II

Now when Pharaoh, king of Egypt, heard that I, Ahikar, was dead, he

was very glad; for he had always stood in awe of my wisdom. And he

wrote a letter to Esarhaddon in these words: "Pharaoh, king of Egypt,

to Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, greeting! I desire to build a castle

between heaven and earth. Send me therefore a wise man to whom I may

commit the business. If he accomplishes all that I require and

answers all my questions, I will send you by his hands the whole

revenue of Egypt for three years. But if you cannot send me such a

man, then you must send to me, by my messenger, the whole revenue of

Assyria for three years. And if not, I shall come against you and lay

your land desolate. And so farewell."

When the letter was read before Esarhaddon, he called together his

princes and counsellors and wise men, and said to them, "Which of you

will go to Egypt and answer the questions of Pharaoh?" They said,

"Lord and king, in the time of your father it was Ahikar the scribe

who answered all hard questions and solved all difficulties; and

behold, now you have with you his sister's son Nadan, who has been

instructed in his wisdom and can do all that you require." So the

king turned to Nadan and said, "Will you go to Egypt and answer

Pharaoh?" But Nadan said, "It is folly! The gods themselves could

not build a castle between heaven and earth; how then should the

children of men accomplish such a thing?" When the king heard that,

he arose and came down from his throne, and threw himself on the

ground lamenting and saying, "Alas, alas, I am undone. I have slain

my servant Ahikar at the word of a foolish boy, and there is none

like him left! Who can give him back to me?"

Then Nabushemak spoke and said, "O king, live for ever. He that

disobeys the commandments of his master is worthy of death. Say

therefore the word, and let them hang me on a tree; for Ahikar, whom

you bade me slay, is not dead, but living!" The king said, "O

Nabushemak, if it be as you say, and if you can show me Ahikar alive,

I will give you ten thousand talents of gold and a hundred robes of

purple. Say on, therefore." Nabushemak said, "One thing I ask of my

lord: that he will not keep this my trespass in mind, nor store up

wrath against me." And the king sware to him.

Nabushemak went forth immediately and mounted his chariot, and drove

swiftly to my house. He uncovered the hiding-place and brought me

forth, and took me up into his chariot and led me into the presence

of the king. And when the king saw me, he wept; for I was in evil

plight. My hair was grown over my shoulders, and my beard reached

down to my girdle; my body was foul with dirt, and my nails were as

long as eagles' claws; my eyes were dim from the darkness, and my

limbs were stiff so that I could scarcely walk. And the king said,

"O Ahikar, it is not I that have brought this misery upon you, but he

whom you have brought up as your own son." I answered, "O king,

since mine eyes have looked upon you I have no more sorrow or pain."

The king said, "Go to your house, bathe your body, and cut your

hair; refresh yourself and take your rest for forty days; then come

back to me." And I did so. But after twenty days I had recovered my

strength, and I went back to the king. Then he showed me the letter

of the king of Egypt, saying, "Behold, Ahikar, the burden which they

would lay upon me and upon my kingdom." And I answered, "O king,

live for ever. Trouble not yourself, nor be disquieted about this

matter. I will go to Egypt and answer the hard questions; and I will

bring back to you the revenues of Egypt for three years." So the king

was comforted; he rejoiced greatly, and made a feast, and gave me

rich presents.

Immediately after this, I began to make ready for my journey; and

first I ordered my huntsmen to catch two young eagles alive. I also

chose from among my servants two young boys whose names were Nabuchal

and Tabshalom, and taught them to ride upon the backs of the eagles;

and after a while the eagles became accustomed to bear them up in the

air. I also taught them certain words which they should say at the

appointed time, and practised them until they knew perfectly what

they had to do.

And when all was prepared, I set forth with a great company and went

to Egypt. It was told Pharaoh that an embassy was come from Nineveh,

and he sent for me, and when I appeared before him he asked who I

was. And I answered, "I am Abikam, one of the least of the servants

of Esar-haddon." Pharaoh was displeased, and said, "Am I then so much

despised by your master that he sends me the least of his servants?"

I said, "My lord Esarhaddon is so far exalted above his servants that

in his sight the great and the small are all alike." He said, "Depart

from my presence, and to-morrow come again to me."

Then Pharaoh, who desired foolishly to make himself appear great in

our eyes, arrayed himself in purple, and made his nobles put on

scarlet and stand about him; and when I came into his presence he

asked me to what I compared him. I said, "My lord, you are like the

god Bel, and your nobles are like his priests." And in like manner on

the following days he dressed himself in various colours, and each

day asked me what I should liken him to. And I said, "To the sun" on

one day, and "To the moon" on the next, and on the third day, "To the

spring and the flowers of it." And he was greatly pleased, and said,

"Abikam, you have compared me to the god Bel, and to the sun and the

moon and the spring; now tell me, to what do you liken your master

Esarhaddon?" I said, "I cannot tell you, O king, until you have

risen from your throne." So Pharaoh stood up, and I said, "My lord

Esarhaddon is like the great God of Heaven in respect of you: He has

dominion over the god Bel, He can forbid the sun to shine and the

moon to rise, and He can lay waste the spring and all the flowers

thereof." Then Pharaoh was displeased and said, "I adjure you by the

life of your lord Esarhaddon, tell me, what is your name, in very

deed?" I answered, "I am Ahikar the scribe, and the seal of

Esarhaddon is in my keeping."

Pharaoh was troubled when he learned that I was yet alive, and he

sent me away, saying, "Tomorrow come to me and tell me a thing which

neither I nor my nobles have ever heard." So I took thought, and

wrote in the name of Pharaoh a bond in which it was said that he owed

to my lord Esarhaddon nine hundred talents of gold. And next day I

brought it before Pharaoh; but before I had opened it the nobles

cried out, saying, "We know it of old, we know it well!" Then said I,

"I thank you for acknowledging the debt." And I gave the paper to

the king, and he looked on it and said to them, "What! Do you

acknowledge that I owe nine hundred talents of gold to Esarhaddon?"

And they were confounded, and cried out again, "No! no! we have never

heard of any such thing." So I said, "If it be so, I have done what

you required."

But Pharaoh said, "It is enough: I have sent for you to build me a

castle between the earth and the heavens; even a thousand cubits above

the earth. Come forth into the plain to-morrow and accomplish this." And

I said, "Well, O king; and do you for your part bring masons and that

which is necessary for building." So on the morrow a great multitude

assembled to see how the matter would go. But I had my eagles and my

boys in readiness; and when Pharaoh gave the word, I sent them up, the

boys riding on the eagles; and when they were high up in the air, the

boys called out, as I had taught them, "Bring us mortar, lime, and

stones: we are ready to begin the building!" And the masons and all the

people were amazed, gaping at the boys. And I fell upon the masons and

beat them, saying, "Why delay you? Make haste, give them what they ask

for," and such-like words, till they fled before me. And I said to

Pharaoh, "If your people refuse to do their part, how can I do mine?"

And Pharaoh and his nobles murmured, but they could not think of any

answer. So Pharaoh said, "It is enough; leave the matter of the castle;

I have other questions to ask you."

On the morrow he called for me, and said, "I saw a great pillar built

of 8763 bricks, and about it are planted twelve cedars, and each has

thirty branches, and on each branch are a black and a white mouse

which gnaw it." I laughed and made answer, "O king, there is not a

child in the land of Assyria who could not interpret this riddle. The

pillar is the year, the bricks are the hours, the cedars the months,

their branches the days, and the black and white mice are the night

and the day."

Pharaoh's face fell, and he said, "Well. But now I command you to

plait me a rope out of the sand." I answered, "Let them bring me a

pattern out of your store-house, O king, that I may have it to copy."

He said, "You trifle with me; and unless you plait me such a rope I

will not pay you the revenues of Egypt." I went aside therefore and

considered; and knowing that the Egyptians were foolish, I thought

upon a plan. I got a mass of sand and put it in a chest, and made it

run out through two pipes so that when the sun shone upon it, it

appeared like the strands of a rope; and I called to the king, "Let

your servants plait together the two strands of the rope which I have

made, and when they have done so I will make more." And again they

were dismayed, and could say nothing.

Lastly, Pharaoh showed me a millstone which was broken in two pieces,

and said, "Come, Ahikar, sew this together for me." But I took a

small piece of a like stone, and said, "O king, I have not my tools

with me; but command your shoemaker to cut me a thread out of this

piece of stone, and I will sew the millstone together forthwith."

Then Pharaoh laughed, and said, "Well, Ahikar, it was on a good day

for your lord that you were born. Come, I will make you a feast, and

after that you shall return to your own land."

So after certain days I departed, taking with me the revenues of

Egypt for three years, and also the nine hundred talents which I had

made Pharaoh acknowledge that he owed to my lord. And Esar-haddon

came forth to meet me; and when he heard what I had done, he made me

sit down on his right hand, and said, "Ahikar, ask what thou wilt and

I will give it thee." Then I said, "O king, live for ever! Two

things only will I require of thee: one, that thou wouldst do good

unto Nabushemak, for it is by his means that I was saved alive; and

the other, that thou wouldst give me power over my sister's son

Nadan, and not require his life at my hand." And the king granted my

request, and exalted Nabushemak to the first rank in his kingdom;

but Nadan he delivered into my hand.

I took Nadan to the hall of my house, and set him with his feet in

the stocks, and a collar of iron about his neck, and iron bands upon

his hands; I fed him with bread and water, and chastised him with

rods. And when I came in or out of my house I stood and reproached

him, speaking in parables and proverbs.

Now these are some of the parables which I spake to Nadan:

"My son, thou art like one that shot an arrow into the heaven to slay

God: the arrow fell back upon him and pierced him."

"Thou art like one that saw his neighbour shivering with cold, and

took a vessel of cold water and poured it over him."

"Thou didst think to take my place after my death; but know that even

if the tail of the pig grew seven cubits long, no man would mistake

the pig for a horse."

"Thou art like the trap that was set on a dunghill. The sparrow saw

it and said, 'Brother, what dost thou here?' The trap answered, 'I

am fasting and praying.' The sparrow said, 'And what is that piece

of wood by thee?' The trap said, 'My staff upon which I lean when I

pray.' 'And what is that in thy mouth?' 'It is a little food for

hungry wayfarers.' Then said the sparrow, 'I am hungry and a

wayfarer.' 'Come hither then,' said the trap, 'and fear nothing.'

But when the sparrow came, the trap caught it by the head; and the

sparrow said, 'If these be thy fastings and prayers, God will not

accept thy fasting nor hearken to thy prayer.'"

"Thou art like the pig that went to the bath along with the nobles;

and when it had bathed and come forth, it saw a pool of mud, and went

and rolled therein."

"Hearken: a serpent was sleeping on a thorn-bush, and a flood came

and swept them both away. And a wolf saw them floating on the water,

and said, 'There goes one evil upon another evil, and a third evil

carrying them off.' The serpent said, 'And dost thou bring back the

kids and lambs to their mothers?' 'Nay,' said the wolf. The serpent

said, 'I know not whether there is much to choose betwixt us.'"

"Thou art like the mole that came up out of the ground to curse God

because He had not given to it sharpness of sight; and the eagle saw

it, and carried it off."

"When men say to the wolf, 'Get away from the flock,' he saith,

'Nay, but the dust thereof is healing to mine eyes.' When they took

him to the school, the teacher said, 'Say A.' The wolf said,

'Lamb.' 'Say B.' He answered, 'Kid.' Surely he spake of that which

was in his thoughts."

At last, after many days, Nadan besought me, saying, "Have mercy on

me, spare my life, and I will feed thy swine and keep thine asses,

and be thy slave for ever."

And I said, "Thou art like the palm-tree which bare no dates, and the

owner came to cut it down; and it said, 'Leave me this one year, and

next year I will bear melons.' But he said, 'Thou that hast not

borne thine own fruit, how wilt thou bear one that is not thine?'

Now, behold, I will say no more to thee, O Nadan; but let God, who

preserved me alive, judge between thee and me."

And forthwith judgment went forth against Nadan, and his body swelled

up and burst, and he died. For it is written, "He that diggeth a pit

for another shall fall into the midst of it himself."