8o TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



he is once more challenged to accomplish the task, and at the 

 same time to interpret our theological inscription according to 

 Champollion's theory, viz., without taking any hieroglyph for a 

 syllabic sign, or reducing any hieroglyphic word to a Hebrew or 

 related root. Should he, however, perceive, that no entire Egyp- 

 tian text can be explained grammatically and logically by means of 

 Champollion's "orthodox system," he will not hesitate, if desirous 

 to leave an honorable name, to confess publicly that Champol- 

 lion's theory was, apart from a small number of (130) letters and 

 words, a complete failure. It is shameful to continue singing the 

 hymn : Mundus vult decipi^ ergo decipiatur. 



Indeed, it is afflicting to see how the Champollionists, during 

 fifty-four years, hindered the progress of Egyptian philology ; that 

 a thousand works conspired for the purpose of trampling under- 

 foot what was opposed to Champollion's glory. Among these 

 deceitful publications the following, e.g., are to be numbered: 

 Lepsius's Egyptian Journal ; Brugsch's Rosettana and romances, 

 particularly his voluminous Dictionary ; De Rouge's Memoire ; 

 Lepsius's Tanis-stone, " The Reports of the Past," &c. Of the 

 latter work, nearly every year one volume, containing only trans- 

 lations, is published by the London Society of Biblical Archae- 

 ology. The character of these translations, however, is clearly 

 mirrored in Goodwin's version of the Neapolitan stele {\o\. iv. 

 p. 6^), which translation of twenty lines is true in four instances 

 only, as will b,e seen in another place. That respectable Society 

 ought to bear in mind that Egyptian translations, without the 

 original texts and grammatical commentaries, are useless ; that 

 they spread the old error that Champollion's system is the key to 

 Egyptian literature, and that this corporation is responsible for 

 its publications reducing the Egyptian literature to Cimmerian 

 darkness. Every right-minded man will approve these outspoken 

 sentiments, because I am under obligation to protest against lite- 

 rary deceptions of the public. I^iat justitia^ pereat ?mindus '. 



