suffered pain and anguish the whole night, and her mouth tasted (i.e.,
felt) the sting [which] her son [had suffered]. And she brought her
possessions as the penalty for not having opened the door to me. Oh
the child shall live and the poison die! Verily Horus shall be in good
case for his mother Isis. Verily everyone who is stricken shall be in
good case likewise.
Lo, a bread-cake [made] of barley meal shall drive out (or, destroy)
the poison, and natron shall make it to withdraw, and the fire [made]
of hetchet-plant shall drive out (or, destroy) fever-heat from the
limbs.
"O Isis, O Isis, come thou to thy Horus, O thou woman of the wise
mouth! Come to thy son"--thus cried the gods who dwelt in her quarter
of the town--"for he is as one whom a scorpion hath stung, and like
one whom the scorpion Uhat, which the animal Antesh drove away, hath
wounded."
[Then] Isis ran out like one who had a knife [stuck] in her body, and
she opened her arms wide, [saying] "Behold me, behold me, my son Horus,
have no fear, have no fear, O son my glory! No evil thing of any kind
whatsoever shall happen unto thee, [for] there is in thee the essence
(or, fluid) which made the things which exist. Thou art the son from
the country of Mesqet,[FN#216] [thou hast] come forth from the
celestial waters Nu, and thou shalt not die by the heat of the poison.
Thou wast the Great Bennu,[FN#217] who art born (or, produced) or; the
top of the balsam-trees[FN#218] which are in the House of the Aged One
in Anu (Heliopolis). Thou art the brother of the Abtu Fish,[FN#219]
who orderest what is to be, and art the nursling of the Cat[FN#220] who
dwelleth in the House of Neith. The goddess Reret,[FN#221] the goddess
Hat, and the god Bes protect thy members. Thy head shall not fall to
the Tchat fiend that attacketh thee. Thy members shall not receive the
fire of that which is thy poison. Thou shalt not go backwards on the
land, and thou shalt not be brought low on the water. No reptile which
biteth (or, stingeth) shall gain the mastery over thee, and no lion
shall subdue thee or have dominion over thee. Thou art the son of the
sublime god 82 who proceeded from Keb. Thou art Horus, and the poison
shall not gain the mastery over thy members. Thou art the son of the
sublime god who proceeded from Keb, and thus likewise shall it be with
those who are under the knife. And the four august goddesses shall
protect thy members."
[FN#216] Mesqet was originally the name of the bull's skin in which
the deceased was wrapped in order to secure for him the now life; later
the name was applied to the Other World generally. {See Book of the
Dead, Chap. xvii. 121.}
[FN#217] The Bennu who kept the book of destiny. See Book of the Dead,
Chap. xvii. 25.
[FN#218] These are the balsam-trees for which Heliopolis has been
always famous. They are described by Wansleben, L'Histoire de
l'Eglise, pp. 88-93, and by 'Abd al-Latif (ed. de Sacy), p. 88.
[FN#219] The Abtu and Ant Fishes swam before the Boat of Ra and guided
it.
[FN#220] This is the Cat who lived by the Persea tree in Heliopolis.
See Book of the Dead, Chap. xvii. 18.
[FN#221] A hippopotamus goddess.
[Here the narrative is interrupted by the following texts:]
[I am] he who rolleth up into the sky, and who goeth down (i.e.,
setteth) in the Tuat, whose form is in the House of height, through
whom when he openeth his Eye the light cometh into being, and when he
closeth his Eye it becometh night. [I am] the Water-god Het when he
giveth commands, whose name is unknown to the gods. I illumine the Two
Lands, night betaketh itself to flight, and I shine by day and by
night.[FN#222] I am the Bull of Bakha[FN#223], and the Lion of
Manu[FN#224]. I am he who traverseth the heavens by day and by night
without being repulsed. I have come 85 by reason of the voice (or,
cry) of the son of Isis. Verily the blind serpent Na hath bitten the
Bull. O thou poison which floweth through every member of him that is
under the knife, come forth, I charge thee, upon the ground. Behold,
he that is under the knife shall not be bitten. Thou art Menu, the
Lord of Coptos, the child of the White Shat[FN#225] which is in Anu
(Heliopolis), which was bitten [by a reptile]. O Menu, Lord of Coptos,
give thou air unto him that is under the knife; and air shall be given
to thee. Hail, divine father and minister of the god Nebun, [called]
Mer-Tem, son of the divine father and minister of the god Nebun, scribe
of the Water-god Het, [called] Ankh-Semptek (sic), son of the lady of
the house Tent-Het-nub! He restored this inscription after he had
found it in a ruined state in the Temple of Osiris-Mnevis, because he
wished to make to live her name . . . . . . . . . . and to give air
unto him that is under [the knife], and to give life unto the ancestors
of all the gods. And his Lord Osiris-Mnevis shall make long his life
with happiness of heart, [and shall give him] a beautiful burial after
[attaining to] an old age, because of what he hath done for the Temple
of Osiris-Mnevis.
[FN#222] i.e., always.
[FN#223] The land of the sunrise, the East.
[FN#224] The land of the sunset, the West.
[FN#225] Perhaps an animal of the Lynx class.
89. Horus was bitten (i.e., stung) in Sekhet-An, to the north of Hetep-
hemt, whilst his mother Isis was in the celestial houses making a
libation for her brother Osiris. And Horus sent forth his cry into the
horizon, and it was heard by those who were in . . . . . . Thereupon
the keepers of the doors who were in the [temple of] the holy Acacia
Tree started up at the voice of Horus. And one sent forth a cry of
lamentation, and Heaven gave the order that Horus was to be healed.
And [the gods] took counsel [together] concerning the life [of Horus,
saying,] "O goddess Pai(?), O god Asten, who dwellest in Aat-Khus(?)
. . . . .[FN#226] thy . . . . . . enter in . . . . . lord of sleep . .
. . . . the child Horus. Oh, Oh, bring thou the things which are thine
to cut off the poison which is in every member of Horus, the son of
Isis, and which is in every member of him that is under the knife
likewise."
[FN#226] The text appears to be corrupt in this passage.
101. A HYMN OF PRAISE TO HORUS TO GLORIFY HIM, WHICH IS TO BE SAID 102
OVER THE WATERS AND OVER THE LAND.
Thoth speaketh and this god reciteth [the following]:--
"Homage to thee, god, son of a god. Homage to thee, heir, son of an
heir. Homage to thee, bull, son of a bull, who wast brought forth by a
holy goddess. Homage to thee, Horus, who comest forth from Osiris, and
wast brought forth by the goddess Isis. I recite thy words of power, I
speak with thy magical utterance. I pronounce a spell in thine own
words, which thy heart hath created, and all the spells and
incantations which have come forth from thy mouth, which thy father Keb
commanded thee [to recite], and thy mother Nut gave to thee, and the
majesty of the Governor of Sekhem taught thee to make use of for thy
protection, in order to double (or, repeat) thy protective formulae, to
shut the mouth of every reptile which is in heaven, and on the earth,
and in the waters, to make men and women to live, to make the gods to
be at peace [with thee], and to make Ra to employ his magical spells
through thy chants of praise. Come to me this day, quickly, quickly,
as thou workest the paddle of the Boat of the god. Drive thou away
from me every lion on the plain, and every crocodile in the waters, and
all mouths which bite (or, sting) in their holes. Make thou them
before me like the stone of the mountain, like a broken pot lying about
in a quarter of the town. Dig thou out from me the poison which riseth
and is in every member of him that is under the knife. Keep thou watch
over him . . . . . . by means of thy words. Verily let thy name be
invoked this day. Let thy power (qefau) come into being in him. Exalt
thou thy magical powers. Make me to live and him whose throat is
closed up. Then shall mankind give thee praise, and the righteous (?)
shall give thanks unto thy forms. And all the gods likewise shall
invoke thee, and in truth thy name shall be invoked this day. I am
Horus [of] Shet[enu] (?).
"O thou who art in the cavern,[FN#227] O thou who art in the cavern. O
thou who art at the mouth of the cavern. O thou who art on the way, O
thou who art on the way. O thou who art at the mouth of the way. He
is Urmer (Mnevis) who approacheth every man and every beast. He is
like the god Sep who is in Anu (Heliopolis). He is the Scorpion-[god]
who is in the Great House (Het-ur). Bite him not, for he is Ra. Sting
him not, for he is Thoth. Shoot ye not your poison over him, for he is
Nefer-Tem. O every male serpent, O every female serpent, O every
antesh (scorpion?) which bite with your mouths, and sting with your
tails, bite ye him not with your mouths, and sting ye him not with your
tails. Get ye afar off from him, make ye not your fire to be against
him, for he is the son of Osiris. Vomit ye. [Say] four times:--
"I am Thoth, I have come from heaven to make protection of Horus, and
to drive away the poison of the scorpion which is in every member of
Horus. Thy head is to thee, Horus; it shall be stable under the Urert
Crown. Thine eye is to thee, Horus, [for] thou art Horus, the son of
Keb, the Lord of the Two Eyes, in the midst of the Company [of the
gods]. Thy nose is to thee, Horus, [for] thou art Horus the Elder, the
son of Ra, and thou shalt not inhale the fiery wind. Thine arm is to
thee, Horus, great is thy strength to slaughter the enemies of thy
father. Thy two thighs[FN#228] are to thee, Horus. Receive thou the
rank and dignity of thy father Osiris. Ptah hath balanced for thee thy
mouth on the day of thy birth. Thy heart (or, breast) is to thee,
Horus, and the Disk maketh thy protection. Thine eye is to thee,
Horus; thy right eye is like Shu, and thy left eye like Tefnut, who are
the children of Ra. Thy belly is to thee, Horus, and the Children are
the gods who are therein, and they shall not receive the essence (or,
fluid) of the scorpion. Thy strength is to thee, Horus, and the
strength of Set shall not exist against thee. Thy phallus is to thee,
Horus, and thou art Kamutef, the protector of his father, who maketh an
answer for his children in the course of every day. Thy thighs are to
thee, Horus, and thy strength shall slaughter the enemies of thy
father. Thy calves are to thee, Horus; the god Khnemu hath builded
[them], and the goddess Isis hath covered them with flesh. The soles
of thy feet are to thee, Horus, and the nations who fight with the bow
(Peti) fall under thy feet. Thou rulest the South, North, West, and
East, and thou seest like Ra. [Say] four times. And likewise him that
is under the knife."
[FN#227] Or, den or hole.
[FN#228] We ought, perhaps, to translate this as "forearms."
Beautiful god, Senetchem-ab-Ra-setep-[en]-Amen, son of Ra, Nekht-Heru-
Hebit, thou art protected, and the gods and goddesses are protected,
and conversely. Beautiful god, Senetchem-ab-Ra-setep-[en]-Ra, son of
Ra, Nekht-Heru-Hebit, thou art protected, and Heru-Shet[enu], the great
god, is protected, and conversely.
ANOTHER CHAPTER LIKE UNTO IT. "Fear not, fear not, O Bast, the strong
of heart, at the head of the holy field, the mighty one among all the
gods, nothing shall gain the mastery over thee. Come thou outside,
following my speech (or, mouth), O evil poison which is in all the
members of the lion (or, cat) which is under the knife."
[The narrative of the stinging of Horus by a scorpion is continued
thus]:
"I am Isis, who conceived a child by her husband, and she became heavy
with Horus, the divine [child]. I gave birth to Horus, the son of
Osiris, in a nest of papyrus plants.[FN#229] I rejoiced exceedingly
over this, because I saw [in him one] who would make answer for his
father. I hid him, and I concealed him through fear of that [fiend
(?)].[FN#230] I went away to the city of Am, [where] the people gave
thanks [for me] through [their] fear of my making trouble [for them].
I passed the day in seeking to provide food for the child, [and] on
returning to take Horus into my arms I found him, Horus, the beautiful
one of gold, the boy, the child, without [life]. He had bedewed the
ground with the water of his eye, and with foam from his lips. His
body was motionless, his heart was powerless to move, and the sinews
(or, muscles) of his members were [helpless]. I sent forth a cry,
[saying]:
[FN#229] Or, Ateh, the papyrus swamp.
[FN#230] i.e., Set.
"'I, even I, lack a son to make answer [for me].[FN#231] [My] two
breasts are full to overflowing, [but] my body is empty. [My] mouth
wished for that which concerned him.[FN#232] A cistern of water and a
stream of the inundation was I. The child was the desire of my heart,
and I longed to protect him (?). I carried him in my womb, I gave birth
to him, I endured the agony of
