The Pharaoh And The Priest Part 54

"We know not what to admire most in this priest, his wisdom or his humility," said Mefres. "Since we have such a man, the G.o.ds have not forgotten us."

At that moment the guard watching on the pylons of the temple summoned those present to prayer.

"In the evening I will finish the explanations," said Pentuer; "now I will say a few words in addition.

"Ye inquire, worthy fathers, why I use beans for these pictures. I do so because a grain put in the ground brings a harvest to the husbandmen yearly; so a man brings tribute every year to the treasury.

"If in any province two million less beans are sown than in past years, the following harvest will be notably less, and the earth-tillers will have a poorer income. In the state also, when two millions of population are gone, the inflow of taxes must diminish."

Rameses listened with attention, and walked away in silence.

CHAPTER XXVIII

When the priests and the heir to the throne returned to the courtyard in the evening, several hundred torches were gleaming so brightly that it was as clear there as in the daytime.

At a sign from Mefres there came out again a procession of musicians, dancers, and minor priests carrying a statue of the cow-headed Hator; and when they had driven away evil spirits, Pentuer began to explain again.

"Ye see, worthy fathers," said he, "that since the time of the nineteenth dynasty a hundred thousand measures of land and two million people have vanished out of Egypt. This explains why the income of the state has decreased thirty-two thousand talents; that it has decreased is known to all of us.

"But this is only the beginning of misfortunes to the state and the treasury. Ninety-eight thousand talents of income apparently remain to his holiness. But do ye think that the pharaoh receives all this income?

"I will tell you what his worthiness Herhor discovered in the province of the Hare.

"During the nineteenth dynasty twenty thousand people dwelt in that province; they paid three hundred and fifty talents of yearly taxes.

To-day there are hardly fifteen thousand, and these, of course, pay the treasury only two hundred and seventy talents. Meanwhile the pharaoh, instead of receiving two hundred and seventy talents, receives one hundred and seventy.

"'Why is that?' inquired Herhor; and this is what an investigation discovered: During the nineteenth dynasty there were in the district about one hundred officials, and these received each one thousand drachmas yearly salary. To-day in that same district, though the people have decreased, there are more than two hundred officials who receive two thousand five hundred drachmas yearly.

"It is unknown to his worthiness Herhor if this is the case in every district. But this much is certain, that the treasury of the pharaoh, instead of ninety-eight thousand talents annually, has only seventy-four thousand--"

"Say, worthy father, fifty thousand," interrupted Rameses.

"I will explain that too," replied Pentuer. "In every case remember, prince, that the pharaoh's treasury pays to-day twenty-four thousand talents to officials, while it gave only ten thousand during the nineteenth dynasty."

Deep silence reigned among the dignitaries, for more than one of them had a relative in office, well paid moreover. But Pentuer was unterrified.

"Now," continued he, "I will show thee, O heir, the manner of life among officials, and the lot of common people in those old times and in our day."

"Will it not take too much time? Besides, every man can see for himself," murmured the priests, very promptly.

"I wish to know this," said the prince, with decision.

The murmur ceased. Pentuer went down along the steps of the amphitheatre to the court, and after him went the prince, the high priests, Mefres and the others.

They halted before a long curtain of mats, forming as it were a palisade. At a sign from Pentuer some tens of minor priests hastened up with blazing torches. Another sign, and a portion of the curtain fell.

From the lips of those present came a shout of admiration. They had before them a brightly illuminated tableau in which about one hundred persons were the characters.

The tableau was divided into three stories; on the lower story stood earth tillers, on a higher were officials, and on the highest was the golden throne of the pharaoh resting on two lions whose heads were the arms of the throne.

"It was in this way," said Pentuer, "during the nineteenth dynasty.

Look at the earth-tillers. At their ploughs ye see sometimes oxen, sometimes a.s.ses; their picks, spades, and shovels are bronze, and hence are lasting. See what stalwart men they are! To-day one could find such only in the guard of his holiness. Their hands and feet are strong, their b.r.e.a.s.t.s full, their faces smiling. All are bathed and anointed with olive oil. Their wives are occupied in preparing food and clothing or in was.h.i.+ng house utensils; the children are at school or are playing.

"The laborer of that time, as ye see, ate wheaten bread, beans, flesh, fish, and fruit; he drank beer or wine, and see how beautiful were the plates and pitchers. Look at the caps, ap.r.o.ns, and capes of the men: all adorned with various-colored needlework. Still more beautifully embroidered were the skirts of women. And note how carefully they combed their hair, what brooches, earrings, and bracelets they had. Those ornaments were made of bronze and colored enamel; even gold was found among them, though only in the form of wire.

"Raise now your eyes to officials. They wore mantles, but every laborer wore just such a dress on holidays. They lived exactly as did laborers,--that is, in sufficiency, but modestly. Their furniture was ornamented somewhat more than that of laborers, and gold rings were found oftener in their caskets. They made journeys on a.s.ses, or in cars drawn by oxen."

Pentuer clapped his hands and on the stage there was movement. The laborers gave the officials baskets of grapes, bags of barley, peas and wheat, jugs of wine, beer, milk and honey, game and stuffs, many pieces white or colored. The officials took these products, kept a portion for themselves, but the choicest and most costly they put up higher, for the throne. The platform where stood the symbol of the pharaoh's power was covered with products which formed as it were a small mountain.

"Ye see, worthy men," said Pentuer, "that in those times, when earth-tillers were satisfied and wealthy, the treasury of his holiness could hardly find place for the gifts of his subjects. But see what is happening in our day."

At a new signal a second part of the curtain fell, and another tableau appeared, similar to the preceding in general outline.

"Here are our laborers of the present," said Pentuer, and in his voice indignation was evident. "Their bodies are skin and bones, they look like sick persons, they are filthy and have forgotten to anoint themselves with olive oil, but their backs are wounded from beating.

"Neither oxen nor a.s.ses are near them, for what need is there of those beasts if ploughs are drawn by women and children? Picks and shovels are wooden, they spoil easily and that increases men's labor. They have no clothes whatever; only women wear coa.r.s.e s.h.i.+rts, and not even in a dream do they look at embroidery, though their grandfathers and grandmothers wore it.

"Look now at the food of the earth-tillers. At times barley and dried fish, lotus seed always, rarely a wheat cake, never flesh, beer, or wine.

"Ask them where their utensils and furniture are. They have none, unless a pitcher for water; nothing could find room in the dens which they inhabit.

"Pardon me now for that to which I turn your attention: Over there a number of children are lying on the ground; that means that they are dead. It is wonderful how many children of laborers die from toil and hunger. And those that die are the happiest, for they who survive go under the club of the overseer, or are sold to the Phnician as lambs to the--"

Emotion stopped his voice; he rested awhile, and then continued amid the angry silence of the priesthood,--

"And now look at the officials,--how animated they are in rouge, how beautiful their clothes are! Their wives wear gold bracelets and earrings, and such fine garments that princes might envy them. Among laborers not an ox or an a.s.s is now visible, but to make up officials journey on horseback or in litters. They drink only wine, and that of good quality."

He clapped his hands, and again there was movement. The laborers gave the officials bags of wheat, baskets of fruit, wine, game. These objects the officials as before placed near the throne, but in quant.i.ties considerably smaller. On the pharaoh's platform there was no longer a mountain of products, but the platform of the officials was covered.

"This is the Egypt of our day," continued Pentuer. "Laborers are in indigence, scribes are wealthy, the treasury is not so full as it once was. But now--"

He gave a sign, and a thing unexpected took place there before them.

Certain hands seized grain, fruit, stuffs from the platforms of the pharaoh and the officials; and when the amount of the goods had decreased greatly, those same hands began to seize and lead away laborers, their wives and children.

The spectators looked with amazement at the peculiar methods of those mysterious persons. Suddenly some one cried out,--

"Those are Phnicians! They plunder us in that way."

"That is it, holy fathers," said Pentuer. "Those are the hands of Phnicians concealed in the midst of us; they plunder the pharaoh and the scribes, and lead away laborers captive when there is nothing to drag from them."

"Yes! They are jackals! A curse on Phnicians! Expel them, the wretches!" cried the priests. "It is they who inflict the greatest damage on Egypt."

Not all, however, shouted in that way.