Pollard, Joseph: The land of the monuments: notes of Egyptian travel (London, 1896)

JUDGMENT SCENE 391

" the devourer," as the wicked were consumed and
annihilated by it. In the centre of the picture is
placed a large balance. In one scale is seen the
heart of the deceased, in the other the ostrich plume,
the emblem of truth and innocence. An ape is sitting
by the balance, watching it, and declaring the exact
result to the god Thoth who records it upon his
tablet. The deceased is then represented with the
Goddess of Truth, Mat He carries her emblem, the
ostrich plume, which implies that the ordeal is favour-
able, and that he is "justified."

Above the balance are the forty-two Assessors of
the Dead, seated in a double row. This scene is
described in chapter exxv. of " The Book of the Dead,"
entitled, " Of entering into the Hall of Truth, and of
separating a person from his sins so that he may see-
the countenance of the gods."

The deceased (" the Osiris X " is directed by the
ritual to make a general declaration of innocence
and purity of life, after which he addressed each
one of the forty-two divinities (the grand jury) indi-
vidual ly by name, and repeated seriatim the same
declaration, which is known as the negative confes-
sion from the statements commencing with " I have
not, ... I have not done evil. ... I have not
killed any one. ... I have not stolen. ... I have-
not committed adultery. ... I have not despised
God in my heart, &c. On the completion of this
confession the god Thoth advanced and interrogated
' the Osiris N ' after which he declared, ' the Osiris N '
is true eternally." This is the result of the trial, and
the declaration of the god Thoth is the proclamation
of the righteousness of the deceased, the Mfi-t-
Kheru alluded to at page 371).