336 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XV. 



ship was established in that country. It is to this 

 Propertius * alludes in the following verses : — 



" Tristia tarn redeunt iterum solemnia nobis. 



Cynthia jam noctes est operata decern, 

 Atque utinam Nilo pereat quas sacra tepente 



Misit matronis Inachis Ausoniis. 

 Quae Dea tarn cupidos toties divisit amantes, 



Quaecunque ilia fuit, semper amara fuit. 

 ***** 



An tibi non satis est fuscis jEgyptus alumnis ? 



Cur tibi tam longa Roma petita via est ? 

 Quidve tibi prodest viduas dormire puellas ? " -f- 



OTHER FETES. 



In the time of the Greeks and Romans they had 

 some fetes of a wanton character, in which the 

 object was to seek amusement and indulgences 

 of every kind ; but it does not appear whether they 

 were instituted in early times, or were a Greek in- 

 novation. Strabo mentions t one of these, "during 

 which a dense crowd of people hurried down the 

 canal from Alexandria to Canopus to join the festive 

 meeting. Day and night it was covered with boats 

 bringing men and women, singing and dancings 

 with the greatest licentiousness ; and at Canopus 

 itself, inns were opened upon the canal, purposely 

 for the convenience of indulging in these amuse- 

 ments." 



Athenaius mentions a grand procession in the 

 time of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the splendor of which 



* Propert. lib. ii. Eleg. 33. lines 1. and 15. 



f Couf. these lines of (Jvid's (Amor. iii. 10. 1.) : — 



" Annua vcnerimt Ccrealis temi)ora sacri 

 Secubat in vacuo sola pucUa toro." 



J Strabo, xvii. p. 351. 



