CHAP. XIII. IIORUS DEFENDER OF HIS FATIIEll. 399 



Osiris * ; " and to liim the Kings of Egypt were 

 likened, wlien, in tlie proclamation issued at the 

 coronation, tliey were said to " put on the crown of 

 Egypt like Horus, tlie son of Isis." A similarly 

 complimentary formula is used in the Rosetta stone, 

 relative to the benefits conferred on the country by 

 Ptolemy Epiphanes, — the King being compared 

 to *' Horus, who assisted his father Osiris ; " and 

 these, with numerous other legends, show that 

 Horus was the prototype of royalty, and the repre- 

 sentative of divine Majesty. 



It was this idea which obtained for him the 

 post of director of the sacred boats ; under which 

 form was indicated ** the Governor of the World," 

 as we are told by lamblichust; and there can be 

 little doubt that, from his occupation of steers- 

 man in the haris of the dead, were borrowed the 

 name and office of Charon in the mythology of 

 Greece, t The hieroglyphic legend accompany- 

 ing the figure of Horus is the hawk, sometimes 

 with diline, sometimes with i\\e Jlagellwn of O.siris, 

 over it ; — the same signs which are given to the 

 child Harpocrates. 



It is probable that an additional reason for sup- 

 posing the Apollo of the Greeks the same as 

 Horus, was owing to his being the son of Jupiter 

 and grandson of Saturn, as the latter was son of 



* In tlie fabulous interpretation of this story, Horus may be sup-: 

 posed to assist his father, the iniuuhition, by Corniing the clouds car- 

 ried to the sources of the river whence it proceeded. Vide supra, 

 p. 335. 



t Iambi, de Myst. ch. 1. " When they introduce tiie Deity as pilot 

 of a ship, they mean government, or the ruler of the world." 



J Vhle infra, on the Funerals, Chap. xvi. 



