THE THIRTY-FOURTH PAPYRUS

Now I, Queen Helen, daughter of Zeys, an immortal, say these words to be written fairly by Empedokles son of Polypemon, scribe of my beloved lord and true husband King Balthazar of Moxoene, whom the immortals and the Argives call King Odysseys, but he calls himself Nikolaos the Crab, viceroy of Victory queen of the stalwart stately Anglicans.

And these are the words which I shall say for the scribe to write.

Yesterday, at dawn, our strange and very dear son Nikolaos Diadokhos came with the faithful Thalos from our royal college of mages.

They said to the king that they had seen a great new Star, suddenly shining in the south-western heaven, far brighter than any other star ever seen, and moving south-westward.

My lord and husband the king, having straitly examined them, became filled with fear and gladness strangely commingled. I never have seen him thus.

My lord and husband the king enacted an act of regency, naming me, Queen Helen, as Regent of his kingdom of Moxoene.

My lord and husband the king arrayed himself in his silver-shining panoply, and he caused our strange and very dear son Nikolaos Diadokhos and the faithful Thalos to put on their garments of glory.

My lord and husband the king summoned his silver-shining chariot; and he caused our strange and very dear son Nikolaos Diadokhos and the faithful Thalos to mount to their places.

My lord and husband the king, with his own hands, took out of our treasury that casket of rock-crystal, three spans long and two spans deep and one span broad, which, during his leisure of these many years, he has carved with crabs and moons and inlaid with blue moonstones, binding it with hasps and hinges and bands of silver, all with his own hands; and he filled it full with our royal quintessence of gum-olibanon, which he has sublimed, also with his own hands during his leisure of these many years.

My lord and husband the king kissed me in a manner which he never has used before, bidding me to be of good heart and ready to receive tidings of great joy.

Having done all these strange things, my lord and husband the king ascended his silver-shining chariot, with the two mages aforesaid, taking with him the rock-crystal casket of frankincense aforesaid; and, so, he very swiftly departed south-westward, at sunset, following the Star.

Now I, Queen Helen, daughter of Zeys, an immortal, having already endured many evils, and being now perturbed in my mind, have caused these words to be written, that I may place them in a most secret holy crypt. And I will place them with that which is most dear, which is there, and with the secret silver urns which contain toys, and with the secret silver chest which contains writings, because these are the chief treasures of my lord the king.

And, when I have done this, I will see the secret holy crypt closed by Empedokles son of Polypemon and by the faithful Neandros. And I will seal the door with the royal sigil. And I will see the very door itself hidden by the faithful Neandros.

And I will do all these things, that my lord and husband the king may find his secrets safe, when he shall return to me. For I know not when he shall return to me.

Explicitur

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