TRANSLATED FROM THE PAPYRI

SECOND SERIES, XVIIIth TO XIXth DYNASTY

EDITED BY W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE, HON. D.C.L., LL.D.

EDWARDS PROFESSOR OF EGYPTOLOGY, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON

ILLUSTRATED BY TRISTRAM ELLIS

SECOND EDITION

First Published . . . September 1895 Second Edition . . . February 1913

PREFACE

AS the scope of the first series of these Tales seems to have been somewhat overlooked, a few words of introduction may not be out of place before this second volume.

It seems that any simple form of fiction is supposed to be a "fairy tale:" which implies that it has to do with an impossible world of imaginary beings. Now the Egyptian Tales are exactly the opposite of this, they relate the doings and the thoughts of men and women who are human—sometimes "very human," as Mr. Balfour said. Whatever there is of supernatural elements is a very part of the beliefs and motives of the

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