d 400 ships of war.
With these hosts he subdued many of the Asiatic and African nations,
carving his name and likeness, as trophies of victory, on the rocks
of the conquered countries. Herodotus speaks of having seen two of
these inscriptions himself (II. 102-106.) and two are still to be
found not far from Bairut. His conquests brought vast sums of
tribute into Egypt. Tacitus annal. II. 60. and these enabled him to
erect magnificent buildings in the whole length of his land from
Nubia to Tanis, but more especially in Thebes, the city in which he
resided. One of the obelisks erected by Rameses at Heliopolis is
now standing in the Place de la Concorde at Paris, and has been
lately translated by E. Chabas. On the walls of the yet remaining
palaces and temples, built under this mighty king, we find, even to
this day, thousands of pictures representing himself, his armed
hosts, the many nations subdued by the power of his arms, and the
divinities to whose favor he believed these victories were owing.
Among the latter Ammon and Bast seem to have received his especial
veneration, and, on the other hand, we read in these inscriptions
that the gods were very willing to grant the wishes of their
favorite. A poetical description of the wars he waged with the
Cheta is to be found in long lines of hieroglyphics on the south
wall of the hall of columns of Rameses II. at Karnal, also at Luxor
and in the Sallier Papyrus, and an epic poem referring to his mighty
deeds in no less than six different places.]

"Have a care what thou sayest!" shouted Amasis stamping on the floor.
"Egypt was never so great, so flourishing as now! Rameses carried our
arms into distant lands and earned blood; through my labors the products
of our industry have been carried to all parts of the world and instead
of blood, have brought us treasure and blessing. Rameses caused the blood
and sweat of his subjects to flow in streams for the honor of his own
great name; under my rule their blood flows rarely, and the sweat of
their brow only in works of usefulness. Every citizen can now end his
days in prosperity and comfort. Ten thousand populous cities rise on the
shores of the Nile, not a foot of the soil lies untilled, every child
enjoys the protection of law and justice, and every ill-doer shuns the
watchful eye of the authorities.

"In case of attack from without, have we not, as defenders