The immense suite of his holiness had remained in the hall of
attendance, but as if split into two parts. On one side were Herhor,
Mefres, and some high priests superior in years; on the other were all
the generals, civil officials, and a majority of the younger priests.
The eagle glance of the pharaoh saw in one instant this division of
dignitaries, and in the heart of the young sovereign joyous pride was
kindled.
"And here I have gained a victory without drawing my sword," thought
Rameses.
The dignitaries drew away farther and more distinctly from Herhor and
Mefres, for no one doubted that the two high priests, till then the
most powerful persons in the state, had ceased to possess the favor of
the new pharaoh.
Now the sovereign went to the hall of refection, where he was
astonished first of all by the multitude of serving priests and the
number of the dishes.
"Have I to eat all this?" inquired he, without hiding his amazement.
The priest who inspected the kitchen explained to the pharaoh that
the dishes not used by his holiness went as offerings to the dynasty.
And while speaking he indicated the statues placed in line along the
hall.
Rameses gazed at the statues, which looked as if no one had made them
an offering; next at the priests, who were as fresh of complexion as
if they had eaten everything presented; then he asked for beer, also
the bread used by warriors, and garlic.
The elder priest was astonished, but he repeated the order to the
younger one. The younger hesitated, but repeated the command to the
serving men and women. The servants at the first moment did not
believe their own ears, but a quarter of an hour later they returned
terrified, and whispered to the priests that there was no warriors'
bread nor garlic.
The pharaoh smiled and gave command that from that day forth there
should not be a lack of simple food in his kitchen. Then he ate a
pigeon, a morsel of wheaten cake, and drank some wine.
He confessed in spirit that the food was well prepared and the wine
exquisite. He could not free himself from the thought, however, that
the court kitchen must swallow immense sums of money.
Having burnt incense to his ancestors, the pharaoh betook himself to
his cabinet to hear reports from ministers.
Herhor came first. He bent down before his lord much lower than he had
when greeting him, and congratulated Rameses on his victory at the
Soda Lakes with great enthusiasm.
"Thou didst rush," said he, "holiness, on the Libyans like Typhon on
the miserable tents of wanderers through the desert. Thou hast won a
great battle with very small losses, and with one blow of thy divine
sword hast finished a war, the end of which was unseen by us common
men."
The pharaoh felt his dislike toward the minister decreasing.
"For this cause," continued the high priest, "the supreme council
implores thee, holiness, to appoint ten talents' reward to the valiant
regiments. Do thou, as supreme chief, permit that to thy name be added
'The Victorious.'"
Counting on the youth of the pharaoh, Herhor exaggerated in flattery.
Rameses recovered from his delight and replied on a sudden,--
"What wouldst thou add to my name had I destroyed the Assyrian army
and filled our temples with the riches of Nineveh and Babylon?"
"So he is always dreaming of that?" thought the high priest.
The pharaoh, as if to confirm Herhor's fears, changed the subject.
"How many troops have we?" asked he.
"Here in Memphis?"
"No, in all Egypt."
"Thou hadst ten regiments, holiness," answered Herhor. "The worthy
Nitager on the eastern boundary has fifteen. There are ten on the
south, for Nubia begins to be disturbed; five are garrisoned
throughout the country."
"Forty altogether," said Rameses, after some thought. "How many
warriors in all?"
"About sixty thousand."
Rameses sprang up from his chair.
"Sixty thousand instead of one hundred and twenty thousand!" shouted
he. "What does this mean? What have ye done with my army?"
"There are no means to maintain more men."
"O God!" said the Pharaoh, seizing his head. "But the Assyrians may
attack us a month hence. We are disarmed--"
"We have a preliminary treaty with Assyria," put in Herhor.
"A woman might give such an answer, but not a minister of war," said
Rameses, with indignation. "What does a treaty mean when there is no
army behind it: To-day one-half of the troops which King Assar
commands would crush us."
"Deign to be at rest, holy lord. At the first news of Assyrian treason
we should have half a million of warriors."
The pharaoh laughed in his face.
"What? How? Thou art mad, priest! Thou art groping among papyruses,
but I have served seven years in the army, and there was almost no day
which I did not pass in drill or manoeuvres. How couldst thou have an
army of half a million in the course of a few months?"
"All the nobility would rise."
"What is thy nobility? Nobility is not an army. To form an army of
half a million, at least a hundred and fifty regiments are needed, and
we, as thou thyself sayest, have forty. How could those men who to-day
are herding cattle, ploughing land, making pots, or drinking and
idling on their lands, learn the art of warfare? Egyptians are poor
materials for an army. I know that, for I see them daily. A Libyan, a
Greek, a Hittite, in boyhood even uses a bow and arrows and a sling;
he handles a club perfectly; in a year he learns to march passably.
But only in three years will an Egyptian march in some fashion. It is
true that he grows accustomed to a sword and a spear in two years, but
to cast missiles four years are too short a time for him. So in the
course of a few months ye could put out not an army, but half a
million of a rabble which the Assyrians would break to pieces in the
twinkle of an eye. For, though the Assyrian regiments are poor and
badly trained, an Assyrian knows how to hurl stones and shoot arrows;
he knows how to cut and thrust, and, above all, he has the onrush of a
wild beast, which is lacking in the mild Egyptians altogether. We
break the enemy by this, that our trained and drilled regiments are
like a battering ram: it is necessary to beat down one-half of our men
before the column is injured. But when the column is broken, there is
no Egyptian army."
"Thou speakest wisdom," said Herhor to the panting pharaoh. "Only the
gods possess such acquaintance with things. I know that the forces of
Egypt are too weak; that to create new ones many years of labor are
needed. For this very reason I wish to conclude a treaty with
Assyria."
"But ye have concluded it already!"
"For the moment. Sargon, in view of the sickness of thy father, and
fearing thee, holiness, deferred the conclusion of a regular treaty
till thou shouldst ascend the throne."
The pharaoh fell into anger again.
"What?" cried he. "Then they think really of seizing Phoenicia! And do
they suppose that I will sign the infamy of my reign? Evil spirits
have seized all of you!"
The audience was ended. Herhor fell on his face this time, but while
returning from his lord he considered in his heart,--
"His holiness has heard the report, hence he does not reject my
services. I have told him that he must sign a treaty with Assyria,
hence the most difficult question is finished. He will come to his
mind before Sargon returns to us. But he is a lion, and not even a
lion, but a mad elephant. Still he became pharaoh only because he is
the grandson of a high priest. He does not understand yet that those
same hands which raised him so high--"
In the antechamber the worthy Herhor halted, thought over something;
at last instead of going to his own dwelling he went to Queen
Nikotris.
In the garden there were neither women nor children, but from the
scattered villas came groans. Those were from women belonging to the
house of the late pharaoh who were lamenting that sovereign who had
gone to the west. Their sorrow, it seemed, was sincere.
Meanwhile the supreme judge entered the cabinet of the new pharaoh.
"What hast thou to tell me, worthiness?" asked Rameses.
"Some days ago an unusual thing happened near Thebes," replied the
judge. "A laborer killed his wife and three children and drowned
himself in the sacred lake."
"Had he gone mad?"
"It seems that his act was caused by hunger."
The pharaoh grew thoughtful.
"A strange event," said he, "but I wish to hear of something else.
What crimes happen most commonly in these days?"
The supreme judge hesitated.
"Speak boldly," said the pharaoh, now grown impatient, "and hide
nothing from me. I know that Egypt has fallen into a morass; I wish to
draw it out, hence I must know everything."
"The most usual crimes are revolts. But only common people revolt,"
added the judge, hastily.
"I am listening," said the pharaoh.
"In Kosem a regiment of masons and stone-cutters revolted recently;
for some time needful supplies had been refused them. In Sechem
earth-tillers killed a scribe who was collecting taxes. In Melcatis
and Pi-Hebit also earth-tillers wrecked the houses of Phoenician
tenants. At Kasa they refused to repair the canal, declaring that pay
from the treasury was due them for that labor. Finally in the porphyry
quarries the convicts killed their overseers and tried to escape in a
body to the seacoast."
"This news does not surprise me," replied the pharaoh. "But what dost
thou think?"
"It is necessary first of all to punish the guilty."
"But I think it necessary first of all to give laborers what belongs
to them. A hungry ox will lie down; a hungry horse will totter on his
feet and pant. How, then, can we ask a hungry man to work and not
declare that he is suffering?"
"Then, holiness--"
"Pentuer will open a council to investigate these matters,"
interrupted the pharaoh. "Meanwhile I have no desire to punish."
"In that case a general insurrection will break out," cried the judge,
in alarm.
The pharaoh rested his chin on his hands and considered,--
"Well," said he, after a while, "let the courts do their work, but as
mildly as possible. And this very day Pentuer will assemble his
council."
"In truth," added he, after a time, "it is easier to make a decision
in battle than in the disorder which has mastered Egypt."
When the supreme judge had departed, the pharaoh summoned Tutmosis. He
directed him to salute in the name of the sovereign the army returning
from the Soda Lakes, and to distribute twenty talents among the
officers and warriors.
Then he commanded Pentuer to come; meanwhile he received the chief
treasurer.
"I wish to know," said he, "what the condition of the treasury is."
"We have," replied the dignitary, "at this moment twenty thousand
talents of value in the granaries, stables, storehouses, and chests,
while taxes are coming in daily."
"But insurrections are breaking out daily," added the pharaoh. "What
is our general income and outgo?"
"On the army we expend yearly twenty thousand talents; on the court
two to three thousand talents monthly."
"Well, what further? And public works?"
"At present they are carried on without expense," said the treasurer,
dropping his head.
"And the income?"
"We have as much as we expend," whispered the official.
"Then we have forty or fifty thousand talents yearly. And where is the
rest?"
"Mortgaged to the Phoenicians, to certain bankers, to merchants, and
to the temples."
"Well, but there is besides the inviolable treasure of the pharaohs in
gold, platinum, and jewels; how much is that worth?"
"That was taken and distributed ten years ago."
"For what purpose? To whom?"
"For the needs of the court, in gifts to nomarchs and to temples."
"The court had incomes from current taxes. But could presents exhaust
the treasury of my father?"
"Osiris Rameses, thy father, holiness, was a bountiful lord and made
great offerings."
"Is it possible? Were they so great? I wish to know about this," said
the pharaoh, impatiently.
"Exact accounts are in the archives; I remember only general figures."
"Speak!"
"For example," answered the treasurer, hesitatingly, "Osiris Rameses
in the course of his happy reign gave to the temples about one hundred
towns, one hundred and twenty ships, two million head of cattle, two
million bags of wheat, one hundred and twenty thousand horses, eighty
thousand slaves, two hundred thousand kegs of beer and wine, three
million loaves of bread, thirty thousand garments, thirty thousand
vessels of honey, olives, and incense. Besides that, one thousand
talents of gold, three thousand talents of silver, ten thousand of
bronze, five hundred talents of dark bronze, six million garlands of
flowers, twelve hundred statues of gods, and thirty thousand precious
stones.[25] Other numbers I do not remember at the moment, but they
are all recorded."
[25] The gifts of Rameses III. to the temples were incomparably
greater.
The pharaoh raised his hands with laughter, but after a time fell
into anger, and cried, while striking the table with his fist,--
"It is an unheard of thing that a handful of priests should use so
much beer and bread, so many garlands and robes, while they have their
own income,--an immense income, which exceeds the wants of these holy
men a hundred times."
"Thou hast been pleased, holiness, to forget that the priests support
tens of thousands of poor; they cure an equal number of sick, and
maintain a number of regiments at the expense of the temples."
"What do they want of regiments? Even the pharaohs use troops only in
wartime. As to the sick, almost every man of them pays for himself, or
works out what he owes the temple for curing him. And the poor? But
they work for the temple: they carry water for the gods, take part in
solemnities, and, above all, are connected with the working of
miracles. It is they who at the gates of the temples, recover reason,
sight, hearing; their wounds are cured, their feet and hands regain
strength, while the people looking at these miracles pray all the more
eagerly and give offerings to gods the more bountiful.
"The poor are like the oxen and sheep of the temples: they bring in
pure profit--"
"But," the treasurer made bold to put in, "the priests do not expend
all the offerings; they lay them up, and increase the capital."
"For what purpose?"
"For some sudden need of the state."
"Who has seen this capital?"
"I have seen it myself," said the dignitary. "The treasures
accumulated in the labyrinth do not decrease; they increase from
generation to generation, so that in case--"
"So that the Assyrians might have something to take when they conquer
Egypt, which is managed by priests so beautifully!" interrupted the
pharaoh. "I thank thee, chief treasurer; I knew that the financial
condition of Egypt was bad, but I did not suppose the state ruined.
There are rebellions, there is no army, the pharaoh is in poverty; but
the treasure in the labyrinth is increasing from generation to
generation."
"If each dynasty, an entire dynasty, gave as many gifts to temples as
my father has given, the labyrinth would have nineteen thousand
talents of gold, about sixty thousand of silver, and so much wheat,
and land, so many cattle, slaves, and towns, so many garments and
precious stones, that the best accountant could not reckon them."
The chief treasurer was crushed when taking farewell of the sovereign.
But the sovereign himself was not satisfied, for after a moment's
thought it seemed to him that he had spoken too plainly with
officials.