e palace should have
been made an equal with the son of the sovereign. The rigor with which
the Egyptians treated their slaves by no means attests the mildness of
their character. A foundling certainly would not have been made the
companion of the sons of a Pharaoh, but would be placed among his
servants. Add to this the caste spirit so strictly observed in ancient
Egypt, a most salient point, which is certainly calculated to raise
doubts as to the truth of the Scriptural story.

And it is difficult to suppose that Moses had not received a complete
education. How otherwise could his great legislative work, his broad
views, his high administrative qualities be satisfactorily explained?

And now comes another question: Why should he, a prince, have attached
himself to the Israelites? The answer seems to me very simple. It is
known that in ancient, as well as in modern times, discussions were
often raised as to which of two brothers should succeed to the father's
throne. Why not admit this hypothesis, _viz._, that Mossa, or Moses,
having an elder brother whose existence forbade him to think of
occupying the throne of Egypt, contemplated founding a distinct kingdom.

It might very well be that, in view of this end, he tried to attach
himself to the Israelites, whose firmness of faith as well as physical
strength he had occasion to admire. We know, indeed, that the Israelites
of Egypt had no resemblance whatever to their descendants as regards
physical constitution. The granite blocks which were handled by them in
building the palaces and pyramids are still in place to testify to this
fact. In the same way I explain to myself the history of the miracles
which he is said to have performed before Pharaoh.

Although there are no definite arguments for denying the miracles which
Moses might have performed in the name of God before Pharaoh, I think it
is not difficult to realize that the Buddhistic statement sounds more
probable than the Scriptural gloss. The pestilence, the smallpox or the
cholera must, indeed, have caused enormous ravages among the dense
population of Egypt, at an epoch when there existed yet but very
rudimentary ideas about hygiene and where, consequently, such diseases
must have rapidly assumed frightful virulence.

In view of Pharaoh's fright at the disasters which befell Egypt, Moses'
keen wit might well have suggested to him to explain the strange and
terrifying occurrences, to his father, by the inter