348 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XV. 



journey, where they might perform the ceremony, 

 without openly offending against the laws of 

 Egypt. And when told by Pharaoh " to go and 

 sacrifice,'* the answer of Moses was, *' It is not 

 meet so to do, for we shall sacrifice the abomi- 

 nation of the Egyptians to the Lord our God ; lo, 

 we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyp- 

 tians before their eyes, and will they not stone 

 us ? We will go three days' journey into the wil- 

 derness, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God as 

 he shall command us." * 



It does not appear that, in this instance, they 

 were ordered to offer a red heifer, as described in a 

 subsequent ordinance tj and indeed victims of that 

 peculiar description, according to Maimonides, were 

 reservedfor certain occasions, nine only having been 

 sacrificed from the time of Moses to " the desola- 

 tion of the second temple." t At other times the 

 Israelites made no distinction between those of 

 different colours, and their apprehensions from the 

 anger of the Egyptians proceeded solely from their 

 infringing a law, which forbade the slaughter of 

 any but male cattle. Though they were then § com- 

 manded to slay a heifer, it is evident that they 



* Exod. viii. 26, 27. t Numb. xix. 2. 



J " Nine red heifers," sa} s Maimonides, " have been sacrificed between 

 the oriujinal delivery of tliis precept, and the desolation of the second 

 tcnipU;. Our lord, Moses, sacrificed the first, I'./ra offered the second, 

 and seven more were offered up during the period which elapsed from 

 the time of Ezra to the destruction of the temple; the tenth, King 

 Messiah himself will sacrifice, by his speedy manifestation he will 

 cause great joy." Maimon. de Vacca rufil, c. 3. I do not however 

 suppose this to be taken literally, and we trace in it that reference to 

 numbers so common in ancient times. Vide supra, p, 340., and Vol. I. 

 (2d Series) p. lf)7. 



^ It was perhajjs to break through, and prevent their being hereafter 

 iuHuenced by, this great Egyptian prejudice. 



