98 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIV. 



such animal, which is more suited to a cave than a 

 temple ; and you behold an Egyptian God in a 

 beast* lyingbeforeyouonapurple carpet." Thesame 

 idea is conveyed in these two lines of Juvenal t, — 



" Illic CEeruleos, hie piscem fluminis, illic 

 Oppida tota canera venerantur, nemo Dianam.' " 



It sometimes happened that, like the Gods of 

 Rome, or the Saints of modern Italy, the sacred 

 animals fell into disgrace, in consequence of the 

 wishes of their votaries not having been complied 

 with ; and this supposed neglect was resented with 

 the same feelings, which subject the image of 

 a Saint to the bastinado, or to the ignominy of 

 having a string tied round its neck, and being 

 thrown into a well. Plutarch t tells us, that when- 

 ever any great drought, or pestilential disease, or 

 other extraordinary calamity, happened, it was 

 customary for the Egyptian priests to select some 

 of the sacred animals, and having conducted them 

 with all silence and secresy to a dark place, to terrify 

 them with threats, and afterwards, if the disorder 

 still continued, to devote them to death.'* And 

 Porphyry relates, that they were in the habit of 

 using threats, not only to the sacred animals, but 

 even to the Gods themselves, — " declaring tl)at, 

 unless they did what they desired, or if they acted 

 contrary to their wishes, they would * disclose the 

 mysteries of Lsis,' ' divulge the secrets hidden in the 

 abyss,' 'stop the Baris (the sacred boat),' or ' scatter 

 before Typho the members of Osiris.'" 



* In the inner or minor sanctuary of the great temple of Karnak, 

 is the statue of a colossal hawk on a pedestal, though the temple was 

 dedicated to Anuin and not to Ke. 



t Juv, Sat. XV. 7. J Plut. de Is. s. 7.3. 



