from niE .Ancient.. Books of the Hindus. 387 



Egyptians to have been Queen of that country, and is declared in the Pu- 

 rdns to have reigned over Cti/ha-dwip within, as her con fort" has the title, in 

 the Arabian infeription, of King Osiris ; conformably, in both inftances, 

 to the characters, under which they appeared on the banks of the Nile* 

 The place, where I'si. was firft vifible, became of courfe an object, of woe- 

 fhip; but, as it is not particularly noticed by the Mythologies of the well, 

 we cannot precifely afcertain its fituation : it was probably one of the 

 places in the Delta, each of which was denominated Iseum; and, I think, 

 it wis the Town of Isis near Sebennytus (a) now called Bba~beit 9 where 

 the ruins of a magnificent temple, dedicated to Is is, are flill to be feen. 

 As Ysiris came from the weftern peninfula of India, he was confidered in 

 Egypt as a foreign divinity, and his temples were built out of the towns,,. 



V. Bhava, the author of exigence, and confort of Amba\ the Magna 

 Mater of the weftern Mythologies, had refolved to fet mankind an example 

 of performing religious aufterities, and chofe for that purpofe an Aranya y or 

 uninhabited for eft > on the banks of the Nile 1 but Amba v , named alfo Bha- 

 va'ni v and Uma\ being uneafy at his abfence and gueffing the place of his 

 retirement, affumed the character of Aranya-de'vi s , or Goddefs of the 

 Foreft, and appeared fporting among the trees at a place called afterwards 

 Cdmavana, or the Wood of Defire, from the impreflion, which her appear- 

 ance there made on the amorous deity : they retired into an Atavi, or imper- 

 vious foreft, whence the goddefs acquired alfo the title of AtavT-de'vi, 

 and the fcene of their mutual carefTes had the name of Bhavdtavi-ft'hdna, 

 which is mentioned in the Vidas. The place of their fubfequent refidence 

 near the Nile was denominated Crirdvana, or the Grove of Dalliance ; and 



(a) Tab. Peutinger. Plin. Steph. Byzanu 



A a a 2 



