CHAP. XIII. THE RISE OF THE NILE. 377 



this Star happened when it was beginning to leave 

 the confinement of its banks, to overflow the lands*, 

 and promise abundance to the inhabitants of 

 Egypt ; and its first appearance had always been 

 the signal for the priests to ascertain the favourable 

 or unfavourable prospects its aspect was said to 

 forebode. Nor could the time of its coincidence 

 with the Sun have been ascertained, unless the pe- 

 riod of its return were calculated. And were all 

 this anxiety, all this rejoicing at the rise of their 

 river, and all these peculiar institutions of Egypt, to 

 await the late epoch of the Roman conquest ? If 

 we admit the accounts of every historian who has 

 mentioned the Egyptians and Romans, we cannot 

 for one moment suppose that Egypt was indebted 

 to her conqueror for any skill or hint in astronomy 

 or mathematical science." 



The introduction of Isis-Sothis at the Memno- 

 nium is remarkable, not only from its illustrating 

 the connection between that Goddess and the Dog- 

 star, — instances of which occur elsewhere, — but 

 in a chronological point of view. In the astrono- 

 mical subject there introduced, the 12 Egyptian 

 montlis are represented, each in a separate com- 

 partment, under the usual heads, of the 4 months 

 of the water plants, the 4 of ploughing, and the 4 

 of the waters, — making the three seasons of which 

 their year consisted.! In the 1st season were 

 Thoth, Paopi, Athor, Choeak ; in the '2d, Tobi, 



* Vide JEMan, x. 45. Conf. Tibull. i. Elcg. vii. 21. 

 " Qualis ct arentes cum fnulit ISirius agros 

 Fertilis acstivu Niliis ahiiiulat a(iua." 

 f Vide supra, woodcut No. i^O. page 11. 



