Before the Throne

44

HORUS CALLED OUT, “Damyana al-Suwayfiya!”

A woman of medium height came in, walking forward until she stood before the throne.

Osiris asked her to speak.

“A peasant from Beni Suef,” Damyana told them, “I became a widow with one young son. At that time, the chief tax collector was Usama ibn Yazid, infamous for his cruel and arbitrary behavior. Usama ordered that every priest wear an iron signet ring on his finger, with his name engraved upon it, that he would receive from the tax collector to prove he had paid his due. He threatened to amputate the hand of anyone who disobeyed this rule. He also imposed a fee of ten dinars upon anyone traveling by boat on the river. My financial circumstances compelled me to voyage by sailboat, and it happened that my son — who was carrying my ticket — bent down to drink, and a crocodile snatched him. They would not let me go, despite the word of eyewitnesses, and I was forced to sell all that I had with me.”

“The religion was Islamic, and the law was Roman,” opined Ptahhotep.

“During the age of darkness, the peasant knew only gloom, whatever the oppressor’s name, or his nationality,” fumed Abnum.

“As the people’s patience dwindled, they grouped as revolutionaries,” Damyana resumed. “The uprising lasted until the caliph in Damascus died. Then things quieted down, in hope of a new policy.”

“May the gods bless you for the first pleasing piece of news they’ve heard,” lauded Abnum.

Osiris turned to her, “Let justice be your portion in your final trial.”