Stirvejjing and Anafom?/ originated in Egi/pt. 335 



info its bed, led them to invent surveying, and the desire of fa- 

 cilitating the flowing ofl'of the waters, taught them the art of dig- 

 win"- canals. They seem to have paid early attention to the study 

 of the celestial phenomena, which alone could afford them the 

 means of foreseeing the motions of the Nile ; and as the extreme 

 purity of the atmosphere was favourable to this study, they made 

 more progress in astronomy than any other nation. 



The Egyptians made great progress in architecture also, for 

 having been induced by circumstances, of which we shall pre- 

 sently speak, to employ a great portion of their riches in build- 

 ing, they had excellent materials in abundance, which the river 

 permitted them to transport with ease. 



Religion was not in Egypt, as it was in India, an obstacle to 

 the progress of the natural sciences. On the contrary, it im- 

 posed in some measure an obligation to cultivate them ; and, in 

 fact, not only did it borrow many of its emblems from the animal 

 kinf^dom, but it also necessarily excited attention to all those 

 animals which it had pronounced to be sacred. 



This part of the Egyptian religion did not come from India, but 

 originated in Ethiopia. It is probable that the Ethiopians, before 

 the arrival of the Indian colony, had been addicted to fetishism, 

 as are in general all the tribes of the negro race, and that they 

 would not adopt the new rehgion without mingling with it a 

 part of their old superstitions. But in whatever manner this 

 religion was established, it is certain the priest attached at least 

 one animal to each divinity. The hawk was consecrated to 

 Osiris, the ibis or the cow to Isis, the crocodile to Saturn. In each 

 of the temples in which these divinities were worshipped, there 

 were brought up several of the animals which were dedicated 

 to them, and which themselves in some measure shared in the 

 divine honours paid to their patrons. There were thus afford- 

 ed constant opportunities of observing their external forms and 

 their habits. There were even occasions of observing their in- 

 ternal structure, as it was customary to embalm them after 

 death. 



In Egypt the same horror toward dead bodies was not en- 

 tertained as in India ; not only were the bodies of sacred ani- 

 mals embalmed, but those of men also. Now, this practice 

 could not fail to give those who were charged with it a know- 



