it to his son Osiris. Thus those who are ready to listen to the
formulae of the snake-charmers shall always be immune from the bites of
serpents, and their children also. From this we may gather that the
profession of the snake-charmer is very ancient, and that this class of
magicians were supposed to owe the foundation of their craft to a
decree of Ra himself.

Ra next sent for the god Thoth, and when he came into the presence of
Ra, he invited him to go with him to a distance, to a place called
"Tuat," i.e., hell, or the Other World, in which region he had
determined to make his light to shine. When they arrived there he told
Thoth, the Scribe of Truth, to write down on his tablets the names of
all who were therein, and to punish those among them who had sinned
against him, and he deputed to Thoth the power to deal absolutely as he
pleased with all the beings in the Tuat. Ra loathed the wicked, and
wished them to be kept at a distance from him. Thoth was to be his
vicar, to fill his place, and "Place of Ra," was to be his name. He
gave him power to send out a messenger (hab), so the Ibis (habi) came
into being. All that Thoth would do would be good (khen), therefore
the Tekni bird of Thoth came into being. He gave Thoth power to
embrace (anh) the heavens, therefore the Moon-god (Aah) came into
being. He gave Thoth power to turn back (anan) the Northern peoples,
therefore the dog-headed ape of Thoth came into being. Finally Ra told
Thoth that he would take his place in the sight of all those who were
wont to worship Ra, and that all should praise him as God. Thus the
abdication of Ra was complete.

In the fragmentary texts which follow we are told how a man may benefit
by the recital of this legend. He must proclaim that the soul which
animated Ra was the soul of the Aged One, and that of Shu, Khnemu (?),