124 ANCIENT EGYPT. 



on earth; while in the tombs of the XVIIIth. dynasty and 

 later the principle is constantly affirmed that the departed 

 must earn the joys of immortality by good works in this world, 

 in default of which punishment would inevitably follow, and 

 the deities of the nether world are everywhere in evidence. 

 Here one misses those delightful and instructive scenes of 

 labour in the fields, interspersed with the relaxations of the 

 chase. There are several of these scenes, copied from the 

 monuments, among the Society's collection of drawings 

 already referred to. 



The tombs differ much in interest as well as in size. I 

 shall only have time this evening to touch on one of them, 

 selecting that of Sethi I., a king of the XlXth. dynasty, a 

 remarkable man, who was one of the greatest figures in 

 Egyptian history. The design and execution of the inscrip- 

 tions, which cover the walls and ceilings, are in the best and 

 purest style, marking one of the culminating periods of 

 Egyptian art ; soon after this time another epoch of decadence 

 commenced. The tomb is lined throughout with hewn stones. 

 On entering you observe a staircase, 24 feet in perpendicular 

 depth, leading into a passage ; then a second staircase 

 descends further 25 feet, and at the end of another passage 

 you enter an antechamber and pass through two halls, the 

 roofs of which are supported on columns. Descending 

 another flight of steps, and passing through another ante- 

 chamber, you enter a grand columnar hall, 27 feet square, 

 communicating on either side with small chambers. In this 

 hall the hiding-place of the sarcophagus was found, but 

 from it the tomb still continues for some distance. The 

 alabaster sarcophagus was empty when discovered, and it 

 is now one of the treasures of Sir John Soan's Museum 

 in London. Sethi's mummy was found in a pit at Der 

 el-Bahari, placed there with other mummies for safety against 

 tomb riflers ; and it is now in the museum at Geezeh. 



The painted sculptures in the tomb are wonderfully fresh, 

 bold in design, carefully executed, and of great accuracy and 

 finish. The reliefs are of great extent, and would take years 



