CHAP. XIV. ANIMALS AS EMBLEMS. 107 



" That the Gods, through a dread of Typlio, meta- 

 morphosed themselves into animals, lying concealed 

 in the bodies of Ibises, dogs, and hawks, is more 

 extravagant than the most fanciful tales of fable. 

 It is equally incredible, that the souls of those, 

 who survive their bodies, should return to life 

 again only through such animals. Of those, 

 therefore, who wish to assign a political reason for 

 their worship, some assert, that Osiris, having 

 divided his army into several divisions, assigned 

 to each a separate standard, distinguished by a par- 

 ticular animal, which afterwards became sacred, and 

 was worshipped by the troops to whom it had 

 been given. Others maintain, that it was in con- 

 sequence of some of the later Kings, who wished 

 to strike terror into their enemies, having decked 

 themselves with gold and silver figures of those 

 animals. Others, again, attribute it to the artifice 

 of a crafty prince, who, perceiving the Egyptians 

 to be of a volatile disposition, always inclined 

 to change and novelty, and, from their numbers, 

 invincible as long as they were guided by wise 

 counsels and acted in concert, devised this sort of 

 superstition, whilst they were yet dispersed up 

 and down in their several habitations, as a means 

 of propagating discord amongst them. For, amongst 

 the different species of animals he enjoined them 

 to worship, many bore a natural antipathy to each 

 other, and some were eaten in one part of the coun- 

 try, and some in another. He therefore foresaw 

 that, as each party would defend its own favourite 

 animals, and resent whatever injuries they suffered. 



