ancient documents, and the principles already corrupted by the influence of foreign invasion, and polluted by ignorance and superstition. At the time of Strabo, who visited this town soon after the death of our Saviour, they still shewed the apartments in which, four centuries before, Eudoxus and Plato had laboured to learn the philosophy of Egypt.

The name of this god Re, is represented in all the three usual ways, that is, phonetically, figuratively, and symbolically.

Phonetically, by the mouth and the arms [fig. 13.] which spell Ra, or Re, or by a circle and the perpendicular line [fig. 14.] which are but synonymes of the two former signs.

Figuratively, it exhibited the image of the god, as he was seen in the temple, sometimes with the head of a hawk, simply surmounted by a globe [fig. 15.], the symbol of the sun; and at other times having the addition of a serpent, called Urous [fig. 16.], which, as you know, was another emblem of the supreme power; and symbolically [fig. 17.] we find him represented by these same attributes of the globe and serpent, without any further addition.

If we are to believe Horapollo, the Egyptians had given to this god the head of a hawk, because they believed this bird to be very prolific, and longlived, two qualifications admirably suiting the nature of the sun. They thought, besides, that this bird, by an unknown power peculiar to itself, always held his

eyes directed to the sun, which for this reason was represented in the temple of Hieracomorphe, under the image of a hawk. This bird, in fact, seems to have been the emblem of many gods, for we find not only the god Phre, but even Phtha Sokaris, often represented under the human form, with the head of this bird.

Occasionally we also meet with another symbolical representation of this god Re, and that is a sphynx, which was considered as the emblem both of strength and prudence. The first of these qualities was expressed by its shewing the body of a lion; the second by its having the human head.

Another great deity, which I must introduce to your acquaintance, is a goddess who seems to have performed several employments in the organization of the universe. Her name is Saté. As she is said to be the daughter of the sun, who was the sovereign of the physical world, Saté seems to have been the protectress of all the Egyptian monarchs, and especially of the Pharaohs of the eighteenth dynasty, since her image is become a hieroglyphical character, half figurative and half symbolic. This is generally seen amongst the signs forming the mystic titles, or the prænomen of the princes of this illustrious race, which reckons among its members the greatest kings that ever reigned over Egypt; a Mores, an Amenophis II., an Ousirei, a Ramses Meiamoun, the grandfather of Ramses Sethosis, so well known by the ancients under the name of Sesostris. In fact, the greatest part of

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the royal legends, engraved on the different buildings of Thebes, in honour of the princes of this dynasty, under whose reign Egypt attained the highest degree of civilization, power, and glory, are placed under the protection of this goddess. The titles by which she was decorated were not less magnificent than her emblems. Saté, the living goddess, the daughter of the sun, the queen of the heavens and of the earth, the ruler of the inferior region, the protectress of her son, the lord of the world, the king of the three regions, son of the sun, Phtah-men Ousirei." Such are the words surrounding an image of this goddess, who covers with her wings a legend, in which the name and prænomen of the Pharaoh Ousirei is inscribed, discovered and published by the indefatigable and unfortunate Belzoni.

These titles, even when unconnected with those that adulation had given to the Pharaohs, are always, the living goddess, the re-establisher, and the benefactress of the inferior region, the ruling deity, like the sun eternal.

And here, for this inferior region, you are not to understand either the inferior region of heaven, or the inferior region of the earth, but simply Lower Egypt. For this name was given to that portion of the country where the Delta begins, as the appellation of superior region was bestowed upon Higher Egypt, or the Thebaid. The intermediate territory was called Middle Egypt.

In the "Egyptian Pantheon," and in the first

edition of the "Précis du Systemé Hieroglyphique," M. Champollion exhibited the name of the goddess Saté, like those of all the other Egyptian deities, phonetically, figuratively, and emblematically. Her phonetic name is made up by four signs [Table 4. fig. 18.]: the straight line with a kind of flower at the top, is an S; the half circle is a T; the two feathers an E; and the last is a figurative character, representing an abridgement of her figure. Figuratively, she is exhibited under the image of a woman, bearing the sign of divine life in her hands, and having her head decorated with the upper part of the head-dress called the pschent, adorned by two long horns. The figure of this peculiar head-dress is exhibited in Table 4. fig. 23.

Another goddess is Smé, called by the Greeks Alna, answering to Themis, the goddess of justice and truth. These attributes evidently shew her to have been another representation of the infinite power who continued to influence and act upon the destinies of men, even after death, in a future life; for we find this goddess almost invariably represented on the monuments exhibiting the ceremony of funerals, perpetually leading the soul to the balance, where the deeds and actions of his life were to be weighed, previous to its being introduced to Osiris.

The phonetic name of this goddess is spelt by three characters, [Table 4. fig. 19.] The first a kind of parallelogram, is an S; the

second, a

species of sickle, is M; the third, the extended arm, is an A or an E; spelling Smé. To these three characters three more are added; the half circle, the egg, and the image of a female; the two former mark the gender, the latter the figure or image of this goddess. Figuratively, this goddess was represented [fig. 20.] under the image of a woman, holding the sign of divine life, and having her head decorated with a feather, which is the peculiar distinction of all her images. Lastly, symbolically, she was exhibited [fig. 21.] by the great serpent, who was the emblem of immortality and wisdom.

These

Such is the short account of some of the principal gods and goddesses, whose names and legends are very often met with among the ruins of Egypt, engraved on obelisks, painted on almost every mummy, and mentioned in most MSS. gods form but a small portion of the Egyptian Theogony; they hold however, the most important places in their Pantheon, and such as to enable the generality of readers to understand the greatest part of the hieroglyphical characters most commonly seen. So far therefore, they may be deemed sufficient to answer our present purpose. But as in almost every legend which is connected with the dead, we meet with the representation of another god, whose dominion is principally exercised over the souls of men, I think it better, before I proceed to other topics, to introduce to your acquaintance this important personage. He, together with