The sun., 1891-12-13

being mild and just man. AND tt may be IN
ferred from statement 10 the Ritual Of tn,
Dead" buried with every mummy. that he In
dustriously studied the religious writings o
his age.
".
Comparativcly few facts are registered con
cerhing the Pharaohs 6f tho ffth dynAsty
One memLer OF this line. however. Assa. hat
q son called Ptah-hotep. OF whom q RECORD
worthy Of remembrance Ia preserved In ar
ancient papyrus. now In the National Library
at Paris. This Is. without doubt. the Oldest
manuscript In existence. dating % IL dosi
from about tho year 3808 according to the
present authors chronology. It contains wise
instruction and Admonitlons. praises the
practice OF virtue md good manners. and points
outthe path which leads to honor and happy
end. Tho Kings son must have been very
aged when he wrote this book. for he speaks
Of decrepit old ago ns ono who felt IL himself
Tho two eyes." thus writes Ptnh-hotep. "are
drawn small. the ears are stopped ur. and
what was strong becomes continually weak.
Tho mouth becomes silent It speaks no clear
word; tho memory is dulled. 1t cannot recall
past days: the bones refuse tholr service. The
good has changed TO bud Even the taste is
long since gone. In every war old age makes
man miserable. Tho noso Ia stopped with
out nir." After unfolding some " his deep
est thoughts In very simple language Ptah-
hotep adds: III thou hast become great after
thou hast bcen lowly. and n thou hast aniassed
riches after poverty. 90 Tint thou hast become
because OF this tho flrst In thy city. and II the
people know thee on account Of thy wealth
and thou -art become Il mighty lord. let not
thy heart 10 lifted up because OF thy riches. for
tho author of them Is God. Despiso not thy
neighbor who Is as thou vast. but trcat him as
'shy equal Let thy countennnce shine
joyfully as long rs thou lvest: did a man over
leave the coffin after having once entered It 2"
Rathor more Is known about the sixth than
about tho iifth dynasty. and It includes one
Or eSGc ss ws that aesdrns q ns s Ssn Ill.,
was of u fair com rexion and the most beautl-
full woman Of. her time. Ii seems probable
was @ split spit up into nutty kinahoms Sfiiictsd with
some tine an no dellye,r arose strong e9Hsh
the monarchy, Eerodotus says that the King
Of Egypt. brother q Nitocris. was killed W
to her: whereupop she .proseeded with
spbtlety TO avenee her brutller's death, for
she st yest Sndsrsrouna bqiidInE
the prinelpal authors Of the murder TO the
feast During tho repast The river was lot Into
tEhs E whole whole party Of banaasters f was was drowned,
After she had aecS@mlIisnsa .a this sho nluIEed
oi the, friends Of her victims According to
,Mtn'nssthe, ,t'Is Ait9crIs St was the builder q ths
had preparod Tor his e own resting % pass about
6OO O Years before. according TO the BruGsch
ass
sImss; 80 "s i g not !mpossi6Ie that osSea
frsd r shd II u%ss sRd ssns s Sf
blue basalt contained In the upper one:
Nitosris and sxtsnded through most q the
ss 1sss4 an xos ss 1na lS esrsnt K 9 es l.
tS!isr' i Gingpsls@sncS y @ ss|@sSss @ ts % shs sIns 4
dynasty reser e TO to the frst rreorssd voy.
age t" Ophir and Punt. which took place In
s sapH Hsa tG &bs hss s e astsa
FSs sptsor e'' 'faF9sK boot the ss1s
ss aesss spSos sAt ssas' the
ophr of tbs ancient Egyptians; They under
stood It to be Land Of hills and VALLEYS web
md Costly f stones: il was ric also IN strange
sPs Ro.s spS Had may @p Perhaps % b idsutie$ wts 3
The south and west We coSs q ARABIA 81 Fsf e
VI.
There is ground for tho surmise that during
the anarchic period covered by the dynasties
Wiki. tendency showed itself to transfer
the seat OF government from Memphis to
Thebes. perhaps with the view Of obtaining
greater security from foreign tnr0ads through
the isthnus OF suez. At all events. with the
accession OF the twelfth dynasty tB. G. 2488.
to Brugschh we find Thoban SOW
sreign in complste possession OF the mon
archy. The two centuries comrrehended BY
by an extension and fortlfcation, q the from;
liers and by o remarkable consolidation and
ef tns STATE 1s.st To- tsIs coeh are
multitude OF statnes which bear witness to
the revival Of art. but the famous laby-
nsa Go halls Sna ts elea se
reservoir known as Lake Moeris. CONSTRUCTED
stsrs the ~ tSs the
AXE lay In the southeasterh part Of tho Fayum.
,ssoryoir % was Of immepse Utility to Egypt. and
The utmost care WIS WIS taksn to dlvSrt ,ntH t tho
liver is tolcgraphed from ths nlost south
lent to Cairo In order. tkut preparation
MAJ, be- made. 40 in the days OF the
twelfth dynasty the southern frontier Tor
.rcsses OF the empire erected aouth uf the sec
md cataract served a. places Of observation.
Thence the news was despatched to the lower
nn umneh Hs the highest point oi the ysars mum.
he mark WAS accompanied ny u correspond
ng criEtinn. From observations made by
Lel'sius on ths spa! va INFER thar tn tho times
" tho twsl.th dynasty. some folty-three con- |
urtes n1n, the highest riss of thu river was
nearly twehty-seven feet. above the greatest |
lela6t OF tbs humiliation In theye days,. and
INIT even the average height OF the Milo at
hat epoch Rurpnssed that observed In our !
,entury about twelve feet.
Under the rulers oi the twelfth dynasty not
,nly were tho frontiers OF Egypt pushed south
Yard beyond the second cataract. but fho
sinaItic peninsula yas kept In firm subjsction;
very active commeree with tn, tribes OF
.ibya on the west. and on the cay, with the In
Of Palestine and the adjoining O0un- |
ries. The Egyptian 9tn npirewns. and appeared |
o the world 81 that tune to be. the centre OF |
utilization and Of progress 10 the provinces Of |
.ctlvIty. The immlgratloI INTO Tgypt ei
q the .sepulchral ehambers OF the. era. |
rhs IIght;ye|Iored Igh s| Li6ye1s .Iissesnded in.
yoDulac0 with dances and wRrlike 9Hmp8. the |