EVOLUTION OF CEREMONIAL GOVERNMENT. 



295 



allel ways ; as where we read that " the king hath fulfilled the request 

 of his servant," and elsewhere that " the Lord hath redeemed his ser- 

 vant Jacob." Hence, as now used in worship, the expression " thy ser- 

 vant " has a history parallel to the histories of all other elements of 

 religious ceremonial. 



And here, perhaps, better than elsewhere, may be noted the fact 

 that the phrase " thy son," used to a ruler, or superior, or other person, 

 is originally equivalent to " thy servant." When we remember that in 

 the rudest societies children exist only on sufferance of their parents, 

 and that in patriarchal groups, whence the civilized societies of Europe 

 have descended, the father had life and death power over his children, 

 we see that professing to be another's son was like professing to be his 

 servant or slave. There are ancient instances showing us the equiva- 

 lence ; as when " Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser, King of As- 

 syria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son : come up, and save me." 

 And we are not without more modern instances, furnished by those 

 mediaeval times when, as we have seen, rulers offered themselves for 

 adoption by more powerful rulers : so assuming the condition of filial 

 servitude and calling themselves sons ; as did Theodebert I. and Chil- 

 debert II. to the Emperors Justinian and Maurice. Nor does there lack 

 evidence that in some places this expression of subordination spreads 

 like the rest, until it becomes a complimentary form of speech. " A 

 Samoan cannot use more persuasive language than to call himself the 

 son of the person addressed." 



From those complimentary phrases which express abasement of self, 

 we pass to those which exalt another person. Either kind taken alone 

 is a confession of relative inferiority ; and this confession becomes the 

 more emphatic when the two kinds are joined, as they ordinarily are. 



At first it does not seem likely that words of eulogy may, like other 

 propitiations, be traced back to the behavior of the conquered to the 

 conqueror ; but we are not without proof that they do thus originate, 

 certainly in some cases. To the victorious Rameses II. his defeated 

 foes preface their prayers for mercy by the laudatory words " Prince 

 guarding thy army, valiant with the sword, bulwark of his troops in 

 day of battle, king mighty of strength, great Sovran, Sun powerful in 

 truth, approved of Ra, mighty in victories, Rameses Miamon." Ob- 

 viously there is no separation between such praises uttered by the van- 

 quished and those subsequently coming from them as a permanently- 

 subjugated people, or those commonly made by subjects to their mili- 

 tant and despotic rulers. We pass without break to glorifying words 

 like those addressed to the King of Siam " Mighty and august lord ! 

 Divine Mercy!" "The Divine Order!" "The Master of Life!" 

 " Sovereign of the Earth ! " etc. : or like those addressed to the sultan 

 " The Shadow of God ! " " Glory of the Universe ! " or like those ad- 

 dressed to the Chinese Emperor " Son of Heaven ! " " The Lord of 



