n attributed to this person since its
discovery, but examination of as much of the book as exists will show
that it is not said to have been written by him. Because {24} his is
the only name mentioned, Egyptologists have concluded that he is the
author. The unnamed Vizier, who called his children to him, can hardly
be Ke'gemni, who was not raised to the rank of Vizier and Governor of a
city until afterwards. Ke'gemni may well have been a son of the
author. This is not of material importance, however, as the date of
writing is given as the end of the reign of Heuni, the last King of the
Third Dynasty, who died about 3998 B.C. This book, then, which argues
a society of some refinement, is, so far as it goes, the oldest in the
world.

After a long stretch of blank papyrus, from which a third book has
perhaps been erased, we come upon the _Instruction of Ptah-hotep_ in
its entirety, divided into sections by red writing, as aforesaid.[7]
In this, also, we get a definite date, for we learn in the opening
lines that its author (or compiler) lived in the reign of King Isosi.
Now Isosi was the last ruler but one of the Fifth Dynasty, and ruled
forty-four years, from about 3580 to 3536 B.C. Thus we may take about
3550 as the period of Ptah-hotep.

Of these two kings there is hardly anything to say. Heuni is only
known to us by mention of his name; we have no record of any act of
his. {25} Of Isosi the only exploit that remains is this: that he sent
his Treasurer, Be'werded, to Somaliland[8] to obtain for him a certain
kind of dwarf; this the Treasurer brought back, and received much
reward therefor. That is all that is left of the reigns of two kings,
who ruled long, who perhaps ruled greatly and wisely, having just cause
to hope that their fame and the report of their good deeds might never
pass away. Such is the fate of kings.

The copy of these Instructions that we have, the only complete copy,[9]
is far later than the later of these dates. An examination of the
writing shows that it is not earlier than the Eleventh Dynasty, and is
probably of the Twelfth.[10] More than this cannot be said; where it
was written, by whom, and when, are not stated, as they are in many
cases. The writing lacks the fine regularity of that of the
professional scribes of the Twelfth Dynasty, and has many points of
divergence therefrom; but the papyrus is assigned by the best judges to
this period. This gives it an antiquity of about