English translation

¹  King Ptolemy, the one called Alexander, and queen Berenike the sister, to the stratêgos of the Memphite nome and the phrourarchos and the epistatês phylakitôn and the archiphylakitês and ho epi tôn prosodôn and the basilikos grammateus and the epistatai of the temples and the archiereis and the others in charge of royal revenues, greetings. A copy of the petition submitted to us by Petesis, concerning the matters which are allegedly being perpetrated against individuals by certain men, is subjoined. Let him have the resolution he seeks in every respect. (in a second hand) Farewell. (in the first hand) Year 16, Dios 29, Thoth 29. To king Ptolemy, the one also called Alexander, mother-loving god, and to queen Berenike the sister, brother-loving goddess, greetings, Petesis, son of Chenouphis, chief of the embalmers’ guild for the greatest, immortal gods Osorapis and Osoromneuis. Though furnishing great services and the necessities to the aforementioned gods, holding out my hands to them, and performing prayers and sacrifices on your behalf, o greatest gods and bringers of victory, so as to grant you health, victory, power, strength and lordship over the lands under heaven, I am nevertheless being mistreated and extorted at random in regard to each of my services, and, as it happened, by certain of those in the districts. I have thus fled to you, and I ask you, being in need, that you please—if it seems right—command Philokrates, syngenês and epistolographos, to send out, concerning both me and my household, a circular letter containing the provisions that no one is permitted to transgress its contents, nor to plunder in any way nor extort me nor to put his hands upon me; and, if it seems right, (I ask that you command Philokrates) to place it in front of my house on a public notice-board, and that directions be issued to the basilikos grammateus, so that encountering your humanity I may perform the services of the gods. Farewell. (J. Bauschatz, Law and Enforcement, pp317–318)