University of Virginia Library

On the next morrow early, all alone,
Went Moses out; and, nigh the palace gate,
Waiting the coming forth of Pharaoh, stood.
Soon, from within, the sound of feet he heard,
And many deep-toned voices muttering.
Louder, as they came on, the murmur grew;
And when, at length, wide open flew the gate,
Burst forth an angry hum, as when the bees
Pour from their hive disturbed. First came the king,
With countenance dark; and Sethos by his side,
Eagerly talking; with the right hand now,
Now with the left gesticulating quick,
As passion moved him. After them, a train
Of princes, rulers, priests, and sorcerers,
Two and two walking; muttering man to man,
Hot-faced, blown up with wrath. From out the gate
When he beheld that all had issued forth,
Then, slowly moving, with majestic mien,
Moses went on to meet them.

Stung with shame,
Yet with rage burning, Pharaoh saw him now;
And would have blighted him. With flaming eye,
Grinding his teeth, he went; and, near him come,
Paused; and, with voice harsh as the raven's croak,
Cried out; “detested wizard, get thee hence,
While yet thou may. Soon will thy cunning fail:
A stronger gathers 'gainst it. Thy poor plague
Quickly was mastered: as it ne'er had been,
Sound are we all. My sorcerers know thee now,
And will confront thy worst. Away with thee!
I know not why I suffer thee to live;
Unless the most to gall thee ere thou die,
By mocking at thy witchcraft. I will wring
Again from Israel three for every one
Of all the beasts by the last plague destroyed:
And, if again thou try thy sorcery,
For every man of Egypt, thereby slain,
Three Israelites shall hang. Away, away!
I will not hear thee.”

Calmly Moses stood
Till the storm ceased; then gently raised the hand,
And, with a voice of such high dignity,
Though mild, that silence upon all it brought,
Thus made reply.

“Sad ignorance, O king,
Which, in directest proof that God's own hand
Omnipotent all hath done, finds proof of nought
Save man's poor magic! But, purge now thine eyes,
To see the true, and false. From first to last,
Consider all things: then, let reason judge
If man's, the power, or God's. All history search,
To find if ever yet, through a whole land,
Within the self-same moment, magic power
Even weakest thing hath wrought. But, here, behold,
At once on millions, nigh, and far away,
On man, and woman, child, and beast, hath been
Thing done, so strange and fearful, that the spells
Of all thy sorcerers, working with one will
On weakest babe, like wonder could not do.
Thy wizards tell thee, that my spells alone
Brought that plague on you: just as easy 'twere
To say I made the hills; or heaven's great arch
Flung o'er the earth: and by no argument
Might I disprove the lie. Couldst thou believe
That magic power of mine had filled the seas,
Or from the sky had thundered? Yet these things
Nor more impossible than, throughout this land,
At once to send a pestilence. 'Gainst the course
Of Nature, in one moment, of pure flesh
To make the foul,—as far beyond all reach
Of witchcraft is, as, of pure gold, to make
Rust-eaten brass. Of foul, the pure to make,
Like suddenly,—as more 'gainst Nature's course,—
Yet harder, were not both impossible.
All this, O Pharaoh, know thy sorcerers
Surely as I. No power whatever is
Such thing to do, save God's. Yet, hard of heart,
And blind of eye, to them thou giv'st belief;
Though all experience, all world's history,
Cry out, they falsely speak. Let them, in one,
Knit all their strongest spells; and, on pure flesh
Of feeblest woman, or child, bid boils burst forth,—
Then justly might they think, that the same power,
Doubled a millionfold, and then again
A millionfold redoubled, o'er this land
That pestilence had brought. Could I bid here,
Through the air flying, mighty Babylon,
Its countless streets, squares, gardens, rock-like walls,
Palaces, temples, and sky-propping tower
Of Babel,—and bid all before thee stand,
Foundationed in the earth,—then mightst thou think
That power I had, as at one blast, to send
Plague through all Egypt. Yet, the greater power,
In one same moment, throughout all the land,
The plague to stop, the foul flesh to make pure,—
That power thy sorcerers claim! Ah Pharaoh, prove
The might they boast of: from one cheek diseased,
Let them, by stroke of magic, chase death-fire,
And, in its stead, plant health-bloom,—then believe
That they chased Egypt's pestilence.”

“Death itself,
Our spells can chase,” cried out an angry voice,
Fiend-prompted. “From the very grave, our might
Can bring forth the dead man; and bid him live,
And speak; and this, in presence of the king,
Permitted, will we do. Thine argument, then,
Great wizard, is but nought; for.....”

Toward the man
Turned Pharaoh, not ill pleased, though marvelling much
At that great boldness,—no leave prayed, to break
With loud tongue thus on royal conference.
But, when the face he saw, dark, wild, and fierce;
And the voice noted, harsh as clanging brass,—
Of mind disturbed he feared him; and, his arm
Uplifting, with tone strong, yet kind, his speech
Suddenly checked. “Stay, Hophra. Though thy words
All verity be; yet, at unseasoned time
Thrust forth, even truth slight welcome hath. When kings
Listen, unanswering,—surely meet it is
That subjects hear, and speak not. Calm thee, then.”