without falsehood. I am become one of the ancients of the earth. I have passed 110 years of life—fulfilling my duty to the king, and I have continued to stand in his favour.'
The venerable Ptah-hotep was buried in one
of the tombs that are grouped around the
ancient pyramid of Sakkara. Near his burial-place
is the vast tomb of Thi, on which is
recorded, in sculptured story, the course of his
daily life. Of his own birth and parentage
nothing is said, but he so distinguished himself
that the king gave him his daughter in
marriage. Thi was royal scribe, president of
royal writings, and conductor of the king's
works. His tomb must indeed have been the
work of a lifetime. We see him there, amidst
the scenes of rural life, watching over the
ingathering of the harvest, or fowling in the
marshes; one while he is listening to the strains
of music, another time he is steering his little
vessel on the broad waters of the Nile. Servant
girls are carrying on their heads and in their
hands, in baskets or in jars, the produce of his
estates—wine, bread, geese, pigeons, fruit, and
flowers. Above is depicted a humorous scene,
