een cutoff by the evil god Set;
but after the prayer of the pharaoh all the members grew on without
evident reason.

When his holiness convinced himself that Osiris was sound again he took
the statue from the couch, bathed it, dressed it in precious garments,
and putting it on a malachite throne burnt incense before it. This
ceremony was vastly important, for if any morning the divine members
would not grow together it would signify that Egypt, if not the whole
world, was threatened by measureless misfortune.

After the resurrection and restoration of the god, his holiness opened
the door of the chapel, so that through it blessings might flow forth
to the country. Then he designated the priests, who all that day were
to guard the sanctuary, not so much against the ill-will, as the
frivolity of people. For more than once it happened that a careless
mortal who had gone too near that most holy place received an invisible
blow which deprived him of consciousness or of life, even.

After he had finished divine service, the lord went, surrounded by
chanting priests to a great hall of refection, where stood a small
table and an armchair for him and nineteen other tables before nineteen
statues which represented the nineteen preceding dynasties. When the
sovereign had seated himself youths and maidens came in with silver
plates, on which were meat and cakes, also pitchers of wine. The
priest, the inspector of the dishes, tasted what was on the first dish,
and what was in the first pitcher, then, on his knees, he gave these to
the pharaoh, but the other plates and pitchers were placed before the
statues of the pharaoh's ancestors. When the sovereign had satisfied
his hunger and left the hall princes or priests had the right to eat
food intended for the ancestors.

From the hall of refection the lord betook himself to the grand hall of
audience. There the highest dignitaries of state, and the nearest
members of the family prostrated themselves before him, after that the
minister, Herhor; the chief treasurer, the supreme judge, and the
supreme chief of police made reports to him. The reading was varied by
religious music and dancing, during which wreaths and flowers were cast
on the throne of the pharaoh.

After the audience his holiness betook himself to a side chamber and
reposing on a couch slumbered lightly for a time; then he offered wine
and incense to the gods, and narrated to the priests his dreams, from
which those