AZETH: THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 A NOVEL. 
 
 " For if souls retained in their descent to bodies, the 
 memory of divine concerns, of which they were consci- 
 ous in the Heavens, there would be no dissensions among 
 men about divinity." 
 
 PORPHYRY. DE ANTRO 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 THOMAS CAUTLEY NEWBY PUBLISHER, 
 
 72, MORTIMER ST., CAVENDISH Sq. 
 1847.
 
 30^(707 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 IN the following work a two-fold object has been 
 kept in view j to repeat .my own language, it has 
 an exoteric and esoteric design. The one is to por- 
 tray the ancient Egyptian in his daily life, and the 
 other, to trace the gradual progress of a thinking 
 and earnest soul from its first doubt of a false, to 
 its final belief in a true, faith. 
 
 Sir Gardiner Wilkinson, Gliddon, Champollion, 
 Rosellini, and other hierologists, are the authorities for 
 
 2803159
 
 ii PREFACE. 
 
 all respecting the domestic manners, religion, titles 
 and occupations. The severe laws of Sethos the 
 mutiny of the oppressed soldiery, and their refusal 
 to succour Pelusium, besieged by Sennacherib the 
 despair of the Priest-king his vision before the 
 shrine of Phtha, his Fire-God and the fulfilment 
 of the promise by means of the " Memphite Rats," 
 may be found in Herodotus. 
 
 The philosophic, yet practical character of Psam- 
 metichus is also historical. His sole sovereignty 
 after the reign of the dodecarchy, and the manner 
 of his obtaining the crown, to which I have alludfcd, 
 are facts. 
 
 In the introduction of Arabs and of Druids, the 
 theories of Upham, Vallancey, Higgins, <kc., have 
 been followed. Most antiquarians agree in the be- 
 lief of an intercourse between Britain, Egypt, 
 Arabia, and India, as also in the identity of their 
 Secret Religions. " Strings of Leaves," like the 
 Peruvian quipos, were their means of communication. 
 The portrait of the Chinese is dreadfully false as 
 to time. Correctness was sacrificed to effect. The 
 date of the tale ia about 700 B.C. and my Man-
 
 PREFACE. Ill 
 
 darin is a result of the Tartar infusion. Pau- 
 thier has lately proved that the "thsao," or 
 " cursive writing," (running hand), on the vases said 
 to have been found in the tombs, is of a later 
 date than the occupancy of the hypogea ; so that a 
 connexion between China and Egypt is still an 
 open question. But this is too learned a point to 
 be of importance in a work of fiction. 
 
 The metaphysical design will be apparent to most 
 readers*- Amasis and Azeth are embodiments of 
 spiritual temptations, on the one side, and of spi- 
 ritual weakness, joined to an intense longing for 
 the True and the Good, on the other. Lysinoe, 
 in her relation with Azeth, stands as a type of pas- 
 sive virtue, and the holy influence of a spiritua- 
 lized love ; while in Amenophis, the religious 
 truth and purity which are the latest revela- 
 tions to the soul, are attempted to be ex- 
 pressed. 
 
 For the learned words which are introduced, I 
 feel that I ought to apologize : but the reader 
 must pardon me, on account of the intractability of 
 the subject. A little attention will render them
 
 IV PREFACE. 
 
 all intelligible, as I have given the meanings, either 
 directly or indirectly, at the least once. 
 
 And thus craving indulgence for my work, I com- 
 mend it to the gentle guardianship of those who 
 will consider the difficulty of the task as an excuse 
 for the inadequacy of the execution, and who will 
 merge the errors of performance in the sincerity of 
 purpose. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 London, Dec. 1846.
 
 AZETH: THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE CHASTISEMENT FOR SIN. 
 
 THERE was weeping and mourning among the 
 angels of the stars, for Sohaik the Beloved 
 had fallen ! The most glorious the most 
 beautiful was banished from the skies, and 
 his star was darkened, and its radiance dimmed. 
 From Zohar, his high place in the eternal 
 heavens, he had looked down on the fair, green 
 earth: and its daughters had bewitched his 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 2 AZBTH : 
 
 heart, and led him captive in the strings of 
 their loveliness. And an unapiritual fire the 
 fire of Passion crept into the Angel's aoul, 
 and burnt it to the centre. 
 
 Then his dwelling place in that shining star, 
 where, throned in the majeaty of godlike do- 
 minion, brightness and glory had poured their 
 living tide about hia way from henceforth 
 became to him bitternesa and agony ; and his 
 best-loved companions amongst the sinless 
 spirits grew hateful to his sight. His whole 
 being was hung on frail mortality ; and the 
 pure and holy things were unwelcome. 
 
 And, in the midnight hours, when only the 
 pitying smile of the gentle moon stole through 
 the silvery mists of the sky, he would leave 
 the Blue Above to wander over the face of the 
 world, drooping and sad his glory fled hia 
 beauty darkened care shadowing hia once 
 stainless brow passion raging in his once un- 
 Buliied heart. 
 
 The shudow of earth had fallen on the 
 heavenly: and peace had died with purity. 
 
 In vain shone the celestial splendours; in 
 >ain sounded the celestial melodies. To one 
 listening to the Siren's song below these 
 call unheard. In vain bright troopg of hia
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 3 
 
 own kind came round him with many a soft 
 smile, and many a clear-voiced hymn : he 
 turned from them all for their consolations 
 were barren, and their songs of gladness un- 
 availing. And even from Zamiyad, the love- 
 liest of the starry seraphs, he veiled his fase, 
 careless of her tears, careless of her prayers. 
 Earth ! earth ! was his beloved. How should 
 he look on a higher ? 
 
 Then, the Dark Angel, Duma, the terrible 
 and strong, came to Sohaik, bearing the irre- 
 vocable decree : 
 
 " To him for whom mortality is so pleasant, 
 that it can make unlovely the stars and their 
 joys, the chastisement of human life is de- 
 creed. Human life, with its weary search, and 
 vague perceptions of truth and its blindness; 
 its ceaseless strivings, and vain desires after 
 good and its impotence. This is the lot of 
 Sohaik, the Angel of Zohar ; until after sor- 
 rows, and wanderings, and painful tears 
 poured out in the bitterest agony which the 
 soul may know, he shall rightly discern, and 
 rightly chose, and be repentant and purified!" 
 
 And the star, Zohar, was darkened blotted 
 out from the sky and quenched. 
 B 3
 
 4 AZETH : 
 
 And Zamiyad and all the angels wept bit' 
 terly ; for Sohaik, the beloved, had fallen ! 
 
 * * # 
 
 * * 
 
 # *
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ? HE PRIEST. THE SCRIBE'S CHEMISTRY. 
 
 THE evening sacrifice was over, and the wor- 
 shippers had departed, when Amasis, High 
 Priest of Amun, issued from the Adytum of 
 the Grand Temple of Thebes. The leopard- 
 skin mantle, in which he had just performed 
 the sacred ceremony, still hung over his tall 
 and majestic form ; but its grim beauty seemed 
 to adorn some proud wfirrior or daring hunts- 
 man, rather than a meek-lived priest. It 
 seemed a trophy of victory over a fierce 
 brute enemy, rather than the badge of the 
 revealer of holy, spiritual mysteries the garb 
 of the professor of an inactive, contemplative 
 philosophy, the teacher of an abstruse religion. 
 Yet Amasis was a perfect representative of 
 the faith which he professed, in the strange 
 union of its truth and falsehood, his own 
 beauty and darkness.
 
 6 AZETH : 
 
 He was a man of singularly noble appear- 
 ance, with features, faultless in beauty, 
 as expressive of the power of intellect, as they 
 were of the usually accompanying power of 
 passion. His large, flashing eyes shone out 
 from their thick lashes like living flame ; and 
 their fiery glances seemed to light up his 
 dusky brow with an unearthly glow, one of 
 weird meaning, and dark thought. The com- 
 pressed, though full lip, and thin, arched nostril, 
 bore the lines of pride and haughty self-reliance ; 
 their contemptuous curl and impatient dilation 
 spoke eloquent volumes of the nature within, to 
 one able to read the spirit's impress on the fea- 
 tures. His right arm uncovered, as was the 
 priestly custom during eacrifice and offering, 
 had served well for the ideal of strength and 
 symmetry ; strength and symmetry which his 
 stately neck, graceful as a wild stag's, served 
 but to make more manifest. His feet, 
 left bare by the simple reed-sandle, were 
 finely moulded ; his step was firm and dig- 
 nified ; and his whole air had that undefinable 
 expression of conscious superiority, which, not 
 merely by look or gesture, but by something 
 felt, even if unseen, impresses others with 
 awe and respect. The very air as the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 7 
 
 priest passed seemed hushed as if spell-bound, 
 and hung heavy and still ; and the shadow which 
 his figure threw was deeper than that caused 
 by any other. He looked like the impersona- 
 tion of the genius of his religion as he moved 
 through the colossal hall of the temple dark, 
 mysterious, beautiful, yet unloved; for, not- 
 withstanding his nobleness of exterior, there 
 was a hidden spirit from which most men in- 
 stinctively shrank, that, like a spectre loom- 
 ing through the twilight, blackened where it 
 stood. In the cup of the fairest, in the kiss 
 of the sweetest, flower may lurk death ; 
 and so the soul's worst poisons often hide 
 beneath the most lovely gifts of mind, and 
 person, and embodiments. Yet the union of 
 Beauty and Evil is one of the unfathomable 
 mysteries of life one of nature's contradic- 
 tions. 
 
 Round the Hierophant hung chains and 
 bands of glittering gold; and gems that 
 flashed out their different rays as though 
 each sparkle lived, while the lamp-light 
 ehone upon them. The long loose links, 
 pendant leaves, and small bells, into which these 
 ornaments were wrought, clashed together as 
 the priest walked, making a sweet, tinkling
 
 AZETH : 
 
 noise like elfin music. But little he heeded 
 either the richness of his attire or the grandeur 
 of the majestic place in which he stood ; the 
 heavy weight of dark cares and darker thoughts 
 that pressed on his soul, was all he felt or 
 knew. And if by chance he raised his eyes 
 from the black stone floor, and allowed them 
 to rest on the glowing pictures and vivid re- 
 presentations painted on the walls, or on the 
 countless hieroglyphs and colossal figures, 
 sculptured on the gigantic columns in one mass 
 of elaborate beauty, it was with that dull gaze 
 of abstraction which shows how widely sepa- 
 rate are sense and thought. 
 
 O 
 
 Slowly he traversed the Grand Hall, until 
 he arrived at the large bronze doors, which led 
 from the sekos into the last pronaos or entrance 
 court, when turning aside, and opening a small, 
 and scarcely visible door in the wall itself, he 
 entered a low, narrow passage. This was one 
 of many which encompassed the temple, and 
 by which the priests could hear as distinctly as 
 if immediately present, all that was passing 
 in those places from which they were separated 
 in sight alone. Yet not always were they even 
 thus separated; and not always were the 
 scenes, passing, as their actors fondly thought,
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 in solitude and privacy, unseen by the learned 
 of the Temple ; for mirrors could reflect back 
 objects, though the place of their tell-tale 
 surface was hidden ; and echoes, and babbling 
 walls could repeat syllables, uttered never so 
 faintly. Many a supernatural wonder, and many 
 a sinner terrified with supernatural threats and 
 revelations, proved the efficacy of these miracle- 
 working ways! 
 
 The priest's path was perplexed and intri- 
 cate, and with difficulty distinguished from the 
 labyrinth of similar others which branched out 
 from, and converged into it, in every direction. 
 But Amasis pursued his way with the con- 
 fidence of long familiarity, and pressed forward 
 unhesitatingly, holding always to the left, 
 until stopped by an apparently insurmountable 
 barrier ; for the passage suddenly terminated 
 in a solid wall. After examining the stones 
 for some time with many an impatient excla- 
 mation at the over-prudence of the ecclesias- 
 tical architects, and many a threat to open the 
 path effectually for the future, the Hierophant 
 at last touched the secret spring concealed in 
 the masonry. A portion of this instantly 
 rolled back in the form of a low door, and 
 disclosed another corridor, broader and wholly 
 B 5
 
 10 AZETH I 
 
 imilluminated, slanting downwards in an ab- 
 rupt and steep descent, up which the air crept 
 cold and dank, and brought with it an earthy 
 smell of corruption, as if but just come 
 from kissing the pale lips of the dead. The 
 priest shuddered in spite of himself, and wrap- 
 ped his calasiris, or robe, more closely round him 
 then with sudden resolution, he passed through 
 the opening. As his foot touched the ground 
 on the other side, the door of stones turned 
 again on its hinges, making a loud, stunning 
 noise, reverberating in prolonged echoes, like 
 thunder, through the passages. The person 
 who passed through this charmed opening was 
 shut out for ever from his former way ; for, 
 though the door might readily be opened on 
 that side by one acquainted with the secret, it 
 was immovable on this. 
 
 Guiding his steps by the lamp which he 
 had taken from the first passage, Amasis now 
 descended the steep, slippery path, which, 
 growing still wider and wider at last spread 
 out into a large vault. A large vault, fear- 
 fully tenanted ! For ranged in ghastly rows, 
 were troops of fleshless skeletons ; and here and 
 there a pale corpse, looking as if some fiend 
 had newly torn it from its grave, lay at their
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 11 
 
 feet, a sadder spectacle than them all ! Death, 
 while retaining in the form the mockery of 
 life, is a more fearful thing to look upon, than 
 when he appears in his unshrouded horrors; 
 for man's nature revolts more at similitude 
 than at supremacy in the terrible and loathly. 
 The skeletons mowed and chattered, and 
 gnashed their hollow jaws, and snapped their 
 rattling fingers, while the livid corses opened 
 their dull eyes, and stretched out their cold 
 arms beseechingly, as the priest's every foot- 
 step fell. A blue, lurid flame played round 
 the skull of each ; a rare coronet for these 
 lords of earth, light and life crowning them 
 even in death and decay ! They were not 
 without thdr chains and garlands, too, these 
 goodly troops ! for lithe, long snakes twined 
 and twisted round their necks, and cinctured 
 their arching ribs, as gold and jewels had 
 done in life. 
 
 And toads, and worms, and gnawing 
 rats, and lizards, and every loathsome 
 beast, and every noxious reptile crawled 
 on the black loamed floor, and sat enthroned 
 on putrid fungi, the horrid monarchs of the 
 place, or nestled with the snakes in the once 
 proud heart's living home. 
 
 On the wall opposite to the entrance
 
 12 AZETH : 
 
 were written in hieratic characters of a dull 
 red colour, like the sullen glow of a dying em- 
 ber, these mocking words : 
 
 " THE 110ME OF THE IMMORTALS ! 
 " THE THRONE OF ETERNAL KINGS !" 
 
 Amasis smiled as he read these words a 
 cold contemptuous smile ; one had rather have 
 eeeu a tear even in that strong man's eye, than 
 the chilly glitter of a smile like this. 
 
 "The Home of the Immortals !" he mut- 
 tered half aloud: "The Throne of Eternal Kings! 
 a bitter sneer for man's living hand to trace 
 over his fallen brother's dust! Bitter, but 
 just ! For as much of immortality as is con- 
 tained in this crumbling dust, doth the quick spi- 
 rit contain and no more. An undying individual 
 nature, vain conceit! Vain as the fool's be- 
 lief that his mean race is the highest of intel- 
 
 o 
 
 ligent creation, and his mean sphere the great 
 system of the starry blue I Far different is 
 my belief. I, indeed, think that immortality 
 can be bought but only by him who can sub- 
 due nature, and compel her to deliver up her 
 secrets, who can constrain the World of the 
 Invisible to do his bidding, and make himself 
 the master of the angels. For the herd, the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 13 
 
 einbalmer's art is their sole exemption from 
 oblivion and nothingness. This alone can keep 
 their foul dust some few years from mingling 
 with the life of earth, and from polluting the 
 very sky with its corruption and its defile- 
 ment. A few spices and herbs, and painted 
 cere-cloths wrapping over all, a few mystic 
 ceremonies, as foolish as they are false 
 and lo! the slave, whom the very dogs have 
 hounded to death as too vile to live, is caught 
 up to the empyrean, and suddenly becomes as a 
 Godinthegloriousnessof his everlasting felicity \ 
 Pah ! the rankest weed hath a sweeter savour 
 than this filthy thought ! Were the enthusiast's 
 Blest Groves of Amenti? peopled with all the 
 human scum which now makes earth one large 
 lazar house, give me annihilation, or the joys of 
 solitary condemnation ! For, to Amasis, a life 
 of lonely tortures would be better than an ex- 
 istence of the dearest pleasures, if shared with 
 the vulgar herd. But I have bought mine 
 immortality ; and from henceforth, my life is 
 lone and undivided. 
 
 "Proud brother," he continued, touching 
 the long fingers of the skeleton nearest to him 
 and shaking off a shining scarabseus. 
 " Thou art in brave company ! The gods and
 
 14 AZETH : 
 
 the immortals of Egypt, together, in the same 
 vault with thee housed in the same slimy 
 pit ! Rare union ! the dignified emblem of 
 creation and life in the grasp of death batten- 
 ing on ruin I" 
 
 "And death is life. Creation, continual 
 destruction," said a low, droning voice. It was 
 a priest repeating his lesson of the second ini- 
 tiation, through which he had just passed. 
 
 Amasis turned from the vault with a quick- 
 ened step ; for, in truth, it was not a place any 
 had loved to linger in, unless he came to 
 make a sacrifice of the pride of humanity be- 
 fore the shrine of stern reality, and to lay his 
 cherished individuality on the altar of the 
 fearful end, the Undistinguishable. 
 
 After passing through many places of horror 
 equal to this for he was now among the un- 
 embalmed inmates of the initiatory tombs 
 Amasis ascended a few steps, and entered a 
 wide but low chamber. A man of mean and for- 
 bidding appearance, clothed in the dress of a sa- 
 cred scribe, sat there intent on reading a lengthy 
 roll of papyrus, with his case and materials for 
 writing before him, and his tablets, blotted 
 with ink, on his knee. Over the floor of the 
 room, or rather cell, were scattered herbs, and
 
 TSE EGYPTIAN. 15 
 
 minerals, and utensils of uncouth shapes, like . 
 goblin footballs cast at random ; and mingled 
 with them, lay human bones and skulls, and in 
 the further corner, the yet warm bodies of 
 several dead animals. Amongst them, were va- 
 rious fish, which gave out a pale, blueish light 
 that formed a ghastly mirror in the widely 
 opened eyes of the beasts, dilating and contract- 
 ing as if in life. The walls and roof were covered 
 with figures and letters traced in burning fire ; 
 and a pan of charcoal, with a strange looking 
 vessel hanging over it, was set in the midst ot 
 the room. Of the herbs and minerals, some 
 were fresh and unbroken, while others had 
 been subjected to the several processes neces- 
 sary for extracting their hidden properties. 
 They were the aconite, hellebore, belladonna, 
 henbane, and many others, which together with 
 peach-stones, and laurel boughs, were strewn 
 over lumps of tin, copper, lead, silver, and a 
 crust of unknown metal, similar in appearance, 
 but not in identity, with steel. 
 
 The man looked up with a start of undis- 
 guised terror, as the hand of Amasis grasped 
 his shoulder. But on recognising his uncere- 
 monious visiter, a singular smile of forced res- 
 pect and involuntary familarity accom-
 
 , 16 AZETH : 
 
 panied the relieved exclamation with which he 
 greeted him. 
 
 "Still at thy studies, Chebron?" said the 
 Hierophant, taking up the roll. " Ah ! I see 
 that thou hast appropriated to thine own use 
 the Temple's sacred book of the great Hermes. 
 Thou art bold, scribe ! Yet say, what hast 
 thou found therein, the value -of which may 
 plead thine excuse ?" 
 
 " I have found a guide through the dark 
 maze in which I have been so long wander- 
 ing," answered Chebron. " I have at lafct 
 discovered the path to the hiding-place of the 
 Great Secret, together with the key to the dis- 
 covery after which I have so earnestly 
 sought." 
 
 " The great secret of the Golden Lioa will 
 never be found by thee, or any to whom the 
 thrice great Thoth hath not granted a Lord's 
 Mind !" replied Amasis, scornfully. " But 
 thy minor search thou mayst accomplish. It 
 was for a poison so fatal and subtle that ic 
 might be enclosed in a ring or armlet and do 
 its work or transmitted by means of linen 
 papyrus cloth ? Was it not this thou wert 
 endeavouring to find?" he added, turning 
 ever the pages of the roll with affected care- 
 lessness.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " Thou rememberest then thy former desire 
 for such a marvel?" said Chebron. " Thou art 
 a noble philosopher ! few other Hierophants of 
 the Pure Land would encourage such a science 
 at least in any save themselves." 
 
 There was silence for some moments. The 
 priest had sunk into a gloomy reverie; and 
 Chebron was earnestly scanning his face as if 
 to fathom the sealed depths of his thoughts. 
 At length Amasis spoke. 
 " Thou art playing with a deadly asp, my 
 son," he said, " and seeking, it may be, an 
 unlawful thing. I counsel thee to conceal thy 
 peculiar studies and researches from thy 
 brethren ; who perchance are not sufficiently 
 freed from the bigot's prejudices to look on 
 them with tolerance, not to speak of approval. 
 Thy secret is safe with me. Let it go no fur- 
 ther." 
 
 "I am grateful for thy counsel, O my 
 father," replied the scribe, bending low. " As 
 also for the aid which thou hast, from the first, 
 afforded me. I say again, thou art the sole 
 Hierophant of the Two Worlds, who would 
 have acted thus. Praise be thine." 
 
 " Aid ?" repeated Amasis haughtily. " Thou 
 hast mistaken me strangely, if thou callest my
 
 f 18 AZETH: 
 
 simple permitting thee to pursue thine own 
 course, active assistance in such crooked 
 path !" 
 
 " I will recal the offensive expression," 
 Chebron said, with a downcast look of feigned 
 humility. " I meant not to offend thee, holy 
 father ! I prize thy, I may add, friendship ? 
 that sudden frown says me, no ! then, thy gra- 
 cious favour and indulgence too highly to 
 lose them lightly !" 
 
 " I am jealous for the honor of the Temple," 
 replied Amasis, coldly, " and surely this would 
 not be over well sustained, were its high 
 priest to consort with one of the lowest of 
 the Uninitiated in a task like this." 
 
 " Truly not ! truly not ! The higher castes 
 must, as thou sayest, keep themselves intact 
 and pure, while the lower must peril all in 
 doing and finding that which these may enjoy 
 in security and perfection. Doubtless it is all 
 good !" 
 
 " Darest thou to taunt me,, slave !" exclaimed 
 the priest, quickly. " Have a care, Chebron, 
 or thou mayst perchance weep a tear of blood 
 for each word of thy coarse lips !" 
 
 " Taunt thee, holy father ? I understand 
 thee not. My mind could not, of itself, have
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 19 
 
 compassed the impiety of irreverence toward 
 a Hierophant, unless thou hadst first offered it 
 euch a fearful spectre. Taunt thee ! Chebron 
 taunt Amasis, the Pontiff of Amun." 
 
 " Well, peace!" replied Amasis, impatiently. 
 " Thou art bold and insolent, and were it not 
 for the use of which thou art to me, my anger 
 should long ere this have crushed thee." 
 
 " Nay, surely thou art in jest, noble Ama- 
 sis, or thou hast unwittingly revealed more 
 than is expedient; for as yet thou hast made 
 no acknowledged use of me. Is, then, the 
 day of my value in the future, when the subtle 
 poison-kiss is to be breathed on obnoxious lips. 
 No other light shines on thy dark saying!" 
 and his wicked eyes laughed sneeringly. 
 
 Amasis bit his lip in anger ; then said 
 proudly, 
 
 " When 1 companion, however distantly, 
 with mine inferiors, it is my just desert that I 
 should be wearied with their blindness and 
 their thick deafness. Wouldst thou know of 
 what use thou hast been to me? The same 
 of which the mean worker of the gold mine is 
 to the deft craftman. The one, like a vile 
 worm, creeps and writhes through the earth, 
 and casts up a mass of rubbish mixed with
 
 20 AZETH : 
 
 richness. The J3\vel merchant comes, and 
 fashions the rough ore delicately, and wreathes 
 it into princely chains and ornaments, fit for 
 the person of a God. And thou dost thus dig 
 in thy dark, bemired pit ; and dost throw up 
 mounds of mingled gold and clay; but thy 
 fat senses can neither distinguish nor separate 
 them ; and as long as they remain with thee 
 the one is valueless as the other. But I, like 
 that jewel-merchant, can find the bright metal 
 though hidden under all thy sand, and 
 flint, and pebbles. And I draw it forth, 
 and take possession of it; and fashion it 
 into a chain for my neck a chain of added 
 knowledge. Canst thou now understand 
 me?" 
 
 " With my outward sense, yea ! but not 
 with my reason," replied Chebron. " As I 
 think that thou wouldst hardly acknowledge 
 thyself to be a thief, O Amasis ! or that thou 
 dott grasp at that for which thou hast never 
 worked appropriating the profits of another's 
 toil. Thou wouldst hardly acknowledge me 
 to be the discoverer of science ; thyself but 
 the user of foreign lights. And yet in spite 
 of all false paint or dye, this is the true face of 
 thy speech."
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 21 
 
 " I deem thy worth beyond the worth of a 
 yoked beast of burden, that drags the plough 
 where driven, and turns up the rich earth 
 when goaded on to the task by his master's 
 hand ? / deem thee aught nobler ? Thinkest 
 thou that thou art aught higher in my sight ? 
 Then thou art indeed mad ! Here, in thy nar- 
 row den, thou dost work and burrow in the 
 dark and damp, and, by aimless experiments, 
 viewed with the child's gaping curiosity, and 
 not with the sage's clear vision of neces- 
 sary results, by chance dost stumble on some 
 truth heretofore hidden, or but imperfectly 
 known. But this is the extent of thy powers. 
 Thou canst not see farther than the actual 
 presence of each effect. Thou canst not carry 
 thy thoughts and speculations higher nor com- 
 bine, nor class. These I do : and am, therefore, 
 the Intelligent Will directing the member the 
 living hand guiding the senseless tool." 
 
 " Confess at least, father, that apart, both 
 are alike useless!" cried the scribe familiarly. 
 
 " The tool, yea," replied Amasis, with a 
 dark flush burning over his swarthy cheek and 
 brow, and a glance, which would, had it the 
 power, have slain the man. " The tool with-
 
 22 AZETH : 
 
 out the band is a rust- worn, impotent piece of 
 iron, fit only to be thrown on the refuse-heap : 
 the member without the governing will is the 
 speechless tongue and nerveless arm of a God- 
 forgotten wretch a thing scoffed and jeered 
 at by the base rabble. And such art thou. 
 And thou dost dream thyself into an equality 
 with the Grand Hierophant of Thebes ? Thou 
 art marvellously humble! Canst thou not ascend 
 into the awful place, and pluck the very Gods 
 from their thrones? for methinks thou art 
 as nigh the one as the other. I am the initiated 
 of both degrees the child of the Hermetic 
 Baptism the holder of higher secrets than thy 
 poor mind could contain the possessor of powers 
 of whose existence thou knowest not ; and thou, 
 because thou canst grind minerals, and prsss 
 deadly juices from filthy herbs, and with thy 
 cursed corapoun Is slay bird ami beast and 
 reptile, darest to rear up thy head as my peer. 
 Dearly shah thou repay thy bold insolence ! 
 And dearly shalt thou learn who can stand and 
 work alone, Amasis, High Priest of Amunra, 
 or Chebron, the low-born slave cowering on 
 the last threshold of the temple." 
 
 ** Thoumayst stand alone, and work alone, holy 
 father!" returned Chebron insolently, "but the a
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 23 
 
 wilt not stand so secure, nor wilt thou effect 
 so much without as with my aid. Aye ! 
 frown as thou wilt! it is even so! The 
 noblest of our burnished galleys falls before 
 the power of the puny worm, and our most ma- 
 jestic structure will crumble to dust at the 
 silent touch of the disregarded insect. And 
 thou, too, maystfall aye fall, Amasis! at the 
 working of a low-born scribe ! United, we may 
 accomplish all. Separated, thou, for one, cjms't 
 do nought!" 
 
 " Man !" exclaimed Amasis, " thinkest thou 
 that the blood in my veins runs white with 
 cowardice, that thou darest thus boldly wag 
 thy tongue, and class thyself and me as one ? 
 Am I one before whom any spirit the best 
 that ever wore fleshly garment might stand and 
 claim equality ? what then from thee ? Down, 
 dog, to the earth ! and lick the dust from thy 
 master's feet, humbly as befitteth a slave! 
 but dare not to raise thy blearing eyes to him, as 
 man to his fellow ! Crouch and fawn, and 
 bless thy birth star if I spurn thee not, nor 
 crush thee beneath my heel; but dare not to 
 bark when thou art beaten, nor bite when my 
 kibe galls the else at a moment thou liest 
 dead! Think on my reproof !" he added mor
 
 24 ' AZETH: 
 
 calmly, "the last which I will give thee 
 in words! The next shall be taught in 
 deeds 1" 
 
 Chebron, whilst the priest spoke, leaned over 
 the table, and took up a small vial half filled 
 with a colourless liquid. " My father is un- 
 just I" he said, playing with the viaL " Have 
 I deserved his wrath ? Then life is of no more 
 value to me ; for his approbation was the very 
 sun of this life! And if I unloose to the free- 
 dom of the air, the spirit prisoned within these 
 glass walls, I can at least procure myself the 
 consolation of death, and not a lonely death, 
 O Amasis!" a glance of hatred and exultation 
 shot out from beneath his overhanging brows, 
 as he watched the effect which these last 
 words produced upon the priest. 
 
 Amasis started. 
 
 "Chebron! art thou distraught!" he ex- 
 claimed, endeavouring to wrest the bottle from 
 his grasp. For though he himself had drank 
 of the golden drink of immortality, yet 
 for the present, Chebron was too useful 
 to be lightly parted with. And this made 
 him hold the scribe's hand. 
 
 " Nay, father !" replied Chebron, mistaking
 
 THE EGYPTIAN, 25 
 
 whilst he repulsed his hand, (i I am not dis- 
 traught ! I am but showing thee the power 
 which I may have, even in my mud-tower, with 
 the friendly help of such an ally as this ! Thou 
 canst not expect me to fetter mine own limbs ? 
 And yet it would be thus were I to part with 
 this ally !" 
 
 " Come, my son !" said Amasis, after a 
 short pause, suddenly changing his tone to one 
 of pleasantry, and extending his hand with 
 a smile, " 1 was too harsh with thee thou too 
 hasty with thy pontiff J And now give me that 
 captive demon. It will be safer in tny steady 
 care than in thy rash keeping. Thou art too 
 hot for such a perilous charge." 
 
 Chebron at first made no reply, still with- 
 holding his hand, and looking fixedly at the 
 priest ; then muttered half audibly, so that 
 Amasis caught only broken sentences and 
 isolated words, "I have other demons than 
 this and of thine own calling up too ! De- 
 mons traced on a certain roll which thou 
 once didst lose from thy chamber. Their 
 names are Rebellion and Blasphemy. Now 
 thou mayst resume thy natural manner; this 
 sickly mask of gentleness will avail thee
 
 26 AZETH ; 
 
 nought ! Give thee the poison ?" he said aloud, 
 carelessly. " It will not answer thy purpose ; 
 lor it hath a traitor scent and flavour that 
 would betray thee. And, besides this, it is not 
 yet condensed to all the subtlety of which it 
 is capable. Wait in patience ! and I will give 
 thee, in time, a sufficiency to slay, with swift 
 and terrible certainty, all that molest thee 
 and disturb thy peace !' ' 
 
 The priest's eyes flamed like fire through 
 the darkness of the chamber; but whether with 
 fierce joy at the prospect of his coming trea- 
 sure, or indignation at the scribe's coarse tone, 
 Chebron mightnot know. Yetit nearly maddened 
 him that the mean thing which he bad spurned 
 and spat upon the reptile which he had 
 trodden under foot laying aside his humble- 
 ness and submission, should have thus turned 
 again and endeavoured to overmaster him ! 
 He slightly bent his head, as if waiting for 
 further communication; but his tongue, parched 
 with passion, refused to utter a sound. 
 
 " Thou canst have thy choice," pursued 
 Chebron, quietly seating himself, a familiarity 
 which the meanest child of Egyptian parents 
 had not dared to show, without an invita-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 27 
 
 tion ; "thou canst have thy choice of this 
 liquid, in which thou mayst steep wood, 
 cloth, or linen, and which, if laid on the ver- 
 min father ! thou wouldst slay, will accom- 
 plish nil that thou mayst desire. Or thou 
 canst have a powder, which, sifted over the 
 petals of a half open bud, or mingled with the 
 ripe seed in its cup, will swiftly lure the prey 
 to thy net, and give them death through 
 sweetness. Enclosed in the stone of a ring, or 
 head-band, or in the links of a chain, or, better 
 still, in an amulet a thing to protect the 
 wearer from every danger, itself bringing the 
 greatest and suddenly opened, it will answer 
 the same end. This I hope to prepare, but 
 have not yet accomplished ; at least, not per- 
 fected. Until then, O Amasis ! thy continued 
 protection by thy permission since I may not 
 call it aid and thy further benevolent support 
 of an indigent servant of the gods, I must 
 claim at thy hands. Thou wilt not now refuse 
 me, methinks?" he added in an under tone. 
 
 "Continue thy life as usual!" replied Ama- 
 sis, in a husky voice, flinging down a handful 
 of golden circular bars, " and come to me 
 when thy poison is prepared." 
 
 c 3
 
 28 AZETH : 
 
 "Thy will is law, my father;" said the 
 scribe. And carefully gathering up the fallen 
 pieces of money, he heaped them on the table 
 in small pyramids, and coolly counted his 
 gains. 
 
 Amasis. turned from the chamber, and large 
 drops stood on his forehead, whose twisted veins 
 seemed about to start from their bonds with 
 every pulse that beat. 
 
 " Slave !" he muttered, as he retraced his 
 way through another corridor ; " By thy poi- 
 son thou thyself diest ! First on the list of its 
 slain, shall stand Chebron, the preparer ! And 
 even now would I have dealt him his death 
 blow, were it not that he must live to work my 
 wilL Bat that will worked, he shall die! 
 Amasis will suffer no base brow to brazen 
 its insolent front thus against him and live !" 
 
 "Amasis!" hissed Chebron, in his ear. 
 " Shall I send to Sethos, thy beloved monarch, 
 an account of our labours, alone and united, as 
 they stand recorded in thy private roll ? For 
 if deserted by thee, my patron, to whom but to 
 the pontiff-king can I go ?" 
 
 *' And hast thou been deserted in the Ions:
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 29 
 
 space of time that has elapsed since I left the door 
 of thy cell, and placed my foot here ? Thou hast 
 marvellously quick apprehension ! What has 
 told thee that I have deserted thee ?" 
 
 " The natural sense given me by the Great 
 Thoth to preserve myself from danger and 
 treachery, father ! The eyes and ears with 
 which my mother bore me." 
 
 * ; Go to go to ! thou art an idle babbler !" 
 exclaimed Amasis, " thou art a frightened fool 
 that makes of shadows weighty realities ! Back 
 to thy work, and be at rest." 
 
 " With thy good will at rest, in truth !" 
 sneered Chebron, retreating. "But my 
 sleeping time is not come yet and I have a 
 long and mighty work to do before I take my 
 rest." 
 
 Amasis hurried away, and in a few moments 
 was out in the calm air of the moonlight night, 
 with the cool Nile breezes blowing fresh upon 
 his brow. 
 
 " And so thou wouldst slay thy friend, O 
 Amasis ;"" muttered Chebron, when, returned to 
 his labours, he bent over the vessel that was 
 hanging above the fire, crooning to himself like 
 some foul wizard; "And thou wouldst give 
 him only a hard, Osiris-blessed bier, and a cold
 
 SO AZETH : 
 
 place in the stately tombs for his promised rich 
 reward I Out ou thy faithlessness ! Do I work 
 for this ? By the gods, no ! But thou hast no 
 child to deal with, whom thou canst lead at thy 
 will ; for I look boldly on thee, and defy as I 
 look ! Many gifts thou hast, doubtless, at 
 which the rabble may gaj/e and wonder, but 
 with me, they weigh as !ijiht as the dust of the 
 lotus-seed I What care I for thy pretended 
 knowledge of futurity, and thy readings in the 
 star- writ-page ? I, who know they are but empty 
 boasts, the easier wherewith to lead thy dupes, else 
 hadst thou read thine own fate better I Neither 
 care I for thy threats, nor thy prophecies; nor yet 
 for thy Hermesian wisdom ! I know the secrets 
 of the labyrinthine passages within the v/alls 
 of the sekos and adytum yea, even of that 
 one which thou fondly deemest hidden from 
 all that one, Aniasis, which leads to the tower 
 wherein thou hast placed thine Arab maid ! 
 And I, too, can lay my lips to the echoing 
 tubes, and make niy voice come out of stones 
 and brutes, and call their words as thou dost 
 call thine the voices of gods forsooth ! And 
 I know the livea of not a few of ye pure and 
 holy priests ! which, did the fathers of Egypt's 
 daughters kuow, they would tear ye limb from
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 31 
 
 limb, despite all your mystic amulets of reli- 
 gion's reverence ! And much such wisdom do I 
 possess enough to make me laugh at ye, 
 spit on, and defy ye ! Gently, Chebron ! Now, 
 methinks, it is thou that art playing the fool ! 
 Thou knowest, and dost]laugh. Good ! But thou 
 mayst not defy, unless thou art enamoured of 
 a lodging place among the unembalmed immor- 
 tals of the vault. True ; I may not defy the 
 superiors of the Temple : and yet, what did I 
 not do and say even now to that proud priest ! 
 Ha ! but flesh and blood could not support his 
 arrogance ! He taunts me as a slave a 
 base mine digger a vile tool he, the master 
 and deft craftsman, profiting by my toil. He 
 makes use of me sets me to burrow in my 
 loathsome chamber, and find, with toil and pain, 
 things which he may bring out into the light 
 as his own. I am a menial to be threatened 
 a beast to be beaten and hounded on to the task ! 
 I could not bear it patiently ! I that have his 
 secrets sealed with his own signet ; his addresses 
 inciting the people to desertion and rebellion ; 
 his flat denial of his faith all written fair and 
 plain. And I am to crouch to one thus in my 
 power ? to kiss the hand, that, helpless in uiy 
 own, dares to strike me like a froward child ?
 
 32 AZETH ; 
 
 Noble Hierophant ! I have thy secrets. What T 
 them leavest doors and chests open, and treason 
 lying therein ? Unwise Amasis ! thou art now 
 in the serpent's den, and I swear by every 
 god and demon thou dost nut issue from it 
 alive ! I am of use to thee ? I am to prepare 
 poisons for thee to administer to myself ? Pla ! 
 ha! ha! a rare jest ! Now we will reverse 
 the picture, good Lord. I need gold; thou 
 givest it to me and in abundance. Banquets, 
 and buffoons, and dancing men and maidens, 
 are not to be brought with empty words yet 
 I must have such, however costly be their 
 price; and embroidery, and perfumes, and 
 rich ointments, and fine linen, must I also have 
 else what would Isenofra, and Eirene, and 
 Berenice say to me? And what would they 
 say, if I went empty handed, with ne'er a col- 
 lar for their white throats, nor a band t for their 
 raven tresses? And Lysinoe thy Lysinoe 
 Amasis ! She would frown more heavily than 
 she does even now and Amun knows she 
 frowns darkly enough whenever her eyes light 
 upon me ! if I went not daintily attired before 
 her footstool. And I need gold for all this ; 
 and Amasis gives it unto me. Yea I he gives 
 me gold, so that I may make myself fairer
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 in the eyes of his own beloved ! It is true, 
 that in the day time I live in the dark and 
 damp, pressing out noisome poisons. But for 
 whom-for whom?-I see a tall and haughty man; 
 he lords it over me, and places his foot on my 
 neck, and nigh treads out my life : and I yield, 
 and patiently suffer rather than stingfor he 
 is bearing me whither I would be ; and that 
 keeps me patient. Time wears on, and lo ! I 
 am where I wished. And now, what can I 
 do ? The foot presses me sore, and the whip- 
 lash is red. What can I do? Suffer or die ? 
 A hard choice ! What can I do ? Slay the 
 haughty man? Good heart keep fast this thought ! 
 Suffer for a brief season, to triumph for ever ! 
 And now, O Amasis ! whose lot is fairest ? 
 who is the blind mygale ? Not Chebron ! 
 not the mean slave, but the all-wise Hiero- 
 phant is the fool 1 Pshaw ! I have broken 
 that other vessel ! My hand is unsteady, for 
 that priest hath so disturbed me, I cannot work 
 fitly. Well ! a few days more will see me at the 
 goal of my wishes ; a few days more will give me 
 the power of Besa, the great God of Death, him- 
 aelf, and I may well wait one other night. 
 And now to home ! and off with these 
 soiled rags ; and with perfumes, and gay robes, 
 c 5
 
 34 AZETH : 
 
 and glittering trinkets, forget myself and my 
 daily life in the eyes of my beautiful girls 
 of the dance and song ! Aye ! Amasis ! In 
 me behold thy evil genius ! Thou art bold I 
 bolder. Thou art God-denying I also. Thou 
 art crafty, and yet thy life is in my power 
 for 1 am craftier still 1" 
 
 And not only as the evil genius of Amasis, 
 but as a very incarnation of the Spirit of Sin, 
 looked the mean and wicked scribe, as he 
 waved the lamp before hia face, and peered 
 about with his sullen, red-eyed glance.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 35 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE DISCIPLE'S FIRST SPIRITUAL TRIAL. THE 
 OATH. "BEAUTIFUL LYSINOE !" 
 
 THE slow step of one lost in meditation carne 
 on the ear of Araasis, startling him from the 
 dreamy thoughts which were weaving their 
 moonlight nets about him, and falling harsh 
 and heavy on senses lapped in the deliciousness 
 of repose after the turmoil of excitement. 
 He was turning aside with an impatient ex- 
 clamation, when his name was pronounced in 
 a very sweet, but melancholy voice. Raising 
 his eyes, they fell on a beautiful boy, who, 
 crossing one hand over his breast, and raising 
 the other to his lips, made a lowly obeisance. 
 
 " Azeth !" exclaimed the priest, " thou 
 here, my son !" 
 
 '* The calm beauty of the night tempted me
 
 36 AZETH : 
 
 from the housetop," answered the youth. " I 
 was feverish, and could not rest/' 
 
 . " Poor child ! Thou art bewildered with 
 the greatness of the glory about to burst on 
 thy dazzled senses in thine approaching 
 initiation ? Why 1 thy heart's unruly beat stirs 
 thy very robe !" 
 
 " O my father it is a thought that never 
 quits ine, but day and night flows through 
 my brain, like a trail of scorching flame ! I 
 cannot sleep I cannot rest ; like an unburied 
 spirit do I wander over the earth, seeking for 
 some place of rest, but seeking in vain !" 
 
 " It is, truly, much for one so young to 
 support and understand ;" replied Amasis, " but 
 thy virtues, dear Azeth, for which the Hiero- 
 phant deemed thee fitted to be so early admit- 
 ted behind the mysterious veil, must now keep 
 thee calm and still, and uphold thee through 
 thy trial with the dignity of an Egyptian and 
 a philosopher !" 
 
 "Virtues, father !" repeated Azeth sadly. 
 " Oh ! how ill is the heart read ! That word 
 contains the source of the bitterest grief which 
 I know. I have so overwhelming a sense of 
 unwoi thiness so overpowering a consciousness 
 of weakness, which stern justice must name
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 37 
 
 even sin that I know myself to be unfit for 
 a worthy contemplation of holy things, and 
 still more unfit for a true insight. I am 
 bowed to the ground with shame and despair 
 Ah ! would that I did feel within me the pure 
 light of virtue ! My lot would then be far 
 different to what it is now !" 
 
 " Thou art unjust to thyself," said Amasia. 
 " Both from thine age and mode of life, thou 
 canst not have known much of eviL" 
 
 " Father, sin is not limited by time, nor is 
 its stature measured by visibility, There is 
 a deeper plague-spot lying rankling in the 
 heart's core, than ever is shown on the surface 
 of action ! The deadly weed of sin grows, 
 with some natures, wide and swift rising 
 high and rooted fast in the same short pe- 
 riod, and with the same scanty nurture from 
 without, that with others cannot even mature 
 the first birth-sown seeds. And such a plague- 
 spot have 1 in my innermost soul ; and such 
 a weed has sprung up there, whose poisonous 
 shade has blighted all else." 
 
 Amasis looked on the boy. Could this be 
 Azeth, the docile, child-like, pure disciple ? 
 Was this voice, so sadly mourning over 
 secret sins, the voice of the holy candidate.
 
 38 AETH ! 
 
 whose rare innocence had wrung applause from 
 the stately priests themselves, and made them 
 honor him as highly as an Egyptian could 
 be honored ? And now he spoke of evil as 
 of a thing which he knew by experience, and 
 boldly gainsaid the words of him the High 
 Priest and refused his teaching ! 
 
 Amasis, of all men, did not love this new 
 reading ; for none of the religious rulers re- 
 quired so much unquestioning obedience ae 
 did he. Thoughts feelings affections all 
 must he have beneath his foot, to foster or ex- 
 tinguish as best suited him. 
 
 " The disciple rnuyt instruct his mast er in the art 
 of subtle reasoning," he exclaimed sarcastically. 
 " For sure none can refine further on this last 
 absurdity of sick fancy. Thy philosophy, 
 young son, is unlike the philosophy of the 
 temple, which inculcates nought so strenu- 
 ously as the dignity and virtue of man : 
 making faith in its Gods, and venera- 
 
 O ' 
 
 tion for its priests, the only needful purifica- 
 tion fro/u crimes, however black. But per- 
 chance thou mayst improve this easily prac- 
 tised doctrine with thine own peculiar theories, 
 when thou art seated amongst the chiefs. Yet 
 until then I counsel thee, father-like, and
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 39 
 
 with kindly intent, to close thy lips before thy 
 superiors, and rather to seek instruction from 
 them, than pleasure in the vain display of 
 thine unformed thoughts. There is presump- 
 tion nay, impiety in thus laying down doc- 
 trine and dogma when standing before the 
 Grand Hierophant. For is he not the Revealer 
 of Holy Things, commissioned by the Gods 
 themselves to teach other men ? Thou, of all, 
 Azeth, I had deemed the farthest removed from 
 irreverence which is guilt." 
 
 Azeth's looks fell to the ground. 
 
 " O my father," he said. ' la it then 
 wrong to speak out truthfully, that which is 
 living and present to the heart ? Is it worse 
 presumption to clothe feelings and thoughts in 
 words than to indulge them in secret?" 
 
 " Both are unlawful for the learner, Azeth. 
 Both are faults so heinous as not to possess 
 much gradation in wrong. They are equally 
 to be condemned. The Disciple's main duty 
 is silence ; his highest virtue the faithful fol- 
 lowing of the wisdom of his elders." 
 
 " Will that wisdom lead him to TKUTH, 
 father?" whispered Azeth, in a low, almost 
 inaudible voice ; as one who gives out the dear- 
 est secret of his heart.
 
 40 AZETIt : 
 
 The priest started. 
 
 " Truth?" he said slowly. " Askest thou 
 for truth? Dost thou know what this is? 
 Dost thou know its black and threatening form ? 
 Has its funeral cry rung out to thy soul the 
 world's unceasing dirge ? Azeth ! beware of 
 thy steps 1 Even now thou art standing on 
 the crumbling edge of the abyss. Beware ! 
 beware ! Look not down unless thou art 
 strong; dare not to advance unless thou art 
 brave ! Cling cling to thy foul weeds and 
 barren rocks for support for such stays are 
 better than the lone wilderness of that night- 
 black pit Truth, wouldst thou? Child! 
 thou art out on a deadly search ! The bright 
 gem lies glittering before thee. Thou wouldst 
 grasp it. Ha ! it is a poisoned asp ! It will 
 pierce thy hand ; it will sting and destroy I 
 Seek it not seek it not ! Rather believe the 
 most monstrous lie which the mocking demons 
 ever forged, than discover the fearful reality 
 of truth!" 
 
 The voice of the priest had deepened into 
 a wild and mournful cry, and it echoed through 
 the sky like the wail of a ruined spirit. And 
 his form seemed by the moon's yellow shim- 
 mer to dilate into more than Titan Grandeur,
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 41 
 
 as, with hands raised like some warning pro- 
 phet, he stood before the youngfboy, uttering 
 the dread oracle of his heart's despair. 
 
 What had he to do with truth or spiritual 
 life what with spiritual joy and beauty 
 when to him the soul and its perceptions were 
 but phantoms, and existence but a curious 
 mechanism ? when neither the incorporate 
 Gods of the adyta, nor the disembodied and 
 untypified EICTON, had, for him, place or 
 being, but in the imaginations of enthusiasts 
 and the fears of superstitious cowards. 
 
 "O Amasisl" exclaimed Azeth fervently. 
 " All is not well with thy noble heart ; else 
 thou couldst never have said those fearful 
 words ! Truth cannot slay or sting. The 
 searching for it may, indeed, bring forth many 
 a snaky-eyed lie, which, for their brilliancy the 
 unwary may at first cherish as priceless gems 
 hereafter to sting the breast that cradles 
 them; but the truth... the THING THAT is the 
 one and unperishable must give life, and a 
 glorious guiding light." 
 
 " My son ! fair child ! how soon will thy 
 tender heart be torn, and thy steps fail under 
 the breaking of thy fragile staff!" cried 
 Amasis in a tone of pity.
 
 42 AZETH, 
 
 For an instant the thought of the misery, 
 which the boy would know hereafter, had star- 
 tled him from his coldness. 
 
 "Pardon thy son," continued Azcth in the 
 same fervent strain. " Pardon his boldness, it 
 his lips speak of that which his soul knoweth 
 not I Yet from earliest youth, until now, I 
 have longed for the knowledge of this truth. 
 Painfully and wearily r ever doubting between 
 two paths ever within me the ceaseless con- 
 flict of two natures ; but faithfully and in sin- 
 cerity, have I searched for my treasure. Earth 
 calls loudly to me through sense. The visible 
 beauty of nature the warm loveliness of sen- 
 tient life seem to me at times the only reali- 
 ties ; the things to which I should do well to 
 cling, turning from all else as from dream;-, 
 and shadows, and vapour-woven visions. But 
 again in stillness in the silent night Heaven 
 whispers to me, and its angels seem to hover 
 round ; and I hear their songs saying to me, 
 that this our present life is the UNREAL ; and 
 that its pleasures and pursuits are all too coaree 
 and rough for the pure soul's delicate love : that 
 even in physical creation the true life and the 
 true beauty are not the mere outward features of 
 the form, but the spirit that lies shrouded
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 43 
 
 within. Oh! it is a fierce warfare! Would 
 to Heaven it were ended, though even in the 
 cold tomb !" 
 
 " Thou art undergoing that which all men 
 undergo in the first stage of their Thinking 
 Life," replied the Priest. " There is in the 
 breasts of all an unending conflict between 
 these Two Natures. And by our constitution 
 it must be so. Our number is Two ; our 
 souls are dually governed ; and the world's 
 question will ever be : which shall I serve ? 
 to which shall I consecrate myself to the Body 
 or the Spirit ? to privation called virtue, or to 
 the indulgence of natural instincts and propensi- 
 ties, which religion mysteriously names vice ? 
 In youth's hour of glowing passion, to the 
 latter : in the calmness of age, to the former. 
 And both obey the Laws of Nature in thus 
 devoting themselves ! Is this thine only 
 doubt ? thine only warfare ? Foolish boy ! 
 Thou has disturbed a sand-hill, and shriekest 
 out that the universe is shaken. In after- 
 years, when Thought shall have become to 
 thee, what it is to many a fierce monster 
 that goads to madness, unless thou art strong, 
 and canst subdue it under thee ; when Passion 
 shall have died, and lelt thee without an ex-
 
 44 A2ETH : 
 
 cuse for thy sorrow ; then wilt thou look back 
 to these puny troubles, and sigh for the sere- 
 nity which such could disturb ! Obey thy 
 natural impulses. Live in thy young life ; and 
 waste it not in pale-eyed musings, and co}d 
 thought. Use thy passions... obey thy impulses 
 ...drink deep of the cup of joy... thou wert 
 formed for this by nature. Leave to age the 
 chilliness of self-control; but heap up round 
 thy bed of youth the lilies of delight. And 
 for thy religion venerate the priests as the 
 visible, incarnate Gods. This is all that the 
 ./Edes demands. In acting thus thou wilt be 
 acting more wisely than in striving to 
 unite the wisdom of maturity with the passion- 
 ateness of green boyhood. Follow Nature, and 
 obey her commands, and surely thou must do 
 right and welL" 
 
 Was the Pontiff of the Theban Amun 
 speaking out the thoughts of his soul or was 
 he but tempting the boy's virtue, and making 
 trial of his holiness ? 
 
 "Ah, my father!" cried Azeth, terrified, 
 " thou hast mistaken me. I should be, in 
 truth, utterly wretched were I to live according 
 to the suggestions of passion and pleasure ! 
 But this is not all my sorrow. For when tlm
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 45 
 
 contest is over, and earth loosens her hold, 
 and the Infinite and Eternal make up the 
 grand whole when the Unseen is the nearest 
 and truest then comes the darker question : 
 how is this trust in the heavenly, to be brought 
 out into action ? How is the truth of its ex- 
 istence to be made manifest ? What revelation 
 or symbol, is the fit interpreter of its myste- 
 ries ? Amasis ! can these mysteries be typi- 
 fied without being likewise degraded ? Can 
 they be set before men, within the circle 
 of their sight, and not be dwarfed and 
 maimed ?" 
 
 " What says the Temple ? What say its 
 doctrines?" asked Amasis, with a sharp glance. 
 " Surely, thou believest these ? I scarce can un- 
 derstand thy question! The Gods of Egypt 
 are not only within the circle of man's sight 
 but they are placed so far below it, that he 
 has to stoop to bow his proud humanity to 
 grovel on the ground before he can behold 
 them. Explain thyself further : for my senses 
 are too dull to understand, by inspiration alone. 
 What dost thou mean ?" 
 
 Azeth pressed his hands over his eyes., then 
 said in hurried accents, but so low that the 
 priest had to stoop that he might hear them .
 
 46 AZETH : 
 
 u An impious thought one that I dread to 
 say out, even to the silent air one that rises 
 before me like some black-robed fiend now 
 grinning and mocking, now solemn and warn- 
 ing a thought that makes the hlood clot 
 through my veins, and seems to loosen the 
 foundations of the earth father, is the Tem- 
 ple's worship is it the whole of truth, and are 
 its doctrines to be literally believed ? This 
 demon I have striven hard to conquer ; but 
 I may not I may not ! Do I strike it down 
 with the weapon of trust in my superiors, 
 and fear at my own judgment ? a little way 
 off and lo ! it starts up again, the same the 
 same and unconquerable ! I cannot overcome ! 
 I am weak and faint, and I bleed. Father ! I am 
 unaided by all ; for to men I dare not reveal 
 this corruption of my soul, and the just gods 
 have forgotten me ! They have forsaken me 
 in wrath, and left me to perish and to die ! 
 Father ! Priest ! Interpreter of Heaven ! suc- 
 cour me before I am lost !" 
 
 And over the boy's death-pale cheek flowed 
 large tears that fell heavily on the pavement 
 below. 
 
 Oh ! the most fearful hour the most deadly 
 agony of life is that, when the child-honored
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 47 
 
 faith looks FALSE ; when the glorious immor- 
 tality the everlasting heaven once so bright 
 and near is darkened and unattainable ; and 
 the guiding light put out, there is none other to 
 show tiie right way ! 
 
 Amasis smiled. He who had dared boldly to 
 confront the appalling Shape of Denial, without 
 a pulse quickened or a nerve shaken, had but 
 scant sympathy with the young boy for this 
 evil, which, to him, appeared so light. For a 
 thinking man to doubt the reality of the gods 
 of the temple, as they were shown to the 
 herd, was, in his sight, as necessary as to 
 doubt the substantiality of that Temple's 
 shadow on the ground. He beheld Azeth's 
 spiritual agonies and upbraidings with won- 
 der, but abo with scorn. Ah ! the proud, 
 self-sustaining priest had^never loved good nor 
 the gods so well, that to part from them was 
 pain to him ! There are many such ; and 
 their fellow-men name them lofty, and grand, 
 and they pay them honors as to the very gods 
 of brave Independence. But before high Heaven 
 how show they then ? 
 
 Amasis turned to the disciple, and looking 
 at him so long and fixedly, that the boy's 
 blood rushed over his brow, he answered,
 
 48 AZETH : 
 
 "Our faith is, surely, sufficiently definite 
 to satisfy the most exacting sceptic ! In one 
 place, behold the Holy Ox : kneel to him. la 
 he not a god ? In another, thou dost incur the 
 deadly peril of crushing one of the deities 
 incarnate in a sightless raygale, or glitter- 
 ing scarabaeus, or eick ibis, or crawling viper, 
 or various small insects and animals, which 
 we should call it stupidity in unsainted beasts, 
 but proofs of divinity in holy ones creep un- 
 der thy steps as thou treadefet. Thou must 
 take heed of thy ways ! Thou wilt never be 
 led into the presence of the Dread Unname- 
 able, to the foot of his lotus-borne throne, if 
 one of these dies by thy deed, how unintentional 
 soever was the act ; for the gods are strict reck- 
 oners ! Dost thou question these facts ? Think ; 
 the great beings who conjointly once made, and 
 now rule the earth and stars, dwell here in 
 their own creation ; not in the persons of men 
 the highest of earth's creatures but in the 
 forms of reptiles and beasts the lowest. There 
 can be no difficulty in believing this ? I see 
 what thou wouldst say, ' marvellous condes- 
 cension !' So is thy existence, child ! If, as the 
 Temple says, thy soul is a Divine Emanation, 
 thou art but a different impersonation of the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 49 
 
 Brute-soul. Thou livest : and dost thou not 
 see these gods likewise eat, drink, and die? 
 And does not the doctrine of the .ZEdes declare, 
 that life itself is a conclusive proof of divinity ? 
 Thou wouldst then know why the particular 
 life of these certain incarnations should con- 
 tain so much more divinity than the rest? 
 Thou must ask long before thou art answered 
 otherwise than by the word : ' Thus it is !' 
 Thus must thou worship thus must thou be- 
 lieve. Superiority is oft-times eccentric. How 
 dost thou know, but that the gods have this 
 peculiarity too ? Canst thou not rest content 
 with naming this brute godship, an eccentricity 
 of heaven ?" 
 
 " Father ! father ! thou art mocking me !" 
 cried Azeth, in a voice of anguish. " Thou art 
 pouring fire into my heart and veins. It is 
 scorching me !" 
 
 " Yet," continued Amasis, in the same un- 
 moved tone. " Thou still hast the power of re- 
 jecting this evidence of thy senses. But re- 
 member ! it is an impious thing to listen to the 
 words of reason, when these contradict the 
 words of the Adytum ! Yet still mayst thou 
 reject, at least, in secret, though thou 
 art compelled by law to conform in public, 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 AZETH : 
 
 But weigh thy determination well and carefully, 
 for much depends on each man's choice. Think 
 of thy poor soul ! Perhaps, divine particle as it 
 is, it will return to the earth as an unclean, root- 
 ing swine. Thy Typhonian metempsychosis will 
 have one blessing though-thou wilt not be eaten 
 by thine Egyptian brethren ; and wrong from a 
 foreign hand, is less sharp than that from a 
 trusted. Or, as a foul night-bird, or labour- 
 laden steer bleeding beneath the lash of the 
 vile herdsman, and dumbly struggling for 
 utterance in its debased casket, wilt thou re- 
 visit this glorious earth. And this belief must 
 thou cherish, that thou mayst be kept in the 
 way of virtue. Now reconcile this faith with 
 the Divine Emanation, and the dogma of the 
 goddhip of Life I I grant thee, it is not in the 
 power of Reason to unite these contradic- 
 tions ; but then they are mysteries beyond the 
 grasp of man's understanding because above it. 
 Who would dare to whisper, because below it ? 
 Ha!" 
 
 Azeth hid his face in his hands, but made 
 no answer; unless the shudder that ran through 
 his whole frame might be deemed such. And 
 
 in truth, it \\as an answer; and one sadly 
 eloquent!
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 51 
 
 e * My son, look on the skies above ; look on 
 the earth around thee. Tell me, do they not 
 re-echo the truths taught within the temenos ? 
 Do not they testify to the reality of our 
 religion ?" 
 
 " Not unto me, holy father !" said Azeth 
 speaking with difficulty, "to me they have 
 other and strange words !" 
 
 " Aye ? and yet tell me why animal and in- 
 sect should not be gods ? As thou canst not. 
 disprove, why not believe? why not refrain 
 from examination, and converse with thy 
 reason, as this is unfavorable, and that is con- 
 trary, to thy religion ? Thou art unwise ! 
 Accept wholly; or, Azeth " and here the 
 priest sunk his voice to the lowest whisper, 
 " reject wholly ; but try not to piece thy faith 
 and thine understanding into one garment. 
 This is beyond thy skill." 
 
 "Reject wholly andlurn to what?" asked 
 the disciple mournfully, " I sicken at the dark 
 answer ! And yet were my lips to frame them- 
 selves to utter these words, ' I believe in the 
 gods of the Temple,' they could not give out 
 a living sound. There is an opposing force 
 within me that will not let me free !" 
 
 " And thou art preparing for thine initia- 
 D 3
 
 AZBTH : 
 
 tion into the great mysteries, in this temper 
 and with these doubts? and thou hast enrolled 
 thyself as a candidate to serve that which thou 
 deemest false ? Is this thy boasted love of 
 troth, this thy hatred of falsehood? Ha I 
 which will be noblest? the poor horned 
 snake rearing its crested head on the sacred 
 cushion, and worshipped as the incarnation of 
 the mighty Amun, or thou, the worshipper 
 and minister, despising and denying as thou 
 kneelest ? The one is a venomous, creeping rep- 
 tile ; the other an upright-walking, heavenward - 
 looking man. But a.ethinks the scale of worth 
 will weigh lightest with the proudest! Not 
 thus oughtest thou to act, Azeth ! Hadst 
 thou indeed been from childhood," he added 
 hastily, as if a sudden reflection had flashed 
 across his mind, " consecrated by thy Herme- 
 sian brethren to the service of the JEdes and, 
 in after days hadst thus doubted then 
 mightst thou have pleaded in excuse, the neces ( 
 sity of keeping the faith of the multitude un- 
 shaken, and their confidence in the priests 
 intact. But that any man should voluntarily 
 enter upon a service which he believes to be 
 false, betokens either folly or crime!" 
 
 ' I offer myself as a candidate to serve the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 53 
 
 which I fear is false for this reason," returned 
 Azeth, patiently, "I have ever been taught 
 to believe, that the true meaning of what is 
 elsewhere inexplicable, and contradictory to all 
 our inner sense of truth, lies behind the Veil 
 of Shadowing ; and that when once admitted 
 within the sanctuary, 1 shall then see rightly the 
 glorious substances of these dark shadows !" 
 
 " Shadows !" repeated the priest, " thou - 
 speakest strange words ! How dost thou dare 
 to name them shadows?" 
 
 " Oh ! they are not realities, as they stand 
 before the herd ?'* exclaimed the boy, folding 
 his hands entreatingly. " But pardon me, holy 
 father! pardon me holy priest!" he added, 
 suddenly drawing back, " I have forgotten 
 myself and my place ; and, by bold speech, 
 have given shape to that which ought for ever 
 to have remained a mere vague and formless 
 idea. I have sinned doubly ! Blot out from 
 thy memory all that I have said this night ; and 
 pity, but do not condemn to the utmost, the 
 ignorance which has led me so far astray. 
 Thou, the wisest and best, be not angry with 
 thy servant with thy weary, footsore son !" 
 
 " This is well!" said Amasis, " Tears of re- 
 pentance are pure and bright, and lovely
 
 54 AZETH, 
 
 in the sight of Amun and the Queen of 
 Heaven. " Cheer thee, Azeth, young son ! thy 
 task will soon be over; and soon a new world 
 will burst upon thy sight with glories to re- 
 fresh thee after thy brief warfare. Thou hast 
 much to learn. Things from which, at first, 
 it may be, thou wilt turn away in terror, 
 realities, uncomely to look upon, but not the 
 less real and needful to be known by the sage, 
 must be set before thee. Thou wilt lack 
 a guide through this new world. I will be 
 
 that guide ; for I love thee. Thy ready spirit 
 and inquiring mind first drew me unto thee, 
 and made me single thee from amongst the 
 other disciples, as the one most worthy the 
 high honor of initiation. But thou, in re- 
 turn, must yield thyself wholly unto me, and 
 trust thyself without reserve to my hand. 1 
 will shew thee much. I will reveal countries 
 which as yet thou knowest not. Foreign but 
 lovely countries, where music, and odour, and 
 light, weave the soul's garment, clothing it 
 in bliss. And love, too, is there, O Azeth ! 
 Why dost thou start ? I said love true ! but 
 a spiritual love, boy, a passionless love. For 
 the perfect priest may not have an earthly 
 flame to burn in his pure heart. Yet say, is
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 55 
 
 thy nature so cold, that thou wouldst turn from 
 the warm breath of the deity visible as woman ? 
 Wouldst thou flee from the loving eyes aye, 
 even the kisses -of the bright genii of bliss, 
 Heaven's angels ?" 
 
 The young disciple's breath came short and 
 quick. "Can this be?" he exclaimed pas- 
 sionately, " can indeed the beautiful spirits 
 come incorporate before men? O Amasis! 
 say those words again ! say them clear clear, 
 and with truth!" 
 
 Amasis laid his head on the youth's shoulder 
 " Listen," he said, speaking slowly and dis- 
 tinctly, " for the faithful and trusting, the Tem- 
 ple has every joy and every delight. Its priests 
 renounce earth, only to enter, while living, 
 into the blest abode. Mark ! this is for the 
 faithful and trusting alone. The doubter of 
 the Hierophants is cast into a pit of coldness 
 and darkness, through which gleams not one 
 ray of light. Alike cut off from the earth 
 and the empyrsean, his life is but an entombed 
 animation. Be thou wise, and of the former. 
 Trust in me, and perchance even our great Maut 
 will reveal herself, at my prayers, to her 
 brother consort's worshipper. And then, 
 holding the soft, glowing hand extended to
 
 56 AZETH : 
 
 thee, and encircling the pliant form, thon 
 wouldst draw wisdom from her tender glance, 
 and inspiration from the breath of her kiss. 
 In after days, if thou dost purify thy soul, and 
 accumulate knowledge, and become one of the 
 wise of Egypt, thou may st thyself draw down 
 from their thrones the angels of the stars, to 
 love thee, and to be thine own I" 
 
 Azeth turned away troubled. Those fierce 
 unflinching eyes, with fascination to hurt, and 
 allurement to ruin, made him shrink and 
 tremble at their gaze. Ho looked upon the 
 deep blue sky. Thousands and thousands of 
 stars were shining there, with their bright 
 smiles, and whispered harmonies sending out 
 messages of comfort to the sorrowful, and 
 messages of love to the desolate. A myste- 
 rious feeling had ever possessed Azeth, as of 
 an intimate knowledge of those glorious spheres. 
 And oft in the midnight hours, shadowy forms 
 floated down to him, and shadowy voices 
 sounded to him from out their countless 
 host. One above all one, fairest, gentlest, 
 best I Ah ! would that he had never turned 
 from this spiritual teaching I Would that he 
 had ever trusted to the interpretation of his 
 own soul, and rejected each other 1 But all
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 57 
 
 was so indistinct and impalpable, that in the 
 crowd and glare of the day, he would deem 
 these glorious visitants mere bright-winged 
 thoughts which had flitted across his mind, 
 and taken shape from the delusions of a heated 
 phantasy. Looking for the embodiment of 
 their blissful anticipations among the daugh- 
 ters of men, he had set before himself the 
 love which is known and felt here for them, 
 as the great blessedness of life. This belief 
 in the power of passion was the stronger, as 
 the reality of that passion was unknown to 
 him. Use had not tarnished, nor disappoint- 
 ment faded, its brightness. As yet the world 
 of love was the charmed, flowery plain, which it 
 ever is to the young ; and he dreamt not that 
 within those flower-cups lay blight and poison. 
 
 To him, therefore, the temptation of Amasis 
 came laden with the mightiest allurement. 
 The Divine Spirit, incarnate as woman guid- 
 ing him loving him teaching him ; his brain 
 grew giddy ! Here then was a shrine before 
 which he might kneel, and offer up all that his 
 nature contained worship reverence ado- 
 ration trust love in one full censer of 
 bliss ! And yet the priest's words were 
 fraught with another spirit than that of holi-
 
 58 AZETH : 
 
 ness ; and spoke of another feeling than the 
 pure worship of the gods ! 
 
 The boy looked up on the starry heavens, 
 and they seemed to whisper to him very faint 
 and low, but audibly, " Trust not the priest ! 
 His words though sweet, are the nets ofDeath !" 
 
 But the one was palpable, the other merely 
 spiritual. And sense weaves a stronger bond 
 for the soul than can the immaterial I 
 
 Amasis read his thoughts, and instantly 
 changed his tone and manner into one more 
 befitting the saintly guide. 
 
 " I see what is passing in thy mind, dear 
 Azeth," he began very gently, and with al- 
 most sadness. " I see that thy heart is shrink- 
 ing from thy teacher with dread and horror 
 at his words. I was wrong. I confess it ; for 
 T spoke to the uncleansed, as I should have 
 spoken only to the purified spirit. The lan- 
 guage of humanity can produce but earthly 
 images, to the gross and dim-eyed, palpable 
 and sensuous to the enlightened, spiritual and 
 passionless. In picturing celestial delights, 
 words painting carnal pleasures must perforce 
 be used. These are all we know. And from 
 what we see and feel, can we alone draw 
 language and symbols. Those who attempt
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 59 
 
 a supernatural phraseology for supernatural 
 things, but fall into the deep pit of folly. 
 Thou canst not deify man, nor make hib un- 
 derstanding infinite, and capable of grasping 
 infinity. Into the small and broken cup thou 
 canst not gather all the waters of the ocean, 
 nor enclose the whole surrounding air in the 
 fowler's net. And yet farther; to this lan- 
 guage, which has so much shocked thee, be- 
 cause I, as man, spoke manlike, and not God- 
 like, belong two meanings : one, the hidden, 
 for the pure ; the other, the audible, for the 
 impure. Blame not me that thou art of the 
 latter ! Blame not me that the secret ac- 
 cents are unheard by thee, and that thou 
 knowest only the sensual ! When I spoke to 
 thee, I believed that it was to one whom the 
 gods had deigned to enlighten ; at the least, 
 so far that their interpreter might be under- 
 stood ! I did not know that thou wert a 
 stranger to them, and deaf to their words. 
 Henceforth I shall converse with thee as with 
 any other of the ignorant herd ; nor startle 
 thy foolish soul again with the misinterpreted 
 words of wisdom." 
 
 The warning voice in Azeth's breast was 
 forgotten. His distrust was subdued, and 
 merged into shame for his backwardness.
 
 60 AZETH : 
 
 " O father ! teach me this heavenly lan- 
 guage ! Lead me to its truth ! I have 
 voyaged long over a dark sea, with none to 
 guide or cheer me through a pathless sea 
 tossed about by every wind and tempest. 
 Father ! end this ! I flee to thee for guidance. 
 In the perfectness of an Understood Worship 
 I look for peace ; through the support of a 
 Definite Faith, I seek for aid. My heart 
 aches, O Amasis! and would fain rest." 
 
 " And it shall sleep and rest," answered 
 Amasis, his rich voice ringing through the air 
 like lofty music. " Joy thee in thy resolve, 
 for I will grant thee this peace I Here, under 
 Heaven's eternal arch the stars above our 
 only witnesses swear to place thy soul un- 
 reservedly in my keeping ! I will guide thee 
 to Truth to reality. Thy wanderings shall 
 cease, and thy pains be lulled. On the safe 
 shore thou shalt rest and repose ; on the strong 
 mountain thou shalt stand, and behold. Thou 
 shalt see the forms of things which are hidden 
 from thee now, and shalt know the worth or 
 meanness of those which thou already viewest. 
 Swear, and this life is thine I" 
 
 Awestruck, bewildered, subdued, Azeth 
 knelt. 
 
 <; I swear it I" he said. And it echoed
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 61 
 
 mournfully, this oath of the free spirit binding 
 itself to slavery I 
 
 And the stars looked paler, and very far 
 off. 
 
 Then Amasis folded his arms, and looked 
 down in triumph on the kneeling boy. And 
 his proud, dark form towered above him, like 
 a ruined angel beautiful and glorious even 
 in its ruin. 
 
 ' Now thou art mine !" he said; then strode 
 haughtily away. 
 
 But Azeth still knelt in his place, and 
 from dread and weariness wept long and bit- 
 terly. The haven of rest ah ! it was a 
 dungeon ! The soft, friendly bosom whereon 
 to cradle his weary head chains ! chains ! 
 binding round his brow, and eating into his 
 heart ! And it will be ever thus with the 
 faithful, over whom the stronger Falsehood 
 reigns. 
 
 And the Form, which, from his earliest, un- 
 remembered childhood, had hovered like a 
 loving, sainted mother about the boy's path j 
 that radiant form with golden hair, and win^s 
 of light and glory, whose melodies he heard 
 when his soul was clearest, and looked the 
 deepest into holy things her white garments
 
 62 AZETII : 
 
 he now saw shining far off but she, herself, 
 the beautiful, was faded and indistinct, and 
 hung sadly drooping in the dark air. And 
 Azeth knew that all was not well ; that the plague 
 had come. But where ? 
 
 Amasis looked round, and when he saw the 
 fair boy cowering on the ground, crushed and 
 broken of heart, a feeling of pity came across 
 him to redeem his title to manhood. 
 
 "It is sad!" he said musing. "Sad, but 
 necessary painful but inevitable ! This term 
 of trial is what each must pass through, before 
 he can arrive at a philosophy purged from the 
 gross errors and superstitions of men. I, my- 
 self even, am not wholly free from the taint of 
 human weakness. How then should he, a child, 
 have been able to rise higher in his short time, 
 than the thought-devoted man ? I am not free 
 from the taint human weakness, in truth ! Ly- 
 sinoe ! too well dost thou know that ! Thou, 
 who hast snared my heart in the tangled web 
 of thy proud graces too dearly for my peace 
 hast thou proved my impotence ! Beautiful Ly- 
 einoe ! Best and dearest ! Oh I when will thy love 
 light on me ? Cruel and cold, thou art heedless 
 of my anguish, and careless of my sorrow. Oh !
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 63 
 
 turn to me, and love me for thou art my star 
 and my God I" 
 
 And as he went on his way in the delirium 
 of passion his victim lay on the earth, for- 
 gotten.
 
 64 AZETH 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE KING 8 DAUGHTER. THE FATHER. LOVE TOO 
 HIGHLY SET. LOVE TOO SADLY BORN 
 
 XITOCRIS, the daughter of Sethos the Pontiff- 
 King, sat in her chamber in the royal palace at 
 Memphis, heavy, and sad of heart ; her mournful 
 eyes, so large and dark, were often filled with 
 large tears, and her sweet lips were pale and parch- 
 ed. There was an air of deep grief about her ; but 
 grief that was repressed by even more than wo 
 man's natural dignity. That noble maiden, with 
 her queenly soul and lofty bearing, was not one to 
 yield to the dominion of passion ! For had she 
 bowed her royal heart to coward weakness or 
 burning ardors, it would have been a shame to
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 65 
 
 the calm dignity of the Egyptian, which forbade 
 all outward show of violent emotion : command- 
 ing, that though the wild beast of passion might 
 gnaw even to the heart's core, it should not 
 force a cry cr tear. Yet with the women of 
 such nations the) soft, tender women, to 
 whom nature in all lands, and in all 
 ranks, has given feeling mightier than strength, 
 and impulse greater than wisdom, and with 
 whom the expression of such feeling, and obe- 
 dience to such impulse is a necessity this 
 education taught by dignity holds an endless 
 and painful war. Much as teaching and habit 
 can, and do effect, they may not wholly govern ; 
 and in spite of their iron grasp, the wrung soul 
 will struggle, and the wounded heart shriek, 
 striving after freedom, and crying aloud for 
 support. 
 
 The sadness of Nitocris was the more touch- 
 ing, as it was borne with that gentle pride 
 which studiously suppressed, rather than dis- 
 played her sorrows. Touching is indeed, the 
 sadness of all things young and beautiful, for 
 whom life should have nought but one loud 
 song of joy ! Oh ! it is a weary thing to see 
 the fresh heart fade, ere Time has swept over 
 it his frozen winds ! to see the young bud
 
 66 AZETH : 
 
 scarce blown in the early dawn, fall shattered 
 beneath the rude touch, or lie trampled un- 
 der the careless tread ! Better, far, that the 
 beloved child should calmly sleep in her cold 
 grave, than broken and tarnished lie in the 
 dust, asking in vain for a rest and peace which 
 are not. But the sorrow of Nitocris, while it 
 lent her greater beauty from its softness, 
 seemed of that pure kind, which saddens, but 
 does not wither the heart. 
 
 At the further end of the long intercolumned 
 room, removed out of hearing, though not 
 out of sight, were the hand-maids of the 
 Princess, all talking among themselves in 
 those low, laughing whispers which young, 
 light-hearted maidens use when they gather 
 together to descant upon the mysteries of their 
 dress, or the respective perfections of their 
 lovers. Most of these bright girls were em- 
 ployed in weaving long shawls, or smaller nap- 
 kins of delicate muslin, whose borders were 
 composed of blue stripes, fringed at the edge ; 
 and through some, gold and silver threads were 
 run, forming patterns of flowers or scrolls, or 
 even of the workwoman's own favorite bird, or 
 pet gazelle, or loved goat. And merrily the 
 work went on, with many a jest, and laugh, and
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 67 
 
 tale, to beguile the lagging hours. And when 
 these failed, the lute and the pipe, and the 
 graceful dance, and the sweet love song, ef- 
 fectually scared away the demon of gloom, and 
 made even the sad Nitocris smile with her own 
 sweet, grave smile at seeing such young laugh- 
 ing joys abouf. A smile and a sigh, following 
 each other so swiftly that they seemed twin- 
 born ! 
 
 Close by the side of the king's daughter sat 
 a companion more favored than the rest, Taia, 
 her foster-sister and childhood's playmate. She 
 was likewise engaged in weaving; but her 
 materials and implements were all more costly 
 than those of the other fair workers. Her 
 tall, vase-shaped basket stood by her, piled 
 up with the finest and whitest threads, through 
 which shone gold and silver threads, and her dis- 
 taff was of ivory, beautifully formed and carved, 
 but lacking the bright gems which adorned 
 the same instrument belonging to her mis- 
 tress. And busily the handmaid plied at her 
 work, with her laughing face lit up by its 
 merry eyes that danced with irrepressible 
 gaiety, and her rounded cheeks broken into a 
 perfect world of dimples, like a lake that the 
 west wind kisses, Taia had suffered little from
 
 68 AZETH : 
 
 the education of dignity ; and little had she 
 heeded the words of the step-dame, custom ! 
 For, from the smooth, cup-formed ''forehead, 
 with its thin black brows arched over a pair of 
 sly, almond-shaped orbs, down to the small 
 foot shod in its pretty sandal, she had but one 
 expression of mirth and nature. In her eyes 
 round her pouting lips with their wicked 
 smiles lurking in the dimples on her warm, 
 downy cheeks peeping out in every curve 
 and line were joyfulness and glee. You might 
 have fancied her some young bird just caged, 
 trilling out its gladness, while yet the golden 
 bars had beauty, and the false freedom suffi- 
 ciency for it. A striking contrast was the 
 childlike merriment of the tire-maid to the 
 tender gravity of the king's daughter. The 
 stately Nile queen the moon-beloved lotusand 
 the dancing bud of the sweet acacia tree, were 
 not less alike than were these two maidens ! 
 
 With tales and songs Taia had vainly en- 
 deavoured to cheer her young mistress. But 
 powerful in soothing and sweet influence, as 
 these ever were to one whose whole soul was a 
 very melody of beauty, to-day they could call 
 forth nothing, save the faint but kindly smile, 
 which stole over the face of Nitocris like the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 69 
 
 sun's rays over a marble statue ; illumination 
 but not from the heart ; light passing over 
 the lip, but not raying out from the eye. 
 Watching this determined melancholy, Taia 
 herself grew as sorrowful as it was in her nature 
 to be ; and laying down her distaff, she crossed 
 her taper hands ovej her bosom, and said, 
 looking up anxiously at the Princess : 
 
 "Tell me why thou art so sad, sweet lady. 
 Why is thy brow troubled as the waters of the 
 river when the winged Sphynx is abroad? and 
 why are thine eyes mournful as the eyes of a 
 young dove, whose mate is fluttering with 
 broken wing through the trees ? What has caused 
 theesuch sorrow? Oh! pardon my boldness, 
 but I have seen this sadness and kept silence 
 too long." 
 
 Nitocris bent her head over her work, til! 
 the heavy mass of glossy plaits, hanging like 
 a raven's glistening wing, shaded all her cheek 
 and brow with its dusky veil. 
 
 "Nought to speak of my good Taia!" she 
 answered gently. " As over even our bright 
 heaven light shadows flit which veil its splen- 
 doui for a time, so over our heart's heaven 
 pass clouds, which yet bode neither storm nor 
 tempest."
 
 70 AZETH, 
 
 Taia shook her head. 
 
 "I have seen such," she cried, "but 
 thy present gloom is not from them ! A deeper 
 shade is here cast than ever the fleece-cloud 
 threw. Well ! thou wilt not reveal its cause. 
 Thou wert always the same. Even in the 
 days of open-voiced childhood thou didst ever 
 shut up thy soul from all around thee. Yet 
 I would fain know the cause of thy grief! 
 Woman to woman overleaping for one short 
 moment the gulf which rank has graved 
 between us surely thou mightest speak thy 
 thoughts to me !" 
 
 "Dear maiden, cease this;" said Nitocris. 
 " Thou art too watchful of the alight changes 
 of the moment. Trust me, Taia, silence is 
 fittest for the heart's emotion. It is the fittest 
 for trivial sorrows ; because by speech they 
 but gain a weight and place which they de- 
 serve not : and oh ! far fittest for deeper griefs, 
 whieh are too sacred to be desecrated by words ! 
 To which of these my sadness may belong, 
 it is alike needful for me to bear it in si- 
 lence." 
 
 " As thou wilt, lady !" answered Taia with 
 the petulant displeasure of an over-indulged 
 favorite. "There was a time," she continued,
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 71 
 
 muttering to herself, and pettishly turning 
 away, " when the heart of Nitocris, the priest's 
 daughter, and Taia, the simple craftman's child 
 were one ; and when confidence and love were 
 between them. But alas ! in womanhood, un- 
 equal state quickly unlooses the firmest bond 
 of childish friendships, and makes the affection 
 of the lower a thing to be spurned and de- 
 spised. Soon we shall be nought nearer than 
 the high-born maiden, Egypt's sole Princess, 
 and the humble tire-woman, meanest of her 
 slaves ! And thus will end the dearest love of 
 Taia's life !" And bright drops, more of an- 
 ger than of sorrow, stole down from her glancing 
 eyes to kiss her rosy lips. 
 
 "Thou art angry, Taia! and angry, too, 
 
 without a cause. I fear much thou art over 
 
 fondled, girl, for thou trenchest hard upon my 
 
 place! Nay, weep not for so very a trifle else 
 
 art thou no foster-sister of mine. Thou dost 
 
 slander me, in saying that added rank has 
 
 lessened my attachment to thee. As child, and 
 
 as princess, I love thee alike. But thou wouldst 
 
 not have the woman manifest her love in the 
 
 game manner as did the infant? Thou wouldst 
 
 not prize the affection that was shown by baby 
 
 kiss, and baby plays; that proved its existence
 
 72 AZETH : 
 
 by babbling outpourings of every passing feel- 
 ing? I do not wish to grieve thee: but 
 neither do I wish to fail in my honor and 
 dignity. And these I deem lost in expo- 
 sure of the heart's thoughts." 
 
 ' Not to a friend... not to one that loves 
 thee," exclaimed Taia, hastily. There is not 
 ...cannot be... any disgrace with love. What 
 is love but the union of two natures... the har- 
 mony of two souls ? There cannot be dishon- 
 or in aught that gratifies affection... in aught 
 that affection teaches !" 
 
 " Thinkeat thou? Then thou art wrong 
 dearest maid ! No woman of the Pure Land 
 ought to think thus. There is foul disgrace, 
 not only in revealing our feelings, even to the 
 nearest friend, but also in hidden indulgence 
 of them. Every true maiden ought to strive 
 her life long for Calmness and Control: else 
 in what are we better than the Gentiles 
 around? How otherwise shall we merit the 
 protection and respect of our noble fathers 
 and brothers ? And surely the women of our 
 nation should be both equal to, and worthy 
 of, their Lords." ^VwA 
 
 "It is doubtless a high mra^, Lady," re- 
 turned Taia: " but it is one to which I. can-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 73 
 
 not assent. It may be right for thee, the 
 proudly placed, to feel proud things, but 
 surely the humbler may be allowed to follow 
 the guidance of nature rather than of custom. 
 And nature, who bids the bird to sing aiul 
 the babe to smile, never meant the woman to 
 live in a desert-cave of silent pride. If it be 
 wrong to indulge in the expression of feeling, 
 why have we the desire to sin ?" 
 
 And Taia looked up, ignorant that she had 
 asked the unanswerable question of life. 
 
 " All would, of themselves, willingly follow 
 sijch guidance, dear sister," returned Nitocris 
 sadly and gravely. " Thou canst not believe 
 that there is Pleasure in tearing asunder the 
 living cords cast over us at our birth? Thou 
 canst not believe that there is Delight in 
 pressing back the rushing torrent, to spread 
 ruin and desolation in its pent place, rather 
 than escape through the channels of speech 
 and action escape, and bless and fertilise?" 
 Tears gushed into the maiden's eyes, as she 
 pronounced these words. 
 
 " Then why thus torture the heart ?" cried 
 Taia, vehemently. " This constraint must be 
 evil, if its effects are so fearful." 
 
 "Hush! hush! thou thoughtless child!" 
 
 VOL. i. E
 
 74 AZETH : 
 
 said Nitocrie. " Thou knowest not what thou 
 art saying. The Great Gods would not look 
 kindly on one under the dominion of un- 
 checked Nature. The boast of our land, is, its 
 advancement in all arts and all knowledge; 
 its clear way of light running like a silver 
 thread through the darkness of the barbarous 
 countries around. Thou wouldst not place 
 thyself below bricks and stones ? See ! on 
 these, with patient care and labour, are 
 sculptured signs and figures foreign to them, 
 but of deep import, and giving them worth 
 and beauty : and they are cast into shapes 
 and forms, into which earth never fashioned 
 them in the mould of her mighty bosom. Yet 
 are they not lovelier when they leave the 
 sculptor's hand, than when they were newly 
 hewn from the shapeless rock ? So with us." 
 
 *" Dearest Lady," answered Taia, awed by 
 the impressive tone and manner of the Prin- 
 cess. " Thou hast been taught by thy father, 
 the best learned in Egypt, and by Amenophis 
 the gifted Priest, and art thyself wise beyond 
 all maidens. I, a poor, ignorant child of the 
 dust, may not dare to gainsay thy words, for 
 thou seest deeper than I. All that I can do, 
 is to lament my own ignorance, which hinders
 
 THE EGYPTIAN, 75 
 
 me from being the worthy companion of thy 
 hours." 
 
 '' All are worthy, sweet sister, and equal 
 also, to whom Thoth, the Wise and Great, 
 grants willingness lor improvement. This is 
 the great lesson which we all have to learn in 
 our life; and they are best, who study it the 
 most heartily, and practise it the most dili- 
 gently. The Gods make no other distinction 
 among men than (hit-. I say all ; but thou 
 knowest that I do not include the Sacred 
 Order ; of which we may not dare to speak so 
 lightly." 
 
 " Thou art right in thy instruction, and 
 wise in thy limitation, my child," said a grave, 
 stern voice, and Sethos, the Pontiff King, 
 came forward. Nitocris instantly rose from 
 her place, and held forth her hands, withe a 
 sweet mixture of dignity, reverence, and love 
 in her manner, while she bent low before her 
 father. Sethos took her hands in his, and 
 slightly pressed them to his -lips. His manner 
 was courteous though so stern. 
 
 " Thy will, my father?" asked Nitocris, 
 again bending. 
 
 " I must speak with thee alone," he an- 
 swered, leading her aside.
 
 76 AZETH : 
 
 Taia made a lowly reverence, and withdrew 
 to the other end of the chamber, where the 
 merry weaving-maids were now clustering to- 
 gether, hushing their childlike prattle to the 
 subdued tones ot fear, as they furtively 
 glanced at the king. The unchanging gravity 
 of the monarch, independent of the respect 
 due to him both as King and Priest, was severe 
 enough to quench the mirth of a hundred such 
 light- winged hearts as theirs. 
 
 There was silence for sonic time between 
 the father and his child. They were both 
 standing side by side ; the impersonations of 
 two of the best virtues of their time... Earnest- 
 ness and Dignity. He, with his firm, erect 
 bearing, his stern justice, his thoughtfulness, 
 and his utter want of frivolity, was the very 
 ideal of Egyptian piety as shown in the 
 Priest. His thin, close lips could scarce have 
 relaxed into a smile ; the deep furrows on his 
 brow, graved by incessant care and meditation, 
 could scarce have been lost in the wrinkles of 
 jocund mirth. Little had the criminal to ex- 
 pect from his mercy ; little the unthinking 
 from his indulgence. He was an austere man, 
 and one that could sympathise only with the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 77 
 
 striving. With the light and vain, he had 
 nothing in common. He was a fit type of a 
 large portion of his order, which comprised 
 two distinct classes. The one to which 
 the king belonged, was the contemplative ; ap- 
 parently the highest, but in reality, the lower 
 grade ; for the active priest alone had the di- 
 rection of the machinery by which men were 
 governed, while the contemplative, managed by 
 the same puppet-strings as those which control- 
 led the herd, saw in the oracles and omens and 
 celestial visitations the same mystery, and the 
 same worth, as did the people. 
 
 And Nitocris, how majestically beautiful she 
 looked ! How grand and queenly, but still how 
 feminine and delicate ! She, also, was a true 
 Egyptian in the pride of self-reliance, the gra- 
 vity of earnestness, and the massiveness of 
 grandeur, which made up the finest portion 
 of the character of the children of Khem. 
 Her self-control, too, made her only the more 
 beautiful ; yet naturally more loving than 
 cold, it had only been by continued discipline 
 that she had been able to school herself to her 
 present appearance of calmness. But the 
 warm life of tenderness within was not chilled ; 
 its expression only was checked ; and those who
 
 78 AZETH : 
 
 needed all the cares and fond attentions of 
 the roost ardent nature would find them with 
 her, while they looked in vain for causeless 
 caress, and incessant love-prattle, offered with 
 no deeper feeling than that prompted by the 
 superficial fondness of the moment. The palm- 
 tree has a deeper root than the flowery weed ; 
 yet the leaves of the one are not worn in the 
 breasts of the thoughtless, where the buds of 
 the other are withering. But heroes and 
 conquerors make themselves crowns from the 
 brave tree, while they trample the weed care- 
 lessly under foot. 
 
 A glossy length of hair fell in numerous 
 plaits over the neck of Nitocris ; with chains 
 of gold, and large bead? of emeralds and 
 amethysts strung in loops, and small bands of 
 seed pearls, twined amongst them. Upon her 
 forehead was set the regal asp a fitting fillet 
 for the jetty luxuriance which it confined. 
 In the folds of this royal diadem bloomed a 
 white lotus flower, whose hue contrasted well 
 with the deep sable of her long tresses. Her 
 richly worked vest was closed to the throat, 
 and there fastened with a gem, whose price 
 was near a king's ransom. On her graceful 
 arms glittered bracelets of that lithe, pure
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 97 
 
 gold which fastens without hook or clasp, 
 from its own flexibility alone ; some had small 
 bells hanging loosely from them, while others 
 were merely broad bands, plainly worked. 
 Her dark blue dress, shaded by the gauzy 
 veil of her white upper garment, of the so 
 much renowned " woven air," hung on her tall 
 and finely moulded form in graceful folds, and 
 its heaven-like hue accorded well with the 
 seeming of its wearer : from beneath the 
 fringed hem glanced her light feet, with their 
 polished ankles covered with a network of 
 party-coloured laces, securing her gorgeous 
 sandal that glittered with gold and silver 
 wire. Her large eyes, black as night and 
 bright as the stars of the sky, looked out from 
 their long lashes like young flowers half 
 hidden by their leaves ; the lids were tinged 
 with the black powder which was in use among 
 the daughters of Khemi, and which added a 
 greater lustre to their beauty. It lent a 
 languishing expression, which belonged to the 
 gentle melancholy -of her nature, while it 
 deepened the shade which the thick fringes 
 cast on her pale cheek. 
 
 If Nitocris were gently sad, ihe was not inertly 
 so. The great mysteries of life the presence
 
 80 AZETH : 
 
 and the necessity of evil the obscurity of the 
 future the mystic remembrance of a former 
 being the inexplicable contradictions of the 
 Temple, yet the overpowering reverence de- 
 manded by its gods and its doctrines ; all these 
 deep thoughts which have for ever harassed 
 the minds of those who reflect, be their faith 
 what it may, had left on Nitocris the unfailing 
 marks of their presence a melancholy whose 
 cause was hidden even from herself. This 
 was the origin of her usual sadness ; but now, 
 there were evidently other and deeper griefs 
 preying upon her soul griefs of life, not only 
 of thought ; sorrows of the heart, not only of 
 the mind. 
 
 Sethos drew her nearer to him. 
 
 " Nitocris," he began solemnly, "thou art 
 not like the daughters of most men ; thou 
 art something better something nobler, and 
 braver, too, than they. Thou art not one to 
 tremble like a date-leaf in the blast of the 
 simoon. If thou knewest that peril stood on 
 the path of manliness and virtue, thou 
 wouldst still bid the traveller journey forward, 
 and confront and subdue the foe. Such an 
 hour of peril has now arrived for me. Se- 
 nacherib, the King of Assyria, has come down
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 81 
 
 against Pelusium with a strong and mighty 
 army, numbering many thousands more than 
 I could bring into the field, though the sol- 
 diery and nobles were even to join my stand- 
 ard. But" 
 
 " Were they to join, father !" interrupted 
 the maiden, " surely surely there lies no 
 doubt in this ! Would any Egyptian hesitate to 
 dare his bravest for his birth-land ? Thy par- 
 don, holy father, for this unseemly interrup- 
 tion ! Thy speech put to flight thy daughter's 
 courtesy and reverence !" 
 
 " Nay, never blush, dear child," replied 
 Sethos kindly. " Thy father can well forgive 
 so sweet an offence ! Would that hesitation 
 were all that my people showed ! Would that 
 backwardness were the worst feeling of their 
 hearts ! Thou, in thy safe place exposed to 
 none of the passions none of the temptations 
 of life can scarce know the influence which 
 evil holds over men. Listen! I have but just 
 now come from an assembly of all the war- 
 riors in Memphis, to whom I set forth our 
 common danger, whilst I urged them to do 
 their best to avert it. In vain ! Fired by 
 anger against me for the strong hand which I 
 have laid on their blood-stained order and its
 
 82 AZETH : 
 
 unholy privileges, they have deserted me now 
 in my hour of need. With one voice they 
 refused to march to Pelusium, or to strike a 
 blow in defence of their homes. ' Let the 
 Assyrian come !' they cried, ' he will not harm 
 us so much as our king hath done ! Let the 
 robber plunder, and the victorious soldier 
 sack our land ; they cannot ruin men who 
 crawl on the earth in meaner plight than 
 that of the meanest beggar ! Thou, Sethos>, 
 art a deadlier foe than Sennacherib ; and we 
 will gladly exchange thy double crown lor 
 his sword.' Like a cloud of locusts the As- 
 syrians have settled upon the fertile plains, 
 devouring and devastating ; and tne people 
 cry aloud to me for protection and assistance. 
 My subjects are turned rebels, and plot against 
 me here, in my very home my regal palace. 
 Tirhakah, King of Ethiopia, is now on his 
 way to the devoted city, doubtless to aid 
 Sennacherib. Ally have 1 none, save the Gods 
 in heaven !" 
 
 " And they will shield and assist thee," 
 said Nitocris in a low voice. " My brave 
 n. y noble father, they will not desert tbee." 
 
 ** 1 have seen the face of Pntha," returned 
 Sethos solemnly. " And he has poured com-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 83 
 
 fort and consolation on my way. And I will 
 now depart, as quickly as may be, gathering 
 round niy standard the faithful few who will 
 peril their all for their Gods and their country. 
 The Gods pour not their blessings on sloth ; but 
 they love the brave heart that toils till its very 
 sinews crack, as if it would force their assist- 
 ance by merit. And the Great Phtha the 
 Life-giver the all-powerful shall not look 
 on a degenerate son, nor on an unworthy High 
 Priest, when He views me in the battle or 
 before the shrine. If labour, and diligence, 
 and courage may win Heaven's blessing, then, 
 Nitocris, shall thy lather obtain them." 
 
 " Father ! take me with thee to the field. Let 
 me stand by thy side, soothing and comforting 
 as a daughter should. Oh ! do not leave me 
 here in Memphis. Its gales will be prison- 
 doors shutting me out from freedom, barring 
 me \nto captivity. Its heavy air will stifle me. 
 Thou hast been denied the blessing of a son to 
 bear thy fan, and spread aloft thy banner. 
 Let me stand in his place. And if I may 
 not mingle, man-like, with the fighters before 
 thy breast, let me, within the curtains of 
 the tent, be what he should have been in the
 
 84 AZETH : 
 
 Place of Danger thy supporter and com- 
 panion." 
 
 " Well worthy art thou to be the sole off- 
 spring oi the King of Egypt... the only child 
 of the Sacred Hierophant," answered Sethos 
 fervently. " Long have I ceased to wish for 
 a son, though when thou wert born thy weaker 
 eex grieved me much. But now, when thou 
 stand est out before the light as the very Ideal 
 of Woman, I feel that I would not change 
 my maiden child, for the proudest warrior that 
 ever drew bow in Egypt to walk by my side, 
 my son. But thou ma\ st not come with me, 
 dear love ! I could not take thee to a field 
 of carnage and of ruin ; where crimson rivers 
 would stain thy sandals with a fearful red, 
 and where shrieks and groans, and, it may be, 
 triumphant cries of ' Victory over Sethos !' 
 would be the music for thine ears ; where thy 
 banquet would be bought with life, an'}, thy 
 guests would be the slain. No ! no I secure 
 in thy palace thou mutt remain ! And if I 
 fall, thou, too, canst deliver thyself from ig- 
 nominy and disgrace ? I know thee ; 1 can 
 trust thee? Thou \viltdieathousauddeaths 
 ere thou sufferest the Assyrian to lay his hand
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 85 
 
 on thine ? Thou wilt promise this, Nitocris, 
 child beloved ?" 
 
 Nitocris was pale. 
 
 " Thou mayst trust me, father!" she replied 
 in a clear, unshaken voice. " Give me this, 
 and thy daughter is as safe from Sennacherib's 
 soldiers as if an iron army closed her round. 
 Nitocris krfows well how to die for honor !" 
 She drew from his girdle a small, sharp, 
 hawk-headed dagger, and calmly drawing 
 the chased blade from the jewelled and richly 
 ornamented sheath, tried its edge and 
 temper. " It is keen," she said smiling, as 
 she placed it in the folds of her dress, and 
 pressed her hand upon it, as though she had 
 laid next her heart the dearest treasure of her 
 life. 
 
 Sethos turned away his head. The bravest 
 father could r.ot have seen his young and beau- 
 tiful child so calmly devote herself <to a death 
 that seemed inevitable, and not have felt. He 
 could not, himself, have placed in her tender 
 hands the weapon that was to slay her, with- 
 out the very strings of his heart being wrung, 
 though his eyelids might be dry the while. 
 And Sethos, stern ruler and fanatic priest as 
 he was, could no more than meaner men forget
 
 86 AZETH : 
 
 the claims of a father's love, and, it may be, 
 weakness. Nitocris was the only thing in his 
 way of life that spoke of the Gentleness of 
 Beauty. She was the only link between him and 
 loveliness. His life, his thoughts, profession, 
 habits, were all stern, and gloomy, and un- 
 lovely. But when his eyes fell upon his 
 darling child a new existence *seemed to 
 spring up within him. It was like a glimpse 
 of sunlight in the dark mine, a fairy fountain 
 in a sandy waste. And he felt that he was not 
 wholly shut out from the World of Beauty, 
 when such a creature its favorite, and most 
 lavishly gifted clung round him, and called 
 him father. 
 
 For a moment he stood motionless. His 
 head was slightly depressed, and one hand 
 spread over his forehead, shaded his eyes. 
 
 " And now I must away !" he cried start- 
 ing. 
 
 " And is this thy last farewell, dearest 
 father?" asked Nitocris, anxiously. 
 
 " The last ? Nay, sweet child ! I have 
 commanded Osorchon, the young soldier, to be 
 invested with that post of fan-bearer, which 
 Psammetichus so uncourteously resigned. To- 
 day the ceremony will be performed before he
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 87 
 
 sets out for Thebes. Thou wilt aid, as Palla- 
 cide ? Thus shall I see thee once again ; and 
 yet once more. In an hour's time all will be 
 ready. Then the brave boy will gather to- 
 gether at Thebes, and by the wayside, all who 
 will follow the herdsman, where the soldier 
 hangs back to join me before Pelusium. 
 And all will be noble, for they will bear a 
 noble cause." 
 
 " Herdsmen, father ? Do I hear aright ? 
 What ! take a handful of undisciplined slaves 
 to war against the Assyrian ? Ah ! what can 
 such do against so fearful a host ?" 
 
 " Conquer, my child ! Conquer or die." 
 
 Nitocris bent her head. ' And will not one 
 noble not one soldier join thee ?" she asked 
 tremulously. 
 
 " Not one ! I had indeed hoped that Psain- 
 metichus would have forgotten his rancour for 
 the weal of his country. But, like all his god- 
 less order, he prefers passion to duty, and re- 
 venge to a manly submission to the laws !" 
 
 "Ah!" sighed Nitocris. "Has he then 
 wholly deserted thee since he gave up the 
 office of fanbearer? Is his heart so utterly 
 changed, and its affections so entirely dead ?" 
 
 " All have deserted me," replied Setiios,
 
 88 AZETH : 
 
 quietly. " But I need not their help. The 
 aid of the Gods is surely beyond that of human 
 hands." 
 
 lf Psammetichus," murmured Nitocris. 
 " How could he do this?" 
 
 " Think no more of it, my child," exclaimed 
 her father, with some quickness. u One arm 
 cannot smite me to the dust, nor one uphold 
 me. All will be well. Even without the as- 
 sistance of Psammetichus and his brethren, we 
 will shew the proud King of Assyria, that 
 injustice, though defended by the mighty, 
 may work nothing against the right, upheld 
 though it be, by the weak and poor. Nitocris ! 
 we are not placed here as slaves to the passions 
 of our fellow-men as worms to be trodden 
 under foot of the haughty ! Surely no ! 
 The gods watch over us, and they will not 
 suffer wrong to be done to their servants. 
 Let this belief cheer thee ! And now fare 
 thee well I May the good mother guard thee. 
 and bleea thee ! Forget not the daily prayer 
 omit not the daily offering. Propitiate the 
 kind gods by thy virtues, so that they may 
 look beneficently on thy father, for his child's 
 sake. O.i ! mighty with the Lords of heaven 
 is the virtue of the loving child ! Fare thee
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 89 
 
 well ; but not for the last time. And yet I 
 feel as sharp a pang as if this kiss were the 
 latest that my lips had to shed upon thy 
 brow 1" The king drew his daughter gently 
 towards him, and kissed her forehead ; then 
 slowly turned from the apartment. 
 
 Nitocris stood where her father had left her, 
 and tears gathered rapidly aud fell on her 
 heaving bosom. 
 
 " This is worse than weakness !" she ex- 
 claimed, suddenly dashing them off, and shak* 
 ing back her crowding tresses with an air of 
 resolution. " O my heart, thou art hard, very 
 hard to subdue, but thou shalt be subdued 1" 
 
 Alas ! for the weakness of the most deter- 
 mined woman 1 Alas ! for the frailness of 
 her strongest power ! It was but a momentary 
 vigour ; for drooping as a young flower sicken- 
 ing in the blast, she sunk her face upon her 
 hands, and leant against the marble column, 
 as one whose whole energy had died. 
 
 A man's hasty step approached ; but she did 
 not hear it ; and she was only aroused from 
 her melancholy attitude, by a deep sigh. Start- 
 ing, she looked up, and her gaze encountered 
 a young soldier standing close to her side, his 
 looks bent on the ground.
 
 90 AZF.TH : 
 
 " Why this intrusion, Osorchon ?" she 
 asked proudly, all the blood rushing back over 
 her face and bosom. 
 
 " I sought the King, Lady ; and Taia, the 
 hand-maid of the Princess, informed me that 
 he was here," answered Osorchon. " I have 
 news for him to be delivered on the earliest 
 instant. Let this plead ray pardon." 
 
 " My father was with me, but he has left 
 me for some moments," returned Nitocris. 
 ft I trust that thy news is not irremediably 
 bad, Osorchon ? Yet thy looks are full of 
 alarm, and thou art as pale as a young girl in 
 a circle of bold bowmen." 
 
 " If they speak distress, Lady," cried the 
 youth, hastily, u if they speak alarm it is not 
 for myself, but for the beautiful and helpless. 
 The heart of Osorchon never yet quailed with 
 craven fear." 
 
 " Nay," answered Nitocris. " Art thou iiot 
 somewhat hasty with thy kind's daughter ? I 
 well knowA that the trusted friend and honored 
 officer of Sethos must necessarily be above the 
 breath of such suspicion ! And none honors 
 thy gallant bearing more than myself." 
 
 " Such words from thee, Nitocris, are 
 dear. And gladly would I lay down my life
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 91 
 
 for such a death-song of praise to be sung 
 over my bleeding; corpse by thee. Nay, be 
 not displeased, nor turn away in anger at my 
 boldness. Though I am but a base-born, and 
 raised by thy father's royal bounty alone to 
 my high place, I, in common with all the 
 youth of Egypt, would do glad service to the 
 death for the praise of the Princess Nitocris. 
 The sun shines above us. Lady a world infi- 
 nitely grander than our own but its genii do 
 not frown because we pay them humblest ho- 
 mage because we gladden our souls in the 
 beams of their glory, though they shed them 
 not intentionally on us. And such homage is 
 paid to thee the most humble, the most 
 grateful ; asking nothing but the privilege of 
 thus worshipping." 
 
 " I understand thee, Osorchon," returned 
 Nitocris, " but I am no sun to shine thus for 
 worship. I ask no higher homage than that 
 is due to every Egyptian maiden by her 
 birthright if she be worthy of the name of 
 Khemi's daughter. To me, this is the highest 
 that can be paid. But turn from me to my 
 royal father. He is the most worthy of respect 
 and praise." 
 
 " Sethos is a wise king, and a holy priest ;
 
 92 AZETH : 
 
 and these assimilate him to the gods. And 
 yet, half the honor which is paid to Sethos, is 
 due to the father of Nitocris." And the young 
 man's cheek burned, and his eyes kindled, as 
 he pronounced these last daring words. 
 
 " Thy speech is but a poor proof of thy 
 honor for her whom thou dost flatter, young 
 boy. These are bolder phrases than oft meet 
 mine ears bold and unwelcome. And if thou 
 dost think to win my regard, by failing in re- 
 verence, whilst increasing in familiar praisos, 
 thou hast utterly mistaken the path." 
 
 " Nay, think not that 1 meant to offend 
 thee by too great boldness !" exclaimed Osor- 
 chon. " Thou knowest that I would tear my 
 tongue from between my lips, rather than 
 anger thee by a word." 
 
 " Cease this foolish prate of thy devotion," 
 said Nitocris with some of her father's stern- 
 ness. " It wearies, while it offends me. And 
 art thou not delaying over long, Osorchon ? 
 The King loves not neglectful waste of pre- 
 cious moments in unseemly trifling. Thou 
 wilt find thy best account with him in instant 
 attendance on thy duties. Farewell ; and the 
 next time that we meet, forget not the place
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 93 
 
 which thou holdeet, nor that in which the gods 
 have set me." 
 
 " Thy pardon, Lady," said Odorchon proudly ; 
 and he turned away. 
 
 " Poor boy," sighed Taia as she came for- 
 ward from behind the pillars, where she had 
 been lurking, and, it may be, watching, and, 
 it may be, listening even ! " So ! this scheme 
 hath failed. Well ! Nitocris thinks that she 
 doth right, when she is thus cold and severe. 
 But sure nor Nature nor Isis, our kind mother, 
 ever willed the death of feeling." 
 
 A look of pain was on the face of Nitocris, 
 when she turned towards her maid as she came 
 nearer. But it swiftly vanished, and left in 
 its stead only the proud air she always wore ; 
 perhaps a little heightened, as if it were not 
 wholly natural, but was a mask, convenient 
 for the moment. 
 
 " Listen, girl," she said with severity, the 
 better to conceal what she could not repress. 
 " Thou shalt find me even me, thy childhood's 
 friend, a hard and harsh task-mistress, if thou 
 darest thus to play thine apish pranks upon 
 me. Dost thou think that Nitocris holds her- 
 self no higher than to be made the aim of
 
 94 AZETH : 
 
 every beardless boy's ambition? Dost thou 
 think that she can see with satisfaction, or 
 hear with patience, the bold looks, and bold 
 words, whiuh each ignoble of her father's 
 train choses to pour forth? Thou hast mis- 
 taken her widely, maiden, if thou dreamest 
 that such childish mummery raise in her any 
 other feelings than those of contempt and 
 disgust !" 
 
 "Not even pity, lady?" asked the girl. 
 Dost thou not pity the wounded spirit ? Canst 
 thou not mourn for the bitter tears wrung 
 from the very heart ? for the blighting of life's 
 spring-tide, the withering of life's blossoms? 
 This poor Osorchon ! his life is one long sigh 
 breathed out in the dull, sad night. No joy, 
 no light ; darkness and sorrow his only portion ! 
 And thou dost not pity, though his heart 
 strings crack ?' ' 
 
 " Hush ! hush ! Taia," cried Nitocria wildly. 
 " It matters nought to him nor to thee 
 whether I pity or despise ! Thy business is 
 with thine own actions not with my thoughts. 
 Pity for blighted love? what is that to thee? 
 what is that to thee ? Thou art bold and 
 unmannerly, Taia ! Take heed ! else thou wilt 
 lose my heart forever. Blighted love? who
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 95 
 
 speaks thus ? It is a falsehood ! There is not 
 such a fueling !" 
 
 Taia glanced at the restleas eyes and flushed 
 
 countenance of her mistress, whose calm air 
 
 was lost in one of wildness and distress. 
 
 Then a bright sunny smile came leaping out 
 
 from every feature of the handmaid's dimpling 
 
 face: so eloquent and unchecked was it, that 
 
 you might have thought you heard a merry 
 
 laugh ringing through the rosy bars of her 
 
 lips. She hid her face, and whispered to herself: 
 
 " It is as 1 thought ; there is more here than 
 
 the sun beholds ! Yes, love, dear love, is even 
 
 in that proud heart, and is avenging his long 
 
 neglect with a fearful revenge." 
 
 Love, fair Taia ? Did he dwell in thy 
 heart in such an atmosphere of joy, that his 
 presence in another's was hailed with glee ? 
 Far different is he to most ! For born and bap- 
 tised in tears, his growth and life are oft of the 
 same, and his shroud, spun of dark threads of 
 sorrow, doth not even enwrap a perfect rest. 
 Smiles for a maiden's love ? Nay ; rather pity 
 and truest sympathy ; for her hour of trial 
 hath -come, and the star of her doom hath 
 gloomed above the mountains. If she love
 
 f6 AZETH: 
 
 not, her fate is chill, and her days sunless ; 
 but, if she love, a worse fate than dullness 
 will befal her, and the pallidness of a sunless 
 sky will be glory to the red lightning of the 
 storm which will rage around her. My Taia, 
 thy soul yet in the green fields of girlhood, 
 laughing amongst its flowers, and mocking the 
 very lark in its joy ignorant of the fearful 
 meaning lying in that one word LOVE, and of 
 the poison which it breathes sees in it but a 
 long, fairy-haunted hour of delight. Wake 
 not maiden oh, never never wake to the 
 knowledge of this love ! For in the day when 
 thou dost unveil that seraph-like form, which, 
 wrapped in a misty robe of glorious beauty, 
 hovers on thy path, and with gentle ges- 
 tures lures thee to his side, thou shalt unveil 
 a phantom that will make thee yea, even in 
 the warmth of thy young spring-tide yearn for 
 the rest of the cold, dank grave, whose worm 
 and corruption will ba dearer than thy gifts 
 from him! Woe and lamentation for the maiden 
 that loves!"
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 97 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE VISION. PSAMMETICHUS, THE NOBLE OP 
 SAIS. THE WISDOM OF PKIJSCIPLE, AND THE 
 WISDOM OF PRACTICE. 
 
 BEFORE Sethos had entered the apartment of 
 Nitocris, after leaving the refractory assembly, 
 he had hastened to the Temple of Phtha, of 
 which he was the high priest, to implore the 
 succour of his God against the oppressions of 
 his fellow men. His day indeed looked dark, 
 and the sun of his life seemed set for ever. Sen- 
 nacherib the King of Assyria, was entrenched, 
 with his countless hosts, before the gates of 
 Pelusium. Thia was a city both well-mauned 
 VOL. i. F
 
 98 AZETH : 
 
 anJ strongly fortified, but it could not hold 
 out long against such a force as that now be- 
 leaguering it. Brave and devoted as were the 
 besieged, they could not conquer, like the 
 giants and Cyclops of old the few against 
 the many the one Titan slaughtering armies 
 of pigmy men. And Diycos, the governor, 
 had sent to inform the king that unless in- 
 stant and efficient aid were sent, Pelusium 
 must be taken, though the conqueror's 
 scaling-ladder might be the dead bodies of its 
 defenders. 
 
 Sethos was the first king of Egypt who 
 had been immediately chosen from the ecclesias- 
 tical order, for many generations. For though 
 the monarch, by virtue of his office, must be 
 likewise in part a priest, and if not admitted 
 into the knowledge of all the mysteries, at 
 least, made conversant with' a great portion of 
 them, yet he was more as the life-long pupil 
 than the equal of the Hierophants more 
 obeying than assisting subject to the priest- 
 hood, not commanding it. Sethos had been ap- 
 pointed the successor of Anysis, the Blind, both 
 by the will of the dying king, and also by the 
 influence of the Priests, who had long coveted 
 the regal sceptre as the rightful property of
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 99 
 
 the Temple: some from ambition, and some 
 from the pious, though mistaken belief, that 
 as the gods were the supreme rulers of the 
 world, so also the priests, their servants, and 
 their human representatives, should be the 
 supreme guides and governors of society. 
 
 Of the last class had been Sethos himself; 
 of the first, Amasis, the Hierophant of the 
 Theban Temple of Amunra. Haughty, irre- 
 ligious, learned beyond all of his time in the 
 many secret arts and sciences, whose shadows 
 only have reached our remote age despising 
 his kind, and the means of ruling them, yet 
 loving rule above all things he, too, had 
 stretched out his hand to obtain the Double 
 Crown. But his brethren, many of whom 
 feared, and even hated the dark, unbending 
 Pontiff, withheld their suffrages from him to 
 lavish them on Sethos the Memphite. From 
 that moment, a deadly thirst for revenge had 
 taken possession of the soul of Amasis. The 
 wide world was too narrow for him and 
 Sethos; and either the blood of the king, or 
 that of his own heart, must water the Valley 
 of the Nile. 
 
 But wisely had the priests chosen between 
 these two aspirants. Had Amasis been the 
 F 3
 
 100 AZETH: 
 
 monarch, the Temple would have gained a 
 fierce master who would have crushed its 
 gigantic power with a force superior to its own. 
 Careless of future consequences, he would have 
 sacrificed all to his passion of absolute dominion. 
 He would never have consented to live as 
 the docile instrument of the sacred Synod ; 
 nor yet have studied the interests of the Tem- 
 ple, in making them his own. Rather would 
 he have subjugated the priesthood with the same 
 unsparing severity as that which he would have 
 exercised towards the people at large. Sethos, 
 on the contrary, was in all things a fit gover- 
 nor ; inasmuch, as he was the obedient servant, 
 and unwearying promoter of the views of the 
 Holy Order. 
 
 On his accession to the throne, actuated 
 by the same pure though unwise principle of 
 priestly domination alone, he had deprived 
 the nobles and soldiery of their lands and 
 privileges, and had bestowed them upon the 
 Temple ; designing, from henceforth, to go- 
 vern solely by moral discipline, and spiritual 
 subjection. In consequence of these laws, 
 the injured classes had freed themselves 
 from all allegiance to their oppressor; and tear-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 101 
 
 ing their standards into a thousand frag- 
 ments, they disbanded their companies, and 
 repaired to what of house and home was left 
 them ; all in a state of deep discontent. 
 Psammetichus, the bravest and noblest-hearted 
 of his order or his day, was the only captain 
 who had not yet dispersed his troops. Yet he 
 refused their assistance to the king, and kept 
 in the uncertain position of neutrality ; taking 
 part neither with the rebel nobles, not yet 
 with the monarch, and maintaining a strict 
 silence as to his future intentions. 
 
 This discontent of the soldiery and their 
 chiefs, Amasis by messages secret meetings 
 artful and anonymous threats promises, 
 and insinuations oracles and portents and 
 all the various juggleries of an occult religion, 
 had fomented to the utmost. And the result 
 was, as has been seen, their refusal to march 
 to Pelusium. In vain Sethos assembled them 
 in the council hall of the royal palace. In 
 vain he adjured them by all that they held 
 most dear their wives their children their 
 fathers' sacred tombs the holy altars of their 
 gods in vain he appealed to each holiest feeling 
 of man's heart, mingling the Pontiff's curse 
 with the king's exhortation ; the nobles list-
 
 102 AZETH : 
 
 ened and moved not. In vain he menaced with 
 fearful emphasis; a contemptuous smile was 
 their only reply. 
 
 " Thy means, King ?' ' they asked sneer- 
 mgly. And Sethos felt that hope was at an end. 
 
 Quitting the assembly, he hurried to the 
 temple of Phtha, to ask advice and con- 
 solation from heaven, since he could find none 
 on earth. A dreary, unknown path lay before 
 him, and his first step might plunge him and 
 his whole kingdom into ruin. But he grieved 
 more at the prospect of the dese<n*ation of the 
 Temple, than at the misery of his people. And 
 he deemed it a worse misfortune that the Sacred 
 Emblems should be touched by profane hands, 
 than that living hearts should bleed. Yet 
 Sethos was neither cruel nor merciless ; he was 
 but the priest, where others were men. 
 
 "Unless thou assist me, Phtha, O thou 
 great and powerful!" he exclaimed, falling 
 prostrate on the ground before the image in 
 the Adytum, " unless thou dost send me help 
 from thy High Place, and dost fight for me 
 and my people, we must fall captives to the 
 bow and the spear of the infidel Assyrian. Our 
 homes will be laid waste, and the sacred altars
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 103 
 
 cast down; the wolf and the panther will 
 roam through our cities, and the vulture and 
 the raven will house in our chambers. Oh I 
 do thou defend us, Phtha, thou mighty ! The 
 land which thou hast blessed, give it not over 
 to desolation ! Thy faithful people, deliver 
 them not into the hands of the Gentile and 
 Barbarian ! Defend us ! for no aid but thine 
 can avail us! Oh ! give not up thine altar into 
 the power of Sennacherib ! Let not his soldiers' 
 unblessed feet tread through the sacred groves ; 
 nor their impious eyes behold the mysteries of 
 the adyta, nor look on the glories of the em- 
 blems. Phtha Creator Spirit of Life ! suf- 
 fer not the Pure Land to be smitten with the 
 double death ! Guard thy shrine : protect thy 
 Temple ; and bury in one ruin the invader and 
 the conquered, rather than suffer pollution to 
 be done to the holy places ! Sweep the whole 
 race of man from the face of the earth, rather 
 than suffer a stone of the ^Edes to be dese- 
 crated! Phtha, assist thy servant with thy 
 glorious aid, and point out the way for his 
 failing steps !" 
 
 Sethos remained long in earnest prayer; 
 until, wearied and overcome by his emotions, 
 he sunk into a deep sleep.
 
 104 AZETH : 
 
 While he thus lay before the shrine, sud- 
 denly a thick blackness cold and clammy 
 a blackness that could be (elt fell down like 
 a heavy pall fro n the dead eky, an'd covered 
 the earth with its fearful cerecloth. And a 
 maddening Dread seized the king in its corpse- 
 like arms, and pressed like a foul night-hag 
 upon his bosom, stifling peace and life together. 
 And strange, uncleau things crawled in and 
 amongst the folds of his garment, and crept 
 over his shuddering flesh, tracking their sliiny 
 way in matted groups and writhing rings. 
 He felt them pass over his damp brow. They 
 kiss his trembling lips. They peer into 
 the depths of his fainting eye, and necklace 
 his throat with their living beads. Oh 
 horrible ! most horrible ! The worst tor- 
 tures of the foulest fiend of Typho the stern- 
 est sentence of the dread Assessors were 
 dearer than this ! And all was noiseless, like 
 the path of a poison blight : a spelled silence 
 which might not be broken. And the world 
 and the air heaved up and down likj the ocean 
 before it bursts out into the foam of the angry 
 tempest. And the Stillness staid ; and Sethos 
 felt that Maduess was linked with it. 
 
 Ha ! what is that? The silence is gone, and 
 now all the winds of heaven rush like howlinsr
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 105 
 
 maniacs loosed from their chains, and rage in 
 the sky as furious demons at war ; and the uni- 
 verse shakes to its very centre at the breath 
 of the wild blast. Then the roof the Temple 
 cracked asunder, and fell in large masses on 
 the marble floor, breaking in their course the 
 noble pillars with their proud capitals and 
 stately shafts overthrowing the statues de- 
 facing the pictures that glowed on the wall ad 
 though life itself were smiling there ruining 
 as they rushed overwhelming all in their 
 wreck, like the sand-storm of the desert. 
 Terror filled the very soul of the king, for he 
 was chained with cords which he could not 
 break bound down to the earth, helpless as 
 a young child aiuid all this ruin. Large uropa 
 fell like rain from his convulsed body, and 
 his strong limbs quivered, as they vainly en- 
 deavoured to get free. But a maid in the 
 hand of a Titan was powerful, contrasted with 
 his might in the grasp of this Dread. 
 
 And on went the din and tumult of crashing 
 rafters and falling stones, pouring in wild con- 
 fusion over the holy Adytum; threatening 
 even the sacred sshrine and symbol with de- 
 struction. And th< wind howled and screamed 
 through the echoing walls, and caught up in
 
 106 AZETH: 
 
 its rough whirling arms the beams and blocks 
 as they broke from their holds, and tossed 
 them like wild playthings in its fierce lap. 
 And still the darkness was spread over all. But 
 now it was hot and stifling; and forked light- 
 nings flashed at intervals from its inky edge 
 in quivering streams of blinding glare. And 
 the silence had given place to the angry voice 
 of the meteor-haired tempest, with that plain- 
 tive wail, which seems to sound from out the 
 deep as the wail of the lost and ruined. The 
 death hour of creation seemed at hand: and the 
 powers of nature were uttering their loud cries 
 of anguish at the might of the pain. It was 
 a fearful hour I The tearing asunder of the 
 strong cord of life, which binds the universe 
 in its harmonious completeness the forcing 
 apart from their strait embraces the parent 
 elements and their children of matter was 
 a sight of horror as overwhelming as its cause 
 was gigantic. In the death hour of creation 
 the last struggles of slaughtered nature 
 he, the puny man, lay there, to watch each 
 expiring throe of that which had been an im- 
 mortal God! And now all was stillness the 
 stillness of death; and the universe seemed 
 nielting away, leaving that Egyptian king
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 107 
 
 the sole tenant of a limitless space the sole 
 thing that drew the breath of being. 
 
 Then the whole changed, The black void 
 passed away, and the serene deep blue of 
 the sky shone out in all its noonday glory. 
 It came like a living creature that looked on 
 the kneeling king, smiling as it gazed. The 
 very clouds that flecked its azure, and caught 
 upon their curling edge the long beams of the 
 yellow sunshine, hung like perfumed ringlets 
 round a maiden's laughing brow, adding a 
 loveliness of their own for the beauty which 
 they hid. The heavens opened as a veil that 
 is withdrawn from some sweet, curtained form ; 
 and through the rent flowed down a wide 
 stream of glory that filled the air with radiance, 
 and shed over all an unspeakable beauty. A 
 beauty which had a music, whose tones seemed 
 the articulate gift of life. And the glory 
 streamed down in still increasing intensity of 
 brightness; and the music swelled, filling the 
 air with sounds heard by the soul rather than 
 by the sense. And then a form, luminous and 
 radiant, floated down to the altar before which 
 Sethos lay. And the looks of the Form were 
 bright as the sun, and, like that, gave out a 
 living warmth. Upon his brow glittered a
 
 108 A2ETH t 
 
 sacred scarab^ which had an inherent lustre, as if 
 it had been formed of elemental fire; and his 
 bright eyes moved restlessly, sparkling with 
 brilliant hues, and rivalling its rainbow-coloured 
 wings and body in their brightness and swift 
 changes. The hands of the Heavenly Form 
 held the signs of majesty and dominion, with 
 the mystic cross, the emblem of life. These 
 he extended to the king with a smile, 
 that flashed like a meteor passing through the 
 air. 
 
 " Seihos I" said the Divine Visitant, " fear 
 not ! On to Pelusium bravely forward ! Gather 
 together the meanest and the most despised of 
 thy people, the herdsman, the shepherd, 
 the artisan and go against Sennacherib with 
 confidence. 1, Phtha, the God whom tnou 
 dost worship above all the other Gods of the Pure 
 Land I will defend and protect thee. My 
 High Priest shall not faint for lack of de- 
 fenders. My might shall be on tliy side, and 
 thou i.eedst not mourn that thy brother-man 
 hath forsaken thee, when thy god will protect. 
 Thou ehalt prevail and thou Shalt conquer, it 
 thou wilt not fear. On to Peiusium ! Smite, 
 and be victorious." 
 
 The light and the glory faded away ; and
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 109 
 
 the blue vault closed its impenetrable walls, 
 and shut out from the king the unearthly 
 radiance which he had beheld through the 
 parted azure. Then the broken roof of the 
 temple again arched over head, and this true 
 heaven with its own mimic one of painted 
 stars and cloudless blue. And all things were 
 unharmed and beautiful as before. 
 
 With a start Sethos awoke, springing to 
 his feet with the expectation of beholding yet 
 the traces of the parting God ; but his eyes 
 rested only on the pigmy statue of lifeless 
 stone the deformed, debased representation 
 of the great Demiurgos. And a scarabaeus, 
 which, bright and glistening though it were, 
 looked dull and dead to the senses filled 
 with the remembrance of the celestial splen- 
 dour of the Divine Symbol, crawled lazily 
 upon its cushion, as if it mocked the creed 
 that named its weary sluggishness, the Imper- 
 sonation of Life. Yet the voice still rung 
 in the ears of the king, and the warmth and 
 light still lived in his heart ; and he rose from 
 the ground joyous and gladdened. Clasping 
 his hands he looked upon the statue with 
 fervent devotion, as if it, too, had the reality 
 of that of which it was but the sign life ; and
 
 110 AZETH: 
 
 as if that cold marble could hear and reply to 
 his enthusiasm. 
 
 " Thank thee, O Greatest of the Godsl" he 
 cried, u thanks and glory be thine own ! I have 
 seen the face of Phtha ! I have looked upon 
 his shining brow, and have laid up his words 
 in the treasure-house of my heart. He has 
 promised me aid. And Phtha-Sokari will not 
 fail his High Priest!" 
 
 And yet it was but a vision. But he be- 
 lieved in its truth, until he looked on Nitocris; 
 and then all the father woke ; and the man 
 trembled, and the devotee failed in his trust. 
 For visions are but unsatisfying earnests of the 
 safety of a darling child. This was again a 
 conflict between Faith and Fear. The dreams 
 of enthusiasm may be powerful, but they 
 cannot instil confidence into the heart of Jove. 
 Love, satisfied with no visionary assurance 
 trembling if a shade but cross the pathway 
 of the beloved ever fearing even when that 
 beloved is best guarded s lest some unknown 
 danger creep in unawares Love that bleeds 
 for every tear that falls finds in dreams 
 and omens but scant frail shields against the 
 power of actual danger. 
 
 And Sethos felt this distrust as he left the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. Ill 
 
 apartment of his daughter, and vainly endea- 
 voured to recal some of that rapturous confi- 
 dence which had lately blazed forth in his heart. 
 
 On quitting the Princess, Osorchon aban- 
 doned himself to despair. During the first part 
 of the short interview which had been furnished 
 him by the compassionate Taia, the unwonted 
 softness of Nitocris arising from the subduing 
 influence of sorrow had thrown him for a mo- 
 ment off his guard. For though ever maintain- 
 ing in demeanour, the respect and reserve pre- 
 scribed him by Egyptian rules of decorum, 
 he had long cherished a wild and presump- 
 tuous hope, that perhaps she was not wholly 
 indifferent to him even to him ! True, he 
 was of foreign birth, which to the Egyptian's 
 pride was a synonome with degradation ; and 
 though about to be promoted to the high office 
 of fan-bearer a post, until now, only as- 
 signed to the princes of the blood-royal, or 
 to the highest of the nobles yet this pro- 
 motion was so entirely the gift of the per- 
 sonal favor of the king, and so evidently not 
 the reward of his own merit, that he could 
 not glory, even in his dignity. 
 
 He failed in many things which were con- 
 sidered indispensable for the formation of a 
 worthy man ; he was hasty, passionate, enthu-
 
 112 AZETII t 
 
 siastic, wanting in self-control, and, above all, 
 wanting in calm reflection. He was made up 
 of all the reckless and headstrong ardors of 
 youth, and had feelings of far riper growth 
 than judgment ; still he had also so much of 
 youth's generous impulses, unselfishness, and 
 devotion, that his faults, grave as they were 
 in Egyptian eyes, were to be forgiven for the 
 beauty of their companion virtues. 
 
 Rapid were his thoughts, as he caught the 
 gentle sirile of Nitocris ; glorious were hie 
 visions ; heaven-like his emotions ; and in a few 
 moments he would have boldly poured forth a 
 flood of eloquent adoration, had not the blight 
 of her cold reproof fallen on him to wither up 
 his new-born flowers of hope. 
 
 At first all had grown dark before the eyes 
 of the young lover ; a cold shivering seized 
 his limbs ; a faintness came over him ; and he 
 felt a dull aching as from a heavy blow, and 
 a dreary sense of loneliness. He had left the 
 apartment mechanically, not rightly knowing 
 whither his steps tended. But this first effect 
 of violent disappointment soon passed away, 
 and he woke as a sleep-walker suddenly 
 aroused. Then the full sense of what had 
 passed rushed over his mind. His bright, 
 brief dream, his wild hopes presumptuous
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 113 
 
 aspirations, and fatal repulse all minffled to^ 
 gether in one moment of misery. What was 
 lie to do, now that the hope lay dashed into a 
 thousand shapeless fragments, which, in its 
 perfectness and beauty, had been his great 
 incentive to virtue ? What portion in the 
 future had life for him ? Pain, unmitigated, 
 helpless, hopeless ! Why not rather die ? 
 Death is no tyrant no grim enemy whose 
 presence is worse than the worst evils of life ; 
 but rather is he a gentle youth with beaming 
 smiles and golden hair a youth whose cup is 
 filled with the sweet water that flows under 
 the throne of the Lotus-borne one who comes 
 softly like a welcomed deliverer, and brings 
 joy in his train. To the happy, alone, is Besa, 
 the death-god, terrible ; to the sorrowful he 
 shines in fairer form than even the beautiful 
 young Horus the darling of creation. To 
 lie on the mossy couch where all dear, wild 
 flowers wave, when the limbs are stiff with 
 toil, and the heart is faint with pain ; to lie 
 there with the soft west wind playing among 
 the hair, and bathing the tired frame in its 
 golden fount of renovation ; to listen to the 
 birds overhead, as they trill out their loves 
 to the blossoms ; to watch the dreamy flight 
 of the bright moths, or the meteor-course of
 
 114 AZETH : 
 
 the rainbow flies, with the languid senses 
 steeped in heaven-like repose ; such is it to lie 
 on the bed of death, when the world has 
 bruised the spirit and seared the heart. 
 And the God of Death is then in truth, brighter 
 and more beloved than the highest angel from 
 above I 
 
 Such were the thoughts that now came 
 crowding over the mind of Osorcbon. And he 
 thought that thus would he feel for ever. For 
 youth will not believe that Time will ever 
 heal the bleeding wound, and obliterate all 
 trace of its presence. That which it feels now 
 it must feel hereafter. The joy will never fade, 
 the pain will never cease. Poor children and 
 yet blessed ! They little dream how soon the 
 world will efface the bright painting of bliss, 
 or wash away the mark of sorrow : how soon it 
 will harden their tender souls into more than 
 adamantine impenetrability, and chill their 
 warmth into more than ice-bound coldness ! 
 
 Something roused the young soldier from 
 hia trance. The voice of the king. For 
 Osorchon was standing near the door of the 
 private chamber of the monarch, utterly un- 
 conscious of his place. 
 
 " My son I what ails thee ?" cried Sethoe, 
 wonderingly, as he looked at the pale cheek of
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 115 
 
 his young attendant. " Has an evil spirit come 
 over thee, Osorchon ?' ' 
 
 " Evil P repeated the young man ; " Ah I evil 
 in truth!" 
 
 Sethos took his arm, and led him gently into 
 his own chamber. " Evil for the Temple, or 
 my people, boy ?" he asked. 
 
 " The people?... the Egyptian people ? Nay, 
 not evil for the people not for them !" replied 
 Osorchon, dreamily. 
 
 " Ye gods ! preserve the sacred signs !" ex- 
 claimed the king, solemnly. " No sickness 
 hath befallen the Holy Bull ? No evil omen 
 hath been given by the victim ? The sacred 
 Scarab of the Temple, hath not forgotten the 
 course of the sun ? The Isiac serpents have 
 not dragged their length in anger round the 
 mother's altar? Nay, none of these fearful 
 misfortunes could have happened, and thou be 
 made acquainted with them sooner than myself ! 
 Thou hast heard nought of these dread tidings 
 in the merchant city ?" 
 
 " The Temple is still safe the omens are 
 not evil !' ' said the soldier in the same dreamy 
 voice and manner . 
 
 " Surely thou art possessed!" cried Sethos, 
 " Rouse thyself, and say what has happened to
 
 116 AZF.TH ; 
 
 thee. Lift up thy head erect like a man, 
 and stand not thus, cowering like a very slave !'* 
 
 Osorchon was roused by the stern tone 
 in which the king spoke. The bright blood 
 rushed over his cheek, and his eyes flashed 
 with renewed energy, though their looks were 
 full of shame. 
 
 " It was but a dream, my father," he said 
 quickly, while he bent before the king, raising 
 one hand to his lips, and lowering the other to 
 his knee. "Let it pass. It came alone, and 
 neither brought nor left behind it, aught of evil. 
 The shadow of Typho passed over my soul. 
 It hath gone. And yet I have news for thee/' 
 he added, hurriedly, to prevent the king's fur- 
 ther questionings. "And unwelcome news, 
 too. Not only have thy nobles refused to 
 join thy standard, but some have even openly 
 declared their intention of joining the As- 
 syrian. They are already preparing for the 
 march !" 
 
 " Ha ! And can the hearts of the sons of 
 Khemi be so black ? and can their consciences 
 be so seared? If they have forgotten what 
 is patriotism have they also forgotten reli- 
 gion ? O dread deities , smite this impious 
 race utterly to the dust ! yet slay not the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 117 
 
 innocent with the guilty. But art thou sure, 
 Osorchon ? Dost thou know for a truth that 
 thy words are correct ? Who has told thee 
 these fearful tidings? Speak boy. Speak 
 quickly. Thou hast made my heart beat 
 stronger than is its wont. That the men 
 of Egypt should do a thing so vile so 
 worthless so black in crime ! Woe to the 
 Lord of the Nation I Sorrow to the 
 brow which is diademed ! For thorns, and 
 the poisoned berry which clings into the 
 brain, have not more tortures than hath the 
 golden band of the Double Crown ! Rightly 
 have our fathers emblemized the royal power 
 by the green-eyed uraeus. It is, in truth, a 
 thing that will sting the bearer, and poison his 
 life's blood ! Alas ! alas ! But it may yet be 
 false ; my people may yet be true, if not to 
 their king at least, to their Gods ? Speak, 
 Osorchon. Who told thee that the nobles 
 had thus publicly revolted ? Thou mayest 
 have been misinformed. Aye , this is pos- 
 sible." 
 
 " Nay, holj father , would that I could con- 
 firm thy hope of this ! But I myself was 
 the hearer and my senses conveyed this fear- 
 ful tale to my soul. I passed a group of
 
 118 AZETH : 
 
 soldiers and nobles, as they stood by the 
 corner of the Street of Arms ; and I heard 
 words fall from their loud and angry lips 
 that seemed to dry up my life's blood. I 
 halted near I mingled in their speech and 
 then I understood more plainly, what was its 
 import rebellion and treachery. I dared 
 I, even 1 a youth and an alien yet strong in 
 the consciousness of right I dared to reprove 
 and exhort the noble of Mizraim. To no avail ! 
 They jeered me for my birth mocked me for 
 my beardless youth bade me go crouch at thy 
 feet, and sell mine honor for thy gold and one 
 raised his hand as if to strike me. I bore it all 
 though, by the Eternal Snake, my blood was 
 hot, and I had pain to keep myself from smit- 
 ing him to the death ! Yet, if I meet with that 
 proud noble in the plains of Pelusium, the red 
 sun shall not sink until he has told which blood 
 be bravest ! But I forebore to-day, for the 
 sake of my priest and lord : for I know that 
 unseemly violence can destroy the most 
 righteous cause. So I stayed my hand, and 
 was still : grief though it was to my Arab 
 heart ! Aye ! I was still, though I felt that a 
 atain had fallen upon my honor !" 
 
 " Brave boy," said Sethos, kindly. " In this
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 119 
 
 forbearance thou hast best proved thy manli- 
 ness ! Passion is for the weak calmness, for- 
 bearance, self-control, are the truest marks of 
 strength !" 
 
 " And this praise from the lips of the sacred 
 monarch, would have repaid me a hundred 
 fold! O Sethos!" the young man continued, 
 with all his unchecked enthusiam. " Thou 
 little knowest of how much posver thy least 
 word is possessed ! I would dare the worst ill 
 of life, if thy approving smile cheered me on ! 
 Thou art twice mighty ! For encircled with 
 the double Bow of glory as king and as priest 
 thy regal praise is also thy holy blessing !" 
 He did not say that, as the father of Nitocris, 
 he thus worshipped the king, nor, that had it not 
 been for this halo which love cast over him, he 
 had been to the ambitious soldier but as the 
 means by which his ambition was to be grati- 
 fied. " And now, O king, what wilt thou do ?" 
 he added, after a short pause. " Thou hast to 
 contend, not only with disaffection, but also 
 with rebellion: not only with lack of aid, but 
 also with increased opposition ! Thy means 
 are scant those of thine enemies many. Thy 
 friends are few and weak thy foes are like 
 the sand on the ocean-shore, and powerful as
 
 120 -A.ZKTH : 
 
 the breath of the simoom. Alas for Egypt ! 
 Her sons have despised her, and have lifted up 
 their hands against her ! They have robbed 
 her of their aid, to give it to the Gentile ! Alas ! 
 for Egypt ! the pure land of Khem !'' 
 
 " Let these false hearts go in peace," an- 
 swered the king, calmly, " Let them rage as 
 they will. The gods and the right are with us 
 ioul wrong only is on their sidel" 
 
 *' The blessing of traitors be theirs !" cried 
 Osorchon. " And may the smile of the pesti- 
 lence be their sole reward ! Yet ah I though 
 they bear the wrong cause, they also bear the 
 strong. And poor, frail, fainting good can work 
 but little against the mightier evil." 
 
 " Osorchon take heed, lest in doubting, thou 
 dost blaspheme," said Sethos, sternly. "Dost 
 thou dare to doubt either the power or the 
 goodness of the guardian gods ?" 
 
 *' Yet they may smite the Land, holy father, 
 in anger at the iniquity of its children," said 
 Osorchon, humbly. 
 
 u They will defend," replied the king, sink- 
 ing his voice a whisper, " Let not thy heart 
 faint, for the God at whose shrine I sacrifice 
 has promised to protect His Altar the wide
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 121 
 
 Temple of Egypt ! Let this inspire thee 
 with confidence and courage. Ha ! who 
 comes ?" 
 
 The door of the apartment suddenly opened, 
 and a powerful, majestic man, in the dress of a 
 captain of the chariot, strode forward ; neither 
 announced by the usual attendants, nor himself 
 accompanied by guard or servant. 
 
 The king rose from his seat with an exclam- 
 ation of surprise, in which might be detected a 
 slight shade of fear ; and advanced a few steps 
 towards the intruder. He mechanically raised 
 his hand to his girdle, where the royal dagger 
 always hung, then knit his brows as he 
 remembered that he had disarmed himself in 
 the apartment of Nitocris, Osorchon, too, 
 was without weapon of any kind ; and the 
 stranger, on the contrary, glittered with bronze 
 and steel. 
 
 " I come unannounced andboldly, O king !" be- 
 gan the intruder, making a respectful obeisance. 
 " I come also, I fear me, unwelcomed. It was 
 not thus when I was thy peculiar friend and 
 honored fan-bearer. Then, entrance to thy 
 presence was a right, and my reception a father's 
 greeting. Pardon me, if thus once again I 
 use my old privilege, and forget the changes 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 122 AZETH : 
 
 which time and events have wrought between 
 us. Minor matters of courtly usage must yield 
 to the importance of weighty business." 
 
 *' Thy will, Psammetichus of Sais ?" asked 
 the king, proudly. " For I confess, that I am 
 unable to solve the mystery of thy thus visit- 
 ing me. Unless, indeed, it be to offer ine 
 thine own services, and those of thy troop : 
 prefacing with a prayer for my acceptance of 
 thy repentance!" 
 
 Psammetichus retreated a few steps, and 
 drawing himself up to his full height, fixed his 
 clear eyes full upon Sethos with a look of sur- 
 prise and scorn. He answered almost bit- 
 terly : 
 
 ' Thou art exacting in thy requirements, O 
 king !" 
 
 " And thou art arrogant in thy speech, and 
 insolent in thy mien, Psammetichus !" 
 
 " Insolent and arrogant ! these words, to 
 me, from Sethos, the Pontiff of Phtha ?" 
 
 " Aye ! and more and stronger. Thou art 
 a rebel and a traitor ; and if not yet declared, 
 it is because thou art a coward, and wouldst 
 rather slay in ambush than conquer in the 
 open field of common danger !" 
 
 The blood left the face of the Noble, and
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 123 
 
 for a moment, his hand was on the jewelled 
 hilt of his dagger. It was but for a moment ; 
 then removing himself still farther from Se- 
 thos, he answered coldly, and with dignity, 
 
 ** I come not to bandy words, O King, but 
 to arrange deeds. Withdraw thy unjust de- 
 cree against our order, and I will join thy 
 army with my troops. And more, I 
 will guarantee thee from amongst those very 
 nobles, now so unyielding, as brave a phalanx 
 as ever drew bow. Thy answer Lord !" 
 
 " I will die ere I change a letter of my de- 
 cree," said the king firmly. " Hard pressed 
 as I am, I am not yet in that strait when 
 my subjects may dare dictate unto me may 
 dare insult me with impunity." 
 
 " I dictate in nought, O Sethos ! I but 
 offer thee my brave spearmen for the simple 
 wages of justice. Callest thou this insult ?" 
 
 " For the wages of justice ! The fools cry ! 
 Say rather for the wages of perjury, Psamme- 
 tichus ! The lands which I have devoted to 
 the Temple it would be sacrilege to re-appro- 
 priate to another use, and that use, a secular 
 one. The privileges which I have given to 
 the servants of the Gods are a sacrifice to the 
 
 Dread Deities of the gifts of thy blood-stained 
 G 3
 
 124 AZETH: 
 
 and unholy order ; it would be impious to 
 withdraw them. And let what will arrive, 
 my heart shall never beat before the Shrine 
 with the fear of punishment. My sub- 
 jects may revile and desert ; I can meet 
 it calmly, while I still feel that I have 
 stood firm and faithful to the interests 
 of the ^Edes, and have not violated the sanc- 
 tity which encompasses the meanest stone 
 within the temenos. Justice, thou namest it, 
 desecration and indignity /.'' 
 
 " And for this priestly prejudice thou wilt 
 deliver up thy land and thy people into the 
 power of the Assyrian !" exclaimed Psamme- 
 tichus energetically, forgetting in his impa- 
 tience that respect which was due to the 
 Egyptian Pontiff, as well as to the Monarch 
 of the Two Worlds. 
 
 " I will defend my people, Psammetichus, 
 and slay the Assyrian," answered Sethos 
 sternly. 
 
 " How ? With slings and stones, and net, 
 and fish-hook ? For methinks the users of 
 such weapons will be thy sole warriors." And 
 the noble's lip curled as he added, " The 
 army of Sennacherib may be composed of 
 Gentiles and Barbarians, but they will
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 125 
 
 hold a higher place than these I He, himself, 
 the Assyrian King, though he might not be 
 dishonored at the victory of Egyptian nobles, 
 will be nigh disgraced at the opposition of 
 such foes. Be the brave man a barbarian, 
 still is he nobler than the vile herdsman even 
 of the Valley of the Nile I But it will not be 
 long an undecided question, whether the 
 honor of arms is outraged through the con- 
 quest of a royal warrior by slaves, or the 
 Pure Land laid waste beneath the tread 
 of the Gentile. The last will be the 
 lot of this hapless country ! To such a pass 
 has thy adherence to a fault, over which thou 
 hast flung the veil of self-delusion, brought 
 thyself and thy people ! Deserted by the 
 nobles whom thou hast wronged supported 
 only by the basest of the populace, thou goest 
 out against a host, invincible and honorable, 
 whose contempt for their enemies will but lend 
 them greater strength, and dreamest of success 
 the while !" 
 
 " By the help of the Gods I will conquer^ 
 Yea ; and that will I do, though not a noble 
 and , not a trained soldier fight with me ; 
 though mine army be of the meanest alone." 
 
 " Sethos ! Sethos ! canst thou calmly go
 
 126 AZETH": 
 
 forward with such a foolish vision as thy 
 only earnest of success ? Shame on thy 
 years and thy wisdom !" cried Psammetichu? 
 passionately. 
 
 " The noble Psammetichus forgets the pre- 
 sence in which he stands," said Sethoa se- 
 verely. 
 
 " Forgets it ? That does he not," the 
 Saite answered in a high voice. " Would 
 that he could forget the follies which 
 have marked thy reign ! Would that he 
 could forget their coming consequences 
 misgovernment and wrong these are the 
 bright spots which the noble cannot indeed 
 forget 1 But a truce to these empty words," 
 he added suddenly, remembering himself and 
 speaking calmly and reverentially, " I ask thy 
 forgiveness for all in which I have offended. 
 I have done wrong. I have allowed iny pa- 
 triot's heart to speak louder than my subject's 
 reverence. Again, Sethos, do I offer thee 
 myself, my men, and my peers, if thou wilt 
 but restore us our homes and our rights." 
 
 te And again, I say thee, nay ; though 
 my heart's blood wet my foot as I spoke. 
 And again I say that thou art a rebel and a 
 traitor arrogant and impious else on thy
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 127 
 
 knees wouldst thou have sunk, asking 
 for pardon and gracious reconciliation, rather 
 than stand boldly there, making thy con- 
 ditions. And, but that I cannot wholly forget 
 the past time when thou wert dear to me as 
 mine own son, I would even now call my 
 guards, and make thee learn the meaning of 
 Repentance beneath the lash of the execu- 
 tioner. Think not that because I am careless 
 of state, and gladly lay aside the pomps of ma- 
 jesty, I am likewise careless of the respect 
 due to me as the Representative of the Gods. 
 In me, honor them. Dare not to make this 
 stipulation or that, but pray humbly for pardon 
 of the past and favor for the future. Then, 
 perchance, I may listen to thy words. But 
 now thou art unworthy my attention, for thy 
 insolence and folly are degrading to thyself 
 and to me." 
 
 The eyes of Peammetichus flashed with 
 anger, and he seemed about to make a hasty 
 reply, but checking himself, the mild and 
 serene expression which was natural to him, 
 came again over his face like a beautiful dream 
 of the night. And his noble loveliness looked 
 more lovely still from this majesty of dominion
 
 12S AZETH : 
 
 over passion the brightest grace of man- 
 hood. 
 
 He answered calmly, but sorrowfully 
 " Misfortune will open thine eyes, O King ! 
 and then thou wilt regret that my words went 
 forth in vain. Sethos," he added fervently, " oh ! 
 as thy friend thy son thy trusted fan-bearer 
 do, 1 pray thee, v here, on my bended knee, to 
 re-consider thine answer ! Cast not away this 
 last chance of success ! Neglect not this last 
 opportunity to repair an error, which, com- 
 mitted at first from motives pure as the 
 sunbeam from the God of Day, if wilfully 
 persisted in, becomes the act of a heart ob- 
 stinate in its own blind course. Father- 
 priest king turn not away from this prayer 
 of one who loved thee in his innermost soul ; 
 who honored thee almost as a God ! Oh ! 
 thyself slay not thy people ; for in what con- 
 sists the difference between him who strikes 
 the blow, and him who first binds the victim 
 then delivers him up into the hand of the 
 murderer ? Slay not thy Egyptian people, O 
 Sethos ; but defend them." And Psammeti- 
 chus clasped the robe of the king, and touching 
 his right hand laid his own on his lip.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 129 
 
 ** I am the servant of the Gods, not of 
 men," replied Sethos with uplifted eyes, " and 
 to the Assessors of Amenti am I alone ac- 
 countable. I doubt not that the Great Beings 
 whom I serve, and whose honor I would pre- 
 serve inviolate sooner than my own life 
 doubt not but that they will aid me in my trial* 
 But if they are wrath with me, and chastise 
 me by the hand of the Assyrian if they suffer 
 me to perish, and make me thus expiate my 
 eins of negligence, and my crimes of omission 
 yet will I not murmur ; neither will I buy 
 myself assistance through desertion of my 
 trust. I will not give ye back your lands or 
 privileges, ye proud nobles, though J should 
 gain each spear that now menaces me ! Alone, 
 with no help save that which comes from the 
 Altar, will I die in honor, rather than live in 
 crime !" 
 
 ' We regard thy duties differently," said 
 Psammetichus sadly, as he slowly rose from his 
 kneeling position. " To me it seems that 
 thou owest the first unto the country thou dost 
 govern ; and thou wilt not say that a patriotic 
 rule is a vice because it wars with thy duty 
 as priest ? Kings were made for action, Se-
 
 130 AZETH : 
 
 thos ! While on earth, amongst men, they 
 must study the needs of those over whom 
 they have power, and they must yield to the 
 passions, and even to the prejudices of human 
 nature !" 
 
 Thy meaning ?" 
 
 " Simply this I Were thy people such as 
 the Great Gods love, they would have volun- 
 tarily given up their all for the weal of the 
 Temple and the Hierophants. But being frail, 
 weak, and selfish, they murmur at the appro- 
 priation of their means even to so holy a 
 purpose." 
 
 *' And these vices the noble Psammetichus 
 defends? Time hath marvellously changed my 
 ancient fan-bearer." 
 
 " I defend them not, O King ! I but repeat, 
 that the legislator must rule for, and not in op- 
 position to, men's natures. Change selfishness 
 into devotion, and coldness into enthusiasm; 
 make the unseen Gods more near and dear 
 than the wife and the child, and then thou 
 mayst deal with men as thou hast dealt then 
 thou mayst treat them as bright angels without 
 passion, fault, or folly, aud forget that the 
 Great Thoth bestowed on them all these with 
 their virtues."
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 131 
 
 " I like not the tone of thy speech, Psam- 
 metichus. The faithful Priest ought not to 
 think thus or act. This cold wisdom of ex- 
 pediency has always been hateful to my soul. 
 And I had rather act for the honor of the 
 Gods, than for the wisest plan of human 
 government. Good cannot result from evil." 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! thy lips never spoke a word 
 more fatally true !" said Psammetichus, " and 
 the captive land of Khem, too, will soon learn 
 that sorrowful truth ! But now I will de- 
 part. My mission is ended, and woe to 
 Egypt ! it is fruitless." 
 
 "And now thou goest to bear arms against 
 me, doubtless !" cried the King, with a sneer- 
 ing accent in his voice, " and because thou canst 
 not constrain me by words, thou thinkest to do 
 so by deeds. Good luck to thy prowess ! 
 In the Street of Arms thou wilt find troops of 
 thy brave brethren declaring rebellion. Why not 
 join them? W hy dost thou tarry ? Haste to swell 
 the goodly band ! Flee to Sennacherib ; and by 
 your brave and loyal spears aid him to subdue 
 your Monarch ! A fair sight for the sun to 
 behold ! He shines not, Psammetichus, on 
 one so false and black through the wide plain 
 of our earth. Nay, not even among the Gen-
 
 132 AZETH : 
 
 tile and Babarian ! And ye are men of Egypt 1 
 children of Amun, and emanations of 
 the glorious Phtha! And ye consort with 
 the infidel, because your King honors the Gods 
 who sustain you through the heat of the day, 
 and the gloom of night. Oh ! ye are brave men 
 of Egypt 1 Ye are valiant spearmen and 
 honorable captains of the chariots ! Thou 
 dost revile my poor cohorts of herdsmen and 
 shepherds, Psammetichus ; yet they bear a 
 higher heart before the Dwellers of Amenti, 
 than beats in all you nobles' rebel bands." 
 
 "With my future, O Sethos, thou hast 
 nought to do, now that thou hast rejected its 
 control. I made thee my offer in all good 
 faith. Thou hast spurned it and me alike. 
 And now our paths separate, thine to the east, 
 mine to the west, never to meet again. And 
 the bond of friendship which long years had 
 woven into the firmest chain is snapped asunder 
 like a flaxen thread. And thus sadly ends the 
 first, and, as I beileve, the truest love that woke 
 my soul to feeling. Sadly sadly it ends." 
 
 Sethos was moved; yet too proud to show 
 it, he answered coldly, 
 
 "I also grieve that thus ends our 
 friendship; yet if its continuance is to be
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 133 
 
 bought only by my perjury, assuredly its death 
 hour hath come! I bid thee farewell! And I 
 bid thee, too, blessing, in as far as the Gods can 
 bless one stained with the crimes of rebellion 
 and, aye, Psammetichus, impiety!" 
 
 Psammetichus faintly smiled as he shook his 
 head, in deprecation of the last word ; but un- 
 willing to give up every chance of success in 
 an undertaking so dear to him, he still lingered, 
 and turning to Osorchon abruptly exclaimed, 
 
 " Boy ! thou art high in the favor of thy 
 royal master. Canst thou not influence him 
 more than one he loves not ? Though thou 
 art not of Egytian birth, and therefore can- 
 not understand those feelings which the 
 sons of the Nile imbibe with their first breath, 
 still thou canst picture to thy heart what are 
 the thoughts and emotions of a lover of his 
 birthland. Say, wilt thou not join me in en- 
 deavouring to persuade the King that his best 
 course lies in the acceptance of the services of 
 his nobles on the terms upon which they are 
 offered?" 
 
 Osorchon, whose mind had again sunk into 
 contemplation which filled all his senses so 
 that no other image or idea was admissible, 
 looked up confusedly, and stammered,
 
 134 AZETH : 
 
 "Nitocrisl" 
 
 The noble started. He turned pale and 
 paler yet. Then he spoke, but slowly and 
 with a painful effort, 
 
 " Thou art distraught, young : Arab ! or hast 
 thou dared to? But it matters not! My 
 errand is bootless, as I feared. Fare thee well, 
 O Sethos I I, too may say ; the Gods pre- 
 serve thee and enlighten thee! Fare thee 
 well. Our next meeting will be sterner than 
 this ; and one where our words may be lost in our 
 death-cries," And bending to the King, he 
 crossed one hand over his breast, raising the 
 other to his lips ; then turned away. 
 
 A light step came dancing through the hall ; 
 a light touch was laid upon his arm; and 
 Taia, with one hand orer her rosy lips to 
 enjoin silence, motioned the noble to follow 
 her. 
 
 " The Princess wills it. She wishes to see 
 thee,'' she whispered seeing that he lingered. 
 
 Psammetichus stood incredulous, fearing 
 to trust to the delicious]_hope of meeting Nito- 
 cris again, and thus. Then he beckoned to the 
 girl to lead the way. 
 
 " Here," said Taia, drawing aside a large
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 135 
 
 panelled screen of carved ebony which con- 
 cealed the opening into a private passage. 
 
 "And now, Osorchon, for thine Investiture," 
 said the King, sighing, " and afterwards thou 
 must hasten to Thebes ; there to gain all who 
 will follow. The Gods will defend us, though 
 all else fail ! Remember the gathering cry 
 is 'For our country and our Gods on to 
 Pelusium bravely forward !' "
 
 136 AZETU: 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE DWARF OF MEMPHIS. THE TRIUMPH OF 
 PRIDE OVER LOVE. THE TRIUMPH OF PRIDE 
 OVER WEAKNESS. 
 
 PSAMMETICHUS followed the light step of his 
 guide like one in a dream ; while she, keeping 
 her back resolutely turned to him, hastened 
 on, her small feet pattering on the marble like 
 the drops of those sweet showers which some- 
 times fall in the beautiful Season of Flowers. 
 
 Had she not been in this little pettish fit of 
 propriety, many an arch smile and many a 
 bright glance would have beamed and flashed
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 137 
 
 on the grave noble, and many a saucy chal- 
 lenge would have pouted on those rosy lips, 
 whose slightest curve was the very throne of 
 young Love's kisses. And well the pretty 
 tire-maid knew what eloquent words those 
 smiles and pouting mockeries breathed out. 
 And well she knew the power which a woman's 
 bright and playful mirth where looks are ca- 
 resses, and smiles are love-wordshas over the 
 hearts of men. Even her present petulance 
 had in it a shade of merriment. Like a 
 child that strikes its nurse with its dimpling 
 band, while laughing at its bold mischief, she 
 was amused at the slight pain which she 
 could inflict. She was one of those summer 
 birds of life that flit across the path of others, 
 bringing with them a gentle glance of joy, 
 yet leaving neither the depth of blessedness 
 nor the pang of sorrow when fled. Gay 
 things, which one looks on and loves, as one 
 loves the flowers in the hedge-row we pass so 
 swiftly by. 
 
 Through lengthy passage and lofty hall 
 through columned labyrinths of luxurious 
 apartments, where the eye lost t itself in a maze of 
 splendour, and grew dazzled with the vividness 
 of their colored capitals and gorgeous roofs on
 
 138 AZETH : 
 
 they went without let or rest ; till the way 
 began to seem interminable to Psammetichus, 
 and leading only to disappointment. Losing 
 patience, he strode up to Taia, and laying his 
 hand on her rounded shoulder bid her rather 
 peremptorily to stop, while she told him whither 
 their way was tending. 
 
 " My Lord I" cried the girl, looking into his 
 face with that peculiar pout of the ripe under 
 lip and arch of the eye-brow, which 
 nature has taught to all coquettes, from 
 the days of the Eight Demi-gods, until now. 
 '* My Lord!" she repeated, "I marvel at thy 
 waysl Thou hast bruised and nigh broken 
 my shoulder with thy grasp." 
 
 And putting her hand to her neck, she 
 affected to be in great pain. 
 
 "Tush child! I did not hurt thee !" said 
 Psammetichus kindly, while he endeavoured to 
 soothe the injured part. 
 
 " Thou didst not hurt me ?" cried the tire- 
 woman, pushing aside his hand. " Then 
 my bones must be of bronze, for thy 
 grasp could crush the scaly crocodile of Ombos ! 
 Thou hast left thy signet-mark upon my flesh I 
 I shall not soon be able to forget the hand of 
 the Noble Psammetichus."
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 139 
 
 " I am sorry that I harmed thee, pretty one ! 
 But thou hast made more lamentation than thou 
 wouldst, hadst thou not wished to revenge thy- 
 self in true woman fashion !" 
 
 " Thanks for thy courtesy !" replied Taia, 
 making a low reverence. " Thou dost firat slay 
 then coolly tell me that thou didst not pain 
 me, and that I am mocking thee the 
 while!" 
 
 " But where art thou leading me, maiden?" 
 said Psammetichus. " Art thou playing off 
 any child's pranks upon me ? I know thee of 
 old, Taia I And I know that it always gave thy 
 foolish heart especial delight to mislead and 
 torment me !" 
 
 " My Lord !' ' again cried Taia, tossing 
 her head indignantly. "My duties," she 
 continued, with a pretty assumption of dig- 
 nity " my duties to my royal mistress are too 
 many, and too grave to leave me leisure or de- 
 sire for such mad tricks. The first tire-wo- 
 man in the train of the Princess Nitocris, 
 must be of more dignified carriage than the 
 hired buffoon !" 
 
 " But hear me, maiden, and answer reason- 
 ably, if thou canst for by the Crown of Jsis, 
 thou lookest too scant-witted for grave reason !
 
 140 AZETH : 
 
 Art thou really guiding me to the Princess 
 Nitocris ? or art tbou mocking at my credulity, 
 and punishing me with deception for being so 
 ready to place faith in one as light and giddy 
 as thyself?" 
 
 "Are these the choicest flatteries of the 
 noble Psammetichus ? A bewitching 
 store thou hast, in good faith! Surely, 
 no maiden throughout the length and breadth 
 of the Land of the Tree] could resist their 
 seductions ! Thou art credulous to trust to 
 me ? Thanks to thy grace ! Shall we then 
 return ? And when the Lady Nitocris asks 
 me concerning my charge, I must reply to her, 
 ' He refused to credit thy messenger !' Such 
 a speech will earn thee a gorgeous vest or em- 
 broidered girdle, spun and worked by herself, 
 as a reward for thy rare gallantry." 
 
 " Thou hast the art of making the worse ap- 
 pear the better cause," replied Psammetichus, 
 smiling : " And though thou art even mocking 
 and deluding me, thou art too fair for anger 
 or reproach. Let us proceed. I scarce believe that 
 thou hast spoken truly but, at least, I will end 
 the adventure ! With so sweet a guide to lure 
 me onwards, even disappointment would lose 
 half its bitterness."
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 141 
 
 " Nay, ray Lord, thou owest me more than 
 empty, unmeaning compliments, for thou hast 
 deeply offended me. But ye high-necked nobles 
 deem that we poor maidens, are made for any 
 purposes to which ye choose to put us ! That 
 if ye will to insult, ye may ; and if ye will to 
 flatter and trifle as ye would with mindless 
 children, ye may ; and we are to fold our hands 
 upon our laps, and to receive each with the 
 same thankfulness. Ye ought to think more 
 highly of us ! For the women of the Pure 
 Land, ought to be worthy of, and equal to, 
 their lords ! There," she muttered to herself, 
 " I have given him my mistress' last lesson. 
 How will he like it?" 
 
 " I am not one of those who insult ye 
 maiden," said Psammetichus, very gravely. 
 "I trust that lever have treated all things young, 
 and fair, and weak, with fitting mauly cour- 
 tesy, and ever used my -strength for protec- 
 tion not opression." 
 
 Taia, afraid that she had gone too far, and 
 really sorry in her own dear, kind heart if ehe 
 had wounded the feelings of her companion, 
 stole nearer to him, and looked up in hia face 
 with a bright smile such as only she could 
 give. A bright smile that half prayed for
 
 142 AZETH : 
 
 pardon half granted grace with a whole 
 army of beauties springing forth from every 
 dimple, and lurking in every shade and curve. 
 She was hastening onward by his side now 
 her loose garments even waving against his 
 soldier's armour, when a wild, loud laugh rang 
 through the air, like the scream of a startled 
 vulture, and made both herself and the noble 
 halt and draw back. Uttering a shrill cry she 
 clung to Psammetichus. With the self-aban- 
 donment of a child, she hid her face in his 
 bosom, and twined her arms through his. 
 Poor Taia ! thou art very, very frightened ! 
 And yet thou hast enough presence of mind 
 to place thy pretty hands in shy confusion 
 over thy sparkling eyes. Was it to hide a 
 smile or a blush that thou didst cower so 
 closely down ? Wicked Taia ! how much has 
 not nature taught thee !" 
 
 The noble was embarrassed, and even dis- 
 tressed. He could not throw off the young 
 maiden who had flung herself upon his bosom 
 for safety ; yet neither did he wish to hold 
 her thus in his arms, as if voluntarily. If she 
 were too fair, for bis anger, so was she for his 
 coldness. And he had scarcely been a man, 
 who could have stiffly bade so beautiful a
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 143 
 
 thing resting against him, to turn elsewhere 
 for support. And yet, what if Nitocris were 
 to come ? What, if she were to hear of this 
 strange scene ? Then the last blow would be 
 given to all his hopes, and the woman's 
 jealousy would be worse for him than the 
 daughter's indignation. 
 
 As these thoughts passed through his mind, 
 a heavy alabaster stool was flung down, and 
 looking towards the spot whence the noise pro- 
 ceeded, he saw a hideous, mis-shapen dwarf at 
 some little distance from them squatting with 
 crossed legs on the floor, and pointing his 
 skinny fingers at them. 
 
 " Ho ! ho ! ho !" laughed the dwarf, his el- 
 dritch voice caught up by every block, and 
 pillar and capital, and flung up to the painted 
 roof, and thrust peering into the corners and 
 angles, where it whirled and whirled about in 
 faint circles fainter and thinner until it 
 finally spun itself to silence, and died away 
 to a whispering, like that of goblins in the 
 moonlight. " Ho ! ho ! ho ! what the Lady 
 buys with pain, the damsel gets for nought ! 
 Good luck to thy merchandize, fair Lord ! I 
 see thou art a liberal seller of thy favor. 
 And yet surely thou oughtest to give the most 
 to the highest bidder ! Taia, how didst thou
 
 144 AZETH : 
 
 get that trick of gaining the grace of Psamrne- 
 thicus, the cold and rigid Noble ? It is 
 not every woman of the Valley of the Nile 
 be she even fairer than thy baby self who 
 could boast of thus hiding in his arms." 
 
 " Who art thou ?" asked Psammetichus. 
 " Art thou some shape of Typho ? Art thou 
 man or demon ?" 
 
 " Judge for thyself, brave noble !" cried the 
 dwarf. " I am Tathlyt, the dwarf of Mem- 
 phis 1" 
 
 Psammetichus started. That was a name 
 known far and wide through Egypt, though 
 its possessor was never, or but rarely, seen ; 
 known as belonging to a being en- 
 dowed with supernatural powers with the 
 knowledge of men's deeds, and even of their 
 thoughts. Many tales were abroad of his 
 ruthless cruelty his fiendish ways and fiend- 
 ish mates, for they said that he had legions 
 of demons ever about him, waiting his beck, 
 and ready to execute his wicked will on all 
 who offended him : demons, the souls of men 
 whose crimes had been too heinous for even 
 the punishment of the Brute Metempsychosis, 
 and who were thus condemned to become the 
 ministers of evil until the Grand Cycle should
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 145 
 
 return and fashion all things anew. And each 
 evil which they inflicted on others, they felt 
 in themselves ; yet urged by the raging thirst 
 for sin, they must perforce for ever commit 
 fresh crimes, and give themselves fresh tor- 
 tures. And thus guilt and its punishment 
 went hand in hand. And men said that 
 Tathlyt, the Memphite Dwarf, was a direct 
 emanation from Typho ; that to him had been 
 given the direction and government of these 
 viewless sons of wickedness. In the midnight 
 hour his voice would be heard by the couch of 
 the sleeper telling out his secret crimes, and 
 extorting reparation ; or, where this could not 
 be wrung forth where desperation lent bold- 
 ness then inflicting the punishment with his 
 own hands. Often the criminal woke, feeling 
 the long, skeleton fingers creeping about his 
 bared throat ; and hearing a low, serpent-like 
 hiss, detailing aloud the sins which he fondly 
 thought that none had known of, save the 
 dumb air and his own soul. And oft the pale 
 purple mark round the necks of some found 
 lifeless in their unruffled beds, told that Tath- 
 lyt had been there, as the messenger from the 
 Dread Forty-Two. Stern as was the reward 
 of murder, such a death as this brought no 
 VOL. i. H
 
 146 AZETH : 
 
 inquiry ; but silently was the livid corse con- 
 signed to the embalmer, and silently was it 
 placed in the dark catacombs of its fathers. 
 Terrible was the name of Tathlyt in Egypt ! 
 Even the very babe was hushed in affright, if 
 its nurse but whispered that one word. At 
 Memphis he was regarded with veneration as 
 well as fear ; for the Dwarf Deity, Phtha- 
 Soknr, the tutelar god of the royal city, had 
 taken all men of his own image under his 
 peculiar protection, and had endowed them 
 with sanctity. He had come, none knew from 
 whence. Some said that he had been born in 
 the deserts where dwelt the fierce Ishmaelite 
 and his wandering tribes ; others, that he had 
 sprung up on that cursed day when the nation 
 groaned in the darkness of the anniversary of 
 the Birth-day of Typho r whilst others, again, 
 told how that he had been first seen a mere 
 shapeless mass lying at the foot of the statue 
 of Phtha-Sokar, when the sun shone on the 
 awful procession of the Mystic Boat and gra- 
 dually assuming the form and features of the 
 pigmy Deity, stood up the creature that he 
 was : his peculiar creation, sent to call men's 
 waning love back to his shrine in Memphis. 
 This was the tale which was most believed in
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 147 
 
 the merchant city ; and repeated by the mouth 
 of the King, it was thus sanctioned by the 
 adoption of the High Priest of Phtha. His 
 dwelling-place was in the palace ; but his 
 person was unknown to its inmates, ex- 
 cepting to Sethos, whose midnight companion 
 and mysterious adviser he often was. To 
 the women, whose private chambers it was 
 said he guarded from danger and intrusion, 
 he was sometimes pleased to shew himself 
 at rare intervals for a moment's view. But 
 though Psammetichus, in former years, had 
 lived in the strictest intimacy with the Grand 
 Hierophant of Memphis, and, in his first months 
 of royalty with the King of the Two Worlds 
 as yet he had not once encountered Tathljt. 
 
 Had the Dwarf not come before Psamme- 
 tichus, with the reputation which he held, his 
 person alone would have been able to inspire 
 the Noble with a certain degree of awe if 
 not of fear. He was a wild looking being, 
 with a profusion of coarse hair, and a long 
 straggling beard hanging in matted tangles 
 over his face and neck. And it gave a strange 
 look of neglect and uncleanliness, among a 
 people so scrupulous as were the Egyptians. 
 This reddish-yellow hair fell over his low, 
 H 3
 
 148 AZETH: 
 
 knobby forehead, and thatched his large, 
 spreading head, like decaying sedge by a river's 
 banks. Here and there a handful had been 
 taken up, without order or method, and roped 
 into thick plaited cables, with the unclipped 
 ends tied up like a brush, as if in caricature of 
 the fashion of the time, which tortured the 
 women's sleek tresses into myriads of straight, 
 artificial strings, instead of allowing them to 
 flow loose and unconfined in a natural veil of 
 waving ringlets. In his large ears were rings 
 of the purest gold massive hoops, studded 
 with precious stones; but their weight had 
 distorted the ear. His garments were of the 
 same fashion as those worn by the lower 
 orders : a simple tunic descending below the 
 knee, and ending in a fringe. But this tunic 
 was of rich materials, and the linen straps 
 which fastened it round his square shoulders, 
 were embroidered with gold, and bordered 
 with narrow yellow stripes gradually decreas- 
 ing in width toward the edge. His unsightly 
 feet were shod in gay sandata, the many- 
 coloured laces of which alone seemed to bind 
 into shape the loose skin, which looked 
 as if it would have hung unconnected with 
 the bone, had it not been kept in its place by
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 149 
 
 means of these bandages. His apish arms 
 glittered with bangles made by the shores of 
 the Sacred River, the dark-blue Ganges ; and 
 his finders were loaded with rings. 
 
 The pigmy vaulted off the rug whereon he 
 had placed himself, and bounding through the 
 apartment by a series of uncouth leaps and 
 antics, came close to Pgammetichus. He put 
 one hand over his thick lips, and placed the 
 other on his knee, while bending before the 
 noble with an air of deep reverence. But a 
 lurking demon in his red-lidded eyes, and a 
 sarcastic sneer round his coarse mouth belied 
 the humility of his demeanour. 
 
 " See ! thou hast frighted the maiden !" said 
 Psammetichus, well content to be angry. 
 
 "1 crave pardon of the damsel!" said 
 Tathlyt. " But methinks Taia knows Tathlyt 
 too well, to shrink thus at his presence. 
 Taia ! fair maid ! what saith the sentence 
 which is written over the door of thine apart- 
 ment? Runs it not thus: 'Blessings be 
 upon the indwellers ; for the Evil alone need 
 fear ?' If thy course be straight, thou needst 
 not fear ; not even though the Guardian of thy 
 Chambers appears before thee!" 
 
 "What can I do?" murmured Taia, dis-
 
 150 AZETH : 
 
 tractedly. Then loosing her arms from their 
 twine, and turning quickly to the Dwarf, she 
 said, coaxingly, " Tathlyt, thou art wise and 
 good." 
 
 t " Ha ! ha ! ha ! the asp flatters the Cat of 
 Phre" !" interrupted Tathlyt, laughing boister- 
 ously. 
 
 "Nay, Tathlyt, this is childish and un- 
 worthy of thee. Hear me ; I have a prayer 
 to make to thee." 
 
 " The Cat of Phr6 hath a coat of mud, in- 
 penetrable and unmoveable. The kiss and the 
 sting of the asp are alike unfelt." 
 
 " Lord ! do thou speak to this Intractable,' ' 
 said Taia, almost in tears ; appealing to Psam- 
 metichue. 
 
 ** Maiden, bright and fair outside thou hast 
 oft foul weather in thy giddy heart !" said 
 Tathlyt, stooping with both his hands on his 
 knees, and staring into the eyes of the 
 frightened tiremaid. 
 
 Psaranietichus lightly touched him. 
 
 " Thou dost forget the presence in which 
 thou art standing," he observed with displea- 
 sure, all the pride of the noble rushing over his 
 face. 
 
 The Dwarf shook his huge, shock head.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 151 
 
 " I remember it well enough !" he said. 
 " Thou art Psammetichus, the rebel noble 
 of Sais ; and thou art in the palace of thy 
 king." 
 
 " Why hast thou interrupted our course ? 
 What is thy will, and with whom? Either 
 with me or the maiden? Speak it out, and 
 begone !" 
 
 " My will is to know why thou art here, 
 O Psammetichus !" replied the Dwarf, sud- 
 denly assuming a grave tone of rebuke, and 
 looking full at the soldier. " What business 
 hast thou here in the palace of Sethos, whom 
 thou thyself hast made thy foe? In the 
 very heart of his home penetrating to the 
 most secret parts say, why thou art doing 
 this ? Thy way from the Private Apartment 
 where thou hast just been and where thou 
 didst lose thy self-command, and thy dutiful 
 respect to the sovereign lay through the 
 Porch. And the Porch looks upon the Street 
 of Lions ; it doth not lead to the women's pe- 
 culiar quarter." 
 
 " What hast thou to do with my steps, 
 slave?" cried Psammetichus, angrily. 
 
 " I am the guardian of these rooms, and 
 their inmates," laughed Tathlyt. " And suffer
 
 152 AZETH : 
 
 nothing unseemly to take place within, or 
 around them. Judge, thyself, noble sir! if 
 thou wouldst love to see an enemy in thine 
 own dwelling wandering about, none may 
 tell whither. And yet art thou not thus prow- 
 ling through the dwelling of the king ? By 
 what right ? Did Sethos bid thee go visit hie 
 daughter ? He would hardly bid the crested 
 viper watch over the pigeon's purple-winged 
 brood ! He had hardly sent the noble Psam- 
 metichus, Chief of the Malcontents, to hide in 
 the chamber of the Princess Nitocris !" 
 
 Psammetichus bit his lip till the blood dyed 
 his tooth, then answered ; 
 
 " Thou hast put a near question, and one 
 which I can best answer by silence. Yet the 
 knowledge that I am a noble and a soldier 
 ought to quell thy suspicions," 
 
 " A noble and a soldier ? Ha ! Yet apes 
 bite, and lions slay ; and I had rather provoke 
 the wrath of both, than cross the path of 
 Egypt's Noble Soldiery !" 
 
 ri If so, then do thou go on thy way, and 
 let me depart on mine." 
 
 " Thou art wise and crafty, Lord ! but thou 
 art not overwise for Tathlyt! I have met 
 thee I have disconcerted thee and now I
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 153 
 
 will follow thee, and see the end. Nay !" he 
 added, shrinking as he saw the angry spot on 
 the noble's cheek, and glanced at his uplifted 
 hand. " Thou wilt never strike an old man, 
 and a weak? Where is thy manliness, and 
 thy pride? For Psammetichus to strike the 
 Dwarf of Memphis, would sound ill for his 
 nobleness, though well thou thinkest for his 
 freedom from superstition." 
 
 '' But thou dost merit it for thine inso- 
 lence," returned Psammetichus. " Taia, what 
 wilt thou that I shall do with this man if man 
 he may be called ?" 
 
 '* Oh ! nought ! nought !" whispered Taia. 
 " Thou dost forget that he is not only a Dwarf, 
 and under the protection of the Great Phtha, 
 but that he hath also supernatural powers, and 
 if we offend him, can smite us to the dust 
 with one glance of his Evil Eye. They say 
 that he hath an army of fiendish spirits ever 
 with him, who at a hint or gesture from him, 
 will torture to the death all who enrage him. 
 Thou hadst best leave him, Lord ! The Sea- 
 horse is snared through his fancied security, 
 and thou mayst be lost through thy boldness." 
 
 " Tush, Maiden ! a truce to these idle fol- 
 H 5
 
 154 AZETH: 
 
 lies. What can an army of bodiless spirits do 
 against man's living strength?" 
 
 " Psammetichus is wise, and free from the 
 weaknesses of commoner men," eaid the Dwarf 
 with something of an admiring look. " But 
 perchance he hath never seen the beauteous 
 palm grove, which the evening sun kissed when 
 she slept, stand, in the dawn, a mass of black- 
 ened and charred rafters for Tathlyt had 
 passed through ? And perchance he hath never 
 seen the fair maid the father loved, and of 
 whom the mother had made the casket of her 
 life's treasures, pine, sicken, and die for 
 Tathlyt had gazed upon her? But I will 
 appeal to another feeling than craven fear. 
 See ! thou art a warrior, and a mighty man I 
 am a cripple and a weakling. Thou wouldst 
 not harm such an one for doing his master's 
 will, and obeying his behests, in guarding 
 the dear flock? The noble indulges his desire 
 in roaming, unbidden, through the king's 
 palace, why may not the Dwarf do so like- 
 wise, in following his step;? ? The one commits 
 a greater fault than that of mere intrusion ; 
 the other hath the right and privilege of his 
 office to warrant his espial."
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 155 
 
 Psammetichus smiled. 
 
 " Thou knowest the heart well, friend !" he 
 said. " Thou hast called on the manliness of 
 Psammetichus, and such a call is ever an- 
 swered. Thou mayst not arrest my steps, but 
 thou mayst follow as thou wilt. Neither 
 thine, nor the eyes of any one, shall look on 
 my ways and find in them aught unworthy of 
 an Egyptian noble. Do thy will for me !" 
 
 u No! no!" exclaimed Taia, hurriedly. 
 " This must not be ! I have a small boon to 
 ask of thee but a small one, dear Tathlyt ! 
 Leave us now. Hereafter thou shalt know 
 all. Good Tathlyt, grant me this prayer. 
 Why needst thou follow, thou whp knowest all 
 things? Thou hast but to will it, and thy 
 spirit can pass through every barrier, and look 
 on all that passes within the most secret 
 hiding place. So they say of thy powers I 
 Dear, wise Tathlyt, leave us now." 
 
 u The crocodile lies on the sand." said 
 Tathlyt in a wild, chanting voice, snapping his 
 fingers, and beating the palms of his hands to- 
 gether, in time to the measure. " The smooth 
 ichneumon comes, and bids him open his 
 mouth and sleep. ' Sleep ! sleep ! The sun is
 
 156 AZETH: 
 
 warm and the winds are dead. The lazy air 
 from the still waters forgets to blow. Sleep ! 
 for it is sweet in this noonday's heat. Ho ! 
 my brave foe, thou art caught ! Xow I am 
 within thy terrible jaws ; now I glide down ; 
 and now 1 gnaw my way through thy body. 
 And thou must die, because I, soft-speeched 
 ichneumon, bade thee open thy mouth and 
 sleep. Oh foolish strength! that trusting in 
 its own superiority lets the weaker first lull, 
 then conquer ! Of what advantage was it to 
 the crocodile, Taia, to know that he had been 
 deceived with fair speeches and apparent 
 friendliness, after Death had stalked in ? To 
 foreknow is the best. Therefore I will follow 
 ye both now, and thou needst not tell me 
 hereafter. If thou art not doing wrong, my 
 presence need not alarm thee : but if thou art 
 meditating evil, the sooner thou art stayed, 
 the better I Come ! lead the way ; I will 
 follow thee without being fettered to thy side 
 with thy scarlet girdle. Scarlet : thy gar- 
 ment's edges are of the flame colour, and thy 
 lotus-necklace blushes with the crimson dye of 
 the sun ; the fringe around thy straying feet 
 the stripes that border thy floating robe
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 15? 
 
 the fillet that binds thy glossy hair all have 
 the same hue. What means the colour, maid ? 
 Shall I whisper it to thee ? Treachery !" 
 
 11 ' Nay !" cried Psarametichus kindly, " thou 
 dost give the merry tirewoman credit for 
 deeper thoughts and deeper meanings than ever 
 passed through her childlike mind. She has but 
 adopted the colour of witchery the better to 
 adorn her bright brow. The dazzling tint 
 of her favorite hue agrees well with the 
 sunshine that breathes around her. Thou art 
 overwise in thy suggestion, Tathlyt." 
 
 " The mighty Dwarf of Memphis puts his 
 superhuman knowledge to but a mean pur- 
 pose, when he condescends to find a reason 
 for the colour of a tiremaid's girdle!" said 
 Taia pettishly. 
 
 " Nought is too low, and nought is too high 
 for Tathlyt' a vision," replied the dwarf sig- 
 nificantly. " But we lose time. Forward, 
 Taia ! The noble and I will tread in thy track. 
 Haste thee, girl. Dost th<Ju think life so 
 long, that its precious hours may be wasted, 
 and never missed from the boundless store- 
 house of its years ?" 
 
 "Thou shalt not follow!" cried Taia, 
 almost beside herself with despair and anger.
 
 158 AZETH : 
 
 " Hush !" whispered the dwarf, covering his 
 mouth with his hand, as the noise of a closing 
 door sounded through the air, and the steps 
 of men were heard clanking on the marble 
 hall, through which the noble and his fair 
 guide had lately passed, " I hear the King !" 
 Then, after a moment's silence, when the echoes 
 of the feet had gone, and all was still, he 
 burst into a wild and boisterous laugh, and ex- 
 claimed ; 
 
 ' Well ! go ye now in peace to the chamber 
 of Nitocris. I care not to witness the first 
 part of the interview. But I will send Sethos 
 in my stead, to enjoy the show !" 
 
 Taia caught his arm, 
 
 "Stay! stay! good Tathlyt !" she cried, 
 clinging to him with all her force, " what mad- 
 ness art thou not about to commit !' ' 
 
 ** Thou wouldst not have me, when I would, 
 and now that thou wouldst, I will not. Thou 
 kuowest that men call me Tathlyt, the Incom- 
 prehensible ! We shall soon meet again, 
 Peummetichus! And Taia. my bright- eyed maid, 
 mayhap the executioner will be the interpreter 
 between thee and me at our next conference. 
 The fair daughters of the Pure Land are oft 
 chastised; why not then, Taia, handmaid of
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 159 
 
 the Princess ? Beware !" and, so saying, he 
 darted from them, and leapt through the cham- 
 ber with the same apish gestures as before ; 
 running between and amongst the pillars, and 
 peeping from out behind them with hideous 
 grimaces; stopping often to point his long 
 fingers with derision at the pair. With a shrill 
 yell he at length disappeared ; and Psatnmeti- 
 chus himself seemed to breathe more freely 
 when he was gone. 
 
 "He is a fearful being!" shuddered Taia, 
 and knows all that happens, not only in this 
 palace, but throughout wide Egypt ! He has 
 indeed an awful knowledge ! And I fear that 
 he is cruel although I myself have never 
 known, for certain, of one evil thing that he 
 has done 1 I doubt not that he will tell Sethos 
 the King, as he threatened ; and then, woe 
 both to thee and to me 1" 
 
 " I am beyond the King's power !" replied 
 Psammetichus proudly. " But I should grieve 
 if thou, poor girl, come to arjy harm through 
 me, however indirectly I might be the cause ! 
 The Princess is safe from the anger of her 
 father? He never chid his young dove in 
 olden times ; he would hardly do so now, 
 when each hour adds some new grace, or brings
 
 160 AZETH : 
 
 into the light some new beauty that had been 
 hidden in the shrine of girlhood's timidity. 
 But let us to her footstool. "We have spent 
 too much time already in this senseless con- 
 verse with yonder dwarf !" 
 
 " True ! true I" cried the maiden, darting 
 forward like a bird loosened from its string. 
 
 She skimmed through a long side corridor, 
 then through another chamber like that in 
 which they had been detained by Tathlyt, and 
 after this was passed, she halted before a door 
 of highly polished ebony, which was inlaid 
 with ivory, and painted with colours and gold. 
 On the architrave was written this inscription ; 
 " Isis, Mother of the Earth, spread thy guardian 
 wings around this cradle of Peace !" The two 
 tapering, graceful pillars, between which the door 
 swung, were the beautiful palm-tree pillars. The 
 shafts were formed like the stem, while the 
 capitals were moulded into the foliage, of that 
 dear child of the sun. The square and mas- 
 sive bases bore he royal figures of a lion with 
 an asp springing from its side, surmounted by 
 the Staff of Purity. 
 
 Taia cautiously withdrew the large wooden 
 pin which served as a lock, and opening the 
 door, silently motioned the noble in. He en-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 161 
 
 tered. It was a small room smaller than any 
 of those through which he had been led ; but 
 the marble floor brought from the quarries of 
 Alabastron, the gorgeously painted ceiling, 
 the luxurious rugs an'd carpets of Memphis, 
 the gilded furniture of the rarest foreign 
 woods, the large vases of the true and the 
 false murrhine, the cups and bottles of pic- 
 tured glass, each a labyrinth of scrolls and 
 leaves encircling some figure of bird or beast, 
 wrought to life-like beauty, all told that it 
 belonged to one of high place. Whilst the 
 delicate work-basket of the lithe byblus the 
 ivory frame for weaving and embroidering the 
 seven-stringed lute which rested against a tall 
 vase filled with starry flowers and newly 
 gathered lotus necklaces hanging on their 
 carved stands, told likewise that it belonged 
 to a woman, and a woman of graceful and 
 refined tastes. 
 
 And Nitocris, the Mistress of this Cradle 
 of Peace, stood in the midst of the apartment, 
 her anxious looks rivetted on the door. 
 
 The heart of Psammetichus beat loud and 
 high, and the blood rushed over his brow. In 
 the chamber of Nitocris standing where her 
 dear feet had so often pressed about him the
 
 162 AZETH : 
 
 same air which had swept round her beauty 
 viewing the things which her glance had 
 glorified, and her touch had hallowed 
 nay, more, feeling the warm breath of 
 her parted lips fan over* his, and hearing the 
 music of this deep-drawn breath before her, 
 in her presence what luxury ! what bliss ! 
 Painful, from their intensity, were the noble's 
 feelings of delight. He bent his knee, and, 
 taking her hand, pressed it to his lips : 
 
 "NitocrisI beautiful and noble Nitocris !" 
 he murmured in almost suffocated tone. 
 
 Nitocris hung over him. Her hands, with 
 their slender fingers entwined, were pressed on 
 her heaving bosom ; and her large dewy eyes, 
 filled with unutterable tenderness, were rain- 
 ing down their full showers of love upon him. 
 Gently as a young mother hangs over her first 
 born, she bent over the kneeling man. She 
 gazed long and kindly. Her pride was hushed 
 to sleep, and her coldness wept itself away. 
 The Princess, the Egyptian, and the daughter, 
 were forgotten, and the loving woman stood 
 there aloue. 
 
 Psammetichus dared not raise his eyes. He 
 knelt with his head bowed to the ground. Ah ! 
 had he but once gazed up into that dear face 
 so eloquent now his deep thoughts, and so un-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 163 
 
 guarded in its exposure of the weakness with- 
 in heart to heart, and hand in hand, they 
 had found each other, and had not again been 
 parted. But he dared not look up. And the 
 partition-wall of pride, and opposing duties, 
 which had been for a moment thrown down 
 by overwhelming tenderness, once more rose 
 up between them. 
 
 A start a hurried sigh the blood all con- 
 gealing round her heart for terror and for 
 shame her lips pale her eyes darker, with a 
 ray of anguish darting from them, and a sharp 
 searching look to discover whether her weakness 
 had been beheld or no, then, swift, wild blushes 
 mantling over her cheek and bosom and Nito- 
 cris, with her stately form raised to its full 
 height, was again the haughty, unapproachable, 
 and unmoved Idol of Beauty. 
 
 " Psammetichus," she said, but her voice 
 trembled in spite of her cold eye and proud mien 
 " thy place is not here at my feet. I pray thee 
 to rise. This reverence is excessive and un- 
 seemly." 
 
 Psammetichus sprang to his feet with the 
 writhe of a stung lion his nostrils were dilated 
 and his strong chest heaved. 
 
 " Nitocris !" he creid, " This voice ? this 
 air ? "Will nothing move thee ? Wilt thou
 
 164 AZETH : 
 
 for ever look on ine so coldly and so sternly ? 
 Oh ! where is thy woman's heart ? In what 
 Lake of Death hast thou drowned its tender- 
 ness ? I could nigh weep that thou hast 
 so ruthlessly destroyed the fair flower of 
 love!" 
 
 " My Lord, I besought thy presence, not for 
 such scenes as these. The reasons which were 
 weighty enough to make Nitocris forget her 
 place and dignity, were not that she might 
 listen to unmeaning flatteries, or reply to mad 
 ravings," and she turned away abruptly. 
 
 Fsammetichus did not see the look of pain 
 that blanched her cheek, nor did he hear the 
 sigh that seemed to burst from the very depths 
 of her soul. 
 
 " It is well, lady," he began in a constrained 
 voice. " For long months thou hast spurned 
 me with pride and contempt. But it must 
 end. I, too, have a higher part in life to play, 
 than that of thankless slavery to a woman, 
 even the fairest that ever drew breath ! And 
 now say, what is thy need with me ? Aught 
 that the Princess Nitocris wills to demand of 
 the noble, shall be hers if it may be granted. 
 See, I forget not the several degrees of our 
 several ranks !" he added, bitterly. " I have
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 165 
 
 had wild dreams but this madness hath hap- 
 pily been spared me. I forget not that thou 
 art the Princess of Egypt, and I, but a dis- 
 graced noble ; an impoverished soldier, whom it 
 has pleased thy sire to thus beggar and dishon- 
 or ! We stand not now in the same positions, as 
 when thou wert the priest's daughter, and I the 
 first noble in the Land of Khem. To the one 
 hath been granted a power by which the other 
 has become degraded.' 5 
 
 "I need not answer thy taunts," replied 
 Nitocris, gravely. " Thine own heart, in 
 cooler hours, will upbraid and condemn thee ! 
 But I will tell thee why I desired thy presence 
 here, alone, in my private chamber. Methinks 
 such a mark of confidence ought to have ensured 
 thy respect and tender dealing ! But it matters 
 not : I have been once again disappointed in my 
 expectations, and have not found the nobleness 
 which I looked for. Art thou of my father's 
 army ?" 
 
 " I was," answered Psammetichus, with an 
 effort, after a long pause. 
 
 " Thou wert ! That word bodes ill, my 
 Lord ! Thou wert, and thou art not now ? Is 
 it thus?"
 
 166 AZETH: 
 
 " It is. I am not the soldier of Se- 
 thos !" 
 
 *' And why ? How dost thou dare to look 
 upon the eye of the sun, and look a rebel ? 
 How dost thou dare to lie down in the midnight 
 stillness, and trust thyself to the keeping of 
 those gods whom thou hast offended, angered, 
 and injured throughout the day? Thou saidst 
 that my father did disgrace thee. Nay nay, 
 Psaminetichus ! Thou, thyself, art the execu- 
 tioner of thine own honor and thou, thyself, 
 hast dealt the death-blow to thy fame. The 
 deprivation of a few privileges, could never 
 have dishonored a nobleman ; but the turning 
 from good to evil the forsaking the altar of 
 Neph for that of Typho this, it is, that could 
 degrade even the swine-herd ! And dost thou 
 .-till walk through streets of Memphis, and 
 dost thou still breathe the air of the Nile 
 and art all the while lost, defamed, apos- 
 tate ?" 
 
 And the eyes of Nitocris flashed through 
 their large tears. 
 
 " I knew not that I was to be thus schooled," 
 answered the noble, " else would I have learnt 
 my lesson better." 
 
 " Forgive me," said Nitocris, coldly, ' I
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 167 
 
 fear that I have trusted too much to the 
 kind indulgence of Psammetichus. I know 
 that such matters belong not to me. But I 
 deemed that, perchance, a daughter's anxiety 
 and a woman's fears, might plead my excuse, 
 for thus overstepping the closely-drawn 
 bounds of a woman's place. If thou dost 
 not love those simple questions which it 
 pleases thee to name schooling thou art free 
 to depart." 
 
 " My duty is to obey the king's daughter, in 
 as far as her commands war not with mine 
 honor," returned Psammetichus, bowing, and 
 crossing one hand over his breast as an 
 inferior, while he retreated a few steps back- 
 ward. 
 
 Nitocris gave one long look from under her 
 forest of black lashes. A look of anger, 
 
 O ' 
 
 pity, and affection commingled, then she turned 
 away. 
 
 " At least, thou art my father's friend?" she 
 said, at length. 
 
 " I am not his friend, lady. The king and I 
 have met for the last time." 
 
 " Do I hear aright ?" cried Nitocris. 
 u Thou, a personal foe of Sethos ? Thou ? 
 Psammetichus ?"
 
 168 AZETH: 
 
 " My hand is not with the Pontiff-King, 
 lady." 
 
 " Then against him ! Oh ! how couldst 
 thou thus desert thy monarch, and thine an- 
 cient friend in his need ? I knew, indeed, 
 that thou wert one of those who murmured 
 at his decree ; and I thought that the pride, which 
 deems its own insulted dignity the grandest 
 event of life, might keep thee for some short 
 time from joining with the royal troops ; but 
 I also thought that delay, like a woman's 
 feigned denial, was meant only to enhance 
 the price of thy return and consent. And 
 thou hast calmly deserted thy trust, and 
 left thy country to perish, and thy king to 
 die ?" 
 
 " My poor aid given, or withheld, is 
 nought," answered Psammetichus, gloomily. 
 " And is it not natural for the soldiers of the 
 land to say that Sethos must know their worth 
 better, and reward them more justly, ere they 
 will peril their all for him? It is no light 
 thing, maiden, to give our whole of strength, 
 and our whole of love, for the wages of op- 
 pression and scorn !" 
 
 " My father prizes thee, Psammetichus !" 
 returned Nitocris, eagerly ; " I have oft heard
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 169 
 
 him speak, of late, lovingly of thee. Yea, and 
 that, too, since thou hast taken part with the 
 discontented nobles. Let not the fancy that 
 thou art not valued weigh with thee ! It is 
 false ! Indeed, indeed, thou mayst believe my 
 words ! My father loves thee, Psamtnetichus, 
 as he always loved thee 1" 
 
 " Prizes me ? Loves me ? Nay, in truth I 
 think not ! As little as his daughter prizes or 
 loves her childhood's friend !" 
 
 " Does Psammetichus ever taunt, instead of 
 answer ? I tell thee once and again, that this 
 theme is foreign to my purpose ! I wished thy 
 presence, not to recal that which never can re- 
 turn, and which had best be buried in silence 
 and forgetfulness, but simply to learn if thou 
 wert still true to thy country I will not say 
 to thy king, since that name so displeases thee. 
 Thou art false ; and I beseech thee to turn again 
 into the right path, ere error has hardened into 
 crime !" 
 
 " Nitocris, tbou beseech me ?'' 
 
 "For thine honor's sake for the weal of 
 thy birth-land for thy place in the Dread 
 Day, and for the sentence of the fearful As- 
 sessors !" 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 170 AZETH: 
 
 " For thyself ?" said the noble, breathlessly, 
 bending forward with clasped hands. 
 
 "Nought," replied Nitocria, casting down 
 her eyes, and turning aside her head to conceal 
 the quivering of her lips. " To myself, thy 
 decision will be nothing," she added, with un- 
 natural calmness. 
 
 " I am bound by an oath not to take up 
 arms with Sethos, unless he repair the evil 
 which he hnth done," said Psammetichus, 
 slowly ; and unconsciously laying his hand upon 
 his heart, to still its throbbing. 
 
 " And my prayer is powerless ?" 
 
 " It must be so." 
 
 "And thou will not defend the altars, nor 
 the helpless maidens of the Pure Land ? Thou 
 wilt rather give them up into the keeping of 
 the Gentile ?" 
 
 And the voice of Nitocris sunk into 
 the music of a strange, sweet sadness, 
 whilst she looked into the eyes of the 
 Noble. 
 
 Psammctichus remained silent, and gazed 
 steadfastly at the maiden. He took her hand. 
 She let it lie passive in his grasp. And thus 
 they stood, their pulsing fingers beating toge-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 171 
 
 ther, and the thoughts understood by each of 
 their hearts. 
 
 "Nitocris," he then began, " thou knowest 
 how I love thee. Thou knowest that I would 
 give niy lifenot only for thineeach man whose 
 form does riot belie his nature, would do 
 that but I would peril it to win one faintest 
 smile of approval from thee ! But I likewise 
 love my virtue ; and I would not forfeit it 
 for the richest treasure which life holds in ' 
 her hand. Nay not even for the treasure of 
 love ! Sethos has been an oppressor to me, 
 and to my brethren. For myself, had I been 
 the sole sufferer I had cared nothing. But I 
 cannot aid him in the oppression of Egypt's 
 noblest sons ! And patriotism must conquer love. 
 Yet my heart is not unmoved. I loved thee in 
 first youth, when the down of manhood was 
 not yet upon my smooth lip when the sun 
 brightened over thee, a happy child; as I had loved 
 thee in the early dawn I loved thee in the full 
 day, when thy soul had awakened from its 
 sleep of infancy. I love thee still ; yet I an- 
 ger ; yet I deny. And holding fast by stern 
 duty, I must hide my face from the beautiful 
 allurements of love, and devote myself to death, 
 rather than to those, and perjury !" 
 i 3
 
 172 AZETH ; 
 
 Nitocris tore- away her hand. 
 
 ** Thy speech is an insult!" she cried. 
 " Thy love is a mockery, and only a barren 
 word a phrase to be cunningly used, as a 
 mask for rebellion to every holiest law of the 
 Gods! Thou lovest none but thyself! Think- 
 est thou, too, that the daughter of the royal 
 Sethos, will list to such words as these from 
 his enemy ? Ha ! thou little knowest the 
 heart of her thou wouldst woo by insult to 
 herself, and wrong to her father !" 
 
 Psammetichus attempted to speak. 
 
 " Peace ! peace !" she exclaimed wildly. 
 " Let me not hear thy voice again ! Our 
 conference is over ; and thou art free to depart. 
 Mad, that I was, to dream that the wishes of 
 a helpless maiden, though that maiden were 
 the Princess Nitocris, could influence one so 
 given up to selfishness." 
 
 " Nitocris ! thou knowest not thy words," 
 said Psammetichus, gently. 
 
 Nitocris burst into a passionate, unrestrained 
 flood of tears. 
 
 " Oh ! what do I say ! what do I say !" she 
 cried, " I truly know myself no longer ! 
 Psammetichus, leave me ! Oh ! leave me if 
 thou didst ever love me leave me now."
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 173 
 
 She sunk into a chair, and covering her face 
 with her hands, sobbed aloud. 
 
 The Noble flung himself at her feet. 
 
 " Here, at thy footstool," he said, his manly 
 voice trembling, " here will I stay, nor rise 
 till thou givest me thy pardon. I will not 
 name mine own love, but I will name that of 
 thy dead mother. She cradled the orphaned 
 child of her friend on that same bosom, where- 
 on, a few years after, she cradled thee, her 
 own dear offspring. Thy mother, thy sweet 
 mother loved me, Nitocris. For her sake 
 then pardon me. And yet thou turnest away 
 in coldness from the son of her adoption, 
 while I kneel in love to the child of her 
 heart.'' 
 
 Nitocris had become calmer. She looked at 
 the Noble. 
 
 u For my mother's sake," she whispered. 
 And she laid her hand upon his shoulder, bend- 
 ing her head till her long hair swept his fore- 
 head. 
 
 " And thou wilt not love thine early play- 
 mate, Nitocris?" 
 
 "Hush! hush!" she said, trembling. 
 *' That word may never be spoken between 
 us twain. That sun hath sunk in the dark
 
 174 AZETH : 
 
 west, never to rise more. My mother ! O my 
 gentle, beloved mother!" 
 
 " Aye ! call on her name, daughter of Se- 
 thos! Call, till the breath of her lovely 
 spirit softens tlie father's sternness in thy 
 heart. Call, till some of the love which she 
 felt for the boy chained in sweet lily bands to 
 her laughing infant, comes to thy soul. Thy 
 mother, Nitocris, would have wept sorely over 
 this fearful cloud between two, she destined 
 should love each other !" 
 
 " Let th3 past rest in peace," said the 
 Princess, rising and gathering strength and 
 coldness as she proceeded. " With the days 
 of childhood flee also its loves and duties. 
 Thou art now the Chief Noble of Egypt and 
 at war with her King. Can then, that King's 
 daughter be aught unto thee, but a stranger ? 
 Blame not my coldness, where the fault lies 
 with thy departure from virtue. Return to 
 thy duty ere thou namest affection. Give the 
 first place to the holiest feeling. Wilt thou 
 amend thy fault, Psammetichus dear Psam- 
 metichus ? Oh ! if thou but publicly profess 
 thyself the friend of Sethos, thou wilt 
 bring to his aid the whole of those who now 
 oppose him. Psammetichus, wilt thou not
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 175 
 
 hear my voice ? Wilt thou not grant a prayer 
 made thus ?" And she laid her clasped hands 
 upon his shoulder, and looked into his face 
 with a smile, and a tear, at once, upon her lip 
 and her cheek. 
 
 " It may not be 1" returned Psammetichus, 
 speaking as one in extreme pain. " My vow 
 is recorded, and my word is pledged. And 
 even were it not so, my sword could never be 
 drawn, nor my chariots led forth, in the ser- 
 vice of one who deals unjustly to my brethren. 
 Oh ! it ia a frightful time when we can thus 
 dare to speak of the Monarch-priest, when 
 we can thus dare to cast aside all the child- 
 honored reverence for the people's father, for 
 the oracle of the Gods, for the Anointed and 
 Blessed, and boldly proclaim ourselves rebels 
 to his law, and judges of his conduct! A 
 spell is over the land ! Yet, still I say, let 
 Sethos rescind his decree, and Psammetichus 
 will be the first to pay him homage, and give 
 him aid. Oh ! why wilt thou madden me by 
 thy prayers, and thy witcheries, when they 
 must be useless?" he added passionately. 
 u Cruel ! cruel maid! why dost thou eo delight 
 to torture me? O Gods! my brain is on 
 fire ! Nitocris ! tbou hast slain me !"
 
 176 AZETH : 
 
 And every limb of the stout-hearted soldier 
 quivered. 
 
 " Then fare thee well !" said Nitocris, tak- 
 ing her hands from his shoulder, and speaking 
 with indifference. rt If the Assyrian soldier 
 makes of the yet bleeding corse of Nitocris, 
 his footstool to help his further pillage shed 
 one tear, not for her fate, but thine own mis- 
 deeds 1 Now fare thee well! I cannot bid 
 thee * good luck,' for thy fortune will be the 
 enslaving of Egypt, and the downfal of my 
 father ; and thy prosperity will grave my own 
 tomb 1" 
 
 She folded her arms and stood erect and still 
 as some beautiful statue. 
 
 Psammetichus turned sorrowfully away. His 
 hand on the lock, he looked once more. But 
 the light from the unclosed window, streaming 
 over her like a glory, showed only the un- 
 moved eye and haughty lip of a high-set god- 
 dess, indifferent in her lofty calmness to the 
 woes or the pleasures of men. Her head was 
 slightly thrown back ; and its rich clusters of 
 jetty tresses fell heavily upon her bosom, which 
 rose and fell with each breath, as tranquilly as 
 a sleeping babe's. Her whole air and attitude 
 spoke only of a majestic composure, not to be
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 177 
 
 disturbed by any earthly passion. A mighty 
 effort for a heart so full ! Psammetichus lin- 
 gered still. Slowly she turned her eyes upon 
 him like the eyes of an antelope at bay 
 and essayed to speak. But in vain. Words 
 would have only been articulate tears ; and she 
 must be still. 
 
 ** And we part thus ?" he said. 
 
 She waved her hand: and he closed the 
 door. 
 
 Tathlyt sprang forward and led him hastily 
 away. On the threshold of a private gate, 
 which opened into the Grand Droinos of Lions, 
 he halted, and said : 
 
 " Thanks Tathlyt, this [time, for thy safety! 
 I delayed thee so long in the chamber with 
 my foolish ways, and, it might seem to thee, 
 insolent provokings, because Sethos and 
 Osorchon had passed by a nearer way into the 
 apartment of the Princess. And the one is a 
 father, and thy foe ; the other an Ishmaelitish 
 lover of hot blood. If he were wont to brook 
 little while a poor, friendless youth from thee, 
 his elder, and superior, and master, what will 
 he do now, when about to be raised to thy 
 peculiar privileges, of affection ? Nay, never 
 start ! Nitocris cannot love Azm." The Dwarf 
 i 5
 
 1 78 AZETH : 
 
 laid his hand on the Noble's arm, and with a 
 sweet smile that lighted up his hideous fea- 
 tures into positive beauty, he pressed it 
 warmly. " Psammetichus, noble heart!" he 
 added, " fear nothing. Thy glorious path is 
 straight, and it must lead to goodl And 
 though thy days of mourning are many and 
 dark, and thy burdens hard to bear, courage, 
 and look up ! Tathlyt, the Dwarf of Mem- 
 phis, hath an evil name through the land ; but 
 if thou dost ever need a friend one, firm, and 
 staunch, and true one, who will dare and do 
 all that man may then remember the demon- 
 shaped being whom thou hast met this day, for 
 the first, but not for the last time ! To the 
 sinful, alone, am I a terror and a scourge. 
 To such as thou noble and brave ! am I a 
 helper and guide ! Fear nothing ! Thy Sun 
 of Glory is dimmed, but not quenched. It 
 shall soon burst forth again, and thou shalt be 
 glad in his beams !" And lifting the soldier's 
 hand to his lips he kissed it fervently ; then 
 kissing his own, as was the custom when it 
 was the saluter's wish to show great reverence, 
 he disappeared, pointing as he went to the 
 Paved Way, as the Noble's path. 
 
 AVho could read the heart of Nitocris?
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 179 
 
 Stiller, colder, prouder than ever, she seated 
 herself at her embroidery frame, and worked 
 calmly. And when Taia, at her request, sang 
 to the lute a bright mesh of gay words, she 
 looked up from her task and smiled sweetly, 
 as if in gladness. But tears stood in Taia'a 
 eyes. 
 
 " The hawk-headed sphynx is the emblem 
 of our faith, they say, for that both are alike 
 mysteries," she thought. " It is a better 
 emblem of Nitocris, who is a riddle which 
 the wisest could not read I The noble Psam- 
 metichus ! the brave and handsome man ! I 
 thought that she loved him ! And Osorchon, 
 too the warm young boy, whose very glance 
 cheers the heart like sweet music, and whose 
 presence is like a bright flower in the Season 
 of the Water-plants both she repulses with 
 the same unbending haughtiness! Beautiful 
 young Osorchon ! Ah ! why will he only love 
 where he is scorned ? Can he not find some 
 other bosom whereon he might lay his head, 
 and rest ? Alas !"
 
 180 AZETH : 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE THREE THEBAN DANCING GIRLS. THE 
 FOREIGN STOIC. CHEBRON THE SCRIBR, AND 
 BOCC1IORIS THE NOBLE. 
 
 IN a large and luxuriously furnished room, 
 sat, or rather reclined, on long low couches 
 half buried in their soft cushions and en- 
 veloped in their painted hangings three girls 
 of the most exquisite shape and beauty. A 
 peculiarity of dress, expression, and demeanour, 
 bespoke them professors of a different mode 
 of life to that one of staid and grave modesty
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 181 
 
 characteristic of the Egyptian women. There 
 was a freedom in their glances, and a voluptu- 
 ousness in their gestures, which have ever been 
 the distinguishing marks of the maiden fol- 
 lowers of the dance and the song. Their dress, 
 of the lightest materials, scarcely concealing 
 the form it covered, fell to their feet in loose 
 gauzy folds, now wafting into a kind of cloud- 
 like misty envelope, through whose white 
 haze the shrouded figure was but dimly visible, 
 like the flower seen at twilight now clinging 
 tight, revealing each faint motion of the well- 
 formed limbs, as the silver-ankled maidens 
 bounded through the air. Their hair was 
 plaited into a profusion of narrow strings, 
 secured in two larger clusters and tied together 
 at the ends with cords ornamented with 
 small blue and gold balls; and this was one 
 distinguishing mark of their calling. 
 
 About the chamber were strewn various 
 musical instruments. Here lay a double pipe 
 of box-wood, with the ivory mouth-piece set 
 round with emeralds, and the whole instru- 
 ment highly carved and ornamented. There 
 wab a lyre of four chords, turned into the 
 shape of a gazelle ; the case inlaid with ivory 
 and ebony in alternate squares, like a tesselated
 
 182 AZETH: 
 
 pavement; while inlaid in turn upon these, 
 were narrow strips of gold, forming a pattern 
 of volutes and scrolls. By the side of the lyre 
 was a pair of small hollow wooden cymbals, or 
 crotala, the leathern thongs of which were 
 richly embroidered with silver and many-co- 
 loured threads, to make them more fit for the 
 gentle hands of the dainty minstrels ; and a 
 little farther off stood a harp, surmounted by 
 a beautifully carved female head, intended to 
 represent the Foreign Athor, the too-lovely 
 Helen of Troy. Beneath a large chair, and 
 playing with a ball, lay a small Indian goat, 
 with its long soft hair glistening like the silks 
 of Serica, and its bright eyes gazing up with 
 a languid expression ; a monkey chattered on 
 a spacious frame, or perch ; and reposing on a 
 square rug, slept a stealthy, crafty ichneumon. 
 The furniture of the room was luxurious in its 
 character, though not costly. The woods 
 were of native growth ; the gilding but in small 
 portions; the stuffs with which the double 
 chairs, and low couches and stools, were 
 covered, were not of the best manufacture, 
 though their bright colours and graceful dis- 
 position amply compensated for their want of 
 intrinsic value; the small, square, or otlong
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 183 
 
 carpets were not from the best looms of the 
 Memphite or Thebau workman, not to speak 
 of their being the produce of the distant 
 Lydian, as was usual with the richer classes ; 
 bul they were in great numbers, and piled up 
 in most pleasurable places of repose. 
 
 The maidens themselves were dazzling with 
 glittering trinkets. Round their swelling 
 waists were zones of beads, and small bells that 
 tinkled as they moved, and served as harmoni- 
 ous symphonies or accompaniments, clashing 
 in time to the measure of the music, and to the 
 speed or slowness of the dance. Gold and preci- 
 ous stones from the emerald mines and the 
 mines of Ethiopia, were twined among the 
 glossy braids of their raven hair glistening 
 there like stars through the darkness of the 
 night. Collars encircled their smooth throats ; 
 chains rested on their soft necks ; bands cinc- 
 tured their arms, and rings kissed each taper, 
 rosy finger ; while anklets clanked musically 
 as they walked. Their hands and feet, stained 
 with a deep rose colour, blushed like pink lily 
 buds, or the blossoms of the Indian sweet- 
 scented malati, when the sunshine first wakens 
 them to life and love. Their large lustrous 
 eyes were made still more beautiful, by the aid
 
 184 AZETH : 
 
 of the black powder with which the lids were 
 tinged, and their full, richly red lips looked 
 more lovely from the dark shade which was 
 on the short and curved upper lip. They lay 
 on their couches, the three most beauteous of 
 all the beauteous Theban dancing girls : the 
 three fairest of a band where each was fair as 
 a very incarnation of the Spirit of Beauty. 
 Not niggardly, or careless, either, were they 
 of their charms ; for each separate little grace 
 was heightened and added to by all the 
 various helps of art, which the sweet women of 
 the Pure Land so well knew. Boxes filled 
 with mysterious powders, black and rose- 
 colour, for the eye and the lip ; bottles, from 
 whence streamed out a rich flood of fragrance : 
 covered porcelain cups, in which were com- 
 pounds that made the soft skin softer still ; 
 scented oils and essences for the silken 
 hair and the wearied body ; all such as 
 these did the sweet women of Egypt heap 
 up in that sacred spot where the work of 
 female embellishment went on. And slancinpr- 
 ing in their broad metal mirrors, they would 
 close their labours with worr.an'e brightest, 
 sweetest smile, her smile of self-approval. And 
 none knew better, and none practised more, 
 these many arts, than did the Three Dancing girls
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 185 
 
 of Thebes. Lovely they would have been even 
 in the beggar's coarse rags ; but now, when 
 adorned with all the artificial charms of their 
 age, they moved and looked the very perfection 
 of Egyptian allurement. Who could refuse 
 that admiration which the soft glance asked? 
 who could withhold that kiss which the 
 dewy lip seemed to challenge, as it pouted 
 forth its sweet smiles? Those rosy fingers, 
 hanging like the crimson berries of the chaplet- 
 ivy, did they not eloquently, though mutely, 
 with their soft touch and graceful beckonings 
 invite the hand's caress ? Did not the glancing 
 feet's sweet music claim the kneeling lover's 
 adoring kiss, as they came about him like 
 silver-winged birds, breathing odour and har- 
 mony as they trode ? Ah yes wide Egypt 
 held not oue man of heart so cold, or virtue so 
 stern, that he could have looked upon these 
 maidens, and turned away ! To see them and 
 to love was the penalty which they inflicted 
 on their patrons and admirers. 
 
 "How much did that stranger Barbarian give 
 to thee, Berenice?" said one, the tallest and 
 eldest, rising from her place and walking 
 with a graceful majesty to where her companion 
 lay nestled in a heap of cushions.
 
 186 AZETH : 
 
 "Why, Isenofra! thou art getting a very 
 usurer ;" yawned Berenice, lazily opening her 
 eyes. 
 
 "In truth thou art too indolent!" replied 
 Isenofra, with a grave look of reproof. " I only 
 wonder that thou keepest the smallest agility 
 of step, with this unceasing drowsiness. Wake, 
 child ! Thy lover, Zminis, will be with thee 
 soon ; wilt thou give him slumber as his only 
 welcome?" 
 
 "I will wake when he comes!" said Bere- 
 nice, drawling with a long slow accent, as if 
 these few words were almost too many for her 
 to repeat. 
 
 " But the moment is at hand when the stran- 
 ger bade us await and expect him. The sun hath 
 gone down behind the mountains, and the 
 water clock hath told of its departure for this 
 long hour. In less time will it tell of the Bar- 
 barian's arrival" 
 
 " And when it hath told the very moment, 
 then I will arise," answered the maiden more 
 slowly still. 
 
 "Berenice, arouse thee now?" urged Iseno- 
 fra, impatiently. " I want thee to dance with 
 me. Our new dance, child thou hast not 
 learnt it yet ? The last play the unerring aim
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 187 
 
 with the arrowy reed thou hast not made 
 thyself mistress of it ? Thou wouldst not fail 
 before a stranger ; and so shame the maids 
 of the Land of Khem in the eyes of a Gen- 
 tile?" 
 
 " Dear Isenofra," said Berenice, in a bewail- 
 ing tone, and raising her head for a moment. 
 " If thou dost find thine excessive activity too 
 great for thyself alone go, bestow its super- 
 abundance upon Eireue. She never sleeps no 
 more than thyself. But pray thee leave me 
 in peace. Why wilt thou for ever disturb my 
 rest ? Thou art worse than the Fly of Athyr 
 with its buzzing sting!" 
 
 " I disturb thee, because I approve not of 
 sloth, child." 
 
 " And I love ease," said Berenice. 
 
 " Thou dost disgrace our profession." pursued 
 the other. " Thou oughtest to be all grace, 
 activity, and lightness, and thou canst 
 do nought but lie on a couch and sleep 
 away thy years ; thy waking itself but a 
 dream !" 
 
 " Dteam !" 
 
 *' Yea, Berenice I a dream, I warrant me, 
 of thy Blessed Abode hereafter ; which, to be 
 a Blessed Abode for thee, must be as a cup of
 
 188 AZETH : 
 
 the Nepenthes containing unbroken sleep and 
 unbroken idleness." 
 
 " Methinks, then, that thou art determined 
 not to give me a foretaste of it here," said 
 the girl complainingly, turning away her 
 warm rounded cheek with an expression of help- 
 less distress. 
 
 " And thou wouldst go nigh to make any 
 one believe that thou hadst steeped thy soul in 
 the opiate ; or else hadst drowned thought 
 energy and feeling together, in too copious 
 draughts from the wine-filled amphorae." 
 
 " Thou art slanderous with thiue energy," 
 said Berenice, yawning. 
 
 " Come, Eirene I we will leave this sluggard 
 to her dear pillow ; and do thou and I.practise 
 our games and dances, for the amusement of our 
 noble patrons. We will not gain their gold for 
 nought, but will honorably give them that for 
 which they pay so heavy a price." Isenofra 
 cried, looking indignantly at the sleepy-eyed 
 maid. 
 
 " Dear Isenofra," said Berenice, as she again 
 established herself luxuriously and comfort- 
 ably. " Thou wilt get an aged woman before thy 
 years. Thou seemest ignorant of that best preser- 
 vative of bright eyes and fresh looks repose ;
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 189 
 
 and unwittingly thou gravest a new wrinkle on 
 thy brow, with each hour thou livest!" 
 
 And '(having said this almost energetically, 
 she drew over her face a transparent, embroid- 
 ered handkerchief, and feigned to sleep. Look- 
 ing the perfect creature of voluptuous softness ; 
 careless of the wrath which this obstinate 
 luxuriousness kindled in the breast of the 
 excitable Isenofra and only praying that either 
 Z minis her lover, or the Stranger Barbarian 
 would come while she lay thus ; convinced 
 that if- lovely in any attitude, she was loveliest 
 in this : if alluring in any occupation most 
 alluring in idleness. 
 
 Eirene, a small and exquisitely formed thing 
 with limbs buoyant as a bird's, leaped from 
 her couch lightly as a dancing fay from the 
 edge of a lily-bell, and bounded rather than 
 ran to Isenofra, in obedience to her call. 
 And her fresh cool lips laughed merrily, and 
 her beaming eyes glanced like twin-stars, as 
 she bent before her eldest sister in mock 
 reverence. Then going up to Berenice she 
 twined her little hands all through the long 
 plaits lying on the maiden's downy cheek, 
 and slily pulled off their fastenings, till the 
 hair, so neatly arranged and so care-
 
 190 AZETH : 
 
 fully braided, fell in a loose, unordered mass. 
 Much more bewitching and beautiful looked 
 Berenice with her cloudy veil, than when the 
 silken bands were so primly bound ; but to the 
 formal Egyptian taste her tresses seemed un- 
 natural luxuriance. 
 
 "Poor Berenice," cried Isenofra, who stood 
 watching Eirene's mischief, truth to say, not 
 over- displeased. " She loves her ease even 
 better than the favour of the gallant 
 Zminis 1" 
 
 " Nay," drawled Berenice, from the depth of 
 her cushions. " I love Zminis the best of all 
 things ; and better than thou lovest Misaphris, 
 else wouldst thou never have sold that sullen 
 Chebron a kiss, even for his emerald head-band. 
 Nought should buy him a kiss from my lips ! 
 Why, he is unlucky I he hath the Typhonian 
 mark the red-haired, sullen scribe ! And Ise- 
 nofra could kiss those thick lips with their 
 loose skin and hideous sneer ! Well, what will 
 not gold acd gems gain from a maiden's 
 heart !" 
 
 And the dear, sweet Berenice sighed moraliz- 
 ingly. 
 
 " In good faith," said the elder girl, sarcas- 
 tically, " thou hast become wonderfully chary 
 of thy favours, in a strangely short time ! And
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 191 
 
 what didst thou pay for thy new zone ? 
 Bocchoris gave it thee. But he gives not for 
 nought. I warrant, that he had ample pay- 
 ment. Aye, Berenice ! as much, or more, than 
 the hasty kiss which the scribe snatched from 
 my unwilling lips ! Bocchoris is a noble 
 Chebron but a scribe. And it sounds better in 
 the ears of the proud Nausicae, and her insolent 
 train, that the ' Noble' gave this and this, than 
 that the * scribe' bestowed his gift ! But there 
 is not much distinction to the lover ! And Zmi- 
 nis would not that thou shouldst pay the one 
 rather than the other. Bocchoris, to him, will 
 not shine any brighter than Chebron. And 
 the red hair of the scribe, will seem no more 
 unlovely in his sight, than the pale cheek and 
 fierce eye of the noble. Thy payments to the 
 soldier were what, Berenice?" 
 
 u Ample," returned Berenice : " The accept- 
 ance of his gift." 
 
 " To whom did Isenofra make that speech 
 last ?" laughed Eirene, clapping her hands. 
 " Fye, Berenice ; wilt thou not leave our 
 queenly matron her own pride ? When didst 
 thou pilfer this lesson ?" 
 
 "Yesterday," said Berenice, "the Stranger 
 Barbarian gave her that foreign dress, and 
 when he asked her for its price thou knowest
 
 192 AZETH : 
 
 my meaning ? she gave him only these words. 
 Tell me, Isenofra, why wilt thou kiss Chebron, 
 the red haired, sullen man, who, had not the 
 good King Amasis forbidden, would, ere now, 
 have been offered up as a Typhonian Sacrifice 
 and refuse thy lips to this clean and comely 
 stranger ? He is a pleasant man, for all he 
 looks so coldly on our shows, and seems to 
 wonder through his small eyes whether we be 
 women, or demons of the air. What a desolate 
 place must his country be ! With no dancing 
 maids, no games, no pleasure how can they 
 live ? But Isenofra, I had rather give him the 
 dancing girl's payment than I would bestow it 
 upon Chebron !" 
 
 " How canst thou talk thus, Berenice ?" re- 
 turned Isenofra, angrily ; " now thou dost indeed 
 transgress, even the wide bounds of our place ! 
 If thou wilt do such wickedness, thou art wel- 
 come. But insult not me. A maiden of Egypt 
 touch, in love, a Barbarian ? Pah ! my blood 
 curdles at its very mention!" 
 
 " Dost thou then love Misaphris ?" asked 
 Berenice, raising herself, and passing her hands 
 over her half-shut eyes ; " was it love for him, 
 or only the pride of the Daughter of Khem 
 that 8jx>ke out in thy last words ? Dost thou
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 193 
 
 love him, Isenofra thy fair-spoken, slender, 
 soldier-boy ?" 
 
 " Misaphris hath angered me," returned the 
 queen, majestically. " I have not yet forgiven 
 him." 
 
 " Let me caress him into penitence," cried 
 Eirene, running away as she said the words, 
 in pretended fear of her sister's upraised hand, 
 and hiding her face in the folds of Berenice's 
 robe, while she knelt by the side of the 
 couch. 
 
 " Shame on thee, child !" cried Berenice, with 
 the same accent in rebuke which she would 
 have used in praise. 
 
 "What Berenice! art thou chiding?" ex- 
 claimed Eirene, saucily. " Whose day is this ? 
 Surely, it belongs not to an Egyptian god, nor 
 can this hour have place in the Catalogue, else 
 such a strange chance could never have hap- 
 pened !" 
 
 " I would that our mother, Senpoeris, would 
 do more than chide thee !" cried Isenofra, petu- 
 lantly. " If thou and the rod were made 
 better acquainted, Eirene, it would be well for 
 thee !" 
 
 " Nay, sweet, thou art not really wrath ?" 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 1U4 AZETH : 
 
 and the pretty, bright creature, stole up to 
 Isenofra, and kissed her neck for she could 
 not reach her lips. " I know thy true accent 
 of anger, from the false," she added, half tear- 
 fully ; " and thoughtless though I am, I dread 
 to hear my Isenofra use the former tone to 
 me." 
 
 " Thou art forgiven, pretty one. Who 
 could chide thee, little Eirene ? Mischievous, 
 though thou art mischievous as yon ape upon the 
 perch, none could really chide thee ! Thou art 
 such a child ! a baby with a woman's growth, 
 and still its own baby ways. It would be cruel to 
 treat thee as a woman in all things !" 
 
 And Isenofra kissed her young brow. 
 
 " Aye 1 but Eirene, thou art, indeed, very, 
 ?ery mischievous," sighed Berenice, patiently. 
 "See my poor hair. Oh ! how shall I 
 ever braid it smooth again ! Thou hast 
 done me a world of ill, Eirene thou hast 
 indeed !" 
 
 " Let it be," laughed Eirene, putting her 
 arms round her sister's swelling waist, and 
 looking archly into her sleepy, almond-shaped 
 eyes. " Thou lookest much lovelier thus. 
 And when Zminis comes, he and 1 together, 
 will bind it for thee. Thou shalt be all fitly
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 195 
 
 attired when the Barbarian and the scribe 
 arrive. But this soft negligence will please 
 thy lover ! Wilt thou have Zminis for thy 
 tire-woman ? When thou art his own, I wager 
 many a golden ring, that he will deck thy head 
 more oft than thy hand-maidens, were they many 
 as the stars in the sky ! And wouldst thou 
 not love to see his soldier fingers mistaking the 
 proper bands s and in their manly hugeness, 
 making all rumpled and disturbed, that which 
 should lie so smoth and straight?" 
 
 A smile stole over the face of Berenice, as 
 she moved her lips, and answered, 
 
 " Ah ! that indeed, will be a blessed 
 time !" 
 
 Then she sank back amongst her pillows as if 
 overpowered with the deliciousness which 
 her young heart promised her in the future. 
 
 " Wilt thou sing, sweet Berenice ?" asked 
 Isenofra. 
 
 " 1 am hoarse of voice, to-night." 
 
 " Wilt thou play then for Eirene and me on 
 thy lute ; and we will sing the new Song of the 
 Water-plants ?" 
 
 " Play ? O Thoth, nay !" 
 
 " Oh ! thou wilt dance, instead?" 
 K 3
 
 196 AZETH: 
 
 " Nay I am weary." 
 
 " In the name of thy mother, what wilt thou 
 do?" cried Isenofra, losing patience: a thing 
 soon lost with her. 
 
 " Sleep. Dear Isenofra, leave me in peace. 
 I only ask thee to leave rue alone for a few 
 short moments." 
 
 " Xay, nay ! Zminis Bocchoris Misaphris 
 Chebron the Barbarian all are coming to- 
 night ! House thyself, dear child, for we must 
 prepare for them !" 
 
 if I am prepared, Isenofra." 
 
 " Dost thou know the new dance, and the 
 new game ?" 
 
 " Of course I do ! What an idle ques- 
 tion 1" 
 
 " And the water-plants' song ?" 
 
 "Yes! yes!" 
 
 " Art thou perfect in that which thou hast 
 practised so long in vain?" 
 
 " I think I am." 
 
 " Think ? Thou wilt ruin our trade, Bere- 
 nice, if thou dost not take heed 1" 
 
 ' Shall I so ?" quietly said the Incorri- 
 gible, closing her eyes. " Then wait 
 until I do, before thou dost chide and worry 
 me thus !"
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 117 
 
 The door opened as she pronounced these 
 words, and a tall and handsome man, dressed 
 in the garb of a soldier, entered the room. 
 With a cry of joy and a swiftness hardly 
 to be expected from one so indolent, Bere- 
 nice darted from her seat, and rushing into 
 his arms, which he opened to receive her, im- 
 printed a kiss upon his broad and manly 
 chest. 
 
 " Why, sweet ! thou wouldst almost per- 
 suade me that thou wert pleased with my 
 coming," said the soldier fondly, smoothing 
 back her dishevelled hair, and looking into 
 her face, with a flush of delight mantling over 
 his sunburnt cheek. 
 
 '* Almost ? Ah thou false Infidel ! Canst 
 thou name my joy... my ecstacy...cold plea- 
 sure ?- and to this add that fearful word, 
 almost ? Canst thou doubt the heart of thy 
 own Berenice ?" returned the maiden hanging 
 round him, and gazing up into his eyes with 
 all a woman's gentle, clinging tenderness, and 
 all a child's unasking devotion. For dancing- 
 girls though these three were... though their 
 very trade had given them a freedom of con- 
 versation, and a licence of manners usually 
 unallowed to the virtuous ; and though they
 
 198 
 
 had often to grant small favors to the unloved 
 lips, yet in spite of all this, in each breast 
 beat a good and true heart. They even de- 
 plored... the sweet, gentle Berenice more than 
 all... that their charms had so often to be la- 
 vished for the pleasure and the payment of 
 rude men, when the woman's nature would 
 have kept each little grace sacred for the One. 
 
 And now as she clung round the rough but 
 kindly soldier, leaning on his breast as trust- 
 ingly as a child, not all the brightest tempta- 
 tions earth had to offer could give her one 
 moment of that sweet joy which' she felt when 
 thus cradled in his arms. 
 
 By the side of Zminis stood another visiter, 
 younger and slighter, also dressed as a soldier. 
 But to his arms no sweet maiden fled. ..no 
 gentle eyes looked into his, to give back the 
 full glance of love ; but coldly, and with 
 averted head, Isenofra bade him welcome in 
 the formal phrase of their office. 
 
 " Not one word, Isenofra ?" he asked 
 humbly. 
 
 " Art thou deaf not to have heard my voice 
 asking thee to rest, and bidding thee be wel- 
 come ?" replied the girl turning away pet- 
 tishly.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 1 99 
 
 " Pardon me ! but I thought not that Isen- 
 ofra could have meant those cold words for 
 me ! I give thee my best thanks, maiden, for 
 thy courtly usage !" 
 
 u Now, Misaphris !" cried Eirene, who hav- 
 ing no lover of her own, was the very life's 
 torment of her companions. " How coldly 
 dost thou woo ! I, even I, the little Eirene, 
 whom ye all think to be a very child a thing 
 wit! i neither wisdom sight nor knowledge, I, 
 the callow bird of the waters, could teach thee 
 better things." 
 
 " Shame, Eirene ! How darest thou to give 
 thy tongue such licence! If thou art not 
 worse than a forward child, thou wilt at least 
 be silent!" 
 
 " Isenofra, thou art ungrateful. Am I not 
 end savouring to bring thy slave before thy 
 footstool ? I labour for thy pleasure, and thou 
 givest me only the. wages of reproof. I rather 
 cry shame on thee!" and stealing behind 
 Misaphris, Eirene pretended to weep ; wiping 
 her eyes with the sleeves of his flaxen cuirass, 
 while she slyly played with the fringe of his 
 dark green quilted helmet, as it hung mid-way 
 down his back. 
 
 " They do not love as we love," said Zminis
 
 200 AZETH : 
 
 laughing, and softly pressing Berenice nearer 
 to him. " See ! what a pair of fond lovers ! 
 They look at each other no more trustingly 
 than do the fluttering bird and the crafty 
 snake ! But they have got the pretty little 
 Eirene to plague their love into life, and we 
 may rest undisturbed." 
 
 " May ye so !' ' exclaimed Eirene, running 
 to them ; and covering her face in Berenice's 
 long hair, she peeped out from between its 
 thick bands at the handsome soldier. Then 
 letting it fall from her brow, she crossed her 
 hands upon her breast, and said, looking down 
 demurely. " And is there none to speak a 
 kind word to the little Eirene ? Or must she 
 be the only solitary and unheeded one of this 
 merry party ?" 
 
 f * Unheeded ? Sweet ! thou dost thy 
 charms foul wrong if thou thinkest thyself 
 unheeded by any!" cried Zminis gallantly, 
 putting one arm round her, while with the 
 other he still enclasped Berenice. " Who 
 could see thee, and love thee not ? Who could 
 mark thy light grace and bounding step, and 
 dismiss thee from his thoughts? Eh, Bere- 
 nice?"
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 201 
 
 u Not them, Zminis, as it seems !" replied 
 that maiden, half pouting, and endeavouring 
 to get free. 
 
 " Nay ! thou art not jealous of a child, dear 
 love ?" 
 
 " Child, Zminis ! she is mine own age 
 wanting but from the season of the overflow- 
 ing to that of the flowers." 
 
 " Aye, Berenice, but thou knowest that 
 some flowers are opened earlier than others;" 
 said Eirene, " and thou knowest, too, that 
 neither Isenofra, nor the Mother Senpoeris, 
 nor thou thyself, traitress! give to me half of 
 those privileges which ye take by right of 
 age!" 
 
 " Then thou hast the double privilege with 
 others : as child and as woman both. Thus, 
 as child, and thus, as woman ;" and Zminis 
 imprinted two kisses on the lips that were 
 so red and fresh. 
 
 " This is only our soldier way !" he added 
 appeasingly to Berenice. 
 
 " A way thou seemest to like too well !" re- 
 plied Berenice, looking as if she was going to 
 cry. Like a child when its toy has been in- 
 jured. 
 
 "There! I return them to their rightful 
 
 K5
 
 202 AZETH : 
 
 owner !" laughed Eirene. " It was but a jest, 
 sweet sister !" she whispered. " Come ! clear 
 thy pretty brow, else Zminis may get wearied. 
 And now," she added aloud, " Zininis, thou 
 and I must be this sluggard's tire-woman. 
 See ! all her long silky hair did these wanton 
 fingers unloose from their purple bands, that 
 thou mightest have the happiness of binding 
 them afresh. Oh ! how I shall laugh to see 
 thy broad hand wander among these little 
 threads, unknowing what pain its rough touch 
 gives ! And how 1 shall rejoice to mark the 
 patience of the sleepy sister, as she sits nestling 
 against thy arm, and caring nought for incon- 
 venience, so long as she feels thy brave heart 
 beating against her own!" 
 
 What made the eyes of the young maiden glis- 
 ten as if with tears, whilst she warmly pronounced 
 these words, although her lips laughed merrily ? 
 There was an accent of sadness, too, in her 
 voice. A strange accent for her ! Ah ! Ei- 
 rene, child as she was, yet knew the meaning 
 (it the maid's first, unspoken yearning to be 
 loved ! " Come, come ! to our dear task, my 
 gallant soldier!" the cried, with her own shrill 
 laugh, as the slight shade of undefined melan-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 203 
 
 choly passed off her soul, like the baby's breath 
 from the mirror. 
 
 And Berenice smiled, and clung closer to 
 her lover, while he placed her in a large 
 double chair. Eirene drew a high stool 
 near her, and both together commenced the 
 task of smoothing and binding the wayward 
 tresses. 
 
 "And wilt thou not speak as of old, 
 Isenofra ?" 
 
 " I will not Misaphris. The past is not the 
 present. And the affections of the one are 
 not those of the other." 
 
 " Cruel girl ? wilt thou be for ever wrath 
 with me?" 
 
 "I am not wrath. lam merely indifferent 
 to thee." 
 
 " And thou wilt not tell me the meaning of 
 tin s sad and sudden change ? that is hardly 
 fair, Isenofra!" 
 
 " Thy conscience must tell its meaning. 
 Why need I repeat its words ? If thou canst 
 not understand these, neither wilt thou under- 
 stand mine." 
 
 " No, by my faith ! I know not why thou 
 dost look so cold and stern ! By the honor of 
 a soldier I am innocent of all offence. Tell
 
 204 AZETH : 
 
 me dearest ! and if I have committed wrong, 
 I will pray thee for pardon in such moving 
 terms that thou ehalt not be able to with- 
 hold it ! And I will give thee humble words 
 of repentance ; and grieve, even for an unin- 
 tentional misdeed, as I would grieve for the 
 foulest crime. Ah! what crime can be so 
 black, as offence to the one we love ! I must 
 be guilty, else hadst thou not frowned. But 
 let my penitence atone for all. Sweetest 
 Isenofra hear me !" 
 
 Isenofra, whose weighty reason for anger 
 was a fit of jealousy, caused by Chebrou the 
 scribe, who had maliciously informed her, that 
 her young lover had given some gay trinket to 
 the chief of another band of dancing-girls, 
 between whom and herself existed the deadly 
 feud of rivalry, ashamed to mention a com- 
 plaint so derogatory to her pride, wrapped it 
 up in mysterious hints and inuendoes, accord- 
 ing to the custom of all jealous mistresses, 
 and finally ended, by being firmly persuaded 
 that she was the most ill used of earth's 
 creatures, and proudly bidding the bewildered 
 youth, " think of her no more." It was in 
 vain that Misaphris petitioned for an explana- 
 tion ; in vain that he sued for pardon : in
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 205 
 
 vain that he vowed by every oath lawful for 
 the Egyptian to use, that he loved her and her 
 alone. Isenofra remained inexorable. And 
 the more he would soothe, the less could he 
 succeed. 
 
 And at this juncture, when the rebel tresses 
 were confined within their appointed bounds, 
 and when Misaphris, half distracted, was en- 
 deavouring to quench the fire of Isenofra's 
 displeasure, a man of stranger manners and 
 foreign appearance walked leisurely forward. 
 
 This new visiter was dressed in a long, loose 
 robe of a thick and shining material, soft to 
 the touch, and glittering in one mass of gold, 
 and bright colours. And so richly was the 
 garment embroidered, that it was stiff and 
 heavy with magnificence, and rustled audibly 
 as he moved. His hands, which were wonder- 
 fully white and small, were, for the present, 
 completely hidden in the hanging sleeves with 
 which he covered them ; and nothing but the 
 end of a rounded shoe of embroidered cloth, 
 with the under part thick and clumsy, was 
 visible from beneath the many folds of his 
 long, black, upper cloak. Round his neck 
 was a chain of large beads reaching below 
 his girdle ; and another smaller string, fastened
 
 206 AZETH : 
 
 to this, fell down his back. He wore a round 
 cap of peculiar fashion, adorned with a feather 
 of the glorious Bird of Eyes, and surmounted 
 by a red button of a strange shape ; and long 
 straight hair, more grey than black, fell on 
 his shoulders ; embroidered on the breast and 
 back of his vest, were curious figures of beasts 
 and flowers and winding scrolls ; but these 
 were only barely visible from beneath the 
 up{>errobe. Two small rounded sticks of ivory 
 hung from his girdle, together with a capacious 
 and embroidered bag which served as his 
 pocket. 
 
 Such \vas the appearance of the man who now 
 came forward, with a stoical look in his small 
 black eyes, and a placid expression of un- 
 ruffled calmness on his flat and pale yellow 
 face. But to those who watched narrowly 
 there was a look oi intelligence in those small, 
 slit-shaped eyes, which belied the indifference 
 of his face : a look of acuteness and intellect, 
 though also of timidity and stolidness ; of 
 great kindliness and of suspicion ; of ser- 
 vility, and of obstinacy. His manners were 
 grave and formal, but without nobleness ; his 
 inclinations frequent and profound, but ungrace- 
 ful; and though his looks were conciliating, they
 
 TUB EGYPTIAN. 207 
 
 were likewise supercilious. He advanced to 
 Isenofra, and bowed low and often, joining 
 his hands, and moving them before his face 
 repeatedly and rapidly ; then turning to the 
 other maidens he repeated the same cere- 
 mony, using fewer inclinations to Berenice 
 than he hud done to Isenofra, and fewer to 
 Eirene than to Berenice. Judging by their 
 appearance and manners, as to their respective 
 ages, and honouring each according to her 
 seniority. This done, he bent humbly to the 
 two soldiers, who returned his obeisance with 
 true Egyptian pride and gravity ; each involun- 
 tarily raising himself to his full height, as with 
 one hand he slightly touched his knee. The 
 stranger then slowly withdrew to the upper 
 end of the chamber. 
 
 " Wilt thou see our dances, noble sir?" 
 said Isenofra, while she inclined her graceful 
 body. 
 
 The stranger moved his head in sign of ac- 
 quiescence ; smiling placidly. 
 
 " This then, first !" said the maid, offering 
 him a small stand on which were high, plain 
 goblets filled with Mareotic wine, and a few 
 with the choicer produce of the sweet vines 
 of Tenia. Baskets piled up with grapes, figa,
 
 208 AZETH : 
 
 dates, pomegranates, and round, stony fruits of 
 a rich red colour, and luscious taste the Lotos 
 fruit mixed with platters of sweet cakes 
 made of honey, or preserved dates, or seeds, or 
 spices, and bunches of freshly gathered 
 flowers, were placed upon the delicate painted 
 tray, which Isenofra so gracefully offered. 
 " Thou wilt ent and drink?" she added, smil- 
 ing sweetly, and looking up with a bright al- 
 luring glance ; one of the arts of her calling. 
 
 The stranger rose, and taking one of the 
 goblets with both his hands, raised it a little 
 above his head, saying in foreign accents : 
 
 " Peace and Joy to ye, maids of the Blue 
 River ! Health, to ye, Birds of Delight !" 
 
 Isenofra, after having removed the goblet 
 which the stranger had used, then presented 
 the stand with its contents, first to Zminis as 
 being the older, and higher in military rank 
 and next to Misaphris, though the manner in 
 which she offered it to the last, effectually 
 destroyed the value of her courtesy. After 
 they had both taken but a very email portion 
 of the Mareotic wine, turning to her sisters, 
 she motioned them to prepare for the dance ; 
 and on clapping her rosy hands, there entered 
 by a side door, three other maidens, of
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 209 
 
 slightly meaner dress and appearance. Nei- 
 ther were they as beautiful as the dancing 
 girls ; though rich in all the Egyptian charms 
 of languid eyes, voluptuous lips, and graceful 
 forms. Though adorned with the addi- 
 tional beauties which the jetty kohl, and the 
 crimson henna could give ; yet still they fell 
 infinity short of that standard of loveliness 
 by which their sweet mistress-sisters were 
 measured. One of these minstrels took a 
 small stringed instrument, which she slung 
 round her by means of a narrow band ; an- 
 other appropriated the double pipes of carved 
 box wood ; and the third clashed the wooden 
 cymbals with a clear, merry noise that woke 
 the echoes of the air as with a peal of laughter. 
 Each instrument was wreathed with leaves 
 of ivy interspersed with flowers; and sprays 
 of the same dropped among the maidens' long 
 plaits, while on the forehead of each bloomed 
 the ever-present lotus. They then arranged 
 themselves in the proper places which were 
 assigned to them ; and striking a few prelimi- 
 nary chords, they beckoned to the Three that 
 they were prepared. And now was com- 
 menced one of those dances so renowned 
 throughout all the known world.
 
 210 AZETH : 
 
 The time and measure at first were slow 
 and solemn ; and the music expressed a tender 
 melancholy. In the prolonged notes might 
 be heard the voice of entreaty and complaint : 
 the prayers of a lonely spirit seeking vainly 
 for its mate. The soft breathings of the pipes, 
 like the sighs of a desolate heart, were an- 
 swered back with the faint murmurings of the 
 lute. 
 
 The cymbals gently clanked ; but so gently, 
 that their clash seemed but an echo of the 
 lute's sweet tones. All the gaiety, all the 
 noisy, wild, unchecked merriment of their 
 first salutation had died away. 
 
 It sounded as the voice of some spirit that 
 has fallen from the skie= v and not unmindful 
 of the bliss and harmony of paradise, was 
 mourning to itself in the tones of the speech 
 used there. 
 
 The step of the two maidens the proud 
 Isenofra, and the loving Berenice was slow 
 and heavy. Their downcast eyes and folded 
 arms spjke of sorrow ; and their solitary 
 movements each alone in her place, told of 
 the weary desolation the painful loneliness 
 of a companionless heart ; the pining of a 
 fond, yet unloved spirit. And vainly did they
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 211 
 
 raise their languid eyes and vainly did they 
 stretch forth their glancing arms: the looks 
 rested on blankness and darkness, and the 
 yearning arms enclasped the empty air alone. 
 And now they meet. They start the music 
 stops the dance is still. Earnestly they gaze 
 into each others' eyes, and eagerly they rush to 
 the proffered embrace. And the tones of har- 
 mony are clear and sweet. 
 
 But now a shade crosses each young brow, 
 and suspicion spreads its dusky wings over 
 each fond heart; and coldly, with averted 
 looks and listless touch, they slowly go on 
 their way. And now they part; one flung 
 haughtily away while folding her hands for 
 mercy. Their bared arms wave high above 
 their heads: this beckoning with earnest 
 pleadingsthat repulsing with scorn. Then 
 comes the third bounding like a thing scarce 
 of earth, and kneeling between the two, she 
 takes caressingly a hand of each, and strives 
 to join them, while her merry eyes speak only 
 of beauty and of mirth, and her sweet lips 
 dimple into baby smiles. Again one white- 
 armed maiden haughtily repels ; and again the 
 gentler lovingness of the other forgives and
 
 212 AZETH: 
 
 sues : until at last, dispirited, weary, heart- 
 sore, she veils her face in her slender hands, 
 and mournfully retreats. The spirit now is 
 more than lonely, it has wakened 10 disappoint- 
 ment and despair. What shriek was that 
 which tore the lute's silver strings? what sobs 
 were those which broke from the Soul of Me- 
 lody ? what sighs did the pipe breathe forth ? 
 what cries did the cymbals utter ? And oh ! 
 what tears are those which fall like gems upon 
 the maiden's raven tres&es? 
 
 Ha! the music wakens louder strains; 
 bolder more inspiring ! But oh ! how cold, 
 how heartless is it all ! The eyes of the proud 
 Isenofra flash, and her dark cheeks burn, as 
 carelessly she looks upon her drooping com- 
 panion. But once more through that cold 
 melody breaks the soft voice, the gentle en 
 treaty. Berenice, patient, winning, pleading, 
 meets the haughty maiden ; with her soft arms 
 held forth, and her mild eyes upturned in fond 
 adoration, she meets her, and beseeches, where 
 she ought but to grant a pardon. She gains 
 her aister, and kneel?. Who could withstand 
 such an enduring love such unselfish devo- 
 tion such forgiving sweetness? Oh! power-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 213 
 
 ful above all, is the power of Roman's death- 
 less love ! Mighty beyond the might of the 
 sceptre and the sword, is the influence of her 
 patient forbearance I Beauty grace riches 
 rank all may have their place, but what 
 are they all to that sweet endurance which 
 forgets self! 
 
 Isenofra bends over the kneeling Berenice ; 
 from her flashing eyes beam now the moon- 
 light tenderness of love. Gently she raises 
 her and holds her to her heart. Their arms 
 a-re interlaced ; and cheek to cheek, their long 
 hair mingling, they float around the room, the 
 reconciled and blest. Bright, and loud, and 
 clear, was the music : with the tinkling of the 
 cymbals sounding through all the grander 
 strains, as the feet of the fairy Eirene, who 
 circled the two, like some young spirit 
 just let loose from the Halls of Beauty. 
 A basket of fresh flowers in her hand, she 
 shook showers of dewy buds over the sweet 
 dancers ; and rapidly untwining a long chain, 
 made of starry lilies, and the rich rosebuds of 
 Persia, she bound her sisters in its perfumed 
 links. Then flinging over both a large trans- 
 parent veil, she clapped her tiny hands in time
 
 214 AZETH: 
 
 to the instruments, while wreathing herself 
 in and amongst the folds of the floating veil. 
 
 Again the music changes. From the ex- 
 ulting notes of triumph, to the calmness of 
 perfected happiness. The wild sobs of young 
 Passion awakened for the first time, and felt 
 in such excess that joy became pain, now sub- 
 sided into the quiet tenderness of a love 
 known and returned. And the Maidens' 
 dance grew softer, slower ?till. And the blush 
 faded from Isenofra's brow, and the sweet 
 eyes of Berenice dared now look up with a 
 glance of fuller confidence ; and smoother 
 were the gests and motions of the attending 
 sprite the young Eirene. And the peaceful 
 love of a happy home was the feeling told of 
 by the melody and the dance. 
 
 Upon the cheek of Zminis lay a tear : 
 round his lip a smile ; when Berenice, the 
 dance ended, came and laid her head 'upon 
 his hands, asking for her meed of praise. 
 
 "Beautiful! thou doest all things well!" 
 he said ardently. " But this best of all I 
 For did not thy heart speak out in thine 
 actions? And was not the history of thine 
 own dear affections the secret thought of thy
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 215 
 
 soul ? Thou couldst not have painted passion 
 thus, hadst thou not felt it ! And thy sweet 
 eyes could never have looked so fond and lov- 
 ing, hadst thou acted thy part from knowledge 
 only, and not from feeling! Tell me! didst 
 thou think of me in thy dance ? Did the 
 form of thy sister Isenofra wear the sem- 
 blance of Zminis, the Archer of the Chariots ?" 
 
 " Thou hast hardly need to ask!" replied 
 Berenice, shaking her head. " Unbeliever 
 that thou art how oft dost thou require rny 
 assurance that I love thee, and thee alone ; 
 and that all things, as if touched by some en- 
 chanter's rod, speak to me of thee ? In each 
 flower each stem each leaf in every sound 
 of the winds, or the rippling wave do I be- 
 hold some line that reminds me of thee do I 
 hear some tone that echoes back thy voice. 
 How oft must I tell thee this, incredulous 
 Zminis?" 
 
 " Every day every hour every moment ! 
 And when not in word, then in look, in ges- 
 ture, in soft caress, in gentle kiss ! Who that 
 loves could rest content with past assurances, 
 though a thousand times repeated? The Past 
 is not now, and its affections may have died 
 with its hours. Ajjain ! again ! the tale of
 
 216 AZETH: 
 
 love is never old ; nor its touch too oft be- 
 stowed ! Its soothings never weary, its kisses 
 never pall. Again ! again ! Berenice ! Tell 
 me again that thou dot love me !" 
 
 "For ever will I repeat it!" replied the 
 young girl warmly. " Dearest and bravest ! 
 To thee alone my love doth turn; to thee 
 alone my heart is given ! Not the fairest Lord 
 in Egypt should buy, even with his father's 
 halls, one of these caresses which I lavish on 
 thee so freely!" and taking his rough and 
 swarthy hands, she folded them in her bosom, 
 first putting them to her lips with shy yet ar- 
 dent fondness. 
 
 The stranger smiled. A faint and sickly 
 smile, that had as much of contempt as of 
 sympathy in it. But excepting for this equi- 
 vocal smile, and the twinkling of his black 
 eyes, not a shade of feeling came across 
 that flat palp face, to relieve its insipidity. 
 
 " I think that thy step grows lighter each 
 new day I see ill" cried Misaphris, to his 
 offended mistress. " Thou dost float in the air 
 like a feather from the wing of the purple 
 pigeon, upborne hy the wind of the Resplen- 
 dent Season. Eirene's step is too small and 
 childlike; Berenice wants thy elastic bound.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 217 
 
 Neither of thy sisters unite thy majesty and 
 lightness, thy dignity and softness. How 
 didst thou get thy grace, beautiful Isenofra ?" 
 
 " I wonder that thou canst find words to 
 praise my poor dance,"' returned Isenofra, 
 " when Nausicae, the chief of the Band of 
 Twenty, hath such witchery for thee !" 
 
 " Nausicae !" 
 
 " Dost thou not know the name ?" 
 
 " Truly, I know her name; and I know her 
 band ; and I have witnessed their dances and 
 games of skill. But why hast thou spoken 
 of her to me! Ah! traitress to thine own 
 secrets ! I have then found the cause of thy 
 frowns ? Thou wouldst never have pronounced 
 the name with such an accent of contempt, 
 had not the woman's wrath been raised ! And 
 so poor Nausicae hath been the mother of 
 these dark frowns?" 
 
 " And surely I have reason to frown !" said 
 Isenofra relentingly ; but still pouting. 
 ' " Xay ! nay ! no more than thou hast reason 
 to chide, because I breathe the same air that 
 floats around her dwelling! Nausicae cause 
 thee jealousy ? My sweet ! for once thy wo- 
 man's penetration hath erred, and hath con- 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 218 AZETH : 
 
 jured up shapes and phantoms, which never 
 owned bodies to give them reality !" 
 
 "Is Misaphris denying that he hath of late 
 looked much after Nausicae, the Star of the 
 Street of Flowers?" said a sneering voice ; and 
 Chebron, the Scribe, laid his hand on the young 
 soldier's arm. " Canst thou deny that thou 
 didst give to the bright Queen of the Twenty 
 a carcanet of stones, so curiously stained that 
 they mocked the truer emeralds of the mine ? 
 Where didst thou lay thy modesty to sleep? 
 And for mercy's sake, tell us, where thou didst 
 dig thy truth's dark grave ! It were well 
 worth the trouble to awake the one and unbury 
 the other!" 
 
 " I know that thou art sharp of wit, 
 Chebron," replied Misaphris hastily; "and 
 that thou thinkest to do by force of many 
 words that which thou canst not do by force 
 of true ones. I bought this carcanet for Nau- 
 sicae at her own request ; Semmuthis, the 
 jeweller, was sick, and she had not leisure 
 to go to him. And the Twenty have not 
 
 danced to my pleasure since the last Season of 
 the AVaterplants. And then I knew not Iseno- 
 
 fra 1"
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 219 
 
 "I know nought of all thine excuses." 
 returned Chebron carelessly. le Nausicae her- 
 self told me the tale, as I repeated it here. 
 And moreover she gave to me that gift which 
 she said that thou hadst left upon her lips. It 
 was wonderfully sweet, Misaphris ! but it had 
 been sweeter hadst thou not eaten that foul 
 garlic which tainted even the perfume of the 
 bright maiden's lips. Thou shouldst never eat 
 that rank root, boy; when thou goest to 
 caress the daughters of the Land ! Its savour 
 tells sad tales, and tales which thou, for one, 
 wouldst rather have had hidden!" 
 
 "It is useless to answer thee !" said Misa- 
 phris, inwardly chafing; but afraid to show 
 contempt or anger for one of the Sacred Order, 
 he sauntered up to where Eirene sat on a low 
 seat, weaving chains and necklaces from a lap- 
 full of glittering lotus-buds. And diligently 
 he broke blossom after blossom in hib fruitless 
 endeavours to bend them with his trembling 
 hands as they should lie. At last Eirene shak- 
 ing her pretty head whispered : "Dear, good 
 Misaphris, I love thee well ; but not well enough 
 to let thee sit here, and slaughter all my 
 sweet buds which I have watched as they 
 slowly broke from their green prisons. I can- 
 L 3
 
 220 AZETH : 
 
 not let thee, Misapbris ! so keep thy cold 
 hands to thyselt; or else," she added, bending 
 her head close to his ear, " go, use them, with 
 the aid of thy long stick, to teach yon ugly 
 scribe courtesy and truth ! The Gods forgive 
 me for my sin ! but that red-haired man seems 
 more fit to be the emblem of Typho than the 
 minister of the priests of Amun !" 
 
 Chebron threw himself, almost at full length, 
 on one of the couches that were scattered 
 about, and flinging down a heavy bag of gold, 
 commanded the maidens to dance to him. At 
 the sound of the clinking rings, an old woman, 
 thin, bent, and withered, who until now had 
 sat unobserved in the further corner of the 
 room, employed in weaving large fowling nets 
 of flax, darted up to the group. Making an 
 ungracious salutation she caught up the 
 puree, and thrust it into the bosom of 
 her dress her skinny hands trembling with 
 their eagerness. She was again retreating, 
 like a wolf to its lair, when the Stranger ar- 
 rested her, by asking in his foreign accent, and 
 with one of his foreign obeisances, " If money 
 was usually given? " 
 
 "And if it were not, how should I and
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 221 
 
 these puppets find bread ?" said the old woman 
 tartly. 
 
 The stranger bowed repeatedly, with the 
 same placid expression, and the same lurking 
 smile ; and after feeling for some time in the 
 richly worked pocket by his side, he drew forth 
 a small bar of gold, stamped with unknown 
 characters. And laying it in the woman's 
 horny palm, he bestowed on it and her many 
 good wishes. 
 
 The woman kept the gold in her hand, look- 
 ing at it with disappointment; then flung it 
 on the ground, saying , " Dost thou insult me 
 thus ?" 
 
 " What means the venerable mother ?" asked 
 the stranger, appealing to Isenofra. 
 
 " She says that she must have money," an- 
 swered the girl blushing. 
 
 "But I have given her money!" returned 
 the stranger, in an expostulating tone. 
 
 " Not in the coin of the Pure Land," said 
 Isenofra ; " and the gold of the Foreign Nations 
 is not as ours, neither will it buy us bread 
 from our storehouses." 
 
 " And how know I that it is even true gold, 
 and not a false metal,?" said the woman, in a 
 shrill voice, " ye Barbarians have strange ways 
 
 ; 

 
 222 AZETU : 
 
 with ye! And few are fit to trade with the 
 sons of the Valley of the Nile. I question if 
 Semmuthia the jeweller would give me half its 
 weight in our coin! It feels light, and its 
 colour is not good !" she continued, scrutinizing 
 the golden bar, and weighing it in her hand. 
 
 " Barbarian ! that word to me," replied the 
 stranger, with arched eyebrows, and falling 
 back a step or two. 
 
 "And wherefore not?" said Isenofra, with 
 a proud movement. " Thus do we name the 
 children of every nation without the boundaries 
 of the Land of the Tree. It is not a word 
 used to thee alone. Thou knowest that we, the 
 children of Khemi, are the sole of men be- 
 loved by the Gods, or gifted by the Thrice 
 Great Thoth !" 
 
 " Strange !" repeated the Foreigner, mus- 
 ingly. " And so with us ! Thus do we like- 
 wise name all the nations that dwell beyond 
 the Celestial Country all the dark regions 
 upon which the Great Fo has never deigned 
 to look." 
 
 " Thou wouldst not include the Pure Land 
 in the darkness?" asked Eirene, coaxingly, 
 and taking hold of the large string of beads. 
 
 " At the least not its maidens !" replied the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 223 
 
 Stranger with an admiring look. " Although 
 ye so fail in one of the dearest graces of our 
 women !" And he stooped down to place his 
 hand on Eirene's small and sandalled foot. 
 " The Golden Waterlilies of our maidens are 
 not the size of this, if half were wanting !" 
 
 " Truly so 1 and yet men say that my foot 
 could dare the whole plain of the earth 
 to shew its superior!" replied Eirene, laugh- 
 ing. 
 
 " See my daughter's sandal !" returned the 
 Foreigner, again diving into the depths of his 
 ample pocket, and producing a shoe fit only 
 for the foot of an Egyptian child just escaped 
 from its leading-strings. 
 
 A murmur of admiration and surprise broke 
 from the girls who all gathered round to see 
 and touch the curiously minute sandal ; while 
 the men exchanged looks that were as elo- 
 quent as words. Such looks as men cast 
 amongst each other, when the beauties of 
 women are the theme of conversation. 
 
 " This is the size of our maidens' glancing 
 feet," said the stranger with a boastful ac- 
 cent. 
 
 " But how many summers hath thy daughter
 
 224 AZETH : 
 
 seen?" asked Zminis, anxious to uphold the 
 honor of his country women. 
 
 "As many as hath that graceful plant," re- 
 plied the Stranger pointing to Isenofra. " The 
 young bird hath now a nest of its own. She 
 is wife and mother both." 
 
 " And have all thy women these same beau- 
 tiful limbs ?" enquired Eirene. 
 
 " Not all, my pretty one !" he answered, 
 " but we would deem it unsightly in a noble 
 lady, could she boldly move through life with 
 the independence of a man ! Our women lean 
 upon us, their protectors, and are not of that 
 race which makes it hard to say whether they 
 be male or female ! With such baby's feet as 
 these, they can scarce walk alone ; and oh ! 
 ye men, what greater joy is there, than that of 
 succouring helping assisting a gentle 
 creature that looks up to ye for more than a 
 mother's support? Aye, indeed ! the bright- 
 est grace of the daughters of the Flowery 
 Land is centered in, and springs from the 
 Golden Waterlilies ! See !" he added proudly, 
 laying the shoe beside Eirene's foot. And 
 small and perfect in shape as was the Egyp- 
 tian maiden's limb, it now looked large when 
 contrasted with the fairy size of this foreign
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 225 
 
 woman's shoe, which left such room for the 
 imagination to picture a very model of perfect- 
 ness and beauty. 
 
 " And your women are fair ?" again ques- 
 tioned Zminis. 
 
 " Yes, soldier ! fair as the white rose ; and 
 virtuous as fair," answered the Stranger with 
 emphasis. 
 
 " Like most of their sex," returned the 
 other carelessly. " A little virtue and a great 
 deal of weakness. Beauty, youth, and cold- 
 ness, never yet met together in one woman of 
 all that I have seen. And a soldier's life, 
 noble eir, is none of the idlest ! I have seen 
 much, and visited many foreign parts ; and I 
 noted nought so well as the women of each 
 land where I sojourned." 
 
 " And were I. to have named thy peculiar 
 study, lhad mentioned this," said the Stranger 
 significantly. '* But our maidens," he added 
 rising, " would as little dream of writhing 
 their slender bodies into all these dancing- 
 girls, unseemly attitudes -and as little would 
 they teach their modest eyes and pure lips the 
 bold language of these, as they would bury 
 
 their sweet lives beneath the waves of the 
 L 3
 
 226 AZETH : 
 
 Yellow River. With them," he continued, 
 turning to the Three and speaking with 
 severity. " Kiss and love ia granted only 
 when the marriage-blessing allows of such. 
 Until then, the highest mountain wears no 
 colder brow : the steepest rock is not more 
 inaccessible. The faintest touch they 
 deem dishonor; the smallest exposure of 
 Nature's feelings shame ; what then, unblush- 
 ing caress, and public love? Think on my 
 words ! Ye are young, and fair as the moon's 
 path through the silver-pinioned clouds 
 bright as the painted arch of the sky and 
 something in ye speaks of good. Turn not all 
 these graces into deepened vice, by failing in 
 the best gift ot your sex Modesty !" 
 
 And deliberately folding his hands in his 
 large sleeves, the cold, stern Stranger, scarcely 
 deigning to take farewell, walked slowly from 
 the room. Halting near the door, lie placed a 
 purse of the Egyptian Circular Bars upon the 
 lotus-stand that stood near, making a slight 
 movement to Senpoeris, the Guardian, as she 
 clutched the bag with her palsied hands. 
 
 " My maidens in tears !" cried a young 
 Noble, who hastily brushing past the Stranger, 
 sprang into the chamber. " What hath hap-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 227 
 
 pened? Zminis Chebron young boy what 
 hath made these bright drops to flow ?" 
 
 " The foreign man's moralities !" Chebron 
 replied with a coarse laugh. " Women love 
 not the teachers of their own sex ; what then 
 when we not only cast off their bands of ex- 
 citement of itself a grievous sin ! but even 
 lecture them on their weaving I" 
 
 ''But who hath dared to do this?" again 
 asked the Noble, who was a dissipated and dark- 
 looking man, with a wild expression of mingled 
 care and recklessness in his face, and a look of 
 sorrow drowned in vice. 
 
 " The Stranger !" replied Chebron. 
 
 " What Stranger, scribe?" returned the 
 other impatiently. " Has the City of a 
 Hundred Gates so few children of a foreign 
 soil within her walls, that all must know when 
 one appears ?" 
 
 " I cannot tell thee aught more of him, 
 however impatient thou mayst be," answered 
 Chebron. " He has come from some far off 
 land beyond the dark mountains some land 
 where the fresh Etesian wind never blew 
 where the Mighty River never rolled its sacred 
 waves. Hast thou not oft seen some flat, 
 strange-looking vessels, with staring eyes and
 
 228 AZETH : 
 
 red prows, lying moored among our painted 
 sails in the ports of Berenice and Myoshormos 
 by the ocean shore ? He came in such a 
 vessel as this. And disembarking at Myos- 
 hormos, arrived at the Glorious City by the 
 Great Road. He has brought with him a 
 cargo of that delicate pottery which is so 
 highly prized. I saw him this morning stand- 
 ing at the corner of the Street of Flowers, bar- 
 gaining with the Merchants for their bales oi 
 fine linen, and with some fair-haired Barba- 
 rians from the Western Isles for their tin, in 
 exchange for these porcelain cups and vases. 
 Dost thou believe, Bocchoris, in the coming of 
 evil demons among men ?" said the malicious 
 scribe hastily, turning towards the Noble, 
 and fixing his blearing eyes with a sharp, 
 hound-like glance upon his face. 
 
 " What words are these, Scribe !" cried 
 Bocchoris, looking over his right shoulder to 
 avert the evil omen. " I shudder at thy talk ! 
 My very blood is cold!" 
 
 " And thou a soldier?" 
 
 " Aye ! but only a man withal. And 
 what can a man do against the power of such 
 i?"
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 229 
 
 " True ! he can do nought. He can but 
 suffer their torments." 
 
 " My whole flesh is stone cold!" said the 
 Noble shuddering. " I would that I had not 
 met this cursed Stranger on the threshold. I 
 thought that his dull eye looked evil ! What, 
 if he have smitten me !" 
 
 " Then shall I have to use the sharp stone 
 of incision in thy service ; and these fair 
 maidens, in gratitude for all the gay gifts with 
 with which thou hast adorned them, and in 
 soft sweet memories of all the dear caresses 
 which their rosy lips have paid thee, per- 
 chance will fling mud and dust over them ; 
 and bare their right arms, while wailing out 
 lamentations for the noble dead. Thou shalt 
 have a new, beautiful Osiris-bed !" said Che- 
 bron, laughing hoardely, as he thus alluded to 
 the ceremonies of embalment, and to the funeral 
 rites. 
 
 And Bocchoris, the powerful noble, shook 
 as that mean man's laugh resounded through 
 
 " C 1 
 
 the chamber. This was but a trifling instance 
 of the powerful influence which the more edu- 
 cated of the Egyptians, namely the ministers 
 of the Temple, possessed over the minds of 
 the nation. The slightest allusion to the
 
 230 AZETH : 
 
 fearful Being of Evil, or to his Spirits, as con- 
 nected with himself, seemed to curdle the life- 
 blood of him thus addressed. The smallest 
 unpropitious omen that met him on his way 
 was a matter more worthy of lamentation to 
 the Son of Khem, thau the death of his dar- 
 ling child, or the saddest reverse of fortune. 
 It was the mystery which was enwrapped in 
 this terror, and in these omens of bad fortune, 
 that made them so much more dreadful than 
 the actual presence of any misfortune. With 
 the Egyptians, as with all men of every class 
 and every nation, the Unknown the Hidden 
 was of far more value and account than the 
 sternest and plainest lesson practically taught. 
 For what is the Real when balanced with the 
 Mysterious ? 
 
 " I am accounted the most expert cutter 
 for the embalmer in all the streets of the Hun- 
 dred Gates," Chebron continued, glancing fur- 
 tively at the agonized face of Bocchoris. " And 
 1 escape swifter, than can any, from the stones 
 and darts which my sapient countrymen send 
 forth against me, as the reward of my skill 
 and humanity. Even should thy spirit but 
 have fainted, and not have died within thee, 
 Bocchoris, when I cut thy cold flesh, I have
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 231 
 
 not destroyed its resurrection ! Not many of 
 the Incissors could boast so much. Once 
 under their sharp stone, all chances of return 
 to earth, as men, are lost for this cycle. Their 
 luckless victims must wait patiently until the 
 Grand Era revolves, before their poor bodies 
 can become reanimate. But thou needst not 
 dread aught of this, Bocchoris ! It was a fatal 
 chance that led thee hither, at that very mo- 
 ment when the Evil-eyed Stranger was pass- 
 ing forth ! And thou didst touch his garment 
 too ? Ah ! thy cup is filled, poor Lord ! Amun ! 
 how pale thou growest ! Here, Berenice ! 
 Isenofra ! girls I a cup of wine I He hath 
 fainted. Lo ! how pale he lies !" And the 
 scribe smiled as he bent over the fallen man, 
 and roughly wiped the froth from his clammy 
 lips. Feeling his wrist, he bade the frightened 
 maidens fear nothing, " that it was but a pass- 
 ing cloud !" 
 
 " Why man ! art thou such a poor, faint 
 heart ?" was his first salutation, as the noble 
 breathed a heavy sigh, and opened his eyes, 
 with a dull, glazed look. 
 
 " Nay, not that," he answered faintly, <l but 
 I have fasted long, and am weary. Give me 
 
 wine 
 
 1"
 
 232 AZETH : 
 
 With trembling hands he took the goblet 
 from the kneeling Berenice, and drained it to 
 the last drop. 
 
 " That is well ! cried Zminia kindly. " Thou 
 wouldst not shame thy brave profession, Lord ! 
 See, now, thy cheek grows more life-like, and 
 thy lips assume a healthier hue ! The brave 
 soldier-heart could not fail !" 
 
 " U is over now, ' replied Bocchoris, 
 rising. 
 
 " And thou art well ?" asked the maidens, 
 who had gathered together with pale cheeks 
 and terrified looks. 
 
 " Well, sweet birds ? Aye, as well as Love 
 and wine can make the man's soul I" cried 
 Bocchoris in a wild voice, and waving the cup 
 round his head. 
 
 " Hem ! thou hast fasted long and art 
 weary ?" said the Scribe in a low, significant 
 tone. " And now that I look on thee, thy 
 garments are torn, and soiled, and travel- 
 stained. From whence hast thou come, Lord ? 
 What can have been thy weighty business ? 
 It seems to me, that the whole of the Two 
 Worlds is in disorder ! It is like a troop of 
 bees just swarming from their honey-cells. 
 And thou art taking part in this tumult ?
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 233 
 
 Beware ! The Evil Eye looked not for no- 
 thing !" 
 
 " Wouldst thou know all the matter ?" re- 
 turned the noble, whose brow was fast flushing 
 with the effects of his deep draughts. " Nay, 
 nay, Scribe ! I trust not my secrets to the 
 keeping of any breast but mine own !" 
 
 " Hist !" whispered Chebron, coining closer 
 to him, and putting his mouth to the noble's 
 ear. " Shall I then tell thee ? Thou art 
 for the Assyrian ! Foolish noble ! Unwise 
 Bocchoris ! Dost thou not know the penalty of 
 traitor communication with an enemy ? Art 
 thou anxious to rid thee of that mischievous 
 orgaij which so oft brings men to the know- 
 ledge of the executionerthe tongue ?" 
 
 The crimson glow paled from the cheek of 
 Bocchoris, and he started from the Scribe with 
 a look of horror and alarm. 
 
 "What dost thou say ?" he then ?aid slowly. 
 " In the name of our Great Mother, how didst 
 thou come by this knowledge ?" 
 
 " He who stands even upon the lowest 
 threshold of the Temple hath wonderful secrets 
 committed to his charge !" replied Chebron 
 mysteriously. " I may not tell thee how, or 
 from whence, I buy my wisdom. Suffice it to
 
 234 AZETH : 
 
 know that I possess it, and I possess also the 
 knowledge of thy actions. For the rest, care 
 thou not !" 
 
 " Wilt thou betray me ?" gasped the 
 noble. 
 
 " Nay !" replied Chebron carelessly. " I 
 should gain nothing by so doing. Thy life is 
 not of sufficient value to repay me for the 
 labour of betrayal. Who would give me the 
 meanest coin to know that Bocchoris, the 
 noble, was a traitor ? Not our holy King ! 
 For thou knowest how little he prizes ye 
 soldiers. The High Priests, though," he con- 
 tinued, as if calculating the probable chances, 
 " they would give me much for my vigilance. 
 So ! It seems almost worth the trial ! Yet 
 no ! Ye nobles may all die as rats, and the 
 Land will gain for every pale carcase in the 
 Tombs, a living member for the Priesthood." 
 
 " Thou art right," said Bocchoris, gloomily. 
 " We, the bravest and the best of the Egyp- 
 tian race, are now the most contemned and 
 despised. Our fathers' homes are the stranger's 
 our lands, another rules: our wealth, the 
 robber upends ; whilst we, formerly the un- 
 touched and privileged, can be thrown into the 
 debtor's dungeon at the instance of every base-
 
 TIJE EGYPTIAN. 235 
 
 born, because we lack our own our rightful 
 inheritance! Look. on me. Before yon Priest- 
 King mounted the Sacred Throne I was hon- 
 ored, rich, a man. The patron of all that was 
 beautiful, I was as an inexhaustible mine. At 
 my feet, as the footstool of a king, were poured 
 out treasures, which iny gold could buy, and 
 my sanction stamp with additional value. The 
 Regal Halls of Babylon, were not more splen- 
 did than were mine. Like a prince I held ; 
 like a prince I gave away ; and even the babe 
 was taught to lisp the praise of Bocchoris, the 
 Theban Captain ! And now, I creep through 
 life, the very beggar's scorn ! And I fear to see 
 mine own vile slave, if I owe him for my sandal- 
 thongs ! And this, your holy Memphite, your 
 Pontiff-King hath done ! Am I to bless the 
 hand that has slain me ? But come ! away with 
 these sad thoughts ! In the present I will 
 find joy, and I will drain the cup of pleasure to 
 the latest drop I Wine, maidens ! wine ! 
 Sound the harp ! Sing ! dance ! flit before 
 and around me, as very Shapes of Beauty, and 
 subdue these black visions of sadness that op- 
 press me! What ho! Mother Senpoeris ! 
 Dost thou want gold ? See, my last piece ! 
 My last piece, maidens, spent to buy me 
 your darling smiles !"
 
 236 AZETH: 
 
 And he laughed boisterously, as he threw the 
 old beldame a small piece of money. 
 
 ** Our smiles need not always be bought," 
 said Berenice, gently offering back the money 
 to the Noble. " To-night, at least, we will be- 
 stow, and not sell." 
 
 " And wilt thou not bestow more, sweet ?" 
 cried Bocchoris, taking her arm. " One little 
 kiss ?" 
 
 The girl blushed with a sudden glow, as of 
 anger ; then answered gravely, 
 
 " The gifts of my poor lips, Lord, I give 
 only with love. Neither for gold nor honor are 
 these granted I" 
 
 " And Zininis is the treasurer, ah?" said 
 Chebron, with a coarse look. 
 
 " Aye, Scribe P'said the soldier, coming for- 
 ward. u Hast thou aught to say, were it even so,? 
 I am the treasurer and the keeper of this maid's 
 love ; and woe to the robber that would steal 
 my riches from me ! Not Rhampsinitus him- 
 self, would show less mercy than would 
 I ! let this night- thief be whom he 
 would 1" 
 
 " Softly softly, good Zminis ! None would 
 wish to rob thee," said Chebron, sneeringly. 
 "At least, not I! This is my divinity," he
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 237 
 
 added, turning to Isenofra ; " None will rival 
 me here !" 
 
 u That boy's cheek and eye speak defiance, 
 though his lip uses no word," cried Bocchoris, 
 laughing, and pointing to Misaphris. 
 
 "Pshaw ! who would fear the rivalship 
 of such !" repeated Chebron ; " Isenofra 
 loves men not boys is it not so, sweet?" 
 
 " Come, dance ! dance ! my light-limbed 
 angels !" cried the Noble, impatiently. " My 
 soul is weary, and my heart is heavy ! 
 Away ! Away ! Away ! Delight and refresh 
 
 me 
 
 t" 
 
 And once more the beautiful maidens danced 
 their magic dance. And once more the music's 
 sweet strain floated through the air ; and filled 
 the whole chamber with harmony. 
 
 And thus the night \vas passed. Joy, and 
 mirth, and wine, filling up each moment. With 
 sometimes a deeper, holier feeling, possessing 
 the souls of Berenice and Zminis, as she found 
 herself near to him, with her caressing arms 
 twined round his stalwart frame, and her gen- 
 tle head laid against his bosom. And some- 
 times Isenofra iind the young soldier, like two 
 children alternately weeping and laughing in 
 their play, now endearing, now repelling, for-
 
 238 AZETH : 
 
 got that other and colder eyes were watching 
 their thoughtless actions. Eirene sat by her- 
 self, or nestled up to the palsied hag, the Mother 
 Senpoeris ; and she even smiled as she stroked 
 her bright head. And resting that sweet baby 
 head upon the trembling knee of the old wo- 
 man, the young girl looked wistfully at her 
 sisters, and in her heart wished that the gods had 
 sent her, too, such a lover. 
 
 Chebron and the Noble lounged together ; 
 scrutinizing the maidens as they passed, and 
 remarking on their beauties; while urging on 
 the chattering monkey to its mischievous 
 pranks, or making the teazed ichneumon's eyes 
 glow with rage. And every now and then, 
 turning closer to each other, they talked in 
 low whispers, gravely and earnestly, of " Se- 
 thos," and " Sennacherib ;" and once they 
 named " Amasis," and as they did so, the 
 Scribe laughed meaningly to himself.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 239 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE INVESTITURE. THE OFFERING TO APIS. 
 THE OMEN. YOUTHFUL BOLDNESS SPURNING 
 AT CHECK. 
 
 " AND now, my girl, lay aside thine instru- 
 ment," said Nitocris, quietly rising. " The 
 hour hath passed, and my father is expecting 
 me in the Hall of Preparation." 
 
 " Thou art to assist at a ceremony, 
 Lady ?" 
 
 "Yes" 
 
 " The blessing of the king before war?" 
 
 " Not alone ; there is yet another."
 
 240 AZETH : 
 
 " Aye ? Then what is it which fol- 
 lows ?" 
 
 " The investiture of the young Chaldean 
 to the post of king's fan-bearer," replied 
 Nitocris, bending over her work to hide, from 
 the prying glance of the pretty tire-maid, 
 the tear that started unbidden into her dark 
 eyes. 
 
 " My heart loves that news !" cried Taia, 
 warmly. " The brave young Osorchon how 
 well he will look ! How will his eye flash, and 
 his cheek burn with pride ! And in truth, it 
 will be a proud moment. The king's daughter 
 standing there, bare-armed to his honor ; the 
 holy priests blessing and clothing him the 
 great gods themselves looking on approvingly, 
 and pouring their gifts of life and blessings 
 over - his young head ; all the highest in 
 Egypt assisting in the advancement of a stran- 
 geronce a Gentilestill a nameless, and almost 
 a friendless ! What prouder hour could the 
 brave boy know ? He he alone, has been able 
 to cast down the strong barrier which is set 
 between the honors of Khiem and the 
 stranger ; and sure, never did custom give 
 way before a fairer conqueror than Osorchon, 
 the Ishmaelite!"
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 241 
 
 "Imarvelatthy'words, Taia, and atthypassion- 
 ate speech,which is too bold for the modesty of 
 the virgin I Osorchon is neither the first, neither 
 the best, who has been thus dignified. True, 
 he is young, and his impure Barbarian blood is 
 scarce a claim for the good things of the Land 
 of the Tree ; and had it not been that his promo- 
 tion comes from a priest and my father I had 
 wondered much at the infatuation which could 
 have thus warped the better judgment. But 
 it comes from a Sacred Hand and the gods 
 themselves direct the deeds of their servants. 
 Therefore is it good. And there is nothing so 
 wonderful in the matter, as thy fancy points ! 
 It is but the recurrence of an often-acted cere- 
 mony." 
 
 " Granting that there be nought wonderful, dear 
 Lady, yet is there not something brighter 
 than even the sweet birthday of Horus's 
 eyes? The youthful sun, springing up from 
 the blue Nile, sheds not more glorious rays 
 upon the earth, than the presence of the 
 Princess Nitocris sheds over the heart of 
 Osorchon, the Chaldean ! Gods ! he would 
 trample under foot fan, banner, flabella fling 
 away as dross and impurity, the ring of investi- 
 ture he would mingle with the very swine- 
 VOL. i. M
 
 242 AZETH : 
 
 herds that shiver without the Halls of the 
 Gentile, rather than lose the blessedness of 
 thy gracious presence ! Thou knowest that 
 thou alone art his star !" 
 
 " What words are these ?" cried Nitocris 
 turning sharply round. " Hast thou become 
 utterly weary of my affection, Taia, that 
 thou art taking such pains to slay it ? Thou 
 couldst not have chosen any better means ! 
 Nay 1 thou needest not pout thy lip, as though 
 th(.u wouldet say, thou art injured ! I am weary 
 of all this folly." 
 
 And she covered her face with her long, 
 loose sleeve. 
 
 " My poor mistress," thought the girl, as 
 she gently took the hand of Nitocris ; " thou 
 art more weary of thine own heart, and grieved 
 for the commands of thy pride, than for any 
 word of mine." 
 
 "And I assist at the ceremony,' 5 added the 
 Princess looking up ; "as the priestess of Isis 
 bearing her part in the processions of 
 Phtha- as the daughter following her father's 
 way not as the Princess Nitocris aiding in 
 the investiture of the bold Ismaelite ! There 
 is a wide difference, girl ! As the one, I would
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 243 
 
 kneel at the foot of the herdsman, if need were 
 as the other, I would not honor the bravest 
 warrior of the Two Worlds !" 
 
 " Not one, lady ?" 
 
 " I say it again : not the bravest heart that 
 now beats under the sun of Egypt !" 
 
 " Then thou art less woman than Princess ? 
 And pride has more, power over thee than 
 love ?" 
 
 " Love ?" said Nitocris, almost in a whisper, 
 and drooping her head. " Love ?" Then 
 drawing herself up, and crossing her arms 
 tightly over her bosom, she added, " I know it 
 not. The maiden ought not to breathe this 
 word, even to her own soul. My father my 
 lands my gods all these I love, revere, and 
 worship but for the rest, it is a blank." 
 
 And she shook her tresses from her forehead, 
 and looked proudly and steadily into the tire- 
 maid's eyes. 
 
 Taia made no reply; but handing to the 
 Princess the thin veil with which the Egyptian 
 women covered themselves on their journeys 
 abroad, they passed into the Sacred Eobing- 
 place. There, clothing herself in the rich gar - 
 ments of her office the blue and white 
 striped robes, the chains, the rings, the arm- 
 in 3
 
 244 AZETH : 
 
 lets, and the gorgeous sandals and exchanging 
 the asp-fillet and blue lotus-flower for the beau- 
 tiful cap of the Sacred Vulture her sweet 
 face paler than usual, and with an unnatural 
 fixedness in her deep eye?, Nitocris hastened to 
 join those about to proceed to the Temple of 
 Phtha-Sokar, where the ceremony was to be 
 performed. 
 
 As she appeared, Sethos, motioning her to 
 take her place among the other bright bearers 
 of the sistra, seated himself in his royal litter, 
 and the procession began to move : the priest- 
 hood taking the foremost rank. 
 
 First came the flute player, a priest of the 
 lower degree, in a dress consisting simply of a 
 loose robe of fine linen, fastened round his 
 tfaist by a girdle, and secured over the upper 
 part of his body by a broad strap, that passed over 
 his shoulders and crossed his back and breast. 
 Unornamented papyrus sandals, and a close 
 fitting cap completed his costume. He carried a 
 large double pipe of box-wood, with which he 
 made sweet melody for the pious multitude, as 
 slowly, and with dignified steps, they followed 
 in his way. Two priests of the same grade as 
 himself walked at a few paces distance on each 
 side, with the symbols of music, and two
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 245 
 
 of the sacred books of Hermes Trisme^istus 
 
 c"l 
 
 in their hands. Of these books, one contained 
 songs of praise to the gods ; the other, moral 
 and religious precepts for the king, and rules 
 for his conduct. The melody was impressive 
 and solemn like a speech half of prayer, half of 
 praise as it echoed through the sky. It was slow, 
 yet with the wildness of enthusiasm breathing 
 out in every note. It was harmonious, yet 
 with the carelessness of inspiration ; soft, yet 
 inspiring ; majestic, yet penetrating. And the 
 songs, which the Hieropsalti, or choristers 
 chanted to Phtha, and the potent raother-god 
 dess the Myriad-named accorded sweetly 
 with the tinkling of the small cymbals beating 
 in symphony. 
 
 Of this band of choristers, the Isiac Priestesses 
 formed a part; with their floating hair, and 
 glancing arms, and wild, young eyes filled with 
 love, and religion so like to love, that the two 
 could not be separated. Foremost walked the 
 Royal Maiden. Her right arm was bared to 
 the shoulders; and in her jewelled, rose-tipped 
 hand, she bore the Sacred Sistrum a four- 
 barred instrument of bronze, finely worked, 
 and covered with chased ornaments. The
 
 246 AZETH : 
 
 handle was surmounted by the head of Isw 
 wearing the Mother's Cap of the Sacred Vul- 
 ture ; the reverse bore the face of the sister- 
 goddess, Nephthys the Mysterious End 
 with a broad crown of asps placed round her 
 dark brow. On the summit reposed the sleek 
 figure of a small cat, with the globe and horus 
 of Athor, the Lady of the Tree. It was the 
 place of Nitocris, and her privilege as Priestess 
 of Isis, to hold this mystic sistrum in those 
 ceremonies and processions which were of suf- 
 ficient importance to be performed with all the 
 adjuncts of the Egyptian's worship. A place 
 which was regarded by all as giving a peculiar 
 sanctity to those who occupied it. For Isis 
 was held scarcely inferior to Phtha-Sokar at 
 Memphis. And according to the degree of 
 respect in which the deity was placed, so stood 
 the ministers. Woe to the lost heart, who, wor- 
 shipping one, dared venture within the temenos 
 of the Temple dedicated to another! The 
 blood-flecked stones of Coptos, where the 
 Tentyrite execrator of the crocodile-god lay 
 a lifeless corpse, too sadly attested to the fer- 
 vour, if not to the love, of the Egyptian re- 
 ligion ! 
 
 In that maze of harmony which wandered
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 247 
 
 over the face of the sky, like some golden- 
 winged bird of the morning, the sweet voice of 
 Nitocris was sweetest; and of all the bright beauty 
 glowing there none was so bright as hers. Graceful 
 as a young antelope of the desert, as majestic, 
 and as free, her feet's elastic tread pacing the 
 paved way in time to the slow chords, she 
 accompaniedj rather than mingled with, the 
 band. And many hearts beat high, and many 
 brows flushed with warm passion, as she glanced 
 past. For Nitocria, the most lavishly gifted, 
 and the fairest of all the Daughters of the 
 Land of Khem, was the aim at which many 
 a bold hope pointed. But she, herself, too 
 proud to be observant, moved on her path of 
 life utterly unconscious of the effect which her 
 presence produced. 
 
 After the choristers, followed the Astrologer 
 or Diviner, and Hieraphori bearing the hour- 
 glass, and the palm-branch with its twelve buds, 
 emblems of his science time and its yearly 
 division. The Diviner knew by heart four 
 other Books of Hermes on astrology, de- 
 scribing the fixed stars and planets, the ec- 
 lipses and conjunctions, and the various periods 
 of the rising and setting of the sun and moon. 
 Next came the Hierogramraatists or Sacred
 
 248 AZETH : 
 
 Scribes ; their heads cinctured with a purple 
 fillet, adorned with two superb ostrich feathers. 
 Their dress was a kelt or apron tied round 
 the waist in front ; and above this, a wide 
 upper garment of the finest and whitest linen, 
 with full sleeves reaching below the knee. On 
 their bosoms hung the Jewel of the Thrnei 
 the Deities of Truth and Justice a bright 
 blue sapphire stone engraven as a signet. They 
 carried books, and small cases containing ma- 
 terials for writing. It was their duty to under- 
 stand the sense of the Hieroglyphs ; the nature 
 and productions of the earth particularly the 
 state of the Pure Land, beloved above all the 
 nations of the world by the Great Gods of 
 Amenti. The courses of the heavenly bodies ; 
 the risings and settings of Egypt's star of 
 Sothis ; the intentions of the holy instru - 
 rnents, all of which had a hid.len meaning in 
 their purposes, and shapes, and ornaments ; 
 the appointed places in which to keep them ; 
 with the knowledge of weights and measures, 
 and a general acquaintance with the people 
 of the different quarters where they resided ; 
 as well as the guardianship of all the things 
 which were necessary for, and used in, holy 
 rites, formed the not trifling sum of the \visdom 
 of the Hierogrammatist. Then followed the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 249 
 
 Stoliastes, or Keeper and Fashioner of the Sacred 
 Robes, not only of the Priests but also those 
 of the Statues of the Gods, when they were 
 clothed in the garments of joy on stated feasts 
 partial or national; in the theophames and 
 the mournings, and in the aphanism and euresis 
 of the Dread Unnamed. He bore the Cup of 
 Libation, and the Cubit of Justice. From him 
 was required the knowledge and interpretation of 
 the peculiar marks on the victims; and the 
 general direction of all things which pertained 
 to the Egyptian Religion. 
 
 Last of the train came the Hierophant, 
 or chief Pontiff, in the gorgeous robes of 
 sacrifice; his neck and arms glittering with 
 ornaments, and his dress heavy with gold and 
 embroidery. In his breast he carried the 
 Mystic Jar filled with the Water of the Nile, 
 and Hieraphori followed with loaves of bread. 
 He wore the leopard-skin mantle, the ex- 
 clusive garment of the High Priest and the 
 Monarch. And he had likewise that peculiar 
 badge reserved only for him, and for the 
 Princes of the blood royal-the lock of hair 
 descending on one side, and looped up behind 
 his ear. The Hierophant was an old man o 
 a wonderfully holy and intellectual counte- 
 M 5
 
 250 AZETH : 
 
 nance. There was a purity in it, even brighter 
 than the purity of a woman, heavenly an- 
 gelic ia its undimmed clearness. It awed the 
 boldest gazer to meet those mild, sinless eyes, 
 whose very love whose very pity abashed 
 more than the sternest rebuke of a more imper- 
 fect nature. To the man on whose heart is im- 
 pressed the image of a greater glory than is here, 
 will.every where be found revelations of that 
 glory and antitypes of that image. GOD the 
 Ainun the Life speaks not by one word alone, 
 nor is his presence in one place alone. The tem- 
 pest, and the song of the lark the giant rock, 
 immoveable in its mountain bed, and the tender 
 bud, so tender that the butterfly's wing weighs 
 it to the earth alike are books, where written 
 in different ways, but speaking the same wurd, 
 stand recorded tidings of the Everlasting. 
 And surely He, there told of, will not con- 
 demn his children, when they, too, speak in 
 many and stranger tongues, the one, bame, 
 beautiful speech of Worship ! The Father 
 who has created life and loveliness in endless 
 varieties who has given one voice to the 
 grasshopper and another to the eaglet who 
 has clothed the rose in crimson, and the lily 
 in snow who has besto ,\ ed on the mountain, 
 torrent and rock, and on the valley, verdure
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 251 
 
 and flowers- who has made the north man 
 and the south, brothers, though so different, 
 He will not demand from all hearts the same 
 form of prayer He will not deny the Word 
 of Nature, which tells that uniformity is not 
 one of the requirements of the Lord of the 
 Universe. From all things that have life, 
 are demanded worship and love ; yet they 
 may be shown in ways varying one from the 
 other. From all men is demanded Religion 
 the worship of a Higher the earnest, un- 
 ceasing endeavours to resemble that Higher, 
 as the II>EA is impressed on the heart ; but 
 the way in which each man endeavours will 
 never be deemed sinful, because it differs from 
 the way of his brother man. Truth is not the 
 one small radius of the circle ; rather it is the 
 centre, from which all the radii proceed, and 
 into which they all converge. 
 
 Such was the creed of Amenophis ; though 
 obliged rather to shadow it forth by parable, and 
 symbol, and mythe, than boldly preach out to 
 his countrymen the great fact of the Univer- 
 sality of Truth. But High Priest as he was, 
 he knew too well what would be the result of 
 undisguised teaching. He knew that he 
 should effect more by gently casting the seeds
 
 252 AZETH : 
 
 of thought into the hearts of his disciples, 
 there to lie and germinate, than by openly 
 shocking the prejudices of his day. 
 
 A great multitude of the people followed in 
 the train of this stately concourse ; the deepest 
 reverence expressed in their downcast eyes, 
 and lowly-bowed heads. In spite of the un- 
 popularity of the king, the awe which he 
 exacted as Priest stifled the resentment which 
 the man and the monarch had excited. A 
 profound silence reigned ; broken only at rare 
 intervals by some, more fervid than the rest, 
 breathing out their adoration for the god-like 
 Amenophis, or their man's devotion for the 
 bright Isiac priestesses who were mingled with 
 the minstrels. 
 
 At last the train entered the Great Dromos 
 of Lions, which connected the magnificent 
 temples of Phtha and Apis ; and turning 
 to the west, arrived at the propylaeum built 
 by Menes or the first Pylon of the JEdes 
 consecrated to the Dwarf Deity. On either 
 side of the towering gateway, with its bril- 
 liant fluttering banners, reposed a colossal 
 sphynx ; guardian and emblem at once of the 
 faith set forth within the holy walls. On the 
 pyramidal pillars and walls of this Pylon, 
 and on the two obelisks which rose up before
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 253 
 
 them, like the rays of light which they were 
 intended to typify, was sculptured a mass of 
 hieroglyphs. The most frequently recurring 
 character was the Scarabams under various 
 shapes and combinations. Now with the 
 head of a man HOTT, horned like a bull ; 
 here, holding the sun in its claws there, 
 winged, supporting the disk on its head, or 
 placed on the summit of the sign of stability, 
 emblemizing more entirely the Great Demi- 
 urges of the Universe. And different figures 
 of other Gods were praying to it, holding 
 forth their hands supplicating] y, as if to teach 
 men that Light with Life was the Primal 
 One the Eicton the Monad the anti-type 
 above all its own emanations. 
 
 The Priests swept through this gateway, 
 and crossed the large pronaos, or entrance 
 court, to the next porch, which was of slightly 
 smaller dimensions than the first. Another 
 court was passed ; and they arrived at the 
 steps of the last pylon, which was still less 
 large than the preceding, led into the Sekos 
 or body of the Temple. The people followed 
 thus far, into the first hall; but here they 
 stopped. Beyond, lay the Holy Place, not to 
 be violated by profane tread ; and within this
 
 254 AZETH : 
 
 again, the Adytum the Holy of Holies to 
 which the High Priest and Sovereign, Pontiff 
 by right of office, might alone penetrate. In this 
 Hall the king's throne was placed ; and here he 
 seated himself. Behind his chair of state were 
 ranged all his officers, some of whom bore his 
 flabella and fan and attended to his slightest 
 sign, like dutiful children ministering to a be- 
 loved father. 
 
 Hardly had the Priests taken up their respec- 
 tive positions ranking themselves through the 
 wide and lofty hall as mute, and silent, and 
 motionless, as the pillar* against which they 
 leant when foot-steps were heard in the 
 entrance-court, and Osorchon, dressed in 
 a simple tunic of white linen, walked 
 with a modest mien and downcast eyes 
 into the Hall. Crossing his hands over his 
 breast, he made the customary salutation of 
 the inferior ; waiting until he was bidden 
 to advance. Two priests then led him 
 forward, and put on him a beautifully em- 
 broidered robe of the most delicate texture, 
 hung chains and necklaces round his neck, 
 placed rings on his hands, and bands round 
 his arms, and bound a red fillet about his 
 head. And when thus adorned, they brought
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 255 
 
 him to the foot of the throne. As the young 
 soldier slowly moved forward, the small cym- 
 bals of the choristers, and the sweet-voiced 
 sistra of the beautiful Priestesses, gave out a 
 faint and gentle sound. And the soft melody 
 sounded like the whispering voices of Heaven, 
 lingering in this Gate of Heaven as in their 
 home. 
 
 Sethos turned to his officers, as the Priests 
 led up the Ishmaelite, and taking from them 
 the plumed fan, the flabella, and the crook 
 destined for him, placed them in his handa, 
 saying 
 
 " Be thou faithful, and worthy of thine 
 office ! And may the Great Gods bless thee, 
 as 1 do now !" 
 
 Osorchon bent low, his heart lost in a tu- 
 mult of delight. He, a stranger a Gentile 
 and impure in the sight of the Egyptian by 
 reason of his tented birth and foreign nurture 
 invested with the first order of the land -an 
 order hitherto exclusively reserved for the 
 princes of royal blood, or, failing these, the 
 chief of the nobility the Prieats around him, 
 by their very presence blessing and aiding ; 
 behind him, Nitocris, as Princess honoring, 
 and as Pallacide assisting ; her father, the
 
 256 AZETH : 
 
 Great Monarch, the twice-holy, twice-blessed, 
 the only oce of all the Egyptian kings who 
 had thus dared to invade the sanctuary of 
 custom, voluntarily entrusting to him, a youth, 
 so high a dignity well might his brain grow 
 giddy ! well might he dream fond dreams, 
 which, though baseless and unstable as the 
 sun-kissed mist, were beautiful to look upon, 
 and of glorious shapes ! Dream on, boy ! In 
 the day of manhood thou must wake, and 
 work. Thou art as yet only in thy first dawn, 
 and twilight is still about thee, and its delusive 
 dimness changes the face of things, making 
 thee see lovely ghosts where gloom, barren 
 rocks, and dancing-fays, where wave but the 
 arms of the blasted tree. Dream on now ! 
 Thou wilt wake too soon for thy happiness ! 
 
 Sathos extended his hand, which Osorchon 
 took in his own ; then raising the insignia of 
 his office above his head, he repeated after the 
 attendant priest: 
 
 " By the dread Gods by the Balance and 
 the Tablet by the scourges of the Forty Two, 
 and the Awful Boat of lieturn I swear to 
 serve thee faithfully and truly ! May the gen- 
 tle Horus refuse me the passage of the Dark 
 Lake ; may the Fearful Guardian bark me back
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 267 
 
 to eternal wandering ; may the Four reject, 
 and the tomb be shut against me, if I be 
 not faithful while my life dwells in this 
 body !" 
 
 As soon as the young soldier had finished 
 this solemn speech, the priests exclaimed : 
 
 " Thus be it for ever I" 
 
 The effect of so many low, subdued voices 
 uttering so fearful a confirmation, was impres- 
 sive and thrilling in the extreme. Osorchon 
 felt that in spite of himself his cheek blanched, 
 and his lip quivered ; while the hand which held 
 the fiabella trembled. 
 
 "Yea! and thus let it be," repeated the 
 king, raising his joined hands ; then blessing 
 him, he declared aloud, that the boy was for- 
 mally invested with the office of his Fan-bearer 
 of the Right hand. 
 
 Immediately the flute player and Hier.opsalti 
 recommenced their music aud songs. And the 
 glorious notes swelled and rose through the 
 lofty building, triumphant as the mountain 
 winds. But one small sistrum poured from its 
 ringed and tinkling bars, to the ear of the 
 newly-elected, the loudest and the noblest 
 strains of all. He turned to thank the sweet 
 minstrel with his glad eyes ; but so pale and
 
 258 
 
 AZETH : 
 
 wan her cheekso fixed the stare of her glazed 
 eye so listless her whole airthat he sickened 
 as he gazed. Two years before, she had borne the 
 same part in the like ceremony, when her early 
 playmate in his youthful beauty and high 
 birth had knelt to the new and honored kin<*, 
 
 O" 
 
 where now that foreign boy stood before the 
 deserted and reviled ; and the rich voice of 
 Pesammetichus had vowed the same vow, which 
 now grated in strange accents through the 
 air. Priestess of the unchanging Isis, she 
 had shaken high her sistrum, and made it give 
 out its glad tones of gratulation to the herd 
 of listeners, the same as these which now 
 sounded harsh and moaning : but to her, how 
 different ! 
 
 Osorchon was saddened. All the glory of 
 his late honor faded. And even more ; it hung 
 upon him with a sense of servitude. He longed 
 to steal away ; to hide his eyes from the 
 sun ; to shut out from his ears all sounds of 
 life to be alone. But his place, from hence- 
 forth, was near the monarch's person, and 
 he could not again know the luxury of inde- 
 pendence : but sick at heart, or joyous, he must 
 ever school both soul and brow into the one,
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 259 
 
 same, and unvarying expression of placid 
 quietude. As one weary he turned away, and 
 leaned heavily against a column. 
 
 The king then descended from his throne ; 
 and slowly walked through the long double 
 row of pillars, which extended from the 
 bronze entrance- doors to the door of the 
 Holy Place. He was accompanied by Ame- 
 nophis, who followed a few steps behind him. 
 Right royal looked the monarch ! His gor- 
 geous robes were rustling with gold and em- 
 broidery, and his limbs were one blaze of jewels. 
 The apron which he wore was bound with 
 a glittering row of golden asps, and orna- 
 mented in front with lions' heads. On each 
 side fell the ends of a girdle made of several 
 straps richly worked. His striped dress was 
 heavy and dazzling ; and his sandals shone 
 with gems and gold. But these he now ex- 
 changed for the simple reed-slipper of the 
 priest. Round his head was the royal asp- 
 fillet : and as he walked, the delicate im- 
 bricated plates of gold of which it was 
 wrought, moved, so that it seemed living ; with 
 its green eyes of emerald-stone glancing in
 
 260 AZETH : 
 
 the light, and its small/orked tongue darting 
 incessantly. 
 
 He went to the Adytum which contained 
 the representation of Phtha the statue be- 
 fore which he had so lately dreamt his glo- 
 rious vision of hope and comfort and slowly 
 passed into the holy cell with a noise- 
 less tread hushed in veneration. He stood 
 before the statue for some moments ; and con- 
 cealing his face in his robe prayed mutely and 
 earnestly. Then returning, he took from two 
 attendant priests the balls of incense which 
 they held in two open bronze censers, toge- 
 ther with the cup of libatiou, and en- 
 tering again into the naos this time accom- 
 panied by Amenophis he placed a costly 
 hawk-headed necklace on the shrine, as an 
 offering to the Lord of the Hawk-pro wed 
 Boat ; whilst he threw the sweet incense into 
 the flames, and poured over all the precious 
 libatory wine. Holding forth his hands to the 
 statue, after he had anointed it with the fourth 
 finger of his left hand, he besought his tutelar 
 deity to accept this, his offering ; to grant him 
 his prayer for success ; and to bless his under- 
 taking. After again mutely praying, he 
 left the sanctuary with Amenophis. They had
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 261 
 
 scarcely closed the door, when a voice issued 
 from the innermost cell the Holiest Place. 
 Small and faint, was it at first : but it rose in 
 intensity, until il filled the whole Temple with 
 its sound. It seemed to speak to the very 
 soul ; to penetrate into the heart ; to pierce 
 through the thick covering of the body, and 
 mingle with the life blood pulsing with each 
 beat, and palpitating with each throb ; it 
 covered all as with a heavy garment, and made 
 the twilight air burdensome with its weight. 
 At last it broke into words : 
 
 " My servant, faithful and true thou shalt 
 not be forsaken! Over the pure and the 
 single-hearted ever hangs the guardian shield 
 of Heaven, and no evil shall penetrate that 
 buckler. Courage! and faint not!" The 
 Voice ceased, then after a short inter- 
 val of silence it proceeded from the 
 first Adytum, where was the statue, and 
 added : " If thou pourest choice wine 
 into coarse vessels, thou dost honor these, 
 and harmest not thy treasure : frut thou 
 makest each to be of good service. Lay the 
 golden thread upon the web of flax, and thou 
 mayst weave a garment for the God himself. 
 But the gold is precious as the incense 
 Arabah-while the flax is worthless as the
 
 262 AZETH : 
 
 stone of the desert. Unite the riches of pur- 
 pose, and the poverty of means, and thou dost 
 make the whole of value." 
 
 " Thou nearest, King!" said Amenophis 
 in a clear, harmonious tone, as the voice from 
 the Adytum ceased suddenly and abruptly. 
 " Thou nearest the Promise of the God, and 
 the Response of the Oracle. As their servant 
 and interpreter do I, then, call thee Blessed ; 
 and in their name, give unto thee the Falchion 
 of Victory. Take this weapon, and smite 
 with it the heads of the impure Gentiles. 
 Smite and prevail !" 
 
 Holy Amenophis ! thy loving heart belied 
 the formal phrase of this office, and once more 
 made the shrine of man's thought lower than 
 his virtue ! 
 
 And now the last act had to be performed ; 
 after which each man who c- uld work, must 
 up and bestir himself maui'uiiy for the defence 
 of his hapless birth-land. The Investiture of 
 Osorchon, and the Blessing of the King before 
 War we're at an end; and the Offering 
 to Apis, the deity incarnate in the Holy Ox, 
 had alone to be performed, before the day's 
 religious business was over. 
 
 The priests of the several grades re-arranged 
 themselves in their former order, and with the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 263 
 
 addition of the new Fanbearer commenced 
 their progress as before. A murmur of sub- 
 dued welcome greeted them as they returned 
 to the Porch. Yet this was all the demonstra- 
 tion of joy in which the well-taught Egyp- 
 tians, in ever so great masses, permitted them- 
 selves to indulge. And particularly from those 
 who attended as spectators on the religious 
 processions and festivals, there was more than 
 usual gravity and self-command; as they were 
 of a higher caste than a mere rude populace 
 gathered together to witness some strange 
 show. Sethos acknowledged their courtesies 
 by repeated blessings made by extending two 
 fingers of his hands, keeping their palms close 
 joined together ; though in truth, few, very 
 few, of all the half- whispered exclamations of 
 gladness or reverence, were addressed to the 
 
 D * 
 
 unpopular sovereign. None to him as king ; 
 and, if any lighted on his head, they were 
 only meant for the Priest. 
 
 And now the Temple of Apis rose in sight, 
 towering above the colossal Lions of the 
 Grand Dromos between the Temples of Phtha 
 and of Apis. It stood against the dark blue 
 sky with an air of durability eternal as that ; in 
 massive majesty claiming to be alike inhabited ;
 
 264 AZETH : 
 
 alike the abode of light, and life, and the 
 Spirit of Truth. Grandest shrine of man- 
 loved blindness ! noblest clad of man-born 
 falsehoods ! whose glorious robe hid the 
 deformity of the enfolded spectre, and 
 might almost plead for the pardon of those 
 who looked not within, but stood entranced 
 with the beauty of the covering. 
 
 The first pylon led into the propylaeum 
 a large open place in the form of a square ; 
 and round it was a covered corridor, whose 
 countless porphyry pillars of four aides, tapering 
 towards their lotus, palm-leaf, or Isis-headed 
 capitals had the colossal figure of a king 
 sculptured on each. With hands meekly 
 folded over the breast they seemed to stand 
 in an attitude of prayer; devotion, the only 
 expression that was marked on the mild and 
 grave countenance. After this court, which 
 was hypaethral, or open to the sky, came a 
 second gateway, opening into another rather 
 smaller enroofed court. Upon the ceiling 
 was pafnted a mimic heaven of cloudless blue, 
 studded with infinite stars, and bordered by 
 the mystic, encircling Queen of the Universe ; 
 who embracing the All in her guarding arms, 
 and bearing the Winged Scarab, spoke elo-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 265 
 
 quently in this symbol that Love and Life 
 are the whole of creation. The walls were 
 clothed with bright pictures; partly devo- 
 tional, partly triumphant ; and though left by 
 the artist's perfcil centuries before, their colors 
 were fresh and glowing as if laid on but that 
 same day. Exquisitely chiselled statues of 
 marble, and basalt, framed, so to speak, by 
 square pilasters that stood out from the 
 wall at irregular intervals, were ranged in 
 groups round the court. All were of gigantic 
 stature, and wonderful beauty. Through this 
 lay another pronaos, or entrance-vestibule, the 
 pylon of which gradually diminished, as in all 
 the Egyptian Temples ; and beyond, was the 
 spacious Hall of Apis. 
 
 " Here, at the entrance, the Priests stopped ; 
 and taking off their sandals, each stood, their 
 hearts filled with the deepest reverence, before 
 the massive folding-doors leading into the 
 Holiest Presence. With downcast eyes, soft 
 tread, and humble mien, two of the Guar- 
 dians of the Sacred Ox now appeared,' and in 
 low tones, hushed in awe, said that the Anointed 
 Sovereign of the Two Worlds, and the High 
 Priest, could be led before the eyes of the God. 
 
 VOL. i. N
 
 266 AZETH : 
 
 Sethos, veiling his face, and led by the atten- 
 dant Priest, went through the barely-opened 
 door ; his steps were uncertain and trembling, 
 and his breath came only in thick sobs. Ameno- 
 phis followed at a short distance ; feeling as 
 near, and no nearer, to the Manifestation, than 
 when standing before the opening bud of the 
 lowliest weed. For with him life was divinity, 
 and virtue deification. 
 
 In the Hall were a multitude of young and 
 beautiful boys, playing, and singing hymns of 
 praise to the God, in a chaunting kind of 
 rhythm. Some were weaving garlands of 
 blue lotus-flowers for the sacred heifers ; and 
 others were dipping fresh grass in the clear 
 fountains whch sparkled and splashed up their 
 cool waters inthe midst of the court. These were 
 the drinking places of the Holy Bull, for whom 
 the waters of the Nile were too gross from 
 their richness. The boys were the young 
 children, either of priestly parents, or them- 
 selves, by peculiar favor, already dedicated 
 to the service of the Temple; and their at- 
 tendance on Apis, and inhalation of his breath, 
 inspired them with the knowledge of futurity ; as 
 his presence gave to them poetic art and fire. 
 Some, though but a few, had been adopted by
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 267 
 
 the Hermetic Baptism covered with the Red 
 Garment and lain in the Mystic Coffin, while 
 making the miraculous response. These, in 
 after life, would be placed in the highest class, 
 not only of th*e initiated, but also of the more 
 secret, more unattainable Hermesian Philoso- 
 phers. Too young to be easily diverted from 
 their games, they continued their play and 
 lisping songs, while* the two grave and aged 
 men passed by. Severed wide by wisdom, 
 meeting and connected by purity, were these 
 baby attendant?, and grey-bearded visiters, of 
 the Hall of Apis. 
 
 Guided only by the soft steps of the Guardi- 
 ans, not daring to uncover his face, nor to 
 raise his eyes, the King moved towards the mild 
 and beautifully-formed milk white ox which 
 was meekly standing at the upper end of the 
 court. Languidly turning his full eyes first on 
 one, then the other, of the sleek-necked heifers 
 in the different chambers ranged round, 
 he stood there, too indolent and passive 
 even to answer the many murmured lowings 
 of his gentle companions. As the Guardian 
 Priests approached, he quietly lowered his 
 head, and put his bror.d, starred forehead into 
 the hand of the foremost. Sethos knelt ; silent 
 N 3
 
 268 AZETII : 
 
 through awe. Amenophis raised his hand to 
 his mouth, but stood erect ; for something 
 within him ever rebelled against this particular 
 worship ; and seemed to stiffen his knees into 
 iron, that he should not prostrate himself 
 before the hoof of a dumb beast. Had 
 he not known that the God Apis was 
 only a living symbol of the sun this, again, 
 but the physical symbol of the vivifying power 
 of nature ; had he not known that, originally, 
 the Bull had been chosen as the particular em- 
 blem, simply because in the Month of the Ox, 
 or in other words, the Month of Ploughing, 
 Spring, and renewed life and fertility, spread 
 over the earth, and enwrapped it in her robe of 
 green, flower-gemmed, yet the heart of 
 Amenophis would of itself have been suf- 
 ficient teacher as to the fitness or unfitnees of 
 hia religious forms. 
 
 This worship of the Bull was, in point of 
 fact, the beginning and the end of the Egyp- 
 tian worship. It was the deification of the 
 Principle Life ; which life was the Soul of the 
 Universe, Nature's true and only God. 
 
 Sethos was not one of the Priests to whom was 
 entrusted the whole truth of the mysteries of the 
 religion ofAmun, and he worshiped Apis as God.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 269 
 
 The professors and teachers of this religion were 
 divided into two distinct classes, the active 
 and contemplative, the originators and the 
 followers, the teachers and believers. And 
 those, whose superior boldness led them to look 
 deeper than the more timid or conscientious, 
 were wise enough to tfeep their discoveries for 
 the participation of kindred spirits alone ; and 
 satisfying the humble and childly-minded with 
 such portions, only, as it was absolutely neces- 
 sary to impart, kept the more abstract and 
 dangerous truths shrouded in type and symbol. 
 But the natural consequence of this fraud on 
 the one side, and blind devotion on the other, 
 was, that of the Ministers of the Temple half 
 were destitute of religion, atheists without 
 the belief in any God ; while the other veiled 
 their reason, and believed in follies at which a 
 babe's intellect would revolt, from the palsying 
 influence of unasking trust in an unintelligi- 
 ble faith. 
 
 " O King ! unveil thy face I" said one of the 
 Priests in a subdued tone, " for the eyes of the 
 Holy Steer are on thee !" 
 
 Sethos lowered his, robe ; but dared not look 
 up. Holding forth a small and scented cake, 
 he presented it to the ox, exclaiming : " Dread
 
 270 AZETH : 
 
 and Holy 1 vouchsafe thy favor unto thy ser- 
 vant ! Show him the end of his way, and 
 whither it leadeth, whither to evil or to good, 
 to disgrace or to victory !" 
 
 The bull, as if in answer to this prayer of 
 the true, though blinded, heart, gave out a 
 very sweet and melodious eonnd ; and fixing 
 his mild looks on the kneeling Monarch, took 
 the cake from his hand, without hesitation. 
 
 Tears started into the eyes of the King. 
 " The Gods are merciful," he said in an almost 
 inarticulate tone. "My soul! give them thy 
 best blessing thy truest thanksgiving for I 
 deserve not their favor, neither merit I their 
 grace ! Yet for my peoples' sake, O Gods! pre- 
 serve your goodness unto me ! For the sake 
 of your wide altar, the Land of the Tree, 
 be ye merciful to me ! Oh ! let not the im- 
 pure Gentile overrun and lay waste the soil 
 which Osiris and Isis have blessed with their 
 living presence I" 
 
 " The Gods have these three times said unto 
 hee, yea, and be blessed !" said Amenophis. 
 "By the voice of the Adytum, and the Word 
 of the Oracle, and now agaiu, by the Accep- 
 tance of Apis, have they shewed thee the sign. 
 Go on thy way, then, rejoicing; and of bold
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 271 
 
 and glad spirit. For their words are true, and 
 their promises they shall surely keep!" 
 
 The Bull, Apis, advancing a few steps, came 
 and stood close to the King ; and putting down 
 his head thrice licked his hand. 
 
 " It would be sin to doubt further !" cried 
 Sethos, springing to hie feet ; with a flash of 
 boldness, almost like inspiration, glowing on his 
 face and beaming from his eyes. " Great 
 Deities ! I thank ye ! But with my deeds will 
 I thank ye best! An altar of your enemies 
 will I raise up before ye, from whence shall 
 smoke up the everlasting fragrance of the in- 
 cense of thanksgiving the offering of Grati- 
 tude ! Bold as the lion of the desert will I 
 forward, and prevail against the Assyrian, 
 though his might be as the might of the hosts 
 of the sky. With slings, and with stones, I 
 will cast down the brave spearmen, and slay 
 the proud horsemen ; and their swords shall not 
 smite, and their javelins shall not pierce, neither 
 shall they be defended with their bucklers, for 
 I come in the power of Phtha, and with the 
 Acceptance of Apis !" 
 
 " And thou goest too, O Sethos ! in the 
 power of the right," said Amenophis, " and 
 against this, what can stand ?"
 
 272 AZETH : 
 
 *The God hath retired," observed one of 
 the attendants, whispering mysteriously, and 
 pointing to where the Sacred Ox was 
 slowly entering one of the chambers on the 
 right hand. 
 
 Panels of ebony inlaid with ivory alternat- 
 ing with those of carved pictures formed the 
 walls of these chambers for the heifers. Car- 
 pets and rugs of a thick and soft material, 
 brought from Lydia and the Vale of Casimere, 
 were strewed over the marble floor. Large 
 vessels of chased gold held clear water, or fine 
 bread, or a heap of flowery grass, newly cut 
 from the verdant fields of the Nile- Valley, for 
 the solacement and delight of the young cow. 
 Beds of fragrant herbs, glistening with dew 
 and starred with sweet flowers, invited the 
 sleek, white animal to repose ; who, as if fully 
 conscious of the place which she held, moved 
 about majestically, and turned her mild, full- 
 orbed head with a slow, inquiring look, like 
 the tame Bird of Eyes, when called by its 
 master. Garlands of lotus buds were hung 
 round her neck ; and her hoofs and horns 
 were tipped with gold, and wreathed with 
 flower-chains. 
 
 " The God hath retired. We may not re-
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 273 
 
 main longer. Only when he chooses, himself, 
 to come out into the free court may he be 
 looked upon. In the chambers he is not to be 
 approached. Yet behold, O King ! he hath 
 entered on the right hand ; and thou knowest 
 that this sign doth indeed betoken weal and 
 success to the Land of Khem I Blessed in 
 truth art thou, Sethos, thou beloved of the 
 Gods I" 
 
 " My mission is ended, and my wish is accom- 
 plished," returned Sethos. " With gladness and 
 trust do I now withdraw from the Holy 
 Presence, another man than when I en- 
 tered !" 
 
 " Thy vision then was powerless ? Nay ! 
 thou didst not mean this, O my king !" 
 
 " Not powerless, pious Amenophis 1 for had 
 it not been for that, with rny head veiled, 
 and my hands bound, I would have sat still 
 in my chamber, and waited for death from Sen- 
 nacherib !" 
 
 "Ah !" replied Amenophis, sorrowfully; 
 " Hast thou then nothing within, that would 
 have bid thee be of good courage ? Must 
 inspiration ever come from without ? from 
 dream and from omen while the heart is 
 silent ?
 
 274 AZETII : 
 
 " Thy words are riddle^ Amenophis ! I 
 may not know them !" 
 
 " Beat not best not ! They are but thoughts 
 that passed, unbidden, through the portal of 
 my lips. To other men they are of no meaning. 
 They are not worthy of explanation, O Sethos. 
 Let them be." 
 
 " I know that thou art one of the Priests of 
 the Temple," said Sethos; "and that much is 
 open unto thee, which to others is as the sealed 
 fountian not yet known to the Mournful Bird. 
 I know thou dost tower above us all in wisdom 
 that thou art a man of giact-statured mind 
 and I would that thou didst impart some of 
 thy wisdom unto me." 
 
 " That science which thou dost covet, as 
 deeming it above thine own, others possess in 
 more abundant measure," replied Amenophis. 
 " Amasis of Thebes, for one, is my equal 
 nay, my superior in such. The other know" 
 ledge cannot be imparted in words. Born and 
 nourished here," he added, laying his hand 
 over his heart : " by this alone, can it be un- 
 derstood ; and not through the schooling of 
 another ; but by its own lessons. Behold the 
 entrance door !" 
 
 " The God hath been gracious ! The God
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 275 
 
 hath been gracious !" simultarieously burst 
 from all the priests, as the king, with firm tread 
 and erect bearing, issued from the porch. 
 " Hail ! all hail, thou blessed of the Gods ! 
 Let the sound of the instruments go forth, and 
 the voice of the song awake, and pour out 
 their notes of gladness, and their words of joy- 
 fulness ! The land shall be spared ! The 
 Temple shall be guarded, and its holy things pre- 
 served inviolate, for the Gods of our Egyptian 
 home will not forsake their sons, nor leave their 
 altar undefended !" 
 
 And loud pealed the instruments ; and high 
 rose the song ; and white, waving arms threw 
 up the clashing cymbals in exulting triumph. 
 And from some eyes rained glad tears, which 
 fell to the ground below, brighter than the 
 jewels of the morning dew ; and from others, 
 flashed rays, which put the very sunlight to 
 shame for dimness. 
 
 " Blessed be the Gods of Egypt, the Pure 
 Land ! Sethos and his companions shall be 
 saved !" cried the choristers, in a wild strain. 
 " Not a grass -blade of the Valley of the Nile 
 shall be trodden under foot of the Gentile ; but 
 the blood of the invaders and their allies, shall
 
 276 AZETH : 
 
 crimson the waves of the mighty river. For 
 the Gods have promised 1" 
 
 44 Oh I Psammetichus, Psammetichus !" mur- 
 mured Nitocris, " Why hast thou done wrong ? 
 Why hast thou cast off thy sweet bands of 
 brotherhood in virtue, and of love in fidelity, 
 and flung thyself alone into the pit of sin and 
 misery ? What led thy noble heart astray ? 
 Unto what seducing demon hast thou given 
 heed ? For sure, thine own thoughts were ever 
 pure as the stars of heaven 1 Ah ! why didst 
 thou listen to these words of Typho, and shut up 
 thine ears from the pleadings of thy soul ? 
 It was not well of thee, Psammetichus ! 
 Alas! alas ! this cry of the nation's joy is the 
 cry of thy doom. This song of triumph is 
 thy death-dirge ; and I, thy beloved, for 
 whom thou wouldst die I, thy friend, who 
 would lay her bleeding heart at thy feet 
 must bear her part in all, and in blessing 
 her gods and her father, invoke sorrows and 
 punishments on thee ! Oh ! why hast thou sin- 
 ned? Why hast thou so struck me with the blow 
 of thy transgressions ?" 
 
 " My child, thou art paler than befits a day 
 of rejoicing," said Amenophis. " Thy heart is
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 277 
 
 sick ? Poor maid , early hath grief, the lot of 
 life, fallen to thee !" 
 
 " Holy father, doth not thy teaching set 
 forth an oft-neglected truth, that the acts of 
 men make their own joys or sorrows?'' ex- 
 claimed a deep voice, and Psammetichus stood 
 beside them, " That foreign and outward events 
 are oft-blamed, where the wrong was with self, 
 and its deeds ?" 
 
 " Not in all things, O Noble ! We cannot 
 do always that which we would. And we must 
 often suffer sorrows, almost too deep for the 
 heart to bear, from events over which we our- 
 selves had no control." 
 
 " Ah , true, true, father ! too true ! And 
 that which we would is seldom seen through that 
 which we must!" 
 
 " Nay, Psammetichus," said Nitocris, in a 
 low voice ; " Nought can palliate evil. I trust 
 not him who saith, * My intention was pure, 
 but my deeds are wicked.' Though it cost a 
 man his life, let him boldly do his heart's vir- 
 tuous thought !" 
 
 "Which I have done, Nitocris; which I 
 am now doing ; and which is costing me even 
 mo:e than life thy esteem." 
 
 " Psammetichus ! will nothing convince
 
 278 AZF.TH : 
 
 thee, and open thine eyes to the truth ? Wilt 
 thou still, stiff of heart, fight against thy 
 country, thy king, and thy gods, and call this 
 good?" 
 
 " Thou art cruel to tear my SDU! thus ,". re- 
 plied the Noble, pressing his clasped hands on 
 his breast. " Thou dost abuse thy power in 
 thus dealing out such tortures to my sinking 
 soul!" 
 
 " Do I so?" she said mournfully; then turn- 
 ing away, she whispered. " And ah! I deal 
 worse to myself, in each cold look and harsh 
 word that I give unto thee !" 
 
 " And now, my brave and noble boy ! hie 
 thee straight to Thebes," said Sethos, laying 
 his hand on the shoulder of Osorchon. " Stay 
 not even to accompany me to the palace, but 
 swift of foot, and bold of speech, do thy ut- 
 most in this hour of our country's need. For 
 though the Gods have sworn their help, they 
 will not aid the sluggard, but the diligent. 
 Gather all under my banner, the worm and 
 the eagle together and say to them these 
 words from the mouth of the Oracle of Phtha, 
 ' Choicest w'ne poured into coarse vessels 
 honors, and makes them of good service.' So,
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 279 
 
 noblest offices granted to the meanest in rank 
 makes these equal to the highest and proudest !" 
 
 " Thou hast taught me this lesson once 
 before, to-day ; and then by glorious practice !" 
 exclaimed Osorchon. " The poor foreigner 
 whom thou hast exalted, is the coarse vessel 
 which thou hast filled with rich wine. And 
 when thou shalt come again to prove and take 
 delight in thy treasure, by the Gods I swear 
 it! thou shalt find it pure and unspoiled !" 
 
 "I trust thee, boy! I trust thee! Now 
 depart ; and neither stop nor stay till the 
 Hundred Gates receive thee. Yoke the fleetest 
 horses of the plains to thy chariot, and spare 
 not the lash nor the goad. With my blessing 
 as king, priest, and father, over thee, address 
 thyself to thy task, and work faithfully." 
 
 " And Tathlyt, the Pigmy and Misshapen, 
 hast thou never a word to speed him on his 
 way ?" said the Dwarf softly. Clothed in a 
 hieraphor's dress the large garment conceal- 
 ing the whole of his person he had mingled 
 with the procession, and now came to Sethos, 
 with a cunning smile of intelligence playing 
 round his lips. " Under the valiant Osor- 
 chon I, too, with the favorable speech of my
 
 280 AZETH : 
 
 king will set my face toward the Abode of 
 Amun. For thither I am called. And wilt 
 thou not give me one of those rare blessings, 
 of which thou must have such plenty, when 
 thou canst fling them away on such as thy 
 brave fanbearer?" and he laughed sneeringly. 
 
 "Goto! go to!" exclaimed the King. 
 u My best blessing is my permission for thy 
 departure. A double blessing," he added in 
 an under tone. " One to thee, granting thee 
 thy will ; and one to me, that I am rid of 
 thee !" 
 
 *' And to Osorchon, O holy King ! by the 
 same reasoning, the greatest blessing of all ; 
 as my presence will serve as a make-weight, 
 and a balance to keep him steady. Laden as he 
 is with top-heavy honors, he needs something 
 to keep his feet on the earth!" 
 
 u Thou art harsh, O Priest I" said Osorchon 
 reddening. 
 
 " Peace I" replied the Dwarf sharply. 
 " thou double self of folly 1 I am im- 
 patient with this boy !" he said to him- 
 self, half reproachfully. " But I cannot see 
 the noble-hearted Psammetichus thrust down 
 for such a toy ; and I cannot watch the qui- 
 vering lip of Nitocris, nor gaze on her soft 
 eye dimmed with tears that come in spite of
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 281 
 
 her proud struggles to repress them and look 
 patiently on all his brightness 1 And I cannot 
 see with calmness they whom I love, sink 
 down in sorrow and darkness, while this petted 
 child rides high and revels !" Then turning to 
 the young soldier, he said authoritatively. 
 " I, too, am of thy train to the City of a 
 Hundred Gates !"
 
 282 AZETH 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE SAGES LOVE. THE MIDNIGHT INTERVIEW. 
 " LYSINOK : WILT THOU BE FREE ?" 
 
 " MY Lysinoe ! my Beautiful !" murmured 
 Amasis tenderly, as, arrived at the gate of the 
 garden court of the temenos, he leaned for a 
 moment against its pillars; and clasping his 
 hands looked up into the dark sky, with a 
 fervid, impassioned gaze ; the whole fire of 
 his mighty love blazing out in his dilated ejes. 
 His powerful frame was relaxed, and his 
 haughty tread unsteady ; while his whole at- 
 titude and expression bore the impress of an
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 283 
 
 intense and overpowering passion. ''Now, 
 out on thee, for a child and a weakling, Ama- 
 sis, thou preacher of wisdqm !" he said, half 
 aloud. " Is this trembling fool the lofty 
 philosopher? this raver talking his love-sick 
 phantasies to the Star of Thoth, the calm 
 sage secure from the assaults of the mean 
 man's petty passions ? Nay ! I may chide my- 
 self till the morning dawn, and the young 
 Hour rises fresh from his lotus-throne, and even 
 until the robe of darkness again veils the light 
 of the sun above, but all could not loosen that 
 Arab girl's magic bands! I know that she 
 hath me beneath her foot ; and that she hath 
 made me, from a ecorner of the influence of love, 
 become a fond boyish lover, whose rose-bud 
 dreams of youth were tame and dim when 
 compared with his manhood's feelings. 1 trem- 
 ble before her ; her voice thrills through 
 every nerve ; the glance of her eye unmans 
 me, and reduces me to the weakness of a sickly 
 girl ; a tear falls on my heart like a scorching 
 fire-drop; a smile ah! would that this were 
 ever turned on me ! On others a bird 
 her flowers, the stars, her young gazelle, 
 her lute, all can win that sweet sad smile, 
 which passes over her face as though these
 
 284 AZETH : 
 
 were so many mirrors, wherein sbe saw re- 
 flected the shadow of that glory, and the 
 image of that beauty, from which her soul 
 was originally shaped. And yet for me, who 
 am the Lord of her Planet of Life, into whose 
 hands she hath fallen, not as the captive, but 
 as the being to whom was entrusted part of 
 Amasis, for me, who am not so much her 
 master, as her double-self, the voice, of which 
 she is the echo, the form of which she is 
 the spirit, she hath but coldness and 
 ae verity I And yet I would die, aye, die 
 now in my manhood's glorious strength did 
 she but smile on me in my death, did she 
 but come, soft and gentle as she is to all else, 
 and cradle my fainting head on her sorrowing 
 bosom. Yet ah ! would she grieve ? Would 
 one tear flow from those proud eyes, if she 
 beheld me at her feet failing dying 
 dead ? Gods! I cannot bear the thought of 
 that cold, unmoved look gazing on me then, 
 stern and still as though it were a statue. 
 Lysinoe ! Lyainoe I By thine Egyptian name 
 do I call on thee to love thine Egyptian Lord ! 
 May my curses light upon those spells and 
 charms which have not been able to work 
 me this ! Of what avail are mystic number 
 and mystic amulet, and golden telesme, and
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 285 
 
 perfumed invocation, if they have not pro- 
 cured me the love of Lysinoe ? Oh ! maid ! 
 dearest most beautiful best-loved of all who 
 ever trod this earth as young manifestations 
 of the Great Spirit of Beauty brighter than 
 all those fabled incarnations of the heavenly, 
 which the mad enthusiast deems real, why 
 hast thou turned away thy heart from me ? 
 why hast thou closed thy soul against the recep- 
 tion of love? It will not avail thee, Lysinoe ! 
 My star which at thy birth, for the first time 
 looked on me as a Perfect Creation, hath told 
 it out to the listening heavens that thou must 
 love me, that thou must be mine own ! Aye, 
 poor bird ! beat thy fluttering wings, and wail 
 thy plaintive note! Thou dost mistake the 
 bondage of affection for captivity and 
 blindly yearnest after the desolation of loneli- 
 ness, which thou wilt still obstinately name, dear 
 liberty ! And now I will hasten to thee, and 
 prove thy humour of to-night. Pray the dear 
 Athor it be changed from that of this morning ; 
 else thou wilt drive me mad outright ! And 
 yet I must forgive thee much, for thou art one of 
 the free- born race, and now art named a slave; 
 thou art a worshipper of the Firegod, and 
 a kneeler before the stars, and now art a
 
 286 AZETH : 
 
 forced participator in the mummeries of the 
 Amun lie ! Well raayst thou be wayward, 
 poor maid ! Yet if thou didst but love ine 
 all would be changed. Then all would be 
 happiness for thee ; and lily buds would glisten, 
 where now thorns and briars pierce thy flying 
 feet ! Would that thou didst love me ! Alas ! 
 alas ! would that thou didst love me !" and so 
 saying, he entered the garden court. 
 
 He walked on for some moments, with rapt 
 looks now turned upwards; as if holding com- 
 munion with those radiant spheres, now sunk 
 low to the ground, as if all hope had flagged, 
 a prey to emotions nigh strong enough to 
 tear his very life asunder. Suddenly he halted. 
 A strange noise struck his ear. It was not the 
 boughs of the waving acacia tree ; it was not 
 the hum of the wheeling insect?, fluttering 
 round the flowers, keeping guard over their 
 young beauty, and defending them from harm ; 
 it was not the shrill cry of the startled bird, 
 whose rest some pale shape had broken, 
 as it flitted between the painted dream, and 
 the soul of the soft sleeper ; it was not one of 
 the sweet sounds of nature, when she has 
 laid her head upon the lap of night, and veiled 
 her eyes in the star-spangled robe of her dusk
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 287 
 
 sister, but it was a sound the more discor- 
 dant inasmuch as the scene spoke only of 
 loveliness. " It is not the voice of any beast 
 that I know," thought Amasis. "It is more 
 like the cry of the hyena, and the growl of 
 the panther commingled!" 
 
 The sound was repeated ; but this time a 
 human accent was mingled with it. 
 
 " If it be a man, let him look to it ! For 
 he that comes within the temenos full of lusty 
 life, and comes unhidden, quits it again on a 
 bier ! Ha ! it is as I thought !" he cried aloud. 
 For catching the glare of two fiery eyes 
 gleaming through the leaves on the brink of 
 the water-tank, he saw the black form of a 
 man crouching within. " Come out into the 
 light that I may know thee, and stand up that 
 I may tell thee, and who thou art. Shame on 
 thee, to lurk there, like a beaten hound ! 
 Tush ! thou art a craven, and must be whipped 
 forth ! Lie still now. Thou canst not escape. 
 Lie still ; while I go to summon the thong- 
 bearers, who shall drive thee forth !" 
 
 The Priest walked leisurely from the thicket 
 towards the pylon of the next court ; but 
 instead of entering, he concealed himself be- 
 hind the colossal figure that stood near the 
 pyramidal moles.
 
 288 AZETH : 
 
 It was a heinous crime for an unblessed foot to 
 tread the Sacred Enclosure at unsacrificial hours, 
 more especially at nightfall, when wrong and rob- 
 bery stalk abroad so boldly, and darkness seems 
 to invite crime, by its tacit promise of con- 
 cealment crime's highest gain. And Amasis, 
 although he scoffed at the spirit of the law 
 for the nocturnal doings of the Hierophant were 
 not always such as could be published abroad, 
 unless treason, and sedition, and impiety, and 
 immoralities, had been mere boyish follies 
 with the Egyptians, enforced its obedience the 
 most rigorously of all ; perhaps the more so 
 because of those doings ! 
 
 He had not waited long before the 
 branches were pushed aside, and a huge head, 
 with matted red hair starting out in every 
 direction, and writhing like fiery snakes over 
 its flat and spreading expanse, thrust itself 
 cautiously out. A pair of bleared, ferret eyes 
 peered round to spy if danger were lurking 
 near. All was still and lonely ; and with the 
 leap of a wild cat, out sprung a man, small 
 and deformed, whose limbs were twisted and 
 contorted like the branches of a palm-tree, 
 over which the Evil Genii have brooded. 
 Amasis strode forward, and before the
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 289 
 
 Dwarf could utter a cry had him down on 
 the ground his knee against the deformed 
 chest. 
 
 " I will teach thee how to enter the Sacred 
 Enclosure another night !" he said, tightening 
 his grasp on the wretch's throat. 
 
 " Mercy, Lord, mercy !" was all that the fallen 
 man could utter. 
 
 " Mercy, thou thieving night-hawk ! mercy 
 for what ?" 
 
 " For thyself !" groaned the Dwarf. " In 
 me thou art slaying thyself!" 
 
 Amasis involuntarily slackened his hold. 
 
 " That is well I" said the Dwarf drawing a 
 deep breath. " There ! Now I can breathe 
 again ! Take thy knee from off my chest, for 
 I have much to say to thee, Amasis, thou 
 High Priest of Amun ! And a giant himself 
 could not speak with such a weight upon 
 
 him P 
 
 " Ha ! if thou knowest me, who then art 
 thou, miserable slave that thou art ? Who art 
 thou that dares say he has aught to do with 
 Amasis ? Has the Hierophant of Amunra so 
 mean acquaintance ?" 
 
 " Nay ! if thou use me so, I can never live 
 to tell thee ! Let me stand up. Bind mine 
 
 VOL. i. o
 
 290 AZETH : 
 
 arms, but let me free from thy gripe. Thou 
 hast not a mass of stone in thy grasp, Lord, 
 but a man, made of the same nerves and feel- 
 ings as thou thyself ! Thou wilt spare the 
 executioner all further trouble, if thou holdest 
 me long thus. Let me free, else thou wilt slay 
 me!" 
 
 ** I will not let thee free," answered the 
 Priest coldly. " The game which I have 
 snared, I will not loose for all its cries." 
 
 " As thou wilt then ! Thou art the stronger ! 
 While life remains I can but tell thee, that 
 the papyrus roll wherein are written the names 
 of thy friends in the camp of the Assyrian, 
 and the names of thy allies amongst the rebel 
 nobles, together with wonderful accounts of 
 some curious experiments, made on various 
 small animals all for charity, to cure their 
 sleeplessness that roll I have given to Sethos, 
 the King. And I have given it with a prayer 
 that he would open and read it, should harm 
 befall me at Amunei. "Wilt thou now let me 
 free ?" 
 
 Amasis stood up, and allowed the Dwarf 
 also to rise ; but still kept his hold on his 
 bossy shoulder. He was pale, and a few drops 
 stood upon his forehead and upper lip ; but
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 291 
 
 his face was unchanged in its proud ex- 
 pression. 
 
 " How didst thou come by this strange 
 roll ?" he asked in a steady voice, and with 
 as much indifference as though it had been 
 the most trivial question, not affecting him 
 more than the dweller of the Scythian 
 forests. 
 
 The Dwarf never heeded the words ; but 
 shaking himself like a huge dog after a rough 
 play with rough playmates, passed his shrivelled 
 hands down his sides, and felt all his limbs. 
 
 " I thought thou hadst broken them," he 
 said savagely. " Thou art none so light a 
 burden for an old man's carcase to bear. I 
 wonder that thy manhood did not blush at so 
 unequal a contest ! And thy fingers, too, are 
 as stern as the lion's paw when he bids the 
 tiger good morrow ! Thou oughtest not to 
 use aged men thus ! and thou so strong, and 
 hale and lusty, while I am weak and crippled ! 
 Why thy fiat could slay an army such as I !" 
 And he glared angrily at the Hierophant. 
 
 " Peace !" cried Amasis. " Down on thy 
 
 knees and thank me for thy worthless life, 
 
 rather than stand clattering thine ape's-tongue 
 
 in such follies ! The very touch of Amasis, 
 
 o 3
 
 292 AZETH : 
 
 stern as the lion's paws or soft as the caress of 
 the young kid, honors a thing which ir.y tongue 
 refuses to name a man." 
 
 The Dwarf looked up with a mocking smile, 
 like a blight passing over his face ; but gra- 
 dually, as he looked, an almost sorrowful ex- 
 pression took its place. Amasis was so loftily, 
 so wonderfully beautiful! And though it be joined 
 to every crime that sullies the air, the power 
 of beauty is never destroyed. There is some- 
 thing in loveliness which speaks to the very 
 soul something that makes a cloak a cover- 
 ing for sin as if it were indeed an emanation 
 from that Holy Sphere with which guilt has 
 nought to do. Amasis stood there against the 
 dark sky, like some majestic column towering 
 above all its fellows. The Dwarf lowered one 
 hand to his knee, and with the other touched 
 his lips. " Lord !" he said in a moved tone, 
 " thou art too grand for crime !" 
 
 " What words are these ?" cried Amasis 
 haughtily. " Art thou mad, or hast thou 
 drunk until thy swinish senses have forsaken 
 thee, that thou dost presume to eay such 
 words to me ?" 
 
 " No ! no, Lord ! I cannot call thee Holy 
 Father ! I am neither mad, nor yet drunken.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 293 
 
 I am an old man a dwarf a contemptible, a 
 mean thing one, on whom Typhon hath set 
 his mark an impure creation, unblessed by 
 Osiris unacceptable to the Great Mother a 
 being nursed in the lap of Buto, and forgotten 
 by the shaping hand of Phtha ; and thou art 
 Pontiff of Thebes, High Priest of Ainun the 
 Great God of the Land of Khem, a noble and 
 a beautiful man, whose peer doth not exist. Yet 
 I dare say to thee, thou art too grand for crime? I 
 dare raise the voice of virtue to censure thy 
 deeds of vice ! Ah ! thou wert never made 
 for thy Bleeds ! Thou art false to thy nature, 
 to the mother that bore thee, and the Gods 
 that gave thee life, when thou doest wicked 
 and unholy things !" 
 
 " And what sins of the Hierophant, what 
 failing of the Hermesian Philosopher, may 
 have eo shocked the slave's piety ?" asked 
 Amasis scornfully. "But I blush for myself!" 
 he added, " I blush that I have so far forgot- 
 ten my place, as to bandy words with one to 
 whom I should summon my slaves, that he 
 might be bound for the morrow's execution ! 
 Thou mayest accuse me of crime ; but thy 
 tongue torn out by its bleeding roots, and 
 hurled in thy face, shall teach thee whether 
 it were wise in thee. Come ! I would end
 
 294 AZETH : 
 
 this tedious conference ! My slaves shall now 
 be thy speech-mates." 
 
 " Nay, Lord ! thou art spell-bound ; and 
 thou must stay and listen to the old man ! 
 I have a talisman in the name of that roll 
 which can lower the high tone of thy pride ! 
 Aye ! and even set me on a height equal to 
 thine own! Nay !" he continued vehemently, 
 and stamping his foot as the Priest was about 
 to make some reply, " I will not suffer thee to 
 speak. I ajn thine equal yea ! and thy su- 
 perior ! I am Tathlyt of Memphis !" 
 
 Amasis slightly started. 
 
 " I have heard that name/' he then said 
 quietly. " But I knew not that its bearer 
 was the equal of the lowest priest of the 
 Outer Court not to speak of the Pontiff the 
 Anointed Hierophant." 
 
 " Think what thou wilt," returned Tathlyt. 
 " The whole voice of the nation places the 
 Memphite Dwarf on the higher pinnacle !" 
 
 " I do not argue for precedence !" said the 
 Priest haughtily. " Say thy will, and be 
 swift of speech ; for I have business on hand.' ? 
 
 u Business !" repeated Tathlyt bitterly. 
 " The business of bringing tears to the 
 young eyes which should only gleam 
 with joy, and sorrow to the young heart
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 295 
 
 which should only throb with delight. 
 This is thy night's weighty business! The 
 poor maid! A sorry trade is hers; for she 
 sells sighs and tears to Death for his sleep, 
 and he will not pay her! And yet she hath 
 given enough to buy a nation's ransom! 
 Aye, Priest ! one tear from those starry eyes 
 is worth all the jewels of the Mountain mine. 
 And how many has not thy cruelty wrung 
 forth ! Shed, alas ! in vain ! What can a 
 young girl's tears work on the marble heart 
 of a proud and selfish man ? She might 
 better hope to make the desert sands verdant 
 with grass and flowers !" 
 
 " Thou art a bold man, thus to place thy 
 hand upon the cockatrice, den," said Amasis 
 with a calm voice, but flashing eyes. u What 
 has thou to do with me? What with my 
 captive ? May not the Priest of Amun order 
 his household, unmolested by the screeching 
 tongue of a vile dwarf? But, that thou art 
 too loathsome in thy presence to be the shrine 
 of any sweet feeling, I should have branded 
 thee as the secret lover of her, over whom 
 thou dost so lament. Thy words are too 
 warm for cold friendship ; and under the burn- 
 ing sun of Egypt that chill feeling does not
 
 296 AZETH : 
 
 usurp the place of love ! Love ? Thou and 
 that ? oh ! it is past a jest ; it is a loathly 
 mockery!" 
 
 " Saidst thou a lover? thpt / am the lover 
 of Lysinoe ? Thou nrt right ! I am indeed a 
 lover ; but not such an one as art thou. / love 
 her as a mother dove loves her young ; as a 
 flower loves its bud a seed its tender shoots, 
 when it wraps them up in its soft green 
 bosom, and protects them from the worm, and 
 the rough stone ; thou art the fowler that 
 enareth the frightened bird; the ruthless 
 idler that plucketh the sweet blossom, then 
 casteth it away, as a vile weed that he him- 
 self hath tarnished: the raven thatteareth up 
 the earth, and bruiseth the soft green covering, 
 and stealeth the young shoots. Which love 
 dost thou think is the best ? To which would 
 a maiden cling ? although the giver of the one 
 shines glorious as a God come down from the 
 empyraean, and the giver of the other scowls 
 hideous as a child of Typhon!" 
 
 " Quit thy talk of my household !" cried 
 Amasis trembling with suppressed rage, " else 
 thou shalt rue thy prate in death ! Dost 
 thou deem me a child a fool a dastard 
 slave that thou shouldst beard me thus ?
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 297 
 
 Dost thou know me and mine office? Dost 
 thou know my power?" 
 
 " Amaids ! Amasis ! I know thee all too 
 well! I know too many of thy secrets, to 
 dread thy threats ; and I have too much con- 
 fidence in the powers which the Gods have 
 bestowed especially upon me, to care for thy 
 menaces. I am thy equal. I am thy master. 
 And thou needest not play the Pure, Invinci- 
 ble Hierophant with me ; for I have thy life 
 here in the grasp of this shrivelled hand, and 
 I can quench it when I will. Aye.! and by 
 the Snake of the Egg I will extinguish thy 
 flame of being for ever, if thou dost not take 
 better heed!" 
 
 Amasis, for all reply, seized the old man by 
 the throat, and flung him heavily against the 
 tank. The blood gushed from the wounded 
 temples of the Dwarf, and stained the Holy 
 Water of the Sanctuary. He lay stunned. 
 
 " Shall I accomplish it ?" thought Amasis, 
 as he looked at the closed eyes and pallid fea- 
 tures of Tathiyt. 
 
 A cloud passed over the moon ; and the 
 only sound that he heard, was the faint trick- 
 ling of blood, as the drops slowly fell into the
 
 298 AZETH : 
 
 fountain-tank. One more blow, and all would 
 be over. 
 
 " Shall I accomplish it ?" 
 
 The Black Eagle swooped low over the 
 Priest. His beak was crimson. Had he been 
 feasting on some yet living heart ? The vul- 
 ture screamed, as he napped his heavy wings, 
 and stretched out his unclean neck ; and the 
 Bat of the Thebaid circled the Temple's 
 walls. The cloud still rested over the moon. 
 Anaasis stood in the darkness ; the Dwarf lay 
 stunned his blood flowing. 
 
 A little, sweet laugh broke through the air 
 a maiden's shrill, childlike laugh; and the 
 sound of the merry crotala was heard, as the 
 echo to the sweet laugh. 
 
 " Nay I nay! my pretty Eirene!" cried a 
 manly voice. " Thou dost not know the 
 meaning of life. Thou canst not spell it !" 
 
 "In truth not?" said the small, birdlike 
 note. " But thou art wrong, Zminis ! I both 
 know and can apell it !" 
 
 * And what is it?" 
 
 " LOVE !" said the girl. 
 
 And the Dancing maids passed on. 
 
 The hand of Amasis unclasped its hold :
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 299 
 
 he stooped down, and daahed some water over 
 the Dwarfs face. The cloud passed; and 
 once again in life the Magic Name prevented 
 crime. 
 
 " And if thou hadst killed me," said the 
 Dwarf hardily, after he had recovered himself, 
 and now sat upon the edge of the* waters, 
 bathing his wound ; " thou wouldst have only 
 been in a worse plight. Sethos has the roll. 
 And thou wouldst have found him a harsher 
 scribe than even Tathlyt." 
 
 " The breath of Typhon blight the roll !" 
 cried Amasis hastily. 
 
 " If thou wilt trust such villains as Che- 
 bron, thy learned poison-distiller, with free en- 
 trance into thy private chambers, thou must 
 expect to be trapped in thy own snares !" 
 
 "Chebron? Chebron the Scribe, saidst 
 thou?" exclaimed the Priest. " What mean- 
 est thou ? What hast thou to do with Che- 
 bron?" 
 
 "The Gods be thanked, I have not much 
 to do with him !" said the Dwarf. *' I wish 
 not to sully my hands with so great filthiness, 
 that I may not cleanse them again ! And 
 there is not pitch in the wide Valley of the 
 Nile, the touch of which pollutes so much as
 
 300 AZETH : 
 
 the comradeship of Chebron the Scribe ! But 
 hast thou never heard of the wondrous power 
 which we Dwarfs of Memphis by the favor 
 of Phtha our tutelar Deity, pigmy and mis- 
 shapen as ourselves possess over that which 
 is hidden from other men ?" continued the old 
 man whispering mysteriously. " How, but 
 through this his especial gift granted in 
 larger measure to me than to others how else 
 should I have known of thy dealings with 
 Chebron ; of thy persecution of thy Chaldean 
 slave, Lysinoe ; of thy hatred to Sethos, and 
 desires after his Double Crown ; of thy rebel- 
 lious incitements, and traitor communications 
 with Sennacherib ? And, Atnasis P And 
 here his voice was fearfully distinct, as he 
 raised his hand threateningly, "how else should 
 I have known of thy atheism... impiety... blas- 
 phemy... of thy Denial of the Gods ; of thy 
 utter unfitness for a Priesily Office? How, 
 but through this mysterious gift of superna- 
 tural insight ?" 
 
 By a desperate effort the Hierophant main- 
 tained his out ward composure, though every vein 
 seemed filled with flame burning with the in- 
 tensest indignation. He, the proud man be- 
 fore whom the monarch himself shrunk into
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 301 
 
 insignificance, and the noblest of the land 
 humbled his brow to be obliged to wait there, 
 and hearken to such language from such a 
 speaker ! What greater torture was there for 
 the haughty spirit ? 
 
 " Thou knowest a rare alphabet," he said 
 in that peculiarly still toae which proves the 
 presence of passion. " Yet thou little dream- 
 est that it spells thine own destruction !" And 
 he put out his hand to seize him. A leap a 
 bound and the Dwarf had shot up the pillar 
 of the first pylon, and stood on the square 
 abacus, exultingly pointing his long fingers at 
 the Priest, and laughing. 
 
 " Thou hast not caught the Memphite Kat 
 asleep," he said. " Look better next time ! 
 Fare thee well, Priest until we meet again. 
 Lo ! that will be a weighty meeting, if the 
 tale which the stars tell of thy destinies be 
 true ! To-morrow, with the first shafts of 
 dawn, will peal forth the trumpet of the king's 
 messenger, calling all men to honor. To- 
 morrow, and to-morrow, and yet a score more; 
 and unto what wilt thou be called ? Return 
 to the ways of virtue which thou hast left, 
 else wilt thou be summoned to a fearful reck- 
 oning ! Return ! ere the doom of thy dishonor
 
 302 ABET H : 
 
 be sealed ! We meet again. Then, diffe* 
 rently to what we have done this night. 
 Then, when knowing better who was thy 
 garden guest, thou mayest perchance lament 
 thine inhospitable reception I The name of 
 Tathlyt has carried no weight with it for thee ; 
 we will see what his deeds Can effect !" 
 
 And while Amasis yet looked, the Dwarf 
 vanished like a lightning flash which has sped 
 the world round, ere its presence had been 
 clearly seen* 
 
 Amasis turned away as calm and as un- 
 moved, as if he had but watched the 
 flight of a night-haunting raven, and he went 
 through the propylaeum. Something glittered 
 on the shining stone, close to his foot. He 
 stooped to see it nearer. It was a small 
 golden box of the most elaborate workman- 
 ship, wrought in the form of a lute, the handle 
 being a beautiful female figure, bearing the 
 instrument across her bosom. Seven strings 
 of silver worked into the gold, formed the lid, 
 which opened by means of a spring concealed 
 in the neck of the lute. Something had 
 pressed on this spring, for the box was lying 
 opened on the ground, with a heap of rare 
 and curious things poured out beside it. A
 
 THE EGYPTIAN, 
 
 collection of the smallest leaves which men's 
 fingers could fashion so small, that, though 
 formed of the white metal from the Western 
 Isles, their weight had not overladen a honey- 
 seeking bee. They wera leaves of trees, some 
 of Avhich Amasis knew ; but others were 
 foreign to him. They were strung together 
 on a cord of linen, with evident meaning and 
 regularity. But they were all so Wonderfully 
 executed every thread and fibre was so per- 
 fect every chasing was so sharp and clear 
 that they looked the work of genii rather 
 than the productions of man's coarser touch* 
 Amasis smiled when he saw them, and ex- 
 claiming, " A miniature speech from thee, my 
 brave Druid !" he was gathering the whole 
 into his hands, when, with the same noise 
 which he had heard from the acacia bushes, 
 the Dwarf suddenly re-appeared. Whence, 
 or how, the Priest could not know. He tore 
 the tin leaves from the Hierophant ; but un- 
 knowingly he left one in his grasp ; swung 
 himself up the column with the agility of a 
 wild ape, and was again out of sight 
 
 " May a pestilence light on the man !" mut- 
 tered Amasis. " I am not a thief to steal
 
 304 AZETH : 
 
 gold and jewels ! The only robbery that I 
 wish, Lysinoe, is that of thy heart's love ! 
 But that madman hath my roll. That fatal 
 roll ! Oh ! what a fool was I to trust to 
 lock and bar rather than to the safety of ray 
 own lips ! And Chebron, too, hath then the 
 contents ! But I must bear with him for some 
 few days longer, until, through his means, I 
 have gained my purpose. And then who 
 keeps the useless, worm-eaten garment which 
 hath served its intention, and is no longer of 
 seivice ? I will not suffer myself to be made 
 the sport of every plotter the mocked at of 
 every scorner. J am surely too high set for 
 that ! And yet, why should I fear ? Have I 
 not drunk of that Golden Drink which the 
 Foreign Man from the Central Flowery Land 
 instructed me to make? But vulnerable or 
 immortal, I am Amasis still ; and the herd 
 shall honor, aye and worship me as a God!" 
 And he drew himself up to the full height of 
 his commanding figure ; and looked, in truth, 
 more deity than man. " And now I will for- 
 get all this. To Lysinoe, my Beautiful ! And 
 if she smile, all will be bright. If she frown, 
 and receive my love with anger, my fairest
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 305 
 
 prospects would fail, and my sunniest sky look 
 dark. Oh ! what fools doth this love of woman 
 make us !" 
 
 He returned to the first pylon, or gateway, 
 which led into the Grand Dromos of Sphynxes, 
 and opening the gate, looked for some time 
 down the long, paved way. Then satisfied 
 that all was still, he re-entered. 
 
 Thia pylon was a building of the most sur- 
 passing beauty. The pyramidal moles, formed 
 of the rose-coloured granite of Syene, were 
 covered with hieroglyphics, as delicately cut 
 as if they had been gems of the Amulet Rings 
 and the colossal heads of Amun-ra on the 
 upright jambs, might have challenged the 
 whole Valley of the Nile to show superior 
 skill or beauty. At the base were two crio- 
 sphynxes, of greater size than any of those 
 which stood on each side of the Droinos, and 
 the never-failing obelisks, towering above all, 
 rose at a short distance. The capitals of the 
 pillars were made of the four faces of Isis 
 one of the most pleasing, yet peculiar forms 
 of Egyptian architecture. The architrave 
 was profusely ornamented ; the winged globe 
 and serpent being in the centre of the frieze, 
 while a row of asps, each bearing a disk on
 
 306 
 
 AZETH 
 
 its head, beaded the outer edge, and made a 
 frame-work for the hieroglyphs and figures on 
 each side of the Winged Globe. The pave- 
 ment was of marble, from the quarries of dis- 
 tant mountains ; and it looked in the moon- 
 light like a path-way of frozen snow, it was 
 so pure and spotless. The whole of the pro- 
 naos was filled with a double row of columns 
 extending to a bewildering length, and of enor- 
 mous magnitude. Every capital was different. 
 Here, might be seen the Isiac face, repeated in 
 its sweet, mild loveliness ; there, the graceful 
 lotus buds and leaves, rising out of each other 
 in successive tiers ; on this side, the calyx of 
 the flower formed the whole capital ; on that, 
 the palm-tree's leaves, or leaves and fruit inter- 
 mixed ; or the waterplant pillars the shafts 
 being the stalks, bound together by hoops ; or 
 the one plain simple plinth, without ornament 
 or shape, excepting that of the Perfect Figure, 
 the Square, were amongst the peculiarities of 
 the architecture. A broad flight of steps at the 
 further end, led up to the next gateway, which 
 was similar to the first, but of smaller dimen- 
 sions, and this led into another court with flow- 
 ers and water in the midst. 
 Again, another pylon, decreasing still more ;
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 307 
 
 again, another court, which had a corridor of 
 square pillars of red syenite round the sides 
 leaving the centre unoccupied by column, or 
 tree, or water. And between each pillar stood 
 the colossal statue of a king, with folded handa 
 and closed eyes. Beyond, rose the towers of 
 the temple, the Holy ^Edes ; the place of such 
 wondrous wisdom, and such dark false- 
 hood ! 
 
 The light of the moon touched all the 
 heights, and columns, and obelisks of the ma- 
 jestic temple, with its soft glory of still beauty. 
 It was like the golden hair of a child sweeping 
 over the gloomy brow of a toil-worn man. 
 The little threads of light are woven into a 
 lovely crown for the sullen head ; and wander 
 through the black locks, matted twine, as a 
 clear stream welling over a place of burning. 
 The moonbeams and that Theban Temple were 
 strangely mated in the blue air. And yet 
 it might have served as a lesson of this truth, 
 that even there, as everywhere, is a resting 
 place for Purity even there shone the re- 
 flection of the Light of Heaven. 
 
 Instead of entering the sekos, or Hall of the 
 Uninitiated, the High Priest passed between the 
 syenite pillars and statues of basalt, and open-
 
 308 AZETH : 
 
 ing a low door in the wall of the Temple, 
 struck into a passage similar to those 
 which he had traversed some few days before, 
 when on his way to the Scribe's cell. And, but 
 that this lay to the right, whilst the others bore 
 to the left, it had been hard even for Amasia 
 himself to say, that he was not on his former 
 track. As before, the stone- work soon blocked 
 up farther progress ; but instead of opening a 
 way through it, the Priest stooped down, and 
 took up a square stone slab from the ground. 
 This opening revealed a narrow and steep 
 flight of steps. He descended, and carefully 
 replacing the stone, with the speed of light 
 darted along a dark corridor ; and then as- 
 cended another flight of steps, winding round 
 in circles that seemed interminable. Unpro- 
 tected by bar or balustrade, the climber's head 
 had need be steady, for his aery path was none 
 of the safest. Amasis halted when about 
 mid-way ; and again made himself a passage 
 by unsliding a small pin, so artfully concealed, 
 that only those acquainted with it could have 
 discovered its presence. The stones rolled back 
 and the moment that his foot, stepping on a 
 spring, touched the ground on the other side 
 again closed.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 309 
 
 And now a flood of soft light flowed down 
 the gleaming steps ; bearing on its silver tide 
 perfumed airs, and^flattering caresses. And a 
 warm air came creeping round the Priest, like 
 the beseeching touch of a tender maiden. And 
 it kissed his eyes, and fluttered round his 
 bared throat, and waved over his brow ; and 
 it was like a Presence to him, so loving and 
 gentle was it. And music was mingled with 
 it. The music which itself made, in playing 
 through the strings of harps and lutes lying 
 about : magic, dream-like music, that woke up, 
 as by a deep spell, visions and memories of the 
 past, and breathed over the soul that freshness 
 of beautiful youth, which the sultry glare of 
 manhood's life so soon fades. And the music 
 and odour chased each other through the waves 
 of the clear light, like rosy children at their 
 play : then rushed in one rich tide as these, 
 when, wearied with flinging buds and blos- 
 soms at each other, they lay down their dimpled 
 limbs on the dewy grass, and cheek to cheek 
 their little hands entwined mingle their baby 
 voices in one sweet, bird-like note of joy. And 
 the light, and the perfume, and the melody 
 were all as spirits, sent by Lysinoe, to greet 
 him on his coming. A.nd they were as friends
 
 310 AZETH : 
 
 to that Egyptian priest ; and he smiled as they 
 met him. 
 
 And now a dazzling length of splendour 
 stretched out before his eyes of long, lofty cham- 
 bers, with gorgeously painted roofs, and involved 
 labyrinths of white and rose-coloured columns, 
 round which twined climbing plants from vases 
 below, making a very maze of loveliness, for 
 delight to lose herself therein. The casements 
 on each side were opened to admit the cool 
 night air; and the sound of waters in the 
 distance, while it refreshed with the visions 
 borne with it, gave relief to a scene, which 
 else had been too voluptuous for the soul 
 to bear. 
 
 Scattered about were cups and vases, made of 
 that most exquisite material known under the 
 name of murrhine. They were formed of one 
 entire gem, which flashed out different rays, as 
 if some spirit of life were enshrined in those 
 transparent cells, as if they were more than 
 mere jewels. Their etherial nature could not 
 bear the presence of heat. For heat being, 
 itself, the Breath of the Empyrsean, might not 
 touch those substances which partook of the 
 congenial nature of celestiality, and leave 
 them fatill in the power of cold, hard matter ; 
 but must rather, from the force of sympathy and
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 31 1 
 
 attraction, dissolve their scarce congealed bonds 
 of substance, and absorb the released spirit. 
 As souls, when the body is dying, are drawn 
 upward to their original home, and return to 
 their original state of incorporeity, swifter in 
 the warm south-wind, than in the chill 
 northern blasts. And side by side with these, 
 were other cups, some of the pigeon's neck 
 porcelain, and some so shy and delicate, that 
 their pictured beauties could only be seen 
 when veiled with wine, or the fresh Nile-water. 
 At intervals, bronze or golden censers 
 steamed up magic perfumes. They were of 
 the most beautiful shapes ; some formed as 
 flowers, the scent rising from the bell, where 
 the downy stamina reared their yellow heads, 
 and shook tothe voice of the winds ; others, 
 as vases borne on the heads of female water- 
 carriers, or foreign slaves with plumed head- 
 dress and jewelled raiment ; and others, again 
 were in the form of light chariots drawn by the 
 pnbridled wild horses of the Plains. Some were 
 simple cups, the covers of which were sur- 
 mounted by a phoenix, the mystic bird, 
 whose feathers glistened in the light with 
 every shade and colour, and who bore in hia 
 golden beak an ear of the red transparent corn, 
 or a small date-branch, or water-plant in the
 
 312 AZETH : 
 
 bud, or stalk of the long sharp-pointed ? rass, 
 which rustled audibly, as did the plumage of 
 the glorious bird, when shaken by the air. ^ 
 
 Metal mirrors were hung about, reflecting 
 back, in added numbers, the multitude of vases 
 of every shape and material scattered round. 
 There might be seen, though in scanty num- 
 bers, small and almost transparent porcelain 
 vessels, the manufactures of a strange country 
 lying far off, which the sons of the Pure Land 
 barely knew, and which could scarce be called 
 barbarous with the rest. The vessels were small 
 as a child's toy, and painted with groups of 
 figures, or flowers, or birds, or merely inscrip- 
 tions, the meaning of which only the most 
 learned of the Egyptians partially knew. Tall 
 vases, with it may be only a single flower on 
 the one side, and a short sentence on the other, 
 were also the productions of that self-styled 
 Heaven on Earth. And dried scents 
 site perfume were piled up in these ; whose 
 sweetness made the lusty wind clogged and 
 heavy, so that it could not -iway, but hung 
 over them, lingering as the evening sunshine 
 lingers on the wings of a cloud. 
 
 Lamps of glass from Memphis, or else of 
 that beautiful pottery which rivalled the love- 
 
 .
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 313 
 
 liness of stone or spar, were also on the gilded 
 tables ; or set higher up in niches within the 
 walls. Some were of a faint rose hue, with 
 their translucent brightness softened by artifi- 
 cial dimness ; and others were dazzling with 
 the brilliancy of the "colours, and the varied 
 and elegant devices painted on them. Couches 
 of every luxurious shape were" about ; made 
 either of foreign woods but partially gilded, 
 or blazing entirely of burnished gold. And 
 rugs, like the Sacred Cushions, were spread 
 as a resting-place for they whose limbs loved 
 such repose. Round the walls of the chambers, 
 or standing between the columns, like bright 
 porteresses inviting to welcome, were statues 
 of marble, or rose-colored porphyry, which had 
 never been cut by the formal Egyptian chisel, 
 but had been secretly brought from other 
 countries, from the countries of the impure 
 Hellenes, and the patient worshippers of the 
 Fire-god in the lonely mountains of Iran, and 
 from the Land of the Buddhist by the Ganges. 
 But they were statues for the poet, not the 
 philosopher ; the lover, not the devotee. 
 
 Excepting on the walls and roof, not a religi- 
 ous sentence or allusion was visible. But 
 these were covered \\ith paintings and sculp- 
 
 VOL. i. r
 
 314 AZETH: 
 
 tures expressive of various priestly mythes. 
 Isie, with her wings guarding her consort- 
 brother, the impersonation of woman's pro- 
 tecting, though confiding love, or with the 
 beautiful Horus in her mother's arms ; or 
 Nofre-Atmoo springing from the leafy Persea 
 tree, and pouring blessings on the human souls 
 below, as if to teach the power and holiness of 
 Beauty; or Neith, the noble and chaste 
 queen ; or Athyr the seductive, the darling 
 of all hearts; such gentle themes as these 
 did the stone-leaved Jtablets speak of. The 
 chambers, originally intended for some secret 
 service of the Temple, had been 'converted by 
 Amasis into his own private Halls of Delight. 
 And as he believed that he alone knew of the 
 various springs in the concealed doors which 
 led to them, he felt secure in the enjoyment 
 of the forbidden luxuries, which he had heaped 
 up there with such lavish profusion. And 
 Lysinoe, the Ishmaelite slave, was the queen 
 of all. If such the casket, what must be the 
 gem? 
 
 Amasis took little heed of all this splendour. 
 Keeping his eyes fixed on the last chamber 
 of the dazzling train, he hurried on, turning 
 neither to the right hand nor to the left,
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 315 
 
 though marble shapes of extremest beauty, 
 stood at the entrances of the other apartments, 
 with their white arms beckoning, as if they 
 had been fixed by some enchanter's wand, 
 while in the attitude of sweet invitation. 
 At the half-closed door of this last room he 
 stayed his rapid steps. 
 
 " Not a song to-night ?" he whispered to 
 himself. 
 
 Nay ! no song, but a sob ! 
 
 The blood left the flushed cheek of the 
 Hierophant. "Still thus, ever thus!" he 
 cried aloud as he entered. "What can cheer 
 that wayward heart ?" 
 
 A young girl of slight, but perfectly moulded 
 form, was kneeling before the unclosed win- 
 dow. Her head was laid on her small hands ; 
 and her face was hidden within a mass of heavy 
 gold-brown hair, which fell like a veil over 
 her polished neck and bosom. Her skin was 
 fairer than that of the daughters of Egypt; 
 and her eyes, of a dark deep blue, such as 
 was never seen among the truly Eastern people, 
 had not their languid, voluptuous glance, but 
 were expresive of more thought, energy, and 
 purity. Though she was one of the daughters of 
 the Ismaelite, yet there was something in her ap- 
 p 3
 
 316 AZETH : 
 
 pearance that would have spoken a different 
 parentage or at least a mixed descent. Too 
 fair for the tented dweller of Arabia, yet too 
 warm for the chill western sky, she seemed 
 to have been formed only to centre in herself 
 the beauties of both hemispheres. Her white 
 dress of foreign shape was wrapped closely 
 round her : part was left trailing on the ground, 
 to serve as a hood or veil, if she so pleased. 
 Round her waist was a broad girdle of dark 
 blue stone engraven with strange characters 
 and gemmed with small golden stars. Her 
 feet were bare, but partly shaded by the fnnge 
 of her garment ; which gave a greater lustre to 
 them, as upturned they lay, like sweet buds 
 of the red lotus, on the ground. Her naked 
 arms were devoid of ornament ; and one small 
 chain of thin golden plates, whose end was 
 concealed in her bosom, was the only ornament 
 she wore, excepting the girdle which cinctured 
 her graceful form. A lute of seven strings 
 was thrown beside her, the chords broken : 
 and a chaplet of withered acacia blossoms, 
 torn into shreds, lay near. The girl was weep- 
 ing. 
 
 " Lysinoe," cried the priest, in a soft
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 317 
 
 tone. " What ails thee, my beloved, my 
 beautiful?" 
 
 The maid shrunk at his voice, and trembled ; 
 cowering closer, like a bird over which the 
 hawk is swooping;. 
 
 " Nay, I will not harm thee. It is I 
 Amasis. Why dost thou tremble? Sure, 
 thou knowest my voice? Come, raise thy 
 head and look on me ; for I am weary and 
 sick, waiting for thy sight. A whole long day 
 have I passed, and thy sweet breath hath not 
 once passed over my brow ! Now look on me, 
 and refresh my fainting soul, Lyyinoe, dearest 
 maiden !" 
 
 Lysinoe started to her feet, and clasp- 
 ing her hands, cried : Lord, I will 
 tend thee, and minister, humbly as a 
 slave should, to thy slightest needs ; I will 
 not suffer my limbs to fail, nor my heart 
 to faint, in doing thy service ; only do thou, 
 too, treat me as a slave ! Speak to me harshly 
 sternly; bid me, as thou wouldst bid thy 
 very dog ; I will not murmur, but will do all 
 that thou mayest command, diligently and 
 faithfully. Only look coldly on me! Only 
 forget not that I am thine inferior thy servant 
 thy hand-maid by whose love thou art dis-
 
 318 AZETH : 
 
 honored who, herself, is degraded by thine. 
 Why break down the barrier between us ? O 
 my Lord ! it keeps in a world of sorrow, which 
 will overflow and drown all peace if thou dost 
 remove its bounds." 
 
 "What barrier is there between us, loveliest ? 
 What, but that which hath been raised up by 
 thine own coldness? What, but that slight 
 mist-wreath, which wilt melt away before the 
 first dawn of tenderness in thy soul ? This is 
 the sole barrier, Lysinoe ! And thou shalt re- 
 move its screen ! Aye, frown as thou wilt ; 
 soon there shall not exist any obstacle between 
 my love and thine 1" 
 
 Lysinoe turned away her head, and pressed 
 her hands over her eyes, then shaking back her 
 long hair, she exclaimed, speaking rapidly and 
 fervently : " Dost thou think, Lord, that our 
 several conditions are no obligations to stranger 
 bearing ? Thou art the Hierophant of Thebes 
 the High Priest of the Grand Deity of 
 Amunei, and thou shouldest be to all men as 
 a light, by whose lustre they might walk; 
 as a model in whose likeness they might 
 shape themselves. I am a slave a captive 
 gained by the bow and the spear a servant
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 319 
 
 a Gentile one of the tented race, who, by 
 thy very faith, thou deemest impure and de- 
 nied Eternal Being. What canst thou have 
 to do with such an one ? Thou hast but to give 
 her thy blessing, if haply thou meet with her 
 on thy way of life, and wish, it may be, that 
 she knelt at the shrine of thy god. But oh 
 thou mayst not strive to join her opposing 
 way with thine own ! Thou art false to thine 
 office and thy god, in loving an Arab maid : 
 and oh ! doubly false in bidding her to love 
 thee !" 
 
 " Lysinoe, thou art wise in thy speech, and 
 thy rosy lips, which move as the wings of the 
 young dove when she flees to the bosom of 
 her beloved mate, utter grave and learned 
 things. But thou art no reasoner, bright 
 maid ! Thou art no philosopher ! else wouldst 
 thou have said, * I am a maiden, lovely and 
 heavenlike, whom to see, is to love. Thou art 
 a man, in thy manhood's prime, and endowed 
 with more than man's strength of passion. 
 And thou lovest me with all the fervour of 
 thy ardent soul. Our states are different ; but 
 love hath made that way even between us> 
 which chance and birth did make unequal !' 
 Thus, thou shouldst have said: and thus thou
 
 320 AZETU : 
 
 should think : and act as those thoughts would 
 bid thee. For thou knowest that there is not 
 inferiority in love ! Love me, Lysinoe, with 
 as burning and iatonse a passion as that with 
 which I love thee, and thou wilt be the fitting 
 mate of Amasis slave as thou mayst be. But 
 let the Queen of the mighty Babylon ' herself ' 
 tender me a love weaker than my own, 
 she would sink into a place lower than that of 
 Amasis. Strength fervour constancy these 
 are the crowns of empire, and rings of honor in 
 the domain of love !" 
 
 " When wilt thou learn to cease this ?' ' cried 
 Lysinoe, angrily. " How often have told thee 
 that this must be a sealed subject between us ? 
 It is not right for thee to utter such things 
 it is not right for me to hear them. Though I 
 am a slave, Priest, yet I am of pure and free 
 soul !" 
 
 " The bondage of love will not fetter thee, 
 sweet nor its kiss pollute thee ! Its chain is 
 not too hard for the frailest heart to bear; and 
 it makes all other bondage perfect freedom. 
 Why not, then, lay on thy young soul the 
 burden of affections ? All nature does the 
 like. Her children all love, and thus fulfil the 
 intention of their existence. Shouldat thou,
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 321 
 
 alone, be a traitress to the Great Mother, and 
 rebellious to her will ? Thou, alone, waste 
 thy youthful years of rare beauty, which were 
 bestowed only for joy and passion, in solitary 
 chilliness of soul ? Love, Lysinoe ! love, 
 till thy full heart breaks with the teeming 
 richness of its treasures love, till life heart 
 spirit all are absorbed in one burning sigh 
 of thy mighty passion love, as I love and 
 then thou wilt do wisely and do well, and be 
 true to the nature that is within thee ! For 
 by the glance of thy full blue eye and 
 by the smile of thy rich lip I know and 
 swear, that Amuun shaped thee only for 
 this !" 
 
 " Priest father, thou sayest that thou lovest 
 me," said Lysinoe, changing her former irri- 
 tated manner for one of the humblest suppli- 
 cation. ** Oh ! then grant me my earnest 
 prayer ! Thou canst not love the thing which 
 thou delightest to torture ; thou canst not wil- 
 lingly torture the thing which thou dost love ! 
 Oh ! if thou knowest that thy words are like 
 cruel scourges to my soul, thou wilt change 
 them, or be silent ? And they are so they 
 
 are woroe than the tortured of the steel and 
 p 5
 
 322 AZETH : 
 
 the fire to me ! Why wilt thou use me so 
 cruelly ? I am but a child to thee a weak 
 thing, which one breatfi of thine can slay. 
 Thou hast lived long ; and hast had pleasure 
 in thy life ; and hast gained the honors 
 after which thy ambition strove ; I am young 
 very young and my heart is but even now 
 awaking to the meaning of existence. Why 
 wilt thou cloud these, its first waking hours ? 
 Why wilt thou stand between me and the sun ? 
 Thou art cruel, priest ! I said to thee, * Bid 
 me serve thee as thy slave !' And I will so serve 
 thee. But oh ! do not thou look on me as 
 aught else ! I cannot love thee, if I 
 would; and thy care for me but dishonors 
 me!" 
 
 " Now, by my soul, thou art too arrogant !" 
 replied the Priest, haughtily. " Amasis dis- 
 honor his Gentile slave ? Minion I thou art 
 honored by a glance by a thought by a 
 word, however careless and trifling, from me! 
 I, who held myself too high for any mate but 
 a king's daughter, have humbled myself to 
 thee : and then must I hear that my prayers 
 my entreaties to wed thee to make thee mine 
 own by mutual rights and mutual ties dishonor
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 323 
 
 thee, forsooth ? Lysinoe ! Lysinoe ! though 
 the brightest maidens of mine own land are too 
 mean for me, that arf not thou ! I, Amasis of 
 Thebes, will vail my brow, and humble myself 
 below thy footstool; and offering thee that love 
 too high for any earth-born woman, as a very 
 craven beseech thee the foreigner and the 
 Gentile to receive it ! Lysinoe ! wilt thou 
 not love me ? Wilt thou not turn in tender- 
 ness towards a heart that beats but for thee ? 
 Ha ! the same cold, averted eye. The same 
 proud silence. The same repelling gesture. 
 Woman ! thou wilt repent thy madness when 
 too late; for by those stars above, I swear, 
 that if thou dost make of Amasis thy foe, ne 
 is the bitterest and the most deadly that 
 thou couldst have. Fool ! hast thou not heard 
 that the worst enemy is the slighted lover ? 
 That the deeper he hath loved, the deeper he 
 abhors ? Take heed, Lysinoe ! Thou art on 
 the brink of a precipice a few steps, and thou 
 art flung mangled into the torrent below ! I 
 am not one that every t-ickly girl may spuru at 
 her will, and name it modesty ! I am not 
 one to whine like a beaten hound, and lick the 
 hand that strikes me ! Nay I though even that 
 hand be thine I"
 
 324 AZETH : 
 
 " And, Amasis," returned Ly since looking 
 into his eyes with a steady gaze, proud aud 
 unflinching as his own. " Though I am now 
 thy captive, unlawfully stolen by thee from 
 my rightful master, bethink thee, that I, too, 
 am one in whose veins runs blood purer than 
 even that of thy Monarch's child ! the blood 
 of heroes, priests, and kings, for unremeni- 
 bered ages kept unsullied, now all centered 
 in this frail heart. Prie&t ! respect me, too, 
 better ! Respect the daughter, though unfor- 
 tunate, of such a godlike race !" 
 
 " Tush ! Thy birth weighs nought with rue ! 
 Thou art my slave and what care I, if thine 
 idiot grand-sires wore the royal robe or no? 
 They do not make thee free, though they 
 sprung from the Eight Demigods !" 
 
 " Free ! free!" murmured Lysinoe. if Oh! 
 thou shouldst not have taunted me with this ! 
 Free! Oh ye Gods!" 
 
 "Forgive me, my Beloved!" exclaimed 
 Amasis passionately, seizing her hand and 
 covering it with burning kisses in spite of her 
 efforts to prevent him. "But thou, thyself, 
 didst madden me with thy coldness ; I knew 
 not what I said or looked ! Forgive me ! Nay ! 
 nay ! I cannot bear to see thee thus ! Thy
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 325 
 
 tears fall upon my heart like drops of flame ! I 
 meant not to sorrow thee, beautiful child ! 
 But man's spirit is hot, and brooks little ; and 
 even with the philosopher, passion sways all 
 too rudely ! There, dry thy sweet eyes with 
 thy silky hair. Thy tears are too precious to 
 be wasted for every idle cause ! Now ! thou 
 lookest up again ; yet thy cheek is pale. I will 
 ki.ss off this thieving paleness, which has robbed 
 thee of thy smiles with thy blushes. Thou 
 needst not turn aside thy dear head ; my 
 stronger arms are round thee, and I can take 
 what thou wilt not give ! Thou repellest me 
 so coldly ! Canst thou not forgive, when so 
 humbly sued for pardon ? Ah yes ! if the tale 
 which thy soft blue eyes tell, be truth, and not 
 nature's worst hypocrisy ! Corue ; take thy 
 lute, and sing to me one of thy dear Arabian 
 songs. It will gladdsn thy heart again !" 
 
 " The chords are broken !'' said Lysinoe, 
 mournfully putting back the instrument. 
 
 " I did not see it I did not see it !" replied 
 Amasis hurriedly. "Fie on me!" he added 
 to himself. " This girl makes me but a dri- 
 velling idiot, blind and deaf to all but her! 
 And thou 1-ast broken thy chap let too?" he
 
 326 AZETH : 
 
 continued, taking up the torn blossoms. "Why 
 didst thou use thy lute and thy flowers so 
 roughly ? Wayward child ! When wilt thou 
 learn peace and control ?" 
 
 " What have I to do with flowers ?" an- 
 swered the Ishmaelite sadly. " They come to 
 me with their glorious eyes, luring me to free- 
 dom ; their breath waves around me, bringing 
 visions of the boundless plains, and the cool 
 groves of my own home, where the air blows 
 fresh and free, and the blood rushes through 
 the heart, in a tide of chainless ecstasy; 
 where the blue sky with its cloudless brow, 
 and limitless expanse, is the only canopy 
 beneath which the proud spirit can exist ! In 
 an Egyptian prison, what have 1 to do with 
 the blossoms of the Desert-child, the bright 
 acacia tree ? Can I love to see them plucked 
 from their mother-boughs, to be bound into a 
 formal headband, there to shimmer palely for 
 a few brief hdurs, then slowly sicken and die ? 
 Can I love to see myself reflected in these pale 
 petals, and my grievous story repeated in each 
 withered cup ? Take them hence ! Take them 
 hence 1 they and the lute ! Its seven strings 
 each string a planet's chord why should it
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 327 
 
 sound in the temple of a false faith ? It is a 
 mockery ! a dread mockery ! Surely my sor- 
 rows are many enough ; I need not to add to 
 their number. Give me freedom, Priest ! and 
 then I will braid my hair with Arab flowers, 
 and sing to thee my Arab songs. And my 
 soul shall go forth in each strain, happy as in 
 days long past ; and it shall hover with glad- 
 ness through the wide sky, and pour blessings 
 and a daughter's love upon thy way !" 
 
 " Sweet ! why dost thou talk so wildly ? 
 Art thou not free ? Lo ! the whole space of 
 these regal rooms is thine ; thy goings out, 
 and thy coinings in, are unwatched. Thou 
 mayst roam at thy will through these spacious 
 walls. In the cool night I lead thee forth to 
 rest by the brink of the laughing waves ; to 
 play with the wanton breeze ; to nestle among 
 the glistening flowers. But, because thou 
 mayst not pass the Sacred Gates because thou 
 art kept within the temenos with as much 
 jealous care as that bestowed upon the God of 
 the Naos thou dost bewail thyself for a pri- 
 soner ! Is not this a folly, my sweet ? Thou 
 hast much, of which thou mightest well be 
 proud ! A Priestess of Amun an Aider in 
 the Mysteries not every captive handmaid
 
 328 AZETH : 
 
 could boast so much !" And he smiled ; but 
 through all the love and tenderness of that 
 smile, might be discerned a slight shade of 
 mockery. 
 
 " Thank the Greut Gods of the Stars for 
 this !" replied Ly since. " Thank them, my 
 heart, that thou alone art constrained to be a 
 liar, and the companion aye ! and the helper 
 of liars !" 
 
 '' I must not hear such language, even from 
 thy bright lips 1" said Amasis gravely, "for 
 remember, that I am Priest of this same re- 
 viled religion ! Here !" he added gently. 
 '* If thou wilt not have acacia-garlands 
 here are lily-bands for thee! Thou wilt uot 
 cast away the stately Moon-flower the 
 queenly Bride of the Nile?" And he offered 
 her a fresh necklace of mixed blue and white 
 iotus flowers, which hung on a stand that 
 stood near. 
 
 Lysinoe to^e it from the hands of the 
 Priest, and trampled the blossoms under her 
 feet. 
 
 " Thine Egyptian flowers are poison-weeds," 
 she cried passionately. " Shall my brow be 
 polluted with such ? In truth no ! For once 
 the victim shall go unadorned to the Altar of
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 329 
 
 Sacrifice ! Give me back my home; my 
 mother; my brave old grandsire; my noble 
 kindred ; liberty with the acacia-flowers ; then 
 will I bless thee, Priest ! Then will I kneel to 
 thee, and kiss thy hand in thanksgiving, as I 
 do now in entreaty!" And the girl flung 
 herself on the ground before Amasis, and tak- 
 ing his hand pressed it to her lips, while she 
 bedewed it with tears. 
 
 " And wouldst thou then love me with the 
 same love as that which I feel for thee ?" said 
 Amasis in a low whisper, grasping her arm, 
 and forcibly resting her against his bosom. 
 " Promise to be mine, and this hour thou art 
 free ! And this night I will flee with thee to 
 thy native desert-islands forsake fame, and 
 place, and land, and hopes, brighter than all... 
 brighter than thou dreamest of... if thou wilt 
 but be mine own. ..my very wife! Wilt thou 
 love me, and wed me for the sake of thy 
 liberty ? Lysinoe, speak ! MaWen Goddess 
 Idol of my life tell me that thou wilt be 
 my own !" 
 
 Lysinoe gently unloosed the Hierophant's 
 hold." 
 
 " Not even for this," she said sadly, " will I
 
 330 AZETH : 
 
 promise to love thee ! 1 cannot ! And must I 
 wait for my freedom, until that day dawn, it 
 must be mine, only, in the grave !" 
 
 Aim aia covered hia face in his hands. He 
 was trembling. 
 
 " Amasis," continued the Ishniaelit. 
 laying her hands upon his arm, and speaking 
 very gently, for her woman's nature was stirred 
 to pity, at the sight of the proud man's sorrow 
 and abasement. " The heart cannot be com- 
 manded, nor its affections controlled. It is 
 not in my power to feel tenderness for thee ; 
 and thou wouldst not that I should speak de- 
 ceitfully, and tell thee such and such things, 
 when my heart within spoke contrary? Yet, 
 if I may not love, thy goodness can at least 
 make me honor thee ; while tyranny towards 
 a helpless woman, doth but add horror to cold- 
 ness. Set me free, and I will revere thee, 
 and pray for thy weal to my Goda, though I 
 may not to thine... kneeling by thy side. 
 Give me freedom... with no condition such as 
 that with which thou dost offer it... and thou 
 wilt be godlike indeed !" 
 
 ** Give thee freedom ?" repeated the Priest 
 bitterly, and flinging off her clasped hands.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 331 
 
 " Yea ! when the red sun rises from the dusk 
 west then, maiden! look for this gift from 
 me, and not till then ! It is over. I loved thee 
 madly; but this shall pass. Thou hast 
 scorned me ; thou hast rejected me ; and now 
 we meet on other ground. We meet as 
 Master and as Slave. Look to thyself, for 
 thou hast one to deal with who never knew 
 the pangs of remorse whose soul gainsayeth 
 ruth ! For this time, I quit thee. The next, 
 stern shall be the arguments where formerly 
 I used caresses and lavished fondness. Aye ! 
 turn pale and tremble, coward heart ! What ! 
 thou darest brave me, while thou didst deem 
 my love secure ; and me too fast a captive in 
 thy chains to rebel ? By the soul of Amun, 
 thou hast missed thy mark for once! Thy 
 lover is now thy foe. Thy wooer is now thy 
 tyrant. And thou shalt be in his hand as 
 this!" And vehemently crushing an acacia 
 bud in his hand, he flung it on the floor, and 
 ground its crumpled leaves beneath his heel. 
 
 Lysinoe was silent. Terrified at his dark 
 looks, she stood with her hands clasped in each 
 other. A few large tears had fallen from her 
 eyelids and rested upon her hair, and her
 
 332 A2ETH : 
 
 heart beat so slow and pre Unnaturally still, it 
 did not stir one glistening thread. The linen 
 veil half shrouded her ; and .-he looked, as she 
 stood there, like some pale, wandering angel. 
 The Priest gazed long and earnestly. That 
 glorious head half depressed with its long, 
 waving locks, like a funeral garment for her 
 young heart's slain joy falling in such rich 
 luxuriance ; her pale cheek, looking still paler 
 where the dark eyelashes rested, and the moist 
 lips, crimson blushed ; her rounded arms press- 
 ing back all sign of emotion ; so still, so un- 
 earthly ; it nigh unmanned him as he looked ! 
 Is that stern eye dimmed and relaxed ? It is 
 even so 1 The sharpest pang that the philoso- 
 pher had known, since the Day first cradled 
 him, shot through his heart then, when gazing 
 on that young Arabian maid ; the maid he 
 loved the maid his selfishness was slowly de- 
 voting to death. 
 
 " I shall go mad if I stayl" he groaned, 
 shading his eyes to shut her out from his 
 view. " She hath bewitched me ! Oh Gods ' 
 my brain is on fire!" 
 
 And he turned away. His steps were 
 trembling, and his looks wild and wandering.
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 333 
 
 At the door he looked again. Lysinoe was 
 standing in the same place and attitude as 
 before; only paler, and her head sunk lower. 
 " Lysinoe !" breathed the Priest, u Ly- 
 sinoe!" 
 
 She started, but did not answer, nor look 
 up. 
 
 " Lysinoe !" again he whispered. " Wilt 
 thou be mine? Now at this last hour make 
 thy wiser choice. Wilt thou live free, and 
 honored, and loved - or die, a captive, so 
 friendless, and degraded, that the very day- 
 light blushes to look on thee ?" 
 The girl waved her hand. 
 " Speak ! with thy lips tell me ! Lysinoe ! 
 Angel ! Beloved ! Speak once again ! If it be 
 to curse me, epeak !" 
 
 He had returned to her; and now flung his 
 arms round her, and strained her to his bosom, 
 while he showered kisses upon her forehead. 
 
 " I will die!" said Lysinoe', speaking very 
 slowly and faintly. 
 
 Amasis dashed her away so roughly that she 
 fell, and strode from the chamber. Despair 
 and anguish were on his brow, and his fingers, 
 straitly intertwined, were bleeding from the 
 nails. He flung himself upon a couch in one of
 
 334 AZETH: 
 
 the side chambers, and concealed his face in 
 the drapery. Thua he remained for some 
 time ; silent and motionless, like a dead thing. 
 Then slowly rising, he passed into another 
 small apartment, and sat down to study a 
 closely-written papyrus roll He was proud, 
 and calm, and lofty as ever ; only his eyes 
 were hollow, and he looked an older man than 
 when he entered through the Garden Pylon. 
 
 A young gazelle, Lysinoe's constant com- 
 panion, which had lain all this time beneath a 
 chair, now carne from its hiding-place, and 
 trotting up to its sweet mistress, put its 
 pretty head against her knees, and looked into 
 her face, as if half begging for a caress, half 
 offering comfort by its love. Lysinoe did not 
 heed it. The little creature licked her feet, 
 and tried to leap up, uttering an impatient, 
 yet sorrowful cry, as it pattered its tiny hoofs 
 about her. Lytdnoe looked down, and then a 
 burst of child-like grief broke forth, as she 
 knelt on the floor and pressed the kid to her 
 bosom, kissing it over and over as a bewil- 
 dered babe kisses its mother's dear lips, sobbing 
 the while. 
 
 " My kid ! my kid ! my only friend my 
 faithful prison-mate ! How should I not have
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 335 
 
 seen thee ? And thou didst follow me through 
 all the horrors of that fearful day when the 
 Egyptian tore me from my Arab home and 
 thou, alone, didst track my path when this 
 false Priest stole me from my friendly captor ! 
 And I did not see thee, now, when thou didst 
 offer me thy fond caresses to soothe my sor- 
 row ! Alas ! thy mistress hath grown cold, 
 and harsh, and selfish of late ! My sweet 
 gazelle ! with thy gentle endurance and thy 
 gentle eyes, the sole thing art thou that I 
 have to love the sole thing that loves me ; 
 for that man's pnssion is darker than the 
 darkest hatred ! Oh ! would we were both 
 bounding over the wide plains, or loitering 
 round about our own green home ! through 
 the palm and date trees, chasing each other 
 my kid and I striving who should first win 
 the rewarding kiss of the soft-voiced mother. 
 Poor thing ! Thou, too, wouldest thy liberty ! 
 Thou mayest not have it ! Nay nay nay ! 
 Imprisoned here, we must pine and die toge- 
 ther. And we may not even be buried in our 
 fathers' land. Yet I would love the spice- 
 breeze to fan the blossoms round my tomb, 
 and round thine, too, my dear gazelle ! It 
 would sing so sweetly to our released spirits,
 
 336 AZETH : 
 
 when the moon-beams played with us through 
 the wide ether ! Ah me ! ah me ! I cannot 
 bear thy mournful eyes ! They make me 
 weep. There ! thy cord is unloosed ; now 
 away ! away ! Bound through thy marble 
 play-ground, which with all its luxury, thou 
 wouldst exchange for one rood of the free 
 desert ! Away ! away ! Thou wilt not leave 
 me ? Ah ! thou art better than many human 
 friends ! I had one, the stately Egyptian 
 warrior. And he swore to protect me ; but 
 alas ! the dark Priest came, and bore me 
 away from the roof ot my brave master. 
 And now he hath forgotten the captive maid 
 to whom he used to speak so sweetly so 
 gently ! But she oft thinks of him ! when 
 the stars come out, and memory is undis- 
 turbed by the Present. Yea, my kid ! he, too, 
 hath forgotten me ! All have forsaken me 
 but thee !" 
 
 And thus she continued, murmuring to her- 
 self like the south breeze entangled in the 
 rose-bush so sweetly so sadly that her 
 own voice had made her sorrowful, had she 
 had no truer cause for grief. But the Ara h 
 maid of royal race lay in the Egyptian Temple, 
 a captive and a slave : and the worshipper of
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 337 
 
 the Star-Gods, was a partner in the rites of 
 the religion of Amun. And surely these were 
 griefs stern enough to make an iron heart 
 lament ! 
 
 The golden toy which the Priest had held, 
 and forgotten, lay on the ground. Its glitter 
 caught the eye of the maiden. She turned 
 pale, and hastily caught it up. 
 
 " O ye heavens ! what do I behold ?" she 
 cried. ' ' My Amulet broken ? My father's 
 gift here ? Oh ! woe to me ! alas ! alas I" And 
 she hurriedly drew the chain from her bosom. 
 But from the last link depended a leaf as small, 
 and precisely similar* to the one which she had 
 just found. " What magic is this ? Am 1 
 awake? or is this all a dream ? My mother's 
 charm lieth here on the ground ? Areia, my 
 mother ! art thou near thy hapless child ? 
 Mother ! Let me say that word again and 
 again ! Oh ! she is near me even now !" And 
 the girl held out her arms to the empty night 
 air. " Mother ! mother, come I I have waited 
 long for thee 1 Come and take thy child 
 home ! Ah ! I know that she is dead, and 
 that her spirit is waving round me, bidding 
 me the last farewell before it soars up to the 
 Starry Heavens . Alas ! alas ! she is dead, 
 
 VOL. I. Q
 
 338 AZETH : 
 
 and she has left me on earth alone ! Miserable 
 Lysinoe 1 one by one thy hopes fade and die ! 
 Hapless maiden ! why dost thou live, and ra- 
 ther not die with with them ? Oh ! Death 
 take me to Areia my mother, Areia !" 
 
 " Hush !" whispered a strange voice, which, 
 rough and harsh, had yet a tender accent in 
 its grating tones ; and a withered hand ap- 
 peared at the casement. " Be not afraid. I 
 am thy friend. Come hither, Lysinoe ; come 
 nearer. I have something to tell thee. Be 
 of good courage. I will not harm thee. I 
 would rather give away mine own life than 
 hurt one hair of thy bright head !" 
 
 But Lysinoe shrunk away. 
 
 " Wouldst thou be free ?" continued the 
 voice. " Say quickly ! yea or nay ! Wouldst 
 thou be free ? Or dost thou love thy master 
 Amasia too well to leave him again ?" 
 
 " No ! no I I would be free ! Oh ! grant 
 me this 1 Whoever thou art, deliver me from 
 this Priest !" 
 
 " Softly I Amasis rests near, and my life 
 is forfeit if he hears me. Send this ring to 
 thy friend, Psammetichus, now at Memphis, 
 but soon to be on his march toward Pelusium 
 and he will liberate thee, and restore thee to
 
 THE EGYPTIAN. 339 
 
 thy home, and thy mother. Here ! let me feel 
 thee. Where is thy hand ?" 
 
 Impelled by an irresistible impulse Lysinoe 
 placed her hand in the hard palm opened to 
 receive it. It was gently drawn through the 
 unclosed window, and gently kissed ; then 
 dropped, and all was still. And but for the 
 blue scarabaeus ring left in her grasp, the Arab 
 maid had thought it all a dream. 
 
 Carefully placing the massive ring in her 
 bosom more carefully, and tearfully, and ten- 
 derly, when she recognised it as the Blue Stone 
 of Fidelity belonging to Psammetichus himself, 
 and securing the mysterious amulet on the 
 chain which held her own, she seated herself 
 by the unclosed window. And morning found 
 her in the same place her dark eyes strained 
 towards the sky her hands clasped on her 
 fevered forehead and her pale lips mut- 
 tering, " Shall I be free ? Mother ! Psam- 
 metichua 1" 
 
 THE END OF VOL. I.
 
 HERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
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