Egyptian Tales

Th) Eyyptnin genius delighted in the construction of stories. Some of the stories hnve come down through Greeki, cspecially ïïerodotuï, who gathered them dnring his travel, and mixed thom up in a confusión which is charm&ig while it is perplexing with his hisiorieal notes: othors survive in fojins more or ]ess imperfect and mutiiated in the papyri! se. Sonic of them gavo a sorry idoa of tïio morals and moral tistes of tlio people ; but wn mar hoiio that in thia respect they do them as great injnstice aa f.ho torios of the Fronch noYelist do the people whose lile they slinmelessly distort. Among t.liose which have come down through tho Greek is the incident which ia the probable foundation of tho story of "Cinderclla." It is reliUed by Strabo, of Rhouopie, the ''rosy-cheeked." who becanie Qncen Nitocris, and had her name associatcd with ono of the great pyramids. The wind caoged away her randa! while slic was naChinsf, and laid it at the l'oat of the king.who was sittin' in the open air. llis attenlion was attracted by its delicate and symmctrical shape, and he songht her out and inado hor his qnèen. The most perfectly preserved of tho stories in papyrus is called 'The Tale of the Two'Brolhors," and is full of incidenls of a peculiar ohíiracter. A tale cal led the "Doomed Pri nceM lias attracted considerable attontion, but is abniptly broken off by the niutilatiriu of (lio only copy, and leaves no cine to the endíng. Tíany other stories are in the saine sRuation, but what rcmains shows great richncss of í'ancy.