304f THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XV. 



Whenever they approached a town, the boats 

 were brought near to it ; and while the singing 

 continued, some of the women, in the most abu- 

 sive manner, scoffed at those on the shore as they 

 passed by them. 



Arrived at Bubastis, they performed the rites of 

 the festival by the sacrifice of a great number of 

 victims ; and the quantity of wine consumed on 

 the occasion was said to be more than during all 

 the rest of the year. The number of persons pre- 

 sent was reckoned by the inhabitants of the place 

 to be 700,000, without including children ; and it 

 is probable that the appearance presented by this 

 concourse of people, the scenes which occurred, 

 and the picturesque groups they presented, were 

 not altogether unlike those witnessed at the mo- 

 dern fetes of Tanta and Dessook in the Delta, 

 in honour of the Sayd el Beddawee, and Shekh 

 Ibrahim e' Dessookee. 



The number stated by the historian is beyond 

 all probability, notwithstanding the population of 

 ancient Egypt, and cannot fail to call to mind the 

 70,000 pilgrims, reported by the Moslems to be 

 annually present at Mekkeh. The mode adopted (as 

 they believe) for keeping up that exact number is 

 very ingenious ; every deficiency being supplied 

 by a mysterious complement of angels, who oblig- 

 ingly present themselves for the purpose ; and 

 some contrivance of the kind may have suggested 

 itself to the ancient Egyptians, at the festival of 

 Bubastis. 



The fete of Isis was performed with great mag- 



