In the preceding letter I have made known to you the extraordinary purpose of the queen to invest, with the dignity of royalty, her son, the Prince Remeses; the singular scenes which passed between them; the mystery which enveloped her motives; and the final yielding of Remeses to her commands and earnest appeals.
It now became necessary that he should, according to the custom and laws of the realm, prepare himself for his coronation, by submitting to certain religious ceremonies, and a solemn initiation into the deeper mysteries of the temples; for though, as a prince, he was nominally, or by courtesy of the laws, the high-priest, yet not until he became king could he offer the supreme sacrifice on the altar of Osiris,—which is the highest religious act of the sacred priesthood; and it is only upon the shields of kings that the symbol of "priest" is sculptured. Thus, as chief priests, or pontiffs, the Pharaohs were the head of the hierarchy, which consolidated their political power, and gave them an influence over the minds of the people that the mere possession of the sceptre of Egypt could not have commanded; for in their king, they also behold their mediator with the gods. Yet, although absolute over his subjects, he had no power over the priesthood, except by their own consent. As one of their body he was bound, by certain most solemn and mystic vows, to the rules and regulations of their order; and in all matters of state he was pledged to the hierarchy of prince-priests, who constituted a council of advice, to which he was, by the laws (also made by a legislature composed of the hierarchs of each nome), compelled to submit his own will. All his duties are regulated by a code drawn up by the Priest of On, and subscribed by the king at his coronation. Thus the monarch is entirely under the influence and control of the priests. I will, by way of illustration, describe to you how the queen (who is also chief priestess, by virtue of her rank, and, as such, offered up a sacrifice on the altar of Osiris on the day of her coronation) has her daily duties and hours apportioned to her, by this august council of arch-hierophants:
When her majesty arises in the morning, her royal scribe brings to her, in a shallow vase of gold, the letters that have come to her from all parts of her kingdom, and of the world. These she reads, and lays aside for reply after consultation with Remeses, and, if of great importance, with her council of state: for she has also a cabinet of generals, lords of nomes, and high admirals, together with the lord of the nilometers, whom she calls together on matters exclusively of state, such as the affairs of the army or of the navy, the condition of the harvests and treasure-cities, and the state of the Nile; on which two last matters the reign of prosperity or famine depends. She then receives, and at once attends to all reports or messages that are in writing, from any officers of her palace, such as the captain of her guard, the chief butler, chief gardener, her captain of chariots, and her master of horse. She then issues her orders to these and other servants of her household. All this time she reclines in a robe of white silk, elegantly embroidered with the leaves of the lotus and acanthus, and with flowers imitated to the full beauty of natural ones. Her hair is braided and confined by a rich turban; and before her is an ivory table containing ink, tablets, a stylus or two, and parcels of royal papyrus stamped with her signet, and beautifully gilded, upon which she inscribes her replies either with her own hand, or by her scribes, and sometimes only by impressing thereon her signet, upon which vermilion is rubbed from a small cushion by her side. For religious affairs the signet is different, having the sacred hawk's-head engraved upon it above the royal cartouch, and instead of red color,—the sacred hue of the Memphitic realm,—it is bright blue, which is taken from a very small crystal bottle, held in readiness by a scribe's page, from whose thumb it is suspended by a ring of gold.
The queen having dismissed all these attendants, retires to her bathing-room, which is hung with curtains of cloth of gold; and having bathed, her handmaidens anoint her with costly perfumes, and arrange her hair with the highest art; for in the style of the hair the Egyptian ladies of all ranks display great taste, and expend in dressing and beautifying it a large proportion of their time; and I must acknowledge they display perfect skill in making most attractive this glorious adornment of your sex, dear mother. The young wear it in numerous braids, mingled with natural tresses; others shape it into a sort of a helmet, with a crest of curls falling around; others fasten it behind in a rich knot, and let what is free flow upon the shoulders. Some cover the head with a braided tiara sparkling with gold and jewels; and others, especially at banquets, wear rich caps of embroidered cloth, of beautiful shape, terminating behind in a cape enriched with needle-work, and ornamented with fringe of floss of gold,—a peculiar filament I have seen fabricated only in Egypt. Indeed, an Egyptian lady seems to regard her hair as her crown of beauty by nature, and she tries by art to make it also a diadem of glory. As if its natural brilliancy were not enough, after pouring upon it fragrant perfume, her maid, from a small ivory box, the convex lid of which is filled with minute perforations, sprinkles its smooth surface with powder of gold.
The dressing-room of the queen opens upon gardens, is furnished with luxury, and is encircled by columns of alabaster; its intercolumnar panels glitter with foreign marbles, and paintings of the highest art; the tables are resplendent with gold and silver, electrum, and variegated stones; while before its doors hang drapery of Tyrian purple wrought with gold, and representing scenes of the chase. More or less resembling this, are the dressing-rooms of all the ladies of rank. The lords of Egypt covet gorgeous and expensively adorned "halls of books," or libraries; but the ladies beautify and enrich their dressing-saloons, in which they spend so much of their time, and where they often receive their very intimate female acquaintances: and as a great favor, gentlemen, on familiar footing with the family, are sometimes admitted into this beautiful adytum, where the goddess of beauty is adored by homage the most religious.
The queen, after being attired by her ladies in magnificent robes, is adorned with jewels; and wearing over her shoulders the splendid leopard's-skin of the sacrificer, and upon her head the insignia of sovereignty, she enters, with all her train, the private chapel of the palace, and there presents offerings to the gods, pours a libation of wine, and invokes Osiris. On certain high days her chief priest is present, who, after praying, sacrifices a snow-white fowl, and offers oblations of more or less magnitude. The queen then asks forgiveness of the gods for what she may have done wrong in ignorance, in administering her kingdom, and implores wisdom and guidance in the acts of the day. The priest now gently touches her crown and sceptre with his finger dipped in the vase of blood, pours the rest into a vessel upon the altar, and extending his hands over her as she kneels, blesses her in the name of Osiris, the lord of the worlds, and king of the rulers of earth. He also pronounces an imprecation against her enemies, exempts her from all accusation for things done in ignorance, and solemnly denounces those of her ministers who wrongfully have instructed her, or administered evil counsel.
Then the queen, coming forth from prayer, is met by pages who present her with flowers, and, at the sound of musical instruments, she is led to her breakfast apartment, where the choicest food is brought on golden dishes,—cakes of fine flour, steeped in milk or honey, the flesh of birds roasted or broiled, fruit of all kinds, mild wines of Palestine and Cyprus, and water of the Nile filtered with the paste of almonds, and flavored with Arabian spices and Persian condiments.
The meal over, she goes forth to her throne-room, and seating herself, the doors are thrown open, and she receives all petitioners and comers who desire audience; but not official persons, such as ambassadors, who have certain hours for audience with her. She decides on all final appeals from the judges in the city, or in the nomes, and determines with wisdom and equity.
These duties over, she walks in her garden, or in the colonnades of her palace; or rides out to visit her public works, or for air. At noon she dines, as do all other Egyptians. On these occasions she has her high officers, and strangers of rank, philosophers, and others, at her table. Whosoever she delights to honor, she invites to a banquet. If any of her subjects greatly distinguishes himself, so as to confer a benefit upon Egypt by any new art or improvement, she not only places him at her table, whatever his previous rank, but invests him with a robe of honor, throws a gold chain over his neck, puts a ring upon his finger, presents him with a chariot to ride in, and makes him a high officer over some of her works or departments. Thus, by her virtues and justice, has she won the esteem and love of her subjects.
The queen usually passes the afternoon with her maidens, in her embroidering rooms, where she always has a large number of handmaids at work with the needle or the loom, or engaged in the art of needle-work, or embroidering for the use and decoration of the palace. She also, at evening, receives guests, and at that time Remeses is usually found in her company. She retires not long after the close of day, unless it be a moonlight night, when her players on instruments of music fill the gardens with harmony, while the queen and her friends, seated in the corridors, listen, or converse together. In conversation the queen never speaks evil of any one, and she frowns upon slander; hence this vice is scarcely known in Egypt, and the Egyptian ladies, when they hear one of their own sex spoken against, at once defend her, and find excuses for her. This is certainly a delightful trait, and should cause the world to concede to the dames of Egypt the foremost position in the rank of civilization.
I will now speak of the proposed succession of Prince Remeses to the throne. As I have before said, the king is the representative of the deity. His title, Ph'rah, or Pharaoh, signifies "the sun," "a king," the "lord of light." The head of the religion of the state, he is not only the judge and lawgiver, but commander of the army, and its leader in war. These latter duties have been delegated by his mother to Remeses, by the consent of her council, many years ago. The sceptre of Egypt is hereditary; but in the event of there being no lineal heir, the monarch can adopt one, if taken from the priestly or military class; as the army or the priesthood are the two professions followed by all men of rank, the navy not having been, until Prince Mœris, its admiral, demanded it, an exclusive service. Most of the Pharaohs have been from the military class, and younger princes, from the days of Osirtasen to Prince Remeses, have adopted the warlike profession; but it is the universal belief, that no former prince of Egypt has evinced such ability as Remeses to command vast armies, and lead the destinies of a mighty people.
When a prince is about to ascend the throne, the laws require that he should be instructed in all the mysteries of the religion of his empire, and initiated into the various offices of a sovereign pontiff. He is taught all that relates to the gods and other mysteries hitherto concealed from him, the services of the temple, the laws of the country, and the duties of a king, as inscribed in the ten sacerdotal books.
In order that in these things he may be properly instructed, he is enjoined to pass forty days in the temples of Osiris, Pthah, Isis, Athor, and other gods; and to remain one night, the last of all, in the temple of Thoth, before the pyramids, watching alone, praying for the blessings of the gods, and offering sacrifice and libations. This solemn vigil ended, and the sun risen, he is escorted by a grand procession of priests, who swing incense before him, and lead him to the temple of the Sun, to be crowned in the presence of all the nobles, high officers, and people of Egypt. This ceremony, as described in the royal books, is grand beyond conception.
In order, therefore, to enter upon this formal preparation, the Prince Remeses, on the third day after his interview with his mother, retired from the palace, and sought the holy solitudes of the temple of the Sun. A council of the hierarchy, assembled by the queen, had reluctantly given their consent to her abdication; but willingly yielded to the coronation of Remeses; for, however devoted a warlike nation may be to a reigning queen, the preference of the people's heart is for a king. While, therefore, the intelligence, which soon spread through Egypt, that Amense the Good was to lay down her sceptre in favor of her son, cast a shadow over their hearts, it was chased away by the light of the anticipated splendor, which the reign of a prince, a "Pharaoh," would shed upon the land of Egypt.
"As the good queen will still live, we need not grieve," said some of the artisans at work upon her obelisk; "we can rejoice in Remeses, and still honor his royal mother."
It was an affecting parting between the prince and his mother when he left the palace. I accompanied him to the vestibule of the temple. Here twelve priests, led by the high-priest, received him; and three others came forward to disrobe him of his vesture, his bonnet and sandals; while three more invested him with sacerdotal robes, a priestly tiara, and placed upon his feet the sacred sandals. Then inclosing him in their midst, as if to shut him out from the world, they moved forward into the gloomy cloisters of the temple, and disappeared with him from my gaze.
At his previous request, and at the earnest solicitation of the queen, who, in his absence, depressed in spirits, finds relief, as she kindly says, in my presence, I returned to the Island of Rhoda, and am now occupying the apartments of the prince; for when he is crowned king, he will remove to the superb old palace of the Pharaohs, on the banks of the Nile, between the river and the City of the Sun.
No one is permitted to speak with the royal novitiate until the forty days are ended; and when he proceeds from temple to temple, to go through in each certain rites and receive certain instructions, it is at midnight; and all persons are forbidden to appear in the streets through which the mysterious procession of priests passes.
It is now the thirty-fourth day since he entered upon his initiation. Since that time I have seen much more of Egypt and of the people. I have not, however, been far from the Island of Rhoda, as the queen constantly demands my society, and inquires of Acherres after me, if I am long away.
Yesterday afternoon, as I was engaged with a party of nobles fishing in the Lake Amense, which I have before described as almost a sea in extent, and bordered by palaces, a galley, rowed by twenty-four oars, was seen coming towards us at great speed. Upon seeing it, one said:
"It is a royal barge!"
"Nay," said another, "it is that of the old Admiral Pathromenes. His sails are blue and white."
"I do not heed the color of his sails," said the first lord. "Seest thou not that it is the queen's galley, by the golden hawk's-head at the mast, and the cartouch of the Pharaohs above the poop?"
"It is the queen's galley," I said, "for I have frequently been in it, and recognize its symbols."
Hereupon there was manifested a general curiosity to know why it was coming so swiftly towards us. In a few minutes I discovered my Hebrew page, Israelisis, (for I have Egyptianized his name since he came into my service), upon the deck, and began to suspect the queen had sent him for me. I was not mistaken. The galley came sweeping round us with a roar of spray from its dashing oars, and the page, springing lightly upon the bulwarks of our vessel, with a low obeisance presented me the queen's signet, saying:
"The queen has sent for thee, my lord!"
The party of nobles expressed great reluctance at parting with me, and one of them said:
"You are in great favor with our royal house, O prince."
"Only as a guest and stranger," I answered, smiling.
They returned my parting bow with courtesy, and I went upon the galley, which was soon cleaving the shining surface of the beautiful lake, called by the Egyptians "the Celestial Sea." It is twenty stadia in circuit, and from it lead out canals in numerous directions, lined with verdure, and rich with harvests. It also communicates with the majestic Father of rivers by a winding artificial outlet, which is lined with gardens and palaces. Along this lovely serpentine stream, our galley, after leaving the broad lake, flew like the wind, all other vessels swiftly moving from its course and giving it the way. Shooting out into the swift Nile, between two colossal sea-dragons of red stone, which guarded the entrance to the canal, we crossed to the palace-covered Rhoda. As I was about to land at the stately quay, I saw, to my surprise, the war-galley of Prince Mœris riding near, her rowers still seated at their banks, as if ready to move at a moment's warning. I met Acherres, who has wholly recovered from his long illness, of which I wrote his father, at the gateway of the palace.
"My prince," he said, looking anxious, "I am glad you have come. Her majesty is in some great distress."
"Is Prince Mœris here?" I quickly asked.
"No, my prince; but his galley has brought hither a courier with letters."
"Perhaps he has been defeated in the borders of Ethiopia," was my reflection; for I knew he had been contemplating an invasion of its capital, on account of the promise he had exacted from the queen, that he should rule alone on the ancient throne of the Theban kings in Upper Egypt.
Ushered from apartment to apartment, I was soon led into the immediate presence of the queen. In the antechamber, before I entered, I had seen a stranger, whose features and costume showed that he was a Theban lord or high officer. He bowed haughtily to me, as I acknowledged his presence in the usual way when strangers meet.
I found the queen alone. She was walking to and fro with a quick, nervous step. In her hand she held a letter with the seal broken. Upon seeing me, she came towards me, and said:
"O Prince Sesostris, who art to me next to my son, I am glad you have come! Pardon me for sending for you!" Her eyes were bright with tears, and her voice was tremulous.
"You ought to have done so, O noble queen," I answered, "since you are in trouble."
"In trouble, Sesostris! It is more than trouble; it is a weight greater than I can bear!"
"Has Mœris been defeated?" I asked, with earnest sympathy.
"Mœris defeated! No, oh no; but rather conqueror. But I speak an enigma!"
"Has aught happened to Remeses in his sacred duties?"
"No, oh no! It is Mœris! He will break my heart!"
"What has he done? What can I do?" I asked, perplexed.
"Nothing—that is, you can do nothing! As for Mœris, he has done every thing! But why do I talk to you? You understand me not! There is a fearful secret, O Sesostris! I did not send for you to reveal it to you—but—but for sympathy;—for your company! I know you love me, for you are the friend of Remeses, and you have a mother whom you love and honor."
"And I also love and honor you, O my mother!" I said, taking her hand and conducting her to a chair. But she refused to sit down. She regarded me with eager eyes, as if she were penetrating my soul to its depths. Suddenly she said:
"Has Remeses told you all the conversations I have had with him?"
"He has talked much with me of what has passed between you, O queen," I answered.
"Did he speak of a secret I held locked in my heart even from him?"
"He did. He said it was known, however, to Prince Mœris, who held it over you as a power of evil."
"Did Remeses suspect its nature?" she demanded.
"He informed me that he once had a suspicion which your majesty removed."
"Yes," she said, with a strange, cold smile, "he fancied that Mœris's secret was, that he was the true heir of the throne—my son; and that Remeses was the nephew of Pharaoh, not himself! Was it not an extraordinary idea, prince?" she asked me with the same icy irony that was unaccountable to me. "Who could ever doubt that Remeses is my own son?"
"No one, your majesty," I answered, seeing she looked to me for a reply.
"Surely no one! Dost thou not mark how like our eyes are? And then our voices are much on the same key, though his, as becomes a man, is deeper. His smile, is it not mine? Nay, no one could say we are not mother and son, could they, O Prince of Tyre? How strange, is it not, that Remeses should have conceived such an idea?"
"He had probably heard, your majesty, traditions of infant sons of kings having been interchanged; and as he could not account for the Prince of Thebes' influence over you by a secret, on any other reasonable grounds, he ventured this supposition."
"But he never will doubt again, O Sesostris!" she cried in an earnest manner; "no one now could make him suspect, a second time, he is not my son! Oh no, never! never! Could they, think you, my lord prince?"
"No, madam," I answered; her singular manner and language wholly surprising me, and leading me to fear that she was not at all well; that her nerves had been too severely tried by the intelligence, whatsoever its nature was, which she had received from Prince Mœris. "Your majesty, I hope, has had no evil tidings," I added, glancing at the letter she still grasped.
"Oh, evil! All evil, all!" she cried, with anguish in her looks. "Prince Sesostris!" she all at once exclaimed, "you can be trusted! I need sympathy. I cannot have it unless I reveal to you my terrible secret! I know I can confide in you. My heart will break unless I rest the weight which oppresses it upon another heart!"
"Remeses will in a few days be with you, and—" I began; but she interrupted me with accents of terror,
"No—no! It is of him! He must never know my secret! It would kill him—he would fall to the earth a dead man, as if the lightnings of heaven had smitten him! No, not Remeses! With him silence—eternal silence!"
"If it will relieve your majesty to confide in me, I will receive with gratitude your revelation, and extend you all the sympathy in my power," I said, with emotion.
"Noble, excellent, virtuous prince!" she exclaimed, lifting my hand to her lips. "My determination is fixed! You shall know my secret! It will be safe in your honorable breast. But will you, O prince, consent to receive a revelation affecting Remeses, your friend, which you are forbidden to make known to him?"
"For your sake, O queen, I will receive it, and conceal it from Remeses, and all men," I answered. "I would not wish to make known to him what would affect him, as you say."
"Come with me, then, O prince, into my private cabinet," she said, with a voice deep and full, as if she were greatly moved.
I was about to follow her, as she went with a quick resolved step, when her page without the door gave the usual sign, by tinkling a silver sistrum, which forms the handles of their ivory sticks, that he wished to enter. The queen said, almost sternly—
I approached the double door, and, opening one of the inlaid valves, saw behind the page the tall figure of the Theban.
"This lord waits for an answer," said the page.
"The queen will give you audience by and by," I said. "At present her majesty is engaged. Await her leisure."
The Theban courier bit his lip, and scowled impatiently. I perceived that the man had caught the spirit of the master; and could judge how defiant and haughty Mœris must be when his courier could play the impatient follower so well. Rejoining her majesty, I said, in answer to her inquiring look, "The courier from the viceroy."
"Yes—he is restless. But I must have time!" She grew so deadly pale, as she spoke, that I supported her into the cabinet, when she sunk upon a lounge, and would have fainted away but for water at hand. When she recovered she said—
"Sesostris, my son, my friend, when you hear all, you will find excuses for me. Read that letter first."
And she placed in my hand an epistle, written upon the silver leaves which the kings of Thebes have always made use of for their royal letters.
But, my dear mother, I will here close this epistle. My next will not be for your eye at present, if ever; unless circumstances transpire which will remove the seal from the secret revealed to me.
I feel that your warmest sympathies will be with the unhappy queen.
Farewell, dearest mother! May the gods preserve you from all sorrow, and the Lord of the Sun, the Great Invisible, defend your life and throne. I hope soon to hear the result of your embassy to the barbaric King of Cyprus.
I embrace the first leisure I can command, since closing my last letter, to resume the subject which filled its pages.
This letter, however, I shall withhold, until I either have authority to send it to you, or circumstances render it expedient to destroy it; but in order to keep a record of the events now transpiring, I write them down in the shape of an epistle to my dear mother, so that hereafter, if it be necessary to refer to it for facts, there may be written evidence of them.
The letter of Prince Mœris, which the queen placed in my hands, was dated some years back, and, no doubt, on noticing this, my countenance betrayed surprise; for she said quickly—
"Read that first. I conceal nothing from you. You shall know from the beginning."
By permission of her majesty, I took a copy of the letter, and of the two that follow. It was dated—
"Your Majesty,—I address my letter to you from this petty castle, though, albeit, the stronghold of your kingdom seaward, over which you have made me governor. For a subject, this would be a post of honor. For me, the son of your husband's brother, your royal nephew, it is but an honorable exile from a court where you fear my presence. Honorable, do I say?—rather, dishonorable; for am I not a prince of the blood of the Pharaohs? But let this pass, your majesty. I do not insist upon any thing based upon mere lineage. I feel that I was aggrieved by the birth of Remeses. I see that you turn pale. Do not do so yet. You must read further before the blood wholly leaves your cheek. I repeat, I am aggrieved by the 'birth of Remeses.' You see I quote the last three words. Ere you close this letter, your majesty will know why I mark them thus. Your husband, the vicegerent of the Thisitic kingdom of the South, after leaving his capital, Thebes, at the head of a great army, died like a soldier descended from a line of a thousand warrior kings, in combat with the Ethiopian. I was then, for your majesty was without offspring, the heir to the throne of Egypt. I was the son of your husband's younger brother. Though but three years old when your lord was slain, I had learned the lesson that I was to be king of Egypt, when I became a man. But to the surprise of all men, of your council of priests, and your cabinet of statesmen, lo! you soon afterwards became a mother, when no evidences of this promise had been apparent! Nay, do not cast down this letter, O queen! Read it to the end! It is important you should know all.
"When I became of lawful maturity, it was whispered to me by a certain person, that there were suspicions that the queen had feigned maternity, and that she had adopted an infant of the wife of one of her lords, in order to prevent the son of her husband's brother from inheriting. It is true, your majesty, that my father, your lord's brother, loved you, as a maiden, and would have borne you from the palace of Pharaoh, your father, as his own. Yet why should your revenge extend to his son, after he married another princess? Why did you deceive Egypt, and supplant his son (myself), by imposing upon Egypt the infant Remeses, the child of a lord of your palace, whom no one knows, for you took care to send him, with an ample bribe of gold, to Carthage, or some other distant country. Now, your majesty knows whether this be true or not. I believe it to be so, and that the haughty, hypocritically meek Remeses, has no more right to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter than one of the children of the base Hebrews, or of an Egyptian swine-herd; and, by the gods, judging from his features, he might be a Ben Israel!
"I demand, therefore, that you make me viceroy of the Thebaïd. Unless you do so, I swear to your majesty, that I will agitate this suspicion, and fill all Egypt with the idea that your favorite Remeses is not your son. Whether I believe this or not, matters not. If there be any truth in it, your majesty knows, and will, no doubt, act accordingly.
When I had finished reading this extraordinary letter, I raised my eyes to the queen. She was intently observing its effect upon my countenance.
"Dared that man write thus to your majesty?" I cried, with the profoundest emotions of indignation.
"You have read," answered the queen, with a tremulous voice.
"And did not your majesty at once send and arrest the bold insulter and dangerous man?" I said.
She bit her lip, and said, in a hollow tone—
"Prince of Tyre, is he not this day viceroy of the Thebaïd?"
"Does your majesty mean that you yielded to his demand?"
"Yes."
"I marvel at it," said I, confounded at the acknowledgment. "If what he had said had been true—"
"Sesostris, falsehood often flies faster than truth. It can do as much mischief. The rumor of such a thing, false or true, would have shaken my throne, and destroyed the confidence of the mass of the people in Remeses when he came to the sceptre. I resolved to stifle it by giving Mœris what he asked."
I regarded the queen with sentiments of pity and sorrow. She said quickly—
"Read another letter from him." I did so. It was dated three years later, and demanded the command of the fleet, and its separation from the control of the general-in-chief of the armies. This general-in-chief was Remeses, dear mother. To the demand the queen yielded, and thereby erected the maritime arm of her kingdom into an independent service, acknowledging no superior authority but that of the throne. When I had ended the perusal of the letter, the queen placed in my hand a third missive from this powerful man.
"This is what I received but now," she gasped. "Read it, Sesostris, and give me your sympathy."
It bore date—
"Your Majesty,—I write from my pavilion pitched at the foot of the Libyan mountains. I need not forewarn you of the subject of this letter, when I assure you that within the hour I have received intelligence from Memphis, that you are about to abdicate your throne in favor of Remeses, your suppositious son. This intelligence does not surprise me. When I was in Lower Egypt, I saw through you and your policy. I perceived that while you feared me, you resolved to defeat my power over you. This purpose, to surrender the sceptre of the two Egypts, I can penetrate. You design, thereby, securely to place Remeses beyond my power to harm him, for that, being king, if I lift a finger he can destroy me. I admire your policy, and bow in homage to your diplomacy. But, O queen, both you and Remeses are in my power! Nay, do not flash your imperial eyes at this assertion. Hear me for a few moments.
"Your ready compliance with my demand, a few years ago, to create me viceroy of Thebes, led me to believe that my suspicions were true; that is, that Remeses was the son of one of your noble ladies, whom you had adopted. And when you made me admiral of your fleet, on my second demand, I was convinced that you feared the truth, and that it might be proven, with proper evidence, that Remeses was not your son. I set to work to obtain this evidence. You know that I have something of the sleuth-hound in my composition, and that once upon a track I will follow it to its termination, were it under the pyramid of Noachis itself. I employed emissaries. I bribed even your own courtiers. I ascertained who were of your court when your husband was killed in Ethiopia, thirty-five years ago. Three old lords and ladies still live, and have good memories when gold, and jewels, and promises of place dazzle their humid eyes. From them I learned, that about the time of the supposed birth of Remeses, you sent away, in one day, five of your ladies and maids of honor, to a distant country: yet not so quickly but that one of them dropped the secret, that you were not a real mother, and that the infant you called your own was the son of another woman. This secret was told to her brother who, in after years, was my master of horse. When, on one occasion, I was about to put him to death for cowardice in battle, he informed me that he held a great secret 'concerning the queen, Prince Remeses, and myself,' and that if I would pardon and restore him to his rank, he would divulge it, saying, that for fear it would be traced to him by your majesty if he ever spoke of it, he had never made it known to any man.
"Curiosity and instinct led me to pardon him. He then stated what I have above written,—that you feigned maternity, and, obtaining a male child from the Hebrew nurse of one of your ladies, who had given birth to it a few weeks before, you shut yourself up three months, and then palmed it upon the priests and people, as the heir of your throne and of the sceptre of the Pharaohs. The mother, the nurse, and the ladies who were parties to the transaction, were then all banished from Egypt.
"Instituting a thorough investigation, by dispatching galleys to Tyre, Carthage, Gades, and the isles of the sea, at length I was rewarded by the discovery of the port to which your women were carried. Two of them only were found alive. Those two are now in the city of On! When I was in Lower Egypt I saw them, and will name them: Thebia, of Pythom, and Nilia, of On. Your majesty perceives how exact I am: that I have my way clear as I advance. Methinks I can see you turn deadly white, and that with a shriek you let fall the papyrus! Take it up again, and resume the perusal. It is useless to shrink from the development of the truth. You may shut your eyes at noon, and say 'It is night,' but you cannot, by so doing, destroy the light of the sun. You may close your eyes—you may destroy this letter, or may read no further; but the truth will shine, nevertheless, with a brightness which will drive night itself before it!
"These venerable women, examined apart, told the same tale. It is as follows:
"'That you had approached the river on the morning of the festival of Isis (you see I am particular), to bathe, as your custom was, in the marble crescent at the foot of the gardens of your palace of Rhoda, where you now are residing. You had descended the steps into the water, and your women had taken your necklace, and other ornaments from you; and, robed in your bathing-dress, you were about to step into the river, when you descried a basket floating slowly past, close to the place where you stood. While you were looking at it, it lodged against a group of flags, near the statue of Nepth, just above you. Your maidens were lingering upon the bank, or walking near at hand, awaiting you, when, seeing Nilia not far off, you called to her, and said—
"'Seest thou the little baris of basket-work, O Nilia. Draw it in to the shore, and look what it contains.'
"The handmaiden obeyed you, aided by her companion, Thebia, and when you drew near and opened the lid, you beheld a beautiful child lying within it. It looked up into your face, and wept so piteously, that you took it up, deeply impressed by its beauty and helplessness, and the extraordinary manner in which it had come to you. You placed it in the arms of Thebia, and said to her:
"'This child is sent to me by Nilus, the deity of this great river of Egypt. I will adopt it as my own, for it has no father but the river, no mother but this little ark of flags and bitumen in which it has floated to my feet.'
"You then gave the lovely babe many kisses, tenderly soothed its cries, and was so happy with the prize, that you hastened to leave the river. But before you did so, the wind blew aside its mantle, and you discovered that it was a Hebrew male child, for the Egyptians do not circumcise their infants. This discovery was made also by the two women, Nilia and Thebia, and you said:
"'It is one of the Hebrews' children.'
"It was at the time when your father's edict for the destruction of all the male children of this Syrian race was in existence. You deliberated what to do with it, when its wailing tones moved your heart, and you said to them:
"'It shall still be mine! Let us keep the secret! I will raise it as my son! Its parents think it has perished, for they could not have hoped to save it by committing it to this frail bark, and it can never know its origin!'
"That child, O queen, is Remeses! Of this I have certain evidence. The two women say, you ordered the little ark to be taken in charge by your chief of the baths. In verification of the account, the ark still exists, and I have seen it.
"It is not necessary for me to add more. I have written enough to show you the power I hold over you, and over this Remeses-Mosis. His very name signifies 'Taken out of the water,' and was given to him by yourself, as if the gods would make you the means of your own conviction.
"Now, O queen, who intendeth to place a degraded Hebrew upon the throne of Egypt, I, Mœris, write this epistle warning you, that unless you revoke your purpose, and publicly adopt me as your son, and convey to me the two crowns, I will proclaim through all Egypt your shame, and the true history of this Remeses! I could have excused you had he proved to be the son of one of your ladies, as the report was; but an Hebrew! He deserves death, and you to forfeit your crown! But I will make these terms with your majesty:—if you will call a council of your hierarchy and adopt me as your son, that I may be your heir, and will abdicate in my favor, I will conceal what I know from the Egyptians; and more still, I will make Remeses governor over Goshen, and lord of all his people under my rule. Is not this liberal?
"If you refuse my terms, I will descend upon Lower Egypt with my fleet, declare your throne vacant, Remeses a slave, and seize the sceptre! Once in my power, your favorite Remeses shall die an ignominious death, and you shall remain a prisoner for life in the castle of Bubastis.
"I dispatch a special courier—my master of horse—whose sister was your lady in waiting at the finding of Remeses. Unless I have a reply in the affirmative, for which my courier will delay six hours, you shall hear me knocking at the gates of Rhoda with the head of my spear!
When, my dear mother, I had finished reading this extraordinary letter, I held it unrolled in my hands for a few moments, stupefied, as it were, with amazement. My eyes sought the face of the queen. It was rigid as iron—white as alabaster; but her regards were riveted upon my countenance.
"Your majesty," I said, hardly knowing what to say, "what fable is this of the daring and impious Prince of Thebes—?"
She interrupted me with—
"What dost thou think, O Sesostris? If it be a fable, is it not, in such a man's hand, as dangerous as truth? Dare I let him circulate such a tale throughout Egypt? Can I let it reach the ears of Remeses?"
"Why not, O queen?" I asked. "If it is false, it can be shown to be so; and my friend Remeses is too great and wise to heed it. Is it by so improbable and artfully framed a story as this, you are made unhappy; and for this you resign your crown and hasten to secure Remeses in power?"
"Is it not enough?"
"No, O wise and virtuous lady!" I answered, with indignant feelings against Mœris, and sympathy for her womanly fears; "my advice to you is, to defy the malice and wickedness of the viceroy, inform Remeses of these letters—nay, let him read them—assemble your army, and meet him with open war. A row of galleys sunk across the Rile will stop his fleet; and if he land, your soldiers, with Remeses at their head, will drive him back to his city of a hundred gates, and—"
Again the queen interrupted me:
"No, no! I cannot tell Remeses! He must never know of these letters!" she almost shrieked.
"Has Remeses any suspicion of the tale they tell?" I asked.
"No. He knows no other mother. If he hears this story, he will investigate it to the last, to show me that he would prove it false in the mouth of Mœris."
"And this he ought to do, your majesty," I said, firmly.
"Prince Sesostris, dost thou believe he could prove it false?" she demanded, in a mysterious and strange tone.
"Undoubtedly," I answered; though, my dear mother, I could not wholly resist the recollection, which forced itself upon me most sharply and painfully, of the resemblance I had noticed between Remeses and the Hebrew people. But I banished the idea it suggested, regarding it more probable for an Egyptian and Hebrew to look alike, than for Remeses to have been born a Hebrew, and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. Nevertheless, there was apparent to myself a want of fulness in my tones when I answered her "undoubtedly."
The queen came close up to me, and said in a deep, terrible whisper, looking first wildly around her, to see if any one overheard her,—
"He cannot prove it false!"
"You mean, O queen," said I, "that though Remeses cannot prove it false, it nevertheless is false?"
"No. It cannot be proven false, because it is TRUE!" she answered, as if her voice came from within a sarcophagus.
"True?" I repeated, with horror.
"True, O prince! It is impossible for me to conceal or prevaricate. I promised to confide in you; but I have kept back till the last the whole truth! I can do so no longer!" She caught by my arm to sustain her tottering form.
"Is not Remeses, then, your son?" I cried.
"No."
"Is he a Hebrew?"
"Yes."
"Then this letter of Mœris is all true?"
"All, as to the fact that Remeses is a Hebrew!"
Such was the rapid colloquy which followed. O my dear mother, no mortal can estimate the amount of agony which overwhelmed my soul at this intelligence! I sank upon the pedestal of a statue near me, and covering my face with my hands, burst into tears. The queen did not speak, but suffered my paroxysm of grief and mortification to exhaust itself. At length I raised my head. I felt for her—felt, oh how profoundly, for the unhappy Remeses—ignorant of his calamity, and engaged, even then, in the vigils and rites which were to prepare him to ascend the throne! I could now understand all that had been inexplicable in the queen's conduct, unravel her mysterious language, see the motive of all her acts. I no longer marvelled that she, loving Remeses with all a mother's love, trembled before Mœris and his secret, and gave him all he demanded as the price of silence. But when he asked for her throne as the bribe for secrecy, it was more than her spirit could bear; and unable alone, unaided, to meet him in his demand, she sought counsel of me and sympathy; and little by little made known to me, as I have narrated, the secret she would have sacrificed her life to conceal, if she could thereby have concealed it forever from Remeses.
"Poor, noble, unhappy Remeses!" I ejaculated.
"He must never know it!" she cried, passionately.
"It will be known to him," I answered, sorrowfully "If you refuse Prince Mœris's demand, he will write another such missive as this, and dispatch it to Remeses. The prince, if I may, from love, still call him so, will, as you have said, examine the matter. Mœris will refer him to the ladies Nilia and Thebia. He will then come to you—"
"To me?" she cried, with a shudder.
"To you, O queen, and ask of you if Prince Mœris and these women relate the truth."
"He would not believe—he would not believe it—so far as to come to me. He would not insult me by making such a demand of me!"
"He may be forced to it. Circumstances may overcome him, so that he will feel that he must appeal to you. He would refuse to ascend the throne of Egypt, so high is his integrity, if there were a doubt as to his legitimate right to it."
"O prince, counsel me! What shall I do?" she cried, wringing her hands, and looking towards me in the most appealing and helpless manner.
"I know not how to counsel your majesty," I replied, greatly distressed, my heart bleeding both for her and Remeses, who, I felt, sooner or later, must come to the truth of the dreadful rumor; and also from my knowledge of the perfect uprightness and justice of his character, as well as his firmness, that he would investigate it until he either disproved or verified it.
At length, after a long and painful interval of embarrassment, the queen, of her own will, said to me—
"Sesostris, I meant no wrong. I loved the weeping babe, in its desolate state, and no sooner did I take it up than it smiled, and won my heart. You know the fine appearance of Remeses as a man; judge you therefore how lovely he was when an infant three months old. I was childless. My husband had been a few weeks dead, and this infant seemed to be sent to me in part to fill up the place made void in my affections. That it was a Hebrew child did not move me. I had always opposed the cruel edict of the king, my father; and felt that, to save this child of the oppressed Hebrews, would in some degree, atone for the death of so many who were destroyed in obedience to his orders. Thus I was influenced by a threefold motive—to save the infant, to adopt a son, to atone for evil."
"Good and lawful motives, O queen," I said, interested in her narrative, so touchingly told as to deeply affect me.
"I did not believe I was doing evil. I at once, at the suggestion of one of my maids, sent a Hebrew girl, who was gazing upon us from afar, to call a nurse from the Hebrew women for the child. She brought one, comely and gentle in manner, whom I took with me to the palace; and, after instructing her to keep the matter a secret, suffered her to take the child home, for she lived in a garden, not far above the palace, upon the island, her father being a cultivator of flowers for the priests. The tenderness of this Hebrew woman towards the beautiful babe pleased me, and, after I had, in a public manner, acknowledged the child, even as Mœris's letter states, I let it remain with her until it grew to be three years old, when I commanded her to bring it to the palace to remain; for although I had seen it almost daily, I now desired to have it wholly in my possession. From that time he has been brought up in my own palace, as my son, and educated as prince of the empire and heir to the throne. For all my care and affection, he has repaid me with the profoundest devotion, and tenderest attachment. At first, seeing he was very fond of his Hebrew nurse, I jealously forbade her again to visit him, so that I might be the sole object of his attachment. He soon forgot her, and from his fourth year has known no love but mine. When he came to manhood, I had him instructed in the art of war, and made him general of the army of the pyramids. By the greatest philosophers and sages he was taught geometry, astrology, architecture, physics, mythology, and the knowledge of all science. I have spared no care to educate him in all the learning of the Egyptians. With all his wisdom and vast knowledge, he is as docile and gentle in disposition as a child: ever dutifully submissive to my will, the voice which has led armies by its battle-cry, melts into tenderness in my presence. Ah, prince, never mother loved a son as I have loved him!"
"I pity you, O queen, with all my heart," said I, warmly.
"Oh, what shall I do? What shall I reply to Mœris?"
"I know not how to counsel you!" I said, embarrassed by this appeal.
"I will then act. His courier shall not go back unanswered. I will defy him!" A new spirit seemed all at once to animate her.
She clapped her hands. A page entered.
"Bid the Theban courier enter. His answer is ready." The master of horse came haughtily in, a cloud of impatience yet upon his brow.
"Go back to thy master, and say to him, that Amense is still queen of Egypt, and wears both the crowns of her fathers, and that she will defend them. Say, that I defy him, and fear him not!"
The courier looked amazed, bowed with a slight gesture of obeisance, and left the presence.
No sooner had the valves of the door closed upon him, than she said—
"It is done! The arrow is drawn from the quiver, and set to the bowstring. There is nothing left but to defy him, and trust the gods to aid the just cause. Remeses will be crowned king, ere Mœris can get my message and return a letter to him. There are but five days more to the end of the forty. Three days afterwards is the coronation. That is nine from to-day. It will take twelve or more days for a message to go and come from the camp of Mœris. Three days! Time enough to make or mar an empire. Sesostris, this prince of Typhon, this haughty Mœris, shall yet be confounded!"
Thus speaking, the queen, whose whole powers were aroused by despair linked with affection, laid her hand in mine, bade me good-night—for it was now moonlight, so long had we discoursed—and begged me come in the morning and breakfast with her.
Here, in the quiet of my chamber, dear mother, I have made a record of this extraordinary interview. The letter I shall preserve unless it be necessary to destroy it; but I shall not send it to you until the seal of secrecy is removed.
What can I say? How can I realize that Remeses is a Hebrew? How little he suspects the truth! Will he hear it? If he does; but it is useless to speculate upon the consequences. I pray that he may be well crowned before Mœris can do him any mischief; for, son of Misr, or son of Abram, he is worthy of the throne of Egypt, and will wield its sceptre with wisdom and justice, beyond that of any of the proud Pharaohs. The attachment of the queen is natural. I deeply feel for her. The conduct of Mœris is also natural. What will be his course? Farewell, dear mother.