194< THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XII. 



are informed by Eudoxiis) is the figure of 56 

 angles expressive of the nature of Typho."* 

 They have hkewise " a great detestation for the 

 number 1 17," and " call the 17th day of the month 

 the dav of obstruction ;" " for the middle number 

 17, falling in between the square 16 and the paral- 

 lelogram 18 (the only two plain numbers whose 

 circumferences are equal to their areas), stops up 

 the way between them, divides them from each 

 other, and hinders them from uniting." 



In another placet, he says, " The Pythagoreans 

 honour numbers and geometrical diagrams, with 

 the names of the Gods : thus they call the equi- 

 lateral triangle, head-born Minerva, and Trito- 

 geneia, because it may be equally divided by three 

 perpendicular lines, drawn from each of the angles : 

 the Unit they term Apollo, as to the number two 

 they have affixed the name of Strife and Audacious- 

 ness, and to that of three Justice ; in like manner 

 the number S^^ their tetrakys, or sacred quaternion, 

 being composed of the four first odd numbers 

 added to the four first even ones, as is commonly 

 reported, is looked upon by them as the most 

 solemn oath they can take, and called Kosmos (the 

 worlds or order)'' " To the good principle they 

 give the names of 'the unit, the definite, the fixed, 

 the strait, the odd, the square, the equal, the 

 dextrous, and the lucid;' whilst to the evil one 

 they give the appellation of ' the duad, the in- 

 definite, the moveable, the crooked, the e\^en, the 

 oblong, the unequal, the sinistrous, and the dark.'"§ 



* Plut. S.30, + lb. s. 42. 



X lb. s. 76. ^ lb. s. 48. 



