LETTER VII.
REMESES OF DAMASCUS TO SESOSTRIS.
City of On, Egypt.
My dear Father:
Moses has met Pharaoh, face to face, and demanded of him the liberty of the Hebrew nation! The scene in the throne-room was deeply interesting and striking; and I will endeavor briefly to convey to you a conception of it.
The king, on that day gave audience in the throne-room, when, according to custom, no one, however humble, was refused permission to lay his petition before his king. At the hour appointed, Moses the mighty Hebrew, and Aaron his brother, accompanied by seven of the chief men of their nation—a venerable company with their flowing beards and snow-white locks—entered the city from Raamses, and proceeded towards the palace. The captain of the guard, seeing they were Hebrews, looked amazed, and would have stopped them, but the majesty and authority with which the two brothers moved, side by side, awed him, and without speaking, he suffered them to enter the palace, and they passed on, looking neither to the right nor the left. Knowing that they would appear at that hour I stood near and beheld them. They traversed the corridor of the vestibule, and the courtiers and lords and servitors gave way before them, for they were clad in long robes like priests, and appeared to them to be some sacred procession: but when they perceived that they were Hebrews, they looked with contempt on them, yet let them pass. So these chosen men advanced, and stood before the ivory throne, where the king sat in robes of cloth of purple and vestments of gold, wearing the double crown. His high officers stood about him, his body-guard were stationed on each side of the throne, while before him kneeled a single petitioner. It was a woman, whose son had accidentally wounded an ibis with an arrow, and was condemned to die. She plead to the king for his life.
"Nay, woman, he must not live!" answered Pharaoh. "If he had slain a slave or a Hebrew, I might grant thy prayer; but to wound a sacred bird is sacrilege. Retire! But who come hither?" he demanded of his grand-chamberlain beside his footstool, as he saw the Hebrew company advancing. "Who are these?"
"They look like Hebrews, father," said the son of Thothmeses, a young prince twenty years of age, who lounged indolently against one of the ivory figures that adorned the throne.
"Hebrews?" said the king. "What do they here? And in robes! Ah, Prince of Tyre, welcome!" he said, turning to me, as, at the moment, I appeared and made my obeisance before him. "You honor us by your presence in our hall of judgment."
While he spoke, Aaron and Moses had reached the foot of the throne. Their venerable and majestic aspect seemed to impress him. "Who are ye? Are ye not Hebrews?" he demanded, with a face expressing mingled surprise and doubt.
"We are Hebrews, O king," answered Aaron, with respectful homage. "We are two brethren. My name is Aaron the Levite, and this my brother is Moses the Midianite; and these others are the elders of Israel—chiefs of the Hebrew people." This was spoken with calmness and fearlessness.
"And wherefore are ye come hither?" the king cried. "Who of my governors has let you from your work? Who is Israel?"
"Thus saith the Lord, the Governor of the universe," answered Aaron: "'Israel is my son, even my first-born. Let my son go, that he may serve me.' And if thou refuse to let Israel go, O king," continued Aaron with an air of inspiration, "behold our God will slay thy son, even thy first-born."
The king started, and became pale with anger and amazement; and his son, Amunophis, sprang forward a step, and laid his hand upon the jewelled scimitar he wore at the girdle of his vesture, crying,—
"Slay me! What menace is this, graybeard? A conspiracy, my father!"
"Who is the Lord," demanded the king, "that I should obey His voice, and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. What threats are these? Ho! captain of the guard, seize these Hebrews, and put them in prison!"
The captain of the guard prepared to obey, but not a soldier moved. The majesty of Moses, as he fixed his eyes upon them, as it were, paralyzed them. Then Aaron answered Pharaoh, and said:
"He is the God of the Hebrews, O king; the Lord of the sun, and Upholder of worlds. He hath met with us and commanded us to go three days' journey out of Egypt into the desert, and sacrifice unto Him, as our fathers aforetime did: and if we disobey His voice, He will fall upon us, and destroy us with pestilence or with the sword; for what other people is there that do not their sacrifices, save our nation? Therefore, thus saith the Lord of the Hebrews to thee, O King of Egypt, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a holy feast to me in the wilderness.'"
"By the gods of Egypt, ye Moses and Aaron," cried the king, rising from his throne in great wrath, "I defy the God of the Hebrews! Wherefore do ye hinder the people from their works? Get you, and these old men with you, unto your burdens! Ye seek to destroy Egypt; for if the Hebrews, which are now many in the land, be let three days from their burdens, they will do mischief, and make sedition. Get thee from my presence! But for thy gray head, O Aaron, you should be put to death! This is a new thing in Egypt. Let them forth!" he called to his servitors.
Moses answered, speaking for the first time,—
"O King Thothmeses, the God of the Hebrews, whose servant I am, will yet make thee know His power, and that there is none else—no other God but Him!"
The king made no reply. He sunk back upon his throne overcome with surprise; and I could perceive a certain look of fear in his eyes. Prince Amunophis followed the retiring ambassadors of God, and, as they reached the vestibule, he gave orders to the outer guard to arrest the whole company. But with a gesture of his hand, Moses caused them to retire before him; and the prince, returning with amazement, said to the king:
"These two men are gods, O king! They carry the aspect and majesty of demigods, and all men fear to lay hands on them!"
"If I hear more of them," answered Pharaoh, by this time recovered from his emotion, "I will know whether they are gods or men! They shall die, by the life of Osiris! Do these Hebrews want more work?"
The king then commanded to come before him his chief officers, governors, captains, and head taskmasters, and said to them, "Ye shall no more give the Hebrew people straw to make brick as heretofore. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. And the number of bricks which they have made heretofore, shall ye bind them to. Ye shall not diminish aught thereof; for they are idle, and cry, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' Let there be more work laid upon the men, that they may be so employed as not to have leisure to regard the vain words of this Moses and Aaron!"
Thus, my dear father, the first result, of the interposition of Moses for his people, is to increase their oppression! Yet their God is above all, and will manifest His power for their deliverance.
Your affectionate son,
Remeses of Damascus.