“And when my brother Na.nefer.ka.ptah went to the cemetery of Memphis, he did nothing on earth but read the writings that are in the Catacombs of the kings, and the tablets of the `House of life,` and the inicriptions that are seen on the monuments, and he worked hard on the writings. And there was a priest there called Nesiptah; and as Na.nefer.ka.ptah went into a temple to pray, it happened that he went behind this priest, and was reading the inscriptions that were on the chapels of the gods. And the priest mocked him and laughed.
So Na.nefer.ka.ptah said to him. `Why are you laughing at me?` And he replied, `I was not laughing at you, or if I happened to do so, it was at your reading writings that are worthless. If you wish so much to read Writings, come to me, and I will bring you to the place where the book which Thoth himself wrote with his own hand, and which will bring you to the gods.
When you read but two pages in this you will enchant the heaven, the earth, the abyss, the mountains, and the sea; you shall know what the birds of the sky and the crawling things are saying; you Hindi sec the fishes of the deep, for a divine power is there to bring them lip out of the depth. And when you read the second page, if you are in lilt* world of ghosts, you will become again in the shape you were in on MHh, You will see the sun shining in the sky, with all the gods, and the Hill moon.`
By the life of the King
“And Na.nefer.ka.ptah said: `By the life of the King! Tell me of Htiything you want done, and I`ll do it for you, if you will only send Hie where this book is.` And the priest answered Na.nefer.ka.ptah, `If you want to go to the place where the book is, you must give me ioo pIctTH of silver for my funeral, and provide that they shall bury me as H llrli priest.` So Na.nefer.ka.ptah called his lad and told him to give pieces of silver; and he made them do as he wished, even Wfything that he asked for.
Then the priest said to Na.nefer.ka.ptah: `Thin book is in the middle of the river at Koptos, in an iron box; in the iron box is a bronze box; in the bronze box is a sycamore box; in the sycamore box is an ivory and ebony box; in the ivory and ebony box is a silver box; in the silver box is a golden box, and in that is the book. It is twisted all round with snakes and scorpions and all the other crawling things around the box in which the book is; and there is a deathless snake by the box.` In addition, when the priest told Na.nefer.ka.ptah, he did not know where he was, he was so much delighted.
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