an N, and spell Stn, that is Soten. In the same way the word place, which in Coptic is ma, [fig. 38.] is expressed by two hieroglyphics, by the owl, which stands for an M, and by the extended arm, which is an A. Now if to these groups we add the undulating line, we turn the nominative into the genitive case, and must read the whole of a king, of a place.

In regard to the verbs, it seems that our knowledge is not sufficiently extensive to allow us to mark with accuracy the hieroglyphics by which the Egyptians distinguished the different tenses of past, present, and future. If we are to draw our conclusion from the manner in which they conjugated their verbs, it seems that this should be done by the addition of one or more hieroglyphics; because in speaking, they marked these different tenses by adding a letter or a syllable to the infinitive mood. We find, in fact, that they distinguished the third person singular of the present tense, in the same way as we do in the English language, by adding the letters to the word,such as he does, he writes. And M. Champollion has ascertained, that in hieroglyphics, the figure of the serpent, or of the broken line, one of which stands for the letter S, and the other for the letter F, is a mark of this third person singular of the present tense. For the same reason M. Champollion has also found out that the group in fig. 16. consisting of three characters, is the mark by which they exhibited the third person plural of the future tense. For in fact, the crooked line is an S, the

undulating line is N, the three perpendiculars are E; they are, therefore, an abbreviation of sene, which, in the spoken language, was invariably added to the verb, to express the third person plural of the future tense.

The passive participle was represented by two hieroglyphics, the horn and the half circle, [fig. 17.] The horn is U, or OI; the half circle a T; and they both spell ut, or oit, which was the termination of the passive participle, in the spoken language.

With regard to the pronouns, the definite was exhibited by the vase, and the perpendicular line, [fig. 18.] The vase represents the letter N, the perpendicular line the vowel A, spelling na, or ne. These two hieroglyphics are always added to groups expressing names, and seem to exhibit the meaning of the pronoun this, in English.

The relative pronoun who, or which, is represented by a vase and half a circle [fig. 19.] The vase is an N, the half circle is a T. They are an abbreviation of net, which, in the old Coptic, means precisely who or which. The triangle joined to the square, [fig. 20.] or a stretched arm holding a triangle, added to a square, [fig. 21.] spell pot, or pet, which syllable or word, when prefixed to a noun, denotes the demonstrative pronoun, amounting to our expression, the man who, or the man belonging to. And in the feminine gender, the same meaning is obtained by the three signs [fig. 22.] representing a pair of tongs, the undulating

line, and the half circle. The phonetic power of the tongs is a T; of the undulating line, N; of the half circle, T: an abbreviation of tent, which means the woman who, or the woman belonging to.

Thus, for instance, if before the hieroglyphics spelling the name of Amon, [fig. 23.] we put the two characters marked in fig. 20, we shall have, in fig. 24, the word Petamon, which means the man belonging to Amon. And in the same way, if we add the characters marked in fig. 22, expressing the feminine gender, to those exhibited by fig. 23, we shall have, in fig. 25, the word Tentamon, which will mean the woman belonging to Amon.

Such are the principal and most important grammatical forms or phrases, which it is proper you should be acquainted with, because the understanding of them will help us greatly in decyphering the legends which I shall have to offer to your consideration. To impress them still more on your mind, I shall exhibit some instances.

The first of these instances is the group, which exhibits the relation of a son [fig. 26]. This, in Coptic, is called sa, or se, or scha, from the verb schai, to be born. Now the bird stands for the letter shei, (a), the schin (w) of the Hebrew, which corresponds to our sch, and the perpendicular line, for an A or E, according to the different dialects; and thus the whole group forms the word scha, or sa, or se. The same must be said of the oval and the line [fig. 27.]; for the oval, or egg,

is a synonyme of the bird, and the meaning, or rather the spelling, is the same, as either is indifferently applied to signify a son, in regard to the father only; for when we wish to apply it to the mother, then we employ the other group in fig. 28, which spell ms, an abbreviation of mas, or mese, from the verb mes, to produce.

According, therefore, to what I said in my last Lecture, as well as in this, of the figurative and symbolic hieroglyphics, we may easily read the legend marked in fig. 29, the meaning of which is, -Horus, son of Osiris, god, produced by Isis, goddess.

In this group, we have a mixture of signs, some of which are symbolic, and some phonetic. The name of Horus is symbolic, consisting of the hawk and the perpendicular line; the word son is phonetic, expressed by the bird S, and the line A, or E. The names of Isis and Osiris are symbolic; so are the titles of god and goddess; for the former is expressed by the post, or hatchet, that stands under the eye; the latter by the pschent which precedes, and the image of the goddess which follows, the symbolic name of Isis. The word produced is phonetic, and the oval and the semi-circle are the marks of the female gender belonging to Isis.

From what has been said, therefore, it is evident, that from the great number of characters which might be used to express the same idea, the Egyp

tians followed three different modes in selecting those they meant to employ. If they wished, for instance, to mention in their writing the name of Ammon, of this supreme deity of Thebes, the writer, or, as the Greeks called him, the hierogramata, could, as he pleased, exhibit this idea either figuratively, symbolically, or phonetically. Figuratively, by drawing the image of this deity such as it was seen in the temples; symbolically, by designing the forms of an obelisk, or of the sacred ram, both of which were the symbols of Ammon; and phonetically, by writing the three characters, or letters, which spelt its name, and adding to the group the image or the symbol of a god.

Sometimes, even in expressing some particular object, they joined the symbolic to the figurative characters, and made them thus to represent a particular idea. Such is the group which I offer to your inspection, in which the figurative character of a house [fig. 39 and 40.] is joined to the symbolic sign which stands for deity, [fig. 41.] and thus we have the idea of a temple, that is, the house of a deity; and if to these two characters we add a third, the eye, for instance, [fig. 42.] which is the symbolical sign of the god Osiris, we shall have the signification of the temple of Osiris, that is, the sacred house of Osiris; and if instead of the eye we add other characters that are the symbolical expressions of other gods or goddesses, then this general idea of a temple in fig. 41. will be