The Irish standard., 1889-10-05

OF THE REBUKE OF AMENEMHAT; OF THE
PRAYER OF HARMACHIs; AND OF TEE SIGN
GIVEN BY THE HOLY GODS
eYWXXFTYX%oR awhile as l, Har-
y -s1A NJ 50 z Of the green herbs
@|MNWNZ9 which the old wife,
tjIRISEl3A At Qua, had placed
|IE5SZNKZ upon my wounds
k~=eSEE=s7huAX4I caused me much smart.
lG0AGaa Sz&ZZl but presently the pain
sSsA&y H16M&( ceased. And Of a truth,
9G believe that there was
IAIEl lGAfS virtue in them, for with
lEAAiEI ~ il two days my flesh
iE HIE healed up, so that after time
EIkEyM. no marks remained. But be-
- thought me that ! had dis
=, obeyed the word Of the old
High Priest, Amenemhat who was called
my father. For till to-day knew not that
he was in truth my father according to the
flesh, having been taught that his own son
was slain, as have written and that he had
been pleased, with the sanction of the Di-
vine ones, to take ME as an adopted son and
rear meup, that might in due season fill
an office about the temple Therefore was |
sore troubled, for I feared the old man.
who was very terrible in his anger, and
spake ever with the cold voice of Wisdom
Nevertheless, i determined to go in to him
and confess my fault and bear such pun
ishment as he should be pleased TO put upon
me. DO, even with the red spear id nv
hand and the red wounds on my breast, /
passed through the outer court Of the great
temple and came to the door Of the chamber
where the High Priest dwelt. 1t is a great
chamber sculptured round about with the
images Of the solemn gods, and the light of
ia (the SUM- came to it in the daytime BY
an opening cut through the stone Of the
massy roof. But at night it was lit BY a
swinging lamp Of bronze. passed in with
out noise, for the door was not altogether
smut, and pushing my way through the
heavy curtains that were beyond. / stood
with beating heart within the chamber.
The lamp was lit, for the darkness had
fallen, and BY its light l saw the old man
seated in chair of ivory and ebony at q
table of stone, whereon were spread the
mystic writings of the words of Life and
Death. But he read no more for behold I!
he slept and his long, white beard rested
upon the table like the beard of dead
man. The soft light from the lamp fell on
him and on the papyri, and on the gold ring
upon his hand, where were craven the
symbols OF the Invisible One, but all
around was shadow lit fell Oh the shaven
nead. on The White robe, on the cedar staff
Of priesthood at his side, and on the ivory
OIL the lOn-foOted chair; it showed the
mighty brow Of power, the features cut in
klngly mold, the white eyebrows and the
dark hollows CT the deep set eyes.
looked and trembled, for there was about
MIN that Which was more than the dignity
OF man. so long had he lived with the
gods, and SO long kept company with them
and with thoughts divine, SO deeply was he
versed in all those mysteries which we do
but family discern, here in this upper air,
that even now, before his time he partook
Of the nature Of the Osiris, and was a
thing TO shake humanity with fear.
stood and gazed, and as I stood he
opened his dark eyes, but looked not on
me, nor turned his head and yet he saw
me and spoke.
"Why hast thou been disobedient to ma.
Q my son!' he said. ssHow came it that
thou wentest forth against the lion when I
bade thee nots't
How knowest thou, my father, that 7
went forth?' asked in fear.
s'How know Ia Are there, then, no other
ways of knowledge than by the senses? 0
Ignorant child was not my spirit with thee
when the lion sprang upon thy COM
paniona Did ! not pray those set about
thee to protect thee to make sure thy
thrust when thou didst drive tue spear into
the lions throats How came it that thou
wentest forth. Q my sons''
s'The boaster taunted me- I answered,
land went"
Yes, know it; and becauseso OF the hot
blood of youth, forgive thee, Harmachis.
But now listen unto me, and let my words
sink into thy heart like the waters Of Sihor
INTO thirsty sand at the rising of Sirius.
Listen unto me. The boaster was sent IN
to thee as q temptation, as trial of thv
strength was he sent, and seel IL has not
been equal to the burden. Therefore is thy
hour put back Hadst thou been strong in
this matter, the path had been made plain
to thee even now. But thou hast failed.
and therefore is thy hour put back
Il understand thee, not my father,n an
swered
ssWhat was it, then, my son, that the old
wife, Atoua, said to thee down by the bank
of the canal?'
And thereon told him all that the old
wife had said.
"And thou behevest, Harmachis. nv
sons'
may" 7 answered.; show should he
lieve such tales. Surely she is mad. All
the people know her for mad"
Then for the first time he looked toward
me, who was standing in the shadow.
"My sonl my sonr' he cried. ssthou art
wrong. She is not mad The woman snake
the truth; she spake not of herself, but Of
the voice within her that can not lie. For
this Atoua is a prophecies and holy. Now
learn thou the destiny that the gods of
Egypt have given to thee to fulfill, and woe
be unto thee if by any weakness thou dost
fail therein! Listenl thou art no stranger
adopted into my house and the house Of the
temple; thou art my very son, saved unto
me BY this same woman. But, O Harmachis.
thou art more than this, for in thee and me
alone doth flow the imperial blood of Egypt
Thou and alone Of. men alive are de-
scended, without break or flaw. from that
Pharaoh Next nebf whom Ochus the Per
sian drove from Egypt The Persian came
and the Persian went, and then after the
Persian came the Macedonian, and now for
nigh upon three hundred years have the
Lagidae usurped the double crown. defil;np
the land Of Khem and corrupting the wor-
ship of his gods. And mark thou this: but
now, but two weeks since, is Ptolemv Mems
Dionysius, Ptolemy the Piper, who would
have slain thee, dead; and but now hath the
eunuch Pothinus, that very eunuch who
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