Before the Throne

25

NEXT HORUS CALLED OUT, “King Seti the First!”

In came a man tall of stature and powerfully built. He walked, wrapped in his winding sheet, until he stood before the throne.

Then Thoth, Scribe of the Gods, read aloud, “He assumed the throne upon the death of his father. He subdued Nubia, returned Palestine to Egypt, then focused his energies on building and construction.”

Following this, Osiris invited Seti I to speak.

“From the first day I strove to follow a well-laid plan,” Seti I said. “This was to shore up authority at home, while marching southward to our furthest borders, then taking Palestine back by victory over the Hittites, sealed by a pact of peace. This done, I completed the many-pillared hall at Karnak and restored the temples that had not before known a repairing hand. Throughout my reign security, order, and justice fared well, while ease and opulence overspread the land. The arts and literature flourished. The good life ruled, though near the end a conflict arose between my heir apparent and his brother.”

Thutmose III asked him, “Why didn’t you continue to combat the Hittites?”

“I felt that my army was exhausted,” Seti I replied, “while at the same time the Hittites as a nation were extremely tough in battle.”

“The only glorious way to deal with an enemy,” Thutmose III retorted, “is to fight against him, not to make a treaty of peace with him!”

“A treaty of peace is preferable to a war without glory,” Seti I answered.

At this, Akhenaten inquired, “Why did you not apply the Divine Law, the law of love and peace?”

Horemheb cut in sharply, “That which led to the empire’s ruin and left it defenseless?”

“Did you join yourself to the Divine Lineage,” Khufu queried, “in order to rule as a son of the gods?”

“I did this with my wife at the temple of Amun, in accordance with the observed rituals,” Seti I told him.

“I am pleased with this son, so lofty of purpose!” Isis exclaimed.

And so Osiris pronounced judgment, “Come take your place among the Immortals.”