the approaching birthday of Remeses--his thirty-fifth--and that the
queen had resolved, on that day, to confer upon him the crowns of
Egypt, and resigning, with the sceptre, all dominion into his hand,
retire to a beautiful palace, which she has recently completed on the
eastern slope of the Libyan hills, west of the pyramids, and
overlooking a charming lake, which, begun by former rulers, has been
enlarged and beautified by each, and by none more than by herself.
This purpose of the queen was made known to Remeses, about three weeks
after his return from Thebes with his victorious army. I was not
present at the interview, but will repeat to you the conversation that
passed, as it was made known to me by the prince, who extends towards
me all the confidence of one beloved brother to another; and, indeed,
keeps no secrets from me. This pleasing confidence is fully
reciprocated on my part, and we are in all things as one.
I had been, that morning, on a visit to that part of Memphis which
stretches away westward from the Nile in a succession of gardens,
squares, palaces, and monuments, girdling the Lake of Amense with
beautiful villas, and climbing with its terraces, grottoes, shrines,
and marble pavilions, the very sides of the cliffs of Libya, two
leagues from the river; for to the extent of Memphis there seems to be
no limit measurable by the eye. Even the three great pyramids are
almost central in the mighty embrace of the sacred city.
Upon landing from my galley upon the Island of Rhoda, my Hebrew page
Israel, now become a bright and blooming youth, with a face always
enriched by the light of gratitude, met me, and said:
"The prince, my lord, desires to see you in his private chamber. He
bade me ask you not to delay."
I found Remeses walking to and fro in the apartment, with a pale face
and troubled brow. As soon as I entered, he approached me, and taking
my hand between his, pressed it to his heart affectionately, and said:
"I am glad you have returned, Sesostris, my friend and brother! Come
and sit by me on this seat by the window. I have much to say--much! I
need your counsel."
"My noble friend," I answered, moved by his unusual emotion, "I am not
able to counsel one so wise and great as you are."
"Nay, you are too modest, prince. I must tell you all. Strange events
have occurred. Hear me, and you will then be able to strengthen my
soul! You know that of late my dear mother has been given to
melancholy; that she has appeared absent in thought, abrupt in speech,
and ill at ease. Thou hast observed this; for we have spoken of it
together, and marvelled at her mood, which neither the memory of our
victories in Ethiopia, the prosperity of her kingdom, the peace in her
borders, the love of her subjects, nor my own devotion could remove;
nor the music of the harp, nor the happy songs of the chanters
dissipate."
"Do you not think," I said, "that this state of mind is connected with
her illness before you left, when the viceroy Mœris dined with us?"
Remeses started, and fixed upon me his full gaze.
"Sesostris, what led you to connect the present with that event?"
"Because the queen has never been wholly well and cheerful since that
day."
"What think you of Prince Mœris? Speak freely."
"He is a proud, ambitious, and unprincipled man."
"Do you think he loves me?"
"I fear not."
"You are right. But you shall hear what I have to relate. Three hours
since my mother sent for me. I found her in the chapel where the
shrine of Osiris receives her most private prayers. She was kneeling
when I entered, her face towards the god; but her eyes, wet with
tears, penetrated the heavens, and seemed to seek a living Power that
could hear and answer prayer, Sesostris. She did not see me, and her
voice was audible:
"'Protect him! Guard him from his foe! Spare me the discovery of the
secret, and place him upon the throne of Egypt, O immortal and pitying
Osiris! O Isis, hear! O goddess of the sacred bow, and mother of
Horus, hear! Give me strength to act, and wisdom in this my great
perplexity!'
"I drew near, and kneeling by my mother's side, laid her head against
my heart, and said--
"'The God of all gods, the Father Infinite hear thee, O mother! What
is it thou prayest for with such strong woe and fear?'
"'Hast thou heard me?' she exclaimed, rising and speaking wildly.
'_What_ didst thou hear? Nay, I have betrayed no secret?'
"'None, mother, none! Thou didst only speak of one which distressed
thee,' I said soothingly; for, my dear Sesostris, I was inexpressibly
moved by her agitated manner, unlike any thing I have ever before
witnessed in her usually calm, serene, and majestic demeanor.
"She leaned heavily upon me, and I led her to an alcove in which was
the shrine of Athor.
"'Sit down, Remeses--my son Remeses,' she repeated, with a singular
emphasis upon the words 'my son.' 'Hear what I wish to reveal to thee!
I am now more composed. There is in my heart a great and ceaseless
anxiety. Do not ask me what it is! The secret, I trust, will remain
sealed forever from thy ears! Ask not--seek not to know it. You may as
successfully obtain an answer from the heart of the great pyramid,
revealing what is buried there from human eyes, as obtain an answer
from me of the mystery lying at my heart. It will be embalmed with me,
and go with me to the lower world!'
"'Mother,' I said, alarmed at her depressed manner, 'thou art ill--let
me send for thy physician--'
"'Nay, nay--I am not ill! I shall be better soon! _You_, Remeses, have
the key to my happiness and health,' she said tenderly, yet seriously.
"'Then I will yield it up to thee!' I answered pleasantly.
"'Hear my words, my son, for art thou not my son, my noble Remeses?'
she asked, taking both my hands and holding them to her heart, and
then pressing her lips upon them almost passionately; for I felt tears
flow upon my hands.
"'Thy son, with undying love, my mother,' I answered, wondering in my
heart, and deeply affected. She remained a few moments silent, and at
length said--
"'Remeses, hast thou ever doubted my love?'
"'Never, no never, my mother!' I replied, moved.
"'Have I not been a true and fond mother to thee?'
"'Why distress yourself, dear mother, with such useless
interrogatories?' I asked. No longer agitated, and her nervous air
having quite disappeared, she spoke calmly but earnestly:
"'Have I neglected, in any way, a mother's duty to thee, O Remeses?'
"'Thou hast ever been all that a mother could be,' I answered her.
"'Do you think a mother could love a son more than I love thee?' she
repeated.
"'No, O my mother!'
"'And _thou_, Remeses, dost thou love me?' she continued, with the
same fixed, solemn, and painful earnestness.
"'Why shouldst thou doubt?' I asked.
"'I have no reason to doubt,' she replied; 'yet I would hear thee say,
'Mother, I love thee above all things beneath the sun!'
"I smiled, and repeated the words, distressed to perceive that
something had taken hold upon her noble and strong mind, and was
shaking it to its centre.
"'Remeses, my son,' she said, answering my smile, and then immediately
assuming an expression of singular majesty, 'I am now advancing in
life. I have passed my fifty-first year, and am weary of the sceptre.
I wish to see you king of Egypt while I live. I wish to see the
grandeur and wisdom of your reign, and to rejoice in your power and
glory. When I am laid in the sarcophagus, which I have caused to be
hewn out in the chamber beneath the pyramidion of my obelisk, I shall
know and behold nothing of thy dominion. It is my desire, therefore,
to invest you with the sovereignty of Egypt; and after I see you
crowned, robed, and sceptred as her king, I will retire to my Libyan
palace and there contemplate thy greatness, and reign again in thee!'
"'I rose to my feet in surprise, dear Sesostris, at this announcement
from the lips of my mother, but listened with deference until she had
concluded, and I then said,--
"'This intent and purpose be far from thee, O my mother and queen!
Thou art in the meridian of life, and still in the possession of thy
wonderful beauty. Scarcely a silver thread has stolen amid thy soft,
dark hair; thou art yet young; and may the Lord of the kings of the
earth long preserve thee upon thy throne, and lend thee strength and
wisdom to wield thy sceptre. Far be it from me, therefore, my mother,
to accept the crown, until Osiris himself transfers it from thy
majestic brow to mine!'
"'Nay, Remeses,' she said firmly, yet sadly, 'my will is the law of
Egypt. Thou hast never opposed it.'
"'But this is where my own elevation involves your depression,' I
answered. 'It cannot be!'
"'I am firm and immovable, my son, in my purpose,' she replied. 'Your
thirty-fifth birthday will soon arrive. That is the age at which
Horus, the son of Isis, was crowned. It is a number of good omen, and
I wish you to prepare for your coronation, by performing all the rites
and sacrifices, that the religion and laws of Egypt require of a
prince who is about to ascend the throne of the Pharaohs.'
"'Mother, my dearly honored mother!' I said, kneeling to her, 'forgive
me, but I must firmly decline the throne while you sit thereon. You
are ill at ease in your mind to-day. Some deep grief, which you
conceal from me, preys upon you. It is not because you are old that
you would abdicate the throne to me, who am not yet old or wise enough
to rule this mighty nation; but you have some secret, painful reason,
which I beg you to reveal to me.'
"My words seemed to inflict pain upon her. She rose to her feet, and
paced the apartment twice across in troubled reflection. Then she came
to my side, and said impressively, placing her trembling grasp upon my
arm:
"'Remeses, if I reveal to thee the secret of my heart, wilt thou then
consent to be king?'
"'If I perceive, my mother,' I answered, 'that necessity demands my
acceptance of the crown before my time, I will not refuse it.'
"'If your views of necessity do not influence you, O my son,' she said
earnestly, and with a sudden gush of tears, 'let my affection, my
happiness, my peace of mind, plead with you!'
"'Please, my beloved mother, to make known to me the circumstances
under which you are moved to this unusual step,' I said.
"'Not unusual,' she replied. 'I have consulted the book of the reigns
of the Pharaohs, in the hall of Books, in the temple of Thoth. Within
two thousand years, not less than seven kings and three queens have
resigned the sceptre of Egypt to children or adopted heirs. The Queen
Nitocris resigned to her adopted son, Myrtæus; Chomæphtha, after
reigning eleven years, weary with the weight of the crown, resigned it
to her nephew, Sœconiosochus. Did not Phruron-Nilus, the great
monarch, decide to abdicate in favor of Amuthantæus, his son, when
sudden death only prevented his retirement? The crowns of Egypt are
_mine_, my son, by the laws of the gods, and of the ancestral kings
from whom I have inherited them. I will not wait for the god of death
to remove them from my head; but with my own hands I would put them
upon thy brow! It must be done soon,--_now_! or neither thou nor I
will hold rule long in Egypt!'
"I begged my mother to explain her mysterious words.
"'Come, sit by me. Be calm, Remeses! Listen with your usual meekness
and reverence to me when I speak.' I obeyed her, and she thus began:
"'Thou knowest thy cousin Mœris;--his lofty ambition; his
impatience; his spirit of pride; his lust for dominion, which his
viceroyship in the Thebaïd has only given him an unlimited thirst
for;--his jealousy and hatred of you, Remeses! None of these things
are concealed from you, my son.' My mother paused as if for my assent,
which I signified by a respectful bow. She continued:
"'This Prince Mœris, for whom I have done all in my power--whom I
have made second only to me in the Thebaïd, I have reason to know
seeks your ruin and my throne!'
"'What proof hast thou of this?' I cried, deeply moved.
"'Remeses,' said my mother, in ringing tones, 'I must unfold to thee
all! I know how slow thou art to suspect or believe evil of any one;
and that you fancy Mœris an honorable prince, overlooking his
jealousy of you. You have confidence in my judgment and truth?'
"'I have, the most undoubted and deferential,' I answered the queen.
"'Then, my son, hear me!' she said, with a face as pale as the fine
linen of her vesture. 'Prince Mœris possesses a secret (ask me
_not_ what it is) which gives him a dangerous power over me. He
obtained possession of it years ago, how I know not; but it has placed
in his hands a power that I tremble beneath. Nay, ask not! My heart
itself would as soon open to thine eyes, under the shield of my bosom,
as reveal its secret! It will die with me! Yet Mœris, my nephew--a
man of talents and ambition, in morals most unprincipled, and in
disposition cruel and unjust--holds my happiness in his hand!'
"'My mother,' I cried, 'why then didst thou confer on him the
principality of the Thebaïd and its enormous military power?'
"'To bribe him, when he menaced me with the betrayal of what he knew!'
was the queen's almost fierce rejoinder.
"'But why make him the admiral of your fleet of the Nile?'
"'Another bribe when he renewed his threats to inform you--'
"'Me!' I exclaimed.
"'Did I say you? No! no!' she cried, checking herself; 'when he
menaced me with the betrayal of the dreadful secret.'
"'And, my dear mother, who was interested to know it, whom would it
benefit or injure?' I asked, lost in amazement.
"'Injure one whom--whom I love--destroy my happiness and
hopes--benefit Mœris himself!' she answered coloring with deepest
confusion and alarm.
"'Why not crush such a dangerous subject when he menaces your peace?'
I demanded, my whole spirit roused for my mother, and my indignation
excited against this wicked man. 'If thy happiness is thus menaced, O
my mother, if this prince is the cause of all your sorrow, say the
word, and in thirty days hence, he shall be brought bound in chains to
your feet.'
"'Nay, Remeses, I dare not. One word from his lips, though he were in
chains, would reveal all it has been the study of my life to conceal,
and give him all the revenge his bitter spirit would ask. No, no!
Mœris must not be made angry. It is only his ambitious hopes that
keep him quiet.'
"What are these hopes?" I inquired, feeling that henceforth Mœris
and I were mortal foes.
"Didst thou, O prince," said I, as he returned to his seat by me,
which he had left, in the excitement of his narrative, to pace the
floor, "suspect the secret?"
"No," he answered gloomily; "no, Sesostris; nor do I now know what it
can be; neither have I the least idea, unless--" Here he colored, and
looked confused.
"Unless what?" I asked, painfully interested.
"Unless Mœris be the son of the Prince of the Thebaïd, and I the
son of the brother of Pharaoh. In other words, that Mœris and
Remeses have changed places, and that Mœris knows or suspects the
fact."
"A most extraordinary idea!" I exclaimed; yet at the same time, I must
confess that I was forcibly reminded of what I have before alluded to,
dear mother, the total absence of all likeness between Remeses and his
mother, Amense.
"What can possibly have suggested to your mind such a strange
conjecture?" I added.
"A mystery, my dear Sesostris," he said, "calls into exercise the
whole machinery of suspicion, and all the talent of investigation; and
a hundred things, which before had only an ordinary signification,
under its wand, take an importance and meaning wholly new.
Irresistibly, my mother's anxiety to impress upon me that she had been
'all a mother could be to a son,' in connection with her whole manner,
and especially her uncalled for reiterations of affection for me, and
of appeals to my devotion to her;--all this rushed upon my memory, and
with a dizzy brain, and a heart full of anguish, under the dreadful
suspicion, I cried, 'Why must not Prince Mœris be made angry? Why
may he not be prevented from doing thee harm?'
"'I have told you,' she replied, with a deadly pallor. 'Remeses, your
roused spirit alarms me for us three.'
"'But I must oppose, and if necessary destroy him,' I said, in my
emotion, 'who destroys my mother's peace.'
"'Yes, I am thy mother. Thou art a son to me. I know thou wilt protect
me from this prince-nephew,' she said, in broken sentences. 'He shall
not come between me and thee, and the throne.'
"'He has no claim to the throne. He does not aspire to it in your
lifetime,' I said; 'and if I hold it after, I will take care of my own
crown. My mother, fear not Prince Mœris. Let his secret perish with
him.'
"'And thou, also, Remeses!' she said, passionately.
"'I, my mother?' I repeated. A spirit of severe investigation then
came upon me, strengthened by my suspicion.
"'My mother, Queen Amense,' I said, with the deepest emotion, and, O
Sesostris, with fear and dread, 'a fearful suspicion has taken hold
upon me! _Am_ I thy SON?'
"No sooner had I given utterance to this interrogative doubt, which
was wrung from my tortured heart, than shrieking aloud, she fell
forward, and but for my intervening arm, her form would have been
prostrate at my feet. I caught her in my arms; I kissed her marble
brow; I chafed her cold pulses; and breathed words of comfort, words
praying her forgiveness, into her ears. At length she revived, as I
supported her against my wildly beating heart; and, with stony eyes
staring me in the face, gasped--
"'Remeses! Who hath--who--who hath said this?'
"'No one, _no one_, my dearly loved mother,' I answered, tenderly. And
when I saw that she was more composed, I said, 'It was only a
conjecture--a wild suspicion--for I could not comprehend the mystery
between you and my cousin Mœris, except that (as has been done in
former dynasties) he and I are in each other's places. Is Mœris thy
son, and am I the son of the brother of Amunophis?'
"I had no sooner said this, than she raised her head from the
gold-embroidered purple cushion of the ivory couch, on which she lay
reclining against my arm, and with a strange laugh of joy and
surprise, said,--
"'So this is _all_, Remeses! Then thou needest not fear. Mœris is
not my son. He is nothing to me but my kinsman. Canst thou believe
that that wicked prince is my offspring? I forgive thee, Remeses,
because, perhaps, my words, and the necessity of guarding my secret,
may have forced thee to this conclusion.' This she spoke with a mind
evidently greatly relieved.
"'Then, dear mother, I _am_ thy son in spite of Prince Mœris?'
"'In spite of Mœris,' she answered. 'Hast thou ever known any other
mother? Remeses, let thy heart be at peace! Mœris is not my son! On
that he does not found his hopes to grasp the reins of Egypt. Now hear
me, my son,' she said, solemnly. 'That prince once sought my life.
When I was taken ill on the day that he dined with me, he had bribed
my cup-bearer to drop a subtle poison in my cup. Dread of the prince
forced him, under his eyes, to do it; but, as the cup-bearer handed me
the wine, he pressed my little finger, where it clasped the cup, so
significantly, that I looked in his eyes, and saw them full of
warning. I did not drink, but pleaded illness, and left the
banquet-room. I sent for the cup-bearer, and he confessed what he had
done. When I heard his confession, and was thereby acquainted with the
purpose of Prince Mœris against my life, I was overwhelmed with
despair. My future safety lay in sending for him the next day. He
came. It was a brief but dreadful interview. He acknowledged that he
sought my life, because I had the day before refused him the crown of
Upper Egypt, declining to give him the half of my empire. He
threatened to betray my secret, and I pleaded for silence. He demanded
the white crown of the Thebaïd as his reward, but I put him off with
evasions. He had command of the fleet, and I dared not anger him. I
shrunk from making known to you his demand, and the terror with which
he inspired me. I promised that if he entered the Ethiopian capital
within six months, he should reign in Thebes.'
"'My mother,' I cried, 'gave you such a promise to him? He is already
marshalling his forces!'
"'And in order not so much to conquer Ethiopia, as to usurp one of the
thrones of Egypt,' she answered.
"'And are you bound by this promise to him?' I demanded, overwhelmed
with amazement, both at the audacity of Mœris, and the power he
held over my mother by means of this secret.
"'By all the vows that a mortal can make to the gods! Here, in this
sacred chapel, before these shrines, he made me swear that in
consideration he subdued the central capital of Ethiopia, and
preserved my secret, I would transfer from my head to his the
white-gold crown of Upper Egypt, the most ancient kingdom mortal ever
ruled over on earth, after the demigods.'
"When, my dear Sesostris," said Remeses, after having related to me,
with a dark countenance, the foregoing conversation, "I heard this, I
was for some time confounded, and could not speak. At length I cried
out--
"'That mystery--that secret, known only to you and Mœris, and for
the safe-keeping of which you part with one of your crowns, _what_ is
it! divulge it! Am I not worthy, O my mother, of the confidence which
Prince Mœris, by foul means, shares with you? Will you not intrust
me with the secret which he can extort by bribery?'
"The queen looked deadly pale, and her whole frame trembled. She
essayed to reply, and then said, with an effort, as if a corpse had
become vocal--
"'Remeses--you must--must not know it! Do not ask--do not suspect
evil. Do not doubt me, or you will kill me! Kiss me, Remeses! Kiss me,
my son! Are you not my son? I love you, and know you love me. Let all
else pass by. You shall be king! You shall wear the double tiara! You
shall grasp both sceptres! Therefore is it, I would now make you king.
Dost thou understand me? Mœris must not march into Ethiopia. That
evil man must have a master. My power is failing! I would surrender it
to thee. The only safety of Egypt, the only security for thy crown and
dominion, is in taking the throne, and ruling all Egypt in thine own
right.'
"'Is this so, my mother?' I demanded. 'Does Prince Mœris not only
torture thy soul with a secret, which, as a just prince, he ought
forever to forget, if thou desirest it, but does he also aspire to
sever Egypt, and rule in the Thebaïd, on the ancient throne of my
ancestors, as the price of a secret held over thee with an unmanly
advantage?'
"'He does, my son,' she answered. 'The only safety of the empire
depends on my resignation of the crowns into your hands. Once Pharaoh,
you have Mœris at your feet, and if he prate his secret, you will
then be able to despise it, and put to silence his tongue.'
"'Mother, my dear mother,' I answered, after long reflection, 'what
you have told me has brought me to a decision. I shall act
blindly--not knowing the nature of the power of the prince over you;
but I shall act from affection and sympathy for you, in obedience to
your wishes, and for the preservation of the integrity of the united
kingdom. I am ready to obey you. In order to defeat Prince Mœris,
and relieve your mind, I will accept the sceptre which you are
desirous of placing in my feeble and inexperienced hand. I am ready to
enter upon the sacred rites of initiation, and in all things will be
your dutiful and obedient son. The wickedness and ambition of Mœris
must be crushed.'
"When I had thus said, my mother, with a cry of joy cast herself into
my arms. I bore her, almost fainting with happiness realized, to the
apartments of her women, and again assuring her of my full compliance
with her wishes, I took tender leave of her, and hastened to my room
to reflect upon all that had passed in that extraordinary interview;
and then I sought you."
Thus the Prince Remeses ended his interesting and singular statement.
I knew not what to respond to him when he had done. But be sure, dear
mother, there must something grow out of this, of the greatest
importance to this dynasty. Who can divine the secret?
But I must here close my letter, with assurances of my fondest
attachment to you, my dear mother, whom the gods guard from all
mysteries and secrets, and from ambitious princes like the lord
Mœris.
Your ever faithful
SESOSTRIS.
LETTER XXII.
ISLAND OF RHODA, PALACE OF THE QUEEN.
MY VERY DEAR MOTHER: