Brugsch, Heinrich: Egypt under the pharaohs: a history derived entirely from the monuments (London, 1891)

392 THE STELA OF PIANKHI ch. xti.

Then his Majesty sent his wai-riors to Egypt, enjoining upon
them very very strictly : 'Take [care, watch, do not pass] (10) the
night in the enjoyment of play. Be on the alert against the attack
(of the enemy), and be armed for the battle even afar off. If any
(of the commanders) says, " The army and the chariots are to turn
to another city : -why will ye delay to go against its army 1"—ye
shall fight as he has said. If any (of the enemy) attempts to fetch
his defenders from another city, (11) turn about to meet them. H
any of these princes should have brought with him, for his pro-
tection, warriors from Marmarica, or combatants from those faithful
(to him), arm yourselves to fight against them. As an old hero
says, " It avails not to gather together the warriors and numerous
chariots with the best horses out of the stable, but, (12) when
going into the battle, to confess that Amen, the divine, is he who
sends us." When you have arrived at Thebes, in sight of (the
temple of) Apet, go into the water, wash yourselves in the river,
draw yourselves up at the chief canal, unstring your bows and lay
aside your weapons before (13) the king (of the gods), as the
Almighty. No strength shall the man have who despises him ; he
makes the weak strong, and however many there be of them (the
strong), they must turn their back before the few, and be one (ever
so weak); he copes with a thousand. Sprinkle yourselves with the
water from his altars of sacrifice, fall down before him on your
faces, and speak (14) to him thus : "Show us the way to fight
in the shadow of thy mighty arm. The peoples that go forth for
thee shall beat down the enemy in many defeats."'

Then they threw themselves prostrate before his Majesty,
(saying) : ' Is it not thy name that makes our arm strong 1 Is it
not thy wisdom that gives firmness to thy warriors 1 Thy bread
is in our bodies during all our march, and thy mead (15) quenches
our thirst. Does not thy power give us strength and manly
courage at the thought of thee 1 An army is naught, whose com-
mander is a coward. And who is like unto thee 1 Thou art the
king whose hands create victory, a master in the work of war.'

When they had gone (16) down the river, they reached the city
of Thebes, and did all that his Majesty had commanded. Pro-
ceeding down the stream upon the river, they met a number of
vessels sailing up the stream with soldiers, sailors, and captains,
of the best warriors of Upper Egypt, equipped with all munitions,
(17) for the war against the army of his Majesty. Then they
inflicted on them a great overthrow. No one knows the number
of their prisoners, together with their ships, who were brought as
living prisoners to the place where his Majesty resided. When
they had advanced further to the city of Heracleopolis Magna, they
arrayed themselves for the battle.