The Indianapolis journal., 1897-05-30
AN ANCIENT LOVE LETTER.
1t Was Written by n King of Egypt
$500 Years Ago.
Philadelphia Record.

Once upon a time-before Rome was
dreamt of-a king of Egypt wrote to a king
of Babylonia asking his daughters S hand in
marriage. The King of Babylonia, being a
most unromantic parent, declined to enter
substantial proof of the royal suitors
worthiness and honorable intentions. Then
followed a long correspondence, which,
wonderful to relate, was very much like the
correspondence that ensues to-day when
European monarch takes it into his head to
get married.
ty-tive centuries rolled slowly over their
graves and the world grew to be vastly
different from what it once was and yet
remained vastly the same.
In the year 1888 a peasant woman seeking
antiquities among the ruins near the city
of Tell-el-Amarna found a number of tab
let's written in cuneiform characters. In
the course of time these tablets reached the
hands of one Hugo Winckler, a young
ASSyriolOgiSt who translated them, among
others, and now from the press of Reuther
& Reichard, of Berlin, there has just been
issued little book entitled The Tell-el-
ferred to below has been identified with
Amenhotep who reigned over Egypt about
1415 b. c. This Nibmuaria had married the
sister of the BabylOnian king, Kallima-
Sin, and, polygamy being much in vogue
at that time, had expressed desire to
Babylonian king, however, hesitated, be-
cause he did not know how well his sis
ter had been treated
Here. you may read this curious corre-
spondence for yourself:
ITO Nibmuaria, the great King, the King
of Egypt my Brother: From Kallima-Sin,
King of Kardunais, your Brother am
WELL may you be well; with your house,
your wives, your sons, your chief men,
your horses your chariots, and your lands,
may it be very we'll 1 am we'll. with my
house my wives, my sons, my chief men,
my horses, my chariots, my people, it is
,ery we'll, and with my lands very well.
Verify ! have heard the communication,
which YOU have written me, namely: You
wish. indeed, my daughter to wife, al
rInT1a fof fl,ny
you, is there with you, and no one has
seen her as yet, whether she is alive, or
whether she is dead.'
that the King of Egypt, having obtained a
wife from the Court of Babylonia, it would
be but fair of him to return the compliment
by sending one of his own daughters to
wed the Babylonian monarch. This sug-
geStion seems to have met with the Egyp-
out of selfish motives seeing in the
rangement way to his own desires being
granted; at any rate, he replied as follows;
From Nibmuaria, King of Egypt:
ITO Kallma-Sin, King of Kardunias, my
Brother: from Nibmuaria, King Of Egypt,
your brother. May it be well with you,
with your house, your wives, your land
your chariots your horses, your chief men,
may it be very well. AS to the maiden. my
daughter. to marry whom you have writ
ten me, she is grown up and marriageable;
send and let her be brought,
Now my brother, when l wrote to you
to marry your daughter, you say that you
are you, and you can do according to your
hearts wish. This they tell me and so l
beautiful women. If there is any beautiful
woman there. send her Who shall say
she is not a Kings daughter? If, how
ever, you do not send any one at all, then
YOU will have no regard for brotherhood
and friendship. Then J.. like you, will with
hold from you a wife
The upShot of it all was. other tablets
reveal. that the old Kings obtained the
wives they sought.