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

by Bolesław Prus

  CHAPTER LX

  Meanwhile Pentuer made ready to revisit Lower Egypt and find on theone hand thirteen delegates from among land-tillers and artisans forthe pharaoh, and on the other to encourage the working population todemand the relief which the new sovereign had promised, for accordingto his conviction the greatest question for Egypt was to abolish theinjustice and the abuses to which the toiling people were subject.

  Still, Pentuer was a priest, and not only did he not desire the fallof his order, but he did not even wish to break the bonds whichconnected him with it. Hence to emphasize his loyalty he went to takefarewell of Herhor.

  The once mighty dignitary received him with a smile.

  "A rare guest--a rare guest!" exclaimed he. "Since thou hadst thedesire to become the counsellor of his holiness thou dost not showthyself before me. True, thou art not the only one! But whateverhappens, I shall not forget thy services, wert thou even to avoid mestill more than at present."

  "Worthiness, I am not a counsellor of our lord, nor do I avoid thee towhose favor I am indebted for what I am to-day."

  "I know, I know!" answered Herhor. "Thou hast refused the high dignityso as not to work to the destruction of the temples. I know, I know!though perhaps it is to be regretted that thou hast not become theadviser of that giddy milksop, who, as it were, governs us. To acertainty thou wouldst not have suffered him to surround himself withthose traitors who are ruining him."

  Pentuer, not wishing to speak of such ticklish subjects, told Herhorwhy he was going to Lower Egypt.

  "Very well," answered Herhor, "let Rameses XIII. call an assembly ofall the orders. He has a right to call it."

  "But," he added suddenly, "I am sorry that thou art involved in suchlabor. Great changes have taken place in thee. Thou rememberest thywords to my adjutant during those manoeuvres in Pi-Bailos? I willremind thee: thou didst tell him that it was necessary to limit theabuses and license of the pharaohs. But to-day thou art supporting thechildish pretensions of the greatest profligate ever known to Egypt--"

  "Rameses XIII.," said Pentuer, interrupting, "wishes to improve thelot of common people. I should be stupid and mean, therefore, were I,the son of earth-tillers, not to serve him in this question."

  "But thou dost not ask whether that would not injure us, thepriesthood."

  Pentuer was astonished.

  "But thou thyself givest great relief to common men belonging to thetemple," said he. "I have, besides, thy permission."

  "What? Which?" inquired Herhor.

  "Recall, worthiness, that night when we greeted Beroes. Mefresdeclared at that time that Egypt had fallen because the priestly orderwas lowered, while I asserted that the misery of the people was thecause of the suffering of the State, to which thou, so far as Iremember, didst answer: 'Let Mefres occupy himself with bettering thepriesthood, Pentuer in improving the lot of common people, while Iwill avoid destructive war between Egypt and Assyria--'"

  "Well, dost thou see," interrupted the high priest, "it is thy duty toact with us, not with Rameses."

  "Does he wish war with Assyria," replied Pentuer, energetically, "ordoes he hinder priests from acquiring wisdom? He wishes to give thepeople every seventh day for rest, and later to give each family ofearth-workers a small bit of land for subsistence. Do not tell me,worthiness, that the pharaoh wishes evil, for it has been verified ontemple ground that a free man who has his own patch of earth laborsincomparably better than one without freedom."

  "I am not opposed to relieving common people," said Herhor, "but I amconvinced that Rameses will do nothing for them."

  "Surely not if you refuse him money."

  "Even were we to give him a pyramid of gold and silver, and another ofprecious stones, he would do nothing--that is a mad stripling whom theAssyrian ambassador, Sargon, never mentioned otherwise than as afrivolous youngster."

  "The pharaoh has great capabilities."

  "But he has no knowledge, and no skill," replied Herhor. "He barelyvisited the high school a little and left it at the earliest. Hence,to-day, in affairs of state he is like a blind person; he is like achild which puts out pieces boldly on a board, but has no idea how toplay at draughts."

  "Still he governs--"

  "Oh, Pentuer, what is his government?" interrupted the high priest,with laughter. "He has opened new military schools, he has increasedthe number of regiments, he is arming the whole people, he haspromised holidays to working men. But how will he carry out hisprojects? Thou keepest far from him, hence knowest nothing; but Iassure thee that he, when issuing orders, never stops to ask: Who willcarry out this? What are the means? What will follow? It seems to theethat he governs. It is I who govern, I govern all the time, I, whom hedismissed. I am the cause that to-day fewer taxes come to thetreasury, but I also prevent the rebellion of laborers; because of methey do not leave work on the canals, dams, and roadways. To sum up, Ihave twice restrained Assyria from declaring war on us, war which thatmadman was calling out by his military dispositions.

  "Rameses govern! He merely rouses disorder. Thou hadst trial of hismanagement in Lower Egypt: he drank, frolicked, brought in woman afterwoman, and pretended to occupy himself with administration of theprovince, but he understood nothing, absolutely nothing. What is worstof all, he became intimate with Phoenicians, with bankrupt nobles, andtraitors of various kinds, who are urging him to ruin."

  "But the victory of the Soda Lakes?" inquired Pentuer.

  "I recognize energy in him, and a knowledge of military art," addedHerhor. "That is the one thing that he knows. But say thyself would hehave won the battle at the Soda Lakes were it not for aid from theeand others of the priestly order? I know that ye informed him of everymovement of the Libyan band. And now think, could Rameses, even withhelp from you, win a battle against Nitager, for example? Nitager is amaster, Rameses is a mere apprentice."

  "Then what will be the end of this hatred between him and you?"inquired Pentuer.

  "Hatred!" repeated Herhor. "Could I hate a frivolous fellow, who,moreover, is surrounded, like a deer in a ravine by hunters! But Imust confess that his rule is so full of danger that if Rameses had abrother, or if Nitager were younger, we should set aside the presentpharaoh."

  "And thou, worthiness, would become his heir!" burst out Pentuer.

  Herhor was by no means offended.

  "Pentuer, thou hast grown marvellously dull since thy entry intopolitics on thy own account," replied he, shrugging his shoulders. "Ofcourse, if the country were without a pharaoh, it would be my duty tobecome one by virtue of my office of high priest of Amon, and chief ofthe supreme council. But what is the office to me? Have I not had morepower for a number of years than the pharaoh? Or do I not to-day,though I am a minister of war in disgrace, carry out in this statewhatever I think needful?

  "Those same high priests, treasurers, judges, nomarchs, and evengenerals who avoid me at present, must carry out every secret order ofthe council furnished with my seal. Is there a man in Egypt who woulddare refuse obedience to those orders? Wouldst thou, for instance,dare oppose them?"

  Pentuer hung his head.

  If in spite of the death of Rameses XII. the supreme privy council ofpriests had maintained itself, Rameses XIII. must either yield orfight a life-and-death battle.

  The pharaoh had on his side all the people, all the army, manypriests, and the majority of the civil dignitaries. The council couldreckon on hardly two thousand adherents, on its treasures and on itsincomparably wise organization. The forces were utterly unequal, butthe issue of the battle was very doubtful.

  "Then ye have determined to destroy the pharaoh?" asked Pentuer.

  "Not at all. We only wish to save the state."

  "In that case what should Rameses XIII. do?"

  "What he will do I know not. But I know what his father did," answeredHerhor. "Rameses XII. began to govern in the same impetuous andtyrannical fashion, but when money failed him, and his most zealousadherents began to despise him, he turned to the gods. He surroundedhimsel
f with priests, he learned from them, nay, he even married adaughter of the high priest Amenhotep. And, after a few years, he wentso far that he became himself not only a pious, but a very learnedhigh priest."

  "But if the pharaoh will not follow that example?"

  "Then we shall dispense with him," said Herhor.

  "Listen to me Pentuer," continued he, after a while. "I know not onlythe acts, but even the thoughts of that pharaoh of thine, who,moreover, has not been solemnly crowned yet, hence for us he isnothing. I know that he wants to make the priests his servants, andhimself sole lord of Egypt.

  "But such a plan is stupid, it is even treasonable. Not the pharaohs,as thou knowest well, but the gods and the priests created Egypt. Itis not the pharaohs who mark the rise and fall of the Nile andregulate its overflows; it is not the pharaohs who teach the people tosow, to gather fruits and rear cattle. It is not the pharaohs who curediseases and watch over the safety of the state against foreignenemies.

  "What would happen, tell me that, were our order to yield Egypt to themercy of the pharaohs? The wisest pharaohs have behind them theexperience of a few years at the longest, but the priestly order hasinvestigated and taught during tens of thousands of years. Themightiest ruler has two eyes and two hands, while we possess thousandsof eyes and thousands of hands in all provinces at home, and in allforeign countries.

  "Can the activity of a pharaoh equal ours; and when opinions differwho should yield, we or the pharaoh?"

  "Well, what am I to do now?" inquired Pentuer.

  "Do what that stripling commands if thou betray not holy secrets. Andleave the rest--to time. I wish most sincerely that the youth calledRameses XIII. might come to his senses, and I suppose that he wouldwere it not that he has attached himself to disgusting traitors overwhom the hands of the gods are now suspended."

  Pentuer took farewell of the high priest. He was filled with darkforebodings, but he did not fail in spirit, since he knew thatwhatever he might gain in improving the condition of the common manwould remain, even were the pharaoh to bend before the power of thepriestly order.

  "In the worst case," thought he, "we must do what we can, and whatpertains to us. When conditions improve, what is sown to-day will givefruit hereafter."

  But still he determined to renounce agitation among the people. He waseven ready to calm the impatient, so as not to increase trouble forthe pharaoh.

  A couple of weeks later Pentuer entered the boundaries of Lower Egypt,looking about on the way for the wisest of common men and artisansfrom whom it would be possible to select delegates to the assemblysummoned by the pharaoh.

  Everywhere on the way he found signs of the greatest excitement.Earth-tillers, as well as artisans, were trying to have the seventhday for rest and receive pay for all public works, as was the case informer ages. And it was only through remonstrances from priests ofvarious temples, that a general uprising was averted, or at least thatwork was continued.

  At the same time Pentuer was struck by certain new phenomena which hehad not observed a month earlier: first of all the people had dividedinto two parties. Some were partisans of the pharaoh and enemies ofthe priests; others were active against Phoenicians. Some proved thatthe priests ought to give the treasures of the labyrinth to thepharaoh; others whispered that the pharaoh afforded foreigners toomuch protection.

  But strangest of all was a report of unknown origin that RamesesXIII. showed signs of insanity, like his elder brother, who for thiscause had been excluded from succession. Priests, scribes, even commonmen discussed this report of insanity.

  "Who told thee such a lie?" inquired Pentuer of an engineer.

  "It is no lie," replied the engineer, "it is sad reality. In theTheban palaces they saw the pharaoh running naked through the gardens.One night he climbed a tree under the window of his mother's chamber,and spoke to her."

  Pentuer assured the man that no longer than two weeks before he hadseen Rameses in the best of health. He observed at once, however, thatthe engineer did not believe him.

  "This is Herhor's work!" thought he. "Priests alone could have newsfrom Thebes so promptly."

  For the moment he lost desire to busy himself in finding delegates,but he regained energy at the thought that what the people receivedto-day they would not lose to-morrow, unless something uncommon shouldhappen.

  Beyond Memphis to the north of the pyramids and the sphinx, on theboundary of the desert, was a small temple of the goddess Nut. An oldpriest Menes lived in that temple. This sage had more knowledge of thestars than any man in Egypt; he was an engineer in addition.

  When a great public edifice was to be built or a new canal made, Meneswent to the place and gave directions. Apart from such tasks he livedin solitude and poverty in his temple; at night he investigated thestars, in the daytime he worked over curious instruments.

  For some years Pentuer had not been in that place; hence he was struckby neglect in it, and poverty. The brick wall was falling, in thegarden the trees were withering, in the yard a lean goat moved aroundand a few hens were scratching.

  There was no one near the temple. Only after Pentuer had called outdid an old man come down from a pylon. His feet were bare, on his headwas a soiled cap like that of a laborer, around his waist was a raggedgirdle, and on his shoulder a panther skin from which the hair hadfallen. Still, his bearing was dignified, and his face full of wisdom.He looked quickly at the guest and said,--

  "Either I am mistaken, or thou art Pentuer?"

  "I am he," answered the newly arrived, and he embraced the old manwith heartiness.

  "Ho! ho!" exclaimed Menes, for it was he; "I see that thou hastchanged for official reasons. Thou hast a smoother face, whiter hands,and a gold chain on thy neck. Mother Nut of the heavenly ocean wouldhave to wait long for such ornaments."

  Pentuer wished to remove the chain, but Menes stopped him with asmile.

  "Do not. If thou knew what jewels we have in the heavens thou wouldstnot hasten with an offering of gold. Well, hast thou come to stay withus?"

  Pentuer shook his head.

  "No," replied he, "I have come only to bow down before thee, divineteacher."

  "And again to court?" laughed the old man. "Oh ye, ye courtiers! If yeknew what ye lose by deserting wisdom for palaces ye would be thesaddest of mankind."

  "Art thou alone, O my teacher?"

  "As a palm in a desert, especially to-day when my deaf and dumbservant has gone with a basket to Memphis to beg something for themother of Ra and her chaplain."

  "And is it not disagreeable here?"

  "For me!" exclaimed Menes. "Since I saw thee last I have snatched fromthe gods some secrets which I would not give for the two crowns ofEgypt."

  "Are they secrets between thee and me?" inquired Pentuer.

  "How, secrets? A year ago I completed all measures and calculationstouching the size of the earth."

  "What does that mean?"

  Menes looked around and lowered his voice,--

  "Of course it is known to thee that the earth is not flat like atable, but is an immense ball on the surface of which seas, countries,and cities are situated?"

  "That is known," said Pentuer.

  "Not to all," answered Menes. "And it was not known to any one howgreat that globe might be."

  "But dost thou know?" inquired Pentuer, almost frightened.

  "I know. Our infantry marches about thirteen Egyptian miles[44] daily.The globe of the earth is so great that our armies would require fivewhole years to march around it."

  [44] Three geographical miles.

  "O gods!" exclaimed Pentuer. "Does it not frighten thee, father, tothink of such subjects?"

  Menes shrugged his shoulders.

  "To measure size, what is there terrible in that? To measure the sizeof a pyramid, or the earth is the same kind of problem. I did a moredifficult thing. I measured the distance of our temple from the palaceof the pharaoh without crossing the river."

  "Terror!" exclaimed Pentuer.

  "What
terror? I have discovered a thing which beyond doubt ye will allfear. But tell this to no one: in the month Paoni (June, July) therewill be an eclipse of the sun; night will come in the daytime. And mayI die a hunger death, if I have failed even three minutes in thereckoning."

  Pentuer touched the amulet which he wore on his breast, and uttered aprayer.

  "I have read," said he, "in sacred books that more than once to thesuffering of people it became night at midday. But what is that? I donot understand."

  "Dost thou see the pyramid?" asked Menes on a sudden, pointing towardthe desert.

  "I see it."

  "Now put thy hand before thy eyes. Dost thou see the pyramid? Thoudost not. Well, the eclipse of the sun is the same kind of thing; themoon passes between the sun and us, hides the father of light andmakes night in the daytime."

  "And will that happen here?" inquired Pentuer.

  "In the month Paoni. I have written about this to the pharaoh,thinking that in return he would make some offering to the temple. Buton reading the letter he laughed at me, and commanded my messenger totake the news to Herhor."

  "Well, what did Herhor do?"

  "Herhor gave us thirty measures of barley. He is the only man inEgypt who reveres science, but the young pharaoh is frivolous."

  "Do not be severe on him, father," interrupted Pentuer. "Rameses XIII.wishes to improve the lot of laborers and artisans, and give themevery seventh day to rest; he forbids to beat them without trial, andperhaps he will find land for them."

  "But I tell thee that he is light-minded," said the irritated Menes."Two months ago I sent him a great plan for lessening the toil oflaborers, and he laughed at me. He is conceited and ignorant!"

  "Thou art prejudiced, father. But tell me thy plan and perhaps I mayassist in applying it."

  "Plan?" repeated the old man. "It is not a plan, it is a great fact."

  He rose from the bench and went then with Pentuer to a pond in thegarden, at which was an arbor concealed altogether by plant growth. Inthis structure was a large wheel in perpendicular position with anumber of buckets on the outer rim of it. Menes went into the centreand began to move his feet; the wheel turned and the buckets tookwater from the pond and poured it into a trough which stood somewhathigher.

  "A curious instrument!" said Pentuer.

  "But dost thou divine what it may do for the people of Egypt?"

  "No."

  "Then imagine this wheel to be five or ten times greater than it is,and that instead of a man a pair of bullocks are moving it."

  "Something--something appears to me," said Pentuer, "but still I donot understand clearly."

  "It is very simple," said Menes. "By means of this wheel oxen andhorses might raise water from the Nile and pour it into higherchannels. In that way half a million of men might have rest instead ofworking at buckets. Now thou seest that wisdom does more for thewelfare of mankind than pharaohs."

  Pentuer shook his head.

  "How much timber would be needed for that change! How many oxen, howmuch pasture. It seems to me, father, that thy wheel would not takethe place of the seventh day for rest."

  "I see that office has not benefited thee," replied Menes, shrugginghis shoulders. "But though thou hast lost that alertness which Iadmired in thee, I will show still another thing. Perhaps when thouhast returned to wisdom, and I am dead, thou wilt work at improvingand spreading my inventions."

  They went back to the pylon, and Menes put some fuel under a brasskettle. He blew the flame and soon the water was boiling. On thekettle was a perpendicular spout covered with a heavy stone. When thekettle began to hiss, Menes said,--

  "Stand in this niche and look."

  He touched a crank fastened to the spout; in one moment the heavystone flew through the air and hot steam filled the chamber.

  "Wonderful!" cried Pentuer. But soon he calmed himself and asked,--

  "Well, but how will that stone improve the condition of people inEgypt?"

  "The stone in no way. But," said the sage, now impatient, "I will saythis to thee, and do thou remember it: the time will come when horsesand oxen will take the place of people in labor, and also when boilingwater will take the place of horses and oxen."

  "But what good will that do the people?" insisted Pentuer.

  "Woe is me!" exclaimed Menes, seizing his head. "I know not whether itis because thou hast grown old, or dull; 'the people' have hidden thewhole world from thee and darkened thy mind. If sages had only thepeople in mind they would be forced to throw away their books andcalculations and become shepherds."

  "But everything must be of some use," said Pentuer, now grown timid.

  "Ye court people," replied Menes with vexation, "use two measuresfrequently. When a Phoenician brings a ruby or a sapphire ye do notinquire what its use is; ye buy the jewel and shut it up in a casket.But if a sage comes to you with an invention which might change theface of the world, ye ask straightway: 'What is the use of this?' Itis clear that ye are frightened lest the investigator might ask ahandful of barley for a thing the sense of which your mind does notfathom."

  "Art thou angry, father? Have I wished to offend thee?"

  "I am not angry, but I am pained. Twenty years ago there were five menin this temple working over the discovery of new secrets. To-day I amalone. And, by the gods, I am unable to find not merely a successor,but even a man who is able to understand me."

  "Beyond doubt I would remain here till death so as to learn thygodlike thoughts," said Pentuer. "But tell me, can I shut myself upto-day in a temple when the fate of the kingdom and the future of thepeople are wavering in the balance, and when my assistance--"

  "May influence the fate of the kingdom and of some millions ofpeople!" interrupted Menes, jeeringly. "O ye grown-up children in themitres and chains of office. Because ye are free to draw water fromthe Nile it seems to you that ye may stop the rise or the fall of theriver. Not otherwise, surely, thinks the sheep, which following theherd imagines that she is directing it."

  "But think, the young pharaoh has a heart full of nobleness; he wishesto give the seventh day for rest, just courts, and even land."

  "All those things are vanishing," said Menes, shaking his head. "Theyoung pharaoh will grow old, while the people,--well, the people havehad the seventh day for rest more than one time, and they have hadland--but afterward they lost both! Ah, if that were all that changed!During three thousand years how many dynasties have passed over Egypt,and priests, how many cities and temples have fallen into ruins; naymore! how many new strata of earth have overlaid the country.Everything has changed except this, that two and two are four, that atriangle is half a quadrangle, that the moon may hide the sun, andboiling water hurl a stone through the air.

  "In this transitory world wisdom alone is enduring and permanent. Andwoe to him who deserts the eternal for things as fleeting as cloudsare. His heart will never know peace, and his mind will dance like aboat in a whirlwind."

  "The gods speak through thy lips," replied Pentuer, after somethought, "but barely one man in millions may serve them directly. Andwell that it is so, for what would happen if laborers gazed for wholenights at the firmament, if warriors made reckonings, and officialsand the pharaoh, instead of ruling the people, hurled stones by meansof boiling water? Before the moon could go once round the earth allwould die of hunger. No wheel or cattle would defend the land frombarbarians, or give justice to those who were injured by wrong-doers.

  "Hence," ended Pentuer, "though wisdom is like the sun, blood andbreath, we cannot all be sages."

  To these words Menes made no answer.

  Pentuer passed some days in the temple of the divine Nut; he admiredat one time the view of the sandy ocean, at another the fertile valleyof the Nile. In company with Menes he looked at the stars, examinedthe wheel for raising water, and walked at times toward the pyramids.He admired the poverty and the genius of his teacher, but said inspirit,--

  "Menes is a god in human form, surely, and hence he has no care forcommon matt
ers. His wheel to raise water will not be accepted inEgypt, for first we lack timber, and second to move such wheels onehundred thousand oxen would be needed. Where is there pasture for themeven in Upper Egypt?"