f his childhood, where great goddesses dandle the young god
upon their knees (Plate 2). Divine honours are paid, and sacrifices
offered to him; and when he dies, and goes to join his brother-gods in
heaven, a great temple rises to his memory, and hosts of priests are
employed in his worship. There is just one distinction made between him
and the other gods. Amen at Thebes, Ptah at Memphis, and all the rest of
the crowd of divinities, are called "the great gods." Pharaoh takes a
different title. He is called "the good god."

At present "the good god" is Ramses II. Of course, that is only one part
of his name; for, like all the other Pharaohs, he has a list of titles
that would fill a page. His subjects in Thebes have not seen very much
of him for a long time, for there has been so much to do away in Syria,
that he has built another capital at Tanis, which the Hebrews call Zoan,
down between the Delta and the eastern frontier, and spends most of his
time there. People who have been down the river tell us great wonders
about the beauty of the new town, its great temple, and the huge statue
of the King, 90 feet high, which stands before the temple gate. But
Thebes is still the centre of the nation's life, and now, when it is
growing almost certain that there will be another war with those vile
Hittites in the North of Syria, he has come up to the great city to
take counsel with his brother-god, Amen, and to make arrangements for
gathering his army. The royal palace is in a constant bustle, with
envoys coming and going, and counsellors and generals continually
passing in and out with reports and orders.

Outside, the palace is not so very imposing. The Egyptians built their
temples to last for ever; but the palaces of their Kings were meant to
serve only for a short time. The new King might not care for the old
King's home, and so each Pharaoh builds his house according to his own
taste, of light materials. It will serve his turn, and his successor may
build another for himself. A high wall, with battlements, towers, and
heavy gates, surrounds it; for, though Pharaoh is a god, his subjects
are sometimes rather difficult to keep in order. Plots against the King
have not been unknown in the past; and on at least one occasion, a great
Pharaoh of bygone days had to spring from his couch and fight
single-handed for his life against a crowd of conspirators who had
forced an entrance into the palace while he was enjoying his siesta