286 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XV. 



floating in the wind, the bright lustre of arms, the 

 immense concourse of people, and the imposing 

 majesty of the lofty towers of the propylaea, decked 

 with their bright-coloured flags streaming above the 

 cornice, presented a scene seldom, we may say, 

 equalled on any occasion in any country. But the 

 most striking feature of this pompous ceremony was 

 the brilliant cortege of the monarch, who was either 

 borne in his chair of state by the principal officers 

 of state under a rich canopy, or walked on foot, 

 overshadowed with rich flabella and fans of waving 

 plumes. As he approached the inner pylon, a 

 long procession of priests advanced to meet him, 

 dressed in their robes of office ; censers full of in- 

 cense were burnt before him ; and a hierogrammat 

 read from a papyrus roll the glorious deeds of the 

 victorious monarch, and the tokens he had received 

 of the Divine favour. They then accompanied 

 him into the presence of the presiding Deity of the 

 place; and having performed sacrifice, and offered 

 suitable thanksgivings, he dedicated the spoil of the 

 conquered enemy, and expressed his gratitude for 

 the privilege of laying before the feet of the God, 

 the giver of victory, those prisoners he had brought 

 to the vestibule of the Divine abode.* 



In the mean time, the troops without the sacred 

 precincts were summoned, by sound of trumpet, to 

 attend the sacrifice prepared by the priests, in the 

 name of the whole army, for the benefits they had 

 received from the Gods, tlie success of their arms, 



* The impure foreii^ncrs were not taken into tiie interior of tlic 

 tem[)le, to wiiich the king and the priests were alone admitted. 



