Ohfervatlons on the Zodiac at Dejrdera, X07 



Agree fo as to produce a whole: for in fiance, a thin face 

 llioukl not be united with fat hands. The lame unity is ue- 

 ceHary between the figure and its attire, which (hould fuit 

 the degree and oharawer of the perfou as well as be adapted 

 to the age and fex. 



We cannot do better than conclude this paper in the words 

 of fir Jofliua : — "My advice is this: keep your attention 

 fixed on the higher excellencies. If you compafs them and 

 compafs nothing more, vou are dill in the firfi: clafs. \Vc 

 may regret the innumerable beauties which you may want: 

 you mav be impcrfeft, but fiill you will be an iinperteft per- 

 lon of the highell order." That great man in another place, 

 fpcaking of " the well grounded painter, fiiys, " as his pre- 

 eminence depends not upon a trick, he is free from the pain- 

 ful fufpicions of a juggler, who lives in perpetual fear left 

 his trick {hould be difcovered." 



XVIII. Obfcrvations on the 7.odiac at Dendera. By the 

 Rcv. Samuel II e n l k v, F. S. A. * 



J\S the repcjrt of C. Fourricr concerning this zodiac and 

 its high antiquity has made a deep impreilion on the minds 

 of many, and the arginncnt thence drawn has been deemed 

 of great weight, in oppofnion to the Mofaic records and re- 

 vealed religion, I fend you the following obfervations, with 

 the hope that they may reach thole who olherwile might not 

 fee them, and have their effc6t upon a large clafs of readers, 

 who may have too lightly accedcti to Fourricr's conclufion. 



Denon, fpeaking of this zodiac as clearly proving the pro- 

 found knowledge of the amient Fgypiians in allronomy, men- 

 tions the ruins which contain it, and are extanl but twenty 

 niinuies ride from Dendera (anticnily Tentyra), known at 

 prefent under the Arabic name of Berbe. Concerning the 

 elvmology of this term, various opinions have been oflered ; 

 but that l)y the learned De Sacy is moll generally admitted. 

 He conjeftured it to have been derived from Ili and l-P^EI, 

 the temple. 



Notwithftanding this conje(hl:ure was afTcnted to bv Mi- 

 chaelis, VValil, and Zoega, it h;is been oppcfed b\ Hanniann, 

 who contends that Beiba fignifjcs a pyramid or obdi/k. 

 Thoutib fu|)porled in tliis by Schulicns, the inierpretaiiou 

 refts in part on a conjcclure of Heiike, who for liaiabi lub- 

 ftitulcd iJarami, which, however, in Arabic is plural j an4 



• I'rintcd, with the author's corrections, from the Montiily M. g.i/inc. 



on 



