guilty person, it would be proper to show him mercy."

"A holy man! Indeed, a holy man!" whispered Sem.

"And what wilt Thou say, worthiness," asked Mefres, "of the prince and
the disturbances which his conduct has caused in the country?"

"I will say the same as Beroes: 'The heir does not cause harm to Egypt,
so we should show him indulgence. '."

"This young man reviles the gods and miracles; he enters foreign
temples, he excites the men to rebellion. These are no small matters,"
said Mefres, bitterly. This priest could not pardon Ramses for having
jeered at his devotion so rudely.

The high priest Sem loved Ramses; so he answered with a kindly smile,

"What laborer is there in Egypt who would not like to have a slave, and
abandon hard labor for sweet idleness? Or what man is there on earth
who is without the dream of not paying taxes, since with that which he
pays the treasury, his wife, he himself, and his children might buy
showy clothes and use various dainties?"

"Idleness and excessive outlay spoil a man," said Mentezufis.

"What warrior," continued Sem, "would not desire war and covet a
thousand drachmas, or even a greater sum? Further, I ask you, O
fathers, what pharaoh, what nomarch, what noble pays old debts with
alacrity, and does not look askance at the wealth of temples?"

"That is vile greed," whispered Mefres.

"And, finally," said Sem, "what heir to the throne has not dreamed of
decreasing the importance of the priesthood? What pharaoh at the
beginning of his reign has not tried to shake off the supreme council's
influence?"

"Thy words are full of wisdom," said Mefres, "but to what may they lead
us?"

"To this, not to accuse the heir before the supreme council, for there
is no court that would condemn the prince for this, that earth-workers
would be glad not to pay taxes, or that soldiers want war if they can
have it. Nay, ye may receive a reprimand. For if ye had followed the
prince day by day and restrained his minor excesses, we should not have
at present that pyramid of complaints founded, moreover, on nothing. In
such affairs the evil is not in this, that people are inclined to sin,
for they have been so at all times. But the danger is here, that we
have not guarded them. Our sacred river, the mother of Egypt, would
very soon fill all canals with mud, if engineers ceased to watch it."

"And what wilt Thou say, worthiness, of the fictions which the prince
permitted himself in speak