38. and to the Saviour-Gods, shall be [greatly increased]; and a statue of the King of the South and North,

Ptolemy, ever-living, beloved of Ptaḥ, the God who maketh himself manifest, the Lord of beauties, shall be set up [in every temple, in the most prominent place], and it shall be

39. called by his name

(

PTOLEMY, the SAVIOUR of EGYPT," the interpretation (?) of which is THE VICTORIOUS ONE." [And it

PTOLEMY

[shall stand side by side with a statue of the Lord of [the gods (?), who giveth him the weapon of victory, [and it shall be fashioned after the manner of the [Egyptians, and a statue of this kind shall [be set [up in]

40. all the temples which are called by his name. And

adoration shall be paid unto these statues three times each day, and every rite and ceremony which it is proper to perform before them shall be performed, and whatsoever is prescribed, and is fitting for their DOUBLES, shall be performed, even as it is performed for the gods of the Nomes during the festivals and on every sacred day (?), on the day of [his] coronation, and on his name-day. And there shall likewise [be set up] a

41. magnificent (?) statue of the King of the South and

North (Ptolemy, ever-living beloved of Ptah), the

God who maketh himself manifest, whose deeds are

beautiful, the son of (Ptolemy), and (Arsinoë),

the

Father-loving gods, and with the statue there shall be a magnificent shrine [made] of the finest copper and inlaid with real stones of every kind,

42. in every temple which is called by his name; and this statue shall rest in the most holy place [in the temples] side by side with the shrines of the gods of the Nomes. And on the days of the great festivals, when the god [of the temple] cometh forth from his holy habitation, according to his day, the holy shrine of the God who maketh himself manifest, the lord of beauties, shall likewise be made to rise [like the Sun]

43. with them. And in order to make this new shrine to

be easily distinguishable [both at the present day, and in future times, they shall set] upon this shrine [ten royal double crowns, made of gold and upon [each of the double crowns there shall be placed the [serpent which it is right and proper to make for the [double crown of gold], instead of the two Uraei

44. which are [placed] upon the tops of the shrines, and the SEKHENT CROWN shall be in the middle of them, because it was in the SEKHENT CROWN in which His Majesty shone in the house of the KA of PTAḤ (¿.e., Memphis)

45. at the time when the king entered into the temple,

and performed the ceremonies which it was meet and right for him to perform on receiving the exalted rank [of King]. And on the upper surface of the square pedestal which is round these crowns, and in the middle part thereof [which is immediately] beneath] the double Crown [they shall engrave a papyrus plant and a plant of the south; and they shall set them in such a way that a vulture,

upon neb,

beneath which a plant of the south shall be found, shall be affixed to the right-hand upper

corner of the golden shrine, and a serpent,

under

which is, placed upon] a papyrus plant, [shall be affixed] to the left hand side [at the upper corner]; and

46. the interpretation [of these signs is]:-" Lord of the "shrine of NEKHEBET, and Lord of the shrine of

66

'UATCHET, who illumineth the land of the White "Crown, and the land of the Red Crown." And inasmuch as the last day of the fourth month of the season SHEMU1 (i.e., MESORE), which is the birthday of the beautiful ever-living god, is already established as a feast day, and it hath been observed as a day of festival in the lands of HORUS (i.e., the temple lands) from the olden time; and moreover, the seventeenth day of the second month of the season SHAT (ie., PAOPI),

47. whereon [His Majesty] perforined the ceremonies of royal accession, when he received the sovereignty from his father, [is also observed as a day of festival], and behold [these days] have been the source of all [good] things wherein all men have participated; these days, that is to say, the seventeenth and the last day of each month, shall be kept as festivals in the temples

48. of Egypt, in each and every one of them; and on these days burnt offerings shall be offered up, and meat offerings, and everything which it is right and customary to perform at the celebration of festivals shall be performed on these days every month, and on these festivals every man shall do (i.e., offer up) what he is accustomed to do on [other] fes

49. tivals in the temples. [And the priests also decreed] that the things which [are brought to the temples] as

The season of the Inundation, or, our summer.

2 Our autumn and early winter.

offerings shall be given unto the persons who [minister in the temples; and festivals and processions shall be established in the temples, and in all Egypt, in honour of] the King of the South and

North, (Ptolemy, ever-living, beloved of Ptaḥ, the

god who maketh himself manifest, whose deeds are beautiful, each year,

50. beginning with the first day of the first month of the

season Shat (i.e., Thoth) up to the fifth day thereof; [and on these days the people shall wear] garlands on their heads, and they shall make festal the altars and shall offer up meat and drink offerings, and shall perform everything which it is right and proper to perform. And the priests of all the temples which are called after his name

51. shall have, in addition to all the other priestly titles which they may possess, the title of "Servant of the "god who maketh himself manifest, whose deeds are "beautiful"; [and this title shall be endorsed on all deeds and documents which are laid up in the temples]; and they shall cause to be engraved on the rings which they wear on their hands, the title of "Libationer of the god who maketh himself "manifest, whose deeds are beautiful."

52. And behold, it shall be in the hands of those who live in the country, and those who desire [it], to establish a copy of the shrine of the god who maketh himself manifest, whose deeds are beautiful, and set it up in their houses, and they shall be at liberty to keep festivals and make rejoicings [before it] each month 53. and each year; and in order to make those who are in Egypt to know [why it is that the Egyptians pay honour-as it is most right and proper to do—to the

god who maketh himself beautiful, whose deeds are beautiful, the priests have decreed] that this DECREE shall [be inscribed] upon a stele of hard stone in the writing of the words of the gods, and the writing of the books, and in the writing of HAUI-NEBUI (ie., Greeks), and it shall be set up in the sanctuaries in the temples which [are called] by his name, of the first, second, and third [class], near the statue of the HORUS, the King of the South and North

Ptolemy, ever-living, beloved of Ptah the god who maketh himself manifest, whose deeds are beautiful.