sented by the astrologers and is still represented by astronomers. 
Tn the celebrated ‘‘ Book of the Dead” (B.c. 1350), the most 
perfectly preserved Egyptian ritual which the world possesses, 
this latter symbol (cin the figure) occurs frequently among the 
hieroglyphics. This is very noticeable in the ‘‘ Judgment scene” 
a 6 c 
Fic. 5.—a Crux ansata of the Egyptians ; 4 Assyrian symbol of Astarte ; 
> f ¢ Later symbol of the planet Venus. 
of the Turin papyrus, a copy of which exists in the British 
Museum. The upper portion of the crux ansata was frequently 
made more rounded in form, and it is obvious that if in addition 
to this the cross was somewhat lowered, we should arrive 
at the third symboi (c) shown above. The crux ansata (a), if 
written quickly, could easily pass into this latter symbol (c). and 
this may account for the occurrence of both symbols in the judg- 
ment picture, to which we have alluded above. 
Plato speaks of the sun, moon, and five planets, but does 
not distinguish them by the names of gods; Epinomis men- 
tions them in conjunction with the names of gods, It is 
probable that the Chaldwans also associated the principal 
heavenly bodies with the names of deities—San with the sun, 
Hurki with the moon, Bel Merodach with Jupiter, Astarte or 
Ishtar with Venus, Nergal with Mars, &c. The relative 
position of the planets was generally as follows: the Earth 
was the centre of the system; next in order came the Moon, 
the Sun, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; but these 
positions were sometimes varied. {[t was known that Saturn 
completed a revolution in about thirty years, while Jupiter re- 
quired twelve years, Mars only two, and Mercury and Venus 
occupi¢d about the same time as the Sun ; hence the above order. 
As Saturn was farthest from the source of heat, and the slowest 
in his motion, he was supposed to be of an icy character, and to 
assert an evil influence. . 
While speaking of the seven greater heavenly bodies, and the 
seven metals, we may allude incidentally to the curious promi- 
nence of that number in many matters—‘‘that mysterious num- 
ber,” as Mr. Layard calls it, “so prevalent in the Sabean 
system.” Thus (to select a few instances at random) we have 
seven days of the week, seven wise men of Greece, seven won- 
ders of the world, seven cardinal sins, seven-stringed lyre, seven 
harmonic proportions, seven heavens, seven walls of Ecbatana, 
seven gates of Thebes. The list might be extended almost 
indefinitely. Among the Hebrews the number was specially pro- 
minent. Not to mention the frequent allusion to it in the 
Apocalypse, we may recall the incidents of the fall of Jericho : 
the town was surrounded for seven days; on the seventh day the 
walls fell at the blast of seven trumpets, which were carried 
round the walls seven times by seven priests. 
“We cannot tell why the seven metals were associated with the 
seven deified heavenly bodies, unless it was because all things 
‘which amounted to the same number were connected with them, 
This, at least, we know, that long before the time of Geber, the 
first writer on chemistry, the metals had received the same names 
and symbols as the planets. ‘‘ There is abundant evidence,” 
says Mr. Gladstone, “‘ of a correspondence between the seven 
metals of Homer and the seven metals of the ancient planetary 
worship of the East.” In the time of Homer only six simple 
metals were known, and the seventh was the compound £wanos ; 
quicksilver afterwards became the seventh simple metal, and re- 
ceived the name and symbol of the seventh planet. The metals 
were apportioned as follows :— 
Cola 4: a ease ee Se 
Silver. vn ptt RRR ole »)) 
Quicksilver Mercury.  . 3 
Copper . . s Venus) ia . . ates 
Tin. ‘ . - Jupiter . ‘ ; alee 
Tron : 5 ye Mars) ye ; ’ ig 
Lead. : Saturn, : é sales 
“MSS. on Alchemy. 
A 
14, 187. 3 
Ilerodotus tells us that Ecbatana had seven walls, the outer- — 
most of which was the lowest, and the others gradually ascended 
like steps to the highest, which enclosed the king’s palace. They” 
were each painted of a particular colour; the outermost white, 
the second black, the third purple, the fourth blue, the fifth red, — 
the sixth the colour of silver, the seventh the colour of gold. — 
Undoubtedly these had reference to the seven greater heavenly 
bodies. It is impossible to account for the colours, but it is” 
curious to notice the particular colour which would fall to any 
particular metal. Placing the planets in order as applied to the — 
metals, we should have gold to goid, silver to silver, red to 
copper, blue to iron, purple to tin, black to lead, the most de- 
spised of the metals. It is probable that the Sabeeans associated. 
these colours with the seven heavenly bodies. The temple of 
Bel-Merodach, rebuilt by Nebuchadnezzar, and called by him 
the ‘‘ Wonder of Borsippa,” appears also to have consisted of — 
seven terraces differently coloured. The following is a portion — 
of the inscription from a clay cylinder found among the ruins of 
the temple :—‘‘I (Nebuchadnezzar) have completed the mag- 
nificence of the tower with silver, gold, precious stones, enamelled — 
bricks, fir, and pin .... This most ancient monument of © 
Borsippa is the house of the seven lights of the earth.” eS 
How the symbols conferred upon the planets and after- 
wards upon the metals arose it is difficult to say ; they are un- 
doubtedly of Chaldzan origin, but to what extent they have — 
since been modified no one can tell. They exist in early — 
That the sun should be represented by — 
a circle, the symbol of perfection, is no wonder. Again, that — 
the moon should be symbolised by a crescent we can understand ; 
but the others present greater difficulties. Among these, some 
say we have the looking-glass of Venus, the thunderbolts of 
Jupiter, the spear and shield of Mars, the scythe of Saturn, andthe — 
caduceus of Mercury. In the temple of Hermes at Pselcis 
he is represented with a staff hav'ng a serpent twining around it, _ 
from which it has been suggested the caduceus of Mercury may — 
have been derived. Some see in 1/, not the thunderbolts, but 
the throne of Jupiter; others the Zefa of Zeus; others, again, — 
the Arabic 4, indicating that Jupiter was the fourth planet in — 
order. Some, too, have seen in h the K of Kronos. It 
is less difficult to understand why a particular metal wasassigned — 
to a particular heaveoly body. Thus gold would naturally be | 
associated with the sun, on account of its colour, perfection, and — 
beauty, and because it was ever regarded as the noblest metal. — 
For the same reason silver would fall to the moon, with its pale, 
silvery colour and light. So, again, iron, the metal of war, — 
would be associated with Mars; lead, the dull, despised metal, 
with Saturn, the slowest of the planets ; quicksilver, the nimble 
volatile metal, with Mercury, the messenger of the gods, ; 
These signs became in the hands of the Alchemists the com- 
mencement of a symbolic system in chemistry. 
(Zo be continued.) G, F. RODWELL 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
LONDON 
Royal Geographical Society, Nov. 11.—Major-General — 
Sir H. C. Rawlinson, president, in the chair. The President,in — 
his inaugural address, recapitulated the leading incidents which 
have occurred in the exploration of Africa since June, at which 
time we were in receipt merely of a brief telegraphic announce- 
ment that Mr. Stanley had arrived at Zanzibar with despatches, 
having left Livingstone alone and well at Unyanyembe; and 
stated that, as the Society honestly consider Mr. Stanley's jour- — 
ney to Lake Tanganyika to be in its results the most important 
geographical achievement of the year, they feel that, in award- 
ing him their medal, they are only discharging their strict duty, 
while at the same time they are doing honour to Livingstone — 
and promoting the great end of African discovery. The Presi- 
dent then passed on to the history of the Society’s own Relief 
Expedition, touching which he said :—‘‘ Much disappointment — 
was felt atthe abrupt termination of this expedition. The com- 
mittee of the Geographical Council charged with the manage- 
ment of the Search and Relief Fund, after a most patient investi- 
gation, delivered two reports to the subscribers, the purport of 
which was that they disapproved of the conduct of Lieutenant — 
Dawson in breaking up the expedition, and that they attributed 
it toa lamentable error of judgment that he did not carry onto 
the Doctor, as supplementary to Stanley’s relief, a supply of 
arms, instruments, medicines, and other articles of which he 
manifestly stood in need. The judgment delivered by thecom- 
mittee has since been greatly fortified by letters written by Dr, P 
