The Pharaoh and the Priest: An Historical Novel of Ancient Egypt

by Bolesław Prus

  CHAPTER XXII

  His stay in Aa had so wearied Rameses that to seek rest and rally histhoughts he commanded to stop all solemnities in his honor, anddirected that during his journey people should never come forth togreet him.

  The prince's retinue were astonished, even somewhat offended; but theycarried out the command, and Rameses again found some quiet. He hadtime to review his troops, which was his most agreeable occupation,and he could collect his scattered thoughts in some measure.

  Shut up in the remotest corner of the palace, the prince began toconsider how far he had carried out the commands of the pharaoh hisfather.

  He had surveyed Aa with his own eyes,--its fields, towns, population,officials. He had verified the fact that the eastern edge of theprovince was yielding to the advance of the desert. He had observedthat laborers were indifferent and stupid; that they did only what wascommanded, and that with unwillingness. Finally, he had convincedhimself that really faithful and loving subjects were to be found onlyamong the aristocracy, for they were related to the family of thepharaohs, or were of the noble order, and were grandsons of the menwho had fought under the great Rameses.

  In every case those people rallied to the dynasty heartily, and wereready to serve it with genuine readiness; not like the low people, whowhen they had shouted a greeting ran back with all speed to their pigsand their oxen.

  But the chief object of his mission was not explained yet. Rameses notonly did not see clearly causes for the decrease of the royal income,but he did not know how to formulate this question: Why is there evil,and how can we correct it? He only felt that the legendary war of thegod Set with Osiris furnished no true explanation, and gave no meansof cure whatever.

  But the prince, as the coming pharaoh, wished to have a great income,like that of former rulers in Egypt. He was boiling with anger at thevery thought that when he had mounted the throne he would be as pooras his father and perhaps even poorer.

  "Never!" cried the prince, balling his fists.

  To increase the royal property he was ready to rush sword in handagainst Set and hew that god into pieces, as Set had hewn his ownbrother Osiris. But instead of the cruel divinity and his legions hesaw around him ignorance, the desert, and silence.

  Under the influence of these struggles with his own thoughts, heseized once the high priest Mefres.

  "Tell me, holy father, to whom all wisdom is familiar, why does theincome of the state decrease, and in what manner can we add to it?"

  Mefres raised his hands.

  "May the spirit be blessed, worthy lord," cried the priest, "whichwhispered such thoughts to thee. Oh, mayest thou follow in the stepsof mighty pharaohs who built temples in all parts of Egypt, andthrough canals and sluices increased the area of fertile land in thiscountry."

  The old man was so moved that he fell to weeping.

  "First of all," said the prince, "answer what I ask; for how think oftemples and canals when the treasury is empty? The greatest misfortunehas befallen Egypt: its rulers are threatened with indigence. We mustexamine this, first of all, and cure it; after that the rest will comeeasily."

  "This, prince, thou wilt learn only in temples, at the foot of thealtar," said the high priest. "There alone can thy noble curiosity bepacified."

  Rameses started up with impatience.

  "Before thy eyes, worthy father, the temple hides the whole country,even the treasury of the pharaoh. I am, for that matter, a priestlypupil. I was reared in the shadow of a temple, I know the secret ofthe spectacles in which the malice of Set is represented, with thedeath and re-birth of Osiris, and what does that profit me? When myfather asks how to replenish the treasury, I can give him no answer.Should I persuade him to pray longer and oftener than he does at thepresent?"

  "Prince, thou art blaspheming, thou knowest not the high ceremonies ofreligion. If thou knew them thou couldst answer many questions whichtorment thee; and hadst thou seen that which I have, thou wouldst knowthat the highest interest of Egypt is to support priests and temples."

  "Men in old age become children," thought Rameses; and he stopped theconversation.

  Mefres had been very pious at all times, but he had then growneccentric.

  "I should end well," thought Rameses, "if I yielded to priests andassisted at puerile ceremonies. Perhaps Mefres would even command meto stand for whole hours at an altar, as he himself does, beyonddoubt, while expecting a miracle."

  In the month Pharmuthi (end of January and beginning of February) theprince took leave of Otoes, before starting for Hak, the nextprovince. He thanked the nomarchs and lords for their splendidreception, but at heart he was sad, for he knew that he had notmastered the problem put forth by his father.

  Escorted by the family and court of Otoes, the prince with his retinuecrossed to the right bank of the river, where he was greeted byRanuzer, the worthy nomarch, together with the lords and the priestsof his province.

  When the prince reached the land of Hak, the priests raised a statueof Atmu, patron god of the province, and the officials fell prostrate;then the nomarch brought a golden sickle to Rameses, and begged him toopen the harvest as viceroy of the pharaoh, that being the time togather in barley.

  Rameses took the sickle, cut a couple of handfuls of ears, and burntthem with incense before the god the guardian of the boundaries. Afterhim the nomarch and the great lords cut barley also, and at lastharvesters fell to reaping. They cut only ears, which they packed intobags; the straw remained on the field behind them.

  When he had heard a tedious service before the god, the prince mounteda two-wheeled car, a division of the army moved on, and the priestsfollowed. Two lords led the horses of the heir by the bridles. Afterthe heir, on a second car, rode the nomarch, and next an immense trainof lords and court servitors. The people, agreeable to the will ofRameses, did not present themselves, but laborers in the fields, atsight of the procession, fell on their faces.

  In this manner when he had passed a number of pontoon bridges thrownover arms of the Nile and canals, the prince reached toward eveningthe city of Anu, the capital.

  For some days feasts of greeting continued; they rendered homage tothe heir, and presented officials. At last Rameses begged to interruptthe festivities, and requested the nomarch to acquaint him with thewealth of the province.

  Next morning the review began, and lasted a fortnight. Every day inthe court of that palace where the heir had his residence appearedvarious guilds of craftsmen. These came under command of guildofficers, to exhibit their productions. In turn came armorers andswordsmiths, makers of spears and axes, manufacturers of musicalinstruments,--fifes, trumpets, drums, harps. After these came thegreat guild of cabinetmakers, who exhibited armchairs, tables,couches, litters, and carriages, ornamented with rich drawings, madeof various wood, mother-of-pearl, and ivory; then they brought kitchenutensils, things for the fire,--spits, two-eared pots, and flat panswith covers; jewellers rivalled one another with gold rings ofwonderful beauty, amber bracelets and anklets, or chains made of goldmixed with silver. All these were carved with artistic skill, andinlaid with precious stones or enamel of various colors.

  The procession was closed by potters who carried more than a hundredkinds of earthen vessels. They brought vases, pots, plates, pitchers,and jugs of the most varied forms and sizes, covered with paintingsornamented with beast and bird heads.

  Each guild made an offering to the prince of its most beautifulproductions. These filled a large hall, though among them no twothings were similar.

  At the end of the curious but interesting exhibition, his worthinessRanuzer asked the prince if he was satisfied.

  The heir thought awhile.

  "More beautiful things I have not seen except in the temples or in thepalaces of my father. But since only rich people can buy them, I donot see how the state treasury can have much profit from thoseobjects."

  The nomarch was astonished at the young lord's indifference, and wasalarmed by his anxiety about income; but wishing to satisfy Ram
eses,he began then to conduct him through the royal factories.

  One day they went to buildings where slaves were grinding flour inmany hundred hand-mills and in mortars. They went to bakeries wheremen were baking bread and rusks to feed the army, and to places wherepreserved fish and meat were in course of preparation. They examinedgreat tanneries, and shops where sandals were made, foundries wherecopper was cast into arms and utensils. After that, brickyards, guildsof weavers and tailors.

  These establishments were situated in the eastern part of the city.Rameses at first looked at them with interest, but very soon he wasdisgusted with the sight of laborers who were timid, lean, sickly incomplexion, and who had scars left by sticks on their shoulders.Thenceforth he stopped only briefly at factories. He preferred to lookat the environs of the city of Anu. Far to the east he could see thedesert where a year earlier the manoeuvres had taken place between hiscorps and Nitager's. He saw, like a thing on the palm of his hand, theroad by which his regiments had marched, the place where because ofthe beetles the military engines had to turn to the desert, andperhaps even the tree on which the canal digger had hanged himself.

  From that elevation over there in company with Tutmosis he had lookedat the blooming land of Goshen and cursed the priesthood. And thereamong the hills he had met Sarah, toward whom his heart had flamed upon a sudden.

  To-day what changes! He had ceased to hate the priests from the hourthat by the influence of Herhor he had received the army corps and theoffice of viceroy. He had become indifferent to Sarah, but that childwhose mother she would be grew to him more and more important.

  "What is she doing there?" thought the prince. "I have not had newsfrom her this long time."

  While he was looking on those eastern hills in this way, and thinkingof the recent past, Ranuzer at the head of his escort felt certainthat the prince had observed abuses in the factories and wasmeditating over means of punishment.

  "I am curious to know what he discovered," thought the worthy nomarch."Is it that half the bricks are sold to the Phoenicians, or that tenthousand sandals are lacking in the factory, or perhaps some lowwretch has whispered to him about the foundries?"

  And the nomarch's heart was anxious.

  Suddenly the prince turned toward the escort and called Tutmosis, whowas bound to be at all times near his person.

  Tutmosis ran up. The heir went to one side with him.

  "Hear me," said he, pointing toward the desert. "Dost thou see thosehills?"

  "We were there last year," sighed the courtier.

  "I remember Sarah."

  "I will burn incense to the gods at once," cried Tutmosis, "for Ithought that your worthiness had forgotten faithful servants sincebecoming viceroy."

  The prince looked at him and shrugged his shoulders.

  "Select," said he, "from the gifts brought me, some of the mostbeautiful vessels, utensils, stuffs, and, above all, chains andbracelets, and take them to Sarah."

  "Live through eternity, O Rameses!" exclaimed the exquisite, "for thouart high-minded."

  "Tell her," continued the prince, "that for her my heart is alwaysfull of favor. Say that I wish her to care for her health. Tell Sarahthat when the time of freedom comes and I have carried out thecommands of my father, she will come to me and live in my house. Icannot endure that the mother of my child should be grieving inloneliness. Go, do as I have said, and return with pleasant tidings."

  Tutmosis prostrated himself before the noble ruler, and took the roadstraightway. The retinue of Rameses, unable to divine theconversation, envied Tutmosis the favor of the viceroy, while theworthy Ranuzer felt alarm rising in his soul.

  "Oh," said he, anxiously, "may I not need to raise hands on myself andleave my house in the bloom of my years! Why did I, the unfortunate,when taking the pharaoh's goods, not think of the hour of trial?"

  His face became yellow, and his legs tottered under him. But theprince, mastered by a wave of reminiscences, took no note of thischange in the nomarch.