Instruction of Amenemope (with other Egyptian wisdom texts)

‘I.e., “Lord to the uttermost limit,” perhaps God or God Almighty. . Iam a silent man before a raging man and before a fool, in order to suppress wrath. . Tam cold (i.¢., calm, or cautious), without hasty impulses, knowing what circumstances may arise, understanding possibilities of failure. . [ am a man who speaks in places where violence is applied, and I know when, according to custom, it is right for me to show anger. . Iam a long-suffering man. I pay heed to my name (or, reputation) ; it gives (?) [me] what is in my heart. . I am a man who collects [his facts or thoughts], returning to a matter, longsuffering (or, patient), silencing the weeper with happiness. I am a man who has a bright (7.e., pleasant) face for his subordinate, and who does good to the man who is like himself (7.e., is in the same social position). . I am an impartial man in the house of his lord, knowing what will heal the man who is diseased in speech. . Lam a man who is bright (0.e., pleasant) of face, open-handed, a lord of food, without withdrawal of face [from any man].

. Il am a friend towards those who are in a lowly condition, and to the man who has nothing my true (or, just) dealing is sweet. I am the food of the hungry man who has no possessions, and open-handed to the I act as the man of knowledge for him that is ignorant, and I teach a man that which will be beneficial for him. I am the impartial man in the house of the king, knowing that which is said in every court-house. I am a man who hearkens, I hearken to Maat (the Law, or the Truth), and, indeed, cause it to declare its message to my heart. I am the peacemaker of the house of his lord, being remembered by reason of his amiable qualities. I am a good one in the courts when cases are being tried, equable of mind, free from words (or, acts) that irritate. I am a good man, not acting hastily, not coercing a man because of an utterance [of his}. I am a man of justice, like the scales, impartial, true like Thoth. I am a man firm of foot, whose design is well thought out, who prepares the way for the man who would make him to prosper.

Iam a man who recognizes the man who can teach him, and the man who will allow him to discuss a matter with him. I am a man who speaks in the Court of Law (or, Truth), who sets (literally, sharpens) his mouth against the restrictions of the mind.” Another stele! from the tomb of Antef, the son of Sent, is dated in the thirty-ninth year of Usertsen I, and after the usual prayer to Osiris, ‘‘ Lord of Tetu (Mendes), Khenti-Amenti, the great god, Lord of Abydos,” for sepulchral offerings, the text goes on to supply further information about the position and duties of Antef. According to this, Antef led the chiefs of the Land of the South, and made them do homage on their bellies in the Court of the hereditary prince and Wazir. Then he set them at the head of some ceremony of truth-speaking before the judges who tried cases, and seems to have assigned places to them, with due regard to their rank, in the Council Chamber. He was President of the Works in the Land of the South, - and he was well acquainted with the laws and he instructed his officials how to apply them. Many of the statements that he makes about himself are, to me, untranslatable, but the general meaning seems to be that which he has expressed in the twenty lines given above. He was beloved by all the royal court officials, he enjoyed the reputation of being a just and a learned man, he pursued his course without hesitation, he ‘‘ heard the word in the White House of Geb,” etc. Hitherto the inscriptions of Antef have dealt with his official philosophy, and have left his moral actions unmentioned. On a third stele of his in the British Museum (No. 141 [562]),” he says: “‘ I set goodness (or, prosperity) under my house, love for me went throughout the whole country . . . . I gave bread to the hungry, beer to the thirsty, and I set the

1 British Museum, Stele No. 140 [572]. Published in Sharpe, Egyptian Inscriptions, I, pl. 80; Hall, Hieroglyphic Texts, Part II, pl. 22; Piehl, Inscriptions, Part III, pli. 12 ff. 2 For the text see Sharpe, Egyptian Inscriptions, II, pl. 84 ; and Hall, Hieroglyphic Texts, Part II, pl. 24. go THE PHILOSOPHY OF ANTEF shipwrecked man on his way . . . . I buried the aged, I clothed the naked, I committed no sin against men [and none] that God hates. I performed (or, I applied) the Law which is beloved of the King. I have come to my city, and entered my home. I have done that which men and women love, and the things that are approved of by the gods. The Majesty of the King of the South and the North, Kheperkara, Son of Ra, Usertsen, the everliving, has set me among his princes.” THE TEACHING OF SEHETEPABRA,’ AN OVERSEER OF AMENEMHAT IIL. THE BEGINNING OF THE TEACHING which he (t.e., Sehetepabra) composed for his children :— [ will speak that which is great. I will make you hear, I will make you to understand a scheme of life which will be enduring, which will make to flourish the life that is real, and enable [you] to bring your life to an end in peace.

Praise ye the King of the South, ENMAATRA the everliving, in the interior of your bodies. Make ye a league with His Majesty in your hearts. He is the god Saa? (7.e., the god who knows all things), who is in your hearts (or breasts). His two eyes search through the reins of every man. He is Ra, by means of whose rays [everything] is seen. He lights up the Two Lands (1.e., Egypt) with a light greater than that of Aten (the solar Disk). He makes the land burst into a green colour with vegetation more than does a great Hap (the Nile). He inundates the Two Lands with the strength of life. He makes cool the nostrils [when] he sets out to fight (or do battle) ; he is appeased with ? The hieroglyphic text will be found in Mariette, Abydos, II, Pl. 25, but a better edition of the text will be found in Piehl, Inscriptions Hiéroglyphiques recueillies en Egypte, III*me Série, Leipzig, 1895, Pll. VI and VII, lines 8-20. * Saa, the ‘‘ knowing one,” is a well-known title of Thoth. offerings of ...... He is the giver of food to those who are in his following. He fills with rich food those who make firm his path.

The King of the South is himself food, his mouth itself is abundance. It is he who made (or, makes) to come into being his existence (7.¢., he is self-subsistent). He is Khnemu, the god who fashions the bodies of all men. He is the Lord of generation, who makes men and women to come into being. He is Bastt, the guardian Lady of the Two Lands (t.¢e., Egypt). His arm shall avoid the man who prays to him. He is the goddess Sekhet (Sekhmit) to him who breaks his decree ; he is hostile to the ....... Do battle for his name, purify yourselves by swearing by his life ; [then] shall ye be free from a period of destitution (or, nakedness). He who enjoys the favour of the King shall be revered. There is no tomb allotted to the man who rebels against His Majesty; on the contrary, his body shall be cast into the stream. Do these things and your bodies shall be strong and healthy, and they shall prove of benefit to you for ever and ever. THE TEACHING OF AMEN-EM-APT:; Translated from Brit. Mus. Papyrus No. 10,474. Papyrus No. 10,474 is about 12 ft. 14 ins. in length, and its greatest width is about. Io ins. It is tolerably coarse in texture, and in places the strips from the papyrus stalk are not well gummed, and when found the roll was thicker at one end than at the other, and the lower end was covered with clots of bitumen. After many attempts the bitumen was removed, but the unrolling presented some difficulty. When this was overcome, and the papyrus was unrolled inch by inch, it lay fanshaped, for the upper margin was stretched and the lower margin was contracted, and in a few places, chiefly at the beginning of the text, the papyrus crumbled into coarse dust. One side of the papyrus is covered with twenty-eight columns of text, including the colophon (consisting of one line standing by itself), which are written in small, clear, though, in places, somewhat cursive, hieratic characters. The twenty-seven columns of text contain a copy of a work entitled ‘“ Teaching concerning Life,’’ which was composed by Amenem-apt, the son of Ka-Nekht. In places the scribe crowded his words together, and the characters are ill-formed and difficult to transcribe. The

copyist was one SHENNU, ee Bye, the son of Pamai (?), a Divine Father. The general style of 1 This name was probably pronounced Amen-em-ap. the writing suggests that this copy of Amen-emapt’s ‘‘ Teaching” was made under the XXth or XXIst dynasty. A column of text contains from nineteen to twenty-three lines, and the total number of lines in the work, including the title and the colophon, is 551. The title and the number of the chapters and two or three lines are written in red ink. On the reverse of the papyrus are forty-nine lines of hieratic text, very badly written in a large, coarse hand by an unskilled scribe. The first line of Column 1, which is in red ink, contains the title of the work that the scribe was copying for practice, and reads: a Cpe: b oa Deke nee IN ud 7 Pi oe ning of the Teaching in solving problems of the heart (or, mind).’’ Its author bore the name of Amen-em-apt, and the lines here given may be an extract from another work by his namesake, the son of Ka-Nekht, mentioned above. Some of the lines seem to be of a poetical character, for mention is made in them of the Moon-cop Aauu,

|_afedd, ORION, SAHU, lo Wedd * A. and the GREAT BEAR, MESKHETI, fh i \ Air Amen-em-apt, J 7 B22 vB, was the son of Ka-Nekht, —a a he: who appears to have been a dweller in or native of Nifur, a quarter of the great town of Abydos. From line 43 it seems that Ka-Nekht was a Buai, Je £) IN qq i “iP (a chieftain or nobleman), and magistrate and member of the Town Council of Apu (Panopolis), the Akhmim of the Arabs. He held many priestly offices in connection with the cult and temple of Menti (or, Menu), and Horus. The mother of Amen-em-apt was called Ta-Usrit a\ pa | I, and she was the chief sistrum- bearer, ‘‘Sekhmit,”’ 1° LSS Hh Bod, of the god Shu and his consort Tefnut. In addition to this she was Directress of the College of Horus, not Horus the son of Isis, but either Horus the Aged (Aroeris), the oldest god of the day in Egypt, who fought and defeated Set, the god of the night, or Her-Aakhuti (Horus of the Two Horizons). Shu and Tefnut, according to ancient Egyptian mythology, were emanations of Ra, the great Sungod in his strength, and they formed with Ra the first triad, or trinity, which the Egyptian mind in the Dynastic Period conceived. They were also the first of the four pairs of gods who, with Ra, formed the Great Company of the Nine Gods of Heliopolis. Horus and his numerous forms were adored in very early times at Heliopolis, and thus we see that Ta-Usrit the sistrum-bearer was, at any rate officially, a servant of the old solar gods of Heliopolis. Amen-em-apt probably grew up under her care, and absorbed her views, for, as will be seen from his ‘ Teaching,’ he was a devout worshipper of Ra and the old solar gods of Helioolis. ‘ When Amen-em-apt lived, and under which king he flourished, cannot be said, but it seems highly probable that he was born during the reign of one of the kings of the XVIIIth dynasty. In

1 Tf lines 43-45 refer to Ka-Nekht, Ta-Usrit must have been Amen-em-apt’s grandmother. line 16 of his ‘‘ Teaching”? he refers to “ his Lord,” in line 18 to ‘‘ His Majesty,” and in line 20 to ‘the King,” but from first to last there is in it nothing to indicate who the Lord, or Majesty, or King was. The fact that the name of Amen, the king of the gods, forms part of our author’s name, suggests that the cult of this god was predominant when he was born, but it is quite clear that he was no follower of Amen, and no admirer of his cult, for, except as a component part of his name, Amen is neither mentioned nor referred to in the “ Teaching.” On the other hand, it is pretty clear that when Amen-em-apt composed his “Teaching? Amen had not reached the exalted position of ‘‘ King of the Gods,”’ which he attained as the result of the conquests of Thothmes III in the Sidan and Western Asia. I would therefore assign the “ Teaching”’ to the first half of the period of the XVIIIth dynasty, probably soon after Amenhetep I had rebuilt the temple of Amen in the Northern Ap (Karnak), and established and endowed the Priesthood of Amen.

From line 13 ff. we learn what offices Amen-emapt filled, and the titles of these afford some clue to the social position of his family. His father was, as we have seen, a “‘ nobleman,” or, as we should say, a magistrate, and therefore a man of means, perhaps even of wealth, and his son would be brought up in much the same way as the sons of the wealthy Fallahin, or gentlemenfarmers, of Bani Suwéf, the Fayyim, and Middle Egypt were brought up until two or three generations ago. It is quite clear from the language of the “‘ Teaching ’’ that Amen-em-apt was not only a clever but a diligent pupil, and that he studied the best examples of literature of Egypt to good purpose. His mother’s position as priestess would secure for him the help and friendship of the temple authorities, and from them he would learn the religion and mythology of his country. There was no need for him to earn his living by manual labour, and he became a skilled writer as well as reader. But he was not a “royal scribe,” or “King’s Scribe,’ either real or titular. He employed his abilities in connection with the great grain-producing lands which lay and still lie between Akhmim and Balyanah (Abydos), and if we may believe his own naive statement, he was highly skilled and experienced in his profession (line 13). His chief office was that of “ Grain scribe of Ta-mera’”’ (Upper and Lower Egypt). He was overseer of all the crops in his district ; he controlled the grain that was due to the god and the king; he was Registrary of the Department of Agriculture ; he had charge of the endowments of grain that were bequeathed by pious benefactors for the maintenance of the funerary offerings to the Aakhu, or Ancestral Spirits; and he was the regulator of the grain traffic in every part of his district. Not only did he control the produce of the harvests, but he directed the management of the corn-lands and superintended the letting of the farms to peasant farmers, and naturally would select the tenants for the farms on the royal estates, and on the property of the temples, and the lands belonging to the Department of Religious Endowments, or pious bequests, like the Awkaf, Wilt, of the Muhammadans.

He was also the GER MAA, EZ Aw= fh {| of This and Nifur, near Abydos, and ‘“‘ Reporter ” of the town of Apu (Panopolis), and Master of the necropolis there, and he held a third office at Abydos. What is meant by ‘Ger Maa” is difficult to say. As words, “‘ Ger’ means “ silent one,” and ‘‘ Maa ”’ means “ true”’ or “ real,” and adopting these meanings, we get “‘ the real Ger,” i.e., the “real silent one.” But it is probable that ‘“‘Ger” has some very special meaning, probably of a religious character, which Egyptologists have so far failed to discover.1 The words occur again in line 102, where they undoubtedly seem to mean “a man who is truly a religious man who knows how to hold his peace.” In line 121 we have “‘ Every Ger of the house of the god’’; and in line 184 it is said, “ the boat of the Ger sails along with fair winds.” In lines 433 and and it is NN : Mees ’ 458, S & certainly means “ silence, quite clear that the writer regards “silence ”’ as a form of worship.? In line 123 Amen-em-apt says, “ Fill thyself full with silence, thou shalt find the life.”’ The idea of silence and repose which underlies ‘‘ Ger ’’ seems to me to be that of RESIGNATION, Or SUBMISSION, and if this be so, “Ger Maa” means “‘ the man who is truly resigned,”’ to God’s guiding hand of course, and is prepared to obey Him. The doctrine of the “‘ Ger,” then, is submission and obedience, and finds its exact counterpart in the Islém preached by Muhammad and the Arabs two thousand years later. The fundamental idea of that Religion, like much else, came out of Egypt.

Now the lines that follow the name of KaNekht, the father of Amen-em-apt, in line 30, 1 See the remarks in Vogelsang, Kommentar zu den Klagen des Bauern, Leipzig, 1913, pp. 162, 206, 215; and in Moret’s La Profession de Foi d’un Magistrat sous la XII¢ Dynastie (in Cinquantenatve, Paris, 1921, p. 75). * Compare the use of the Hebrew TOIT dimiyyah, silence, repose, still waiting, in Psalm xxxix, 3, and Ixii, 2. appear to be somewhat mixed. Line 32 reads, “His son,’ presumably Ka-Nekht’s, “is the youngest of his children,” and these words are followed by ‘‘ Overseer of the mysteries of Menti (?) in the character of Ka-mut-f.” Immediately after this line comes the statement, ‘‘ He is the man of least account among his kinsfolk,”’ and this line is followed by several priestly titles. We should expect line 34, “‘ He is the man of least account among his relatives,” to follow immediately after line 32, ‘‘ His son is the youngest of his children,” but they are separated by line 33, which gives the title of a priest of Menti (?). The priestly offices enumerated in line 33 ff. must have been held either by Ka-Nekht or his son Amen-em-apt, most probably by the former, for the latter can hardly have discharged them, considering how heavy his duties were as Director of Agriculture. Why lines 32 and 34 were inserted in the list of priestly offices cannot be stated with certainty, but they were probably added by Amen-em-apt himself in self-depreciation and in his character of the Ger Maa. The priestly offices of Ka-Nekht were as follows: 1. Inductor of Un-Nefer, 1.e., he led the procession when the image of this god was carried about. Un-Nefer was originally a form or name of the Sun-god, but under the New Empire the name was bestowed upon Osiris ; it means “ beautiful springer up” or “ beautiful hastener,’’ an appropriate title of the Sun-god. 2. Inductor of Horus upon the throne of his father. The Horus here referred to is not Horus the son of Isis and Osiris, but the old solar god of Heliopolis. Neither Isis or Osiris is mentioned in the ‘‘ Teaching ’’ of Amen-em-apt. On the occasions when the statue of Horus was set upon the throne in his sanctuary Ka-Nekht directed the G 2

proceedings. 3. Surveyor of the mother of the god. The god here referred to must be Menti (?) (Menu), whose mother, according to late texts, was Khent-Abtt, iG Se She appears on a wall at Denderah in the form of a woman wearing on her head the disk and horns of the Cow-goddess Hathor, and is assisting at the ceremony of setting up the “ladder” before her son Menu. 4. Inspector of the black bulls, which were sacred to Menti and were kept at Panopolis for the sacrifices of the god. 5. Defender of Menti in his shrine. The cult of Menti, or Menu, was of Heliopolitan origin, and at a very early period this god was identified with Tem-Khepera and Ra, in their character of solar gods and gods of generation. | Amen-em-apt divides his Teaching into Thirty Sections, or Chapters, which vary in length from a few lines to a column and a half on the papyrus. For convenience of reference these chapters have been broken up into one hundred and fourteen paragraphs, but in a few cases it is difficult to see exactly where the new paragraph begins. The Teaching of Amen-em-apt is different from the Teaching of every other Egyptian sage known to us, and reveals an aspect of the religion and morality of the Egyptians that is wanting in all the other Moral Papyri. The Teaching of Ptahhetep, the Teaching of King Khati, the Teaching of Ani, the Teaching of Tuauf, etc., were all definitely written for the benefit of the sons of these sages, and were intended to teach them how to

* Brugsch, Dict. Géog., p. 724. achieve success in this world. But Amen-em-apt addresses his Teaching to no son, and though the wise rules of conduct which he lays down would benefit all classes of officials and secure promotion for them, one great object in writing seems to have been to teach a man how to live to God and to love his neighbour. Portions of his Teaching will be found in all the other Teachings known to us, but there are many which will be sought for in them in vain. His Teaching was essentially that of the Ger Maa, or man who was truly resigned to the Will of his God, and its object was to teach men to treat their fellow-men of every class with kindness and consideration, to have pity upon the widow and the orphan, to show charity to the destitute, and to help the man who was in need, or trouble or adversity. The language he uses is simple, and, though the exact meaning of many of the words is not at present known, and the words themselves are not to be found in the existing dictionaries, the general purport of them is clear. The style is free from the obscurities and imitations of archaic phraseology in which the earlier authors of moral works have indulged, and as a literary work the Teaching of Amen-em-apt will always hold a very high place among ancient Egyptian writings. We are here dealing with a document that is practically complete, and the text of which has suffered little if any corruption at the hands of copyists. The length of the text adds to its importance, for no other document of its class now known contains so many unmutilated lines. The style of the document is that of the apophthegm, which rules supreme in the Moral Papyri. The oldest examples of its use outside Egypt are found in Babylonia and Syria, that is to say, in the texts on Babylonian tablets and in the Book of the

Proverbs of Solomon and in Ecclesiastes. Amen-emapt, like Solomon, uses both metaphor and simile freely, but the Babylonian relied chiefly on simile* to enforce his point. Amen-em-apt’s metaphors are unusually interesting and are most original :— The boat of the Ger (7.¢., the silent righteous man) is safer to sail in than the boat of the sinner (line 184) ; a man’s tongue gives orders on the boat of his life, but Nebertcher is the captain of it (line 387) ;. row thy boat lustily to save the man who is on a wrong course (line 76) ; the very day stands still in horror of the evil man (line 227) ; the lying mischief-maker is a potter’s wheel that is worked by the devil Tar, and he mixes together the stuff that destroys the minds of men (lines 230, 231) ; the scandal-monger destroys the skin (or, hair) of the god Shu, 7.e., he rends the sky and blackens heaven with his wickedness (line 236); his lips are date-syrup, his tongue is a deadly dagger (line 239), etc. Amen-em-apt’s similes are numerous and uncommon? :—The fate of the man of iniquity is like that of the man cast out on a dyke (line 68) ; the noisy bully is like a raging wind and fire (line 89) ; riches fly away like geese (line 178) ; the scandal-monger is like a sullen whelp in a stable eyeing jealously the other dogs (line 232) ; he is like the blast of the desert sandstorm (line 235) ; the beak of the Ibis-god (Thoth)

* Compare “ Giving is like loving, interest is like begetting ason”’ (Langdon, Babylonian Wisdom, p. 78) ; “‘ their counsels change like day and night” (ibid., p. 42). In the following the simile is disguised, ‘‘ Woman is a, well, a slough, a ditch : woman is a sharp iron dagger which cuts into the neck of a man ”’ (tbid., pp. 75-77). * On comparisons in Egyptian generally see Grapow, Vergleiche und andere bildliche Ausdriicke im Aegyptischen, Leipzig, 1920 (in Dey Alte Orient, 21 Jahrgang). is the scribe’s finger (line 321) ; the love of precious metal and the dancing girl is like a bond and fetter (line 344) ; the mind of a man is the nose of God (line 473), etc. The precepts are both positive and negative, the latter predominating throughout the work. The system of religious morality which it reveals is of a very high character, and in many particulars closely resembles that which has hitherto been regarded as almost exclusively the property of ancient Semitic and Sumerian peoples. Parallels to some of its Precepts can be found in the Pentateuch, the Psalms, and the Proverbs of Solomon, and it is impossible not to wonder whether these at least are not due to some Asiatic influence which found its way into Egypt under the Middle Empire, or about the time of the rule of the Hyksos over Lower Egypt. The doctrines of the Ger Maa may have been in existence in Egypt when the Pyramids were built, and assuming that some of them are of Asiatic origin, they might well have been brought there by way of Heliopolis from Syria and Babylonia by caravan men. Whether this be so or not I cannot believe that they are of African, or native Egyptian, origin. From time immemorial Heliopolis was a cosmopolitan city, and a central desert mart where merchants of all nationalities exchanged not only material goods, but ideas and information.

The Teaching of Amen-em-apt may now be summarized. Gop AND Man’s Duty To Him. Throughout his Teaching Amen-em-apt speaks of God, | fe or the God, r<GN apie just as the Arabs speak of Allah and Al-Allah. To him there was only one God, and we never find him making use of the form neteru Wd I or ve or ani : “sods,” as is the case in many Egyptian texts even when the One God is referred to. It may be argued that the god to whom he referred was Ra, or even Aten, the solar Disk, but when he means Ra he says so distinctly, as we may see from lines 496, 509, and 512. Ra was the god of material things, but God, of whom no similitude existed, was the Ruler of man’s mind and destiny and his Judge. This God formulated plans, | © © |, and a man must do nothing to SS (I disarrange them (line 418), or attempt to find out what his Will, a I, would keep hidden (line 419). God rests upon Maat, z.e., Truth, and Maat is his chief support, that is, God is established or founded upon Truth (line 409). Maat represented law and order in the physical world; Ra the Sun-god lived in and by it. In the spiritual world it stood for the right, truth of word and deed, justice and integrity. God hates the liar (line 254), and the man who holds converse with the liar and enjoys talk with him is an abomination to the God. God is kind and gracious, and his love is more to be praised and adored than the honour that is awarded by the magistrate, or President of the Town Council (line 525). Imagine not that God does not concern himself with the affairs of men, for though a man mixes earth with water and makes bricks, and collects the straw, it is God who is the Architect, and it is he who throws down a wall or builds it up (lines 483, 484). With this may be compared : ‘“‘ Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that

build it’ (Psalm cxxvii, 1). A man may think that he is directing the course of the boat of his life by his tongue, which he uses as a steering pole, but remember it is ‘‘ Nebertcher (z.e., the God of the Universe) who is the Captain ”’ (lines 386-388). Amen-em-apt thought that goodness and badness could not be considered in connection with God, for he writes: Say not that nothing abominable is permitted to exist, whilst at that very moment thou art seeking to stir up strife. If the abominable thing belonged to the God, He would set the seal of his finger upon it. There is no goodness in the hand (t.e., action) of the God, because there is nothing abominable before Him. If He could bring Himself to seek after goodness as soon as the occasion for the exercise of it was passed He would destroy it”’ (lines 377-384). I know of no other example of an attempt to discuss the attributes of God in Egyptian papyri. God is not separated from man by an impassable gulf, there is a connection between them, for “ the heart (or, mind) of man is the nose of God” (line 473), and the life-breath of the heart of man is the life-breath of God’s nostrils. Man is only safe and well-guarded when he places himself in “ the hand of God ” (line 253). Ifaman would be a Ger Maa, that is to say, one who can say with David, “ Truly my soul waiteth (7.e., is silent) upon God ” (Psalm Ixii, 1), he must repose wholly on God, and follow Amen-em-apt’s direction given in line 431 and repeated in line 457: ‘‘ Seat thyself on the arms of the God.” The mention of the two arms of the God recalls the verse in Deut. XXxili, 27, where the God of olden time is described as a refuge, and the “everlasting arms” are beneath ready to protect the refugee. The worship most acceptable to God is that of the Ger, the

resigned silent one, but to his silence he must add hetbu, fan Jt 4 2 a word which must mean something like “ prostrations,”’ or ‘‘ bowings down to the ground” (lines 431, 457). The Egyptians have in all periods made bowings to their gods, or God. The pre-Christian Egyptians “smelt the earth,” z.e., set their faces in the dust, before the Deity, the Christian ascetics boasted of the number of bowings which they performed in the course of the twenty-four hours of the day and night, and the Muhammadans in Egypt are most scrupulous in making their bowings at their times of prayer. It is not sufficient for the Ger to be silent and resigned at one time and not at another, but he must “ fill himself full of silence.” The reward of the Ger who does this is great, for he “shall find the Life ’”’ (line 123) and “‘ his members shall enjoy health and strength upon the earth ”’ (line 124). The Life here alluded to is not the mere animal life, but the true life of the spiritual part of a man and of the soul, which directs its thoughts and aspirations to this unseen Neter, or God. By silence and resignation the soul finds wisdom and contentment, and the life that is based on the truth. Health of the soul produces health of the body, so that a man’s gain is twofold. The same idea is expressed in the Book of Proverbs, where Wisdom claims that he who finds her finds life, as well as riches that are durable and honour and righteousness (Proverbs viii, 18, 35). And the Ger does good not only to himself, but to his neighbours, for the man who embarks in the boat of the robber suffers shipwreck, whilst he who sets out in the boat of the Ger sails easily with favouring winds behind him and reaches his destination (lines 182, 183). And to what may the Ger be

compared? “‘ He is like unto a large tree by the wayside, with dense foliage, which is planted in rich ground. It bursts into blossom at its appointed time, during the fierce heats of summer it produces a twofold yield of fruit, and its position is under the eye of its lord, who rejoices therein. Its fruit is luscious, men find its shadow refreshing to rest in, and finally it is removed and transplanted into the garden of the God”’ (lines 102107). This picturesque passage calls to mind the man who meditates day and night on the Law of God as described by David: “A tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper ”’ (Psalm i, 3). Throughout his Teaching Amen-em-apt expresses no opinion as to the future state of the Ger, and his views on this point are unknown. From lines 482-489, which describe God’s direction of the affairs and lives of men, it is possible to conclude that he had no doubt about the existence of man after death, or about his passing into the care of God. Thus he says: “A man lives his hour of life; rejoice, be glad. It is He Who makes [a man] to arrive in Amentt (7.e., the grave, the Other World), where he is safe in the hand of the God.”’ Amen-em-apt uses the very ancient word Amentt? for the Other World, but nowhere does he speak of Osiris, the God and Judge of the Dead, the Prince of Amentt, or the gods of his Company. He must have been well acquainted with the popular theology of Egypt, according to which the souls of the dead were weighed in the Great Scales under the supervision’ of Thoth and his Ape-god, for he mentions Thoth in line 321, and the Ape-god

‘ T.e., the country of the dead on the west bank of the Nile. in lines 323 and 336. Furthermore, he must have known the belief which was current in his day that all those whose hearts had been weighed by Thoth, and were declared by him to be maa kheru, = ee » [ &, (“true of word,” 2.., speaker of the truth), passed into the kingdom of Osiris, where they lived a life that was a glorified copy of their life upon earth. It seems quite clear that Amen-em-apt did not accept such views, either because they were opposed to the teachings of Heliopolitan theology, or because he considered them foolish or contemptible. In his Teaching he mentions Ra (lines 496, 509, 512), Shu (line 236), Khnemu-Ra (line 229), Thoth (line 321), Uben (line 353), Nebertcher (line 188), Aten (lines 185, 510), and Aahu (lines 75, 133), and all these were Heliopolitan gods ; Amen-em-apt found the recognition of these to be compatible with his belief in Neter, or God. As he rejected Osiris, he must also have rejected the multitude of fiends, devils, and monsters that we find mentioned in the Book of Ammi Tuat, the Book of Gates, and the Heliopolitan, Theban, and Saite Recensions of the Book of the Dead. Nevertheless, for purposes of argument, he mentions two devils, in the existence of whom he can hardly have believed, namely, Apep, or Apepi, and Tar (lines 193, 230).

Of the Heliopolitan gods referred to above, Ra, Khnemu-Ra, Shu, Aten and Uben, or Ubni, were forms of the Sun-god, Aadhu was the Moon-god with whom Thoth was closely associated. Nebertcher’ is a title given to all the ancient solar gods, 1 This name survives in Coptic under the form of xoeIC 2x2 WTHpY, “ the Lord of the All,” and is found in a Homily by Theophilus (ed. Budge, Coptic Homilies, p. 73). *(4LV‘ol ‘on, ‘SQN ‘WIg) ON jo sniddeg oy} wor ‘pos-ady ey} Aq paiaaovar sem pue ‘ag Aq Yo pallies pue pazias sem yorum pos ay} jo oAq ay} ‘pod-uocopy ayy Jo Tayowreyo ay} Ul payuesoidax st say oYM “TOUT 0} Sunuesaid ‘yjoyy, jo ody paproy-Sop ayy, Co <> oS <P Osc<m ~¢ oe <a © Occ © S<cz== 9 and in early times no special form seems to have been assigned to him. Uben, or Ubni, is a very ancient name of the Sun-god, and means “‘ he who thrusts himself up [into the sky] ”’; in the Pyramid Texts he is called “‘ Great Ubni.”* The cult of this form of the Sun-god must have been popular in Syria as well as in Egypt, for, joined to the d i name of Shu, we find it on one of the ivories O from Nimrid,? within a cartouche, as here given. The cutting of the hieroglyphs proves f @ 3] that the carver of them was not an Egyptian, for they lack the characteristic touches. NM As regards the devils Apep and Tar, of ¥ the latter little is known (see page 158). |} The former was the personification of all i evil, both physical and moral. Popular Ubenu. tradition assigned to Apep (the Apophis of the Greeks and Copts) the form of a monster crocodile, which lay in wait in the thick blackness of night to swallow up the sun when he rose in the sky. He was the creator of storms and habdbs, rain, hail, thunder and lightning, and disorder in general. With a view of destroying his malign influence and evil deeds the priests composed a work which they recited at certain times on certain days. This work, which was called ‘‘ The Book of Overthrowing Apepi,’’* contained several chapters, and during their recital figures of Apep made. of wax, or written in green ink on papyrus, were burnt

SJ RSS. J ny Ss, M. 754, P. 744. The form » J at ans is found in N. 705. * This ivory is exhibited in the Babylonian Room in the British Museum, Table Case I. * For a facsimile of the*hieratic text and a hieroglyphic transcript and translation, see Egyptian Hieratic Papyrt in the British Museum, ed. Budge, First Series, London, 1910 fol. Apep, whose voice goes round about the Tuat, fettered by a chain which is held by sixteen gods. The figure with four Serpents’ heads and holding a knife and an instrument of torture is one of the four Antiu gods who protect Ra. The figure lying along the chain is that of the Scorpion-goddess Serqit. From the Sarcophagus of Seti I in Sir John Soane’s Museum. The serpent Apep (1) and the monster crocodile Shesshes (2) waiting to attack and destroy Ra. The defenders of Ra are the Ass-god Aai (3), three gods with harpoons (4), four goddesses (5), four apes (6), and six gods (7) who hold nets made of knotted cords with which they weave spells to destroy Apep. From the Sarcophagus of Seti I in Sir John Soane’s Museum. Apep chained to the earth by chains fastened to him by the Four Sons of Horus. From the Sarcophagus of Seti I in Sir John Soane’s Museum.

The four figures lying along the chain are the Four Sons of Horus, each of whom holds by a chain one of the four monster serpents who were the sons of Apep. Behind them stands Osiris. From the Sarcophagus of Seti I in Sir John Soane’s Museum. The Four Ape-gods, holding models of the Great Hand with which they fashion the Disk of the Sun-god. From the Sarcophagus of Seti I in Sir John Soane’s Museum. ceremonially in sacred fire. Filth was heaped upon these figures, and they were trodden into shapeless masses, and spat upon by the officiating priests before they were finally destroyed by fire. When Amen-em-apt says : “ Spit upon Apep ” (line 193), he is merely referring to the well-known magical rites described above. In a similar way Amenem-apt mentions the god Shai and his consort Renenit, who are commonly believed to represent Luck and Destiny, or Destiny and Fate (line 164). When he says: ‘ Urge not thyself to find out for thyself the Will of God, do not Shai and Renenit exist?” (lines 419, 420), all he means to say is: Seek not to pry into God’s intentions as regards thyself, for are not thy luck and destiny already decided ? The God has apportioned thee thy lot and thy fate is decreed, why trouble thyself further? Or, Thou hast already thy lot, and thy end is, as the Arabs would say, MAKTOB, “ written.”

To his cult of silence and his prostrations the Ger added prayer, but it is an interesting fact that he did not address his petition to God, but to the Aten, or visible symbol of Ra, the Sun-god. Thus Amen-em-apt says: ‘“‘ Make thou the prayer which it is thy duty to make to the Aten when he is shooting up in the sky. Say: Grant to me strength and health. He will give to thee the things necessary for the life’”’ (lines 185-187). Thus the 1 The following extract from a rubric explains Amen-emapt’s allusion :—Say this Chapter over a figure of Apep drawn in green paint upon a new piece of papyrus, in which is wrapped a wax figure of Apep with his name cut into it in green colour. Put these in the fire, and burn them, and collect the ashes; pour filth upon them, and stamp on them with thy left foot, and put them into a fire, and spit upon them many, many times each hour. Aten is the giver of health, and strength, and meat and drink, and raiment, in other words, all man’s material wants were, according to this passage, supplied by the god of the solar Disk, who shared with Ra the lordship of the physical world.

Two passages in his Teaching prove that Amen-em-apt admired the works of God as displayed in His visible creation, although he coupled them with the gods Ra and Aten. Thus, when he looked upon the Nile-flood and saw its waters at the entrances of the canals and irrigation basins, and watched the crocodiles showing themselves as they rose from the sand, and the hippopotami disporting themselves in the sun, and the fish leaping, and the wolves (dogs?) filled with food, and the geese [happy] in the field (or, keeping festival), and restraint relaxed (?), every Ger of the house of the god must say : Great is the praise (or, graciousness) of Ra (lines 116-122). We may note in passing that hippopotami must have been common in Middle Egypt in the days of Amen-emapt. The beauty of the dawn and the sunrise were other phases of nature that greatly impressed en-em-apt, who was clearly a man who did most of his work in the early hours of the day. He says: Lie not in bed when the dawn is breaking. What can be compared with the dawn for beauty ? What kind of a man is he who has not seen the dawn ? Whilst the lie-a-bed is slumbering the God is performing his gracious works. Consider : On the one hand we see the paltry affairs of men, and on the other the works of the God [in the heavens] (lines 370-376). Timeis precious. If a man says to-day and to-morrow are the same, what will the result be? To-day is here, to-morrow has yet to come (lines 113-115). Waste not in slumber the early hours of the day (line 431).

Plunder not the poor man and “ squeeze ”’ not the destitute. Assume not the manner of a nobleman, and pass the aged man by unnoticed. Despatch not a friend on a mission of danger. Hurt not a man when thou canst explain thyself. As for the evildoer, make no attempt to punish him, for he will punish himself. He is like the man who is cast out on the dyke. The waters will rise and envelop him, the winds will blow him hither and thither as he lies in the raging waters, storms will beat upon him, and finally the crocodiles will find him and devour him (lines 68-72). What is the fiery, hot-headed, aggressive man like? He is always shrieking out curses and imprecations, and his voice which rises to heaven is so terrifying that Aahu, the Moon-god, stands still in horror of him (lines 73-75). Have nothing to do with him, run away before him, and leave him to the hands of the God, who will know how to requite him. Bear this in mind and thou shalt live to see thy children’s children (lines 90-94). How shall this man when he is in the god’s house be described ? He is like a large, leafy tree planted in a courtyard, {but there being no water there] its leaves wither, its fruit fails to ripen and drops off. Finally it is removed, and a flame of fire is its winding-sheet (7.¢., it is burnt) (lines 96-r07). The chattering fool is a raging wind, and he is like a destroying fire among the reeds (line 89). (Compare the “crackling of thorns under a pot,’ in Eccles. vii, 6.)

When we see the wicked man steering a wrong course, we must get out our oars, and row him toa place of safety, for may we not ourselves become like him? Set him on his feet, help him willingly, commit him to the hands of the God, provide him with meat and drink, for perhaps it is the intention of the God to give him another opportunity (lines 76-82). In the performance of thy duties take care not to encroach on the estates of the temples, and do nothing in connection with them for thy individual profit. Moreover, withdraw not a temple-servant from his duty in order to work for some other man’s benefit (lines Iog-112). Remove no landmark, break not down any boundary, and avoid all encroachments on lands set apart for the endowments of tombs (lines 126, 142, 145). Fail in any of these things and terrible calamity will befall thee (line 143). And in verifying the estate of the widow do not filch away any of her land through the cubit of the fields (line 129). The man who cheats in land is snared in the counsels of iniquity, and the Will of the Moon-god shall fetter him (7.e., make him go mad ?). Observe what he does. Herobs the helpless man in a shameless fashion. He is thy enemy, and a man’s life is snatched away by a mere glance of his eye, and his house is a menace to the town. But his sons and daughters shall never inherit his property, and his possessions shall be given to another (lines 130-141).

As for thee, drive not thy furrows through the [unploughed or neglected] fields of another man, for the well-being that comes from thine own furrows is better for thee. Plough the fields that thou knowest to be thine own property, and get thy bread from the treasure-house of thy body (lines 148-151). Six feet of land that God has given thee are better than thirty thousand that thou hast acquired by fraud (lines 152, 153). Treat thyself well, and make thy body strong and happy, but remember not to do that for which Nebertcher, 7.e., the All-Lord, will hold thee responsible (lines 146, 147). | Avoid over-eating, wine-bibbing, and gluttony ; which waste time, destroy the mind, and bring sickness to the body. About these vices Amenem-apt says: Spend not the hours of the day in cookshops and taverns, and sit not down in them and drink pot after pot of beer, for those who spend their days in this wise become merely masses of food (lines 154-157). Even if thou art hungry and wishest to eat, lust not like a greedy beast for the dainty, spiced meats of the rich man who loves such meats. For the rich meats of the glutton produce a storm of wind in the stomach, and the bowels eject them. They turn the upright man into a wrongdoer, and his sense (or, understanding) departs from his body. Thus, inasmuch as the evil nature of man corrupts inclination for welldoing, the evil destroys the good [in him] (lines 257-264). When thou hast swallowed a mouthful of a nobleman’s food thou shalt vomit it, and thus thy body will be emptied of the dainty [which thou hast coveted] (lines 269, 270). Because a great man offers thee food without stint, eat not of it greedily. If he gives it to thee so that thou mayest help him to get richer, reject it and eat thine own food (lines 280-283). Eat not bread with the magistrate, and thrust not forward thy mouth. If thou fillest thyself with the rich meats of the wicked man they will depart with thy vomit (lines 462, 463). Keep thine eyes on the platter that is before thee, and make it to satisfy all thy cravings (lines 464,465). Do not accustom thyself to sit in the beer-house (line 491). Hasten not to follow the worship of the wine-cup, for it will double the courage of thine adversaries (lines 523, 524).

r18 THE TEACHING SUMMARIZED And now observe the foresight of the glutton. He himself collects the staves of the hunting nets. He makes all his servants to help in the hunt, and he keeps a strong man to kill the beasts in his slaughter-house. Keep away from him, and watch him and refuse his gifts (lines 271-278). Be not avaricious, and covet not riches. Hanker not after the things that riches give, for Shai, the god who has given thee thy lot in life, and Renenit, the goddess of thy fate, know what is best for thee (lines 163, 164). Seek not for more than thou hast (line 167). Remember that if thou hast heaped up treasures which thou hast obtained by foul means, they will not remain with thee for a night, and on the following morning they will not be in thy house. Men will look at the place where they were, and most assuredly they will not find them, for they will have swallowed themselves up. [What has become of them?] Either the earth has opened its mouth and swallowed them up straightway, and they have sunk down into the deepest depth of Hell; or they have become a heap of broken fragments, which are covered by rust ; or they have been mixed up with rubbish on the dust-heap; or they have made wings for themselves like the geese, and have spread them out, and flown away in the sky (lines 169-178). Take not pleasure in stolen treasures and at the same time pretend to be grieved for the victims of the robbery (lines 179, 180).

Amen-em-apt warns us against the danger of the malicious scandal-monger and says: “ The gossip of this man is swifter to hurt than the blast that precedes the storm. He tears down [reputations], or builds them up with his tongue. His strings of words carry destruction with them. His statements merit chastisement, for their object is to injure. Like other folk he uses a boat, but he loads it with lies. He acts as ferryman to him that snares men in a net of words. Whether going or coming he continues to gossip, and when he is eating or drinking, even in his own house, he goes on talking about other people’s affairs. The day itself stands still and accuses him. His sons and daughters lament that they are his children. Khnem-Ra [who fashioned his body, and is ashamed of what he has made] proceeds to attack him. He is the potter’s wheel which the devil Tar uses, and he mixes together and makes the material that destroys the minds of men. He is like a surly whelp in the stable which watches with hate and jealousy the doings of his companion. He sets people against each other by his scandal-mongering. He goes before every wind like the blast that precedes the hurricane and the sandstorm in the desert, [and like it] he destroys the skin of Shu (z.e., hides the sun and the sky by his clouds of scandalous lies]. He twists his tail like the crocodile and makes it ready for the sweep which is fatal for his victim. His lips are {as sweet as] the syrup of the date palm, but his tongue is a deadly dagger, and a consuming fire blazes in his belly! (lines 215-240).

[Be content with thy lot.] It is better to be the beggar who is in the hand of the God than the rich man in a comfortable house (lines 158, 159). Better are bread-cakes made of flour and water with a loving heart than rich meats with bickering and enmity ”’ (lines 160, 161, 305, 306). Compare “ Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith (Proverbs xv, 17). 1 Compare: The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Psalm lv, 21, 1z0 THE TEACHING SUMMARIZED Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of good cheer with strife ” (Proverbs xvii, 1). Concerning a man’s behaviour towards his neighbours Amen-em-apt says: ‘ Be generous to the people, and every one will applaud thee (lines 190, 191). Show kindness to people of lowly condition (line 195). Make no innovation that will harm the people (line 200). Hide the matter of the fugitive (runaway slave who seeks protection ? line 201). If by chance thou discoverest that a man is engaged on a dangerous mission, speak not about it; help him on his way and let him come back (lines 288, 289). If thou findest treasure that has been hidden (buried ?) in the hands of a poor man, divide it into three portions : keep one-third thyself and let him keep two-thirds (lines 297-299). When a man offers thee a gift do not browbeat him, eye him not with displeasure, turn not away thy face, salute him cordially and speak to him comfortably, and he will come again (lines 308-317). When thou seest a man stumble (or, going astray) go with him and help him on his way (lines 342, 343). Call not a fellow townsman who happens to be a wrong-doer a ‘chief of robbers,’ and because a man is thy personal enemy brand him not as a sedition-monger (lines 426-429). Do nothing that will make the blind man a laughingstock to his neighbours. Moreover, mock not the dwarf because of his form and colour, and interfere not in the affairs of the man with a physical defect to injure him. When a man is in trouble or suffering some affliction, do not, praise to him the man who has caused his calamity (lines 478-481). Even if thou hast a dislike for a man show thyself friendly to him (line 495). Give thy arm to the old man who is drunk, and pay respect to him in

at & 3 ie the presence of his family (lines 499, 500). Crush not the poor man who has said something that is good, letting the rich man who has only uttered windy platitudes go unrebuked ”’ (lines 503, 504). In very definite words Amen-em-apt calls upon the scribe to be both accurate and honest in his work. The scribe’s finger is not a finger only, but the beak of the Ibis-god Thoth, the great divine scribe who presided over the weighing of the deeds and hearts of men at the Great Judgement. As we see from the vignette in the Book of the Dead, Thoth wrote down with accuracy the result of the weighing, which was personally supervised by the Ape-god, his assistant. Wherever the scribe may be, let him remember that the Ape-god, who dwells in Per-Khemenu (Hermopolis, the city of Thoth), is watching all Egypt, and will know when the scribe makes a mistake wilfully or accidentally. If the scribe continues to make mistakes, 7.e., to falsify his texts, the god will withdraw his emoluments, and his son will fail to obtain employment. “ Bear these things in thy mind always,’ says Amen-em-apt, ‘‘ and thou shalt see thy posterity ” (lines 321-330).

In all transactions of barter or buying and selling, a man must be strictly honest. He must neither cheat with the weights nor with the grain measures. The Ape-god sits on the scales and his heart is the pointer ; if thou givest light or short weight he will know at once, and thy punishment is certain. For as Thoth removes the scribe who renders false accounts, even so will God remove the man who makes the pointer of the scales to register falsely by the use of false weights: Every cunning device of the cheater will become known to the Ape-god, therefore do not obliterate the characters on the weights, and on the measures for grain, which indicate weight and capacity. Another matter: The weights and measures in use in the country are different from the standard Government weights and measures in use in the city, therefore thou must not employ them too frequently in thy business transactions (lines 332~ 341). Be careful not to defraud the Utchat (literally the Eye of Ra), and remember that the god Uben is in the Utchat, and he is all-seeing. Give full weight, or measure, and register it correctly (lines 351-356). Similarly, the transfer or purchase of land, and the measuring of fields, must be carried out with honesty. The measuring rod is called Aft,

)° “, and Brugsch thought that it was a al cubit in length, but the Coptic gmwt, which is possibly its equivalent, was an orgyia in length, or about six feet. Amen-em-apt says: ‘‘ Make not a land-measuring rod for thy use whereby thou canst measure with different results, but do always the thing that is right (7.e., measure accurately). The Apt measure is the Eye of Ra, which holds in abomination the man who robs and steals by making many mistakes when measuring [the land]. And the seal of the Eye of Ra is stamped on the Apt measure ” (lines 357-362). In connection with this we may note that the mystic cord ennuh, mie, which was used in the Tuat to measure the estates of the Aakhu, or Spirits, was inhabited by a god who did not allow those who 1 I have seen in some parts, of the Delta measuring rods with inner and outer sliding pieces, which I was told were dishonestly used by the wakils of the Government when they were sent to measure fields and estates after the boundaries had been destroyed by the Inundation, used the cord to cheat in their measurements.! And the registers of estates must not be tampered with in any way: ‘‘ Thou shalt not undervalue property, for by so doing thou wilt falsify the rolls (line 295). Erase (?) (or, alter) nothing in the rolls for the benefit of the encroacher (line 320). Falsify not what is on the rolls, for thou wilt disarrange God’s plans by so doing (line 417). And any addition made to the rolls is an abominable thing in the sight of God” (line 291).

To speak the truth and act with sincerity is the duty of every man. “ Keep thy tongue from lying speech (line 194). Do not support one evil man with thy acts and another with thy tongue at the same time (line 293). Go not into the TownCouncil before the Presiding Magistrate, or thou mayest be obliged to eat thy words. Do not get up and sit down continually during thy speech, for thy statements must justify themselves. Attempt not to coerce any nobleman’s witness, for a [hasty] word uttered in the Council Chamber may lead to serious trouble. Speak the truth before the Magistrate, lest he arrest thee and imprison thee, and if thou dost appear before him early in the day, he will listen graciously to thy words. Say all thou hast to say, and be careful so that thou mayest return there. Do not permit any member of the Courts of Law to deliver a wrong judgement because thou hast hidden the truth: thou mayest keep thyself concealed, but he will as the result suffer (lines 390-406). Accept no gift from any man if thou art in return for it to commit an act of wrong against a poor man ”” (line 407)

“ See Budge, Egyptian Heaven and Hell, vol. Il. (Fifth Division of the Tuat.) _A man in his dealings with men should always give his countenance and support to the things that are good, or that tend to edification ; therefore let him “applaud the Serpent, or Goddess, and spit upon Apep”’ (or Apepi, 7.e., the Devil, line 192). Moreover, he should follow the religious customs of the people about him. “Take thy seat in the sanctuary of the house of the God, and present offerings on behalf of thy Lord. Make thyself to appear like one of the revered dead, and as if thou wast bandaged in thy coffin. Be strenuous in performing the Will of God (lines 198, 199). Hold no converse in the company of liars, for before God that is an abominable thing to do (line 248); God hates the frivolous liar ”’ (line 254). As regards thy duty to the superior officer, he says : “‘ Guard well thy tongue when thou answerest thy chief, and take heed that thou dost not revile him. Thou must never let his speech catch thee like a lasso, and must uncoil it with thy answers. Discuss matters with him, and make thy replies humbly after the manner of a subordinate ; oppose him not” (lines 209-214). And again: “In the presence of thy chief make thyself as of no account. Address him respectfully, and the compliments which thou must pay him will turn aside his curses, and thy bowings to the ground before him will disarm his violence” (7.e., save thee from a beating, lines 265-268). This advice must be intended to apply to the subordinate who has failed to perform his duty in some particular, and who must in consequence admit his fault, and strive to turn away his’lord’s anger by means of submission and adroit flattery.

In granting interviews to people an official must be both patient and courteous. Therefore,‘* When a man comes to discuss a matter with thee, do not try to close his mouth, but urge him to say fully all he wants to say. Do not attempt to break in upon his remarks because thou dost not see the point which he is trying to make. Think out before thou speakest what is the correct answer for thee to make, for if thou becomest heated (1.e., losest thy temper) thy end comes. Let him go on talking and he will pour out his whole mind. When thou knowest his opinion he himself can be found (understood ?). Remove his legs (i.e., excuses or supports), and he cannot work evil, and he will not behave in an underhand manner, being afraid ”’ (lines 445-454). The wise man will repeat nothing that he hears, whether it be good, bad, or indifferent, and Amenem-apt says: ‘‘ Whether thou hearest what is good or what is bad, treat the report thereof as no affair of thine, and hearken not to it. If thou must talk, I beseech thee to tell people only what is good upon the earth, and as for the reports of evil, hide them in the depth of thy heart (lines 202-205).. Listen not to the conversation which the Magistrate may have with thee in his own house, and then go and repeat what he said to thee outside it. Even if thou canst not help bringing thy mouth with thee outside his house, it is not necessary for thee to pour out into the street all that is in thy mind. Now the mind of a man is the nose of God ; take good heed, therefore, that thou doest it no injury. The man to whom thou repeatest the matter may be a powerful official, but he may also bea private person whose name is wholly unknown” (lines 470-476). In thy dealings with the Governor (or, Magistrate), remember that “although he may have the appearance of a nobleman, he may also resemble

the crocodiles in the water in rapacity and cruelty ”’ (lines 466, 467). The wise man must be careful about his personal dignity, and about the kind of men he makes friends with, and on these and similar matters Amen-em-apt says: Make not a friend of the hot-headed, noisy man, even if thou must visit him for purposes of business (lines 207, 208). Let not this kind of man salute thee as a friend, especially if he is an opponent of thine, or thou wilt harm thyself (lines 244, 245). And do not salute him with cordial greetings because thou art afraid of him (lines 246, 247). Have no doubt when once thou hast spoken, and let all thy plans and acts be based on sound judgement (lines 250, 251). Be dignified in the presence of thy subordinates (line 252). Have no dealings with the hotheaded, noisy man, or thou wilt make thyself a friend of the wrong-doer (lines 284, 285). Do the thing which is right, and thou wilt attain to the [true] life (ine 319). Think out thy plansseriously, concentrate thy mind, and be not guided by thy tongue only (lines 385, 386). Study to increase the possessions of wealthy men, but at the same time seek a living for thyself. Covet not the houses they live in, or thou mayest perish (lines 421-424). Obey not the calls of nature when people are about thee, for if thou dost, thou wilt destroy their respect for thy dignity (lines 436, 437). Chat not too freely with the peasants, or thou wilt become a companion of the seditionmonger (lines 438, 439). It is better for a man to keep his information to himself than to publish it abroad, when lies will be added to it (lines 440, 441). Hasten not to acquire a benefit, but act not in such a way as to lose it (lines 442, 443). Devote not thy mind to things that do not concern

thee (line 165). Seek for nothing more than thou already hast (line 167). Give not orders to a man who is thy superior, whether he be thy junior in an official position, or senior by birth (lines 492-494). When thou meetest a man in the bazar, follow him and salute him with respect (lines 497, 498). Curse not thy superior, for he will look at Ra, and make his report to Aten. For a man of the mob to curse a nobleman is an offence which Ra will not condone. It is far better that the man of the mob should strike thee and curse thee and that thou shouldst fold thy hands on thy breast and keep silent whilst he is doing it (lines 508-515). If thou visitest a man early in the day and he gives thee gifts generously, remember that if the things which he has acquired are derived from his lord’s property they will consume the man to whom they are given (lines 516-5109). . A man must not only avoid the laying up of treasure, but Amen-em-apt would have him avoid greed and avarice of every kind. He says: “‘ Covet not precious metals, and hate the beautiful dancing woman.’ The love of these things is a tie and a fetter to a man, and “it makes a man to err in the presence of the God.’ And the scraping together of riches is quite futile, “for if a man scrapes off a quantity (?) of gold from an object which is made of pure and refined gold, by daybreak to-morrow morning it will be found to be lead” (lines 344-349).

1 The hieratic character must, it seems, be transcribed by fp shema, but it may be a mistake for a nub; “covet neither ingots of precious metal nor music and the pretty dancer ’’ probably represents the meaning of the lines. The Egyptians have crossed the Nile by swimming, and on ferry-boats, rafts and floats, from time immemorial. Usually the ferry-boats were owned by private individuals, and every passenger had to pay his fare, but sometimes landed proprietors established ferry-boats for the use of their workmen and dependants, and though they maintained them, at the discretion of the ferryman strangers were allowed to cross the Nile inthem. When a great official came to a privately owned ferry-boat, he entered it and seated himself comfortably, but Amen-em-apt says to the man who is in the habit of doing this: ‘‘ Turn not away from the ferry the people who are waiting to cross the river, so that thou mayest stretch thyself at ease in the cabin.” But the current may be strong and may carry the boat so far down the river that paddles have to be got out, and some of the passengers set to keep her from drifting. Amen-em-apt supposes such a case, and says: “Tf a paddle (7.e., oar) be brought to thee when the ferry-boat is in mid-stream, take it and work it. Is not he who toils a happy man ? ”’ (lines 528-532). Line 533 reads: “ There is nothing abominable in the hand—the God.” May this mean, there is nothing abominable before God in manual labour ? Continuing his words concerning the ferry-boat, Amen-em-apt says: ‘‘ Establish not a ferry-boat on the river if thou art going to exact rigorously a fare from every person who uses it. Let the fares go to the man who works the ferry-boat, [for] he must gain a living, and be thou content to take no part of it”’ (lines 534-537).

Among the pithy Precepts in the Teaching with a characteristically Oriental flavour are: “ If thou art sent to fetch straw take care to avoid the nettles (?) in it’ (lines 286, 287). ‘‘ Exact not the summer grain from the peasant farmer, when if thou forcest him to pay what is due from him thou wilt ruin him. Make not thyself as unyielding as the measure, thou art assuming the mastery of his house. God’s Will increases the grain in the store more than the Director of the High Court ” (lines 363-368). “‘If the crocodile is going to lash out with his tail, cry out a warning, for even the papyrus plants hold him in fear”’ (lines 434, 435). ‘‘ The man who is captain of his own boat watches its course and does not allow it to capsize ’’ (lines 505, 506). Lines 413 and 521 present difficulties. In the former the transcription of the word determined by } is doubtful, and in the latter I do not understand the allusion. The widow referred to may be one of the old women who were held to be witches and lived in the fields, even as widows do in many parts of Africa at the present day. Natives in going through the fields where they are always avoid them if possible, because they are afraid of being cursed by them.

A perusal of this Teaching will, I believe, convince the reader that it enshrines the highest system of morality ever taught or promulgated in Egypt, and that from the point of view of morality it deserves to rank with the Book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. There are many passages in it that prove that Amen-em-apt was not only a highly moral, but also a religious man, and held the view that the best foundation for morality was religion. But his Teaching cannot be regarded as a work written to teach the Egyptians religion, for we see that such religious advice as he gives was only intended to safeguard his high moral teaching. The purist among teachers of morality might even complain that he left unnoticed many breaches of the law, e.g., murder, and adultery, and sexual immorality in general. He does not warn his readers against manslaughter and murder, and a man’s relations with women, regular or irregular, are not mentioned. Ptah-hetep advised his son to marry and beget a son, and to treat his wife well, but to avoid all other women, because a thousand men have destroyed themselves through the quest of their ‘shining limbs.” Ani the scribe advised his son to marry, and to rear a son to succeed him, and warned him against the “strange woman,’ who was a deep water, the current of which would carry a man he knew not whither. Ani also impressed upon his son the necessity of treating his mother with affection and care. But Amen-em-apt says nothing about a man’s right behaviour to the women of his family, and seems to assume that the man who was wise enough to follow his Teaching would need no advice on such private and domestic matters.

The opening lines of his Teaching tell us the real object of it. He writes, he says, the admonitions that will enable a man to maintain a “safe” position under all circumstances. They will help him to preserve his fair name, to keep his character unsullied, to move in good society, to be healthy in body, to be free from carking care, and to keep a firm hold on his possessions. Another class of admonitions is based upon the rules and regulations and sayings of generations of high officials, whose duties and social position gave them the right of free entry into the council chambers and private offices of Wazirs, all of them_ being intended to teach the young official how to honour his chiefs and at the same time to maintain his position with safety and dignity. In addition to these Amen-em-apt included a number of terse, shrewd, and highly treasured sayings of the officials who had been honoured by kings with the title of friends. All these admonitions would teach a man how to lead, not a religious life, but a life in which he would be able to hold his own among courtiers, officials, noblemen, and subordinates of many kinds, and how to treat ordinary folk with kindness sufficient to gain their goodwill, and at the same time to avoid undue familiarity and friendship with them. Many of his wise counsels must embody the results of his personal experience in dealing with men and affairs, and taken together they form a very remarkable collection of precepts.

Judging from the number of priestly offices which his father held, and from his own lucrative position as Controller of the grain of his district, Amen-em- apt must have been a man passing rich, but he _ inveighs against the heaping up of riches, and especially ill-gotten wealth. Riches easily acquired disappear no one knows where, therefore seek for nothing more than you have, and be content with that. Cultivate not the hunger for land, for a small parcel of land given by God is better than a large estate obtained by robbery. Amen-em-apt preached abstemiousness, and preferred dry bread and herbs with content to dainty meats where strife was. Frequent not the house of the glutton, because his meal may be a bribe. And besides, rich, highly spiced meats disturb the digestion and produce vomiting and colic and other evils in the body, and the dainty food is wasted. Avoid the bazars where grilled and baked meats are sold, and also the beer shops. On the other hand, if an old man is overtaken by drink help him on his way and see him home. Moreover, the official who spends his time in the cookshop and tavern ceases to be aman and becomes a mere mass of food. Over-eating and over-drinking do not pay, therefore avoid these vices. Waste not your time, especially the early hours of the day; thrice does Amen-em-apt give this advice. Choose your company, and avoid the sedition-monger and the scandal-monger ; if you do not you will lose not only your character but your position, and you will have no means for rearing a family. Therefore avoid such men; it does not pay. Encroach not on sacrosanct property ; any act of the kind is followed by calamity ; it does not pay to rob the dead or God. Live not on the provisions of others, but be independent, and work for yourself, and eat the bread of your toil. Your lot is fixed, your end is known, it is useless to set your mind on things you cannot have ; it doesnot pay. And mind your own business; every man will do as he pleases when he pleases. If you sail with a thief you will suffer shipwreck; it will pay you better to sail with a righteous man. Pray to Athen in the early morning and ask for health and strength, and he will give you everything you want; get into the habit of praying thus, forit will pay you. Always keep on the side of the angels and repudiate the Devil; it pays to do so. Give gifts to the people and be kind to them, and they will applaud you for your pity and benevolence ; this will help you in your official career. Repeat not evil gossip; it causes trouble and never pays. Control your tongue in talking to your chief, or you may lose both your position and your prestige ; it never pays to argue with him or oppose him. Hold not converse with sinners, for God hates the man who does so; it does not pay. Impress the people by

your weighty speech and dignified behaviour ; it will tend to your promotion. Use the soft answer to turn away wrath; it pays to do so with your chief. Never alter the registers; it offends the God and will harm you. The scribe who falsifies his copies will suffer. Men may not find him out, but the dog-headed Ape, who is an incarnation of Thoth, sits in PerKhemenu (Hermopolis), watching on behalf of Thoth the heart and mind of Ra. His eye travels through all Egypt and sees everything, and notes every sin, and reports the sinner. It does not pay a scribe to falsify his copies, for the god will withdraw his help from him, and his son will fail to obtain employment. Similarly it does not pay to cheat with the weights and scales, for this same Ape sits on or by the Scales, and his heart acts as the pointer, and whether you set the scales awry, or sweat the weights or misread the stamps on them, the Ape will know of it and the Souls of God will weep. And love not precious metals or the dancing woman (?), for they make a man to err before God; moreover, by to-morrow the stolen gold will have turned into lead. You cannot cheat the Utchat (Eye of Ra) nor steal from the god Uben, for he is always present in the Utchat, and will know of your theft. Similarly, do not steal land by manipulating the Apt measure, because the Utchat is in the measure, and his seal is on it. Sins of this kind are always followed by punishment, therefore it does not pay a man to commit them. Do your best to benefit the rich men who employ you, but at the same time forget not your own interests. Be moderate in all your actions, being neither over-zealous nor apathetic ; thus your conduct will be approved by all classes of men. If you sit in a beer-house you may forget

your station in life and insult some great man; this, likewise, does not pay. Therefore avoid the beer-house. Cultivate not the wine-cup, for that will put fresh courage into your adversaries, and therefore do you harm. And take care to frequent the temple of the god of the city, 7.¢., attend divine service regularly, for that will both please the god and enhance your reputation for piety. Moreover, contribute to the expenses of the temple generously, but be humble and unostentatious in your gifts. The courtesy, kindness, humanity and consideration for the feelings of others which Amen-em-apt counselled are everywhere visible in his Teaching, and need no special mention here, but a word or two may be said about his personal religion. Apart from his canon of official morality, and his adhesion to the official religion of his town, he seems to me to have possessed a personal religion of a very high character. His monotheism is undoubted, and he worshipped God, or ‘‘ the God”’ alone, and nowhere does he acknowledge the existence of, or mention, “ gods ”’ in his Teaching. In some passages the god to whom he refers may be Ra, the Sun-god, ¢.g., those referring to his works in the physical world, but others seem to show that he conceived of the existence of the great Disposer of the destinies of men, both living and dead. When he says: “It is He Who makes a man to arrive in Amentt, 7.e., the Other World, [where] he is safe in the hand of the God ”’ (lines 408, 409), it cannot be Ra who is referred to. In the passages: “‘ Seat thyself (7.e., repose) on the two arms of the God ”’ (line 432) ; ‘“‘ Commit thyself for safe-keeping to the hand of the God”’ (line 253). “The love of God is more precious and to be esteemed than the respect (or, reverence) of the

nobleman” (lines 525, 526), if Ra be the God referred to Amen-em-apt ascribed to him the attributes of the Hebrew and Christian God. Of Amen-em-apt’s views as to the future life we know nothing, but as there is no mention of Osiris, or of any god of his Company, we may assume tentatively that he did not accept the popular teaching as to the future state of the dead which was current in his time. It is clear that he recognized that a man was responsible to God for his actions, for he says, “‘ Be kind to thyself, make thy body strong and happy, but take good heed to thyself in respect of Nebertcher, 7.e., God Almighty ” (lines 146,147). This passage has its equivalent in Ecclesiastes (xi, 9): ‘‘ Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement.”” And following moral responsibility came the subsequent enquiry into the way in which it had been exercised, that is to say, the Last Judgement after death. The belief in this Judgement is a very old one in Egypt, and men had no need of the vivid vignette which we find in the Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead to help them to bear it in mind. But Amen-em-apt must have seen and known the vignette, for he speaks of the “ Ape sitting by the side of the Scales,” and says that “ his heart is the pointer ’’ (lines 336, 337), and in the following line he refers to the god Thoth. In the accompanying scene, which is reproduced from the Papyrus of Iuau, who must have been a contemporary of Amen-em-apt, we see the Ape sitting by the side of the Scales, and he is described as being “ Thoth, the Lord of the words of the

God ”’ (i.e., Ra). In line 324 Amen-em-apt gives the reason why the Ape sits by the Scales: it was because “ his eye travelled round about the Two Lands”’ (.e., through all Egypt), and he saw everything that was done everywhere. Now the Dog-headed Baboon (Cynocephalus Hamadryas) is known by naturalists to be a marvellously alert, untiring, and all-seeing watcher} and the theologians who designed the vignette made Thoth employ him to watch the weighing of words and deeds in the Great Scales on his behalf. In the Book of the Dead the Judgement takes place before Osiris, and Thoth reports to him, but Amen-em-apt will have none of Osiris, and he makes Thoth the final arbiter. Thoth, as the heart and mind of God, alone was qualified to be the judge of the words and deeds of men. And it was Thoth who, in the dim past, when Osiris himself was arraigned before the Great Company of the gods of Heliopolis, recognized the truth of the words of Osiris and his innocence, and gave him the verdict of Truth-speaker. From first to last the Teaching of Amen-em-apt seems to show that his official religious views were based on the old solar cult of Heliopolis, and that his personal religion was of the same character as that of the great scribes and sages of that city

1 See Blanford, W. T., Observations on the Geology and Zoology of Abyssinia, London, 1870, p. 222; and Brehm, Reise nach Habesch, p. 88. Ludolf says (Hist. Aethiopica, lib. I, cap. X) that when a company of these baboons wish to steal fruit from a garden they act with great craftiness and send out spies to find out if there is a guardian in it. If there is not, they make signs to their companions, who then rush into the garden and devour everything. “‘ Astutissime agunt, nec eos ingrediuntur nisi exploratoribus praemissis : qui ubi tuta omnia sociis significaverint, toto agmine irrumpunt nihil prorsus reliqui facientes.” who flourished under the Ancient Empire. Passages like that in which he discusses evil and good in relation to God link him with the religious philosophers of that period. There is little doubt that he lived in the first half of the XVIIIth dynasty, at all events before Amenhetep III gave his powerful support to the cult of Aten, the physical body of the Sun-god. It is clear that he adopted the views current as to the power of this god, for he advises his readers and hearers to pray to him daily for health and strength, because he will give them everything necessary for their life and physical well-being. But he does not ascribe to him the powers which Aakhunaten (Amenhetep IV) and his followers claimed for him, and he reserves his admiration and wonder for the might and majesty of Ra as displayed in the physical works of creation. He cannot have been an Atenite, or ‘‘ Disk-worshipper,” in the modern meaning of the word, for his Teaching possesses a distinctly ascetic character, which that of Amenhetep IV, judging by the tombs and other remains at Tall al-‘Amarnah, did not possess. And the cult of Amen, or Amen-Ra, which was predominant in the Thebaid under the XVIIIth dynasty, cannot have appealed to him, or in some way or other he would certainly have made mention of that god in his Teaching; he was certainly no devoted Amenite. In his daily life he probably lived like a typical Egyptian country gentleman, exact in the fulfilment of his duties to his God, a respecter of ancient traditions and customs, generous to the widow and the orphan, kind to the poor, and a refugé for his dependants and for those who were unfortunate and sorrowing. No one went hungry or naked in his days. His counterpart may be found to-day among the

educated gentlemen fallah proprietors in the great grain-producing districts of Upper Egypt, the principal difference being that they worship Allah, and not Ra as did their forefathers three thousand years ago. King Khati advised his son to build himself a splendid tomb in the necropolis on the west bank of the Nile, and to cut upon it inscriptions which would not only honour God, but commemorate his own works. The scribe Ani also counselled his son to prepare a fine tomb for himself in the necropolis of the mountain, wherein his body must in the course of time be buried. He told him not to forget to do this, and not to let any of his daily occupations cause him to forget the preparation of his tomb, and not to let the terrible form of death come to carry him off and find him unprovided with a tomb; the babe at the breast and the old man alike must die. Amen-em-apt gives no advice of this kind, and he mentions neither the tomb as the final abode of a man nor his death. Ra, or Khnem-Ra, he argued, gave him his body, and another solar god, Aten, or Athen, provided for its physical wants ; Ra guided him to Amentt, where, he says, a man is “safe in the hand of God,” and thus he was content to leave the matter of the future life.

[Ine TITLE OF THE WoRK AND ITS OBJECT.] 1. (Cot. I). THE BEGINNING OF THE TEACHING CONCERNING LIFE (t.e., of how to live), 2. [and of] the testimonies (or, admonitions) of (t.e., which lead to) safe conduct, [and of] the directions for behaviour set forth by the AgAotu (i.e., the high officials who had the privilege of entering the council chambers of kings and governors), 4. [and of] the commandments! of the SMERU (v.e., the friends [of the king], or high officers of state). [This Teaching and the precepts contained therein will enable a man] 5. to know how to return a suitable answer to him that has spoken to him, 6. [and] to carry back a [satisfactory] report to the man who has despatched him on a mission, 7. [and] will make him to follow a straight course on the roads of life, 1 The testimonies, directions for behaviour, and commandments mentioned in the above lines are the equivalents of the testimonies, precepts, and righteous judgements spoken of by David in Psalm cxix, and the “ instruction of wisdom, justice and judgement and equity,” referred to by Solomon in Proverbs, Chap. I. [and] will enable him to maintain his position of safety upon the earth,

[and] will cause his heart to descend (or, enter) its case, [and] make him steer his course away from evil (or, the evil one), {and] make him to deliver himself! from the mouth of the common folk (?) [and] to be applauded by the mouth of men of understanding. made (7.e., written) by the Director of the Crops, who was highly skilled and experienced in his profession, Scribe of the grain? of Upper and Lower Egypt, Overseer of the barley crops, heaping up the grain to overflowing in the divine granary (or, granary of the god), Officer in chief in charge of the harvests of his lord, Registrary of the arable lands [and] of the coming in of the gifts (or, offerings) as ordered by the Law in (?) the Great Name of His Majesty, Custodian (?) of the funerary memorials on the boundaries of the Aakhut (7.e., of the ancestral spirits whose bodies were buried in a special quarter of the necropolis, or merely the blessed dead in general). 1 Literally, “‘ to save him.” perhaps, “Grain scribe,” a well-known title of an 20. (Cox. II). Defender of the King in his edicts of government, 21. Performer of the office of deputy (Wazir ?) of Kam (Egypt),

22. Scribe of the various grains [that formed] the divine offerings of all the gods, 23. Allotter of farms to the peasants [who wished to become tenants on the royal estates], 24. Overseer of the barley crops, Purveyor of supplies of grain, 25. Supplier of the Ahat (palace or tomb ?) with stores of barley, 26. GER MAA? of the town of Teni® and of the town of Nifu-ur,* 27. Reporter of the town of Apu® (Panopolis), 28. Master of the Necropolis by the town Amentt® [and] of the town of Sen,’ 1 Presumably of Memphis, Abydos and Thebes, but his effective overlordship was probably limited to that part of Egypt which in later days was called the Thebaid. 2 I.e., a real GER, not a titular GER. The meaning of ger is “‘ to be silent, to hold one’s peace.” It may be the religious title of the head of some form of the Egyptian Religion, and if this be so, the use of maa in connection with it suggests that this title was sometimes bestowed upon men honorifically. The inscriptions speak of a “‘ real royal scribe,” 1.¢., a scribe who could and did work as a scribe, and also of a “‘ real royal kinsman,”’ meaning a man of the same blood as the king, and not an honorary kinsman. But see above, p. 101.

$ Ten, or Teni, was the capital of the nome of Abydos in Upper Egypt: it is the ls or @ivs of the Greek writers. * A quarter of Abydos. 5 Ap, Api, or Apu was the capital of the nome f (Panopolites) in Upper Egypt ; perhaps = Khem . oes 2 The Greeks called it Panopolis,- and the Copts CARIN, which is preserved in the modern Arabic name of Akhmim. 6 Translation doubtful. Some pyramid-town on the western bank of the Nile may be referred to. ’ The famous sanctuary of the god Menu at Panopolis. 29. Master of the sanctuary (?)! of Abydos, 30. AMEN-EM-APT, THE SON OF Ka-NEKHT, 31. whose word is truth, of Nifu-ur. 32. His son is the little one? (youngest ?) of his children. 33. Overseer of the mysteries of the god Menti (?)? in the character of Ka-mut-f* (t.é., the “‘ Bull or husband of his mother ’’). 34. He is the man of least account among his relatives [and acquaintances], 35. Inductor® of Un-Nefer,® 36. Inductor of Horus upon the throne of his father, 37. Watcher (?)’ who is in his holy shrine. 38. [Text mutilated. ] 39. (Cov.II1). Surveyor of the Mother of theGod.

40. Inspector of the Black Bulls of the stable (?) of Menti (?), 41. Defender of the god Menti (?) in his sanctuary. 1 IT cannot complete the transcription of the hieratic text of this name. Some well-known quarter of Abydos must be referred to. 2 Or, perhaps, “ least,’ using the word in a depreciatory sense. 3 J.e., Menu , the Greek Mi. For a list of some of his forms see my Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, 4 A self-produced and self-existent god who was much worshipped at Panopolis (Akhmim). He is the Kdpy¢us or Kapjdis of the Greeks (see Damascius, ed. Wolf, tom. III, p. 261), and perhaps the Ku7y¢ mentioned by Wessely (Eph. Gr., p. 20, No. 171). ae 5 Probably the priest whose duty it was to “ bring in” Un-Nefer. 6 J.e,, the Good or Beneficent Being, a form of Osiris. 7 Or, perhaps, “ inspecting priest.’” The break in the text makes the transcription of the title doubtful. 42. Horus as the Truth-speaker, his name of Maat (his real name ?)}, 43. Boy begotten by a nobleman (or, magistrate) of Ap (Panopolis), 44. Son of the sistrum-bearer and directress of the singing of the god Shu? and the goddess Tefnut,®

Powerful of word (i.e., Mistress) in the College of Horus, [called] Ta-Usrir. [With the name of the mother of Amen-em-apt the Introduction to the ‘‘ Teaching,’ which contains the title and object of the work, and the genealogy and list of offices held by its author, comes to an end. The “ Teaching ”’ itself begins with the words :—] 46. He speaks the First CHAPTER. 47. I pray thee to lend me thine ears, hearken to the things that will be said [by me]. 48. I pray thee to give thy mind (or, pay attention) to the difficult matters which will be unravelled [by me]. 49. The setting of them in thy heart will be advantageous [to thee], 1 This line suggests that when Amen-em-apt wrote his Teaching the identity of Menu, or Menti, was absorbed in that of Horus. The following forms of the dual god are well known : aN <— , Menu-Horus of the lifted —~<tom rany - : ag I arm, NS | 6? Menu-Horus, son of Isis, s oS, — Menu-Horus, the avenger of his father. 2 He was an emanation of Tem, or Khepera, or Ra, and the personification of heat, light, and dryness, and the god of the space between earth and sky.

8 She was an emission of Tem, or Khepera, or Ra, and the personification of water and moisture of every kind. And the rejection of them will be a calamity {for thee]. I beseech thee to deposit them in the treasurehouse of thy belly. They will enable thy heart (or, mind) to tight itself! When a gale of words is beating hard upon it, [and] They will form a guiding support in thy tongue. If thou wilt live thy life day by day these things being in thy heart Thou wilt find them [beneficial] in the season of adversity’s trial. (Cot. IV). Thou wilt find my words to be like a treasure-house of life, And a source of strength and safety [as long as thou art] upon the earth. Guard thyself against plundering the poor man And from treating with harshness the destitute. Make not thy hand to turn aside at the approach of an aged man, Thou assuming the mouth (i.¢., speech) of a great man. 1 J.e., they will help the ship of the heart not to overturn (which is the usual meaning of pena) but to alter its course, and to sail, if necessary, in the opposite direction.

64. Not ever (i.e., never) let a man be despatched by thee on a dangerous mission 6s. When thou hast any affection for him who is to carry it out. 66. Thou shalt not inflict an injury on him that has attacked thee 67. When thou art able to return an answer to him on thine own behalf. 68. The worker of iniquity—abandon him to the dyke (or, river) bank, 69. His water-flood he will bring [upon] himself. 70. The north wind hurled upon him will bring to an end in misery his hour (or, period of life), 71. He will be seized by the raging waters, 72. The Storm fiend will mount on high [and] the evil crocodiles. 73. The fiery, hot-headed man—what is he like to thee ? 74. He shrieks imprecations, his voice soars upwards into the heights of heaven, 75. The god Aahu (.e., the Moon-god) stands still in his course, and holds him to be an abomination. VII. 76. (Cor. V). Work the steering oar, we must give a passage to the wicked man 1 The translation of the last half of the line is doubtful ; for wicked man we should perhaps read “the man in evil case,

77. May not we become ourselves like unto him ? 78. Set him up on his feet, extend to him gladly thy hand, 79. Commit him to the hands of the God 80. Fill his belly with the bread-cakes of thy providing. 82. Another “occasion of beneficence is in the heart of the God, 83. Idleness of the mind is speech [in this case]. 85. Couple not together the chattering man with the devil Tar (?) 86. When thou canst pierce him in speech. 87. Idle in int [is] the crooked man (?), bow thyself to the attacker. ME cr 3 ee [is] speech. 89. A raging wind he rushes forth like a destroying fire among the reeds. go. The noisy, hot-headed man in his hour (.e., when his rage is greatest), gt. Turn thyself aside from before him, leave the matter of him 92. To the God [Who] knows how to requite him. 1 “The God,” pa neter, DK IN ney Amen-em-apt, like the earlier and later writers of this class of literature, does not mention the name of any particular god, and “ the God” to him meant what Al‘All4h means to the Arabs. In the course of his Teaching he mentions Ra, Aten, and other gods, but I do not think he is referring to any of them here. In funerary texts “ the god”’ frequently means Osiris, but this Teaching is not a funerary text. K 2

99: 00. IOI. 102. 103. 104. 105. r06. 1 Some noun seems to be wanting after KAI l mee Ko If thou wilt pass the days of thy life [keeping] these things in thy heart, Thy children, behold them ! (Cot. VI). Now (or, as for) the noisy, hotheaded man of the house of the god (or, temple), He is like a large, leafy tree planted in the courtyard [of a temple] ; Its [leaves]! come to an end (i.e., wither), his unripe fruit drops off, Brought when its end has come to the water-course (?) It is [cast] into the water, and carried away far from its place, The flame of fire is its winding-sheet (or, shroud). [But] the Ger Maa who sets himself by the side [of the road], He is like a large leafy tree planted in shining (or, fertile) ground (?). It blossoms, it doubles its yield of fruit in the summer. It has its place before the face of its lord (or, Owner). Its foliage (or, fruit) is sweet, the shadow thereof is pleasant, And it is carried at its-end (z.e., finally) into the groves of the God. 108. FIFTH CHAPTER. XI. 109. Make no encroachment on the dykes of the house of the god. pS hE

tro. Commit not an act of avariciousness so that thou mayest find (7.e., obtain) additional wealth. 11m. Make not to turn aside from his duty a servant of God 112. To do what is profitable to another man. 113. Say not, “ To-day is even as to-morrow morning [will be].” 114. The end (or, result) of this [reasoning] will be like what ? 1z5. (Cor. VII). To-morrow has yet to come, to-day has yet to pass away. 116. The water-flood (Inundation) is on the mouth (1.e., crest) of the surging waves. 117. The crocodiles make themselves visible (from the mud], the hippopotami appear in the light [from the water]. 118. The fish leap (?) in the waters. 11g. The wolves gorge themselves, the geese keep high festival. 120. The restraining cords are cast loose. 121. Now every GER of the house of God 122. Shall say, ‘‘Great is the graciousness of Ra.”’ O thou who art filled with silence, thou shalt find the life, Thy body shall be preserved in safety upon the earth. Thrust not aside the funerary monument on the boundaries of the Aakhu (i.e., remove not a tombstone which is on the borders of the Necropolis) When thou art marking out additional lands for crops (?).

Commit no robbery (i.e., filch not away land) by means of the cubit of the fields When thou art assessing the bounds of the estate of the widow. The land that has gone back from the plough is the waste of a man’s lifetime. He who cheats thee, himself belonging to the fields (or, land), Is snared in the counsels of iniquity, He is fettered by the Divine Souls (7.e., Will) of Aahu (the Moon-god). (Cor. VIII). Make thyself to see what he does upon the earth. He is a greedy robber of the helpless man. He is the deadly enemy who would work the overthrow of thy body. Life is snatched away by the mere sight of his aspect. “as His house is the enemy of the town [in which he lives]. [But] his store-houses shall be swept away as by a flood, 140. His possessions shall be carried off from the hand{s] of his sons and daughters, 141. His goods (or, wealth) shall be given to another (7.¢., stranger). 142. Take good heed concerning the treading down of the boundaries of the fields, 143. Lest horrible calamity be brought upon thee. 144. Likewise make propitiatory offerings to God by the Divine Souls (7.e., Will) of Aahu (the Moon-god).

145. Occupy thyself with the affairs of the boundaries of the Aakhu (7.¢., the Ancestral Spirits, or the blessed dead). 146. Be kind to thyself, make thy body strong and happy, 147. [But] take good heed to thyself in respect of Nebertcher.t XX. 148. Drive not thy furrows through the lands? of another. 149. Profitable to thee is the strength (or, wellbeing) which comes by their mouth (?). 150. Plough thou in the fields which thou findest to be thy own property, 151. Take thou the bread-cakes from the storehouse of thy body. 1 J.¢., ‘‘ Lord to the uttermost limit,” or God of the Universe, the All-Lord. tos 5 ae t dge of a field where Ga aNG re perhaps the edg the plough turns. RAL. Better is one aft of land (about six feet) which the God has given thee Than five thousand ats which thou hast gotten by fraud (or, violence). (Cor. IX). Do not acquire the habit of passing the day in eating-houses and places where roasted meat [is sold]. Do not acquire the habit [of passing the day] in tasting one pot of beer after another. Those who pass their whole time at the food-store?

Become to-morrow [merely] victuals. XXIII. Better is the beggar who is in the hand of the God Than the rich who are safely housed in a comfortable dwelling. XXIV. Better are bread-cakes of flour and water with a loving heart (or, mind) Than rich meats that carry with them bickering and quarrelling. Fashion not thy heart in such wise that it hankers after things of wealth (i.e., luxurious foods and apparel), Not unknowing are the god Shai (Luck) and the goddess Renenit (Destiny). Let not thyself abandon thy heart (or, mind) to the things that are extraneous. 1 Literally, “ granary.” Let every man have his hour (?.e., let every man choose his own time for his own affairs). Form not the habit of ordering thyself to seek for more than thou hast [When] thy own goods and possessions are in thy safe keeping. If valuable goods which have been obtained by robbery have been brought together by thee They will not pass the night in thy hands, At daybreak certainly they will not be in thy house. They will look at the place where they were, and most assuredly they will not be [there]; they have swallowed themselves. Either the ground has opened its mouth, and swallowed them up straightway,

(Cot. X). And they have sunk down deep in the abyss [thereof] ; [Or] they have become a great broken heap through rust (or, decay) ; [Or] they have become submerged in the room [for waste] ; [Or] they have made for themselves wings like the geese, [And] have spread their wings and flown up into the sky. Make not thyself to take pleasure in rich treasures that have been obtained by robbery, Whilst sighing (i.e., pretending to grieve) for the man who has been plundered (or, the beggar). oe XXIX. When the chieftain of the Stiu (Asiatics, or bowmen ?) departs from a man His servants destroy him. [If] thou sailest with a robber thou wilt be left in the stream, [But] the boat of the Ger has a fair wind [behind it]. Accustom thyself to direct thy sincere prayer to the Aten (i.e, the God of the Solar Disk or the Disk itself) when he is rolling up into the sky, Saying, ‘‘Grant to me, I beseech thee, strength and health.” He will give to thee the things that are necessary for the life. Thou shalt be safe from anxious care. XXXII. Bestow thou thy beneficence (or, bounty ?) on the bodies of the people, [And] thou shalt be applauded by all faces (1.¢., everybody). XXXII. Praise and exult in the Serpent (1.e., Goddess),

Spit upon Apep. : XXXIV. Keep thy tongue from speech of lying (or, slander). 195. (Cor. XI). Show thou kindness (or, affec_tion) to people of humble condition. 196. Find thou thy seat in the sanctuary of the : house of the god, 197. The gifts made by thee shall be the cakeofferings of thy Lord. 198. Make thyself to be [as if] thou wast one of the blessed dead, [and as if] thou wast a swathed [mummy] in thy coffin. 199. Be thou strong for the Divine Souls (i.e., Will) of God (to do His Will ?). 200. Make not an invocation to bring a detestable thing upon people. 201. Hide [thou] the affairs (or, plans) of the fugitive (slave ?) 202. Whether thou hearest the thing that is good or the thing that is evil, 203. Treat it as a matter that is outside thy interest ; hearken not to it. 204. I beseech thee to spread with thy tongue only the report of that which is good upon the earth, 205. Whilst as far as reports of evil are concerned, hide them in thy belly. Make not to be a friend of thine the hasty, hot-headed man, Even though thou hast to go to his house frequently to have speech with him.

Keep well thy tongue in making an answer to him that is thy chief, At the same time guarding thyself against reviling him. Never permit his speech to fall on thee like ‘a lasso So that thou must uncoil it by means of thy answer. Put questions to him (or, consult with him), answering like a subordinate in thy agitation. At the same time taking good heed not to oppose (?) him. (Cor. XII). The word that is uttered by a man with malicious (?) intent is swifter to hurt Than the wind that precedes the storm (?). This man casts to the ground, this man builds up with his tongue, He gives utterance to strings of words that carry destruction in them. This man makes an answer that merits a beating (?). [For] the burden (i.¢., object) thereof is to do harm. aS He trafficks by means of a boat after the manner of other folk. He loads the boat with the discourse of iniquity, 223. He makes himself the ferryman of him that catches [men] in a net of words. 224. [Whether] he is going away [or whether] he is coming back, he continues to chatter (or, gossip).

225. Whether he is eating or whether he is drinking, even in his own house, } 226. His conversation returns to matters that ar outside (or, that have-nothing to do with him).? 227. The Day itself stands up and makes an accusation against his abominable deeds, 228. His sons and daughter cry out ‘‘ Woe” to themselves. 229. The god Khnem-Ra? makes a process (or, brings a case) against him. 1 J.e., his answer to any question is always beside the mark. 2? Khnemu was one of the oldest gods of Egypt, and the animal sacred to him was the flat-horned ram, which disappears from the monuments before the XIIth dynasty. His name means “‘ the uniter,” 7.¢., it was he who put together the material from which man was made. He was also the “* builder,” Q INSEE of men. He was older than Ra, and was “‘ the fashioner of mankind, the creator of the gods, the Father, “ who was in the beginning.” He “made the things that are, and will make those that shall be ; he is the source from which all that is sprang, and was the Father of fathers, and the Mother of mothers.” He was “the Grandfather of the gods and goddesses, he was self-created, and the maker of heaven, earth, underworld, water, and mountains.”” Later he associated with himself Ra, Shu, Geb and Osiris, and his priests identified him with the primeval Water-god Nu, or Nenu, and subsequently with Hap-Ur, the Great Nile of Egypt. Amen-em-apt, assuming that the mischief-making scandal-monger whom he is denouncing was made by Khnem-Ra, suggests that the god is so disgusted with the behaviour of the being whom he created that he renounces all responsibility for him.

230. He is of the potter’s wheel of (z.e., worked by) the devil Tar} 231. He mixes together and kneads [material] to destroy the hearts (or, minds of men) therewith. 232. He is like a whelp of [one of] the dogs (literally, wolves) of the stable (or, farmyard) 233. With his eye fixed jealously on [the movements of] his companions. 234. (CoL. XIII). He causes men and women to become enemies by his scandal-mongering. 235. He goes before every wind like the blast that goes before the habiéb (1.e., the sandstorm or whirlwind of the desert). . 236. He destroys the hair (or, skin) of Shu? 237. He gathers his tail (7.e., bends it round) about him like the young crocodile, 238. Bringing it close to him ready for the deadly sweep. 239. His lips are date-syrup, his tongue is a deadly dagger. 240. A consuming fire blazes within his belly. 241. Make no flights (7.e., attempts) to fill (7.e., please) that fellow, 242. Lest thou bring calamity upon thyself. 244. Allow not thyself to be greeted as a friend among thy [neighbours] by the hasty, hot-headed man who is thy opponent ; 1 This devil is mentioned in the Rubric to Chap. CLXIV of the Saite Recension of the Book of the Dead under the a form p Ys ? This seems to be an allusion to the obscuring of the face of the sky by the storm-clouds produced by the hurricane.

245. [If thou dost] thou wilt thyself damage thy heart (or, mind). 246. Make not thyself to say to him, “ Thou art praised,’’ with evil intent, 247. There being terror in thy body. XLV. 248. Hold not converse in the company of men of iniquity, me 249. For that is an abominable thing [to do] before the God. XLVI. 250. Make not thy mind to be divided for the sake of thy tongue. 251. Let all thy plans and behaviour have a sound foundation. | XLVIL. 252. Be weighty (7.e., dignified) in the presence of people of lowly condition. 253. (Cor. XIV). Put thou thyself for safe keeping in the hand of the God. XLVITI. 254. God hates the man who utters frivolous, lying speech. 255. The greatest abomination to Him is the man who [nourishes] enmity [in his] belly. 250. ELEVENTH CHAPTER. p44 9.¢ 257. Hanker not greedily after the things of the man whose food is dainty and spiced,} 258. Though thou art hungry for his bread. 1 Or, perhaps, Hanker not greedily for the things (?.e., food) of the man who eats and drinks luxuriously, 1.¢., the gourmand or glutton (not epicure). Now the food that is dainty and spiced is as a storm in the gullet (or, turns the stomach),

[And] it makes the bowels to eject it. It turns the man who is a counsellor into a man of iniquity, _ And his sense turns itself away from his body. Inasmuch as the evil nature (or, base appetite) corrupts [his] disposition for welldoing, The evil [in him] destroys what is good. Be thou a creature of nought in the presence of thy chief (7.e., superior officer). Thou shalt acclaim him humbly in thy speech (7.e., conversation). Thy adulatory remarks, they shall meet and turn aside his cursings. Thy homage when smelling the earth [shall disarm his] violence. When thou hast swallowed the mouthful of bread of a great man thou shalt vomit it, [And] thou shalt be empty of thy good thing (or, dainty ?). Make thyself to understand (or, see) the foresight (?) of the glutton. (Cor. XV). He himself gathers together staves [for the hunting nets ?]. Every one of his servants is a beater for the hunting traps, [And] a strong man smites (7.e., kills) in the slaughter-house. 275. [If] thou art undone (or, vanquished) in the presence of thy chief 276. It will be a disgrace for thy subordinates (or, servants). 277. Steer thou thy course away from the glutton

278. Observe him, at the same time avoiding the things [which he offers thee]. 280. Behave not greedily in respect of the things (t.e., food) of the nobleman, 281. Since the filling of the mouth with the bread of a great man is unstinted (i.¢., is free to every comer). 282. If he gives to thee for the growth (2.e., increase) of his possessions 283. Hate (z.e., reject) what is his [and] keep safe what is thine. 284. Make no undertaking (?) in company with the noisy, hot-headed man, 285. [Or] thou wilt be making thyself a friend of a man of moral obliquity. LVI. 286. Ifthou art sent onamission to transport straw 287. Hate (t.¢c., cast away, or reject) the weeds (?) that are [in] it. LVII. 288. If thine eye lights upon a person who is engaged on a mission of danger (?) 289. Report it not, but dispatch him on his errand [and] let him return for another occasion, L Make not men to affix [additions ?] to the roll (register ?). This is an abominable thing to the God. (Cot. XVI). Make not the word of one man of iniquity [to appear] to be the truth by any act of thine,

Whilst at the same time thou art supporting another man of iniquity with thy tongue. Reckon not as nothing things [that have value], [By so doing] thou wilt falsify thy rolls (or, : registers). LXI. If thou findest a great mass of hidden treasure in the possession of a poor man, Make (z.¢., divide) it into three portions. Release two portions [and] let one remain [with thee], Thou shalt find it like the ways of life. Thou shalt lie down and sleep and pass thy whole night [as safely] as if it were to-day ; Thou shalt find it like the report (or, news) of a good thing. LXII. Better is the praise (7.e., approval) with the love of men Than the riches (or, wealth) laid up in a treasure house. : Better are the cakes of flour and water [eaten] with a loving mind (or, disposition) Than strong meats [eaten] with strife and enmity. 307. FOURTEENTH CHAPTER. LXIII. 308. Remember not [too exactly] the antecedents of a man 309. When thou art striving (?) to seek for his hand (help ?), 310. If he says to thee, ‘‘ Accept the things [which I have] brought.” yi... die%1s not one’who has no... .. .

312. Cast not malign looks at him whilst bending down thy face, 313. Whilst turning away thy glance elsewhere. 314. Greet him with kind words in thy mouth, speak and salute (?) him cordially. 315. (Cor. XVII). [If] he approaches thee (?) thy end comes. 316. Make him not to go down to his former [state], 317. On another occasion he can be brought (?). 319. Do the thing that is right [and] thou wilt attain to a [true] state of being. 320. Make no erasure (?) in the registers on behalf of an encroacher. LXVI. 321. Since the beak of the Ibis-god (z.e., Thoth) is the finger of the scribe, 322. Take good heed not to thrust it aside. 323. The Ape [of Thoth] sits directing PerKhemenu (Hermopolis), L 2 324. His eye travels round about through the Two Lands (i.e., Upper and Lower Egypt). 325. Since he observes the man who makes a slip (or, mistake) with his finger, 326. He will withdraw his benefactions (or, endowments) according to what is right (?). 327. If the scribe continues to make slips (or, mistakes) with his finger. 328. Hisson willnot be decreed [for employment. ] [The idea that the beak of the Ibis-god (Thoth) is the finger of the scribe is new to me. It has long been known that the deceased was identified with the palette of Thoth, and the scribe’s palette with Osiris. In Chap. XCIV of the Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead, which is entitled ‘‘ Chapter of praying for an ink-pot and palette,” the deceased says, “Hail, Aged God, who sees his father, guardian of the Book of Thoth. I bring [them], I hasten, Aker, dweller in Set. I bring the ink-pot and the palette, which are the necessary things for the hand of Thoth ; hidden (or, secret) is what is in them. Behold me, a scribe. I bring the corruptible body of Osiris, I write on it. I make (i.e., write) the words of the great and beautiful god every day, happily. Thou didst order me, Her-Aakhuti. I do what is right (i.e., I perform truth), I bear it to thee every day.” On the palette as Osiris see Pietschmann, Der Verstorbene als Schriebpalette in Festschrift fiir Georg Ebers, Leipzig, 1897, p. 82.]

329. If thou wilt pass the days of thy life these things being in thy heart, 330. Thy children—behold them ! ito fea eae : : The transcription \} | em doubtful, THE TEACHING OF AMEN-EM-APT 16s Make not the balance to swerve [either] through thy falsification of the get weights, [Or] through thy obliteration of the mouths of the measures (7.e., the characters or stamps on the weights and measures). Make not a practice of preferring the measures of the fields, Thou abandoning those in use in the house of silver (or, White House). The Ape [of Thoth] sits by the side of the Scales, (Cot. XVIII). [And] his heart facts] as the tongue (or, pointer) thereof. God removes, even as does the Great One Thoth, Him that is in the habit of finding these devices to do them. Accustom not thyself to cheat by means of the get weights. It is they (7.e., the cheaters) who multiply the tears of the Divine Souls (7.¢., Will) of God. If thou seest another man stumbling from time to time, Go with him and enable him to continue on Covet not (or, be not greedy for) the precious metals. Hate (i.e., avoid or reject) the beautiful singing woman (?).

What is it like ? A fetter, a tie. 1 Or, If thou seest a man going astray, guide him to the road which he ought to follow. It makes [a man] to stumble (or, go astray) in the presence of the God. If a paddle (?) of gold be scraped off from an object of the finest gold At daybreak to-morrow morning it will be lead. Take heed neither to defraud the divine Utchat (7.e., the Eye of Ra) Nor to falsify the mouths (or, commands ?) thereof. Make no robbery of [the things of] Uben, the mighty god, For he (i.e., Uben) is never wanting in (or, absent from) its (the Utchat’s) body.* Thou shalt give its measure, as to a great man [when] he is coming in. Thy hand shall set it down (?) justly (or, correctly). Make not a measuring rod, At, for thy use, whereby thou canst measure with two (different results}. Do always the thing that is right (d.e., measure correctly) Since the Ap? measure is the Eye of Ra. (Cor. XIX). It (1.e., the Utchat, or Eye of Ra) holds in abomination the man who robs and steals And who when measuring makes many mistakes, :

Since the seal of his eyé is upon the Apt measure. 1 This seems to mean that the god Uben, who is Ra, is always in the body of his Eye. Receive not the summer grain of the peasant farmer, Thou binding [him] by what is registered against him to ruin him. Make not thyself one (?) with the measurer(?) Thou meanwhile playing (?) the master of the house. The Divine Souls (or, Will of God) increase the store-house grain More than the Director of the Great Place. Accustom not thyself to lie in bed (or, sleep) whilst the dawn is rising in an awesome manner in the sky. The break of the day and the dawn [are] like what ? (7.e., to what can they be compared for beauty ?) The man who has no knowledge of the dawn [is] like what ? (1.e., to what can he be compared for ignorance ?) Whilst the God is [occupied] with His works of beneficence The man is [indulging in] his slothfulness. On the one side are the words (or, gossip) that men utter, On the other are the works that the God is doing. Say not, ‘‘ By no manner of means is what is abominable (or, evil) to be permitted [to exist],”

Whilst thou thyself art doing thy utmost to seek after strife. If the thing that is abominable (i.¢., evil) belongs to the God, " He Himself will stamp it with the seal of His finger. There is no goodness in the hand of the God Because there is no badness before Him. (Cor. XX). If He could bring Himself to seek after goodness The occasion ended (i.¢., the opportunity served) He would destroy it. Be weighty in thy mind, consolidate thy heart, Accustom not thyself to shape thy course by thy tongue [only]. Even if the tongue of a man be the steersman of the boat, It is Nebertcher who is its watcher in the bows (i.e., captain). Go not among the mombers of the Town Council in the presence of the President, Or thou mayest be obliged to contradict (or, show to be inaccurate) thine own words. Be not continually rising up and sitting down whilst thou art making thy answer ; Thy testimonies must support themselves. Make no altercation with (or, make no attempt to coerce) the supporters of a lord (v.e., any owner of property), A word [spoken] in the- Gouncil Chamber may lead to a vexatious inquiry.

Speak the truth in the presence of the President, 397. Lest he seize and take possession of thy person. 398. If thou wilt appear before him in the early hours of the day 399. He will consider graciously every word of thine. 400. Speak thy mouth (i.e., say thy say) in the Court before the headmen, 401. Watch carefully, so that thou mayest come back on a second occasion. 403. Make not a member of the Courts of Law! to trip up (t.e., to arrive at a wrong conclusion or verdict) 404. Through thy setting aside (or, hiding) the truth, 405. (Cor. XXI). For whilst thy face is cloaked with a garment (?) 406. And thou art sheltered (or, content) he is under constraint (?). 407. Accept not a present (7.¢., bribe) from aman of power and authority 408. [If] thou art to treat wrongfully for him the poor man in distress. 409. Now Truth is the great bearer of God, 410. He gives it to the man who loves Him. 411. Since the mighty power is with him who is like unto Him | 412. He carries off (or, slays) the impotent one in his violence. 1 Or, perhaps, of the “ Official Classes.”

413..¢ .Make not-for thyselt ac... - eee 1 of iniquity. 414. They are the great auxiliaries of Death, _ 415. They are the great incentives to sloth [in respect of] honourable actions, 416. They are the guides who report for the herald [of judgement]. 417. Falsify not the things that make thee to wonder [written] on the roll, 418. For thus thou wilt be injuring (or, disarranging) the plans of God. 419. Make no [attempt] to find for thyself the Divine Souls (7.e., Will) of God, 420. Donot the god Shai (Luck) [and] the goddess Renenit (Destiny) exist ? LXXXIV. 421. Study to make to increase (or, flourish) the possessions of the lords of wealth, 422. Thou at the same time seeking for thyself the means of subsistence. 423. Never build thy heart in their houses (7.e., set not thy affections upon the houses they live in), 424. Thy carcase [being] in the house of slaughter. 425. TWENTY-FIRST CHAPTER. LXXXV. 426. (Col. XXII). Say*not,.‘' I have found a very chief of robbers,”’ 1 The determinative +} indicates some article of furniture, perhaps couch or bed; the word is unknown to me. 427. When the offender happens to be a man in thine own town.

428. Say not, “I have found a sedition-monger ” (or, rebel) 429. When the offender happens to be a hater (z.e., enemy of thine). 430. For most assuredly thou knowest not the plans of Godt 431. Bring not to an end (i.e., waste not) in slumber the early hours of the day (or, the dawn). LXXXVII. 432. Seat thou thyself on the two arms of the God. 433. To thy silence (silent meditation ?) [add] prostrations on the ground. 434. If the crocodile is going to lash out with his tail, cry out (7.e., give warning), 435. For even the papyrus plants hold him in awe. LXXXIX. 436. Do not empty thy belly when the people are round about thee, 437. For if thou dost thou wilt destroy their respect for thy dignity. 438. Make not thy words to circulate among the common folk (or, peasants), 439. If thou dost thou wilt become a companion of the man of violence. 1 Lines 430-433 are repeated in lines 455-458. <cn Better is it for a man to keep his information (or, news) in his belly on Than to publish it abroad with the addition of lies. Never run with swift steps to attain that which will be advantageous [to thee],

[On the other hand] never create the circumstances that will destroy it. Make no attempt to shut the mouth of (or, to make dumb) the man who is holding converse with thee ; Do thou tell him that he must declare [what is in his] heart. Make no flight (¢.e., attempt) to enter [into the conversation] against him (i.e, to anticipate his remarks) (Cot. XXIII). [When] thou dost not see what he is doing (t.e., the point which he is making). Make thyself to understand beforehand what the answer to him must be. [If] thou art heated (7.e., losest thy temper) thy end comes. Let the matter rest upon him, he wil’empty his belly. ) Knowing jhis character (or, view) he can be His feet (or, legs) being removed he cannot work his iniquity, Being afraid he will not act underhandedly, 455. For, most assuredly, thou knowest not the plans of God. 456. Bring not to an end (i.e., waste not) in slumber the early hours of the day (or, the dawn).t 457. Seat thou thyself on the two arms of the God. 458. To thy silence (silent meditation ?) [add] prostrations on the ground. 459. TWENTY-THIRD CHAPTER. XCIV. 460. Eat not thou bread in the presence of the Governor,

461. Thus setting thy mouth forward into prominence (?). XCV. 462. If thou fillest thyself full of the rich meats of iniquity 463. They will pass back again in thy vomit. XCVI. 464. Keep thy gaze fixed upon the vessel (platter?) which is before thee, 465. Thou must make it to serve all thy needs. XCVITI. 466. Though the Governor may resemble a nobleman in his official position, 467. He may also resemble the sacred crocodiles in the water [in] rapacity and cruelty. 469. Listen not to the answers (i.e., conversation) of the Governor in his own house, 1 Lines 455-458 are a repetition of lines 430-433, 470. (CoL. XXIV). Thou then repeating what he said to thee outside in the town. 471. Even when thou hast brought thy mouth outside [his house], 472. Do not empty out into the street what is in thy breast. 473. Since the heart (or, mind) of a man is the nose of God 474. Take good heed that thou dost not cause it sorrow. 475. The man [to whom thou speakest] may bea powerful official, 476. [He may also be] a private person whose name is quite unknown. 478. Make not a laughing-stock of the blind man. Vex! (or, browbeat) not the dwarf,

479. [And] frustrate not the plans of the afflicted (or, lame) man. 480. Vex" (or, irritate) not a man who is in the hand of the God (i.e. the man who is suffering through some dispensation of God) 481. By singing to him the praises of him who has wronged him. C. 482. Even if aman mixes the mud [and] the straw 483. It is the God Who is his builder. 484. It is He Who throws down [a house], it is He Who builds [it] up daily. 485. It is He Who can turn a thousand [men] into corruption at His pleasure, * Or, perhaps, ‘‘ make not a mock of.” 486. It is He Who can make one man to have the overseership of a thousand. 487. Aman lives his [allotted] hour of life : 488. Rejoice, be glad. It is He Who makes [a man] to arrive in Amentt ; 489. He is safe in the hand of the God. 490. TWENTY-SIXTH CHAPTER. WE 491. Accustom not thyself to sit in the beerhouse. CII. 492. (Cot. XXV). Give not commands to one who is greater than thyself, 493. Whether he be [thy] junior in his official position,

494. Or whether he be [thy] senior by birth. 495. Show thyself friendly to the man for whom thou hast antipathy. 496. The strength of Ra is to him that is on the 497. If thou seest a man who is greater than thyself outside [his house], 498. Follow after him and greet him with words of respect. GY. 499. Stretch out the hand to the aged man when he is filled full of beer, 500. Treat him reverently when he is in the company of his sons and daughters. 501. Is not thy arm (or, strength) made weak by robbery ? ee 502, Is not the back bowed by affliction ? Reduce not to beggary the [poor] man who has uttered something which is pleasant Rather than the rich man whose strings of The man who is in the bows of the boat (z.e., the captain) watches the going thereof, He does not allow his bark to capsize (or, be submerged). Curse (7.e., abuse) not the man who is greater than thyself, He will look at the god Ra in front of thee. And moreover, he will report thee to the god Aten as he rolls up into the sky.

Say: For a man of no importance to heap curses upon a great man, [Is] a crime (i.e., a thing worthy of death) unknown to the Ra. (Cor. XXVI). [If] a man of no importance wishes to curse a great man, Come! Let him inflict a beating on thee, thou [keeping] thy hand in thy bosom. Come! Let him heap curses upon thee, thou remaining silent. CIX. If like the dawn (at ‘the time of dawn ?) thou appearest before him, He will give to thee the means of living in an open-handed manner. 518. If the means of which he is master [are] from the finger (or, seal) of his lord, 519. They consume (?) him to whom they are given (?) 520. TWENTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER. CX. 521. Do not make find (i.e., search out) the RO IW ee eS in the fields, 522. Do not permit thyself to return an answer to her. CXI, 523. Make no undue haste to sing the praises (or, to follow the cult) of the wine cup! (?), 524. It will increase (or, double) the heart (7.e., courage) of thine adversaries. CXII. 525. The love of God is more precious [and] estimable 526. Than the reverence of the nobleman (or, magistrate). . 527. TWENTY-NINTH CHAPTER. CXITI.

528. Turn not back the people who wish to cross over the river 529. Whilst thou art stretched out at thy ease in the cabin. 530. Ifa paddle (or, oar) be brought to thee when the ferry-boat is in mid-stream, 1 The word AN | ING Ql ©, m’tchagata, seems to be of Babylonian origin, for in a syllabary published by Meissner (Muti. der Vorder Asiat. Gesellschaft, 1913, No. 2, p. 65, line 21) we have &Y >< YY 4] Y¥ = 8 ~] oes, mu-zi-ku, a kind of wine. 531. Grasp it with both thy hands, take it [and use it], . 532. There is nothing which is an abomination in the hand [to] the God. 533. (Cor. XXVII). Is not happy (or, content) the toiler ? 534. Set not to ply a ferry-boat on the river 535. If thou art strenuous in thy quest of the fares of those who cross the river on it. 536. Let the fares drop into the hand of the master of the craft (?) 537. Thou being happy (or, content) with no part of them. 539. Behold the Thirty Chapters ! 540. They will give [thee] pleasure, they will 541. They will [serve as] a leader (or, guide) to every book}

542. They will give knowledge to (1.e., make to be wise) the ignorant man. 543. If they be read out in the presence of an ignorant man 544. Assuredly he will steer his course [through life] according to their mouth (7.e., direction). 545. Fill thyself full (or, steep thyself) in [the counsel of] what is in them, set them, I beseech thee, in thy heart ; 546. Make thyself to be the man who has unravelled their contents, . ‘ Or, perhaps, “They are the first (or, principal things) ut iy book ”—in fact, the cream of every work of this ind. 547. Thinking out and understanding [their] teaching. 548. If [the bearer be] a scribe who would make himself to be pre-eminent in his profession, 549. He will find himself to be of equal importance with the SMERU (i.e., the “ friends ” of the King). 550. Here ends the Book (Explicit liber). 551. (Cor. XXVIII). [Done] into writing by Shennu, the son of the Divine Father Pamai (?). HIEROGLYPHIC ‘TRANSCRIPT OF THE MHIsRATIC TEXT IN Brit. Mus. Papyrus, No. 10474. HIEROGLYPHIC TRANSCRIPT OF THE HIERATIC TEXT IN Brit. Mus. Papyrus, No. 10474. t= NW DRY ST WR Te 2 Se Si mm cL ind