H<6 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XII. 



either " from the sheep, or from the goats ;" and 

 to the head of the family belonged the honour of 

 slaying the victim in the name of the whole house. 

 This custom is retained in the East to the pre- 

 sent day; and the sheikh of a tribe, or the master 

 of a house, is expected to slay the victim at the 

 feast of the Eed, which the Arabs and other Mos- 

 lems celebrate on the 10th day of Zoolhegh, the 

 last month of their year. The ceremony is per- 

 formed in commemoration of the sacrifice of Abra- 

 liam ; and it is remarkable that this patriarchal 

 privilege has never been transferred by them to 

 the priests of the religion. Another point which 

 appears singular to us in this traditional custom is, 

 that the ram then slain is said to be a record of 

 the substitute presented to Abraham in lieu of his 

 son Ishmael, and not of Isaac. 



The earliest sacrifices of animals appear to have 

 been holocausts ; and, as it was deemed unlawful to 

 eat it, the flesh of the victim was consumed by 

 fire : but in after times, as with the Jews, certain 

 portions only were burnt, and in some cases the 

 residue belonged to the priest who sacrificed, or 

 to the individual who made the oflf'ering. * And 

 if the fruit of the earth may be considered 

 the Jirat oflTering made by man t, yet a " first- 

 ling of the flock, and the fat thereof," were 

 the sacrifice looked upon as peculiarly acceptable 

 to the Deity t; and most people appear to have 

 adopted this method of propitiating Him, and of 



* As in the peace offerings. Levit. viii. 31. 

 f Gen. iv. .3. \ Gen. iv. 4, 5. 



