CHAP. Xlir. DEATH OF ATIS. 353 



when his coffin, " placed on a .sledge *, was followed 

 by the priests," "dressed in the spotted skins of 

 fawns, bearing the thyrsus in tlieir hands, uttering 

 the same cries, and making the same gesticulations 

 as the votaries of Bacchus during the ceremonies 

 in honour of that God." 



This resemblance, however, to the Bacchic rites 

 will cease to be as striking as Plutarch supposes, 

 when we observe that the spotted skins were merely 

 the leopard-skin dress worn by the Pontiffs on all 

 grand ceremonies, which I have had frequent oc- 

 casion to mention. The thyrsus was probably either 

 their staffT of office, the long-handled censer, or the 

 vase for libation, — the last two being usually carried 

 by the high priests when about to officiate, either 

 at the temple or the tomb. 



They relate that when the Apis died a natural 

 death, his obsequies were celebrated on the most 

 magnificent scale ; and to such extravagance was 

 this carried, that those wdio had the office of taking 

 charge of him were often ruined by the heavy ex- 

 penses entailed upon them. On one occasion, 

 during the reign of the first Ptolemy, upwards of 

 50 talents were borrowed to defray the necessary 

 cost of his funeral t ; " and in our time," says Dio- 

 dorus, " the curators of other sacred animals have 

 expended 100 talents in tlieir burial." 



As soon as he was buried, permission was given 

 to the priests to enter the temple of Sarapist, 



* Effi axtcuiQ. Pint, do Is. s. 35. 



\ Diodor. i, 84. \ Probably of Osiris or Apis. 



VOL. I. — Sf.cond Seiues. A A 



