An Egyptian Princess, Complete

the Egyptian laws w

mal

o be distinguished among the brown, white and blue ones of the smaller Nile-boats which swarmed around them, came nearer and nearer to the expectant throng. Then at last the crown-prin

st rose a golden canopy with a purple covering, beneath which cushions were conveniently arranged. On

ere possessed, in grea

nk. Even in the tomb o

the Pyramids, we meet

elonging to a we

el; and before the ship had touched the shore the youngest of

at this glorious sight, and even the grave faces of so

s much-admired

known under the name

gave him this name

of Bisitun or Behistu

el, Bardiya. We have c

, the former, which is

of the

ing of Persia, and had been endowed by nature with every

sel, and his slender but muscular figure told of strength and activity. The splendor of his apparel was proportioned to his personal beauty. A brilliant star of diamonds and turquoises glittered in the front of his tiara. An upper garment of rich white and gold brocade reaching just below the knees, was fastened round the waist

arms, adorned with many costly bracelets of gold and jewels; r

than he. The third to disembark was an aged man with snow-white hair, in whose face the gentle and kind expression of childhood was united, with the intellect of a man, and the experience of old age.

oots, which are consta

the oracle "s

ed as a synonyme for the highest point of worldly riches attainable by mankind. The old man to whom we are now introduced is no other than Croesus, the dethroned

ja and Darius; and, lastly, by his own son, the slender, pale Gyges, who after having become dumb in his fourth year through

on their breasts, cast themselves on the earth before the heir to the Egyptian throne. When the first formalities were over, Bartja, according to the custom of his native country, but greatly to the astonishment of the populace, who were totally unaccustomed

ut the larger number remained at their places, knowing

, Puhor, and the high-priest says so too, that these strangers can bring no good to the black land! I am for the good old times, when no one who cared for his life

Hebrews (Apuriu) by th

See Ebers, Aegypten

this o

priest says that in the whole of their kingdom, which is as large as half the world, there is not a single temple to the

correct, as the Persia

enidae, had no temple

d to the dogs and vul

efile the pure earth b

he fire or water for

lly polluted by such

e dead bodies to vanis

which had to be cove

our inches thick, and

structure was as it we

ontact with the pure

I

was even greater than his astonishment, an

, there is the sixth boat

his manner until the strangers drive him from his throne and country, and plunder and make slaves of us poo

boat!" shoute

d of three, eight had to be procured, for these despisers of the gods and profaners of dead bodies have not only brought kitchen utensils, dogs, horses, carriages, chests, baskets and bales, but have dragged with them, thousands of miles, a whole host of se

bassy shortly after their arrival with all

ning without exception, he went forth to walk with Croesus in the royal gardens. The remaining members of th

lar in their arrangement to those of Rhodopis, lay in

of red granite, into which an abundance of clear water flowed perpetually th

orous spirit sparkled in the small, flashing eyes, and an expression of raillery, sly banter, and at times, even of irony, played around his remarkably full lips. The low, broad brow, the large and beautifully-arched head bespoke great mental power, and in the changing color of his eyes one seemed to read that n

highest and noblest minds of Greece. Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes of Miletus, Bias of Priene, Solon of Athens, Pittakus of Lesbos, the most celebrated Hellenic philosop

of Ionian origin, flo

ebrated for his wise m

took place during his

emple was erected to

Diog.

e reasons: thou art better acquainted with most of the countries and nations of this earth; the gods have not only allowed thee to ascend the ladder of fortune to its utmost summit, but also to descend it, and thirdly, thou hast long been the first

thine eyes, in spite of opposition near and around thee. I am thankful for the favor shown to the Hellenes, my friends, and I regar

good came first, the evil later; whereas in my own this order has been reversed. In saying this,

, "must be assuming that I am unhappy i

herwise after the loss of

, which the envious gods vouchsafe more often to the needy than to the mighty. The clear sight of the latter becomes dazzled by the glittering treasure, and they ca

eak. Terror had loosened his tongue; in that dreadful hour Gyges learnt once more to speak, and I, who but the moment before had been cursing the gods, bowed down before their power. I had commanded a slave to kill me the moment I should be taken prisoner by the Persians, but now I deprived him of his sword. I was a changed man, and by degrees learnt ever more and more to subdue the rage and indignation which yet from time to time would boil up again within my soul, rebellious against my fate and my noble enemies. Thou knowest that at last I became the friend of Cyrus, and that my son grew up at his court, a free man at my side, having entirely regained the use of his speech. Everything beautiful and good that I had heard, seen or thought during my long life I treasured up now for him; he was my kingdom, my

ures the while in the sand with the gold

verlooked, and among my equals, (the other under-officers) there could be no fun or merry-making unless I took a share in it. My predecessor king Hophra sent us against Cyrene. Seized with thirst in the desert, we refused to go on; and a suspicion that the king intended to sacrifice us to the Greek mercenaries drove the army to open mutiny. In my usual joking manner I called out to my friends: 'You can never get on without a king, take me for your ruler; a merrier you will never find!' The soldiers caught the w

t this would have been inconsistent with my new position, and have undermined my authority. One day, therefore, when the officers of the host were at one of my banquets and attempting, as usual, to maintain their old convivial footing, I showed the

ine article Phra, mu

un-worship of the Egyp

dation of their entir

at Heliopolis. Plato

fited by the teachin

as memorial monuments

were recorded, were s

they represented the

f light, the director

he reigned, as Osir

rit

transformed the despised vessel into which ye spat and in which men washed your feet, into this divine image. Such a vessel was I, but the Deity, which can fashion better and more quic

e other prop, I fixed on the Hellenes, knowing that in all military qualifications one Greek is worth more than fi

t, Pythagoras. I endeavored to introduce Greek art and manners among ourselves, seeing what folly lay in a self-willed adherence to that wh

me with overthrow and ruin whenever I attempt to accomplish anything new. The priests are my opponents, my masters, they hang like a dead weight upon me. Clinging with superstitious awe to all that is old and traditionary, abominating everything foreign, and regarding every stranger as the natural enemy of their authority and their teaching, they can lead the

not have believed that an entire race of human beings existed, to whom a gloomy, sullen heart was as natural as a poisonous tooth to the serpent. Yet it is true, that on my journey hither and during my residence at this court I have se

a stranger is odious to the priests, and the moroseness which thou observest is intended as retaliation on me for my alliance with the strangers. Those very boys, of whom thou spakest, are the greatest torment of my life. They perform for me the service of slaves, and obey my slightest nod. One might imagine that the parents who devote their children to this service, and who are the highest in rank

h these spies and select servants from the military caste,

being watched. To-morrow I will have that grove of fig-trees yonder uprooted. The young priest there, who seems so fond of gardening, has other fruit in his mind beside

father Zeus,

ty, I must submit, at least in the main, to the ceremonies handed down through thousands of years. Were I to burst these fetters, I know positively that at

om among the ancient

k narrators, but by t

vered in the chamb

ed Croesus, becoming angry. "We

What has been sung to us in our childhood, and praised as sacred in our youth, lingers on in the heart until the day which sees us embalmed as mummies. I am an old man and have but a short span yet to run, before I reach the landmark which separates us from that farther country. For the sake of life's few

onsidered as a part of

r the death of the bod

The Egyptian Cosmos

ens, the Earth and the

e vault of heaven, the

ets and fixed stars.

ircle in their ships,

who sit enthroned ab

rs. The mouth of this

d rises from the mists

he surface of the eart

e in the three great

m the heights of heave

al body is of the eart

one human being is dis

or shadow-belongs to

ow separate from one

om whence it came, to

he body, to be commit

n the image of its cr

to the depths, the ki

as placed in the West

own daily,-where he

onding conceptions co

departing, being born

ody after death from

f inward decay, but a

eligion of ancient Egy

y the priests on sani

deliverance of the s

with the source of Li

idea, one and indivi

was supposed to remai

dy during a long cycl

he body from time to t

various forms and pla

the hour, and were pre

lineat

fficult to enter into such thoughts. Tell me rathe

ear as if placed there to repel entrance. Your many-colored hieroglyphics likewise attract the gaze, but baffle the inquiring spirit by the mystery that lies within their characters. The images of your manifold gods are everywhere to be seen; they crowd on our gaze, and yet who knows not that their real is not their apparent significance? that they are mere outward images of thoughts accessible only to

ot be celebrated and esteemed as they are, if we did not believe that their skill could prolong our earthly existence. This remi

. It was Nebenchari who first spoke to Cambyses of the charms of thy daughter Tachot. But we deplore that he understands d

ed, pursued by the priests (to whose caste the physicians belong) with a most praiseworthy earnestness in all branches of science. Yonder lies the house of the high-priest Neithotep, whose knowledge of astronomy and geometry was so highly praised, even by Pythagoras. It lies next to the porch leading into the temple of the goddess Neith, the protectress of Sais. Would I could show thee the sacred grove with its magnificent trees, the splendid pillars of the temple with capitals modelled from the lotus-flower, and

ther; and she will need my help, for the apartments of the women in the Persian palaces are dangerous ground. But she will meet with great consideration. Cambyses may b

es of the journey and the pain of separation. Indeed were I to follow the dictates of my own heart, Nitetis sh

PTE

the Nile to the pyramids. Prexaspes alone, the ambassador from Cambyses, had already

ssy, nearly three hundred in number, and by the high guests themselves, to whom every possible attention was paid. The

ial display of the wealth and splendor of his court, at

s hung against the walls and threw a strange light on the scene, something like that when the sun's rays strike through colored glass. The space between the columns and the walls was filled with cho

ables covered with dishes of all kinds, cold roast meats, sweets, well-arranged basket

emselves in handing these dishes to the guests, who, either standing around, or rec

le nosegays from the young priests in the personal service of the king, and many a youth of high degree appe

ond-shaped eyes, whose loveliness was heightened by having their lids dyed with the eye-paint called "mestem." The majority wore their hair arranged in the same manner; the wealth of waving brown locks floated back over the shoulders and was brushed behind the ears, one braid being

with rings; the finger-nails were stained red, according to Egyptian custom, a

ning finger-nails) is

a, Laosonia spinosa,

r the purpose. The Eg

t it will be difficult

for coloring the eye

employed. The Papyru

ony, which is frequen

monuments belongin

rao

tis, the Pharaoh's daughter, among the women, were equally conspicuous for their superior beauty, grace and charms. The royal maiden wore a transparent rose-colo

ed the young Persians to her children. A light lace robe was thrown over her garment of purple, embroidered wit

and every movement betrayed the grace

Egyptian Tentcheta, mother of Psamtik the heir to the throne,) had followed his

s, were called twin-sisters, but showed no signs

Nitetis, on the other hand, tall and majestic, with black hair

is' cheek. "Be of good courage, and meet thy future bravely.

ong and enquiringly on the beautiful youth. He bowed low

husband is a great hero, and a powerful king; our mother is the noblest of women, and among the Persians the beauty and virtue of woman is as much revered as the life-givi

a seat immediately opposite the dancing-girls, who were just about to display their skill for the entertainment of the guests. A thin petticoat was the only clothing of these girls,

ok the hall, their grave demeanor bei

as well as men, are to

icated condition. One

ood, on the heads of