and whose will directs the stars through the immenfity of fpace. Thefe are the religious opinions of the Egyptians concerning Phtha, Neith, and Cneph, three attributes of the fame god, characterizing his wisdom, power, and goodnefs. The worship was gradually loft, or remained concealed in the temples; and the people, deceived by their priests, who gave them only fymbols, or incapable of conceiving an infinite fpirit, which every where marks his prefence, yet every where escapes our fenfes, honoured his works, to which they addreffed their offerings and prayers. I have the honor to be, &c. LETTER LETTER XIX. ON THE VISIBLE DEITIES OF EGYPT. The Egyptians first adored the fun, under its proper name, Phra; and, afterward, under that of Ofiris. This god became very famous, had temples, and facrifices, throughout Egypt; which originated with aftronomers, who measured time by the course of the fun, more regular than that of the moon. The word Ofiris, derived from Of Iri, author of time, denotes the reason the priests bad for creating this allegoric deity. 1 To M. L. M. Grand Cairo. THE ancient Egyptians, contemplating "the vaulted heavens, and admiring the "marvellous order of the univerfe, held the "fun and moon to be eternal deities, and paid them particular adoration; naming Y 2 "the 1 "the one Ofiris, and the other Ifis (o)." This affertion is too general: it ought, to make it more conformable to truth, to have excepted the kings, the initiated, and, particularly, the priests, who did not believe that idolatry they taught the people; nay, it is reasonable to fuppofe, their first doctrine was that these luminous bodies were the work of God. Be this as it may, the Egyptians, from the remoteft times, have adored the fun and moon, under the titles of the King and Queen of Heaven (p). The fun was first called Phra (q). The father-inlaw of the patriarch Jofeph was named, according to the feptuagint, Petephra, Prieft of the Sun. Aftronomers, obferving its courfe and principal effects, gave it the fymbolical name of Ofiris, which religion fanctified. "It is known that Ofiris is only the "fun: when the Egyptians defcribe it, in "their hieroglyphics, they paint a fceptre "and an eye (1)." They could not better pourtray this luminary, to which they attri buted the empire of Heaven. Thus Martianus Capella (s), in his fine hymn, fays, Eye of the world, bright Olympian torch; "Latium calls thee Sun; because, after "thy author, thou art the fource of light. "The Nile names thee Serapis : and Mem phis, adoring Ofiris, adores thee." Some authors, alfo, have called the Nile Ofiris. Plutarch gives the reafon. "The Egyp"tians hold the Nile to be the preserver "of their country, and that it draws its "fource from Ofiris (t)." The vapours, raised by the fun, and condensed in the atmosphere, fall in rain, and form the greatriver that gives wealth to Egypt. In this fense, Homer calls it the ftream of Jupiter (u). The Egyptians, fays Herodotus (x), pretend that Ofiris and Bacchus are the fame; which opinion has been efpoufed by many of the Greeks, and is not improbable. The Egyptians made Ofiris travel from one end of the world to the other, described him as the king who had conquered (5) Lib. 2. (t) Flut. de Ifide et Ofiride. (u) Jupiter and the fun, or Oris, are the fame. (x) Lib. 2. Y 3 the the world, and heaped bleffings on man. The Greeks, attributing fimilar gifts and conquefts to Bacchus, have faid he was Ofiris; however, in the facred language of Egypt, thefe travels only meant the course of the fun, and the good he did men, which allegories have always been customary among the Orientals. Thus the Pfalmift (x)" He "hath fet a tabernacle for the fun, which " is a bridegroom coming out of his cham"ber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run His going forth is from the end "of Heaven, and his circuit unto the ends. "of it: and there is nothing hid from the "heat thereof." Tibullus has literally given the opinions of the Greeks in graceful and harmonious verfe (a): a race. Primus aratra manu folerti fecit Ofiris, A trait, which the beft authors of antiquity give, evidently demonftrates the Greeks (z) Pfalm xix. (a) Tibull. lib. 1. eleg. 8. were |