380 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIII. 



to Herodotus, her festival at Busiris was more 

 conspicuous than any, except that of Diana at 

 Bubastis.* 



" The festival," says Herodotus, *' which they 

 celebrate at Busiris, in honour of Isis, is magni- 

 ficent. After having prepared themselves for it 

 by prayers and fasting, they sacrifice a bull. They 

 'first take off the skin, and remove the intestines, 

 leaving the inner parts and- the fat. They then 

 cut off the legs, the upper part of the haunches, 

 the shoulders, and neck ; and this being done, 

 they fill the rest of the body with cakes of pure 

 flour, honey, dried raisins, figs, incense, myrrh, 

 and other aromatic substances. In this state, they 

 burn it, pouring a quantity of oil upon the fire. 

 Whilst the victim is consuming,'* " the votaries of 

 the Goddess, who are assembled in great numbers, 

 of both sexes, strike themselves in honour of one 

 (Osiris) whom I am not permitted to mention t;" 

 and *' when they cease doing this, they eat what 

 remains of the sacrifice." *' The Carians who are 

 present on this occasion, make themselves very 

 conspicuous, by wounding their foreheads with 

 knives ; by which it is easy to see that they are 

 strangers and not Egyptians," — that civilised people 

 not adopting so barbarous a custom, t 



'* All the Egyptians offer clean bulls and calves ; 

 but they are not allowed to immolate heifers, be- 



* Herodot. ii. 59. f Herodot. ii. Gl. 



J It is, therefore, evident that when the Israelites were commanded 

 not to cnt themselves, nor make a baldness between their eyes, allusion 

 was not intended to an Egyptian, but to some Syrian custom. Deut. 

 xiv. ]. 



