serpent, and would have fled, but had no power to move. I now heard
the Voice command Moses to thrust his hand into his bosom; and he put
his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, it was as
leprous as snow. Then the Voice said--for I heard only, not daring to
behold the Angel more--"Put thy hand into thy bosom again." And he put
his hand into his bosom again; and when he had plucked it out of his
bosom, it was turned again as it was before, like his other flesh.
Then I heard the Angel of God, who was God himself, say to him:
"It shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken
to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of
the latter sign. If they will not believe, also, these two signs,
neither hearken unto thy voice, then thou shalt take of the water of
the river of Egypt and pour it upon the dry land, and it shall become
blood."
Then Moses looked troubled in spirit, and said unto the Lord--
"O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast
spoken unto thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of a slow
tongue."
This embarrassment of speech, my dear father, which existed in a
slight degree, as I have heard you say, when you knew him, and which
proceeded from modesty and diffidence when expressing himself in
intercourse with others (though with his pen he is powerful and
eloquent beyond all men), has, no doubt, been increased by his long
retirement as a shepherd, and his love of solitude; yet, nevertheless,
he is the most interesting teacher of wisdom to whom I ever listened.
But no one save himself would accuse him of being slow of speech and
slow of tongue.
Then the voice of the Lord said, with a rebuke in its tones--
"Who hath made man's mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or the deaf, or
the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the LORD? Now, therefore, go, and
I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say!"
Notwithstanding all this, the heart of Moses failed him. He trembled
at being an ambassador of God to his people, and said, with great fear
and dread visible in his countenance--
"Send, I pray Thee; but not by me, but by the hand of him whom Thou
wilt send."
Thus speaking, he fell prostrate before the Lord and covered his face.
Then the anger of the Angel of the Lord seemed to be kindled against
Moses, for the flames were agitated and spread abroad, and shot forth
fiery tongues, and I looked to see him consumed. But from their midst
I heard the Voice demand--
"Is not Aaron, the Levite, thy brother? I know that he can speak well;
and also, he cometh forth to meet thee, and when he seeth thee he will
be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him" (the dread Voice
was no longer in anger), "and put words in his mouth; and I will be
with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall
do. And _he_ shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be,
even he shall be unto _thee_ instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to
_him_ instead of God. And thou shalt take this rod in thy hand,
wherewith thou shalt do signs."
Then Moses rose from the ground, and bowed his head low in submission
and obedience to the voice of the Lord. The flame had already begun to
fade slowly, until it appeared like a golden cloud, which now rapidly
melted away like a mist touched with the setting sun. The next moment
it was invisible, leaving the sacred bush as before, green with leaves
and brilliant with wild-flowers; and as I gazed, a pair of snow-white
doves lighted upon it.
Then Moses, lifting up his eyes to heaven, said: "O Lord God, who is
like unto Thee among the gods? Who is like unto Thee, glorious and
fearful, doing wonders? The Lord shall reign forever, great in power
and holiness! He is my God, and I will praise Him; my fathers' God,
and I will magnify His holy name forever! He hath remembered His
covenant with Abraham, and His vengeance against the nation that
oppresseth His people."
At this moment I beheld Aaron advancing along the defile. When he
beheld Moses, whose person yet seemed bright with the lingering glory
of the divine Presence, he ran to him, and kissing him, said--
"Thus did I behold thee in my vision, brother!"
"Hast thou also seen God face to face?" demanded Moses, regarding him
with affectionate earnestness, "that thou art come hither from Egypt
so soon?"
"I was at prayer fourteen days ago, in Goshen, when a vision stood
before me!--such a form, doubtless, as our father Abraham beheld. It
said to me, 'Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.' Then, in the
vision, I beheld thee standing in the mount of God, and the glory of
the Lord shone upon thee, and thou wast talking with one who seemed
like an angel of God, and I knew that thou wast ordained of Him, with
authority to deliver Israel out of Egypt. Therefore, delaying not, I
am come hither according to the command of the angel of the Lord. My
heart is glad at beholding thee! Speak now, O my brother, for the
angel said to me, 'He shall tell thee all the words of the Lord, and
all the signs which He hath commanded him.'"
Moses then told Aaron all the words which God had spoken unto him, and
how the Lord had sent him to deliver Israel, and had given him courage
and power to obey, removing his fears and confirming his faith.
Thereupon he showed Aaron the rod in his hand, and said, "If this rod
becomes a serpent, as it did before the Lord, then wilt thou know that
He hath sent me, and is with me! for this is His sign."
As he spoke, he cast the rod far from him upon the ground, which it no
sooner struck than it became a serpent, and ran swiftly towards Moses,
who reached forth, and grasping it by the head without fear, lo! it
became again a rod of almond-wood, as before! The other sign also
Moses showed to his brother, who then answered and said--
"Thou shalt deliver Israel, and I will be thy servant, and bear thy
rod before thee!"
I had already, by the invitation of Moses, drawn near to these holy
and great men, and walked with them, feeling, prince that I am, the
deepest sense of inferiority and humility. I felt that I could be the
servant of both, and that I was honored when taking up the sandals
which Moses had put off his feet. I knelt before him to put them on;
but, in his modesty, this prince appointed of God would not suffer me.
The two venerable brothers--one eighty years of age, and the other
eighty-three--now walked together towards the shepherd's cave on the
mountain-side, discoursing of the wonderful and joyful events which
had just passed, of the promised deliverance of Israel, and how God
would accomplish it, and by what sort of exercise of power and
majesty.
The next day Moses returned to Jethro, and said to him--
"I pray thee let me go, and return unto my people which are in Egypt,
and see how they fare, and if my brethren of the family of Levi be yet
alive--for the Lord hath shown me that all the men are dead which
sought my life." And his venerable father-in-law said--
"Go in peace."
Therefore, my dear father, three days afterwards, Moses, accompanied
by his brother and myself, took leave of Jethro, and taking his wife
and son, and holding the "rod of God" in his hand, left Midian. The
next day we fell in with a caravan from the East, and after many days
I once more reached Egypt. In sight of On, I parted from Moses, who
went with his family to that part of the land of Goshen where his
tribe dwells, which is not far from the treasure-city of Raamses.
The first hours I could command, after reaching the palace of the
Governor of On, with whom I dwell as a guest, I have devoted, my dear
father, to a recital of these extraordinary events. Moses seems to be
a different man! calm majesty sits enthroned upon his brow, and he is
profoundly impressed with the sublime mission which Heaven has
intrusted to him.
Aaron, who has, from time to time, revisited Egypt, and is well known
to the elders of his people, will be a great support and aid to Moses,
in his intercourse with the Hebrews. The two mighty brothers are now
assembling the elders together, though it is but two days since they
returned to Egypt. Secretly, messengers have been going by night
throughout the land of Goshen, calling an assembly, in the name of the
God of Abraham, to meet, two nights hence, at the ruined fountain of
Jacob.
I shall also be present, dear father, by permission of the inspired
Moses. What infinite issues will grow out of that midnight meeting of
these "sons of God," for such, though in bondage, are these Hebrews
shown to be! How little Thothmes-Amosis, who calls himself also,
vainly, after Amunophis, the Great, and assumes the style, "Upholder
of worlds," "Lord of the Diadem of Heaven," and "Beloved of the Sun,"
upon his cartouch,--how little, I repeat, he dreams that One mightier
than he, the Upholder of the universe, very Lord of heaven and earth,
and Creator of the sun, is armed with vengeance against him, and will
presently bring him into judgment for the bondage of the Hebrews! I
saw him this morning in his palace, for he is now in his palace at On,
having hastened to pay him my homage after my absence. He was in gay
humor, for news had reached him that his "lord of the mines" had
opened a new vein of silver, in the southern mountains near Ethiopia.
"I will send one hundred thousand of these Hebrews to work it, O
prince," he said. "I will, to-morrow, give orders to all the
governors, and chief captains, and officers over them, to choose me
the strongest and most dangerous, and assemble them in companies of
thousands, and, under strong guard, march them to the Thebaïd. By the
gods! yesterday I was planning some new device to destroy their
children, male and female; but the mines come happily to my aid!"
Thus does this proud, weak, luxurious, and cruel monarch, confident of
power, and sitting as a god upon his throne, acknowledging no power
above his own, dream of wealth, and rejoice in dominion!
Did policy prompt me to give him warning? I feared the God of Moses
more than I sympathized with a contemporaneous prince, albeit Tyre was
his ally.
Farewell, my dear father.
My next letter will, no doubt, convey to you startling tidings.
Your affectionate son,
REMESES OF DAMASCUS.
LETTER VI.
REMESES OF DAMASCUS TO KING SESOSTRIS.
CITY OF ON, EGYPT.
MY DEAR FATHER:
The secret assembly of the elders, called by Moses, met last night. It
was in a solitary place, far from any of the garrisons of soldiers. In
the disguise of a Hebrew, I also was present, standing by Aaron. It
was after midnight before all the elders could elude the vigilance of
their officers, and had assembled. The well of Jacob, you recollect.
It is where you had the conversation with Remeses (now Moses), upon
the condition of the Hebrews. The Egyptian soldiers, who are very
superstitious, will not venture near this desolate fountain by night;
for the tradition is, that it leads to the realms of the lower world,
and that there are evil beings who issue from it in the darkness, and
drag under the earth all who walk past it. The Hebrews have no such
superstition, or despised their fears on an occasion like the present.
Aaron, in selecting the spot, knew it would be safe from intrusion on
the part of the Egyptians.
It was a sublime spectacle to see no less than four hundred and eighty
elders of the Hebrews, forty out of each tribe, met together beneath
the aged palm-trees that overshadowed the fountain, and where Jacob
had sat, with his sons about him, in peace, under the protecting
sceptre of the king of that day.
The moon shone here and there upon a silvery head, while others were
grouped in shadow. There was a deep, expecting silence. At length
Aaron stood up in their midst, his venerable figure visible to all
present, as the pale moonlight fell upon him--
"Men and brethren, Hebrews of the house of Abraham our father, hear,
while I make known to you why I have called this strange meeting--for
when before has Israel met in such an assembly! Your presence, your
readiness to come, your courage, and your success in reaching here,
all show to me the hand of God, and the power of God."
Aaron then gave a history of the origin of their nation, of God's
promise to Abraham, of his prophecy of their bondage and deliverance,
and his promise to give them the land of the Canaanites. They listened
with deep attention, for he spoke with remarkable eloquence. He then
said, "The hour of our deliverance is at hand. God has remembered His
promise, and come down to our deliverance." Then, with thrilling
power, the venerable speaker described the scene at the burning bush
on Horeb, and, in conclusion, presented Moses, his brother, to the
elders. He was received with a murmur of satisfaction; but some
doubted. Others remembered that he had been raised an Egyptian, and
openly expressed their fear that it was a plan to betray them into a
movement, that would give Pharaoh an excuse to destroy them all.
"Let us see his miracles! If God sent him, let us see his rod become a
serpent before our faces," said an old man brutally and tauntingly.
Moses took the rod from the hand of his brother, and said with
sternness--
"Thou shalt see and believe!"
He then cast it upon the ground, when it not only became a serpent,
but its scales glittered like fire. With fierce hissing it coiled
itself about the form of the doubter, and lifting its head above his
own, darted it every way with flashing eyes, so that there was a
universal cry of horror. The wretched old man fell to the ground, the
serpent uncoiled from his form, and Moses taking it by the tail it
became a rod again in his hand!
At this miracle, the whole assembly, save one man became convinced
that Moses had been sent by God to them. This one said--
"It is the magician's art! He hath been an Egyptian priest, and knows
their mysteries."
Upon this, Moses said--
"Korah, I remember thee! I was educated as an Egyptian, but I know
none of their magic; and to show thee that this is the power of God,
thrust thy hand into thy bosom!"
The man obeyed.
"Take it forth!" said Moses, in a tone of command.
He did so and it was leprous as snow, and the moon glared upon it, as
upon the alabaster hand of a statue. He uttered a cry of horror.
"Be not unbelieving," said Moses. "Replace thy hand in thy bosom." He
did so, and took it out restored like the other. The man who had been
entwined by the serpent also rose to his feet, and both acknowledged
the power of God, and the authority of Moses. He now made known to
them that God had sent him to demand their release from Pharaoh; and
that the king would at first refuse, but that after he had seen the
power of God he would yield and let them go forth out of Egypt, to the
good land promised to Abraham for his seed, forever.
"Return now, elders and brethren," he said to them, like one who spake
by authority to those who recognized it, "return to your places of
toil. Be quiet and patient, and wait the hand of God. He will manifest
His glory and display His power in your behalf, as was never done on
earth before. Bear patiently your labors, and do not doubt that the
time of your deliverance is at hand. Let all Israel know the glad
tidings of God's visitation, and that He has surely stretched out His
arm over Egypt, to break their yoke of bondage."
This extraordinary assembly then separated, each man to his place; and
Moses and Aaron went to the house of one Naashon, a Levite, whose
sister had become Aaron's wife many years before. Here I remained
until morning; but no eye closed in sleep, for many had followed the
brothers, and till dawn they were holding discourse with their
friends, on the wonderful things about to happen.
Moses said he should go before Pharaoh the next day but one, when he
held public audience in the throne room, that great hall of Egyptian
state, which, my dear father you once described, and where you were
presented to Queen Amense, as she was seated upon the same throne.
Farewell, my dear father. In three days I will write you again.
REMESES OF DAMASCUS.
LETTER VII.
REMESES OF DAMASCUS TO SESOSTRIS.
CITY OF ON, EGYPT.
MY DEAR FATHER:
Moses has met Pharaoh, face to face, and demanded of him the liberty
of the Hebrew nation! The scene in the throne-room was deeply
interesting and striking; and I will endeavor briefly to convey to you
a conception of it.
The king, on that day gave audience in the throne-room, when,
according to custom, no one, however humble, was refused permission to
lay his petition before his king. At the hour appointed, Moses the
mighty Hebrew, and Aaron his brother, accompanied by seven of the
chief men of their nation--a venerable company with their flowing
beards and snow-white locks--entered the city from Raamses, and
proceeded towards the palace. The captain of the guard, seeing they
were Hebrews, looked amazed, and would have stopped them, but the
majesty and authority with which the two brothers moved, side by side,
awed him, and without speaking, he suffered them to enter the palace,
and they passed on, looking neither to the right nor the left. Knowing
that they would appear at that hour I stood near and beheld them. They
traversed the corridor of the vestibule, and the courtiers and lords
and servitors gave way before them, for they were clad in long robes
like priests, and appeared to them to be some sacred procession: but
when they perceived that they were Hebrews, they looked with contempt
on them, yet let them pass. So these chosen men advanced, and stood
before the ivory throne, where the king sat in robes of cloth of
purple and vestments of gold, wearing the double crown. His high
officers stood about him, his body-guard were stationed on each side
of the throne, while before him kneeled a single petitioner. It was a
woman, whose son had accidentally wounded an ibis with an arrow, and
was condemned to die. She plead to the king for his life.
"Nay, woman, he must not live!" answered Pharaoh. "If he had slain a
slave or a Hebrew, I might grant thy prayer; but to wound a sacred
bird is sacrilege. Retire! But who come hither?" he demanded of his
grand-chamberlain beside his footstool, as he saw the Hebrew company
advancing. "Who are these?"
"They look like Hebrews, father," said the son of Thothmeses, a young
prince twenty years of age, who lounged indolently against one of the
ivory figures that adorned the throne.
"Hebrews?" said the king. "What do they here? And in robes! Ah, Prince
of Tyre, welcome!" he said, turning to me, as, at the moment, I
appeared and made my obeisance before him. "You honor us by your
presence in our hall of judgment."
While he spoke, Aaron and Moses had reached the foot of the throne.
Their venerable and majestic aspect seemed to impress him. "Who are
ye? Are ye not Hebrews?" he demanded, with a face expressing mingled
surprise and doubt.
"We are Hebrews, O king," answered Aaron, with respectful homage. "We
are two brethren. My name is Aaron the Levite, and this my brother is
Moses the Midianite; and these others are the elders of Israel--chiefs
of the Hebrew people." This was spoken with calmness and fearlessness.
"And wherefore are ye come hither?" the king cried. "Who of my
governors has let you from your work? Who is Israel?"
"Thus saith the Lord, the Governor of the universe," answered Aaron:
"'Israel is my son, even my first-born. Let my son go, that he may
serve me.' And if thou refuse to let Israel go, O king," continued
Aaron with an air of inspiration, "behold our God will slay thy son,
even thy first-born."
The king started, and became pale with anger and amazement; and his
son, Amunophis, sprang forward a step, and laid his hand upon the
jewelled scimitar he wore at the girdle of his vesture, crying,--
"Slay me! What menace is this, graybeard? A conspiracy, my father!"
"Who is the Lord," demanded the king, "that I should obey His voice,
and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.
What threats are these? Ho! captain of the guard, seize these Hebrews,
and put them in prison!"
The captain of the guard prepared to obey, but not a soldier moved.
The majesty of Moses, as he fixed his eyes upon them, as it were,
paralyzed them. Then Aaron answered Pharaoh, and said:
"He is the God of the Hebrews, O king; the Lord of the sun, and
Upholder of worlds. He hath met with us and commanded us to go three
days' journey out of Egypt into the desert, and sacrifice unto Him, as
our fathers aforetime did: and if we disobey His voice, He will fall
upon us, and destroy us with pestilence or with the sword; for what
other people is there that do not their sacrifices, save our nation?
Therefore, thus saith the Lord of the Hebrews to thee, O King of
Egypt, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a holy feast to me in the
wilderness.'"
"By the gods of Egypt, ye Moses and Aaron," cried the king, rising
from his throne in great wrath, "I defy the God of the Hebrews!
Wherefore do ye hinder the people from their works? Get you, and these
old men with you, unto your burdens! Ye seek to destroy Egypt; for if
the Hebrews, which are now many in the land, be let three days from
their burdens, they will do mischief, and make sedition. Get thee from
my presence! But for thy gray head, O Aaron, you should be put to
death! This is a new thing in Egypt. Let them forth!" he called to his
servitors.
Moses answered, speaking for the first time,--
"O King Thothmeses, the God of the Hebrews, whose servant I am, will
yet make thee know His power, and that there is none else--no other
God but Him!"
The king made no reply. He sunk back upon his throne overcome with
surprise; and I could perceive a certain look of fear in his eyes.
Prince Amunophis followed the retiring ambassadors of God, and, as
they reached the vestibule, he gave orders to the outer guard to
arrest the whole company. But with a gesture of his hand, Moses caused
them to retire before him; and the prince, returning with amazement,
said to the king:
"These two men are gods, O king! They carry the aspect and majesty of
demigods, and all men fear to lay hands on them!"
"If I hear more of them," answered Pharaoh, by this time recovered
from his emotion, "I will know whether they are gods or men! They
shall die, by the life of Osiris! Do these Hebrews want more work?"
The king then commanded to come before him his chief officers,
governors, captains, and head taskmasters, and said to them, "Ye shall
no more give the Hebrew people straw to make brick as heretofore. Let
them go and gather straw for themselves. And the number of bricks
which they have made heretofore, shall ye bind them to. Ye shall not
diminish aught thereof; for they are idle, and cry, 'Let us go and
sacrifice to our God.' Let there be more work laid upon the men, that
they may be so employed as not to have leisure to regard the vain
words of this Moses and Aaron!"
Thus, my dear father, the first result, of the interposition of Moses
for his people, is to increase their oppression! Yet their God is
above all, and will manifest His power for their deliverance.
Your affectionate son,
REMESES OF DAMASCUS.
LETTER VIII.
CITY OF ON.
MY DEAR AND VENERABLE FATHER:
Many days have passed since I wrote to you. You will wish to hear the
ultimate issue of the command of Pharaoh, to increase the burdens of
the Hebrews, and its effects upon them.