The sun., 1891-12-13

besrs the simple but laudatory inscription
His ancestors were unknown people" Above
all things the old Egyptians esteemed justice
| and virtue had tho highest value in their eyes
Tho law which next TO the order to pray x
the gods and honor the dead placed the injuno
tion to eivc bread to tho hungry. water TO the
thirsty. snd clothing to ths naked. reveals one
Of the finest qualities Of the old kGyptlsr
character-pity toward the unfortunate. Ac'
cordina to Brugsch. the forty-two command
msnts OF their religion which arc contained In
the book Of the dead" are not inferior to the
precepts Of Christianity. and In reading the
old inscriptions concerning morality the
author has been tempted to believe that Mosef
modelled his teachings on the patterns given
By Egyptian sages.
There is. Of course. dark side TO the mic.
ture. Brugsch does not fail TO point out that q
| long series OF hereditary faults, to wit,
hatred. envy. cunning. intrigue. avarice. and
cruelty. is revealed to US BY Egyptinn history
| In innumerable examples. Neither did the
rule Of the Pharaohs open to the naturally
light-hearted Inhabitants Of . fruitful land
the gates Of earthly paradise. Not seldom did
the people writhe under the oppression oftheiE
rulers. and the stick habitually ouickened In
the despatch Of business between the peasant
and the tax Gatherer. The gigantic masses
VI tUc kykAmlu0 O0oE thOAV V"pAosAo
witness than could any written words to the
miseries Of q whole population condemned to
rear these everlasting memorials Of Pharaoh
onic vanity. When Herodotus. thirteen GEN.
turtles later. visited the pyramids Of Gixeh the
Egyptians told him Of the imprecations wrung
from their unhappy forefathers during the
erection Of those monuments.
HJ.
The FIRST two Pharaohonic dynasties are
termed Thinite. from tho town called by the
Egyptians TIM and by the Greeks Thinis. :. 1t
was the ancient metropolis OF the eighth
nome. and. lying near to Abydos, formed in
later times only separate quarter Of that city.
Both cities have now vanished. but their
memory 10 preserved by the metropolis and
splendid sanctuaries raised By the Egyptians
on the border OF the nei9hborinR desert Al
though. however. TIM remained the heredita-
ry scat OF the first two dynasties. Menu. or
Menes. the very first historical sovereign ofan-
cient Egypt. is credited with the foundation Of
Memphis. which. under the third dynasty. be-
came the splendid capital OF the Old Empire
According to tradition. Mena diverted the
course Of the Nile in order to gain wide
space for the new city. BY the construction Of
an enormous dixie the previous channel
OF the river along the Libyan hills
was cut of and the bed. thus left empty. was
permanently filed up. We are told that Id
nant- Bey is convinced that the existing great
dixie Of Cocheiche is the same which Mens
caused to be constructed more than six thou
sand years ago. The chief name Of Mena's
city was also that OF the nome In which Il was
situated. viz. Ambu-hat, or "the white wall"
It commonly bore. however. the title Men,
meier. "the good place." which the Greeks
o. L. kh,o o1l
name is preserved in Tell-el-Mon the modern
designation Of mass OF ruins close to the
former royal residence OF the first Pharaoh.
All that is now left Of this celebrated city con-
sists Of heaps Of overthrown and shattered
columna affairs, and sculptures once belong
ing to the temples, and Of for ex-
tended line Of mounds OF debris It seems.
however. from the writings Of Abd-el-
Latif. an Arab physician Of the thirteenth
century. that In the middle ages the remains
OF the once great city Of Memphis were still SO.
well preserved that their materials and the
perfection of their workmanship excited the
admiration OF Arab visitors. The repeated
excavations which in our own days have been
undertaken on the site Of Memphis have
given results hardly worth naming. for the
immense masses OF stone used in the building
OF the TEN pies had been in the course Of time
transported to Cairo to supply the materials
needed for tho mosques. palaces. and houses
OF tho city Of the Fatimte caliphs.
AlonR the margin OF the desert. extending
from Abu Arosh as far as Medium. lay
the metropolis Of Memphis. whore were
buried the contemporaries OF the third.
fourth. and fifth dynasties. Their men,
ories have been kept alive by pictures
and writings on the walls Of the sacrihcial
chambers built over their sepulchres. The
Memphite tombs tell much concerning the
customs Of Pharaoh and his court under the
Old Empire. Besides bearing the title OF King
Of tho upper and lower country. the sovereign
was also called Per-ao. 1.-The great house."
better known under the Hebrew equivalent OF
Pharaoh. The people honored him not only as
lord (nebl but as q god (netorL At sight Of
him every native Frustrated himself
and touched tho ground with his
nose. and 1t was an especial favor II
tho command OF. his lord permitted
him only to kiss his knee. The King WAS
spoken Of as his Majesty. or briefly by word
equivalent to the German word man. At the
court Of the old Pharaohs rank and prece-
dence were minutely defined as well for the
mobiles OF the purest descent rs for the mass Of
busy servants. High birth conferred upon
tho mobiles dignity and authority in tho eyes
OF the people. but far greater weight was given
tration OF tho country was conducted under
Pharuoh's direction by q governor and bailiff
and countless host OF scribes. whilo the
duties OF personal attendance upon the chief
were performed by inferior officials controlled
by tho high steward. Boys OF relatively
humble birth. II distinguished by early
intelligence. woro associated with the
Kings children as their companions In les
sons and ut play There was special officer
on whom deyoved the responsibility for tho
bodily health. tho education. and the disol-
pline Of the royal progeny. The Queen and the
other ladies Of the royal family lived In tho
"women's houses" guarded by FREQ men
chosen by the King. and II was permitted to
the Princessss to ally themselves In marriage
with some Of the great mobiles. 1t is a
fact to be noted for its bearing on
Egyptian history that Ba-en.Neter. the
third King Of the second dynasty who
had apparently no sons. enacted as a
standing rule forever that woman should In
herit the throne. The operation OF this law
caused many dynastlc changes, either when