no THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIV. 



and their intimate acquaintance with the nature 

 of the Gods, have learnt that the Divinity per- 

 meates other beings as well as man ; that he is not 

 the only creature on earth possessed of soul ; and 

 that nearly the same spiritual essence pervades all 

 the tribes of living creatures. On this account, in 

 fashioning images of the Gods, they have adopted 

 the forms of all animals, sometimes joining the 

 human figure with those of beasts; at others, com- 

 bining the shapes of men and of birds. Where- 

 fore some of their images have the form of a man 

 up to the neck, with the face of a bird, or a lion, 

 or any other creature : others, again, have the 

 liead of a man, with the remainder of the body, 

 either the upper or lower parts, shaped like some 

 other animal. Thus we find the lion adored as a 

 God ; and there is a part of Egypt called the 

 Xeo^ztopolite nome, from the lion, another called 

 the ^^.sirite *, from the bull, and a third the 

 Xj/copolitan, from the wolf. Under these sem- 

 blances, they adore the universal power which the 

 Gods have severally displayed in the various forms 

 of living nature." 



If, as he supposes all animals had been admitted 

 by themt, this notion of the universal participa- 

 tion of the divine essence would account for the 

 adoption of each member of the animated crea- 

 tion, as the representative of its own particular 

 portion of the Divinity from whom it emanated. 



* " Bouo-ipirTjc." This is a Greek fancy. Vide siiprd. Vol. I. (2cl 

 scries) p. 347. 



-f- (Cicero is also wrong in saying, " Oinnc icre genus bcstiariini 

 -/Egyptii consecraverunt. De Nat. Deer. iii. 



