3 to On Egypt and the Nile 



that the lakes juft mentioned were in that country ; but it is hardly poffib'le, 

 that Juba could have made fuch a miftake with refpect to a country fo near 

 bis own | nor can we refrain from obferving, that Pliny was an indiffer* 

 ent. geographer, and that his extracts and quotations are in general very, 



inaccurate* ,-...;' 



The fecond lake, or marfli, appears to be the Padmavana of the Sanfcrti 

 legends j and that word implies, that it abounded with the Nymphaa ; but 

 it was probably the Padma, diftinguifhed by the epithet of Coti-patra, or 

 with ten millions of petals* which I conceive to be the Enjete of Mr. Bruce, 

 who mentions it as growing there in the greateft abundance : it is true, that 

 the Enfete has no botanical affinity with the hymphaza* but the Hindus -wtre 

 fuperficial bofcanifts and gave the fame appellation to plants of different 

 claffes, as the word Lotos, indeed, was applied by the Greeh to the com. 

 mon Padma* or water lily, and to the celebrated fruit of the Lotophagi 

 which had no relation to it. The ufua] number of petals on the Nymphxa 

 Lotos is fifteen t but fome have only eight : the character of the genus, 

 indeed, is to have numerous petals* and the Sanfcrit epithet Sakafra-patra, 

 ©r tboufand-petaled, °s applied in dictionaries to the common Fadma ; but 

 nothing could have juftified fuch an epithet as Coti-patra. On f.me Egyp<* 

 tian monuments we find Isis reclined among the leaves of a plant fup- 

 pofed to be the Cadali, or Mauza, which has been changed into Mufa 

 by Linn^usj but Mr. Bruce has exploded that error, and mown that 

 the plant was no other than his Enfete: the Indian goddefs, indeed, fits, 

 in the character of YacshiniW^/ on the leaves of the Mauza', but in 

 that form, which was an avdntara or lower incarnation, me never has 

 the majefty or the title of Pad ma'. It is expreflly faid in the Purdnas, 

 fhat, on the banks of the Calf river, Pa dm a' refides in the Cotipatra, ^ 



