The official to whom the king entrusted the administration of the country was called =Erpā= 𓂋𓐰𓊪𓐰𓂝, and of almost equal authority was the =Tchat= 𓅷𓏏𓐰𓏤, whose equivalent in modern times is the Ḳâḍî, or =Judge=. Other high offices were =Chief Councillor=, 𓃥𓉪, the =Town Governor=, 𓄓𓊖𓐰𓏏𓐱𓏤, the =Chancellor=, 𓆤𓏏𓐰𓋩, and, of course, the chiefs of the nomes, the officers of the Treasury, Army, Works Department, Police and Law Courts, and Temples, each of whom had his own staff. Titles often bestowed by the king were =Ḥā= 𓄂𓐰𓂝, Prince, and =Smer= 𓋴𓍋, =Smer-uāt= 𓋴𓍋𓌡𓐰𓏏𓐱𓏤, which mean something like “friend,” and “only friend.” Picturesque titles appear occasionally; thus one official calls himself “the eyes of the king in the South, and his ears in the North,” “the eyes of the king in Thebes,” etc. In the =priesthood= were the following grades: 1. The _neter ḥen_, or servant of the god 𓊹𓍛; 2. The _tef neter_, father of the god 𓊹𓏏𓐰𓆑𓀀; 3. The _āb_, libationer 𓃂𓈗𓀀; 4. The _Kher ḥeb_, or “Lector,” or “precentor” 𓌨𓐰𓂋𓎛𓃀𓎱𓀀, etc. There were several kinds of minor priests, _e.g._, the _ḥen ka_, or priest of the Ka, the _sem_, or _setem_, the _ȧmm ȧs_, the _ȧmm khent_, and the ministrants in general. The title of the =high priest of Memphis= was “Ur-kherp-ḥem,” _i.e._, “Great Chief of the hammer,” in allusion to his being priest of Ptaḥ, the Blacksmith-god of Memphis; that of the =high priest of Heliopolis= was “Ur-maau,” _i.e._, “great seer”; and that of the =high priest of Thebes= was “Chief prophet of Ȧmen-Rā.” Among the civilians the =Scribes= played the most prominent part in the administration of the country, and in all periods both “royal scribes” and “scribes” held many high offices, especially in connection with the Treasury, and with institutions which possessed large properties, such as the great temples of Heliopolis, Memphis, Saïs, Bubastis, Abydos and Thebes. [Illustration: Statues of Māḥu, a director of Works, and Sebta, a priestess of Hathor, B.C. 1350. [Central Saloon, No. 637.]]