Hiram finished the blessing, and said,
"It is true that I have no belief in Egyptian or Assyrian, or even in Phoenician gods, but I believe in One who dwells not in temples and whose name is unknown to us."
"Our priests believe also in One," said Ramses.
"So do the Chaldeans, but they and your priests have conspired against us. There is no truth in this world, prince."
After Hiram's departure the heir shut himself up in the most remote chamber under pretext of reading sacred papyruses.
Almost in the twinkle of an eye the information received recently arranged itself in the fiery imagination of Ramses, and he formed a plan. First of all, he understood that a secret battle for life and death was raging between the priests and the Phoenicians. About what? Naturally about wealth and influence. Hiram said truly, that should the Phoenicians be expelled from Egypt, all the estates of the pharaoh, and even of the nomarchs and the entire aristocracy, would pass into possession of the temples.
Ramses had never liked the priests, and he had known and seen for a long time that the greater part of Egypt belonged to them, that their cities were the richest, their fields the best tilled, their people satisfied. He understood too that one-half the treasures which belonged to the temples would suffice to rescue the pharaoh from ceaseless troubles and give back power to him.
The prince knew this, and more than once he had said so with bitterness. But when through the influence of Herhor he became viceroy and received the corps in Memphis, he grew reconciled with the priests and stifled his previous dislike of them.
All that dislike had revived again.
Not only had the priests not told him of their negotiations with Assyria, they had not even forewarned him of the embassy of Sargon. This question might indeed be the great secret of the state and the temples. But why did they conceal the amount of tributes from various Asiatic nations, unpaid thus far? One hundred thousand talents why, that was a sum which might restore immediately the financial status of the pharaoh! Why had they concealed from him that which even a prince of Tyre knew, a man who was of the council in that city .'