cr own readers

A DI~~ER PARTY Il' A~ClENT THEBES. 1:33
seats on stools. on cha irs, or on the floor, one or two
at each little, low, round table. The dishe s, many
of whi ch ar e vegetables, are erved in courses, and
th e guests, haying neit her k nife nor fork , help th emselves
with their fingers. ervnnts keep the wine
and water cool by fann ing the porou~ jars which
contai n them.
D. During th e repast, when th e enjoyment is at
its height, the 0 iris- an image lik e a human mummy
-is brought in and form ally introduc ed to eat h
visitor, with the reminder that life is short and a:1
must die. This little incident does not in the lea: t
disturb the enjoyment of th e guests.
10. There is one, however, to whom th is warning
is not giYen, an d who, though anointed and garlanded
and duly placed at a table, does not partake of the
delicacies set before him . Thi s is a real mummy, a
deceased member of the family, whom th e host is
keeping for some months before buri al. It is in
his honour, ind eed, that the relatives and friends are
assembled : th e presence of a beloved mummy is the
chief pleasure of an Egyptian party.
char-i-ots
ob-e-lisk
hi-er-o-g lyph-ics
co r-ri-ders
col-on-na des "
san-dals
queues
drag-ons
sym-bo l-ic .
re-cep-tion
miis--I~ians
lo-tus , .
a-ca-ci-a
leop-ard
stuc-coed
in-tr o-duced'
in~i-d ent
del -i-ca-cies
de -ceased'
bur-i-al
W ean EXERCISE :-
I. :.rak e seutences showing th e various meanings of th e word cours e,
2. Give a list of words, wi:!: th eir meanings , fonn ed with the prefix
be-, as beloved.
3. Give .. list of words similar in mean ing to repast.
For K OTES, see page ~63 .