hearts meditate the consummation of our ruin.  Behold, they arrive with their chief; they pass their time on the land which they attack in filling their stomachs every day; this is the reason why they come to the land of Egypt, to seek their sustenance, and their intention is to install themselves there; mine is to catch them like fish upon their bellies.  Their chief is a dog, a poor devil, a madman; he shall never sit down again in his place.’” He then announced that on the 14th of Epiphi he would himself conduct the troops against the enemy.

These were brave words, but we may fancy the figure that this king of more than sixty years of age would have presented in a chariot in the middle of the fray, and his competence to lead an effective charge against the enemy.  On the other hand, his absence in such a critical position of affairs would have endangered the morale of his soldiers and possibly compromised the issue of the battle.  A dream settled the whole question.*

     * Ed. Meyer sees in this nothing but a customary rhetorical
     expression, and thinks that the god spoke in order to
     encourage the king to defend himself vigorously.

While Minephtah was asleep one night, he saw a gigantic figure of Phtah standing before him, and forbidding him to advance. “‘Stay,’ cried the god to him, while handing him the curved khopesh:  ’put away discouragement from thee!’ His Majesty said to him:  ’But what am I to do then?’ And Phtah answered him:  ’Despatch thy infantry, and send before it numerous chariots to the confines of the territory of Piriu.’"**

* This name was read Pa-ari by E. de Rouge, Pa-ali by Lauth, and was transcribed Pa-ari-shop by Brugsch, who identified with Prosopitis.  The orthography of the text at Athribis shows that we ought to read Piri, Piru, Piriu; possibly the name is identical with that of laru which is mentioned in the Pyramid-texts.

The Pharaoh obeyed the command, and did not stir from his position.  Maraiu had, in the mean time, arranged his attack for the 1st of Epiphi, at the rising of the sun:  it did not take place, however, until the 3rd.  “The archers of His Majesty made havoc of the barbarians for six hours; they were cut off by the edge of the sword.”  When Maraiu saw the carnage, “he was afraid, his heart failed him; he betook himself to flight as fast as his feet could bear him to save his life, so successfully that his bow and arrows remained behind him in his precipitation, as well as everything else he had upon him.”  His treasure, his arms, his wife, together with the cattle which he had brought with him for his use, became the prey of the conqueror; “he tore out the feathers from his head-dress, and took flight with such of those wretched Libyans as escaped the massacre, but the officers who had the care of His Majesty’s team of horses followed in their steps” and put most of them to the sword.  Maraiu succeeded, however,