"You mean the bondage of the Hebrew people?" I answered, at once perceiving the meaning of his words. "Yes," he replied, with a sigh and a grave brow. "I have promised to acquaint you with their history. Listen, and as far as I know it you shall have it given to you. Our records, kept and preserved by the priests in the Hall of Books in the Temple of the Sun, give the following account of the origin of this race, which, allowing for the errors that are interwoven in all mere tradition, is, no doubt, worthy of credit. "About four hundred years ago," says the History of the Priests, "there arrived in the land of Palestine a Syrian prince from Mesopotamia or Assyria, with large flocks and herds; having formed an alliance with Melchisedec, king of Salem, the two dwelt near one another in peace and friendship,--for not only was the Assyrian wise and upright, but the gods were with him, and blessed and prospered him in all that he did." "This Melchisedec the king," I said, "was also favored of his god; and his virtues have come down to us fragrant with the beauty of piety and good deeds." "Tradition has been faithful to him," answered Remeses. "Among the Arabian priests of Petra he is held as a god, who came down on earth to show kings how to reign and benefit mankind. With him the Prince of Assyria, Abram, was on terms of the closest friendship. At length a famine arising in the land where he dwelt, he came down into Egypt just after the invading hosts of Phœnicia and Palestine had inundated our kingdom, and conquering On and Memphis, had subdued Lower Egypt, and set up their foreign dynasty, known as that of the Hyksos or Shepherd Kings." "This history is well known to our archives kept in the temple of Astarte at Tyre," I answered; "and therein we learn that the hero SAITES, who had a warlike spirit which could not find field in Lower Syria, was threatened by famine, and hearing of the abundance in Egypt and the splendor of its cities, combined with the enervating habits which grow out of luxury and unbroken peace, he conceived the idea of its invasion; and at the head of an undisciplined but brave army of one hundred and seventy thousand men, horsemen and footmen, with three hundred chariots of iron, he descended through Arabia Deserta, and entered Egypt by the desert of the sea, capturing and fortifying Ezion-Geber on his march." "These particulars are not so fully given by our historians," answered Remeses. "This ambitious warrior having entered the Sethroite country, encamped and founded a city which he made his arsenal of war; and from it he sent out his armies and conquered Memphis and the whole of Lower Egypt. The kings of Egypt, abandoning to him Lower Egypt, retired with their court and army to the Thebaïd, and were content to reign there over half the kingdom, while the haughty conquerors established their foreign throne at Memphis.