The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Posted by admin_akashic on Mar 4th, 2022 in Stories

I said to them, “But still, a good man is better than a bad one and justice better than injustice.”

But they got bitter and said, “What is good and what is evil? If we slay a bad master who bullies us with a stick and cheats us of our food and starves our wives and children, our deed is a good deed, but the guards bring us before Pharaoh’s judges and cut off our ears and noses and hang us head downward on the wall. That is justice, but justice depends on the weights of the scales, and too often justice is injustice for us — for we are not allowed to use our weights on the scales, and the weights of Pharaoh’s judges are different than our weights.”

They gave me fish cooked by their wives to eat, and I drank their thin beer and said, “Murder is the lowest crime of which a man can be guilty, and it is as wicked to slay for a good cause as for a bad one since no man should be slain but rather healed of his evil ways.”

Then they laid their hands over their mouths, looking about them, and said, “We do not desire to slay anyone, since the whip and sticks have made us humble, and we bear all kicks, insults and humiliations without killing anyone any more. But if you would heal men of their wickedness and set justice in the place of wrong, go first amongst the nobles and the wealthy and amongst Pharaoh’s judges — talk to them about these matters, since we feel that you will find more wickedness and injustice there than amongst us.” Thus they said and laughed to themselves, kicking each other with their elbows and glancing at each other. But I said to them:

“I rather talk to you since you are the people and your numbers are like sand and stars, and all evil and injustice comes from you, just as all goodness comes from you. And you are not innocent, since when you are told to go, you will go and do whatever you are told to do. Also Pharaoh’s recruiters come to you often and give you copper and pieces of cloth, and they put spears in your hands and take you to war. If you don’t follow them, they will put you in ropes and chains and take you to war chained. At war, you hit and kill people, the likes of you. You pierce the bellies of your brothers and take pride in your deeds. But all killing is vile, and the blood that bleeds, bleeds on you. You are not innocent at all.”

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Some of them contemplated my words and sighed to me, “Truly, none of us is innocent, as we were born in a wicked world and began our lives with a cry when we rose from our mothers’ wombs. Thus tears follow us on all the roads of our lives, and slavery is our eternal share — and even in our death, the priests bind us by sorcery to our lords by giving our names to the wooden statues that follow our lords to their tombs. But do go to the rich and noble to talk about these matters since we think wickedness and injustice comes from them as the power is theirs — but do not blame us if because of your words they cut off your ears and send you to the mines or hang you head downward on the walls, for the words you utter are dangerous words. If any of us spoke such words, we would not dare listen to him even if we listen to you, since you appear to be a foolish and harmless man. But what is most dangerous in your talk is how you talk about war, for killing in war is a man’s glory, and Horemheb, our great commander, would without doubt have you instantly killed were he to hear you speak like this to the people, though he is an impotent man and cannot satisfy even his wife.”

I listened to their counsel and left their mud hovels. Barefoot and clad in the grey garment of the poor, I wandered about the great streets of Thebes and talked to the merchants who mixed sand with their flour; and I talked to the mill owners who gagged their slaves with sticks that they might not eat of the corn they ground; and I spoke to the judges who stole orphans’ inheritance and gave wrong judgment in return for great gifts. I spoke to them all and reproached them because of their deeds and wickedness, and they listened to me in great astonishment. They said one to another, “Who is this physician Sinuhe who speaks thus boldly, despite his slave’s garment. Let us be careful, for he must be a spy of Pharaoh’s. Otherwise he would never venture to speak to us so.” Thus they listened tirelessly to what I said, and the merchants invited me into their rooms and offered me presents, and the mill owners gave me wine to drink, and the judges sought my counsel and gave judgment according to my advice. So they gave judgment in favor of the poor against the rich though they had received great gifts from the rich so that there was much discontent, and men said in Thebes, “In these days, not even Pharaoh’s judges can be trusted, as they are more deceitful than the thieves they adjudicate.”

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