or of the revolutions of the sun, moon, and five

planets.

The seventh was on geography.

The eighth on the chorography of Egypt, and The ninth on the survey of the Nile. From these two last classes, it is evident that the Egyptians knew and had the use of drawing charts and maps.

The tenth treated of the lands dedicated to the service of the temples.

The eleventh, of the articles belonging to these temples.

The twelfth, of the different measures of these several articles, and

The thirteenth, of the various things which were required to carry on the service of the temples.

The fourteenth head turned upon ten different subjects, which however, were of the same religious nature; such as sacrifices, first fruits or primitiæ, hymns, prayers, solemn pomps and ceremonies, festivals, and the like.

The fifteenth turned upon the gods, sacrifices, laws, and the instruction of the priests; and the whole was divided into seven heads, or volumes; and, lastly,

The sixteenth, which consisted of six books, treated of the mode of living, diseases, anatomy, pharmacy, diseases of the eyes, maladies of women, instruments of surgery, and the like.

These were all called the writings of Hermes; not that Hermes had actually written them, but

that, in order to render them more venerable in the eyes of the people, they had been referred to Hermes. Of these writings a certain quantity, or department, had been assigned to a particular class of the priesthood: the hymn Singers learned the lyric compositions; the Horoscopi the astrological; to the Pastophori, a kind of overseers, who were the lowest class of the priesthood, was assigned the medical department; and to the Stolistes, or Sacrificers, every thing concerning rites and ceremonies.

It was the duty of this class of the priesthood to inspect the animals that were brought to market for food, and to mark with their seal the oxen which were destined for sacrifices. For this reason, some of them were called Moschosphragista, that is, the markers of calves; and if we are to believe Porphyry, their duty consisted in the observance of not less than six hundred rules, which all turned upon the manner of choosing and killing the different animals either destined for sacrifices or food; and such seems to have been the earnestness of these laws, that the punishment of death was decreed to any one who should sacrifice a victim which had not been marked by the seal of the Stolistes. The whole, however, is fully related by Herodotus, and a curious account it is, and well worth your perusal.

It was also the office of the Stolistes to withhold from the sight of the profane those symbols which they were not allowed to behold; hence in public

processions they carried in their hands covered baskets, in which these symbols were enclosed. They also, at stated periods represented, by a kind of scenical exhibition, the adventures of Osiris, during which they buried him first, and then brought him to life again.

To the Prophets belonged the knowledge of the law, of theology, the discipline of the whole order of the priesthood, and the administration of the revenue; whilst to the Hierogrammatæ, or sacred scribes, were assigned the care and duty of making themselves perfectly acquainted with every thing that belonged to Egypt, whether sacred or profane, political or historical, military or commercial, scientific or literary; in short, with every thing that might be said to belong to Egypt; for they were looked upon as knowing the whole encyclopædia of their country.

Besides these sciences, or departments of learning, the Egyptians had several books on mathematics; a study which, though chiefly cultivated by the prophets, was not disregarded by the other classes of the priesthood. They had also books on grammar, geographical maps, and charts of the Nile, as well as of the whole country. These, it seems, were intrusted to the care of the Prophets; for it was their duty to be thoroughly acquainted with the constitution of Egypt, the prerogatives of the crown, and the rights and liberties of the people. They were looked upon as interpreters of the will of the gods, and, as such, were invested with the

most important offices of the state, as high priest, chancellor, treasurer, and the like, and even as the advisers and guardians of the monarch.

This is by no means a despicable account of the learning of the Egyptian priests; but it is not the whole, for to these we must add other productions which the Greek and Roman writers have embodied in their works, and of which only fragments have reached us; though by the way in which these productions have been used, it is difficult to determine accurately what was the original Egyptian. Of this sort was the book first mentioned by Fabricius, about the influence of the seven planets, and to which they had given the name of Panaretum, that is, possessing every species of virtue. They had attributed in fact, fortune to the moon, genius to the sun, love to Venus, necessity to Mercury, boldness to Mars, victory to Jupiter, and justice to Saturn; and perhaps, under the same head, or at least, as a consequence of the doctrine laid out in the Panaretum, we must reckon the ritual, explaining the influence or power which the several gods had on the different parts of the human body. This ritual forms a part of the funeral papyrus found in a mummy whose name was Petamenof, and published by Cailliaud. I give you here the translation of Champollion; and I give it with the greater pleasure, because in the mummies we find the images of certain deities invariably painted or engraved on a particular limb. This explanation therefore, will help you much in

recognising these deities, and the reason why they have been represented on that particular part of the mummy.

The hair belonged to Pemoou, the celestial Nile, the god of the primitive waters, and father of the gods; the head to the god Phré the sun; the eyes to the goddess Hator, that is, Venus; the ears to the god Macedo, a god generally represented with the head of a jackal, the guardian of the tropics; the right temple to the spirit of Atmou, in the habitation of Siou, that is, the stars; the left temple to the living spirit; the nose and lips to Anubis; the teeth to Selk; the beard to Macedo; the neck to Isis and Nepthus; the arms to Osiris; the knees to the goddess Neith; the elbows to the god Ord, of the region of Gir; the back to the god Sisho; the thighs to the god Bal Hor; the legs to Netpe; the feet to Phtah; the fingers to the living Uræi, that is, to all the goddesses.

This perhaps, may appear to some of you ridiculous enough; but I beg you will remember, that even at this moment ninety-nine men out of every hundred throughout the world, are holding these very absurdities, which we are ridiculing; they perhaps excite our smiles and our contempt in the direct ratio of our ignorance of the causes which have produced such notions amongst the whole of mankind; for as Champollion has properly remarked," Les savans qui fout une étude approfondie des mythes et des croyances Egyptiennes