"Pardon me, holiness, but what could we wish for? Our figs and dates are as sweet as those in thy garden, our water is as good as that from thy well. If wealth attracted us have we not more of it than all the kings put together?"

"I cannot win these men by anything," thought the pharaoh, "but I will give them a decision of the a.s.sembly, and a decision of Amon."

CHAPTER LVII

When he left Fayum the pharaoh and his retinue advanced southward a number of days up the Nile, surrounded by a throng of boats, greeted by shouts, and covered with flowers.

On both banks of the river, on a background of green fields, extended an unbroken series of huts of the people, groves of fig trees, groups of palms. Every hour appeared the white houses of some village, or a larger place with colored buildings, and the immense pylons of temples.

On the west the wall of the Libyan hills was outlined not very distinctly; but on the east the Arabian line approached ever nearer to the river. It was possible to see clearly the steep, jagged cliffs, dark, yellow or rose colored, recalling by their forms the ruins of fortresses or of temples built by giants.

In the middle of the Nile they met islands which had risen from the water as it were yesterday, but were covered with rich vegetation to-day and were occupied by birds in countless numbers. When the noisy retinue of the pharaoh sailed near, the frightened birds flew up and, circling above the boats, joined their cries with the mighty sound of people. Above this all hung a transparent sky and light so full of life that in the flood of it the black earth a.s.sumed a brightness, and the stones rainbow colors.

Time pa.s.sed, therefore, pleasantly for the pharaoh. At first the incessant cries irritated him somewhat, but later he grew so accustomed that he turned no attention to them. He was able to read doc.u.ments, take counsel, and even sleep.

From a hundred and fifty to two hundred miles above Fayum on the left bank of the Nile is Siut, where Rameses XIII. took a rest of two days.

He was even obliged to halt there, for the mummy of the late pharaoh was still in Abydos, where they were making solemn prayers at the grave of Osiris.

Siut was one of the richest parts of Upper Egypt. At that place were made the famous vessels of white and black clay, and there they wove linen. It was also the chief market-place to which people brought goods from the oases scattered throughout the desert. There besides was the famous temple of the jackal-headed G.o.d, Anubis.

On the second day of his stay in that place the priest Pentuer appeared before Rameses. He was the chief of that commission sent to investigate the condition of the people.

"Hast thou news?" inquired the sovereign.

"I have this, O holiness, that all the country blesses thee. All with whom I speak are full of hope, and say, 'His reign will be a new life for Egypt.'"

"I wish," replied Rameses, "my subjects to be happy; I wish the toiling man to rest; I wish that Egypt might have eight millions of people as aforetime and win back that land seized from it by the desert; I wish the laborer to rest one day in seven and each man who digs the earth to have some little part of it."

Pentuer fell on his face before the kindly sovereign.

"Rise," said Rameses. "But I have had hours of grievous sadness: I see the suffering of my people; I wish to raise them, but the treasury is empty. Thou thyself knowest best that without some tens of thousands of talents I cannot venture on such changes. But now I am at rest; I can get the needed treasure from the labyrinth."

Pentuer looked at his sovereign with amazement.

"The overseer of the treasure explained to me what I am to do," said the pharaoh. "I must call a general council of all orders, thirteen of each order. And if they declare that Egypt is in need the labyrinth will furnish me with treasure."

"O G.o.ds!" added he, "for a couple--for one of the jewels which lie there it would be possible to give the people fifty rest days in a year! Never will they be used to better purpose." Pentuer shook his head.

"Lord," said he, "the six million Egyptians, with me and my friends before others, will agree that thou take from that treasure. But, O holiness, be not deceived; one hundred of the highest dignitaries of the state will oppose, and then the labyrinth will give nothing."

"They wish me, then, to beg before some temple!" burst out the pharaoh.

"No," replied the priest. "They fear lest that treasure house be emptied once thou touch it. They will suspect thy most faithful servants, holiness, of sharing in the profits flowing from the labyrinth. And then envy will whisper to each of them: 'Why shouldst thou not profit also?' Not hatred of thee, holiness, but mutual distrust, greed, will urge them to resistance."

When he heard this the pharaoh was calm, he smiled even.

"If it be as thou sayst, be at rest, beloved Pentuer. At this moment I understand exactly why Amon established the authority of the pharaoh and gave him superhuman power. For the purpose, seest thou, that a hundred, even of the most distinguished rascals, should not wreck the state."

Rameses rose from his armchair and added,--

"Say to my people: Work and be patient. Say to the priests who are loyal: Serve the G.o.ds and cultivate wisdom, which is the sun of the universe. But those stubborn and suspicious dignitaries leave to my management. Woe to them if they anger me."

"Lord," said the priest, "I am thy faithful servant."

But when he had taken farewell and gone out care was evident on his face.

About seventy-five miles from Siut, higher up the Nile, the wild Arabian rocks almost touch the river, but the Libyan hills have pushed away so far from it that the valley at that point is perhaps the widest part of Egypt. Just there, side by side, stood Tanis and Abydos, two holy cities. There was born the first Egyptian pharaoh, Menes, there, a hundred thousand years before, were laid in the grave the holy relics of the G.o.d Osiris slain by Set (his brother Typhon) treacherously.

There, finally, in memory of those great events, the famous pharaoh Seti built a temple to which pilgrims came from every part of Egypt.

Each believer was bound even once during life to bring his forehead to the blessed earth of Abydos. Truly happy was he whose mummy could make a journey to that place and halt even at a distance from the temple.

The mummy of Rameses XII. spent two days there; for he had been a ruler noted for devotion. There is nothing wonderful in this, therefore, that Rameses XIII. began his reign by rendering homage to the grave of Osiris.

Seti's temple was not among the oldest or most splendid in Egypt, but it was distinguished for pure Egyptian style. His holiness Rameses XIII., accompanied by Sem the high priest, visited the temple and made offerings in it.

The ground belonging to the edifice occupied a s.p.a.ce of seventy-five hectares, on which were fish ponds, flower beds, orchards and vegetable gardens, besides the houses or rather villas of the temple priesthood. Everywhere grew poplars and acacias, as well as palm, fig, and orange trees which formed alleys directed toward the cardinal points of the world, or groups of trees of almost the same height and set out in order.

Under the watchful eyes of priests even the plant world did not develop according to its own impulses into irregular but picturesque groups; it was arranged in straight lines according to direction, or straight lines according to height, or in geometrical figures.

Palms, tamarinds, cypresses, and myrtles were arranged like warriors in ranks or columns. The gra.s.s was a divan shorn and ornamented with pictures made of flowers, not of any chance color, but of that color which was demanded. People looking from above saw pictures of G.o.ds or sacred beasts blooming on the turf near the temple; a sage found there aphorisms written out in hieroglyphs.

The central part of the gardens occupied a rectangular s.p.a.ce nine hundred yards long and three hundred wide. This s.p.a.ce was enclosed by a wall of no great height which had one visible gate and a number of secret entrances. Through the gate pious people entered the s.p.a.ce which surrounded the dwelling of Osiris; this s.p.a.ce was covered with a stone pavement. In the middle of the s.p.a.ce stood the temple, a rectangular pile four hundred and fifty yards long and in width one hundred and fifty.

From the public gate to the temple was an avenue of sphinxes with human heads and lion bodies. They were in two lines, ten in each, and were gazing into each others' eyes. Only the highest dignitaries might pa.s.s between these sphinxes.

At the head of this avenue, and opposite the public gate, rose two obelisks or slender and lofty granite columns of four sides, on which was inscribed the history of the pharaoh Seti.

Beyond the obelisks rose the gate of the temple having at both sides of it gigantic piles in the form of truncated pyramids called pylons.

These were like two strong towers, on the walls of which were paintings representing the visits of Seti, or the offerings which he made to divinities.

Earth-tillers were not permitted to pa.s.s this gate which was free only to wealthy citizens and the privileged cla.s.ses. Through it was the entrance to the peristyle or court, surrounded by a corridor which had a mult.i.tude of columns. From this court, where there was room for ten thousand people, persons of the n.o.ble order might go still farther to the first hall, the hypostyle; this had a ceiling which rested on two rows of lofty columns, and there was s.p.a.ce in it for two thousand worshippers. This hall was the last to which lay people were admitted.

The highest dignitaries who had not received ordination had the right to pray there, and look thence at the veiled image of the G.o.d which rose in the hall of "divine apparition."

Beyond the hall of "divine apparition" was the chamber of "tables of offering," where priests placed before the G.o.ds gifts brought by the faithful. Next was the chamber of "repose," where the G.o.d rested when returning from or going to a procession, and last was the chapel or sanctuary where the G.o.d had his residence.

Usually the chapel was very small, dark, sometimes cut out of one block of stone. It was surrounded on all sides by chapels equally small, filled with garments, furniture, vessels and jewels of the G.o.d which in its inaccessible seclusion slept, bathed, was anointed with perfumes, ate, drank, and as it seems even received visits from young and beautiful women.

This sanctuary was entered only by the high priest, and the ruling pharaoh if he had received ordination. If an ordinary mortal entered he might lose his life there.

The walls and columns of each hall were covered with inscriptions and explanatory paintings. In the corridor surrounding the peristyle were the names and portraits of all the pharaohs from Menes the first ruler of Egypt to Rameses XII. In the hypostyle, or hall for n.o.bles, the geography and statistics of Egypt were presented pictorially, also the subject nations. In the hall of "apparition" were the calendar and the results of astronomical observation; in the chamber of "tables of offering," and in that of "repose" figured pictures relating to religious ceremonial, and in the sanctuary rules for summoning beings beyond the earth and controlling the phenomena of nature.

This last kind of knowledge was contained in statements so involved that even priests in the time of Rameses XII. did not understand them.

The Chaldean Beroes was to revive this expiring wisdom.

Rameses XIII., after he had rested two days in the official palace at Abydos, betook himself to the temple. He wore a white tunic, a gold breastplate, an ap.r.o.n with orange and blue stripes, a steel sword at his side and on his head a golden helmet. The pharaoh sat in a chariot drawn by horses adorned with ostrich plumes, and was conducted by nomarchs as he moved slowly toward the house of Osiris, surrounded by his officers.