DT 61 W4.

PUBLISHER'S FOREWORD

In view of the fact that Mr. Arthur Weigall, while inclined to obscure himself owing to a distaste for public life, is widely known in several fields of activity, the Publisher has felt that a short foreword to this volume will be of interest to those who have wondered as to the author's identity.

The writer of these entertaining and scholarly essays was born in 1880, being the son of the late Major Arthur Weigall and grandson of the Rev. Edward Weigall, M.A., Vicar of Buxton, Derbyshire: a descendant of an officer of that name who came to England as Equerry to William of Orange in 1698.

Various members of the family of Weigall have attained distinction in England as scholars, painters, sculptors, authors, and diplomats; but the writer of these essays was originally destined for the Army, and for that reason was educated at Wellington College. Later, however, he matriculated for New College, Oxford, causing some flutter in that academic circle by offering Egyptian hieroglyphic texts as his special subject for the examination; but he abandoned his 'Varsity career in 1900 in order to go out to Egypt as assistant excavator to Professor Flinders Petrie.

At the early age of twenty-four, he was appointed by his friend, Lord Cromer, Inspector General of

Antiquities for Upper Egypt, a post for which his scholarship, his administrative ability, and his great energy eminently fitted him. This arduous position he held until 1914; and during his tenure of office he carried out the most important reforms with a view to the preservation and safeguarding of antiquities, the suppression of lawless excavation, and the advancement of the science of Egyptology. He was present at most of the great discoveries made during those years, and in particular he supervised the excavations in the Valley of the Tombs of the Kings at Thebes, in which some of the famous royal sepulchres were discovered.

Besides his administrative and archæological work he found time to make several daring expeditions into the unexplored regions of the Eastern Desert; and in these years he also wrote a number of Egyptological books, including A Guide to the Antiquities of Upper Egypt and Lower Nubia: Travels in the Upper Egyptian Deserts: The Life and Times of Akhnaton, Pharaoh of Egypt: The Life and Times of Cleopatra: etc. He also made a considerable study of the political situation in the Near East; and his book A History of Events in Egypt from 1798 to 1914, and various papers in the Fortnightly Review, had considerable influence on British policy. For some time, too, Mr. Weigall was a member of the Catalogue Staff of the Cairo Museum, and in that connection wrote an important work of a mathematical character on ancient Weights and Balances.

These books, and his many papers in the Nineteenth Century, Fortnightly Review, Blackwood's Magazine, etc., were received with a chorus of praise; and he was soon recognised as the foremost writer

upon Egyptology, and a master of felicitous expression and description. His friend the late President Roosevelt, writing in the Outlook, spoke of him as having "that supreme quality of seeing the living body through the dry bones and then making others see it also," and as being "not merely accurate, but truthful with the truth that comes only from insight and broadminded grasp of essential facts, added to exhaustive study and wide learning."

"Mr. Weigall is one of the best living authorities on Upper Egypt," said the Athenæum, "and his delightful books are justly admired.” "He is a scholar," said the Times, "deeply versed in Egyptian archæology and history and himself a partner in many discoveries . . He is an idealist gifted with insight and sympathy." The Observer described him as “a scholar who has let learning quicken and not dull his wits"; and the Pall Mall Gazette spoke of him as "the key to one of the richest storehouses the world contains." "He makes the sights, the sounds, the very air of the Egyptian deserts visit the senses of his readers with a keenness that is almost painful," wrote the Westminster Gazette. "He is the scholar-sportsman," said the Times again, "gifted with a fine sensitiveness to the mystery and romance of ancient things."

In 1914, after receiving high honours from various governments, and when his administrative work and his writings had brought him to a position of eminence, he suffered a breakdown in health, due to his exertions in Egypt; and he was obliged to resign and to return to England. Here, during his convalescence, he occupied his spare time by painting designs for stage scenery; and from 1915 to 1918

many of the leading spectacular productions at the chief London theatres owed their success to his art.

As in the case of his historical writings, so in that of this hobby, his work was received with unanimous praise. We read of a ballet of his at the Alhambra as being "one of the most beautiful stage pictures ever seen"; of a scene at the Palace Theatre "so exquisite as to make a success of the production without anything else" (Tatler); of another scene for which "there is no measure of praise too high" (Sunday Times); and so on throughout the entire Press.

Mr. Weigall, however, having deeply influenced the whole art of stage decoration in this country by introducing bold simplicity of design and pure colour and light effects, did not long continue to spend his time in this manner; and with the return of health he resumed his archæological work and set himself to the long task of preparing material for works on Egyptian art and history, and on comparative ethics, which are not yet completed. Meanwhile, and perhaps to some extent as a means of livelihood, he wrote three novels: Madeline of the Desert (1920), The Dweller in the Desert (1921), entitled Burning Sands in the United States, and Bedouin Love (1922). These books, again hailed with high tributes from the Press, have attained great popularity and have passed through many editions. From time to time he also wrote the lyrics for songs which have obtained wide appreciation, and he was the author of various little sketches, both dramatic and comic, which have been seen upon the London stage.

For some months in 1921 he came before the public in another guise. An article of his in the Nineteenth Century, in which he pointed out the influence

being exercised by the Kinematograph on our national life, attracted the attention of the late Lord Northcliffe, who invited Mr. Weigall to write a long series of articles in the Daily Mail on the subject. This led to an intensive study of the whole subject of "films," and the articles, of a fervently patriotic character, had the effect of removing some unpleasant features from the motion-picture theatres, while the general improvement in the tone of this form of entertainment is largely due to his influence.

At the time of writing (January, 1923) Mr. Weigall is once more in Egypt, and further archæological works from his pen may be expected. In November, 1922, the present Publisher re-issued, and within a few weeks sold out, a revised (fourth) edition of The Life and Times of Akhnaton, perhaps the author's most popular historical work; and it is hoped that this new volume will be found to be of equal interest and entertainment. The essays published herein were written between 1907 and the present year. Some of them appeared as part of a book many years ago; others were printed in various leading journals; and yet others have been specially written for this volume. In this regard the Publisher's thanks are due to the editors of the Nineteenth Century, the Fortnightly Review, the Cornhill Magazine, Blackwood's Magazine, the New Statesman, the Century Magazine, Putnam's Magazine, and the Quarterly Review.