New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-28
AN EGYPTIAN MUNCHAUSEN.
RAMESES II AND The POET PENTAUR.

August Maricite. Translated and edited Win
notes. by Mary prodrick, with an in1r'a@c'%ry
Ill. D., vice-presIdeot Of the Egypt exploration l4
Fund for the United States. PIP. XxA'l' 100
Charles Scribner's sons
The layman in Egyptian archaeology and history
cannot avoid the feeling that the experts in whose
work he takes delight sometimes miss excellent
chances for enlivcning their pages with little
humor. For example: We all know. by hear
say. at least that royal personages at the present
day are really respectable, Woodworking class oil
people They have business, and they attehd
70 il with almost as much industry az the or
binary citizens or subjects show in caring lor
their own private fortunes. But little way
bacl, in history the main occupation of monarch
seems 10 have consisted in striking attltudes.
When he was tired Of one pose, he TOOK an
other, while the people looked on and SAID All
what an excellent King. Ser! lie Is ho',
rcirnng with all his might" little earlier ana
the king appears to have been person Whose
only requirements were. not intelligence ou' d"
stronr arm. sharp axe and a sanguinary dispo-
stion No matter how painfully Investigation ~
carried on from this point 10 the origin OF h"iha"
Affairs there does not appear to De inuch c"""s,
in the character of mOnarcbs Ohc feature Va
their conduct, especially, has been moho'oho"'N
uniform from the time of Mcncs on lhcS nav
taken an the praise there was goihR' anu WIZ"
contemporary hattery was not up 10 s''"'"'"
they have praised themselves
Among the other things which Egypt mas -
ho,st Of was a kirg who distnnccd all com
,,o,i,o,s in this matter of sef-laudation. The
roupc ladies Of Israel might be excused ior
sav;r., that David had siam his tens OF thon-
sands What did they know about war b"'
iracinc the kline of an enlightened nation IT,
t,,nro from a comparatively insignificant cam
roigp and deliberately employing his lelSur' Ia
ror;pteudino n composition, the dTlit oil when
,,.os that he had destroyed vast armrS' WIN
49,, holm save that of two horses WIN lohS
rorcs and = tame lion with no name whal'Ner'
He not ONLY had his historical monograph VII
an cpsode in his career written, but he hao 1t
carefully composed. a. if taken down from ni'
ou, dc,ation. and literally sprinkled Win '"'
ncrsonal pronoun of the first person s'hS"'.''
Then he was equally solicitous 10 nave - III
scribed on stone. Doubtless III =
every morning-or rode-to wa'ch wv p,.,'..as
-, ,ho stone-cuttcrs. and TO see that no 'ha''s''
,,.o.o nodo in what he meant 10 be cohsiucic'
,ho irdisnutabe record of his reign fof UNI
a;so,;sad and unds.usabe cflrontery Ill INV
manufacture of history, commend us 10 h''n'0,
second of the name. Son OF the SUM- n'"N
Inner and Lower Egypt, lord OF DOM "'',ua'
the absolute master. and 10 his Sci'"e'
brilliant. aduator, the poet fen'aur'
I. doos mot lessen the humor Of the SITUATION 10
remember that the war III when h"'n'%'
- havo touob, al least one battle sinsle-hahd''
against an army Of $500 chafio'S-o'
,n., mon and a pair Of horses TO each char'o''.
: 900 men and 5000 horscs-ia-''' ''s
and ondcd with treaty which practically reS'o'''
hall
may have been the result Of particular oa''rs' 'N
49, 49, Aha ,hoto was victory for neither Egypt
nor ,or its enemies What was worse the contest
"'' '' 49,. .ho ancient empire Of the Nile was
LOSING strength. IN the older times suffo"no'"
~. rooro nomadc hordcs, Egypt found conquest
- pm, other parts of the world were now Dc
,o;o, nortialIy civilized Sposmch "ag'r W
- ,bo ,;chcs of the venerable realm were press
;',,, oooir.t the boundaries on all sidcS-"o.i
Tho from fine Sonlan from Arabia, from NIr'a'
.n ,h. Islands of the Greeks and CariiiS' III"
,ho doom Of the land was writ more p'ihiS III wv
,ocos ne the people than even fchtaur ''''
,vcro craven on the walls of karnak III" war;
If Ramescs III show SAYS NJ Marie''"' '""' Nv
anxiety betrayed at the commencement u WV
Nineteenth Dynasty was not without io"'"''''
n .,o zinc xas not far of when Egypt would
~ .bo arbiter of the worlds destinlcs
~. Ia romorks quite seriously after translating
pontorr,s rocm. THAT Ramcscs was great war
r;or ,bo above details will have shown No"'
,d !, mot he better while laying stress upon ''''
ocnius and skill Of the poet. to open one eye, "
tho absurditv of the thing from the historical
noint of view? 1t will do the study OF Egyptian
antiouities no harm. On the contrary IL WIN "'
an clement of interest. The study ~ one "''ic"
poods N have its gravity upset occasionally.
Considered impartially the real nero o' NV
,oor ;s tho noet himself lie has with wonder
full dextcrity turned the mdecisNe reS"'' W "
,,au which exposed Eypt's weakness into n
means of restoring the seli-lOve OF the kin9' anu
- ,his way has done what he could to arouse the
..,,ino patriotism. of the people lie revived in
,hem doubtless. all the memories of former great
,,.ss For the moment those who heard or read
his song OF triumph felt within themselves the
st;rrirg Of a spirit that might if it had been
,orm.nont have rest0rcd.the sceptre Of the world
IN tho Nile Pentaur's device was grand. But
.s N fine commences Of its theme. doubt is GER
tainlv permissible. No "Onj lecture will suffice 10
render probable the incident which the poet has
related OF course, IL is possible that he may
have related a story which had been given to him
as true In that case the matter ceases TO DE
one OF epic enthusiasm, and must be deemed an
example Of plain, everyday, though royal, lying
Modern Europeans and Americans have some IN
,erest in the subject if the most recent theory be
truc that the Khcta. whom Rameses claimed to
have CONQUERED 50 easily, spoke n language re-
lated 10 those of the Western races. They can.
IL they choose get up little feeling Of partisan
shin: for they will not readily confess that any
sundle-lcggcd Egyptian conld have whipped 5000
Indo- Europeans in one fight Moreover, the poem
itself bctrays some signs of a conspiracy on the
part OF the King and his generals 10 furnish the
author with such details only would he agree
able TO royalty In the first place, the tale could
he made credible only by attributng it as a
miracle TO the god of war. This sufficient
for the poet and for his dcvout readers. II should
! have been enough for Ramescs to be acknowledged
as an ally of the divinity. But his vanity was
more colossal than all the architecture OF his