“The Majesty of the god Anpu saith, ‘Knowest thou the name of this door so as to declare it unto me?’ And Osiris, the scribe Ani, triumphant in peace, triumphant! saith, ‘Destroyer of the god Shu’ is the name of this door. The Majesty of the god Anpu saith, ‘Knowest thou the name of the upper leaf and of the lower leaf?’ ‘Lord of Maat upon his two feet’ is the name of the upper leaf, and ‘Lord of twofold strength, the subduer of cattle,’ [is the name of the lower leaf. The Majesty of the god Anpu saith], ‘Since thou knowest pass on, O Osiris the scribe, the teller of the divine offerings of all the gods of Thebes, Ani, triumphant, the lord of reverence.'"
THE INTRODUCTION TO MAATI
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 22).]
[The following] shall be said when the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, cometh forth into the Hall of double Maati[1] so that he may be separated from every sin which he hath done and may behold the faces of the gods. The Osiris Nu, triumphant, saith:
“Homage to thee, O Great God, thou Lord of Double Maāti, I have come to thee, O my Lord, and I have brought myself hither that I may behold thy beauties. I know thee, and I know thy name, and I know the name[s] of the two and forty gods who exist with thee in this Hall of double Maāti, who live as warders of sinners and who feed upon their blood on the day when the lives of men are taken into account in the presence of the god Un-nefer; in truth ‘Rekhti-merti-neb-Maāti’ (i.e., ‘twin-sisters with two eyes, ladies of double Maāti') is thy name. In truth I have come to thee, and I have brought Maāt (i.e., right and truth) to thee, and I have destroyed wickedness for thee. [I have not done evil to] mankind. I have not oppressed the members of my family, I have not wrought evil in the place of right and truth. I
- ↑ In other papyri this chapter is called: (1) “The Chapter of going into the Hall of double Maati;” (2) “The Chapter of [the Hall of] double Maati and of knowing what is therein;” and (3) “The Book of entering into the Hall of double Maati.” See Naville, op. cit., Bd. II. p. 275.