166 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XII. 



gerous speculations of those who were not subject 

 to the oaths of mitiation ; and he might suggest 

 that, in the most simple and pure religions, many 

 expressions had secret meanings, and that a literal 

 interpretation of them would offend against the 

 spirit of the religion itself. 



In justice, therefore, some allowance should be 

 made for the allegorical religion of the Egyptians : 

 and when we reflect tliat it contained many im- 

 portant truths, founded upon early revelations 

 made to mankind, and treasured up in secret to 

 prevent their perversion ; we may be disposed to 

 look more favourably on the doctrines they enter- 

 tained, and to understand why it was considered 

 worthy of the divine legislator to be " learned in 

 all the wisdom of the Egyptians." 



That the reasons assigned for tlie worsliip of 

 certain objects are highly ridiculous, cannot be 

 doubted, and no satisfactory motive can be disco- 

 vered for many of the religious customs estabhshed 

 in Egypt ; but we may be satisfied that ancient 

 authors were not sufficiently acquainted with the 

 subject to place these points in their proper hght — 

 much less to give any satisfactory explanation ; and 

 their origin and tendency becoming at length en- 

 veloped in a cloud of fanciful speculation, few even 

 of the Egyptians themselves were capable of un- 

 derstanding the intricacies of their own religion. 

 It is evident, indeed, that no Egyptian, who was 

 not initiated into the mysteries, understood the 

 purport of the ceremonies he witnessed, or ob- 

 tamed any notion of the nature of the theogony, 



