The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-22

Thoth, the scribe of the gods, stands
on the other side OF the balance
writing on his palette the result of
tne trial, which in this case is favorable for
the deceased, and his decision is:
The heart of the deceased is weighed
and his soul standeth in evidence
Tor 1t. His case is straight upon the great
Balance There is found no iniquity in
MN; ne is not one who has cut down the
bread IN the temples; he was not sordid ia
his actions; he ls not one who set his speech
In motion against Others as long as he was
upon earth" In reply to this the gods pro-
claim: "Unalterably established is that
which proceeds from thy mouth. Right
eous and just is the Osiris chat is, the de-
ceased, Ami, the triumphant He is with
out offense and without rebuke before
us. Let not the Deyourer prevail over
MIN; let there be given to him
cakes; the right of appearance before
Osiris, aud a permanent allotment
IN Sechit-hotepu ike the followers of
Horus.n The deceased is then led into the
presence of Osiris by Horus, and then passes
on to enjoy a renewed existence las upon
earth" He may transform himself ''into
al the forms he pleaseS,n he may be associ-
ated with the gods las one of themselves. -
and he may finally be assimilated in the god
Osiris or identified with him. The intro
ductory portion is more complete than in
any other papyrus. The subject next
treated Of with pen and pencil is the
burtnl OF the deceased and the accom-
paRying ceremonies. The bier, by the
side of which kneels the mourning wife, the
''precentor" and the priests, the offerings
and those who bring them, the group Of
weeping women, who beat their hands and
breasts, and the reception of Ants mummy
by Anubis, the god Of the tomb, are all
represented with strict accuracy. ard, as a
description of the funeral of an Egyptian
or high rank, are worth ell the descriptions
or Greek writers put together. In the
scenes which come after we find Ami aud
his wife seated in a bower playing at
draughts In the world beyond the grave.
and their two souls IN tho form of
human-headed hawks are standing near.
The lion gods Of yesterday" and "to-day
and the benHw bird stand between them
and Ani's bier, at the head and foot of
which are Nepthys and Isis. the goddesses
OF evening and dawn. in the form Of vul.
lures. 1t will be noticed that beneath the
bier is the palette which Ami used during
life. The scenes which follow, 1.-THE gates
of the tomb, and others, are all described
by small hiercglyphio legends, which set at
rest all previous doubts as to their mean
ing. Passing by the scenes in which the
souls of Ra ana Osiris are seen TO meet in
Tattu, the Sun god in the form of a cat cut
ting of the head of the serpent of darkness,
the boats of the sun, the seven
gates and the ten pylons of Osiris, each
with its guardians and the flowers of
Localities" we come to anumbar of ancient
chapters with Yignettes which refer tC
opening the mouth" of the deceased and of
giving TO him words of power, air, and his
soul and heart. After a number of small
but most interesting chapters, which treat
of mot dying the second DEATH" Of mot
Ax,,. Rf,xc~ -.
soul to the dead body of diving after
death" OF performing the transformation
as a Dove, Golden Hawk, Divine
Hawk, the Serpent Seta, Sebak, Ptah,
the Soul Of Tmu, the Heron, the Coot. the
Lotus, and the god who lightens the dark
ne s." comes the remarkable chapter in
which the deceased. in the valley of the
Shadow of DEATH" cries in his anguish
What is this place to which have Jour
neyedi for it is without water and without
air. 1t is all abyss, utter darkness, sheer
perplexitYp Next follows the mega i've
Confession Of which we may quote the
following:
81 am not plunderer; do not stint tht
quantity OF corn; am not niggard; ! an
not the cause of others tears; | am not
domineering character; l do not pillage cul
tivated land; l am'not an eavesdropper;
do not dismiss case through self-inrerest
L Ati AiOo 4pCutAoOcs dlt uOb AOI III SD06Cn
l do not revoke my purpose; l am not
reviler Of the king; am not fraudulent;
do not deprive the dead of the funeral cakes
l do not take away the cakes of the child OF
profane the god of my locality"
The table of the ASSIMILATION of the
limbs of the deceased with the various gods
the chapters relating to amulets, the sceat
of the "Elysian Fields" where the deceased
blows and COWS and reaps, through which
NF 3<,k 4.
stated and which contains no kinds O.
fish and no serpents;" and the view of tn,
mouth of the tomb before which stands the
hippopotamus goddess, brings Ani's papyrul
to an end.
The above brief remarks will suffice K
show the value of the beautiful and accurate
reproduction which the trustees of the Brit
ish museum have given TO the world. Or
each OF the thlrty-seven colored plates /!
printed short but complete description
which enables the uninitiated to follow the
scene which lies before him. Mr.. LIE Page
Renouf has added luminous introduction
in which he discusses various points
Of interest connected with the his
tory of the "Book of the Dead, u
and gives summary of its contents
together with trauslations of some inpor
tant hymns and passages; he has also appre
hended list Of the principal mythologica'
names of the text. This difficult portion
of the work has been treated with charac
teristic mastery, and is full of valuable
facts. hints and suggestions. AS an authority
for the text of the Book Of the Dead" ant
as specimen of Egyptian art of the Middle
empire, the papyrus of Ami takei a very
high place. Bearing in mind these two
facts, the trustees of the British museum
haye insured an accurate reproduction, anC
have issued it at moderate price, Visitors
to the Egyptian Galleries Of the Museum
will see the fac SinliLe displayed at full
length in one of the rooms, and the i'm
pressive scene of the Last Judgment, OIL
"Weighing of the Heart" has been draw
on an enlarged scale to decorate one of the
wall spaces of the First Egyptian Room, il
which the Inumnies are arranged.
How Women XIII Flowers.
From the AIbnuf ErDreSS