“Istar is the Lady of Heaven my brother, and as for me let me be guarded by her for a hundred years; and may great joy be given. Let it be granted by her that I may not fail; and as you desire may it (befall?).
“Is not Istar my God, and has not she (prospered?) my brother (or been with my brother?).”
24 B.—The second longest of Dusratta's letters, 185 lines in all, is unfortunately very much damaged, as it is perhaps the most important, giving as it does historical information extending over three generations, during which the kings of Egypt and of Mitani were allied by marriage.
“To ... ya[387] my kinsman, whom I love and who loves [pg 287] me ... the great King (King of) Mitani thy kinsman who loves thee. I am at peace ... to the Lady Teie ... to Tadukhipa my daughter thy wife be peace, to ... be peace. To thy sons, to thy Lords, to thy chariots, to thy horses, to thy ... and to all that is thine, be much, much, much peace ... of Amenophis III thy father he sent to me; he explained ... of all that he sent there was no message at all that I ... to your father as to what he sent to me; and Teie the chief wife of Amenophis III your mother knew all of them. All these have been seen by Teie your mother ... the messages that your father caused to be addressed to me.
“... and ten times more than with Amenophis III your father caused him to tell me whatsoever wish ... and whatever message I spoke, faithfully in the same day ... he himself did not turn away his heart from any message ... but faithfully in the same day he caused it to be done.
“... the father of Amenophis III sent to Sitatama[388] my grandfather, and ... a daughter. He sent to my grandfather five or six times, and he was not given her, when ... he sent; and at length he was given her. Amenophis III your father sent (humbly?) to Sut(tarna) my father ... and so for my father's daughter, my own sister, his heart was desirous; and five (or six) times he ... her: when he had sent five or six times at length he was given her. So Amenophis III ... sent to me, and so desired a daughter[389] and I ... I said in ... of his envoy ‘Thus I say I have (sworn?) to give her: by our wish ... to take, and the ... which he has known: and she is a sister so it is lawful;’ and I give ... Amenophis III thy (father's) ... if these are not truths ... heaven and earth bear witness ... to give her; and [pg 288] Khai[390] the envoy of my brother ... to the (Queen?) and to Amenophis III I sent with her ... in three months with the greatest speed ... and the gold ... truly was not ... which I sent.
“When you favored a daughter, and so (sent for) her, and as Amenophis III your father knew her ... I rejoiced being exceeding glad, and he said ‘My brother, is not it thy wish thus to give the handmaid’; and he made public agreement with this his land, in presence of my envoy ... so men ... when they beheld; and I received from him; and Amenophis III established us ... for the future; and so receiving ... I was made great; and in the cities which for Tadukhipa ... in all of them he made us dwell as conquerors,[391] and among the envoys who went down ... none that Gilia ... the gold of one (limzu) was given by weight. Truly to Amenophis III for Tadukhipa it was given; and Tadukhipa ... was given ... and ... my envoys Amenophis III with ... I received; there was no one ... Amenophis III sent Nizik his envoy ... myself; and he ... (refusing?) to my face the ... of gold ... the gold which ... of Gilia and ... he established us ... my envoys ... to be despatched ... he did not cease to (deny?) ... and ... he took her... I was not able to refuse to please him ... he sent this to me ... they sent was wonderful, and then ... Amenophis III your father in every message ... the lord of the place to protect her. Did not he order all these as I say ... do not I say that Teie[392] ... has known ... and Teie is your mother, ask her if, among the messages that I spake, there is one message which is not vindicated by her, as to these (messages) to Amenophis III your father ... if to Amenophis III your father brotherhood was made by me: if it was said by Amenophis III your father ‘If at all (there is) gold that ... in the land of Khani Rabbe I will despatch it; and order thou thus the ... do [pg 289] not I desire to cause it to be sent’: the ... bore what was ordered to be given of Amenophis III your father; and Amenophis III said to me ‘... the treasures of gold ... all that my ... desires is sent ... and ... to do this I have sent to thee’ ... there by Amenophis III with a message. Never was there a message without a reply. I never refused any of the messages.
“(And when) Amenophis III was obliged to be taken to his fate, and they told (me) ... I tore my cheeks, and I mourned on that same day; I sat (in the dust?); I (took) no food or water that same day; and I was grieved ... I said ‘Let me perish myself from earth, and from my ... and that he loved me God knows, and he was loved’ (and because of) these things we are cast down in our hearts.”
“... to me the eldest son of Amenophis III by his wife Teie ... was made, and I said ‘Has not Amenophis III died ... the eldest son of his chief wife Teie (is) in his stead ... shall not we be sent news ... from her abode as of old.’
“... I say thus Amenophis IV is my brother whom we shall love in our hearts ... the son of Amenophis III more than his father, because of Teie his mother, who was the wife ... as she desires a message to the presence of Amenophis IV (Abkhuriya) the son of Amenophis III her husband. I (rejoice) very exceeding much that we shall be friends