embalmment and burial of the august lady whose demise has cast a pall
over Egypt. Your assurance that it would take you five months to get
ready your war-fleet against Cyprus, and the desire of Remeses that I
delay until the eighty days' mourning for the queen were over, induced
me to remain. It is now four days since her burial in the centre of
her stately pyramid, with the most imposing and gorgeous rites ever
known at the entombment of a monarch. Prince Mœris was chief
mourner! I have omitted to state that he readily acceded to the
conditions proposed in the letter of Remeses, and when the courier
followed, conveying to him the fact that he had been adopted and
declared her heir by the queen, he addressed a frank and friendly
letter to Remeses; for it is easy for him to assume any character his
interest prompts. As soon as the intelligence of the death of the
queen reached him, he hastened to Memphis. Here he had an interview
with Remeses, whom he treated with courtesy, and offered the
supervision of that part of Egypt where the Hebrew shepherds dwell;
for I have learned that in a valley, which leads from Raamses to the
Sea of Arabia, there are hundreds of Hebrews who, like their
ancestors, keep vast flocks and herds belonging to the crown, but out
of which they are allowed a tenth for their subsistence. Over this
pastoral domain, embracing about twenty thousand shepherds, the
prospective Pharaoh proposed to place Remeses. I felt that it was
intended as an insult; but Remeses viewed it as an evidence of
kindness on the part of one who knows not how to be noble or great.
The interment of the queen past, there is nothing to detain either
Remeses or myself longer in Egypt. By her bounty he is rich, and has
given to his parents a large treasure, which will enable them to be at
ease; and besides, the queen gave to them and to Aaron (this is the
name of the elder brother of Remeses), and his sister, the right of
citizenship. Mœris, the day of the queen's burial, virtually
ascended the throne. His coronation, however, will not take place
until after he has passed through the forty days' novitiate.
And now, my dear mother, you will be surprised to learn that, the
information of the Hebrew birth of Remeses (who has modestly dropped
his first Egyptian name and adheres only to the second, which is
Mosis, or Moses, as the Hebrews pronounce it), was wickedly conveyed,
with large bribes, to the magicians by Prince Mœris himself; and
that, upon this information and influence, they recalled from the
past, which, like the future, is open to their magical art, the scenes
of his life, and presented them before his vision.
Wonderful, incomprehensible, dear mother, above all things I have seen
in Egypt, is the mysterious power of these magicians and sorcerers.
Originally of the priestly order, they have advanced into deeper and
deeper mysteries, until the hierarchy of the regular temple-worship
fear them, and deny their ecclesiastical character, saying, "that they
have climbed so high the mountains of Osiris, that they have fallen
headlong over their summits into the dark realms of Typhon, and owe
their dread power to his auspices."
Whatever be the source of their powerful art, dear mother, there is no
doubt of its reality. Not even all the invocations, sacrifices,
oblations, prayers, libations, and exercises of the regular priesthood
can compete with these magicians and sorcerers. They can convert day
into night! destroy the shadow of an obelisk! fill the air with a
shower of sand, or of flowers! convert their rods into vines that bear
grapes! and walk with living asps as if they were almond or acacia
rods! They can present before the inquirer, the face or scene in a
distant land that is desired to be beheld! They can remove blocks of
porphyry by a touch of the finger, and make a feather heavy as gold!
They can cause invisible music in the air, and foretell the rain! And
when extraordinary motives and rewards are brought to bear upon them,
they can, by their united skill and necromantic art, aided by sorcery,
reproduce the past, as in the case of Remeses!
These powerful, yet dreaded and hated men, have for ages been an
appendage to the crown, and call themselves the "servants of the
Pharaohs." The kings of Egypt, who have protected, favored, and sought
their assistance, have also trembled at their power. Without question
they are aided by the evil genii; and perform their works through the
agency of the spirit of evil.
This, dear mother, will be the last letter I shall write you from
Egypt. Accompanied by Remeses, I shall to-morrow embark in my galley
for Pelusium. My friend, the Admiral Pathromenes, will accompany us to
the mouth of the Eastern Nile. I ought to say that King Mœris, now
Pharaoh-elect, has extended towards me marked civilities, and seeks
for a continuance of friendly intercourse. I shall bear a royal letter
from him to your majesty, expressive of his respect for you, and his
desire to perpetuate the alliance. But I have no love for the man! If
I can, I will raise an army in Phœnicia, after I see the King of
Cyprus chained to the poop of my galley, and, placing Remeses at the
head, invade Egypt, call the Hebrews to arms, and, overturning the
throne of Mœris, place my friend in his seat. Did not the dying
queen prophesy that he was born to rule? It is over Egypt he will yet
wield the sceptre! I will do my part, dear mother, to fulfil the
prophecy.
To the lovely Princess Thamonda convey my devotions, and assure her
that I shall make war against Cyprus more successfully, with her heart
wedded to mine, than alone. Warn her, dear mother, that I shall claim
her hand as soon as I return, and that Remeses will be the
groom-friend whom I shall honor with the high place of witness and
chief guest at our nuptials.
Farewell, dear mother.
Remeses desires to unite with me in affectionate regards to you.
Your son,
SESOSTRIS.
[Here the correspondence of the Prince of Tyre with the Queen Epiphia
terminates.]
LETTERS BETWEEN REMESES AND OTHER PERSONS,
COVERING A PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS.
LETTER I.
REMESES TO AARON THE HEBREW.
CITY OF TYRE, SYRIA, MONTH ATHYR.
MY ELDER AND DEAR BROTHER:
It is with emotions wholly new to me, awakened by those fraternal ties
to which I have been hitherto entirely a stranger, that I take up my
pen to address you, inscribing at the commencement of my letter the
endearing words, "my brother!" It is true I have lost much in many
respects; but I have also gained much in the affection of my newly
discovered kindred.
After you left us below Memphis, the galley of the Prince Sesostris
sped swiftly down the Nile, and ere noon we had entered the Pelusian
branch. As I passed the old city of Bubastis, and Pythom, the new
treasure-city, which is rising upon its ruins, I groaned with
heaviness of heart! Around and upon its walls, I beheld the thousands
of my oppressed countrymen toiling, like Nubian slaves, under the lash
of their taskmasters! I could only groan in heart; for what was I now
able to do for them,--myself an exile, and flying from the land? May
the prophecy which exists among your people (_my_ people), as you
asserted in the last long and interesting conversation we held
together, on the day I embarked, be soon fulfilled! This bondage
cannot continue many years! There is not room in Egypt for two
nations!
At Pelusium we found the prince's fleet awaiting him. It set sail
shortly after our arrival, and coasting by the shores of Arabia, and
passing Askelon, in Philistia, in seven days we entered the port of
Tyre; which is built upon a rocky isle and peninsula, and rises from
the sea with imposing magnificence.
I was most kindly received by the mother of Sesostris, whose glad
reception of her son made my eyes fill with tears; for I remembered my
(I was going to say, mother)--the Queen Amense's tenderness, whenever
she met me after the shortest absence.
But I must not refer to the past.
Prince Sesostris treats me in every respect as an equal. Were I still
Prince Remeses of Egypt, he could not show me more kindness and
regard. We have now been here one month; and in that time I have seen
much of Tyre, but my continued grief for the death of the beloved
queen,--my more than mother,--renders me quite indifferent to external
objects. As the guest of the prince, I have endeavored to interest
myself in what concerns him. He is engaged earnestly in preparations
for war. The port of Tyre is thronged with war-galleys; and reviews of
troops take place daily, on a plain which is overhung by the
mountain-range of Libanus. The grandeur of this mountain, in which the
earliest worship of men rose to the gods, deeply impressed me. The
fleet will sail in about one month.
DAMASCUS, SYRO-PHŒNICIA.
Since writing the above I have come to this beautiful city, which lies
in a lovely vale watered by two rivers, the Abana and Pharphar, that
fertilize it and render it indeed "the garden of the earth"--as it is
termed. I travelled hither with the prince, who has come to take to
wife Thamonda, the fair princess of this city. She is amiable and
sensible, and I rejoice that my princely friend has such happiness in
store! How fortunate for me, my brother, that while I was Prince of
Egypt, I did not interest myself in any princess, who would be now
humbled and wretched at my degradation! The nuptial ceremonies will
take place soon, and occupy some days. I wish Sesostris every
happiness in his alliance.
I met here the venerable Prince of Uz. He had travelled thus far on
his return to his own land, which lies on the borders of Chaldea and
Sabæa, and when informed of my present position was deeply moved. We
have had long and interesting conversations together, upon the unity
of God! which have so deeply absorbed my reflections, that I have
accepted an invitation to visit him, after I return from Cyprus,
whither I accompany the prince and his bride.
THE PALACE OF THE PRINCESS OF DAMASCUS.
My beloved Sesostris is married. The ceremonies were unusually
magnificent;--several kings of cities and princes of provinces being
present, with their retinues. But I do not excel in descriptions of
scenes and festivities, and leave them to the more graceful and easy
pen of Sesostris. We depart in three days with a gala procession of
horsemen, to return to Tyre.
ISLE OF TYRE.
Having kept this roll of papyrus with me, I now close my epistle here,
where I commenced writing it, with the intelligence of our arrival;
the happy reception of her new daughter-in-law, by Queen Epiphia; and
with the announcement that the fleet will set sail within three days
for the Levantine island-kingdom.
Commend me, my brother, with respectful affection, to my father Amram,
to my honored mother, and to my stately sister, Miriam. Trusting you
are all in health and safety, I am your brother, with profound
fraternal regard,
MOSES, THE HEBREW.
LETTER II.
REMESES TO HIS BROTHER.
PHŒNICIA.
A year has passed, my brother, since I last wrote to you. In the mean
while I have received your very kind epistle. It reached me at Tyre,
where I found it awaiting me, on my return from the expedition against
Cyprus. You have probably learned the result of the war, and that
Prince Sesostris landed his army, defeated the King of Cyprus in a
pitched battle, taking his battalion of chariots, which were armed
with scythes, and destroying his cavalry. The king implored peace, and
surrendered his capital. Sesostris, after levying a tribute of two
thousand talents of silver upon it for ten years, and demanding a
portion of the island, on the north, for a Phœnician colony,
returned triumphant to his country.
I am now travelling through the whole of Syria. From this point I
shall proceed to the province of Uz. I desire to know more fully this
wisdom of the One God, the Almighty, as taught by the Sage of that
land. When I saw him in Damascus, a year ago, I informed him that I
had begun to write an account of the wonderful incidents of his life;
but when I read to him what I had commenced, and afterwards heard his
conversation upon the God he worshipped, I perceived that I was a
child in ignorance, and had entered upon a task impossible for me to
perform, by reason of my religious education as an Egyptian.
"My son," he said, "thou art not far from the knowledge of the
Almighty, and thy soul aspires after the true God. Come with me to my
own land, for thou sayest thou art a wanderer, and I will teach thee
the knowledge of the Holy One. Then thou mayest write the acts of the
Invisible to man, and justify Him in His ways to me, His servant. The
gods of Egypt darken knowledge, and veil the understanding of those
who trust in them, and say to an idol of gold, 'Thou art my god.'"
I am now journeying, O my brother, to sit at the feet of this man of
God, whose simple wisdom has enlightened my soul more than all the
learning of Egypt; nay, I would gladly forget all the knowledge I
obtained in Egypt, to know, and fear, and love the "Holy One"--the
Almighty God--of the Prince of Uz. What is particularly worthy of note
is, that his views of the Invisible are the same as those which you
taught me were held by the elders among our people; and of the truth
of which you so eloquently and feelingly endeavored to convince me, on
the evening before my departure from Egypt, as we sat by the door of
our mother's home, under the two palms. Dissatisfied with the gods of
Egypt, and the emptiness and vanity of its worship, as not meeting the
wants of man, I turn to any source which will pour the light of truth
into my soul. We both, brother, are feeling after God, if haply we may
find Him; for I perceive that your own soul is darkened and clouded as
well as mine, by the dark myths of Egypt, in which we have been
educated. But let us both take courage, my noble elder brother. There
is light, there is truth, there is knowledge somewhere on earth! and I
go to the aged Prince of Uz to learn of him. Sitting at his feet, I
will empty myself of all the false and unsatisfying wisdom of Egypt,
and meekly say, "I am ignorant--enlighten me! Teach me concerning thy
God, for I know that He is the God my soul longs for, whom the nations
know not!"
Your letter spoke of Pharaoh, and his cruelty and power. I am prepared
to hear that he takes new measures to heap burdens upon our people.
The Lake Amense, which you say he is enlarging to an inland sea, will
destroy thousands of the Hebrews whom you tell me he is putting to the
work; for, unaccustomed to labor in the water, they must perish
miserably. I trust he will suffer you and my father's family to dwell
unmolested. Be prepared at any moment to escape, should he seek to
destroy the prosperity in which the beloved queen left you, and those
dear to me by the sacred and affectionate ties of nature.
Farewell.
Your brother,
MOSES.
LETTER III.
REMESES-MOSES TO AARON.
THE PALACE OF THE LORD OF UZ.
MY DEAR AND HONORED BROTHER:
I have been here now one year. The venerable prince honors me as a
son, and I repay him, so far as I can, by instructing him in the
history of Egypt, and other knowledge; for, so great is his wisdom, he
seeks ever to know more. In astrology, physics, geometry, and all
arts, he is deeply learned. But above all, is his knowledge of the
Almighty. This man has the mysteries of God in his heart, and to the
eyes of his divine piety, the Most High is visible as He is. He hath
spoken to the Lord of heaven face to face, and he communicates with
Him as a servant with his lord.
When I came hither, after visiting Baal-Phegor and other places, he
received me with affection, and gave me rooms in his palace, and
servants, and a place at his table. I found him dwelling in a city he
himself had builded, and reigning the wealthiest, wisest, and yet
humblest prince in all the East. Around it lay the cities of Shuh,
Teman, and Naamath, the lesser princes of which are his bosom friends,
and once a week meet at his hospitable board. They hang upon the words
of his lips, and reverence him as a father. He also possesses vast
herds of cattle and oxen, which cover his plains; fourteen thousand
sheep are on his mountains; six thousand camels; and stores of silver
and gold. He has seven sons, who are princes of as many provinces, and
three daughters, the youngest of whom, Keren-happuch, is married to
the Lord of Midian; for when the Prince of Uz, three years ago,
travelled down into Egypt with a large caravan of his merchants, he
passed through Midian, having this daughter in company, who, being
comely in person, was admired by the prince of that land, and by him
asked in marriage of her father. Of the two daughters who remain, no
women in all the land are found so fair. Such is the prosperity and
power of this mighty and wise prince.
Now, at length, my dear brother, I have written the book of the life
of this venerable man; not as I began it in Egypt, with imperfect
ideas of the God of heaven, whose servant he is, but from his own lips
have I received the narrative which I inclose to you. When you have
read it, you will arrive at the knowledge of the Almighty, whose name,
and glory, and being, and goodness, and justice, and love, are
recognized in every page. As you read, reflect that the God of the
Prince of Uz is also my God, and the God worshipped by our fathers
when they were in Syria. Away, O Aaron! with all the gods of Egypt!
They are brazen and golden lies, all! The myth of Osiris and Isis is
an invention of the priests. The whole system of their mythology is
hostile to true religion, and the adorers of idols are the worshippers
of Satan--for this is the name of that spirit of evil, antagonistic to
the true God, hitherto represented to us under the title of Typhon.
It would take a score of papyri for me to convey to you the course of
divine and sage instruction by which I arrived at that clear,
luminous, and just notion of the Lord God of heaven and earth, which I
now hold; the possession of which fills my soul with repose, my
intellect with satisfaction, my heart with joy, peace, and love to God
and man. With this _certain_ knowledge of the Almighty that has
entered into my soul, is an apprehension of His omnipresence, His
truth, holiness, majesty, and benevolence; and a consciousness that I
have received his Divine Spirit, which last is, as it were, a witness
vouchsafed of Himself to me. By the light of this new spirit within me
I behold His glory, and recognize that He is my God, my Creator, my
Benefactor, and Lawgiver. I feel that in Him I live, move, and have my
being, and that besides Him there is no God. The realization of these
majestic truths, O my brother, is a source to me of the profoundest
happiness. Before their light the dark clouds of the myths of Egypt
dissolve and fade away forever!
When I speak of Him I find new language rise to my lips: when I write
of Him my words seem to clothe themselves with sublimity and majesty.
Henceforth, like the holy Prince of Uz, I am a worshipper of One God,
whose name is the Almighty, and the Holy One.
To Sesostris I have written of these great things, and to you also I
will send a treatise, that you may, without obscurity, behold His
unity and glory as they were known to our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, before the false worship of Egypt corrupted our hereditary
faith. With this knowledge, O Aaron, our people, even in bondage, are
superior to Pharaoh on his throne.
Your affectionate brother,
MOSES.
LETTER IV.
REMESES TO MIRIAM.
TYRE, PHŒNICIA.
MY DEAR SISTER:
I received your letter, written to me from Bubastis. I grieve to hear
that King Mœris is increasing so heavily the burdens of our people,
as to drive to the fields, and to the new lake to which he has given
his name, all who were servants in houses. Unused to toil under the
sun, they will suffer more than others. I read the copy of the edict
you inclosed, forbidding the Egyptians to receive, as domestics, any
of the Hebrew people, that so all might be driven to become toilers in
the field. His motive is evident. He is alarmed at the increase of the
Hebrews, and would oppress them, to death by thousands. My heart
bleeds for those he has sent to the mines in the Thebaïd. This is a
new feature in the Hebrew bondage. But there is a just God on high, O
my sister Miriam, the Holy One, whom our fathers worshipped. He will
not forget his people forever, but in due time will bring them out of
their bondage. Has not Aaron, our learned brother, made known to you
the words of tradition that are cherished among our people,--that they
are to serve Pharaoh a certain number of years, forty-one of which are
yet to come? He sent me the copy thereof, wherein I find it written,
as the declaration of Abraham our father, that "his posterity should
serve Pharaoh four hundred years." Aaron, who, since I left Egypt, has
been giving all his time to collecting the traditions, and laws of our
fathers, is confident that ere another generation shall have perished,
God will raise up a deliverer for the sons of Jacob, and lead them
forth to some new and wonderful land. If such a promise, O my sister,
was given by the Almighty, He will redeem it; for He is not a man that
He should lie! Let us therefore wait, and hope, and pray to this
mighty God of our ancestors, to remember His promise, and descend from
Heaven with a stretched-out arm for our deliverance. I rejoice to hear
that my dear mother is well, also my father. Commend me to them with
reverential affection. Aaron reads to you my letters, and you will
have learned from them how I arrived at the knowledge of the true God,
in whom, O Miriam, both you and he believed, while I, considering
myself an Egyptian, was a worshipper of the false gods of Egypt! Yet,
lo! by the goodness of the true God, I have been enabled, at the feet
of the sage of Uz, to arrive at such clear conceptions of His glory,
and majesty, and government of the universe, as to teach even you. I
speak this not boastingly, but with gratitude to Him who has made me
the instrument of illumining your mind, and of giving you greater
confidence and trust in the God, who is the God of Abraham, and the
God of the Prince of Uz.
I have now been five years absent from Egypt, and my heart yearns for
my brethren in bondage. I feel that it is not becoming in me to remain
here, at ease in the court of Sesostris; for he has now been two years
king, since his royal mother's death, of which I wrote to my mother at
the time. I pant to make known to the elders of the Hebrews, the clear
and true knowledge of the God of our fathers, which has come down to
them imperfectly, and mingled with superstitions, even when it is not
corrupted by the idolatry of Egypt. I wish to learn the character and
condition of my brethren in servitude, whom I formerly viewed from the
proud height of an Egyptian prince. How I feel a desire to mingle
among them to know them, and be one of them. All my Egyptian pride,
dear sister, is long since gone, and I seek daily to cultivate that
spirit of meekness, which better becomes one, who is of a race of
bondmen. But, my sister, rather would I be a slave, chained at the
chariot-wheel of Pharaoh-Mœris, with my present knowledge of the
Holy and Almighty One,--compared with which all the wisdom of Egypt is
foolishness,--than be that monarch himself with his ignorance of Him,
and his worship of Osiris and Apis!
May the God of our fathers, by whose will we are in bonds, in His own
time send us deliverance, to whom be glory and majesty, and dominion
and power, in heaven and earth, to the end of ages.
Most affectionately, your younger brother,
MOSES.
LETTER V.
REMESES TO HIS MOTHER.
PALACE OF SESOSTRIS, KING OF TYRE.
MY MOTHER, REVERED AND LOVED: