llers. The guests responded in loud, perhaps often
artificial laughter, to their king's jokes, goblet after goblet was
emptied, and the rejoicings had reached their highest point, when
suddenly the master of the ceremonies appeared, bearing a small gilded
mummy; and displaying it to the gaze of the assembly, exclaimed. "Drink,
jest, and be merry, for all too soon ye shall become like unto this!"

[Wilkinson gives drawings of these mummies (II. 410.) hundreds of
which were placed in the tombs, and have been preserved to us.
Lucian was present at a banquet, when they were handed round. The
Greeks seem to have adopted this custom, but with their usual talent
for beautifying all they touched, substituted a winged figure of
death for the mummy. Maxims similar to the following one are by no
means rare. "Cast off all care; be mindful only of pleasure until
the day cometh when then must depart on the journey, whose goal is
the realm of silence!" Copied from the tomb of Neferhotep to Abd-
el-Qurnah.]

"Is it your custom thus to introduce death at all your banquets?" said
Bartja, becoming serious, "or is this only a jest devised for to-day by
your master of the ceremonies?"

"Since the earliest ages," answered Amasis, "it has been our custom to
display these mummies at banquets, in order to increase the mirth of the
revellers, by reminding them that one must enjoy the time while it is
here. Thou, young butterfly, hast still many a long and joyful year
before thee; but we, Croesus, we old men, must hold by this firmly. Fill
the goblets, cup-bearer, let not one moment of our lives be wasted! Thou
canst drink well, thou golden-haired Persian! Truly the great gods have
endowed thee not only with beautiful eyes, and blooming beauty, but with
a good throat! Let me embrace thee, thou glorious youth, thou rogue! What
thinkest thou Croesus? my daughter Tachot can speak of nothing else than
of this beardless youth, who seems to have quite turned her little head
with his sweet looks and words. Thou needest not to blush, young madcap!
A man such as thou art, may well look at king's daughters; but wert thou
thy father Cyrus himself, I could not allow my Tachot to leave me for
Persia!"

"Father!" whispered the crown-prince Psamtik, interrupting this
conversation. "Father, take care what you say, and remember Phanes." The
king turned a frowning glance on his son; but following his advice, took
much less part in