196 



A HISTORY OF 



The sepulchres of the ancient Egyptians 

 subsist to this day. Most travellers who have 

 been in Egypt have described those of ancient 

 mummiesj and have seen the mummies interred 

 there. These eatacombsare within two leagues 

 of the ruins of the city, nine leagues from 

 Grand Cairo, and about two miles from the 

 village of Zaccara. They extend from thence 

 to the Pyramids of Pharaoh, which are about 

 eight miles distant. These sepulchres lie in a 

 field, covered with a fine running sand, of a 

 yellowish colour. The country is dry and 

 hilly ; the entrance of the tombs is choked up 

 with sand ; there are many open, but several 

 more that are still concealed. The inhabitants 

 of the neighbouring village have no other com- 

 merce, or "method of subsisting, but by seeking 

 out mummies, and selling them to such stran- 

 gers as happen to be at Grand Cairo. This 

 commerce, some years ago, was not only a 

 very common, but a very gainful one. A com- 

 plete mummy was often sold for twenty pounds: 

 but it must not be supposed that it was bought 

 at such a high price from a mere passion for 

 antiquity ; there were much more powerful 

 motives for this traffic. Mummy, at that time, 

 made a considerable article in medicine ; and 

 a thousand imaginary virtues were ascribed to 

 it, for the cure of most disorders, particularly 

 of the paralytic kind. There was no shop, 

 therefore, without mummy in it ; and no phy- 

 sician thought he had properly treated his 

 patient without adding this to his prescription. 

 Induced by the general repute, in which this 

 supposed drug was at that time, several Jews, 

 both of Italy and France, found out the art of 

 imitating mummy so exactly, that they, for a 

 long time, deceived all Europe. This they did 

 by drying dead bodies in ovens, after having 

 prepared them with myrrh, aloes, and bitumen. 

 Still, however, the request for mummies con- 

 tinued, and a variety of cures were daily 

 ascribed to them. At length, Paraeus wrote a 

 treatise on their total inefficacy in physic ; and 

 showed their abuse in loading the stomach, to 

 (he exclusion of more efficacious medicines. 

 From that time, therefore, their reputation be- 

 gan to decline ; the Jews discontinued their 

 counterfeits, and the trade returned entire to 

 the Egyptians, when it was no longer of value. 

 The industry of seeking after mummies is now 

 totally relaxed, their price merely arbitrary, 

 and just what the curious are willing to give. 



In seeking for mummies, they first clear away 

 the sand, which they may do for weeks to- 

 gether, without finding what is wanted. Upon 

 coming to a little square opening of about 

 eighteen feet in depth, they descend into it, by 

 holes for the feet, placed at proper intervals, 

 and there they are sure of finding what they 

 seek for. These caves, or wells, as they call 

 them, are hollowed out of a white free-stone, 

 which is found in all this country, a few feet 

 below the covering of sand. When one gets 

 to the bottom of these, which are sometimes 

 forty feet below the surface, there are several 

 square openings on each side, into passages of 

 ten or fifteen feet wide, and these lead to cham- 

 bers of fifteen or twenty feet square. These 

 arc all hewn out of the rock ; and in each of 

 the catacombs are to be found several of these 

 apartments, communicating with each other. 

 They extend a great way under ground, so as 

 to be under the city of Memphis, and in a 

 manner to undermine its environs. 



In some of the chambers, the walls are 

 adorned with figures and hieroglyphics ; in 

 others, the mummies are found in tombs round 

 the apartment hollowed out in the rock. These 

 tombs are upright, and cut into the shape of a 

 man, with his arms stretched out. There are 

 others found, and these in the greatest number, 

 in wooden-coffins, or in cloths covered with 

 bitumen. These coffins, or wrappers, are 

 covered all over with a variety of ornaments. 

 There are some of them painted, and adorned 

 with figures, such as that of Death, and the 

 leaden seals, on which several characters are 

 engraven. Some of these coffins are carved 

 into the human shape ; but the head alone is 

 distinguishable : the rest of the body is all of a 

 piece, and terminated by a pedestal, while there 

 are some with their arms hanging down ; and 

 it is by these marks that the bodies of persons 

 of rank are distinguished from those of tlie 

 meaner order. These are generally found ly- 

 ing on the floor, without any profusion of orna- 

 ments ; and in some chambers the mummies 

 are found indiscriminately piled upon each 

 other, and buried in the sand. 



Many mummies are found lying on their 

 backs ; their heads turned to the north, and 

 their hands placed on the belly. The bands 

 of linen, with which these were swathed, are 

 found to be more than a thousand yards long ; 

 and, of consequence, the number of circum- 



