278 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIII. 



height. In the celhi is the statue of the Goddess. 

 The sacred enclosure is a stadium (600 feet) in 

 length, by the same in breadth. The street M'hich 

 corresponds with the entrance of the temple crosses 

 the public square, goes to the East, and leads to 

 the temple of ]\Iercury ; it is about three stades 

 long and four plethra (400 feet) large, paved *, 

 and planted on either side with large trees." 



Bubastis is represented with the head of a lioness 

 or a cat, and to her the latter was peculiarly sa- 

 cred. On her head she bears a disk, from which 

 rises the Urseus, or royal Asp, and in her hand she 

 holds the usual sceptre of the Egyptian Goddesses. 

 From the difficulty above stated of distinguishing 

 between the cat and lion headed figures, doubts 

 sometimes arise respecting the form of the Egyp- 

 tian Diana : though it appears that she took tlie 

 head of both those animals. The Goddess of the 

 Speos ^rteinidos f is represented in the hierogly- 

 phics by a lioness t ; and if it be true that the wolf 

 and jackal were dedicated to one Deity, Anubis, 

 we can with equal reason suppose the lion and cat 

 to have been emblems of the same Goddess. 



In the bronze figures of Pasht, more care seems 

 to have been taken to distinguish between the lion 

 and the cat, the head of the latter being evidently 

 given to this Goddess. They sometimes represent 

 her holding a sistrum in her right hand, and in her 

 left the head of a lion surmounted by a disk and 

 asp ; sometimes with a basket upon her arm ; but 



* At Dimniaj- or Nerba, in the F30oni, is a paved causewa\ leading 

 through the town to the temple, though smaller than this of Buhastis. 

 + ride my Egypt and Thel)es, p. 379. 

 X y'idc Plate 27. Part 2. Hierog. No. 3. 



