technique of the Disciple

XVII Mental Poisoning

XVIII Glands—Our Invisible Guardians

XIX Along Civilization's Trail (Ou t of Print)XX The Word Went Forth (Out of Print )

XXI What to Ea t—An d When

XXII The Sanctuary of Self

XXIII Sepher Yezirah

XXIV Of Gods and Miracles

(Other volumes will be added from time to time.

W rite for complete catalogue.)

r



r

CONTENTS

V

Preface ................................................................................... 9

The Dawn of Destiny........................................................... 15

Three Miracles ...................................................................... 21

The Eloquent Peasant........................................................... 41

Lost on the High Seas...........................................................

67

The Exploits of Sinuhe ...................................................... 75

Between Two Brothers......................................................... 95

The IlhFated Prince..............................................................113

A Dangerous Vo yage ............................................................121

The Great Contest................................................................139

The King’s Treasure and the Thieves...............................

163

Bibliography ........................................................................... 169



TH E TH R EE MIR A C LES

A portion of the original hieroglyphic script (hieratic) of the Papyrus Westcar,written during the Middle Kingdom (2000T780 B.C.), from which comes the tale,“The Three Miracles."

(A. Erman, “Die Maerchen des PapyrusWestcar,” Berlin, 1890)In the Brooklyn Museum Collection



I

K I N G T U T A N K H A M E N ' S T OMB

Portion of the celebrated tomb in which one of the great archaeological discov*cries of our age was made. Wi thin th e stone sarcophagus (coffin) m ay be seen theinne r one made of gold. The glass is a modern addit ion.

(Photo by Rosicrucian Museum)

A STORY IN STONE

Dr. M. Zakaria Goneim, Egyptologist, points out the highly colorful hieroglyphics(picture writing) inscribed on the walls of a tomb of a Pharaoh deep beneath thefloor of the Valley of the Kings. From such inscriptions as these and those foundon papyri scrolls comes our knowledge of the lives of the ancient Egyptians.


~ .



V I S T A O F T H E P A S T

In the distance may be seen one of the great colonnaded halls of Luxor Temple,Egypt. This vast temple is situated on the east bank of the Nile. On the wallsof its sanctuaries are deeply cut in stone the religious belieis and the accounts ofconquests of these people of the past.


PREFACE

V

“Be an artist in thy speech. Then thou shaltbe strong. For man’s strength is in his word, and

the tongue is mightier than the sword.”

This bit of wisdom was given to an Egyptian

prince by his father two and a half thousand

years before King Solomon spoke his Proverbs.

The twin arts of speech and of writing, possessed

by but few, ranked equally high in ancient Egypt.

Next to the king stood the scribe, even then the

power behind the throne.Now, if an Egyptologist’s son chances to be a

scribe, do not censure him for trespassing on the

property of science and for giving words to a

love he first embraced when he was knee-high.

When my father, at full length stretched out on

the floor of his study, scanned the pages of the

giant volumes of Lepsius’ Egyptian Monuments ,

I, a boy of four, shattering all professional rules

and professorial decorum, climbed upon his back

and rode across the fields of Egyptian antiquity.

My youth was living Egypt. The books around

me, the pictures on the walls, the people who

visited and spoke of Egypt—all filled a world



slumbering in tombs with the blood of life and

the pulse of actuality.

It is the lofty duty of the men of the exactsciences to depart not a hair’s breadth from the

path of facts which their knowledge reveals, and

to fend off the sorties of the rebel imagination

which always tempts them to best their reason.

Thus, the philologist regards any violation of this

principle as gross sacrilege. Since everything for

him verily begins and ends with the word, it must

be his unbreachable dogma to be true to the letter.

To that reverence which is also the Egyptologist’spart, I have always bowed. I realized that imagi'

nation has to be tethered for the sake of philological

accuracy and advancement. Yet, I felt also tha t

a scribe with imaginative artistry should step be'

hind the Egyptologist’s royal accomplishments in

excavating and exploring a dead world, and help

resurrect and restore the faded colors of life.

The sands of the Sahara have saved but little

of the Egyptian literature that once upon a time

must have been rather comprehensive. W ha t has

come to us are fragments recovered from scant

writings upon a few walls of tombs or monuments

and some withered rolls of papyri. Any transla'

tion that is true to the letter, therefore, must

show the spots where cracks and crevices have

taken toll. Nor can it ever fill or patch up the

major breaks by which the continuity is inter'

rupted or destroyed. Beyond that, the Egyptolo'gist is faced with other difficulties. Many an

ancient craftsman who had to copy a scripture,

written a thousand or more years before his day,

was as unfamiliar with the language or the writ'

ing of the original as the average modem type'

setter is with Elizabethan English. There was

much he did not understand at all, and much

more that he misunderstood, and thus he made

mistakes and often mutilated the original text.The Egyptologist, regardless of his everdmprov'

ing philological equipment is bound to grope for

the meaning of each word or group of words.

The closer his literal translation comes to the

truth, the more likely is he to confess that it is

far from being the enjoyable piece of art which

the original must have been to its contemporaries.

W ha t I have gathered into this small volume

does not pretend to be a literal translation. I

have tried to free it from the ballast of scientificquest and query. My aim was to make it easily

readable. But in doing just that, I have sought

to escape the errors of the self'Styled restorer who

is neither a faithful scientist nor a true artist and



therefore destructs more than he constructs. I

have restricted myself religiously to the use of

whatever material was handed to me by the

scientific explorer. However, most of the tales

had neither a beginning nor an end. I had to givethem what they needed by knitting together some

frazzled threads of the narrative and fitting them

into the original pattern. In the interpretation

of words and phrases I had to take many liber"

ties, but I have done my level best not to give

them a counterfeit meaning. I have let myself be

guided by the textual transcriptions and com"

ments of the past masters of Egyptology. With"

out Adolf Erman’s Literatur der Aegypter and

Gaston Maspero’s Contes populaires de I'Egypte,

which I collated with others, I would not have

been able to carry out my layman’s task of pre"

senting modem literature with this modification

of the legacy from ancient Egypt.

The very time at which these tales originated

may never be determined. All we can tell with

at least approximate accuracy are the centuries

during which they were written down as we be"hold them. Egyptian literature extends over more

than three thousand years. The story of “The

Eloquent Peasant,” for instance, is reported to

have found its first literary form about the year

2500 B.C. If this be true, there lie between

this unknown original and the versions that have

come to us, as many centuries as between the

first medieval printings of the Canterbury Tales and their editions in the language of our day.

In the eyes of eternity, centuries are short days.

The emotions which flow through the tales of the

ancient Egyptians, the human experiences which

caused them to be written, are of the same day

as our own. While science may count off the

hours and minutes of the history of literature, we

may unconcernedly enjoy its gifts as the fruits

from Art ’s eternal tree.

Two tales in this volume, strictly speaking, do

not belong to it. The legendary tale of “The

Great Contest” was written during the era of

Egypt’s cultural decline. Although it is far re"

mote from the spiritual realm of the other stories,

I have taken it in. For, only from the darkness

and decay of which it is an eloquent witness, can

be measured the radiant grandeur of the classic

works. The story of “The King’s Treasure andthe Thieves,” told by Herodotus, I have included

because it shows how Egypt reflected herself in

the mirror of the Greek historian, and what a



fabulous picture he passed on to a world unable

for twenty'five centuries to see her true image as

it now emerges ever more distinctly from con'

temporary records.

The works of the plastic arts which the spadeunearthed in the land of the pharaohs speak their

own language and have inspired our age. The

“Tales of the Ancient Egyptians” are mute in

their original tongue. May it be that I have

been able to lend them the gift of speech!

U l r i c h S t e i n d o r f f C a r r i n g t o n

February, 1953

V V V

V

Preserved by inscriptionsin several royal tombs ofthe New Kingdom (1546-1085 B.C.)

ND it came to pass that the desires of men

were wicked, and that they had evil de'

signs against Re, the sun'god, who has

no creator but himself and who is king

over all men and over all gods.

Now, Re was no longer young but naught of

what men had in mind escaped him. Thus, His

Divine Majesty said to those who followed him:

“Call unto me Hathor, the sun'eyed, and all the

godships, together with their divine forebears who

once were one with me in the waters of Nun,

the ocean eternal. And call unto me Nun him'

self and his followers. But have them come in

silence so that mankind will not notice the gath'

ering and be terrified in their hearts. Lead them

into the Great Hall, for I want to know what

they advise me to do.”

So, the gods were all called and came unto him.

They touched the ground with their foreheads

and waited for the words he would say to the



THE ALL-SEEING EYE

The ancient Egyptians made the first use of this symbolin the form of an amulet called an Utchat. Presumably,the generally circular form of the eye symbolizes theuniverse, the all, and the pupil or the point in the centerdepicts the solar deity Ra, the life-giving radiation of thesun. The All-Seeing Eye, therefore, has come to represent the all-pervading consciousness of God, or the Uni

versal mind.

father of all gods and the creator of all humanity,

the king of kings. And they said to Re, the sun'

god: “Speak up and say why you have called us,

and let us hear your words.”

Then Re turned to Nun and spoke: “You,the oldest of all gods, you of whose being I

have come to be, and you gods all and everyone,

and you their ancestors, listen to what issues from

my mouth! Mankind that once upon a time had

run out of my eye plans evil against me. Tell me

how you would meet with their designs. Be'

hold, I am hesitant and have not killed them, for

I wanted to hear your advice.”

Then Nun’s Eternal Majesty spoke: “Re, you,my son—you, the god who is mightier than the

one of whom you have come, and mightier still

than his creators! Do not descend from your

throne. For, great will be the fear of those

who dare abuse you if you but turn your eye

against them.”

And Re’s Majesty said in reply: “Verily, they

have fled into the wilderness, for their hearts

were filled with fear because of the evil they havespoken.”

The gods then gave counsel and said: “Turn

your eye against them, and they will be slain.

Send out Hathor, the eye of your eye!”



So, Hathor went forth into the wilderness and

slew many men. And when she returned, Re

said: “Welcome, eye of my eye. Have you fub

filled your mission?’'’

And Hathor said: “By your Majesty in Eternbty, I have become master of mankind, and my

heart is filled with joy.”

But Re answered: “My will was to have them

conquered so that none be left.”

So, Hathor once more went to work, and there

was war, and she waded in blood.

When Re saw this, he spoke to those who fob

lowed him and said: “Make haste and call for

me swift runners who can speed like a body’sshadow.”

And at once messengers were brought to him

and the sumgod’s Majesty said to them: “Hasten

southward and fetch me madder root as much

as you can carry!”

And at once it was brought, and he handed

it to one of the gods who followed him that he

might pound it into fine meal. An d Re’s maiden

servants had to make beer from barley. And into

it he commanded them to put the madder root.

And, lo and behold, the fluid reddened and took

on the color of human blood. And welbnigh

seven thousand crocks were filled, and Re, the

lord of the Kingdoms of Egypt, saw the red brew

and was contented.

Now, this was the night before the mom on

which Hathor wanted to slay all mankind as the

hosts of men went forth to battle. But Re spoketo the gods who followed him, and said: “Is this

not fine beer in those crocks? Verily, I shall use

it to protect humanity. Take it to the place where

Hathor said that she would meet mankind and

destroy it.”

Thus, still under the cover of darkness, the

crocks were emptied as Re, Egypt’s lord and god,

had commanded. And, lo and behold, Re made

the divine brew stand welbnigh four hands highabove the fields.

A t the break of dawn, Hathor came along and

saw the flood of red. It reflected her face, and

she looked beautiful. So, she stooped and drank

of it, and it gave her pleasure. And she went on

drinking. Thus, she became so drunk that she

no longer recognised humanity, and mankind es^

caped destruction for all time to come.

V V V



THREE MIRACLES

V

Preserved on the Westcar Papyrus,

written between 2000 and 1780 B.C.

T CAME to pass in the days when King

Khufu [Cheops] reigned over the lands

of Egypt that he gathered his sons about

him so that each might tell him a story

and a miracle of his ken.

Thus, Khefre, the king’s son, arose to relate

his tale and said: “My king, I shall tell you of a

miracle which really happened once upon a time

when King Nebka, your forefather, betook him"self to Memphis to visit the temple of Ptah. Now,

in those days there lived in Memphis the very

wisest of the wise priests whose name was

Ubaoner. To him, too, the king betook himself

with his followers.

“Now Ubaoner had a wife who fell in love

with one of the king’s followers. She made him

precious garments which she asked her maiden

servant to take to him as a present. So it wasdone, and the follower of the king let the servant

go back and tell her mistress in his words: ‘You

know the little pleasure house on the islet in the



lake in the middle of your gardens. Come and

let us there enjoy each other!1

“When Ubaoner’s wife heard this, she called

for the major-domo who also was the head steward

of the gardens, and said to him: Tut the littlepleasure house on the islet in the lake in the mid'

die of the gardens in good order and have it well

fitted out.1

“So it was done, and she went there and ca'

roused with the king’s follower and enjoyed her

self with him until sundown. Then, when it was

dark, he felt like taking a bath. So, he went down

to the shore of the lake, and her maiden servant

went with him to shield him. The major'domo

though saw what happened, and when the nightgrew light again and the new day appeared, he

betook himself to his master and told him every'

thing he knew. Then Ubaoner said to him: "Bring

unto me the holy scriptures and the chest of ebony

and gold with the wax and all the paraphernalia.1

"‘And as this was brought to him, he took the

wax and molded out of it a crocodile seven times

the breadth of his hand. Then he took the scrip'

tures and spoke from them to the crocodile, andit was a magic spell which ended thus: "Whoso'

ever it be that cometh to bathe in the lakes of

mine, him thou shalt seise and devour!1 Then he

handed the crocodile to the major'domo and said

to him: "When the king’s follower goes down to

the lake to take his evening bath, you will throw

this crocodile after him into the waters.1

""With that the major'domo left and took the

waxen crocodile with him.

“Now, on the following day, Ubaoner’s wife

bade the major'domo once more to come to her

and she said to him: ‘Have the pleasure house well

fitted out all over again, for I want you to know

that I am going to spend all day there.1

“Thus, the pleasure house was equipped once

more with all the best things, and Ubaoner’s wife

went there with her maiden servant. And the

king’s follower came, and they had together afull day of enjoyment. A t nightfall, the follower

of the king went down to the shore to take his

evening bath. Then the major'domo took the

waxen crocodile and threw it after him into the

water. And, lo and behold, it grew to be seven

yards long and seised the king’s follower just as

Ubaoner had commanded.

“Now, Ubaoner whiled away seven days with

King Nebka, without leaving him, and all thistime the king’s follower was in the depth of the

lake and had no air to breathe.

“After the seventh day, the king missed his



follower. Then, Ubaoner stepped before the king

and said: ‘Your Majesty may come with me and

behold a miracle that will be done before his very

eyes.’

“Thus, the king went with him to the lake in

the middle of the gardens, and Ubaoner called

the crocodile and commanded: ‘Bring the king’s

follower before me!’ A nd behold, the crocodile

dived out of the water dragging him with it. The

king was terrified and cried: ‘Woe is me! How

gruesome a creature is this crocodile!’

“Then, Ubaoner bent down over the crocodile,

took it up and, behold, in his hands it turned

again into wax.

“The wisest of the wise priests then told theking what had happened between his wife and

the king’s follower in the pleasure house on the

islet in the lake in the middle of the gardens.

Then the king spoke to the crocodile that was

wax, and said: ‘Go and take what is yours!’ And

behold, it once more seised the king’s follower

and disappeared with him in the lake. An d noth '

ing was heard since of the follower of the king.

“The wife of Ubaoner, by command of theking, was taken outside the city and burned alive.

And her ashes were thrown into the river.

“Thus ended the miracle that was done in the

days of King Nebka, your forefather, one of the

many performed by Ubaoner, the wisest of the

wise priests.”

When King Khufu had heard this tale, he

said: “Make an offering of a thousand loaves of

bread and a hundred jugs of beer, a whole ox and

a double measure of incense, to the glory of King

Nebka, the just, and at the same time have a

loaf of the sweetest bread, of beer one jug, and a

good meal, and incense aplenty for the wisest of

wise priests, Ubaoner, for I have heard what dv

vine a miracle he has performed.” And so it was

done as His Majesty commanded.

VAfter that arose Baffre, another son of King

Khufu, and spoke: “I shall, my king, tell you of a

miracle that really happened in the days of King

Snefru, your father, and that was one of the

many performed by Zaza^emAnkh, wisest of wise

priests.

“It came to pass one day that King Snefru felt

ill at heart and called unto him the great of his

court to give him cheer. Yet, none of them sueceeded. Then the king commanded: ‘Call unto me

Zaza^en-Ankh, the wise keeper of the holy scrip'

tures!’ A nd at once there appeared in his presence



the high priest, and the king said to him: ‘Know

you, I have gathered about me the entire court

to find words of cheer for me, and yet they were

not given me.1

“And Zaza-en-Ankh answered the king andsaid: ‘Deign to betake yourself to the lake in your

royal gardens. Take a boat with the loveliest from

the house of your royal women and let them row

you. Cheer will fill your heart when your eyes

behold them as they move up and down to the

beat of their oars. Then you will feel the sweet'

ness of the waters of your lake and the beauty

of its verdant shores, and ever greater joy will

be in your heart.1

“And His Majesty answered: ‘Verily, you

counsel me well. You may return to your home.

I shall prepare at once the outing on the lake.

Bring to me twenty oars of ebony with handles

of sycamore ornate with gold! Bring to me twen

ty of the loveliest maidens, the shapeliest, the most

beautiful of breast and hair; twenty who have

never been with child! And bring me twenty of

the netlike garments in which they may gown

themselves.1

“And it was done as the king commanded. The

maidens rowed him up and down the lake, and

at their sight the royal heart was indeed filled

with great cheer.

“Now, it came to pass that one of the maidens

entangled herself in her hair, and the diadem of

glittering malachite, which she was wearing,dropped into the lake. A t that, the joyous calling

of the oar beats stopped, for she was the leader

in the boat. And since she dropped her oar, all

the others fell silent, and none rowed any longer.

“ ‘Are you tired of rowing?1 the king asked.

And they answered: ‘Our leader is silent and

rows no longer.1 Then the king turned to her

and asked: ‘Why have you ceased rowing?1And

she replied: ‘My diadem of glittering malachite

has fallen into the lake.'“Thereupon the king commanded that another

diadem be brought, and he handed it to her and

said: ‘Be good and go on rowing. Look, I am

replacing your loss.1

“But she said: ‘I want the food back and not

the pot!1

“At that the king commanded and said: ‘Well

then, call to me Zaza-en-Ankh, the wisest of the

wise, and bring him before me!1 And at onceZaza-en-Ankh was called and the king said to

him: ‘Zaza, my brother, I have done as you have

counselled me, and my royal heart was filled with



cheer at the sight of their rowing. Now, the lead

er’s diadem of glittering malachite has fallen into

the lake, and she fell silent and dropped her oar.

I asked her: 'W hy do you row no longer?’ ‘My

diadem of glittering malachite has fallen into the

lake,’ said she. ‘Be good and go on rowing,’ said I;

‘look, I am replacing your loss!’ Said she: ‘I want

the food back and not the pot!’

“Then Zaza-en-Ankh, the wisest of the wise

priests, spoke and what he said was a spell. And

he folded one side of the lake upon the other, and,

behold, there was the diadem lying openly upon

a shard. He lifted it up and handed it to her

who had lost it. The water in the middle of the

lake had been twelve fathoms deep, and now that

Zaza-en-Ankh had folded it, its depth measured

twenty-four fathoms. Then Zaza-en-Ankh spoke

again his spell, and the lake resumed its previouslevel.

“After that, the king had the most cheerful

day, and he rewarded Zaza-en-Ankh with the

very best for his great wisdom.

“Thus ended the miracle that happened in the

days of your father, King Snefru, and that wasone of the many performed by Zaza-en-Ankh,

wisest of the wise priests and keeper of the holy

scriptures.’’

When King Khufu had heard this tale, he said:

“Make an offering of a thousand loaves of bread

and a hundred jugs of beer, a whole ox and a

double measure of incense, to the glory of King

Snefru, my father, and at the same time have aloaf of the sweetest bread, of beer one jug, and a

good meal and incense aplenty for the wisest of

wise priests, Zaza-en-Ankh, for I have heard

what divine a miracle he has performed.’’ And

so it was done as His Majesty commanded.V

Then arose Hardedef, the third son of King

Khufu, and spoke: “What you have heard so far,

my king, are tales of what was done by the wiz

ardry of men who have lived in days bygone, and

there is nobody who could bear witness to its

truth. Yet, there is one who does miracles in your

very day.”Thereupon His Majesty asked: “Who is he?”

And Hardedef replied: “Dedi is his name. He is

a subject of yours and lives in Dedsnefru. He is

over a hundred years old and yet so hale and

hearty that he can eat five hundred loaves of bread

together with a whole haunch of beef, and drinkten jugs of beer all by himself. He knows how to

put the head back on a beheaded man’s shoulders,

and he also knows how to make a lion so tame



that he will follow him, and the rope around the

beast’s neck needs not be lifted from the ground.

And he knows also all about the locks to the tern'

pie of Thot as though he were the god of wisdom

himself.”Now, King Khufu had tried for many a year

to know more about the locks to the temple of

Thot, for he was eager to have an equally urn

violable locking device for his own sanctuaries

and his pyramid. Thus, he said: “Hardedef, my

son, go yourself and bring this man before me!”

So, ships were fitted out for the king’s son, and

he sailed up the river to Dedsnefru. When they

had reached the landing place, the ships were

drawn ashore, and Hardedef made the last partof his journey on land, in a litter of ebony with

carrying poles of pliant sandalwood mounted with

pure gold.Thus he came to Dedi in Dedsnefru. The lit '

ter was set down, and the king’s son went afoot

to greet him. He found him on the threshold of

his house, lying on a sleeping mat. One of his

servants held his head, rubbing it with ointment,

while another salved his feet.And Hardedef, the king’s son, spoke to him:

“Verily, yours is the day of living before the

advent of age and of senectitude. Far are you

from taking leave, and far from pall and tomb.

Behold, you are sleeping into the noon of day

like a young man. You need not fear your age.

Greetings to you, reverend sir! I come with a

message from my father, King Khufu. I am call'ing you to him so that you may partake of his

royal table and of all the splendors of his court,

and that he may lead you through a beauteous

life to your fathers who dwell in realm of the

dead.”

Then Dedi spoke: “Peace be upon you! Peace

be upon you, Hardedef, beloved son of the king.

May Khufu, your royal father, reward you! May

he give rise to your youth before age! May your

heart be victor over all your enemies! May your

soul some day find the way to him who unlocks

the gate to the land of the dead! Be greeted!”

Then, the king’s son stretched out both his hands

and drew Dedi up to himself. And together they

went to the landing place, Hardedef guiding Dedi.

Then Dedi entreated him and said: “Grant me a

ship for my own so that I need not leave my

household and my holy scriptures behind me.”

And he was given two ships. Yet, Dedi himselfsailed in the same boat with Hardedef.

When they had reached the capital, Hardedef

went to King Khufu in order to report everything



to him, and said: “O my king and lord, I have

brought Dedi with me.” And His Majesty re"

plied: “Well, then bring him before me.” Where"

upon the king betook himself into the Great Hall

of the palace, and Dedi was brought before him.And the King said: “What is the reason that I

have never seen you until this day?” And Dedi

replied: “He who is not called does not appear.”

Then King Khufu asked further: “Is it true, as

they say, that you know how to put the head of

a beheaded back on his shoulders?”

“Yes,” Dedi replied, “I do know, my king and

lord.” Thereupon the king commanded: “Take a

condemned man from the prison and bring him

before me that he receive his punishment!”But Dedi replied: “Never ever, my king and

lord, shall I do such to any man. Verily, your

command had better be fulfilled on an animal.”

Then a goose was brought and her head was

chopped off. And the body of the goose was

placed at one end of the hall and her head at the

other. Then Dedi began to speak, and what he

spoke was a spell. And the goose’s body arose

and waddled. And so did the head. And whenthe two met, the goose was the same she had been

before, and cackled.

Thereupon a duck was brought, and Dedi did

the same to her. Whereupon the king called for

a bull and had his head cut off. And again Dedi

spoke his spell, and the bull arose the same as he

had been before. Only his halter was still lying

on the floor.

Then King Khufu said: “Is it also true, as they

say, that you know all about the locks to the holy

temple of Thot?”

And Dedi answered: “Forgive me, my king and

lord, I do not know all their number, but I know

where they are to be found.”

“Where are they to be found?” the king asked

further, and Dedi said: “In the city of the sun, in

Heliopolis, in one of the temple chambers there

is a chest of stone. Therein are the locks.”Then the king said: “You shall go there and

bring them to me.” Whereupon Dedi replied:

“Never ever shall I be the one who brings them

to you.”

“Who else but you?” the king asked, and Dedi

said: “They will be brought to you by the eldest

of the three sons yet unborn in the womb of

Reddedet.”

At that the king shouted: “I command you totell me! Who is this Reddedet of whom you

speak?” And Dedi replied: “She is the wife of

a priest of the Lord of the Sun, our god, Re of



Sachebu. She is heavy with three sons of Re.

And the god has foretold her that some day they

will hold royal honors and wield the sceptre, and

that the eldest of her sons shall be high priest

at the city of the sun.”

A t that King Khufu was deeply saddened. But

Dedi spoke to him and said: “Why be of such

sadness? My king and lord, do you grieve be'

cause of those three sons? Verily, after you comes

first your own son, and then your son’s son, and

only after him one of hers.”

Thereupon His Majesty asked: “When do you

say, shall she give birth, this Reddedet?” And

Dedi said: “On the fifteenth day of the first

month of the great drought.”Then the king said: “There must be a way for

me to visit Re’s temple at Sachebu even at such

a time.” And Dedi said: “Verily, at your time

of sailing I shall let the waters of the river rise

four fathoms high.”

Thereupon the king withdrew into the inner

chambers of the palace and commanded: “Give

Dedi lodgings in Hardedef’s house and let him

stay with him. And give him a thousand loavesof bread and a hundred jugs of beer, a whole ox,

and a hundred bushels of the choicest leek.”

And it was done as King Khufu commanded.

Now, when the days were accomplished, and

Reddedet felt the pains of travail approaching, the

sun'god’s Majesty, Re of the temple at Sachebu,

turned to Isis and to Meschenet, the goddess of

birth, and to Heket and Chnum, the creator of

man, and said to them: “Well now, come and de'

liver Reddedet of her three sons who shall some

day be kings over the lands of Egypt. They will

build you temples and lay many offerings upon

your altars. They will cover the tables of sacrifice

with food and drink, and lavish many gifts upon

you.”Thereupon the three goddesses changed their

appearance and went forth in the guise of maiden

musicians, accompanied by Chnum as their serv'ant. And they came to the house of Rawoser,

the priest and wedded husband of Reddedet, who

was standing in fatherly despair at the open door.

They set about to dance and sing, letting their

necklaces and bracelets jingle, and swinging their

rattles. Then Rawoser spoke to them and said:

“Most worthy women, forgive me, but inside there

lies a woman in travail.” And they cried: “Come

on, let us see her. We are well versed in the artof delivery.”

“Follow me,” Rawoser said joyfully. And they

went into Reddedet’s chamber. But they shut the



door tight and did not let Rawoser in. Isis knelt

down at Reddedet’s feet, and Meschenet stood be'

hind the seated woman, holding her arms around

her, while Heket speeded up the delivery.

Isis said: “You shall be strong and mighty, son,

after you leave your mother’s womb. Verily, I

name you Userreff, "Strong and Mighty’.”

And the infant slipped easily into her hands,

and behold, he measured in length a full yard

and was strong of limb. His whole body was

golden and his head was crowned with lucent

lapis lazuli. After the umbilical cord was severed,

and the infant was cleansed, he was bedded in fine

linen. Then Meschenet stepped over to him and

said: "‘You shall be king over these lands!”Then Chnum came and endowed his body with

health.

After that, Isis received in her hands the second

son and then the third son of Reddedet. And to

the one she said: “Do not press upon your mother’s

womb, son, for you shall be the oppressor of your

enemies as verily as I name you Sahre, "Lord andOppressor.’ ” And to the other she said: “Lighten

up, son, your mother’s pangs, for you shall be alight to all as verily as I name you Ke\u, "Lord

and Light.’ ”

Now, when the goddesses had delivered Red'

dedet of her three sons, they went out to Rawoser

and said to him: “Rejoice, Rawoser, for threesons are born unto you.”

And he said: “Most worthy women, how shall

I thank you? Well, let your servant take yourreward in barley.” And Chnum came and tooka full load of grain.

Thereupon they returned to their abode. But

Isis said to the others: “Verily, we have been

with Reddedet; yet, we have not performed any

miracle of which we could tell the divine father.

We have not done right.”

So, they created three diadems as precious as

kings are wont to wear on their brow, and theyhid them in the load of barley. Then they madea storm draw up over the skies and let rain pour

from the heavens. And they returned to Rawoser’s

house and said: “Ah, let us keep our barley safe

under roof until we come back and can take it

home without danger.”

Rawoser showed them the storeroom where they

could keep the barley and closed it with his seal.

Now, two weeks later, when Reddedet wasclean again and allowed to attend the house, she

asked her servant maid: “Are kitchen and larder

well provided?”



“There is nothing wanting,” the maid said,

“but we are short on beer.”

“Why have they not made enough beer?”

Reddedet inquired.

“There would have been enough beer, had notall the barley been given as a present to the mu

sicians. It is well locked up in a room of its own.”

“Well,” said Reddedet, “go and get some of it.

Rawoser, certainly, will replace what you take as

soon as he returns.”

Thus, the maid went and broke the seal to the

storeroom. But as she entered she heard music

and singing and jubilating, such as is heard at

feasts in honor of a king. The maid went back

and told Reddedet what she had heard and whathad happened on the day of delivery.

Thereupon Reddedet went herself to the store

room, for she was anxious to find out whence

the music came, but she could not determine the

right spot. Finally, she put her ear to one of the

barley chests, and behold, the music came from

inside. So, she looked into the chest. And when

she saw what was inside, she put the chest into a

basket and put the basket into another chest. Shetied the chest up with leather straps and took it

into the larder which she locked, for she did not

want anybody to know what she knew.

But when Rawoser returned home, she told him

everything. An d Rawoser was full of cheer, and

they sat together and enjoyed their happiness.

Now, it came to pass that Reddedet became

angered at her servant and had her lashed. Thereupon the maid said to the others in the house:

“Do you know what has happened? Reddedet has

given birth to three kings. I shall go and tell King

Khufu about it.” And with that, she walked out

of the house to talk things over with her brother

who was just bundling flax on the threshing floor.

“Where are you going, sisterkin?” he asked her.

And she told him all. Then he said: “And you

are coming to me that I shall share the guilt of

your betrayal?” And he took a skein of flax andhit her hard. She ran away to cool her face with

a handful of water; and, lo and behold, there came

a crocodile out of the river and dragged her off.

Then her brother went to Reddedet to tell her

what happened. He found her sitting, head upon

her knees, in deep sadness.

“Why are you so sad, most worthy woman?”

he asked her. An d she replied: “Because of your

sister whom I have brought up and who has saidto me: ‘I shall betray you!’ ”

Thereupon he bowed and said: “Most worthy

woman, she came to me and told me. And I hit



her hard. So she ran away to cool her face with

a handful of water. And, lo and behold, a croco

dile came out of the river and dragged her off,

so that she would not betray anything.”

Thus, it came to pass that Re, god of the sun

and lord of the temple at Sachebu, saved Reddedet

and her three sons from all evil so that there could

be fulfilled what Dedi, the wisest of the wise

priests, had foretold to King Khufu [Cheops].

V

Preserved on several papyri

of the XII Dynasty, writtenbetween the years 2000 and1780 B.C. (Middle Kingdom)

NCE upon a time there was a peasant by

the name of Chuenanup. He lived with

his wife, whose name was Meret, in a

remote oasis of the Natron Valley. Now,

one day Chuenanup said to Meret:

“Know you, I have to travel down to Egypt and

earn a living for our children. Go to the corn

shed and see how much grain we have left.” So,Meret went to measure it and found that there

were eight bushels. Then the peasant said to his

wife: “Keep two bushels for yourself and the

children in the house. Of the other six, bake me

bread and brew me beer enough to travel on.”

Thus, the peasant departed for Egypt. His pack

asses were heavily laden with all the best an oasis

of the Natron Valley had to offer: fruits of the

fields, natron and salts, jackal pelts, wine skinsmade of panther hides, and whatnot.

In the neighborhood of Pufefi, not all too far

from Medinet, on a dike, Chuenanup was destined



SCALES OF THOTH

Thoth, whose name signified “the measurer” was oneof the principal gods of Egypt. He is always found in

judgme nt scenes, where he records on his pal ette the

result of the weighing of the heart of the deceased. Thecynocephalus, an apelike animal sacred to Thoth, is shownabove representing equilibrium as he is seated on themiddle of the beam of the scales in which the heart ofthe deceased is being weighed.

to meet with a certain Dehutinecht, the son of a

certain Iseri, who was one of the stewards of the

royal lands under the supervision of a certain

Rensi, the son of Meru.

Now, Dehutinecht saw the peasant coming hisway with his pack asses, and they made his mouth

water. So, he said to himself: “I shall not pass

up this catch, so help me God.”

Now, the lands under the stewardship of De'

hutinecht were touching the road over the dike

which at this spot was very narrow. In fact, it

allowed no more space than a man’s loin cloth.

One side was washed over by the waters of the

canal, and the other was covered by the over'

growth from the fields.

Dehutinecht quickly ordered his men about and

said to them: “H urry and get me a sheet of linen!”

This being done, he spread the sheet across the

dike, laying it out in such a way that its front

end dangled into the water and the back end cov'

ered the stalks of the adjoining barley patch.

As the peasant approached the dike which was

part of the road and open for everybody, De'

hutinecht shouted at him imperiously: “Watch

out! Be careful and do not step upon that stuff

of mine!” And Chuenanup answered respectfully:



“Certainly, I do not wish to be contrary. I shall

find the right way.”

With that he turned to one side of the road.

But Dehutinecht yelled: “ Is that barley field of

mine the right way?” Whereupon Chuenanup

replied: “Certainly, it is the right way. The

waters are high, and on this side are fields. The

dike you have barred with that stuff of yours.

Do you want me not to pass at all?”

Now, while he was saying that, one of his pack

asses snatched a mouthful of barley ears. And

Dehutinecht yelled: “The ass is mine, you boor.

He has eaten my barley! A fat ass threshes well.”

Then Chuenanup said: “I was on the right

road. Impassable as it is, I must lead my assessome way around. Are you going to take him

from me because of a mouthful of barley? I

know the one who is master over these lands.

This field belongs to Rensi, the son of Meru. And

is he not the man chosen to fight robbers and

thieves all over the kingdom? Shall I let myself be

robbed on his own piece of property?”

Thereupon Dehutinecht said: “The old prow

erb tha t says, kA servant’s voice is no voice’ isnot always right. You have heard my voice, but

do not fool yourself, peasant; the voice of Rensi,

whom I serve, will sound the same.”

With that, Dehutinecht broke a pliant branch

from a tamarisk tree and whipped Chuenanup.

Then he took his pack asses and drove them to

the village.

Chuenanup cried loud out with pain and sobbedfor grief over the wrong that was done to him.

But Dehutinecht shouted back at him: “Stop cry'

ing so loud, or Osiris, the god of stillness, will

silence you for good.”

“You whip me,” Chuenanup gainsaid, “and

rob me of what is mine; are you going to steal

the plaints from my lips for good measure? Ah,

Osiris, god almighty who makes silence eternal,

help me back to what is mine! Crying injustice I

shall lament forever!”

For ten long days Chuenanup stayed in Dehuti'

necht’s village and pleaded for his right, but the

steward would not listen. So, he turned south

and went to Ehnas in order to put his plaint be'

fore Rensi, the son of Meru, the master of

Dehutinecht.

He found Rensi at the very minute when he

stepped out of the gate of his house to go aboardthe ship in which he made from time to time

tours of inspection as it was his office. And

Chuenanup spoke up to him and said: “Lend



me your gracious ear! Let me tell my plaint to a

man of your confidence!11

Thereupon Rensi, the son of Meru, the lord

steward of all royal lands, sent to him one of his

devoted servants so that he would receive a full

report on the matter. Af ter that, Rensi brought

the plaintiff’s case before his councilors. And they

said: “It is our considered opinion that the peasant

Chuenanup was on his way to take his wares to

some person other than Dehutinecht as he should

have done according to custom. Consequently,

Dehutinecht has done what anybody else would

have done under tha t circumstance. Verily, no

body would have acted differently. Should De

hutinecht be taken into punishment because of afew bags of natron and salts? Order him to repair

the damage done to the man. No doubt, he will

make amends.11

Rensi, the son of Meru, was tacit. He had no

retort to the council. Nor did he make a reply

to Chuenanup.Then Chuenanup appeared again before Rensi,

the son of Meru, to make his complaint to him

in person. And this is what he said: “You, lordsteward of the royal lands—you, one of the

greatest among the great of the king, the lead

ing master of all that there ever was and of all

that there is, my lord: Whenever you step down

to the shores of truth and travel upon her waters,

may a good wind be with you! May your sails

be rigged fast so that your ship be not retarded!

May no storm ever strike its mast nor a tempest

tear asunder the hawsers so that the seas will cast

you upon desolate strands! Never ever may you

taste the fears and the terror of being adrift!

May the fish of evil always run into your net

and the most evasive birds become your prey.

“Behold, you are the father of the fatherless

and the widow’s provider. You are a brother to

the outcast and a sheltering cloak to him who

has no motherly friend. Now, see to it that your

illustrious name is giving splendor to the law ofthe kingdom. You are the justice in whom there

dwells no wrong. You stand highest and you

will not stoop. Deceit and falsehood shatter be

fore you who is the maker of truth and right.

Do not deny yourself to the pleas of my heart!

Listen to me who is the plaintiff! Be my judge,

you who is praised above all for his justice and

to whom the highest in the land bow in gratitude.

Look at me! I am weary and heavy-laden. Look,I can no more. Count all the wrong I may have

done, and you will see that it is of no account!11

Thus, Chuenanup spoke to Rensi. And it



happened at the time when Nebkaure was still

king of Egypt. And Rensi went before His Ma'

jesty and said:“My king and lord, there has appeared before

me a man of great eloquence, a peasant who

knows how to put his words. He was robbed

of what was his, by one of the stewards in my

service, and he came before me with his plaint.”

And King Nebkaure, blessed be he, said: “If

you mean well by me, pu t him off. Give him no

reply so that he may manifest more of his elc y

quence and speak words of beauty. Have his

plaints written down for me to enjoy. But see

to it that his wife and children have enough to

live on. Dispatch one of your men to Meret sothat her household be not wanting. And see to

it that he himself is well taken care of. Yet, ar

range everything in such manner that he will not

know from whom his food comes.After that Chuenanup received day by day

four loaves of bread and two jugs of beer. The

giver was Rensi, but he handed them to a de

voted servant who gave them to somebody else

to take them to Chuenanup.A t the same time, Rensi sent word to the oasis

in the Natron Valley and allotted to its overseer

three full bushels of corn which Meret, Chuenan-

up’s wife, was to receive for her and her children’s sustenance.

VNow, Chuenanup appeared for the second

time before Rensi, the son of Meru. And this iswhat he said:

“My lord, you who are the lord steward of

the royal lands, greatest among the great and

mightiest among the mighty, may your power

prove itself for ever and a day! You, helm of

god, keel of the good ship Earth, and plummet

of profundity, may you never steer a false course,

never burst asunder, and never tangle!

“I ask you: Shall the man in power be allowed

to take the widow’s own and to rob him whostands alone of what he possesses? Behold! You

have in your house all you need. You have food

and drink aplenty. How much of it will your

hands scoop up to still the hunger of the weak be

fore you? Verily, his death is to be your death.

Or do you not want to live in all eternity?

“I ask you: Is it good when a scale is not on

the level, and when its tongue errs from the right?

Is it good when a just man totters into injustice?“Alas! Truth before you has a poor chance if

her tongue is errant. Believe me, your councilors

give evil counsel and mete out false measure. Those



who should have an ear for the right, do not give

it a hearing. Those who should grant space and

air to a complaint, take one’s breath away. Those

who should be the makers of peace are creating

discord, and instead of dispensing justice they

bring forth injustice. Those who should exorcise

the waves of crime, adjure them to flood the

earth.”

Thus spoke Chuenanup. And Rensi replied:

“You are speaking evil. Blame nobody but your

self if I have you chastened.”

Yet, Chuenanup continued and said: “Those

who are measuring corn, measure it into their

own sacks. And those who weigh out, are weigh

ing short. Those who should carry out justice,carry away the goods of their neighbors. I ask

you: Who can fend off injustice when the guard

ian of right totters into evil? Do unto the wrong

doer what he has done unto you! Then he will

reap his reward, and the arrow from his bow

will fly back unto him.

“You conjure the hour of death and doom.

You let the herds of your cattle dwindle and

your pigeon flocks fly away. Verily, he who sees,

goes blind, and he who has ears, becomes deadof hearing. He who has been made a leader, mis

leads.

“Verily, you are a strong and mighty man. But

your strength is brute power, and your force is

avarice. Compassion has passed you by. Behold!

the poor man laments, for you are his ruin. You

are the image of the god of destruction, crocodile

and plague. Verily, you may do as they do, butdo it where it is rightly to be done. Then the

beggar will have no longer to endure rich masters

who strip him of his alms. Nor will there be

left a wealthy thief to rob the pauper.

“I ask you: Is this not evil done by him who

is not wanting? You are rich in every way. You

eat your fill of barley, and yet you get drunk

with the beer you make of what you cannot eat.

“When the helmsman’s eye strays, the shipwill drift where it pleases. When the king idles

his hours away sleeping with his women and you

are holding the rudder in his stead, be not sur

prised if you meet with disaster, when you too

are idling. Verily, the plaintiff will have a long

way to go, and the court will ask: W ho is the

stranger that comes to find justice?’

“Be a good breakwater for the ships and a

strong dike! Let a true tongue tell the rightroad to everyone. Do not speak a lie, and have

none spoken by your councilors. Verily, those



who hold hearings, do not want truth, for it

burdens their souls.

“I ask you: You who know the needs of all

humanity are you ignorant of my distress? You,

the protector of the suffering men at sea, behold,

I am drifting helpless upon the waters. You whostretch out your hand to anyone so that he may

not drown, are you going to let me be submerged

by misery?”A

After that, Chuenanup appeared for the third

time before Rensi, the son of Meru. And this

is what he said:“You, lord steward of the King’s lands and

my lord! You are the image of Re, the god ofthe sun, who sails in his bark over the horizons.

All mankind’s life rests in your hands. You are

Egypt’s river and his flood that makes the fields

green and turns the desert wastes into orchards.

“Send your waters against the robbers and

thieves, but hold the tide so that its waves do

not turn against the beggars of mercy. Follow

the word tha t says: ‘Doing right is the breath of

life.’ Punish him who deserves punishment, and

let nobody excel you in justice.

“I ask you: Can a scale be so wrong that the

pan holding the least weight goes down? Can

Thot, the divine judge, be unjust in his wisdom?

Verily, i t is he whom you must follow. Never

requite good with evil. But neither should you

pay for evil with clemency. Justice is the beam

of the scales of the kingdom.

“Be true, and you will be just. Be not too

light, and you will weigh right. Do not lie, and

you will be the balance. Count the weights, and

you will not be wanting, for you cannot be wrong

when they are not wrong. Do not sink, you who

must be the tiller. Do not rob, you who must

protect against robbery. Behold, the great who

is filled with avarice, loses his greatness. Let the

tongue of the scales be your tongue. The weight

is your heart, and the beam is the justice of yourlips. If you shut yourself off from justice, who

shall be the evildoer’s judge?

“Behold, you must not be like the one who

washes the pauper’s linen by the river and thrusts

him into the water, taking what he brought as a

trusting friend. Behold, you must not be like the

ferryman who carries but him who shows him

the fare, and who knows no longer right fromwrong.

“Behold, you must not be like the keeper of

the royal gardens who has the peasant whipped

because his harvest is not big enough. Behold,



you must not be like the bird of prey who fattens

himself on the weakest birds and the sparrows.

“Behold, you must not be like the cook who

delights in slaughter and kills more than he needs

in the kitchen.“Behold, you must be like the shepherd who

worries about each and every one of his flock and

trembles for the least that is missing.“Verily, you have ears to hear with, and yet

you are deaf. He who hides the truth, cannot

cover it forever; and the lie will be found by the

hunter.“Never prepare a feast for the morrow. You

never know what evil it may bring.'1'’

Chuenanup spoke all these words to Rensi, the

son of Meru, as he was standing in the gate of

his house and before all his servants. And Rensi

called for two men with whips, and they lashed

Chuenanup.Then Chuenanup said: “Verily, the son of

Meru strays from what is right. He is blind to

what his eye sees, and deaf to the words he

hears with his ear. Alas, he is forgetful of what

he has been reminded.“You are like a city without a head and like

a council without brains. You are like a ship

without a captain and like an army without a

commander.

“You have been made the watchman, and you

are the thief. You have been made lord of the

exchequer, and you allow yourself to be bribed.

You have been chosen to protect the realm againstrobbers, and now you are their model.”

A

With that Chuenanup left. But he returned

to put his plaint before Rensi for the fourth

time, and he found him just as he stepped out

of the temple of Herishef. An d this is what

he said:

“You, who has been richly bestowed, may

Herishef, the god whose house you are now leawing, reward you time and again! Verily, the good

perishes and no one can boast that falsehood and

deceit have been hunted down.

“Do you not need a ferry for crossing the river?

So must the land have a raft of justice to be

ferried over the flood of injustice.

“Who, in this kingdom, dares close his eyes by

day? Who can wander about at night with peace

in his heart, and travel safely his road? Who

can come before you with a just complaint?“Behold, you have to be told and told again:

compassion has passed you by, and the poor man



must lament, for you are the cause of his distress.

“You are the happy hunter who thrusts his

spear and fells the hippopotamus. Your arrownever misses the wild steer. You give chase to

the beasts of the river and catch them as you

catch birds in your nets. You are fast in hittingwith words but slow in changing your mind. Let

your heart be moved and recognize the truth!

“Behold, what was written down for you,

must make your eyes see. Do not stand upon

your power, and let not your pride conjure evil

upon you.

“He who eats, first tastes. He who is hailed,

answers the salute. He who sleeps has dreams.

Behold, you foolish heart, some one has come toyou. Do you not know that you are saluted?

You sleep no longer and your dreaming must end.“Oh, you man at the rudder, let not your ship

run aground! You who give life, keep away

death. You who have the power to destroy, hit

well with your destruction. You who are shade,

do not become sun to him who is dying of thirst.

Refuge, you, do not turn to be the ambush.

“For the fourth time I have come to you with

my plaint. How long then shall this last?”A

And for the fifth time Chuenanup appeared

before Rensi, the son of Meru. And this is what

he said:

“You, lord of the king’s lands and my lord,

you know the fisherman who with the rod catches

the preying fish of the lakes. You know him

who fishes with the net and lets nothing slipthrough. You know him too who spears the fish

and lets none escape his aim, for he stirs up the

mud until he finds it. Behold, such is your office!

“Do not deprive the poor man of his own. You

know his misery. Do not catch the wrong fish.

His breath is all the poor man possesses. He who

takes it from him, suffocates him.

“You have been placed in office to hold hear'

ings and to stand as judge between the robbedand the robber. But instead of fending off thieves

you are the fence around their loot.

“Verily, you have been placed in high con'

fidence but have raised yourself above it. You

have been set up as a protecting wall and dike

for the poor that they may not drown, but, be'

hold, you have become the flood—you, the alloverwhelming.”

A

And for the sixth time Chuenanup spoke his

complaint before Rensi. And this is what he said:

“You, lord steward of the king’s lands and my



lord—you, the greatest among the great and

mightiest among the mighty—bring forth justice!

Bring forth what is good and destroy what is evil.

Come and be the fill tha t stills hunger. Come and

be the cloak that covers nakedness. Be the heavens

serene after the storm, and the sun that giveswarmth to them who shiver with frost. Be the

fire that cooks well the food that is underdone.

Be the water tha t quenches the thirst.

“Look about you! He who should serve others,

serves but himself. He who should hand out hap

piness and joy, deals discord and sadness. He who

should be a healer brings sickness. Behold, nothing

good can spring from injustice, and evil will not

increase your possessions. He who goes to measure a full bushel, must not fill air in between, nor

make it run over.

“Verily, when you enjoy justice, share it with

your brother and make him happy. Grief puts

man against man, and misery sets them apart

willy nilly.

“Do not hesitate and speak justice. Behold, the

truth will pierce your dike and the dammed-upfilth will flood the land. The ship will be wrecked

and its cargo will be destroyed in the storm ofevil.

“You are a wise and learned man. Have you

been educated to be a robber? You do the same

all the others are doing, and you are one with

them in falsehood and deceit. Verily, the tiller of

shame waters his soil with sin but fraud will be

his only harvest and deceit his only gain.”

AAfter that, Chuenanup appeared for the seventh

time before Rensi and said:

“My lord, you who are the lord steward of

the royal lands! You are Egypt’s helm, and the

ship of state sails as you will it. You are stand

ing next to Thot who judges without prejudice.

My lord, give the plaintiff your judgment, beforeit is too late. Do not bear ill will, for it cannot

be your wish to see an open face shrivel in torment. Do not begrudge the day for what has

not happened yet, and do not rejoice in the to

morrow and what it may bring.

“The judge must not be lenient for friendship’s

sake. He must be the destroyer of the evil that

spreads itself before him, and not the destroyerof law and order so that the poor man be pillaged

and truth pass by without a greeting.

“Verily, my inward self is deeply laden and my

heart is heavy to the bursting. The dike is break

ing and the flood rushes through. My mouth will

hold the words no longer. The waters must spill



over the dam. The winds have left and the pres-

sure is gone. I have washed the linen before you.

I have spoken and come to the end of my misery.

Now then, what is your decision?

“Verily, the tardy mind is an errant leader, and

avarice blunts the senses. Will you make yourselfenemies for greed’s sake?

“Where is there a man who equals me in pa

tience? Who has so much leisure time that he

can come and come again before you and complain?

“Verily, there is no man so dumb that you

could not make him talk; no man so fast asleep

that you could not awaken him; no man so stiff

that you could not limber him up; no man so

ignorant that you could not put him wise, andno one so stupid that you could not give him wits.

“Those are the gifts given to root out evil.

They are the endowments of good councilors who

like artists have the ability to form truth and

model nature as wisely as they put the head of a

beheaded man back on his shoulders.”A

And for the eighth time Chuenanup appeared

before Rensi, the son of Meru, and said:

“Lord steward of the royal lands and my lord!

The greedy one falters, and the avaricious will

end wanting. Behold, you are covetous and that

befits not your office. You rob, and that is not to

your best.

“Verily, you have all you need. You will not

go hungry. You have corn aplenty and if there

is waste you need not be concerned. But your

councilors pillage, steal and plunder, even thoughthey have been put in office to prevent fraudulence.

The most dishonest finds shelter behind him who

should be a dike against crookedness.

“Verily, I accuse and I do so without fear. Yet,

you are unwilling to know what is in my heart

and refuse to answer me no matter how manifold

my plaint.

“You have your many acres of fertile land. The

corn stands high on your fields, and you havebread. Your councilors turn much over to you,

but you take still more. I ask you: Is that not

pillaging? Are you not enriching yourself with

land when, after the vernal floods, you reset the

boundary stones of the fields?

“Do right for the sake of Thot, your god, and

the justice which is his. As long as you stay

away from falsehood, you will be his quill and

carrier of his words.

“Verily, all can be good, ah, so good if you aregood. Right lasts forever and faithfully follows

into the netherworld the one who kept it company.



Entombed and buried, you will be remembered

because of your justice, and never upon earth shall

your name be erased. Therefore speak the words

of your god. Verily, the scales of eternity always

tell the right weight and the balance is never

false.“Now then, whether it is I or somebody else

who comes before you, withhold not your reply

to what he says, and do not answer him with

silence. If he offends you, return the offence.

“You are sound and in good health and have

not excused yourself with sickness. Your presence

proves that you have not sidestepped me. Why

then have you not spoken and observed the beau

tiful word from the mouth of Re that says: ‘Speakright and do right.’ For, exalted are justice and

tru th, mighty and everlasting. Follow them so

that you also may receive justice and be guided

into eternal glory!

“If you tilt the balance and tip the scales and

weigh false, the end will be evil. Wrongdoing

never finds a berth. But justice will make its port.”A

And again Chuenanup appeared with his plaint

before Rensi, and it was the ninth time that hespoke to him. And this is what he said:

“You, lord steward of the royal lands and my

lord! It is the tongue of the man which tells the

weight. It points to what is wanting. If you

punish him who deserves punishment, you will

be praised as the Scales of Justice.

“Verily, where there is deceit on the rampage,

there is confusion, and the ferryman will not findthe right shore. He who keeps company with

falsehood will go without children and leave no

heir on this earth. He who sails thus will have

poor sailing and never reach land, and his ship

will not find the eternal harbor.

“Do not weigh heavy when you hold no weight.

Do not press down where there is no need for

pressure. Judge without prejudice and be not

biased in doing justice. Be not blind to whatyou have recognized and see with open eyes whom

soever you do see. Turn away none who com

plains before you. Be not tardy in pronouncing

justice. Do right to him who has done no wrong.

Do not listen to the voices of your Council and

let me have your verdict!

“He who hesitates to be just will not know

on the morrow that there was a yesterday. He

who is deaf to truth will be without a friend, and

the greedy will not have a single day of joy. Verily,he who does not hear a plaint, shall be condemned

himself and plead in vain.



“Alas, I have complained before you, and you

have not listened. Now then, Anubis shall hear

me, the god of death whom I am going to face.”

Thus, Chuenanup went away. But Rensi, the

son of Meru, sent two of his men after him to

bring him back. Chuenanup thought that he was

to be chastened because of his speech and said:

“As he who is athirst for a drink of water, as the

lips of a suckling yearn for the mother’s milk, so

do I call for death to release me.”

This time Rensi spoke to him and said: “Be

without fear, tiller of the soil, you shall not de

part from here.”

And Chuenanup replied: “Then you will have

to give me food and drink in all eternity!”

And Rensi answered: “Verily, you shall stay,

and I will reward you for what you have spoken.”

Now, Rensi’s scribes had put down in writing

the plaints of Chuenanup, word for word and

day by day. And the scroll was sent to His Ma jesty, King Nebkaure. And the king found great

er pleasure in the eloquent words of the peasant

than in all the treasures of the land, and he told

it to Rensi and said: “Son of Meru, render judg

ment as you deem fit.”

Thereupon, Rensi let Chuenanup come before

him and kept him at the king’s court. Then Meret,

' his wife, and his children were taken to Egypt

with all his household. And Dehutinecht wasordered to return the pack asses.

Thus, Chuenanup received back whatever hehad owned and was greatly rewarded.



V

Preserved on a papyrus written

between the years 2000 and 1780 B.C.(Middle Kingdom)

E OF good cheer, my lord, we have come

back! W e have reached port. The

mooring posts are rammed in and the

ropes made fast. Everyone praises the

great god and gives him thanks, and we

are holding our arms around each other in joy.

Unharmed we have come back, and none is miss'

ing of the crew. We have ventured far and haveseen many sights. But now, we are home again

and on the soil on which we were born.'”

These words were spoken to the Prince of Jeb,

and he who said them was his friend and seafar"

ing companion. And he continued with encour

agement:

“Do not be downhearted at the loss we have

suffered, my prince. Listen to my advice. You

know, I am not a man of idle chatter. Cleanse

yourself, pour water over your hands, and gobefore the king. Tell him what has happened and

give answer to all his questions, without fear and



without stammering. As a man speaks so is he.

Speech is his shield against injustice, and con'

sideration is its reward. Yet, follow your own

heart. Giving advice is tiresome.

“Let me tell you a story. W hat happened to

you now, happened once to me when the kingsent me to his mines in a ship that was all of one

hundred and twenty feet long and forty feet wide.

It carried a crew of one hundred and twenty of

the choicest sailors to be found in Egypt. They

watched the skies above the waters and looked

out for land below. Their senses were keener

than a lion’s scent. They could tell a storm long

before its approach and knew ill weather when

it loomed still far away.“Yet, we were on the high seas when a sudden

storm broke, and there was no land in sight. We

made for the coast, but a new squall seised us,

and we were washed into the sea by a wave that

was all of five and four'fifths of a fathom high.

The ship met its doom, and not one hand was

saved.

“A plank was driven my way, and I was thrown

by the waves upon the strand of an island. There

I spent three days with no other companion butmy good courage. I found rest in the green bower

of a tree and slept in the arms of its shadow.

Then I set my feet arunning, for I had to have

something to put into my hungry mouth. I dis'

covered figs and grapes, the most delightful leek,

berries and roots, and gourds aplenty. There werefish and wild fowl and whatever my heart desired.

I stilled my hunger and, behold, there was leftmuch more than I could carry. I gathered some

wood, rubbed a fire, and made a grateful offering

to the gods.

“Suddenly I heard a thundering noise. In my

fear, I thought it was the sea with her tide. Trees

crashed down and the whole earth trembled.

When I took the hands from my eyes, I saw a

huge serpent crawling closer and closer. She

measured wellnigh thir ty yards. Her royal beardalone was two yards long. Her body was of

glittering gold, and her eyebrows of purest lapis

lazuli. And behold, she grovelled and wound her'

self toward me, and opened her mouth and spoke

to me: ‘Wh o has taken you to this island? Who?

Who has brought you here, you midget? If you

do not tell me at once who put you upon this

island, the flames of my wrath will turn you into

dust and ashes. You will be scattered and end innothing!’

‘“ Verily, I hear you speak to me,’ I replied,

‘but in my fear, I do not understand what you



say. Look at me! I am lying before you, no longer

master of myself.’

“Then she lifted me up by her jaws and carried

me to her abode. But she did no bodily harm to

me. I lost no limb, and not even my clothes were

torn. Then when I lay once more prone beforeher, she opened her mouth again and spoke:

“ 'Answer me! Who brought you here? Who

took you to this island that is surrounded by thesea?’

“Humbly, I raised my hands and said: 'The king

of Egypt sent me to his mines, and I sailed away

in a ship all of a hundred and twenty feet long

and all of forty feet wide. And it had a crew

of a hundred and twenty of the choicest sailorsin the land. They watched the skies above the

waters and looked out for land below, and their

senses were keener than a lion’s scent. They could

tell a storm long before its approach and ill weath

er when it was still far away. Yet, we were on

the high seas when the storm broke, and there

was no land in sight. We made for the coast.

But a new squall seized us and overwhelmed us

with a wave that was all of eight fathoms high.

But a plank was driven my way. The ship metits doom, and not one hand was saved. Verily,

thus I have come to you upon this island.’

'T hen the serpent said to me: 'Be unafraid,

little man. Be unafraid. Lift your eyes up to me

and have no more fear, for you have been sent

to me. Verily, the great god has taken pity upon

you and brought you to this blessed isle that has

in abundance all you may desire and is rich in thegoods of life. You shall sojourn here a month and

another month and one month more until the

year completes its third. Then there will come a

ship from Egypt with men you know, and you

shall return home and live to the end of your

days in your town. Keep thinking of the pleasure

that lies in telling a tale of disaster after it has

been overcome. Therefore, let me tell you the

story of utter misfortune that happened onceupon a time to me just as it happened now to you:

“ 'I lived on this island with my children and

my brothers and sisters, altogether numbering

seventy serpents of the same kin. Then, it came

to pass that a fiery star fell from the heavens and

set the island ablaze. All my children, my brothers

and sisters all were consumed by the flames. I

alone survived, for it so happened that I was not

with them at tha t fatal hour. When I beheld the

mountain of dead bodies, I almost died for griefand sorrow. Yet, he who is strong masters his

heart. Be of good cheer, for you will fold your



arms around your children again and kiss your

wife and see once more your home. Verily, of

all the goods on earth there is none better. You

will return home and live amidst your own.’

“After I had heard her speak thus, I bowed

before her and kissed the ground and said: ‘I shalltell my king of your divinity and speak to him

of your majesty. Frankincense and myrrh and

all the sweetest perfumes of the land that please

the gods, shall be offered to you. I shall tell the

tale of what has happened to you and of what

my eyes have seen on this island. Verily, the

whole kingdom and all its great will give thanks

unto you. I shall have steers slaughtered for burnt

offerings and geese sacrificed on the altar. AndI shall see to it that they send to you ships fraught

with Egypt’s treasures as it befits a god who, un

known to men, treats them with loving kindness.’

“But the serpent laughed out loud at me and

my words as though a fool had spoken. ‘Of myrrh,’

she said, ‘you will have not much to offer. W ha t

your land possesses is frankincense. Know you, I

am the Queen of Punt and this is the Isle of

Fragrance. I have in great abundance all youpromise me as a gift. And know you also, once

you have departed from this island, you will

never see it again, for it will turn into wave and

water of the sea!’

“And it came to pass that a ship approached

the shores as the serpent had presaged. I went

and climbed upon a tree—and, behold, I knewthe men who sailed it. Then I returned to the

serpent to tell her, but, behold, she knew already

and said to me: ‘Return to your home, little man,

unharmed and healthy, and enjoy your children

and your house. My only wish of you is that you

proclaim my glory throughout your land.’

“I threw myself upon the ground and raised

my hands in farewell. And she gave me a fraught

of myrrh and frankincense and perfumes—of

skins and furs and ivory, of precious dogs and

sacred cats and holy apes, and of all the many

treasures of Punt. And it was indeed a full ship

load.“And when I threw myself upon the ground

for the last time in gratitude, she said: ‘Verily, in

two months from this day you will be back in

your town and hold your children in your arms.

A new and long fife will begin for you and it

will be many years before you enter the kingdomof the dead.’

“Thereupon I went down to the shore where



the ship had made fast. I called the crew unto

me and praised the exalted goddess of the island

of Punt and magnified her glory. An d all hands

praised her with me.

“Then we sailed northward to the royal city.

And behold, we made port two months from thevery day we had left just as the serpent had

presaged. I stepped before the king, fearful of his

wrath at the loss of the ship I had suffered. But

I pointed at the treasures I had brought from the

island of my disaster. And he thanked me in

front of all the great of the kingdom and made

me rank high in his court, and he rewarded me

richly with the choicest of his slaves.

“Thus, my prince, I happened to land onceafter much evil had befallen me. Now, heed my

advice! Verily, all goes well if one does not close

his ears to well-meaning words.’ ’’

Yet, the prince of Jeb replied: “My friend, do

not play the wise man. W ho leads a goose to

water in the morning, if he knows that she will

be killed at night?”

V V V

THE EXPLOITS OF SINUHE

V

Preserved on a papynas written

between the years 2000 and 1780 B.C.(Middle Kingdom)

SINUHE, prince and county lord, royal

governor in the lands of the East, the

king’s beloved friend and his loyal ser'

vant—I, Sinuhe, the faithful follower of

His Majesty and chamberlain of the house

of royal women, appointed to the service of Her

Grace, the daughter of King Amenemhet and King

Senwosret’s consort, the most worthy Nefre—I,

Sinuhe, begin hereunder to tell of my exploits:

In the thirtieth year of his reign and on the

ninth day of the third of the months during which

the land is flooded, Amenemhet, our king divine,

departed and went where there is eternal rise

and setting. He left into his horizon and rose

heavenward, one with the sun and body of his

body as he had been before. Silence reigned in

the royal city and deep sorrow was in everybody’sheart. Locked were the palace gates. The great

of the court sat mourning with bended backs,



heads on their knees, and all of the people joined

in their lament.

Now, at this very time, King Amenemhet had

a host of men on the march toward the West. Its

commander was his first-born son, Senwosret, our

divine and most gracious lord. He had made manyprisoners in the desert lands and countless herds

of captured cattle were in his train. Now, he

was bound to return.

The court sent messengers to the king’s son

with tidings of what had happened and of what

there was in store to happen. It was late in the

evening when they reached him on the march.

Senwosret, the divine falcon, lost no time and

flew away with his most trusted followers, withoutwarning and unnoticed by the rest of his men.

A t the same hour, his brothers who were also

with the troops, received a message of their own.

I was standing close by and heard the voice of

the one who was being summoned against Sen

wosret, the rightful heir to the throne. And he

was my worst enemy.

My heart grew heavy, my arms dropped, and

my knees began to tremble. I sneaked away and

looked for a hiding place. Some underbrush gaveme cover until I could escape on a deserted road.

I wandered southward in order to avoid the

capital, for I was sure that meantime there would

be bitter fighting and that I had no chance to get

through alive. I reached the river not far from

the great sycamore forest and swam to the near

est island. There I hid myself in a cornfield.

When it was day, I came upon a ferryman.But he ran away, seemingly afraid of me. Then

when evening came, about mealtime, I had reached

the height of the first village. A wind was blow

ing from the West, and so I could cross the river

on a raft without the help of an oar. Then I took

an easterly road past the big quarries of the Red

Mountain. From there I turned north until I

came close to the border walls built against the

peoples of the desert. Once more, I crawled deep

into the underbrush, for I was in great fear that

the sentries would discover me when they made

their rounds.

After darkness I wandered on, and by day

break I was near Peten on a wide neck of land

where I stopped for a rest. Thirst had overcome

me so that I broke down. My lipa were parched,

and I said to myself: “Such is the taste of death!”

Then I heard the lowing of cattle and saw

herders. My heart beat higher and I summonedmy last strength. The head of the herdsmen saw

me and recognised who I was, for he had been



in Egypt. He gave me a drink of water and

cooked milk for me. Then he took me to his

people. I cannot thank them enough for all the

good things they did for me.

Thus, one roaming desert people passed me on

to the next until I reached Byblos from where Iwandered eastward to Kedeme. There I stayed

six long moons until Nenschi, the prince of Retinu,

the son of King Ami, arrived from the lands of

the Jordan and took me with him.

“You will feel at home with us,” he said, “and

hear your own language spoken.” By these words

he wanted to let me know that he knew who I

was. I am sure, he had some Egyptians amongst

his men who had told him. And he talked to meand said: “W hat has driven you here? Has

something bad happened in Egypt?”

Said I to him: “Amenemhet has departed, sun

to sun. Who would know what may have hap

pened since.” And then I lied: “I left the troops

in the North when I heard about it. I was shocked

out of mind. Yet, though I did not know what I

was doing, I found my way through the desert

lands. Verily, I was not pursued by anyone, andno one had any reason to send spies after me.

Nobody has accused me. No r is my name out-

lawed or proscribed. How I have come here, the

great god alone knows. It was his will.”

Whereupon he said: “And what is going to

happen to Egypt without Amenemhet, her lord,

before whom the countries cringed in fear as they

do before Sachmet, the lion-headed, when she

strikes with war and plague?”

And I answered: “Is not his son sitting on

his throne, and is he not his father’s heir, divine

as he, unequalled and excelled by none, all wis

dom’s master, superb of mind and of good will

to all? W ar comes and peace as he wills it. It

was he who triumphed over distant lands and

sent but tidings to his father whenever he had

fulfilled another of the king’s commands.

He is the stre ngth, the mig hty arm

That has no peer in battle.

A tt a c \ is he who strides the foe

A n d ropes him in li \e cattle.

He is the force tha t bre a\s his horns

A nd drives him limp to slaughter.

He is the courage that dr in \s blood

A n d never thir sts for water .

He is the eve r'f ast pur sui t

That follows without ending.

He is the wall tha t broods no breach

A nd towers high, defe nding.

He is the ever'movin g tide



That turns against the strongest.

He is the courage tha t endures

A nd always lasts the longest.

He is tr ium phant vic tory

In J^lorth and Sou th and East and W es t,

The unretiring hand that slays

A nd never \n ows of fea r or rest,

The how that only he can bend,

The arrow straight and ever right.

He is the sun whose fla mi ng heat

Al lows escape alone by flight .

He is the batt le tha t will last

Till none is left he could destroy.

He is his peopl e's comfor t and delig ht

A nd holds it to his heart in endless joy.

He is the glory of the land

A nd praise d beyond all gods befo re him.

He is the song of man and wife,

A n d praised bey ond all gods befo re him.

He is our lord, bo m to be lord,

Des tined to wear the crown.

He is the steady gro wth tha t swells

The wealth of land and town.

He is t he ma \e r of a grea ter realm,

The chosen champion everywhere,

W ho conquers all ali\e,

A nd who will figh t and st ri \e

W ith his victorious hand

The hosts that roam the desert sand!”

And I said to him: “All this I am saying to you

so that you may send good tidings to the king

and your word of allegiance. Verily, he will trea t

you and your people with kindness if you submit

yourself to His Majesty.”

Thereupon he said to me: “As Egypt knowsso well the greatness of her king, she must prosper.

And as you are my guest, you shall not be

wanting.”

I was exalted indeed above all his sons and

given his firstborn daughter for a loving wife. I

had the choice of land in his vast kingdom, and

mine was the best of his possessions. It was

called Jaa and was a borderland. Figs were grow-

ing there and grapes, and verily Jaa had more

wine than water. There was honey in abundance,

and it was rich in oil and every kind of fruit.

Barley was there and wheat, and cattle without

number. And I received tribute in plenty, for I

was prince and master of this choicest land of

his. Day upon day they sent me the bread, and

day upon day the wine I needed, and meat and

fowl already well prepared for my table. Of game

I had not only what I hunted myself but also

what they hounded in the desert. Verily, I lackednothing. No r did I want for milk or what is

made of it.



Thus, many years passed by. My sons grew

up in strength, and every one of them became

the ruler of a desert people which he had forced

into submission. Verily, I did well. W henever

the king’s envoys went southward with their mes

sages to other lands or returned from the Southto Egypt, they stayed a while with me. They all

depended on my hospitality. A t all times I had

water for the thirsty, and led to the right road

those who had lost their trail. And I always

helped those who were waylaid by thieves. When

ever desert peoples rose in defiance of their over

lord, it was I who made call to war, for the king

of Retinu had given me the command over his

fighting men. And wherever I went to battle,after the first attack, the grazing lands and the

water wells were back in my hands, the enemy’s

cattle my spoils, his stores my booty, and his

men my slaves. My arrows never missed their

mark. Verily, strength was my bow, and death

my arm, when I meant war. The king of Retinu

was highly pleased with my exploits, for he knew

what my arm could do.

And it came to pass that a great warrior came

to my camp and challenged me to fight with him.

He was indeed a fighting man beyond compare,

and there was none in all Retinu who could have

stood up against him. Thus, he called for me to

meet him, and boasted that he would make a

mercy-crying beggar out of me and divide all my

cattle amongst his men.The king took counsel with me, and I said to

him: “I know not that man. I have never been

near him, nor have I ever set foot in his tent. I

have never seen his camp nor crossed his path as

an enemy. He comes to fight because of wicked

grudge and envy. Verily, I am like a bull sur

rounded by a foreign herd whose own bullheaded

leader will not suffer him and rages against him.

Well then, I shall be bull! If he wants a fight,

let him have it. The outcome rests in the hands

of the gods.”So, at night I put a new string on my bow,

whetted my sword and furbished my shield. When

morning came, half of the land of Jordan was

gathering together, for all were eager to see the

fight. There was no heart in the entire camp of

ours that did not warmly beat for me. The women

were most excited because they pitied me and said:

“Is there anyone strong enough to outfight that

warrior?”And he came forth with shield and axe and

with an armful of spears. I let him try his skill

of arms on me, but I dodged each and every one



of his thrusts. Then we drew closer to each other.

He sought to get a hold of me but I came to draw

my bow; and, behold, my arrow pierced his throat.

He howled and dropped upon his face. Then I

took his axe and felled him dead. Foot upon his

neck, I cried victory, and all around me there

was roaring jubilation.

I thanked and praised Month, the god who had

protected me, the fighting son of Re. The people

of the slain warrior lamented. And Nenschi, King

Ami’s son, embraced me in front of all.

The possessions of the vanquished became my

own, and I took all his cattle and made beggars

out of his people. W hat he wanted to do unto

me, I did unto him. I took whatever his tentoffered and laid his camp bare. Grea t wealth in

treasure and in cattle fell to me.

Thus I was blessed by my lord and god—I who

had sinned so much against him and who had

fled in fear of him into foreign lands. Should

not my heart be filled again with joy?

Once fugitive and without friend, I am no w magnified at home.

He who half 'St arved was for ced to roam,

Has bread fo r everyo ne to send. He who in na \edn ess had left ,

Is ves ted wel l and rich in land.

Once of all help I stood bereft,

J^o w I have thousan ds to comm and!

Indeed, stately was my house, and widespread

were my lands. My name was dear to the king and

I was known as his closest friend. O Lord, who

soever you may be that once made exile my des

tiny, be merciful and call me back to the land of

my birth! Let me behold again the places on

which my hear t is set. Great would be my joy

if I only knew that my body may rest in my

native soil. Ah, may such happiness be my lot!

May the helping hand of him who made me leave,

lead my return. My lord, my king, your anger

must be gone. Listen to my pleading from afar,

and in your infinite grace allow me to be again

the servant of your kingdom’s exalted mistress and

of her royal house so that my age may turn toyouth again. The years have come upon me and

weighed me down. My eyes are spent, my arms

are weak, and my legs refuse to carry me. Ah,

my heart is tired, and ever nearer draws the day

of parting. Who shall lead me to the temples of

eternity? Majesty of the Universe, my queen of

long ago, send me good tidings from your palace

and let me be with your court in all eternity!

Now, when His Majesty, King Senwosret,

heard from me about the sufferings of my heart,

he sent his envoys to me with gifts befitting a



prince and with tidings from all of his house. The

king’s gracious letter which I received read thus:

“Senwosret, King of Lower and of Upper

Egypt, the son of Re, Lord of Life from Eternity

to Eternity, by this order makes known to Sinuhe,

his vassal, the following:“You have travelled far and wandered to Ke-

deme, and from Kedeme to Retinu. One land

has passed you on to the other as it was the desire

of your heart. W hat have you done to me that

I should requite with evil? You have shown no

evil will nor uttered punishable words. You have

not raised your voice in Council against the Coun

cil’s voice. You have exiled yourself by your own

free will. Know you then: Nefre, your queen andHeaven’s Majesty, is in the best of health, and

to this day she shares the kingdom’s reign with

me, and all her kin is well endowed with power.

Now, you too shall enjoy in plenty what she be

stows upon you, and be richly rewarded. Return

to Egypt and to the city of your king where you

grew up, so that your lips may kiss the ground

on which you enter. Come and return to all the

dignities of your many offices!

“You are no longer young, and the best of your

strength is spent. Be mindful of the day when you

will be laid to rest and gathered to your fathers.

The eventide is coming when your remains will

be anointed with the oils of death and wound in

the linen of Tait , the divine weaver. And the

day will come when you are enshrined. Gold

shall be the covering that will hold you ever after,

and your head shall be overlaid with lapis lazuli.And above you there shall arch like heaven the

canopy of your catafalque. Softly bedded shall

be your coffin and not be carted away on rocking

wheels as it is done in foreign lands. Steers shall

draw you to the temple, singers shall march be

fore you, and they shall dance a dance of death

on the threshold of your tomb. Sacrifices shall be

slain and laid upon your altar, and the holy texts

shall be recited for you. Resplendent pillars shallhold the vault of your sepulchre and you shall

rest in the midst of the resting places of the kings.

Remind yourself that you need not die on foreign

soil. Nor must you be buried by barbarians who

would sew your body into a ram’s skin and let it

rot. Therefore, be mindful of your death and

do come home.”

Thus read the king’s message. I was standing

in the midst of my people when it was handed to

me. And when I heard what it said, I threw

myself upon the ground and kissed the earth.



Joy drove me all over the camp. Is it possible,

I jubilated, that so much grace be shown to one

who has served so evil and whose fearful heart

misled him into foreign lands? Verily, your kind

ness, my lord and god, gives me a second life, and

your mercy grants me to die at home!Now then, my answer to the king’s message

was as follows:

“I, Sinuhe, ever-obedient servant to the royal

house, I do say this: May you receive these words

in peace. Your gracious Majesty knows that when

your servant fled, he did so without reason. You

know me well enough, my king and lord, beloved-

est of Re, god of the sun, and richly favored by

Month, the divine master of arms. May the great

Amun of the City of the Dead at Thebes, may

Horns and Hathor and all the gods of your lands

fill you with their breath and lavish all their gifts

upon you! Yours be eternity without restraint

and everlasting time of day! Your own and all

the other lands know of your might. You have

conquered all that there lies under the sun. Youhave well recognized your servant’s wish—you,

the lord of knowledge whose wisdom knows the

most distant heart. Your servant was beset withfear when he asked you, for his request was great

and heavy to bear. But you, who are the sun,

gave light unto your servant. You are Horus, the

divine and ever-victorious falcon; yours is the

power over all lands. Now, send out your envoys

to Kedeme, to Chent, and to the lands of the

Fenechu and bid their princes to come before you.

I have been with them and know therefore thatthey are devoted to you. I need not mention

Retinu, for he is yours as faithful as your dog.

“Verily, your servant’s flight was made with

out sense and without thinking. I know not what

misled me. It happened to me as though I was

in a dream, against all reason as it may happen

to a foolish peasant who leaves his well-tilled

fields to live in the swampland, or to a man who

in his madness moves from the fruit belt in the

No rth into the southern desert wastes. You know

that I had no reason to run away, that I was not

pursued by anyone. Nobody had accused me. Nor

was my name outlawed or proscribed. But it so

happened that, at the tidings of sorrow, I shook

with fear and that my knees began to tremble.

I gave way to my distracted mind and followed

the god who had ordained my flight. You know,

it was not spite that prompted me to turn from

you. He who knows you does not dare spite you.You have implanted reverence at home, and the

most remote kingdoms look up to you in awe.



In your own lands and abroad it is you who is

commanding over day and night. You make the

sun rise as you please. You let the waters of life

flow at your will and give your heavenly air to

breathe as you decide. Though far away, I am

still your servant. I behold your message and Iam moved by the inspiring breath that makes

me live anew. May all the gods keep you in all

eternity.”

I remained in Jaa but for one more day and

put everything in order. I set up my first-born

son as my successor and turned over to him what

ever I owned in lands and goods, my servants and

my cattle, fields and gardens, and all fruit-bearing

trees. Then I journeyed northward until I reached

Egypt’s river and the kingdom’s boundaries.

The captain of the border guards sent word

of my arrival to the city of the king, and His

Majesty dispatched the stewards of the royal stores

with shiploads of gifts for all who had accom

panied me thus far, and I called everyone by

name to pay him homage.

Then the cooks had to do their duty, and the

voyage began with all sails set. There was baking and brewing without rest until we reached

the city of cities. A t the break of day just as the

earth grew light, I was called. Ten royal escorts

had come to take me to the palace.

Between the sphinxes I knelt and touched the

earth with my forehead. Within the gates, the

royal kin stood gathered together for my recep

tion, and the royal chamberlains led me unto HisMajesty who sat upon the throne beneath the

great canopy of gold. I flung myself at his feet.

He greeted me most graciously, and yet my senses

left me. I felt as though somebody dragged me

into darkness. My whole body trembled. I was

out of my mind. Verily, I knew not whether I

was alive or dead.

Then the king said to one of the chamberlains:

“Raise him up so that he may speak to me!” And

thereupon he spoke to me and said: “Behold, you

have come home after many years have passed

since you fled into barbarian lands. Age gnaws

on you, and the days of senectitude are drawing

near. Do you not know what it means that you

can go to rest at home, and that your body will

not be thrown into a patch of foreign earth? Why

do you not answer? Why are you so tacit? Speak

up! Have I received you for nothing?”

I had to answer, but I spoke in fear and said:“I wish I could reply to the words of my lord, but

I cannot. I feel the choking hand of a god upon



my throat. Within me there is terror like the

one that made me flee. Alas, I lie before you!

My life is yours! Your will be done!”

Thereupon the king summoned the royal kin

and the queen. And His Majesty said to her: “Be

hold, this is Sinuhe who has come home. Look atthe barbarian and son of the desert.”

And the queen’s only answer was a terrifying

cry. And the princes and princesses shrieked and

screamed: “Lo, no! This is not he, O King and

Lord!” But His Majesty said: “Verily, it is he!”

Then there was great joy. The women clapped

their cymbals and sounded their rattles and danced.

And they sang to the king while they handed

him the golden chains of Hathor, the ever benign

and bounteous:

T a\e, O Lord, into your gracious hands

The jewelled strings of Heaven’s Queen.

The life eternal which she spends,

M ay be for ever you rs in rad ian t sheen.

The ls[orth and South united lie

Obedient at your royal feet.

From evil foes who dared defy,

Tow, Re , the sun, yo u have th em free d.

Do thr us t no t thr oug h yo ur horns , wi thd ra w

Your arrows from the wound, and give

Bre ath to him wh om fea r and awe

Ma de breathless, so that he ma y live!

W i n bac\ for us the one who fled,

Re tu rn the lost son to his fold .

Le t Egy pt ’s soil be the eter nal bed

For him who now is wea\ and old.

He who has once behel d yo ur grace,

W ill never dread again your eyes

A n d ne ver eve r shu n the face That shines upon him, till he dies.

When the king heard this, he said: “He shall

tremble no longer and be without fear. He shall

be chamberlain and in the Council of my court.

Be with him and lend him a helping hand.”

So, I was dismissed from the King’s presence.

The princes and princesses helped me from the

palace to the house of one of the king’s sons that

was richly bestowed with many treasures. A bathwas prepared for me, and I was given from the

royal stores all the ornate vestments I wanted,

and linen and jewels, myrrh and precious oint

ments. The king’s chamberlains waited upon me,

and the royal cooks had no idle hours.

The years fell from me. My beard was shorn,

and my hair well dressed. The dirt I had worn

upon me was given back to the desert, and so

were my coarse and shabby clothes. I was robedin the finest linen and anointed with the choicest

oils in the land. Now, I could rest again on a



soft bed and leave the sleeping on bare sand to

those who live in the desert, and gritty oils to

those who have none better.I was given a house as a friend of the king

deserves it. Many carpenters were put to work

on it, for it was to be fitted out with new woodwork. Three and even four times a day I was

brought food from the palace, not to speak of

what the princes and princesses constantly sent

me.Within the realm of the royal pyramids, a new

one was being built for me. The king ordered his

first stone mason to erect it, his first painter to

adorn its walls, and his first sculptor to do the

stone carvings.Everybody in the City of the Dead was kept

busy. Nothing that belongs to a tomb was for

gotten. The sacred priests, whose office it is to

attend the dead, were chosen, and there was not

a thing omitted that befits a chamberlain of the

king. A stone image of myself was made and

covered with pure gold which His Majesty or

dered to be molded for me. Verily, seldom has a

man so humble, been honored so highly.

And thus I am living in the King’s favor untilthe day when I must depart.

BETWEEN TWO BROTHERS

V

Preserved on a papyrus written

by the scribe Emana about theyear 1220 B.C., toward the endof the Middle Kingdom.

NCE upon a time there lived two brothers.

They were, so it is said, sons of the

same father and the same mother. The

older one was called Anapa , and the

name of the younger one was Bata.

Anapa had a wife and a household of his ownwhile his younger brother lived with them as a

mere farm hand. His was all the hard work. Hehad to run after the grazing cattle; he had to plow

and to thresh and to do all the rest of the heavy

labor on the land. Bata indeed was a good man

to have. None better could be found in the whole

country, and he walked with the Lord.

Day upon day Bata herded the cattle, and eveupon eve he came home with his load of milk

or whatever there was to be carried back from

the fields. And he put it all down at the veryfeet of his brother who, by that time, already

used to sit most comfortably with his wife and

l d Th h i i h h d d



had his meal. Bata, however, ate and drank in

the stable with the cows.A t the break of dawn, when the bread was

baked for the new day, Bata took all the loaves

to his brother who gave him just what he needed

during the day in the fields.Now, one morning when he took the cows to

pasture, walking behind them, they began to talk

and said to him: “Look yonder, there is fine grass

and a good place for us to feed!” And he was

good and heeded their advice and let them gra ze

where they wanted. And, lo and behold, the cows

grew big and fat, indeed very big and fat, and

they threw many calves, indeed, very many calves.

Then there came the time for plowing, and

Anapa said to his brother: “Pick out a yoke of

oxen and let us go to work. The floods have

passed, and the land needs the plow. Go and have

everything ready so that we can start early in

the morning.”

And Bata did as he was told and overlooked

nothing. An d when it grew light and the new

day appeared, the two brothers went out and

plowed and plowed. In their hearts was the joy

of labor, indeed, a great joy, and they did notgrow weary.

Day upon day, they stayed in the fields and

plowed. Then when it came to it that they needed

the grain for sowing, Anapa said to his brother:

“Go home and get the seed corn, but lose no time!”

So, Bata went home where he found his brother’s wife busy braiding her hair.

“Come on!” he called. “Let me have the seedcorn. My brother is waiting for it in the fields.

I have no time to lose. Hurry up!”

But she replied: “Ah, hurry up yourself! The

stores are not locked. Take what you need. I am

not done yet with my hair.”

So, the young man went and took a huge

weight of wheat and barley corn, for he was

afraid of taking too little. Now, when his broth

er’s wife saw him coming with his load, she asked

him: “Say, how much are you carrying on yourshoulders, Bata?” An d he answered: “Oh, three

bushels of barley, and maybe two bushels of wheat.

Well, about five bushels altogether. Tha t’s all I

am carrying.”

Then she turned around to him and said: “You

are strong. You are very strong. I am more sur

prised at you each day.” And with that, she

rose and leaned against him and said: “Come on,

let us enjoy each other for a little while. Youwill not be the loser. I shall make you two beau

tiful robes to wear.”

A t that wrath welled from his young heart d h li h A d i h d k h



A t that, wrath welled from his young heart,

and he raged like a tiger at her evil design so that

she was frightened, indeed, very much frightened.

And he told her: “You know, you are to me like

a mother, and your husband is like a father to

me. Anapa is my master and my livelihood. Donot dare ever to repeat the evil words you have

spoken! But do not be afraid, I will keep them

to myself. They shall not pass from my lips, and

I shall not tell them to anybody!”

With that, Bata left, with the load upon his

shoulders. And the two brothers took up their

work together as though nothing had happened.

When evening came, Anapa rushed home as

usually, while Bata walked slowly with the cattle,

carrying whatever he had to take back from thefields. It was a long way to the stable where he

still had to bed the cows for the night.

Anapa’s wife, who was beset with fear because

of the evil words she had spoken to Bata, had

made herself appear as though somebody had bad"

ly beaten her. Her scheme was to tell Anapa:

“Look! Th at is how your brother has beaten me!”

Now, when her husband came home that eve"

ning, he did not hear the cheerful voice of hiswife as he was used to hear it. He found not

water for his hands as she always set it up for him,

and there was no light. And in the darkness she

was lying in great misery and agroaning.

“Who has been here?” Anapa asked, and she

answered: “None other than your own brother!

When he came to get the seed corn for you and

found me all by myself, he said to me: 'Come on,and let us enjoy each other for a little while. Go

on, finish braiding your hair and make yourself

more beautiful for me.’ But I would not listen to

him. I gave him the right answer. 'Am I not,’

said I, 'like a mother to you, and is your brother,

my master, not like your father?’ So he was

frightened and beat me up that I would not tell

on him. If you do not go and kill him, I shall

take my own life. I know what he will do to me

when he comes home and finds out that I have

not kept his evil words to myself!”

A t that, wrath welled from Anapa’s heart, and

he raged like a tiger. He whetted his spear and

went to hide himself behind the stable door, ready

to kill his brother as soon as he returned with the

cattle.

Bata came home as usually just after the sun

had set. The first cow entered the stable, but she

turned back to her herder and said: “Beware!your brother is standing behind the door, spear

in hand and ready to kill you. Hurry away!”

Wh B h d hi d h h d h d k d t f h t I h t ?



When Bata heard this, and then heard the

second cow speak the very same words, he peered

under the stable door and saw his brother’s feet.

And he saw also that he held a spear in his hand.

A t that, he threw down whatever he carried

and took to his heels the best he could. Yet, hisbrother, spear in hand, went after him in hot

pursuit.

Bata cried unto the Lord, the god of the sun.

“Re-Harachte,” he called, “gracious lord, are you

not the just judge over injustice?” And the lord

of the horizons listened to his fearful cry and let

a body of water rise between him and his brother.

And the water was full of crocodiles. There they

stood, each on one side, and Anapa cursed madly

because he would not reach his brother with his

spear. Bata shouted across the water: “W ait un

til it is day! When the sun rises, I will answer you

before him so that wickedness be rightly judged.

Never again shall you see me under your roof.

Never again shall I share the house with you.

I am going to leave forever. The Vale of the

Sycamores shall be my resting place!”Now, when it grew light, and the new day ap

peared, the two brothers faced each other, andBata spoke to Anapa and said: “Why do you

hound me? Why did you lie in ambush to kill

me and asked me not for what I have to say?

Am I not your younger brother? Are you not

like a father to me, and is your wife to me not

like a mother? Verily, this is the truth: When

you sent me to the house for the seed corn, your

wife said to me: ‘Come on and let us enjoy eachother for a little while.’ But woe be me, she has

twisted the truth !” And Bata told his brother

what really happened. And he raised his hand

before the sun and cried: “And you set out in

viciousness to kill me for the bawdy talk of a

loose woman!”

And at that, he yanked the trenchant blade

from a sword cane at the water’s edge, sheared

off his virility and thrust it into the water to be

devoured by the swimming beasts of prey. Then

he slumped to the ground. And Anapa was

deeply sorrowed. He stood there and sobbed, for

he could not pass the water because of the many

crocodiles.

But he heard his brother crying out to him:

“After all your evil thoughts, now foster good

ones. Go to work and do what I have always

done for you. Go home and take care of your

cattle, for I cannot stay with you. I am leavingfor the Vale of the Sycamores. You cannot do

anything for me now. But I want you to remem

ber this: Some day I shall need you again When d i b t h t d th di i E



ber this: Some day I shall need you again. When

ever evil tidings are brought to you about me,

then you must come and take care of me! I am

going to hide my heart within the blossom of a

lofty sycamore. But if tha t sycamore be felled

and my heart fall to the ground, then you mustcome and search for it. But though your search

may last for seven years, do not despair. You

shall find it and place it in a crock with fresh

water. Then I shall be alive once more and give

evil its answer! Whenever you are being handed

a jug of stale beer and a jug of wine that has

soured, then waste no time and do what I have

told you!”

With that, Bata departed from his brother and

wandered away to the Vale of the Sycamores.And Anapa went home, in grief over his brother,

and he slew his wife and thrust her body to the

wild dogs.

Time went on, and Bata dwelled in the Vale

of the Sycamores, in utte r loneliness. All his days

he spent hunting desert game, and the nights he

passed sleeping beneath the lofty sycamore whose

blossom bore his heart.

More time went on, and Bata built himself astately house, and it was rich in everything a

home would need. Then one day, when he was

wandering about, he encountered the divine En-

nead, nine altogether of the greatest gods, who

had come to see what happened in their realm. And

the Nine spoke to him as with one single mouth

and said: “For what reason do you live alone,

friend of the gods, and for what reason have youleft home? Do you not know tha t long ago

Anapa slew his wife, and that he knows the evil

done to you?” And the gods felt pity for Bata,

indeed great pity.

And Re-Harachte, thesun-god, spoke to Chnum,

the creator of mankind, and said to him: “Would

you not make a wife for Bata so that he may not

live in loneliness?” An d behold, Chnum made

him a wife to share his house, a woman more

beautiful than any in the land, for within her was

the very essence of all the nine divinities. Yet,

when Hathor, the goddess of love, herself appear

ing sevenfold, looked upon the woman, the Seven

spoke as with one single mouth and said: “She

will die a death of violence.”

Bata, in time, was much in love with her, in

deed very, very much in love. She took care of

his house while he was away hunting in the desert.

And whatever game he caught, he always laid ather feet.

Every now and then, Bata warned his wife and

id t h “D t t f th h Th h i d d S h t



said to her: “Do not stray from the house. The

river may seise you, and you will not be able to

save yourself. And I cannot come to your rescue.”

He also spoke to her of his heart, for he kept

nothing from her. “My heart rests in the blossom

of the sycamore,” he told her. “Should a strangerever find it, I would lose myself!”

So, time went on, and Bata was away hunting

as he was every day. But the young woman

wanted to enjoy herself and strolled from the

house. And alas, the river saw her and leaped

after her with his waters. She ran towards the

house, but the river followed her and called the

sycamore to help him catch her. “Hold her! hold

her fast!” he roared. But the sycamore could onlytake hold of one of her braids. And the river

grabbed this braid, and his waters carried it down

to Egypt. There they dropped it at the city of

the pharaoh where the washermen used to wash

for the king.

Now, the royal garments took on the odor of

the woman’s hair, and the pharaoh blamed the

washermen and said: “My garments smell of

pomade!”

Day upon day, the king had to scold the wash'ermen but they did not know what to do about it.

Now, the daily scolding made the head of the

washermen angry, indeed very angry. So, he went

himself to the river bank, and as chance had it,

he came right to the spot where the braid of hair

could be seen in the water. His men had to fish

it out. An d behold, it had a sweet smell, indeed

a very sweet smell. Thus, he took it to the pharaoh.The wise men and the learned scribes of the

court were summoned, and they agreed and they

said: “Pharaoh, this braid of hair belongs to a

daughter of Re'Harachte, and in her is the divine

essence of every god. From far away such gift

has come to you. Send out your messengers and

let them search everywhere for this woman. But

the one you may send to the Vale of the Sycamores

to find her, do not send him alone!”

And His Majesty replied: “Verily, what you

advise, it seems to me, is very good advice.” And

he dispatched his messengers.

Time went on, and the king’s men came back

from lands afar, but they had nothing to report.

And those who had been sent to the Vale of the

Sycamores did not return. Bata had slain all but

the one who brought the tidings of their fate to

, the pharaoh.

Then the king sent out a force of many men,afoot and in chariots, to bring to him the daughter

of the gods. But he sent with them one of his

<

royal women who took to her the most precious where Bata had slept so many nights and started



royal women who took to her the most precious

jewels. And behold, she returned with Bata’s wife

and the whole kingdom was jubilant at her arrival.

The pharaoh, in time, grew very fond of her,

indeed very, very fond. And he raised her highabove all other women. He asked her to tell him

all about her husband, and she kept nothing from

him. But when she had finished, she said: “Your

Majesty, have the lofty sycamore tree felled and

cut to timber!”

Thereupon a new force of men was sent out.

They felled the sycamore tree and cut the blossom

wherein the heart of Bata was resting. And, lo

and behold, at this very hour Bata fell dead.On the day that followed the day of the felling

of the sycamore, Anapa, the older brother, came

home at mealtime, and when he sat down to eat,

he was brought a jug of beer, and it was stale.

Then he was brought a jug of wine and the wine

had soured. So, at once he took his pikestaff, put

on his sandals, and well equipped with weapons,

he went on his way to the Vale of the Sycamores.

When he entered his brother’s house, he foundhim lying on the bedstead and saw that he was

dead. Weeping, Anapa walked to the sycamores

where Bata had slept so many nights, and started

searching for his heart.

For three long years Anapa searched and could

not find it. And at the beginning of the fourth

year, his soul was longing for home, and he said

to himself: “Tomorrow, I shall leave tomorrow!”Yet, when it grew light and the new day ap

peared, he went once more to the sycamores and

searched in vain the livelong day. When darkness

fell and he was ready to give up, he scanned the

ground with a last fleeting glance; and, lo and

behold, there lay the heart of a fruit. He took

it and went back into the house, and verily it was

his brother’s heart. So, he put it into a crock

of fresh water and then sat down to rest for

the evening as he was used to do.Now, when night had fallen and the heart

had drunk its fill of fresh water, a trembling ran

through Bata’s body and he opened his eyes and

looked at his brother. And Anapa took the crock

with the fresh water and Bata’s heart and let him

drink it. And as his heart returned to its right

place, Bata was at once the very same he had been

before.

The two brothers embraced each other andtalked and talked. “Behold,” Bata said after a

little while, “I shall change myself into a sacred

bull and bear you on my back. Before the sun said to her: “I want you to know that I am still



a a y y a

rises, we shall be where my wife is and I shall

give evil its answer. Af ter that, you shall lead

me before the king. You will be highly rewarded.

You will be given my weight in gold and silver

for bringing me to him. For I shall be a miracle,and the whole land will be rejoicing over me. And

after that, you may return home.”

And when it grew light and the new day ap

peared, Bata transformed himself into an Apis

bull as he had promised. Anapa climbed on his

back, and before the sun had fully risen, they

were in the king’s city.

His Majesty soon learned about the arrival of

the sacred bull and came to see him, his heart

filled with joy, indeed with great, great joy. Hehad the offerings in the temple doubled and said:

“Verily, a great miracle has happened.” And

there was jubilation throughout the land.

Anapa was given the Apis’ weight in silver

and in gold. An d he went home with many men

and richly bestowed with royal gifts, for the king

had grown fond of him, indeed very, very fond of

him.

Time went on, until one day the Apis foundhis way to the house where the king’s now most

beloved woman lived, and he began to talk and

said to her: I want you to know that I am still

alive!” A nd she replied: “W ho are you?” And

he went on and said: “I am Bata! Have you for

gotten that you did ask the king to fell the syca

more and thus to take my life? But, behold, I

am still living. I am the great god’s sacred bull!”Now, the words she heard, filled her with fear,

indeed with great fear, and she went to the

pharaoh. She made him feast with her and let him

enjoy herself. She served him wine, and he was

in a gracious mood, indeed a very gracious mood.

Then she said: “Swear to me by the great god

that you will hear the wish I have and fulfill it!”

And the pharaoh swore by the great god. And

she said: “Give me the heart of the Apis to eat.

It is good for nothing else anyhow.”The king was deeply saddened by her words,

for he had pity with the Apis, indeed great pity.

But when it grew light and the new day ap

peared, the king proclaimed a feast of sacrifice and

sent for the first of the royal slaughterers to kill the

sacred bull. An d they killed him and slashed his

throat. But when they carried him through the

temple gate, he shook his mighty neck, and two

drops of blood fell to the ground, one drop oneither side of the gateway. And from them grew

at once two lofty Isched trees of wondrous beauty.

And the people went to the pharaoh and said: you will hear the wish I have, and fulfill it!” And



p p p

“Last night there have grown up two lofty Isched

trees by the Great Gate. Your Majesty, a miracle

has happened!” And once more there was jubila

tion throughout the land, and the king proclaimed

another feast of sacrifice in celebration of the

holy trees.

And when it grew light and the new day ap

peared, the king was seen in great splendor at

the palace window, bedecked with lapis lazuli.

And he was taken in his golden chariot, bedecked

with flowers, to the Isched trees. And his most

beloved queen followed him in a beauteous chariot

of her own.

Now, as the pharaoh stood under one of the

Isched trees and made his offerings, the other treebegan to talk to the queen and said: “Unfaithful

woman, you, behold, I am Bata! I am still living.

Have you forgotten that you did ask the king

to fell the sycamore? You took my life, but I

became the sacred bull whom you have asked to

be killed.”

Time went on, and again she made the king

feast with her and let him enjoy herself. And she

served him wine, and he was in a gracious mood,indeed a very, very gracious mood. Then, she

said to him: “Swear to me by the great god that

the pharaoh swore by the great god. Then she

said: “Have the two Isched trees felled and have

them made into a fine chest for me.”

The king did as she had asked him to do. He

sent out his best carpenters to fell the two sacredtrees. And His Majesty watched them with his

own eyes; and his most beloved queen, once Bata’s

wife, stood next to him. But when the wood was

hewn, a sliver flew into her mouth. She coughed

and swallowed it, and from this very hour on she

was with child.

Time went on, and she gave birth to a son.

The joyous tidings were brought to the pharaoh,

and everybody cheered: “Behold, a son is bornunto you!”

The infant was brought before him and given

wet nurses and many other nurses to attend him.

There was great jubilation throughout the land

and feasting everywhere.

And the king grew very fond of this prince,

indeed very, very fond of him. He bestowed upon

him the kingdom’s highest title and made him heir

to his throne.

Thus it happened that Bata came to live again,

and he lived in the life of the king’s son who was

his, until the pharaoh was gathered to his divine



fathers.Then Bata, by his son now pharaoh himself,

gave order and proclaimed: “Call unto me all my

councilors so that I may tell them what has hap"

pened to me!11 And he had her who once had

been his wife brought before him to receive the

judgment she deserved. An d there was none in

his Council who disagreed with his sentence that

she must die.Then Bata sent for Anapa, his older brother,

and named him heir to the throne.

For thirty years Bata reigned as king of Egypt,

and when he passed away, his brother Anapa took

his place.

V

Preserved on the Papyrus Harris,written about 1300 B.C.(New Kingdom)

NCE upon a time there was a king of

Egypt, and he had no son. So he prayed

in humble devotion to the gods and

begged them for an heir. And the gods

disclosed to him that they were willing

to let him have a son. Now, in that selfsame

night the king was sleeping with his wife, and

she conceived. And when her time was fulfilled,

she bore him a son.Now then Hathor, the goddess of the heavens,

came in her sevenfold divinity, to see the infant

and to divine his fate. An d this is what she fore"

told: “He will meet death from a crocodile, a

serpent, and a dog.11

The royal women who were about the child,

heard what she said and told it to the king, and

he was deeply saddened in his heart.

And the king gave order to build a house ofsolid rock in the midst of the desert. He had it

furnished with the very best from his palace and

had it guarded by the most faithful of his guards. and serve him. Then His Majesty in person es



g y g

And the prince was not allowed ever to leave

this house.Now, when he was quite grown up, he stood

one day on the flat roof and saw a man coming

down the road with a little greyhound runningbehind him. And the prince asked the servant

who was always with him: “What is running

there behind that man who is coming down the

road?” And the servant answered: “Why, that

is a little greyhound!”

“Oh,” said the young prince, “such a grey

hound I would like to have.”So, the servant rushed to the king and told him

the princely wish, and His Majesty answered:

“Certainly, he can have a whelp like that if itmakes him happy.” Thus, the young prince was

given a greyhound.

The years went by, and the prince became a

man, well-built and strong. Then he sent word

to his father and asked: “Why must I sit here

with nothing to do? I know, I am foretold that my

fate will be death threefolded. But let me live

my time of life as I like to live. The gods will

none the less do as they will.”

The king agreed and sent him a chariot and

arms, and also a trusted man to stay with him

corted his son across the river and said to him in

farewell: “Now, my son, you may go wherever

you like to go!”So, the young prince parted from his royal

father and went eastward, his greyhound always

with him. He roamed through the lands as he

had wanted to roam, and hunted himself the

choicest game of the desert. Thus, he reached

the river Euphrates and came to the kingdom of

Naharin.

The king of Naharin had no sons. He had but

one only daughter. And for her he had built a

house with windows seventy yards above the

ground. Now, the king had summoned all the

princes from the lands around the river Jordanand proclaimed: “To him who is able to climb

up to my daughter’s windows, I shall give her

for wife.”

Many a day had passed, but none of all those

princes had accomplished tha t feat. Now then,

the young prince of Egypt came along with his

greyhound running behind him, and since he was

a very handsome youth, the princes from the lands

around the Jordan asked him to stay with them.

A bath was prepared for him, and his horses were

well fed. He was treated most generously, and

they anointed his feet and perfumed his whole sitting. An d the princess took him into her arms



body. His trusted man was also provided with all

he needed. Then they talked to him and asked:

“Whence do you come, you handsome youth?”

An d he replied: “ I come from Egypt. I am the

son of a royal charioteer and archer. My mother

died, and my father gave me a stepmother who

hated me evermore. So, I ran away from home.”

When the princes from the Jordan lands heard

that, they bade him all the more welcome and

showered him with kindness.

After quite some while, he asked the youths:

“W ha t are you doing here?” And they answered:

“Do you not know that the king of Naharin is

going to give his one and only daughter to him

who is able to climb up to her windows?”The prince of Egypt sighed and said: “Ah, I

wish that I could do it! But let me go with you

and try my very best.”

Now, when the others went and tried, as they

did each and every day, to climb up to the princess’

windows, he went with them. But he stood aside.

Yet, the daughter of the king of Naharin saw

him, and he felt her eyes resting upon him.

Then he decided to compete with the princesfrom the Jordan lands. An d behold, he climbed

up and reached the window at which she was

and kissed him.

The good tidings were brought to the king, and

everybody shouted: “I t has been done! The win-

dow of your daughter has been climbed!” And

the king of Naharin asked: “Whose son is theprince who has done so?” An d they said: “Oh,

he is the son of the royal charioteer and archer

from Egypt. He has fled from home because of

his stepmother!”

A t that the king of Naharin grew very angry

and shouted: “Never ever shall I give my daugh-

ter to a fugitive from Egypt! Send him back fromwhere he came!”

So, they went and told him: “The King com

mands that you go back from where you havecome!” But the princess flung her arms around

him and cried and swore: “By the god of the

sun, if you take him away from me, I shall neither

eat nor drink again! The sooner I die, the better!”

Now, when the king was told what she had said,

he sent out men to seize the son of the charioteer

and archer from Egypt, and to put him to death.

But the princess said to them: “If you kill him, I

swear by all the gods, before the sun will set, Ishall be dead!”

And again they went to the king and told him

what she had said. Then the king commanded came swimming towards him. But it so happened

h h h hi h i



that his daughter and the man from Egypt be

brought before him. And behold, he was no

longer angry but bade him welcome and kissed

him and said: “You who shall be as a son to me,

tell me who you are!” But the son of the kingof Egypt answered: “I am the son of a royal

charioteer and archer in Egypt. My mother died,

and my father gave me a stepmother who hated

me evermore. So, I ran away from home.”

Thus he spoke. But just the same, the king of

Naharin gave him his one and only daughter for

wife, and he endowed him with house and fields,

and with cattle and everything a son of his would

be entitled to have.

Now, when the princess had become his wife,he said to her one day: “I am foretold that my

fate will be death threefolded. My life is going

to be taken by a crocodile, a serpent, and a dog.”

Said she: “Why then do you not kill the dog that

always follows you?” But he replied: “Never ever

shall I kill the dog I have raised from a whelp!”

From this day on, the princess watched his ways

and never let him leave without a guard. But

there came a time when he had to journey hometo Egypt. And it came to pass that one day while

he was standing by the river, a giant crocodile

that the one who was watching over the prince,

was mightier than the crocodile and had the pow'

er to forbid it to come out of the river. Only

when it slept at night, he left his watch, but as

soon as the sun rose, he came back to guard the

prince. So, the king’s son was well protected each

and every one of the sixty days he had chosen tostay in Egypt.

Then the young prince journeyed back to Na'

harin, and he was happy and content. But there

came an evening when he fell fast asleep while

his wife was sitting beside him, keeping watch

over him, a jug of beer in her hand. And behold,

a huge serpent crept from her hole and threatened

to sting him. His wife saw her in time and madeher drink from the beer. And the serpent got

drunk, stretched out and lay stiff and numb. And

the princess grabbed an axe and hacked her to

pieces. And when her husband awoke from his

slumber, she said to him: “Behold, the gods have

given one third of your fate into my hand. Now,

they will also deliver you from the other two!”

Then he prayed to the gods and offered sacrifices

and magnified their glory day after day.Now, it came to pass that he journeyed again

to Egypt and that he was sauntering across the

fields with no companion but his greyhound. And

the dog took up a scent and the king’s son fol A DANGEROUS VOYAGE



the dog took up a scent, and the king s son fol

lowed him to the bank of the river. And, lo and

behold, the giant crocodile came out of the river

and seised him and said: “I am your fate!” And

it took him to the place where once the mighty

one had guarded him. And the crocodile said to

the king’s son: “Now I hold you in my power.

Look, there lies the mighty one, stung to death

by a serpent! Now you must die!”

Thus, the young prince was killed. And he

met his death from a crocodile and from a dog,

for he had followed his greyhound to the river,

and also from a serpent, for she had killed the

mighty one so that he could guard him no longer.

Verily, he died as Hathor, the goddess of theheavens, had divined his fate on the day he was

bom.

A DANGEROUS VOYAGE

V

Preserved on a papyruswritten about 1000 B.C.

N THE fifth year of the reign of my king

and on the sixteenth day of the third

month of that summer, I, Unamun, elder

priest in Amun’s temple at Thebes and

his devoted servant, set out on a voyage

in order to procure the precious woods needed for

the restoration of Userhet, the holy bark of Re,

the sun’s eternal majesty, that lay decrepit on the

river.

I went first to Tanis, the residence of PrinceSmendes and his wife, Tentamun. To them I

delivered the mandatory message from Amun-Re,

the king of gods. Both listened graciously to the

royal request, and when they had heard what I

read to them, they said: “Verily, the will of

Amun-Re, our lord and master, shall be done!”

So, I stayed in Tanis until the end of that third

month of summer. By that time, Smendes and

Tentamun had a ship ready for me and put it

under the command of a certain Mengebet, one

of their most trusted sea-masters. I embarked at

once, and on the first day of the fourth month

of that summer we were sailing eastward on the



MODEL OF AN EGYPTIAN BOAT

The ancient Egyptians are said to have built the firstreal boats. Early boats, about 2700 B.C., were made ofbundles of reeds or bulrushes, tied together with fibersof papyrus, and smeared inside with pitch. Later boatswere larger, made of wood, had spacious cabins and werebeautifully ornamented with paintings.

of that summer we were sailing eastward on the

high Syrian sea.

Thus, I came to Dor, the port and city of the

Zakar below the foothills of the Carmel moun

tains. Bedar, the prince of the Zakar, sent me

bread and wine and a whole quarter of an ox as

gifts of welcome.

Now, it so happened that a member of my crew

committed theft and escaped with his loot. What

he had taken was all my treasure. Of gold he

took three platters five deben in weight, of silver

four bowls weighing twenty deben, and he also

took a pouch containing eleven debens’ worth.

Altogether the theft amounted to a full pound

of purest gold and more than six pounds ofsilver.

I discovered the theft in the early morning

and betook myself at once to Bedar, the prince of

the Zakar, and said to him: “I have been robbed

in the harbor of the land over which you are the

ruler. Do your duty! Have a search made for

the thief, my silver and my gold! Verily, it

all belongs to Amun-Re, the king of gods and

Egypt’s lord. It was entrusted to me by Hrihor,

the high priest, by Smendes, the prince of Tanis,

and by all the great lords of Egypt. It was meant

to remunerate you as well as Prince Weret and

P i M h i hb d l Zself? He is a son of your land and a member of

i h ? N d l



Prince Mechemer, your neighbors, and also Zer-

karbaal, the lord of Byblos.”

Yet, Bedar answered: “You may be angry or

not, but I know not what to do. If the thief were

one of my people who had entered your ship and

stolen your gold and silver, verily, I would let

you have the full value of the theft from my own

treasure until the fugitive be caught with his loot.

But he who robbed you, is a son of your land and

a member of your own crew. If you so desire, you

may stay here for a few days. Meanwhile, maybe

the thief will be found.”

Thus, I had to stay. I lingered nine long days

in the port of Dor. But then I betook myself

again to Bedar and complained: “You have notfound yet my silver and my gold,” I said to him.

“Now let me depart. The captain of my ship

and all who are sailing in it, know that I was

robbed in your land. Verily, you are its prince

and ought to be its master, bu t you lack the power

to find the thief and his loot of the gold and

silver that belongs to Amun, the lord of Egypt!”

A t tha t, Bedar was greatly angered and shouted:

“Silence! You have lingered nine long days in

my harbor, waiting for the thief to be caught by

me. Why have you not searched for him your'

your own crew, is he not? Now go and travel

on with your captain and all who are sailing with

you in your ship. I will not keep you any longer!”

So, I went back to my ship and sailed towards

Tyre. Now, it so happened that there lay in theharbor a ship from Dor with a crew of Zakar,

belonging to Prince Bedar, and I found out that

it carried a treasure in silver. It was bound for

Byblos just as I was. So when it left early in the

morning, I sailed after it. I stopped the ship of

the Zakar and apprehended the treasure which

weighed thirty deben in silver. And I told them:

“Behold, I am taking your silver to make good

for what has been stolen from me in your city,

and I shall keep it until the thief is caught whomBedar, the prince of your land, was unable to

find!”

Thereupon, I let them sail on. Now, it so hap'

pened that the ship of the Zakar reached Byblos

before me and had already made fast when I

arrived. When my captain found that out, hewas afraid that the Zakar would seek revenge for

what I had done to them. So, while I was on land,

he sailed away with my ship and all who weresailing in it. I having been left behind had to

seek refuge. I hid the image of Amun, the eternal

God of the Road, whom I had taken with me,

and all my other belongings in a safe placeRoad, aboard so that I can leave and he will not

b b b t i ” B t j t th th



and all my other belongings in a safe place.

Now, the Prince of Byblos, soon learned about

me, and he sent a messenger to tell me: “Shove

off and get out of my harbor!” And I sent him

my answer: “If you want me to leave your harbor,give me a ship to take me back to Egypt and to

Amun-Re, the lord of the lands, who has sent me

to you!”Nineteen days I stayed in the city of Byblos,

and each and every day Zerkarbaal sent me the

same message: “Shove off and get out of my

harbor!” And each and every day I sent him the

same answer.And it came to pass that there was being held

a great feast of offering to the gods of Byblos, andone of the noble youths of Zerkarbaal’s court

was seised by the gods and plunged into delirious

ecstasy.“Bring the god unto me! Bring him unto me!

Bring unto me the messenger of Amun! Amun

has brought the god here! Amun is with him!”

Thus this youth raved on into the night.Now, I had just found a ship ready to sail for

Egypt and had stowed away my belongings. AndI said to myself: “When night has fallen, I shall

take the image of Amun, the eternal God of the

[126]

be seen by any eyes but mine.” But just then, the

master of the port came to me and said: “Stay

here until tomorrow! Such is the command of thePrince of Byblos!”

But I answered: “Are you not the one whohas come to me each day and said: ‘Shove off,

and get out of my harbor!? And now you come

and say: ‘Stay here!1 Shall I let the ship that I

have found at last, sail now without me, so that

you can come back tomorrow and shout again:‘Shove off and get out of my harbor!?”

And the master of the harbor went to tell

Zerkarbaal what I had said. Thereupon the

prince sent him to the captain of the ship I had

found to take me back to Egypt, and commandedhim: “Stay here until tomorrow!”

Now when morning came, Zerkarbaal sent for

me, and I was brought before him. But Amun,

the eternal God of the Road, was resting still at

the seashore where I had hidden him.

I found the prince of Byblos seated in the upper

hall of his palace, his back against the window so

that he could not see the waves of the Syrian sea

breaking behind him.“Amun be with you in kindness!” I said to

him in greeting. He did not answer but asked

me: “How long is it to this day that you have

left the home of Amun?”

where you are headed—Phoenicians all and ready

to return to Tanis in Smendes’ trade with Berkatel,



left the home of Amun?

“It is today five months and one day!” I an

swered, and he said to me: “Show me the written

message from Amun and the mandate from the

high priest that you, no doubt, have brought with

you!” An d I replied: “I have delivered both to

Smendes, the Prince of Tanis, and Tentamun, his

wife!”

A t that, Zerkarbaal grew very angry and said:

“So, you have neither a written message nor a

mandate to bear you out? Do you wish to call

as your witness the ship of sycamore in which

you sailed from Tanis? Do you want the crew

of Syrians who were sailing in it, to testify for

you? Has Smendes not handed you over to analien captain to kill you and throw your body

into the sea? Verily, nobody will ever miss you

and search for you! No Amun has sent you!”

Thus he shouted at me. But I said in reply:

“My ship was an Egyptian ship, and Egyptian

was its crew. Smendes has no Syrians sailing for

him.”

“Twenty vessels,” he yelled again, “are lying

in my harbor, and not a single one is an Egyptian

ship. Yet, all of them are under sail for Smendes.

A hundred ships and many more lie now in Sidon

,

the Phoenician merchant!”

A t this, I felt that silence was the best answer.

And Zerkarbaal changed his tone and asked me:

“For what purpose have you come here?” And

I replied: “I have come for precious woods neededfor Userhet, the holy bark of Amun-Re, the king

of gods. Your father gave them, your father’s

father gave them, and so you too will give them

unto me!”

Whereupon he said: “You speak the truth.

They have indeed given what you say. And I

shall do as they have done, if you can pay for

what I give. Verily, my father and my father’s

father have given what was wanted, but then thepharaoh had sent six ships laden with all the treas

ures of Egypt, and they have filled our stores. But

now what do you have to offer in exchange?”

Whereupon he asked to bring unto him the

records of trade and had them read for me. And

behold, therein were listed a thousand deben paid

in silver. An d Zerkarbaal said: “If the lords of

Egypt had been the lords of this land and its pos

sessions, if Byblos had been Egypt’s vassal, verily,

they would have sent neither gold nor silver when

they came and asked: ‘Grant us the wish of Amun.’

W hat they have sent to Byblos was not a token

as kings send unto kings to be obeyed Verily I

you know that their wood belongs to Userhet,

the holy bark Verily it was the king of gods



as kings send unto kings to be obeyed. Verily, I

am not your vassal or a subject of him whose em

voy you are. I can do as I will. When my voice

calls upon the wooded mountains of the Lebanon,

the heavens burst and throw the trees of preciouswood down to the sea. But first show me the

sails under which you will sail, show me the ships

that will carry the timber down to Egypt. Let

me see the braided ropes for the bundling and the

dragging of the giant trunks I will have felled for

you as Byblos' gift to Egypt! None of your puny

vessels will ever carry such load. Their bow would

split asunder, and you would find your death on

the high seas when Amun starts to thunder from

the skies and lets Seth rage, the god of storms. Amun, the giver of all gifts, is he not the one

who protects the land of Egypt from where you

come? The glory of his might and his great wis'

dom has spread everywhere. How then could you

be sent on a journey as insane as the one that

brought you here?”

To that I answered: “Shame and more shame

upon you who dares call a voyage made for

Amun’s sake insane. There is no ship on all theseas tha t is not his. His are the waters. His are

the trees of Lebanon you call your own although

the holy bark. Verily, i t was the king of gods

who came to Hrihor, my lord and master, and

asked him to send me with him on this voyage. Be'

hold, you kept him waiting in your port although

you know that he had come to Byblos in his grace.Amun is the same in glory and in wisdom that

ever he has been. But you belie it and belittle

him because you think that you can drive a better

bargain for the woods of Lebanon which indeed

are his. You say: 'The kings in days bygone have

sent me gold and silver.’ Verily, the blessings

Amun bestowed upon your fathers weighed heav-

ier than all the treasures they received. Amun'Re,

the king of gods, is lord of life and all prosperity.

He was the god protector of your fathers whoworshipped him to the end of their days. And

so you too shall be his faithful servant. Verily,

if once you say: 'Thy will be done!’ and you fuL

fill it, you will live long and in prosperity and

be a blessing to your land and all your people.

But cursed shall you be if you covet what belongs

to the great god. Remember: W ha t the lion holds,

he never will let go!”

Zerkarbaal did not answer, and I said to him:“Now then, call me a scribe so that I may send

a message to Smendes and Tentamun of Tanis

whom Amun’s Majesty has made the rulers of

the North. They will send you what you dewinter. Not until the third month of summer

they reached the shore.



mand, for I shall write to them: ‘You can trust

me. As soon as I return to Amun’s city, I shall

repay you.111

Thus, the message was written, and the Princeof Byblos handed it to an envoy. And with it he

sent to Egypt the wood from seven trees for

Userhet, the holy bark.

The envoy reached Tanis without mishap and

returned to Byblos during the first month of

winter. Smendes and Tentamun sent with him

of gold four platters and one jug; of silver five

bowls; of royal linen ten pieces and another ten

of peasant linen; and in addition five hundred

lengths of papyrus, five hundred cowhides, five

hundred braided ropes, twenty sacks of lentils,

and thirty bales of dried fish. As gifts for myself

I received some garments of good linen and five

pieces of royal linen, and in addition also one sack

of lentils and five bales of dried fish.

The Prince of Byblos was greatly pleased and

satisfied. He pu t at once three hundred men and

five hundred oxen with a goodly number of over

seers to work in the Lebanon. The trees were all

felled but they could not be removed during the

y

Then Zerkarbaal himself went to inspect the

wood. An d he sent for me, and his request was:

‘Come at once!1 So, I hurried to the seashore, and

as I stood beside him, the shadow of a fan held

over him, fell also upon me. A t that, his cup

bearer, an Egyptian by the name of Penamu,

stepped between us and said to me with a sneer:

“He who stands shaded by the fan of a prince,

walks in the shadow of his lord and master!”

These words made Zerkarbaal angry, and he

said to me: “Do not answer him!” An d as I

bowed respectfully, he said: Behold, what my

fathers did, I have now also done, although you

could not do as much as your fathers did. Yoursycamores lie to the last here at the shore. Now,

it is up to you to load them and to put them to

sea. Verily, I shall not keep them from you. But

do not come to me and talk of the terrors you are

facing. The terrors of the sea are small compared

with the terrors I could have commanded against

you. Verily, I have spared you the fate to which

I once delivered the envoys of Chaemwese. For

seventeen long years I let them languish here and

starve to death far from Egypt.”

And he turned to Penamu, the cupbearer, and

said: “Go with him and show him the grave in

which they lie ”

priest, will be generous when I come home to

Amun’s city You will receive all you demand



which they lie.

But I said: “Why should I go and see their

grave? Chaemwese's envoys were mortal men,

and mortal was he who sent them. Was there

anyone amongst them who came from the king ofgods? How can you talk of them as though they

were my equals? Verily, you should be proud

and have a stone set up for all posterity, and put

upon it your words of joy, proclaiming: ‘Amun-

Re, the king of gods, sent unto me himself, and

with him came, in his divine glory, his envoy in

order to procure the precious woods for Userhet,

the holy bark. I had the trees felled. I had them

loaded on my ships manned by my sailing crews.

I had them brought to Egypt so that Amun maygrant me life everlasting after the years he allows

me to spend on earth.’ ”And I added: “Thus it shall be done! Then,

verily, when on some distant day a traveller comes

from Egypt and reads what you have said, and

sees your name engraved upon that stone, you

will be praised and highly honored with offerings.

Thus you will live forever!”

Thereupon Zerkarbaal replied: “You know wellthe value of my service.” And I said: “ I shall

give you value for value. Verily, Hrihor, the high

Amun s city. You will receive all you demand,

when he sees that you have fulfilled his wish.”

Not long thereafter when I went to the sea

shore where all the tree trunks lay ready to beloaded, I saw eleven ships approaching. And they

were all ships of the Zakar from Dor with an

order from Bedar, their prince, that said: “Cap

ture the man who has robbed my ship, and take

him prisoner! Henceforth no ship shall sail from

By bios to Egypt!”

When I heard that, I sat down and wept. And

when Zerkarbaal’s scribe came and saw my sor

row, he asked: “W ha t troubles you?” And I

answered: “The birds of passage are winging towards Egypt already for the second time since

I am here. Behold, the herons are returning to

their home and to their native waters! And I,

how long must I still languish far away from

home? Do you not see the ships that have cometo take me prisoner?”

And the scribe went back to Zerkarbaal to tell

him what I had said. And the prince began to

weep over my sorrow and sent the scribe back tome with two large jugs of wine and the tender

meat of a young ram. And then he called for

Tetnet, one of his Egyptian singers and dancers,

and said to her: “Go and sing him songs and

the speech of Egypt.” And behold, one of them

replied in my tongue: “I understand it!” So, I



and said to her: Go and sing him songs and

rid his heart of evil thoughts!” And she came

to me and told me in his words: “Eat and drink

and be of good cheer! Tomorrow I shall let you

know what I can do for you.”And when the morning came, Zerkarbaal sum

moned the eleven captains of the ships from Dor,

and as the Zakar stood gathered about him, he

asked: “W ha t is in your minds?” And they re

plied: “We shall not rest until the ships you want

to sail for Egypt are sunk and destroyed!” Where

upon Zerkarbaal said: “I will not have it that the

envoy of Amun-Re be taken prisoner on the soil

of my land. Yet, if you insist, let me take him

aboard one of my ships. Then you pursue it andcapture him!”

So, Zerkarbaal had one of his ships loaded for

me and made me sail out of his harbor. But there

came a sudden storm and drove us to the isle of

Cyprus. A host of armed men swarmed out of

the city and threatened to kill me. They marched

me to the palace of Heteb, the queen of the island.

And it so happened that she was crossing the

courtyard between the palace wings. I greetedher and said to those who followed her: “Surely,

there must be one amongst you who understands

replied in my tongue: I understand it! So, I

said to him: “Tell your queen what her humble

servant says! Verily, word has gone as far as

to Thebes, the city of Amun: ‘Injustice may rule

all over this earth, but in Cyprus there reignsJustice!1 Now, I wonder: Are you doing every

day what you are doing to me this day?”

When Heteb was told these words of mine, she

turned to me and said: “W ha t is the meaning of

the words you have spoken?” An d I answered:

“The sea has raged and the storms have cast me

on the shores of this island which is yours. Is it

your will that your men assail and kill me? Verily,

I am the envoy of Amun-Re. If I do not return

to him, he will search for me day and night. And

if they slay the men with me, who are from Byblos,

their lord and master will kill ten times that num

ber of your own wherever he may find them!”

Thereupon Queen Heteb called her men and

commanded them to guard and to protect my ship.

And she said to me: “Be of good cheer! Tonight

you may sleep in peace. No harm shall befall

Amun’s envoy in my land!”

So, I returned to my ship. And Amun-Re, the

king of gods, and his divine image, Amun of the

Road, brought me back to Egypt together with

my load of precious woods for Userhet, the holy

b k



bark.V

Preserved on a papyrus writtenduring the First Century A.D.

HEN Petubastis was still king of Egypt,

it came to pass that the High Priest of

Amun died at Thebes and left all his

earthly goods, slaves, land, and cattle to

his sons. But the high priest also was the

holder of a divine endowment of great value. And

this possession was to be given to a son of his who

was ranking priest of Horus in Buto. However,

Anch'Hor, King Petubastis’ son, laid hand on it.

Thereupon, the son of the deceased, unwilling toforego his right, gathered about him thirteen of

the roughest war lords, all desert princes on whose

loyalty he could depend, and sent a message to

the pharaoh which said:

“If Anch'Hor, your son, does not yield what

rightfully belongs to me by the will of my father,

verily, I shall come and take it by the force of

arms!

When the pharaoh heard this, he summoned

his Council and said: “The priest of Horus in

Buto, the son of Amun’s high priest has sent me

a message which says: ‘If Anch-Hor, your son,

does not yield what rightfully belongs to me by

th ill f f th il I h ll d t k

din against the pharaoh and shouted: “Verily,

you cannot say that there lives a man who is more

i htf l i hi l i th I th i t f H



the will of my father, verily, I shall come and take

it by the force of arms!’ ”

When the royal councilors heard this, they ad

vised the pharaoh not to yield.

Now, as soon as the priest of Horus receivedPetubastis’ answer, he and the thirteen princes

who were loyal to him, sailed southward to take

his heritage by force.

It so happened that they reached Thebes at

the very time when the holy bark of Amun was

being taken across the river to the City of the

Dead where the great yearly feast was going to be

held. And the priest of Horus and his companions

fell upon the sacred bark and took possession ofit. Petubastis, the pharaoh, his court and all his

men in arms, stood on the river banks and helplessly looked on.

There was great lamentation for the holy bark

on which Amun had sailed since time began, the

ship whose mast, strong by his power, no storm

would break, whose rudder was embedded in its

hull as Horus was in Isis’ womb, yielding unfail

ingly to his divine command, and whose beams

held as fast together as twin brothers.The priest of Horus raised his voice above the

rightful in his claim than I, the priest of Horus

whose voice is Amun’s voice! To me belongs what

my father, his highest priest, has willed to be mine.

Nobody has the right to take it from me!”

Thereupon the pharaoh spoke to the priestsof Amun and said: “Have you heard the words

of the young priest?” And they replied: “They

have come to our ears now for the first time, and

we must therefore withhold our judgment.”

Now, all this was spoken so that it was heard

by the divine image of Amun, the great god. So,the priests said to the pharaoh: “May it please

your Majesty to ask Amun himself. Let the great

god decide whether or not the priest of Horushas a rightful claim!”

And the pharaoh said: “Verily, you do advise

me well.” So, he turned to Amun and asked him:

“Is the priest of Horus the one who is right or

not?” And Amun’s divine image at once inclined

and spoke: “He is the one!”

Thereupon, the pharaoh said: “Young priest

of Horus, you who are right in your heart, why

have you not come to me before and claimed your

own? Verily, if I had known you I would havenot permitted Anch-Hor to withhold it.”

To this the priest of Horus replied: “My king

and pharaoh, I stand before your Majesty and

A ’ i th d I t d b f hi h

blood whirled in a blinding storm, and he yelled:

“By Amun-Re, my lord and god, you shall not

h h t l i I ld th i it b k



Amun’s priesthood, I stand before him whose

might makes right, Amun himself, and he has

spoken. I have raised my voice before, but it was

not heard!”

Then Teos, the son of Anch'Hor, the king’s

son, spoke and answered him: “If you have raised

your voice yesterday, you need not raise it again

today, and malign my father and my father’s

father! Anch'Hor is armed and, by Amun’s holy

image, well protected against injustice!”

“You be silent!” the priest of Horus shouted.

“You be silent, Teos, son of Anch'Hor! You may

answer when you are asked about matters that

are your concern! Now, let me ask you, An eh'Hor, son of the king: What are you going to do

about my property? By Horus, the god whose

servant I am, the holy bark shall not carry Amun

back to Thebes until you give me what is mine!”

Then Anch'Hor said: “Have you come to take

it by the laws of peace or by brute force?”

And the young priest replied: “If you listen

to me, it will be done peacefully; if you listen not,

it shall be done by force. Take my word for it!”

A t these words, Anch-Hor’s wrath rose like

the raging sea. Flames darted from his eyes, his

have what you claim. I would rather give it back

to the high priest of Amun. Take my word forit!”

After Anch'Hor had spoken these words, he

turned his back to the priest of Horus and went

into the temple. He took off the byssus robes in

which he had clad himself for the great feast. He

laid aside the golden ornaments and jewels, and

called for his armor and the protecting talismansof Amun.

The priest of Horus also made himself ready to

fight as one of his faithful men came forward

with the most exquisite piece of armor. He girded

himself and followed Anch'Hor. He encounteredthe king’s son in the foreyard of the temple. And

he dealt him mighty blows and struck him down.

Thereupon, Teos, Anch'Hor’s son, arose and,

joined by all the princes who were faithful to the

king, issued a call to arms, proclaiming: “Are you

going to stand idly by while the son of your king

is beaten? Take up arms and come to help!”

And Egypt’s hosts answered the call. Theycame rushing on from everywhere. The men from

Tanis came and those from Mendes, from Aphthis

and from Sebennytos, to stand by the king with

all their might. But against them stood the force

of the enemy, the roughest men of war, well girded

with armor helmets on their heads shields on their

of war took off their armor and went ashore with

their warriors and the crews of their ships. And

they all sat down to feast on the bread and wine



with armor, helmets on their heads, shields on their

arms and swords in their hands. And as the thir

teen princes gathered about the priest of Horus,

they heard them say to him: “In the face of Amun,

the great god, give us your commands! Verily,the earth shall drink to its fill the blood of him

who dares but one word that may displease you!”

And, alas, the awesome splendor of the enemy's

armed might filled the men of the pharaoh with

so great a fear that no one dared say anotherword.

Then the young priest of Horus took up again

his fight with Anch-Hor. He struck him as a lion

strikes a she-ass and hit him as one hits a cryingchild. He lifted him by his armor and dropped

him to the ground. He tied a rope around his

neck and made him walk before him like a cap

tured slave.

Followed by his men, the priest of Horus

marched him to the river, and no Egyptian dared

resistance, so great was the fear. And Anch-Hor,

the king's son, was taken to the bark of Amun

and thrown, bound as he was, into the darkness

of its hold.

Then the priest of Horus and his thirteen lords

they all sat down to feast on the bread and wine

and meat that they had taken from the holy bark.Now, while they had their faces turned in

gratitude to Amun, the great god, and while they

burned frankincense and purified themselves before the divine image of everlasting justice, the

king of Egypt raised his voice in loud lament and

cried: “By Amun, the great god, woe is me! The

glory of my great is gone! Why is not Pemu with

me, the hero of On, and Pesnufer, the East’s great

lord of arms? My heart is deeply sorrowed, for

the priest of Horus has taken the holy bark and

feasts in its divine splendor!”

Then Teos, Anch-Hor’s son, spoke up againand said: “My king and lord, let yourself be

guided by Amun who never hides his will. Go

and ask him: Is it right for me to call my hosts

to fight so that they may deliver Anch-Hor from

the enemy’s hands?”And the pharaoh went forth and asked the

great god: “Is it right for me to call my hosts to

fight?”

But Amun did not incline to him, and his

answer was: “Nevermore!”

Then the pharaoh asked: “Is it right for me to

call your priestly servants and let them seat you

on a precious litter beneath a byssus roof as you

were seated on the holy bark so that you may

of Horus and tell him from me: Time has come

for you to put on festive robes. Take of the

talismans of victory and lay them down before



were seated on the holy bark, so that you may

be with us till the strife is ended?”

And Amun moved forth as he had done before,and said: “Let this be your call!”

Thus, there was brought the most precious litter,and Amun was seated beneath a byssus canopy as

though he were on the holy bark.

Now, Petubastis, the pharaoh, and his court

stayed in the City of the Dead on the banks of

the river facing Thebes. And since he would not

call his hosts to fight, Amun had to rest on the

precious litter under the roof of byssus. The

priest of Horus and his thirteen lords of war re

mained on the holy bark, and in the darkness ofits hold Anch-Hor, the king’s son, lay languishing

in bonds. They showed neither fear of the pharaoh

nor f right of Amun’s justice. Whenever Petubastis

looked across the river, he saw them strutting on

the holy bark. So, one day, he spoke to Pekrur,

the son of Pesnufer, the East’s great lord of war,

and said to him: “W ha t shall we do? They are

holding Amun’s holy bark, and they make for war

and stir revolt under his very eyes because Anch-

Hor would no t yield what he has taken. The

best I know to do is that you go to the priest

talismans of victory and lay them down before

Amun, the great god, for you shall be forthwith

high priest in Thebes!’

Pekrur at once went to see the priest of Horus

and repeated before Amun’s divine image and the

thirteen lords of war each and every word the

pharaoh had spoken. And the priest of Horus had

this answer: “Verily, Petubastis has spoken well,

when he said the words which you are bringing

me. Indeed, the time has come to put on robes

of linen. Tell him from me: Take off your armor

or, by Horus, my god, I shall turn my hosts

against you and smite you dead! Do you forget

that Anch-Hor, your son, is my prisoner? I demand that Amun and his divine treasure be given

to me in exchange for him. And while you turn

over what rightfully belongs to me, do not forget

the precious litter of Amun and the talismans of

golden glory! I shall not take off arms till Amun

rests upon his holy bark, all mine and in the

hands of the thirteen lords here with me! Not

one day sooner shall an oar be moved or Amun’s

bark be taken back to Thebes! Verily, none of

your men who ever dares again set foot upon

this ship, shall stay alive!”

Thereupon Pekrur returned to the pharaoh and

repeated to him each and every word the priest

of Horus had spoken And Petubastis also re

upon my king, you and your host who took by

force of arms the holy bark and still keep it from

Amun’s faithful servant. Verily, if you have



of Horus had spoken. And Petubastis also re

peated them word for word and asked: “Did he

really say: 'Is Anch'Hor not my prisoner? I de

mand that Amun’s divine treasure be given me in

his exchange?’ Verily, if he demanded from me

gold and silver, I would pay him. But never

shall I let him take Amun and his divine treasure

to Buto in triumph over Thebes!”

Now, it came to pass that in the North the

mightiest man of war arose and appeared with

his host at Thebes to aid the pharaoh, his king

and lord, so that Amun would not be taken from

his city. And as he stood before Petubastis, he

said: “My king and lord, behold, the talismans ofvictory are in my hands. Rejoice, your Majesty,

at the fate I hold in store for the priest of Buto

and his thirteen lords of war! Woe upon them,

if they dare take more than what rightfully be

longs to them. If they want war, my pharaoh,

war I shall give them to the end!”

Petubastis blessed the mighty lord of war and

sent him on his way. And Amun’s faithful fol

lower went in full armor to the holy bark andcalled to the priest of Horus: “The time has come

that you atone for the evil you have wrought

Amun s faithful servant. Verily, if you have

risen to claim rightful possession of your heritage,

come to the shore and you shall receive your

own. But if war is what you wanted, come on

and let the banks of the river be drenched withyour blood!”

Thereupon the priest of Horus called down tq

him from the holy bark and answered him: “Only

too well I know you who are called the North’s

most mighty lord of war. Verily, your name is

famous for the grandeur of your words. Wait, I

shall send the most faithful man of mine to the

shore and let you have my answer!”

With that, the priest of Horus motioned tothe thirteen lords who were with him on the

bark as always, that he would gird himself and go

to shore. And he rose up against the mighty war

lord from the North and struck him as a lion

strikes a she-ass. He lifted him by his armor and

dropped him to the ground. He tied a rope around

his neck and set his foot upon him. He took him

to the holy bark and threw him into the darkness

of its hold where Anch-Hor, the king’s son, still

lay in bonds. Then he took off his armor and made

himself ready for a feast of victory. And he and

his thirteen faithful, together with their men and

the crews of the ships, drank their fill in wine

and feasted under the eyes of Amun and in the

pharaoh: “Is it not sheer folly what Teos advises

you to do? Have not all perished who have gone

to fight? Has not Anch-Hor been taken prisoner,



y

sight of the pharaoh and all his men.

Then King Petubastis raised his voice in loud

lament and cried: “Woe is me! Once Anch-Hor,

my son, was sailing in his ship, the leader of myroyal fleet that carried Egypt’s never-beaten hosts,

and from its mast a shield of gold proclaimed: ‘I

am the shield and guard of Egypt!’ Woe is me!

Once the ship of the North’s most mighty man of

war followed the royal fleet, protector of its rear,

proudly proclaiming to the world; ‘I am the Bark

of Egypt, Mighty and Never to be Beaten!’ Now,

woe be me!, the priest from Buto has come with

his barbarian hosts and both, the Shield and Barkof Egypt are in his hands. He makes the kingdom

tremble Eke a broken ship that none can steer.

Woe be me! Nevermore will Amun, the great

god, sail from the shores of Thebes across the

river to the City of the Dead!”

Thereupon Teos, the son of Anch-Hor, rose

up again and said: “By your Majesty, my king

and lord, this battle will stand still till all of Egypt’s

might is thrown against the enemy.”

But Pekrur, the son of Pesnufer, the war lordof the East, turned against Teos and said to the

g p

and the North’s great warrior been captured?

Even your mightiest host will never set them free.

Verily, Teos’ counsel sounds to me as though

he said: ‘Throw in all your might so that it maybe bathed in its own blood.’ Amun, the great god,

is not in vain with us. Whatever we have done,

was done upon his word. Why do you not ask

him?”

And the pharaoh said: “Verily, you are counsel

ing me well, Pekrur.” And he went and bowed

in prayer before Amun and spoke to him: “Amun,

my lord and god, is it right for me to call Egypt’s

whole might to fight against the priest of Horusand his war lords?”

But Amun did not incline and answered:

“Nevermore!”

Then the pharaoh asked: “Amun, my lord, is

it right for me to yield to the demands of the

priest of Horus? And will he then set free Anch-

Hor and the North’s great lord of war?”

Amun again did not incline and answered:

“Nevermore!”Then the pharaoh asked: “My lord and god,

will he and his barbarian hosts wrest all of Egypt

from my hands?”

A d i A d “N !”

that they may join you and carry out your Ma

jesty’s wish and command.”

“By Amun ” Petubastis replied “if I send for



And again Amun answered: “Nevermore!”

Then the pharaoh asked: “Will you, O Amun,

and your divine glory be possessed by him?”

And for the fourth time Amun answered:“Nevermore!”

So, the pharaoh asked once more: “My lord and

god, will you grant victory to my arms and make

him leave the holy bark?”

This time Amun moved forth and said at once:

“It shall be done!”

Thereupon, the pharaoh named one by one

the princes and the lords of war who were with

him and had brought him victory before. Yet,Amun inclined to none. Then he called the names

of Pesnufer, the East’s great lord of arms, and of

Pemu, the hero of On, and the great god moved

forth at once and said: “They are the ones, whom

I shall aid so that they may rout the enemy and

set free Anch-Hor and the great war lord of the

North . They are the ones to be of help to you!”

Thereupon Petubastis turned to Pekrur and

took counsel with him in the face of Amun. And

this was Pekrur’s advice: “If it so please you, my

king and lord, send messages to Pemu and Pesnufer

By Amun, Petubastis replied, if I send for

them, they will not come because I have offended

them. I did not ask them to honor me with their

presence at the great festival of Amun, my lord

and father, when I ascended the throne. Only to

you, Pekrur, lord of the East, they will now listen.

You are the only one who could send for them.

Upon my word and will, they would not come.”

And Pekrur said: “My king and lord, great

indeed is the insult you have made them suffer,

for you forgot your friends till you needed them

in your misfortune.”

But the king replied: “Verily, by Amun, it was

against my wish and will that they were insulted.Teos, Anch-Hor’s son, caused the discord. He

set me against them with evil words. It was he

who said: ‘My king, there will be strife and quarrel

in your ranks as long as Pesnufer and Pemu are

not kept away.’ But, verily, he who sets trapsfor others will be caught himself. He who evil-

minded digs a pit will fall therein. He who whets

a treacherous dagger will cut his own throat. Be

hold, Teos’ warriors lie in bonds and there is none

to wage a fight for them. Yet, let us keep words

from battling against words!”

Thereupon Pekrur sent Pemu a message which

said: “Turn to the South your glorious might, for

there is none Eke you in all the hosts of Egypt!”

the City of the Dead. No sail of byssus covers

him, for captured is the holy bark. Anch-Hor,

the son of Petubastis, is taken prisoner and with



And then Pekrur said: “Call to me Hige, the

son of Minnebme, my scribe!” An d they hastened

and brought Hige before him. And Pekrur said

to his scribe: “Write what I say to Pesnufer, myson, and send it to Persapte where he now is.”

And this letter read as follows: “Pekrur, lord

of the East, son of Pesnufer and father of Egypt’s

brave bulls of victory, herewith sends greetings to

Pesnufer, his son, Persapte’s mighty bull of war,

the Eon of the East, the iron rampart, my gift from

Isis, the brazen mast of Egypt’s bark that holds the

heart of its host! My son, Pesnufer, when this

letter reaches you while you are eating, lay down

the bread. If it comes to you while you are drink

ing, put aside the chalice of ebriety! Tarry not,

oh, tarry not! Make haste, make haste! Embark

at once with the core of your fighting men, the

fifty and six brave of the East. And do not leave

Pemu behind, the son of Inaros, your brother in

arms, and his royal ship, nor the four princely

priests who are his faithful aides. Tu rn to the

South and join me at Thebes where the pharaoh

is sorely pressed by his enemies in daily fighting.Amun, the great god, is held and kept away from

him lies in bonds the North’s great lord of war.

Turn to the South! Take up the battle! Let the

hosts of Egypt see the enemy in terror and in fear

of you!”This letter was closed at once and sealed with

Pekrur’s signet. Then it was handed to a certain

Harkoris who rushed with it to the North with

out a halt by day or night. Thus, he reached

Persapte in a few days. He went immediately to

see Pesnufer and handed him the letter. But when

it was opened and the great war lord of the East

heard what it said, his wrath rose Eke the raging

sea and he hissed Eke a flame of sacrifice:

“I see, I see! The royal fisherman of Thebes

casts out his net for me. I see that His Majesty

has set his trap to snare me. Nevermore! Petubas

tis, son of Anch-Hor, you whom I was not al

lowed to greet as king, now you are calling me

because you need my help in your misfortune!

Verily, when you were holding festivals and

needed no defense against your enemies, you would

not call for me and do me honor!—Yet, by Sebdu,

my god, the great lord of the East, and by myseEI swear that I shall not requite evil with evil.

Since my father, Pekrur, the East’s great warrior,

has sent me word that Amun is held and kept

from the City of the Dead, and that there is none

ing northward, he happened to look to the South.

And, lo and behold, in the far distance he saw a

ship coming down the river. It took about an



to fight for the house of Petubastis, I shall forget

the shameful insult done to me. Together with

the fifty and six brave of the East who always

fight faithfully by my side, I shall embark and sailwell armed to Thebes! Now, you, the envoy of

His Majesty, hasten to On and tell Pemu, the son

of Inaros, that this is my wish and will: ‘Arm

your newest ship and set sails! Pesnufer is going

to meet you in Pemebhotep.’ ”

Without delay, the envoy of the pharaoh went

on his way to On. He brought Pemu the message

from Pesnufer and said to him in his name: “This

is my wish and will!”Meanwhile Pesnufer called the fifty and six

war lords of the East, armed his men and em

barked. Witho ut delay, he sailed to Pernebhotep,

the port of On where he found Pemu and his

armed force embarked on his newest ship. Thus,

together they sailed to the South.

Now, it came to pass that Petubastis, the phar

aoh, who had to stay in the City of the Dead

across the river from Thebes, went to the river

banks, as he did every day, to look out for the

ships of Pesnufer and Pemu. But instead of look

p g

hour till it reached the height of Thebes. Then the

pharaoh detected a warrior in full armor who was

rowed across the river. The boat reached shore,

and the warrior went on land. He was indeed

from head to toe in shining armor, a bull with

mighty horns. With out coming closer to the place

where Petubastis stood, he turned at once towards

the holy bark of Amun and called to the priest

of Horus and his men:

“May Schais, the gracious god of Fate, guard

forever the life of the pharaoh!—Verily, wicked

are you who took by force the holy bark and kept

the great god from his devoted servant!”

And the priest of Horus answered: “Who are

you to dare such words? Are you from Tanis or

from Mendes?”

And the warrior replied: “I am not a son of

the North, as you may think. My name is Min-

nebme. I am a son of Inaros, prince of the Isle

of Jeb—the mighty lord of the South!”

To that the priest of Horus replied: “If you arecoming from the South, why do you serve the

pharaoh and make his cause your own? Come on

and join me on the holy bark and feast with us

under Amun’s eyes!”

A t tha t Minnebme shouted: “By Chnum, my

we have fought long enough for one day’s fight

ing. Let us go on tomorrow! But cursed be he

and shame upon him who is not here at dawn!”



god and lord of Jeb, never will you atone thus for

the crime you have committed. Or do you chal

lenge me to fight you on the holy bark? Have

your choice! Set Amun free and keep him notfrom voyaging to shore. If you not do it by your

own free will, it shall be done by force!”

Thereupon, one of the thirteen war lords rose

up and yelled: “Look out, you negro, you dirty

Nubian, you mouthful of filth from Jeb!” And

with that he girded himself with his armor and

went ashore. W ith mighty blows he fell upon

Minnebme. And they fought from the early dawn

until the eighth hour of the day under the eyesof the pharaoh and in the sight of all the hosts

of Egypt. They tried their skill of arms upon each

other, yet neither was able to overcome the other.

Then the pharaoh said to Pekrur, the East’s

great lord, and to Teos, the son of Anch-Hor:

“By Amun, they still stand firmly on their feet.

But who can tell before the night what there may

happen?”

The two fought on for quite a while longer.

But then, the war lord who had come from the

holy bark, paused and said to Minnebme: “Now,

Minnebme agreed and they laid down their

arms. They left the place of battle, and each re

turned to his ship.

Now, the pharaoh wanted to meet Minnebme.So he sent Pekrur and Teos after him. And they

said to him: “Does a fighter for the king ever go

into battle and return from it without coming to

the pharaoh for his reward?”

So, Minnebme went to Petubastis, bared his

head, threw himself at his feet and kissed the

ground before him. Only then, the pharaoh rec

ognized him. And he walked over to him, folded

his arms around him, pressed his lips upon Min-nebme’s lips and held him as a lover holds his

bride. Then he said to him: “Hail to you, Min

nebme—hail to you, son of Inaros, lord of the

South! Verily, Amun has granted me what I have

asked from him; to have you back with me, un

harmed and strong as ever. By Amun-Re, now

that I have seen you fight, I know: he who brings

me victory, must be a bull of Jeb, son of a mighty

bull; must be a lion and a lion’s son as mighty

as you are, son of Inaros!”Pekrur and Teos, and with them all the great

of Egypt took Minnebme’s hand and wished him

good luck. And the pharaoh asked him to sit with

him under the byssus roof of the royal tent. Then

arms around them and held them in his embrace for

a long while.In the early morning, Pesnufer girded himself



Minnebme returned to his ship, and the pharaoh

sent him many gifts, and all the great of Egypt

sent him their presents.

And it came to pass that Minnebme had to

fight for two more days. But when the third day

drew to its end, he left the field of battle un

harmed, for his foe could not prevail over him.

Thus, word passed from one Egyptian to the

other, and everybody said: “There is no stock of

fighting men in Egypt equal to the stock of Inaros.

Neither Anch-Hor, the king’s own son, nor the

great war lord of the North could stand the battle

for one single day. But, behold, Minnebme, Inaros’son, has fought three days and left the field with

out a wound!”

Now, while all this happened, Pemu and Pes

nufer reached the South. They landed with their

ships not all too far from Petubastis’ tents and, in

full armor, went ashore. And when the pharaoh

learned of their arrival, he went with Pekrur and

Teos, Anch-Hor’s son, to greet them. Pesnufer,

the East’s great lord of war, and Pemu, the heroof On, bowed before the king who folded his

with his armor and called to the holy bark, chal

lenging the priest of Horus. And he came ashore

to meet the East’s great war lord in battle. But

Pesnufer struck him as a lion strikes a she-ass andhit him as one hits a crying child. He lifted him

by his armor and dropped him to the ground. He

tied a rope around his neck and set his foot upon

him, and thus fulfilled the word which Amun, the

great god, had given to the pharaoh.

The priest of Horus and his thirteen lords of

war could not withstand the might of Pemu and

Pesnufer. The holy bark was won back for Petu

bastis, and Anch-Hor, the king’s son, and theNorth’s great war lord, were freed from their

bonds. Amun, the great god, could rest again

under byssus sails while the holy bark was taken

unhindered to the banks of the river by the City

of the Dead where the great feast of the year

was now being held.

The heritage for which the priest of Horus had

come, with his thirteen lords of war, was handed

over by Anch-Hor, the king’s son, to the high

priest of Amun’s temple at Thebes in whose possession it had been before.

THE KING’S TREASURE AND

THE THIEVES



V

Preserved by Herodotus in his History,written in Greek ca. 450 B. C.It is the only version of thisancient tale known to exist.

ING RHAMPSINITUS was so rich that

none of the pharaohs who came after

him, ever excelled him or even equalled

him in wealth. Now, in order to protect

his treasure he had a chamber built of

blocks of stone so that its entrance wall projected

into the adjoining wall of his palace. But the

crafty master builder fitted somewhere into thestructure a block so skilfully hewn that it could

be easily removed by two men or even one alone.

When the chamber was completed the king

placed in it all his treasures. But it came to pass

that soon thereafter the master builder felt the hour

of his death approaching. An d he called his two

sons and disclosed to them the artful secret which

he had built into the royal treasure chamber, in

order to provide their future with the luxuries of

life. He told them everything: the exact position

of the block, its measurements, and how to move

it. He also made it clear to them that, if they

used the necessary caution and diligence, the

king’s treasures would be theirs for the taking.

N h th i f th h d d th

dicament and called his brother. He pointed out

to him the mortal danger which confronted both

of them. In order to prevent any possible idem

tification he urged him to cut off his head And



Now, when their father had passed away, the

two sons would not wait all too long and went to

work. Under the cover of night they entered the

palace, searched out the secret block, easily re"moved it, and took with them a goodly load ofsilver.

When, in the course of time, the king visited

the treasure chamber and found the silver in the

chests reduced, he was surprised beyond all meas"

ure. He would not know whom to suspect, for

everything seemed perfectly intact, and not a

single seal upon the doors was broken.

Now, the same thing happened several times.

The thieves continued their performance, and

whenever the king looked at his treasures, he

could not help seeing that they were vanishing

ever faster. So, in order to put an end to the

thievery once and for all, he ordered traps of ex"

traordinary strength to be set around the treasurechests.

When the two thieves paid the treasure cham"

ber their usual visit, one of the brothers, passing

the first chest, stepped into a trap and could notforce himself out of it. He fully realized his pre"

tification, he urged him to cut off his head. And

the brother, convinced that this was good advice,

carried out his wish. Then he replaced the secret

block and left the palace with the severed head.A t the break of dawn, the king went to the

treasure chamber. But when he saw the body of

the thief without a head, caught in the trap, and

could not find any other trace of the nocturnal

visit, he was astonished as he never was before.

In his bewilderment, the king could think of

nothing better to do than to have the headless

corpse hung up on the palace wall for everybody

to be seen. He ordered guards to watch it, and

to seize and bring before him anyone who would

make himself suspicious by weeping or by show"

ing any other sign of grief at the sight of the dead

man.Now, when the body was hung up, the mother

in her sorrow and despair, threatened the surviving

son that she would go to the king and tell him all,

if he did not bring the body home to her for burial.

He tried to change her mind, but when he realized

that all such effort was in vain, he fell upon aruse and went to work.

He took a team of pack asses, loaded them up

with skins of wine and drove them to the palace

wall close to the spot where the guards kept watch

over his brother’s body There he opened on the

the road and fell asleep right on the spot. Under

the cover of darkness, he cut his brother’s body

from the wall, sheared off the right side of the

beard of each and every guard for sheer mockery



over his brother s body. There, he opened on the

sly some of the skins, and as the wine poured out,

he started crying and lamenting in feigned despair.

The guards, of course, saw what happened andcame rushing up to him with all kinds of vessels

to catch as much of the wine as they possiblycould.

At first, the driver of the asses madly sworeat them as any merchant in that situation would

have cursed. But, after a little while, he admitted

that the men did nothing wrong, and let them

calm him down. He took his time moving the

asses to the roadside, where he pretended to re'

arrange his load, and started a friendly chatter

with the guards. He laughed heartily at a joke

they told and, after all was set and done, pre'

sented them most generously with another skin

of wine. So, they asked the “merchant” to sit

down with them and keep them company. He

let himself be persuaded and, because they treated

him so very kindly, he felt that they deserved an'other and still another skin.

Very soon, the wine fulfilled its purpose. Oneafter the other, the guards dropped drunk upon

beard of each and every guard for sheer mockery,

put the headless corpse upon one of his asses and

rode home on the other. Thus, he complied fully

with his mother’s wish.Now, when the king heard what had happened,

he was enraged beyond all measure and swore he

would not rest until the brazen thief be found. To

this end, he devised a plan beyond belief. He

commanded his daughter to give herself to all

comers who wished to enjoy her, and to ask in

return but the one favor that each visitor tell her

the most wicked and deceitful deed of his life. But

he commanded her also to seize and deliver to him

the one who would confess to her the thievery in

question.The daughter of the king did as she was com'

manded. But the thief, fully aware of the whole

design, decided to outwit the king once more, and

thus he went to work. He cut off the arm of a

man who had just died, hid it under his robe and

went to have his pleasure with the king’s daughter.

Now, when she asked him the question she had

asked from all comers, he brazenly confessed thatthe most wicked thing he ever did was to cut off

his brother’s head as he was caught by a trap in

the king’s treasure chamber, and that his most de

ceitful deed had been to make the guards drunkand to take home his brother’s body



and to take home his brother s body.

As the king’s daughter heard this, she wanted

to seise him. But, favored by the dimness in the

room, he made her grab the dead man’s arm. Thus,he escaped, and the king’s daughter had to admitthat she was fooled.

When the king heard what had happened, he

was equally astonished at the ingenuity and the

audacity of tha t man. And so that all end well,

he made known to all the land that the thief would

not be punished if he revealed himself and ap

peared before the king. And the thief trusted the

royal proclamation and presented himself.

Now, King Rhampsinitus thought so much of

this man’s wits that he gave him his daughter for

wife. For, in the king’s opinion, an Egyptian ex

celled the whole world in intelligence, but this

man had excelled even the most intelligentEgyptian.

V V V

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Budge, E. W. , Eg ypt ian Rea din g Bo o\ . London, 1888

Erman, Adolph, Die Litera tur der Ae gy pter . Berlin, 1923

Flinders Petrie, W . M., Eg ypt ian Tales. London, 1895

Griffith, F. LI., Eg ypt ian Lite ratu re. New York, 1898

Lepsius, K. R., De n\ma ele r aus Ae gy pt en und Ae th iop ien , 1897

Maspero, Gaston, Popular Stories of An ci en t Egypt . London 5? New York, 1915

Newberry, Percy, Am he rs t Papy ri, 1901

Wiedemann, A., Altaegyptische Sagen und Maerchen. Leipzig, 1906

N o t e : The reader will find the most comprehensive bibliograph'ical information contained in the above listed works olAdolph Erroan and Gaston Maspero.

V V V

Explanatory

V



THE ROSICRU Cl AN ORDER

V

A n t i c i p a t i n g questions which may be asked by the

readers of this book, the publishers wish to announce

that there is but one universal Rosicrucian Order existing

in the world today, united in its various jurisdictions, and

having one Supreme Council in accordance with the origi

nal plan of the ancient Rosicrucian manifestoes.

This international organization retains the ancient tra

ditions, teachings, principles, and practical helpfulness of

the Brotherhood as founded centuries ago. It is knownas the An ci en t Mystical Ord er Rosae Crucis, which name

is abbreviated for popular use into AMO RC . The inter

national jurisdiction of this Order for North, Central,

and South America, British Commonwealth and Empire,

France, Switzerland, and Africa is located at San Jose,

California. Those interested in knowing more of the

history and present-day, helpful offerings of the Rosi-

crucians may have a free copy of the book entitled, Th e

Maste ry of Life, by sending a definite request to Scr ib e

C. J. D., A M OR C Temple, R osicrucian Park, San Jose,

California.

V V V

V o l u m e I

R O S I C R U C I A N Q U E S T I O N S A N D A N S W E R S



V V V

The Rosicrucian Library

Consists of a number of unique books which are described

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ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

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W ITH COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE ORDER

By H. S p e n c e r L e w is , F. R. C., Ph.D .

V

T h i s volume contains the first complete, authentic history of

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V o l u m e II

ROSICR UCIAN PRINCIPLES FOR THE HOME

AND BUSINESS

B y H. S p e n c e r L e w is , F. R. C., Ph.D .

THE MYSTICAL LIFE OF JESUS

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T h i s is the book that thousands have been waiting for—the

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B y H. S p e n c e r L e w is , F. R. C., Ph.D .

V

T h i s volume contains such principles of practical Rosicrucian

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V

V o l u m e IV

THE SECRET DOCTRINES OF JESUS

By H .S p e n c e r L e w is , F. R. C., Ph.D .

D o e s the Bible actually contain the unadulte rated words of

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H e r e is a book that will tell you about the real facts of

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V

V o l u m e V

“UNT O THEE I GRA NT . . "

By S r i. R a m a t h e r i o

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the mystic principles taught by the Rosicrucians in regard to

reincarnation as well as the spiritual laws of the soul and the

incarnations of the soul.

It is well printed, bound with a cloth cover, and worthy of a

place in anyone's library.

Price, per copy, postage prepaid, only $1.75 (12/6 sterling).

V

V o l u m e V II

SELF MASTERY AND FATE W ITH THE

CYCLES OF LIFE

B y H . S p e n c e r L e w is , F. R. C., Ph.D.

T h i s book is entirely different from any other book ever issued

in America, dealing with the secret periods in the life of each

man and woman wherein the Cosmic forces affect our daily

affairs.The book reveals how we may take advantage of certain

periods to bring success, happiness, health, and prosperity into

our lives, and it likewise points out those periods which are not

favorable for many of the things we try to accomplish. It does

not deal with astrology or any system of fortunetelling, but

presents a system long used by the Master Mystics in Oriental

lands and which is strictly scientific and demonstra ble. One

reading of the book with its charts and tables will enable the

reade r to see the course of his life at a glance. It helps every

one to eliminate "chance” and “luck,” to cast aside “fate” and

crucian explanations, aside from the complete dictionary it

contains.

The Ro si cru cia n M an ua l is of large size, well printed, beau

tifully bound in red silk cloth, and stamped in gold. Th e book

has been enlarged and improved in many ways since its first

edition.

Price, postage prepaid, $2.8? ( £ l / - / 4 sterling).

V



replace these with self-mastery.

Here is a book you will use weekly to guide your affairs

through out the years. There is no magic in its system, but it

opens a vista of the cycles of the life of each being in a remarkable manner.

Well-printed, bound in silk cloth, and stamped in gold to

match other volumes of the Rosicrucian Library. Price, postage

prepaid, $2.60 (18/7 sterling).

V

V o l u m e VIII

R O S I C R U C I A N M A N U A L

By H. S p e n c e r L e w i s , F. R. C., Ph.D.

T h i s book contains not only extracts from the Constitution

of the Rosicrucian Order, but a complete outline and explana*

tion of all the customs and terminology of the Rosicrucians,

with diagrams and explanations of the symbols used in the

teachings, an outline of the subjects taught, a dictionary of the

terms, a complete presentation of the principles of Cosmic Con

sciousness, and biographical sketches of important characters

connec ted with the work. The re are also special articles on the

Great White Lodge and its existence, how to attain psychic

illumination, the Rosicrucian Code of Life with thirty laws and

regulations, and a number of portraits of prominent mystics in

cluding Master K. H., the Illustrious.

The technical matter contained in the text and in the hundred

or more diagrams makes this book a real encyclopedia of Rosi-

V

V o l u m e IX

MYSTICS AT PRAYER

Compiled by M a n y C i h l a r

A us tr ia n Ph ilos op he r an d M ys ti c

T h e first compilation of the famous prayers of the renowned

mystics and adepts of all ages.

The book, M ys ti cs at Pra yer , explains in simple language the

reason for prayer, how to pray, and the Cosmic laws involved.

You come to learn the real efficacy of prayer and its full beauty

dawns upon you. Wh ateve r your religious beliefs, this book

makes your prayers the application not of words, but of helpful,

divine principles. You will learn the infinite power of prayer.

Prayer is man’s rightful heritage. It is the direct means of man's

communion with the infinite force of divinity.

My st ic s at Pr ay er is well bound, printed on art paper in two

colors, with deckle-edged pages, sent anywhere, postpaid, $1.5?

(11/1 sterl ing).

V

V o l u m e X

BEHOLD THE SIGN

By R a l p h M. L e w i s . F. R. C.

W h a t were the Sacred Traditions said to have been revealed

to Moses— and never spoken by the ancient Hebrews? W hat

were the forces of nature discovered by the Egyptian priesthood

and embod ied in strange symbols— symbols which became the

ever-living knowledge which built King Solomon's Temple, and

which found their way into the secret teachings of every century?

Regardless of the changing consciousness of man, certainsigns and devices have immortalized for all ages the truths

which make men free. Learn the meaning of the Ancho r and

Ark, the Seven-Pointed Star, ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and

many other age-old secret symbols.

Here is a book that also explains the origin of the various

forms of the cross, the meanings of which are often misunder

stood. It furth er points out the mystical beginnings of the

secret signs used by many fraternal orders today. This book of

symbolism is fu ll y ill us trate d, simply and interestingly written.

Well bound and printed. Price, postage prepaid, $1.45 (10/ 4

L E M U R I A — T H E L O S T C O N T I N E N T

OF THE PACIFIC

fly WlSHAR S. CERVE

V



sterling).

V

V o l u m e XI

MANSIONS OF THE SOUL

The Cosmic Conception

By H. S p e n c e r L e w i s , F. R. C., Ph.D.

R e i n c a r n a t i o n ! The world's most disputed doctrine. The

belief in reincarnation has had millions of intelligent, learned,

and tolerant followers throughout the ages. Ringing through

the minds and hearts of students, mystics, and thinkers have

always been the words: “ Wh y Are W e Here ?’’ Reincarnation

has been critized by some as conflicting with sacred literature

and as being without verification. This book reveals, however,

in an intelligent manner the many facts to support reincarnation.

Quotations from eminent authorities, and from Biblical and

Sacred works substantiate reincarnation. This volume PROV ES

reincarnation. It places it high above mere speculation. This

book is without exaggeration the most complete, inspiring, en

lighten ing book ever written on this subject. It is not a fiction

story but a step-by-step revelation of profound mystical laws.

Look at some of the thought-provoking, intriguing subjects:

The Cosmic Conception; The Personality of the Soul; Does

Personality Survive Transition?; Heredity and Inheritance; Karma

and Personal Evolution; Religious and Biblical Viewpoints;

Christian References; Between Incarnations; Souls of Animals

and the "Unborn”; Recollections of the Past.

The book contains over three hundred pages. Beautifully

printed, neatly bound, stamped in gold, it will be a valuableasset to your library. Economically priced at only $2.85 ( £ l/ - /4

sterling) per copy, postage prepaid.

B e n e a t h the rolling, restless seas lie the mysteries of for

gotten civilizations. Swept by the tides, half-buried in the sands,

worn away by terrific pressure, are the remnants of a culture

little known to our age of today. Whe re the mighty Pacificnow rolls in a majestic sweep of thousands of miles, there was

once a vast continent. This land was known as Lemuria, and

its people as Lemurians.

We pride ourselves upon the inventions, conveniences, and de

velopments of today. We call them modern, but these ancient

and long-fo rgotten people excelled us. Thing s we speak of as

futur e possibilities, they knew as everyd ay realities. Science has

gradually pieced together the evidences of this lost race, and in

this book you will find the most amazing, enthralling revelations

you have ever read. How these people came to be swept from

the face of the earth, except for survivors who have living

descendants today, is explained. Illustrations and explanations

of their mystic symbols, maps of the continent, and many ancient truths and laws are contained in this unusual book.

If you are a lover of mystery, of the unknown, the weird— read

this book. Remem ber, however, this book is not fiction, but based

on facts, the result of extensive research. Does civilization reach

a certain height and then retrograde? Are the culture and

progress of mankind in cycles, reaching certain peaks, and then

returning to start over again? These questions and many more

are answered in this intrigu ing volume. Read of the living des

cendants of these people, whose expansive nation now lies at

the bottom of the Pacific. In the minds of these descendants

is the knowledge of the principles which in bygone centuries

made their forebears builders of an astounding civilization.

The book, Le mu ria— T h e Lo st Co nt in en t of th e Paci fic, is

beautifully bound, well printed, and contains many illustrations.

It is economically priced at $2.50 (17/10 sterling).

V o l u m e XIII

T H E T E C H N I Q U E O F T H E M A S T E R

The W ay of Cosmic Preparation

By R a y m u n d A n d r e a , F . R .C .

A GUIDE to inner unfoldment! The newest and simplest ex-

planation for attaining the state of Cosmic Consciousness. To

those who have felt the throb of a vital power within, and whose

inner vision has at times glimpsed infinite peace and happiness,

V o l u m e XV

THE BOOK OF JASHER

The Sacred Book Withheld

By w h a t right has man been denied the words of the prophets?

Who dared expunge from the Holy Bible one of its inspired

messages? For centuries man has labored unde r the illusion that

there have been preserved for him the collected books of the

great teachers and disciples—ye t one has been withheld — Th e



g p p pp ,

this book is offered. It conver ts the intangible whispers of self

into forceful actions that bring real joys and accomplishments in

life. It is a masterful work on psychic unfoldment.

It is well bound in cloth. Secure this treasure for yourself.

Economically priced, postage prepaid, at $2.25 (16/1 sterling).

V

V o l u m e XIV

THE SYMBOLIC PROPHECY OF

THE GREAT PYRAMID

By H. S p e n c e r L e w is , F. R. C., P h. D.

The world's greatest mystery and first wonder is the Great

Pyramid. It stands as a monume nt to the learning and achieve-

ments of the ancients. For centurie s its secrets were closeted in

stone—now th ey stand revealed.Never before in a book priced within the reach of every reader

have the history, vast wisdom, and prophecies of the Great Pyra

mid been given. You will be amazed at the Pyr amid's scientific

construction and at the tremendous knowledge of its mysterious

builders.

W ho built the Great Pyramid? W hy were its builders inspired

to reveal to posterity the events of the future? W hat is the path

that the Great Pyramid indicates lies before mankind? Within

the pages of this enlightening book there are the answers to many

enthralling questions. It prophesied the World War s and the

great economic upheaval. Learn what it presages for the future.

You must not deprive yourself of this book.

The book is well bound with a cloth cover, and contains in

structive charts and illustrations. Priced at only $2.50 (1 7/1 0

sterling) with postage paid.

g a a a p y a w

Bo ok o f Jash er.

Within the hallowed pages of the great Bible itself are ref

erences to this lost book which have puzzled the devout and

students for centuries. As if by Divine decree, the Bible ap

pears to cry out to mankind that its sanctity has been violated,

its truth veiled, for we find these two passages exclaiming: “Is

not this written in the Book of Jasher?"— Joshua 10:13; “ Be

hold, it is written in the Book of Jasher."— 2 Samuel 1:18.

Alcuin discovered this great book of the Bible written by

Jasher. He translated it from the Hebrew in 800 A.D. Later

it was suppressed and then rediscovered in 1829, and once again

suppressed.

But now we bring to you an actual photographic reproduction

of this magnificent work, page for page, line for line, unexpur

gated. This enligh tening work, bou nd in original style, is priced

at only $2.75 (19/8 sterling) per copy, postage paid.

V

V o l u m e X VI

THE TECHNIQUE OF THE DISCIPLE

By R a y m u n d A n d r e a , F. R . C.

The Technique of the Disciple is a book containing a modern

description of the ancient esoteric path to spiritual illumination,

trod by the masters and avatars of yore. It has long been saidthat Christ left, as a great heritage to members of His secret

council, a private method for guidance in life, which methodhas been preserved until today in the secret, occult, mystery

schools.

Raymund Andrea, the author, reveals the method for attaining a greater life taught in these mystery schools, which perhaps

parallels the secret instructions of Christ to members of His

council. T he book is enlightening, inspiring, and splendidly

written. It is handsomely bound in silk and stamped in gold.

Postage is paid on shipment to you. Priced at $2.25 (16 /1

sterling) per copy.

V

V o l u m e XVII

MENTAL POISONING

control of the glands can mean the control of your life. T hese

facts, scientifically correct, with their mystical interpretation, are

for the first time presented in simple, nontechnical language, in

a book which everyone can enjoy and profit by reading.

Mystics and metaphysicians have long recognized that certain

influences and powers of a Cosmic nature could be tapped; that

a Divine energy could be drawn upon, which affects our creative

ability, our personality, and our physical welfare. For centuries



Thoughts That Enslave Minds By H. S p e n c e r L e w is , F. R. C., Ph.D .

T o r t u r e d souls. Hum an beings, whose self-confidence and

peace of mind have been torn to shreds by invisible darts—the

evil though ts of others. Can envy, hate, and jealousy be pro

jec ted th ro ug h spa ce fro m th e mi nd of an ot he r? Do po iso ned

thoughts like mysterious rays reach through the ethereal realm

to claim innocen t victims? Will wishes and commands born in

hate gather momentum and like an avalanche descend upon a

helpless man or woman in a series of calamities? Mus t humanity

remain at the mercy of evil influences created in the minds ofthe vicious? Millions each year are mentally poisoned— are you

safe from this scourge? Mental Poisoning is the title of a book

written by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, which fearlessly discloses this

psychological problem. It is sensatio nal in its revelations. Read

it and be prepared.

This neatly bound, well-printed book will be sent to you for

the nominal price of only $1.95 (13 /11 sterling). It has beeneconomically produced so it can be in the hands of thousands

because of the benefit it will afford readers.

Orde r yours today. Price includes postage.

V

V o l u m e XVIII

GLANDS—OUR INVISIBLE GUARDIANS

By M. W. Kapp, M.D.

You need not continue to be bound by those glandular char

acteristics of your life which do not please you. These influences,

through the findings of science and the mystical principles of

nature, may be adjusted. The first essential is that of the old

adage: “ Know Yourself.” Have revealed the facts about theendocrine glands— know where they are located in your body

and what mental and physical functions they control. The

there has been speculation as to what area or what organs of

the body contain this medium— this contact between the Divine

and the physical. Now it is known that certain of the glands

are governors which speed up or slow down the influx of Cosmicenergy into the body. W hat this process of Divine alchemy is

and how it works is fascinatingly explained in this book of

startling facts.

Dr. M. W. Kapp, the author, during his lifetime, was held in

high esteem by the medical fraternity despite the fact that he

also expressed a deep insight into the mystical laws of life and

their influence on the physical functioning of the body.

INTRODUCTION BY H. SPENCER LEWIS, F .R .C . , Ph .D.

Dr. H. Spencer Lewis— first Imperator of the Rosicrucian

Order (AM OR C), of North and South America, for its

present cycle of activity, and author of many works on mys

ticism, philosophy, and metaphysics—wrote an important intro

duction to this book, in which he highly praised it and itsauthor.

The book is well bound with a cloth cover; price only $1.80

(12/10 sterling) with postage paid.

V

V o l u m e XX I

W H A T T O E A T— A N D W H E N

By S t a n l e y K. C l a r k , M.D., C.M., F.R.C.

“ M i n d over matter” is not a trite phrase. Your moods, your

temperament, your very thoughts can and do affect digestion.

Are you overweight— or underweig ht? Appearances, even the

scales, are not always reliable. You r age, your sex, the kindof work you do— all these factors determine whether your weight

is correct or wrong for yo u. Do you know that some people

suffer from food allergy? Learn these interesting facts, and how

your digestion may be affected even hours after you have eaten.

The author of this book, Dr. Stanley K. Clark, was for several

years staff physician at the Hen ry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He

is a noted gastroenterologist (specialist in stomach and intestinal

disorders). He brings you his wealth of knowledge in this field,

plus his additional findings from his study of the effects of the

mind upon digestion.

North, Central, and South America, British Commonwealth and

Empire, France, Switzerland, and Africa, this volume of over

3 JO pages, carefu lly index ed, is of pa rticu lar value as a tex t for

teachers and students of metaphysics, including philosophy and

psychology. Well-bound and attractive, it is purposely economi

cally priced at $2.85 (j £ l/- /4 sterling), postpaid, making it

available to all sincere seekers.



mind upon digestion.

Wh at to Eat—and When is compact, free from unnecessary

technical terminology. Includes complete hand y index, fo od

chart, and sample menus. It is not a one-time-reading book.You will often refer to it through out the years. Well printed,

strongly bound. Price, postpaid to you, $2.00 (14 /4 sterling).

V

V o l u m e XXII

THE SANCTUARY OF SELF

By R a l p h M. L e w i s , F. R. C.

W h a t could be more essential than the discovery and analysis

of self, the composite of that consciousness which constitutes

one’s whole being? This book of sound logic presents revealingly

and in entirety the four phases of human living: The Mysteries,The Technique, The Pitfalls, and Attainment.

Do you not, at times, entertain the question as to whether

you are living your life to your best advantage? You may find

an answer in some of the 23 chapters, presented under headings

such as: Causality and Karma, The Lost Word, Death—The

Law of Change, Love and Desire, Nature of Dreams, Prediction,

Mastership and Perfection. Consider “Love and Desire.” In

much of ancient and modern literature, as well as in the many

and various preachments of the present-day world, LOVE is

proclaimed as the solution to all human conflict. Do you un der

stand truly the meaning of absolute love1 Do you know that

there are various loves and that some of the so-called loves are

dangerous drives?

Written authoritatively by Ralph M. Lewis, Imperator of the

Rosicrucian Order (AM OR C), the international jurisdiction of

V

V o l u m e XXIII

SEPHER YEZIRAH—A BOOK ON CREATION

Or The Jewish Metaphysics of Remote Antiquity

D r . I s i d o r K a l i s c h , Translator

Among the list of the hundred best books in the world, one

might easily include this simple volume, revealing the greatest

authen tic study of the secret Kabala. For those averse to fan

tastic claims, this book is truly comprehensible— for the wise

student who does not care for magical mumbo-jumbo, it is

dynamic.

The phantasies of those baffling speculations of other writers

become unimportant when the practical student of mysticism

reverently thumbs through these pages and catches the terse andchallenging statements. The woo lgathering of many so-called

authors of occultism is brought to nothing by this simple volume

which makes a pattern for honest mystical common sense.

The Sepher Yezirah is one of the many books published by

AM ORC . It has 61 pages with both Hebrew and English texts,

photolithographed from the 1877 original edition. For anyone

interested in th e best— also, considered by some the most ancient

— in Hebrew mystical thought, this book will be a refreshing

discovery. Students of the Kabala and readers of mysticism

will recognize in it one of the two greatest source books for all

occult thinking.

The careful reader will be attracted to three characteristics

of this edition of the Sepher Yezirah:

(1) A clear English translation of a most ancient

work, almost unavailable up to the present.

(2) A simple expose of fundamental aspects of

the ancient Kabala without superstitious in'

terpretations.

(3) An inexpensive and convenient translation

of the world's oldest philosophical writing

in Hebrew.

Attractive and convenient, paper-bound edition. Price: $1.25

(8/11 sterling), postpaid. V V V



V V V

HOW TO ORDER BOOKS

If your regular book dealer does not have these books

in stock, and you do not care to wait until he secures

them for you, you may save time by sending your order

direct, with remittance or C.O.D., postage prepaid by us.

V

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

R o s i c r u c i a n P a r k , S a n J o se , C a l i f o r n i a , U. S. A.

V V V



We Cannot Exchange Books unless they have been imperfectly printed. Our books are exactly as advertised, in subject matter, chapters, and in binding.

Rosicrucian Supply Bureau.

n V 1!



E

s>

e

The author's youth was

’l iving Eg yp t.’ Son of a fa

mous Egyptologist, he felt

the pulse-beat of that an

cient civi l ization.

Egyptian l i terature extend

ing over a period of almost

4000 years.

EXCHANGE

We Cannot Exchangeless they have been i . printed. Our books are as advertised, in subject matter, chapters, and in binding.

Rosicrucian Supply Bureau.

Another intr iguing volume

of historical wealth and in

spirational reading from the

Rosicrucian Library (see back

cover

P-16 254 t-lTHO IK U S A

amorc - of gods and miracles (1954) first edition!!!!

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