University of Virginia Library

7. LETTER VII.
REMESES OF DAMASCUS TO SESOSTRIS.

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 obesiance 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.