not even necessary for the establishment of this relation
that the foster-mother's connexion with the Pharaoh's son should be
durable or even effective: the woman had only to offer her breast to
the child for a moment, and this symbol was quite enough to make her his
nurse--his true _monait_. This fictitious fosterage was carried so far,
that it was even made use of in the case of youths and persons of mature
age. When an Egyptian woman wished to adopt an adult, the law prescribed
that she should offer him the breast, and from that moment he became her
son. A similar ceremony was prescribed in the case of men who wished to
assume the quality of male nurse--_monai_--or even, indeed, of female
nurse--_monait_--like that of their wives; according to which they were
to place, it would seem, the end of one of their fingers in the mouth
of the child.* Once this affinity was established, the fidelity of these
feudal lords was established beyond question; and their official duties
to the sovereign were not considered as accomplished when they had
fulfilled their military obligations, for they continued to serve him in
the palace as they had served him on the field. Wherever the necessities
of the government called them--at Memphis, at Ramses, or elsewhere--they
assembled around the Pharaoh; like him they had their palaces at Thebes,
and when they died they were anxious to be buried there beside him.**

* These symbolical modes of adoption were first pointed out
by Maspero. Legend has given examples of them: as, for
instance, where Isis fosters the child of Malkander, King of
Byblos, by inserting the tip of her finger in its mouth.

** The tomb of a prince of Tobui, the lesser Aphroditopolis,
was discovered at Thebes by Maspero. The rock-out tombs of
two Thinite princes were noted in the same necropolis. These
two were of the time of Thutmosis III. I have remarked in
tombs not yet made public the mention of princes of El-Kab,
who played an important part about the person of the
Pharaohs down to the beginning of the XXth dynasty.

Many of the old houses had become extinct, while others, owing to
marriages, were absorbed into the royal family; the fiefs conceded to
the relations or favourites of the Pharaoh continued to exist, indeed,
as of old, but the ancient distrustful and turbulent feudality had given
place to an aristocracy of courtiers, who lived oftener in attendance