racting
influence, which made them transfer the record of the origin
of the VIth dynasty to the Vth: it must have been the VIth
dynasty which took its origin from Elephantine. I think the
safest plan is to respect the text of Manetho until we know
more, and to admit that he knew of a tradition ascribing the
origin of the Vth dynasty to Elephantine.

** The Great Pyramid is mute, but we find in other pyramids
inscriptions of some hundreds of lines. The author of the
story, who knew how much certain kings of the VIth dynasty
had laboured to have extracts of the sacred books engraved
within their tombs, fancied, no doubt, that his Kheops had
done the like, but had not succeeded in procuring the texts
in question, probably on account of the impiety ascribed to
him by the legends. It was one of the methods of explaining
the absence of any religious or funereal inscription in the
Great Pyramid.

"'Sire, my lord, it is not I who shall bring them to thee.' His Majesty
asks: 'Who, then, will bring them to me?' Didi replies, 'It is the
eldest of the three children who are in the womb of Ruditdidit who will
bring them to thee.' His Majesty says: 'By the love of Ra! what is this
that thou tellest me; and who is she, this Ruditdidit?' Didi says to
him: 'She is the wife of a priest of Ra, lord of Sakhibu. She carries in
her womb three children of Ra, lord of Sakhibu, and the god has promised
to her that they shall fulfil this beneficent office in this whole
earth,* and that the eldest shall be the high priest at Heliopolis." His
Majesty, his heart was troubled at it, but Didi says to him: "'What are
these thoughts, sire, my lord? Is it because of these three children?
Then I say to thee: 'Thy son, his son, then one of these.'"** The good
King Kheops doubtless tried to lay his hands upon this threatening trio
at the moment of their birth; but Ra had anticipated this, and saved his
offspring. When the time for their birth drew near, the Majesty of Ra,
lord of Sakhibu, gave orders to Isis, Nephthys, Maskhonit, Hiquit,***
and Khnumu: "Come, make haste and run to deliver Buditdidit of these
three children which she carries in her womb to fulfil that beneficent
office in this whole earth, and they will build you temples, they will
furnish your altars with offerings, they will supply your tables with
libations, and they will increase your mortmain possessions.