54 Epitome of the Progress of jYaiural Science, 



in the fragments of Manetho and Berosus, and by means af 

 which it was endeavoured to strike the roots of their history so 

 deep into time, has been reconciled to our established chronolo- 

 gies. Instead of succeeding each other regularly, as it was pre- 

 tended they had done, it appears that Egypt was divided, as 

 England was in the time of the heptarchy, into independent 

 states, and that the series was a contemporaneous one. The 

 sacred books of Hermes, together with all the Egyptian books, 

 are lost, and all that we know of the science and history of the 

 Egyptians, is from the Greeks : for as the Egyptians had drawn 

 their knowledge from India, through Ethiopia; so, the Greeks, 

 to whom Europe and America owe so much^ derived their 

 knowledge from Egypt. It appears, however, that their sacred 

 books, which were carried in procession before the priests, treat- 

 ed of almost every subject they were acquainted with, except 

 their history. In this they resembled the Indians, as well as in 

 the exclusive appropriation, by the priesthood, of all learning, 

 sacred and profane. 



In one very important particular, however, the Egyptians dif- 

 fered from the Indians, and this difference was favourable to 

 science. The Ethiopians, from whom the Egyptians derived 

 their religion, whilst they retained the impression the ancient 

 Indian colonies had made upon them, had incorporated with this 

 higher stage of civilization, their ancient usages, such as were 

 peculiar to the hunter state, and which yet distinguish the In- 

 dian tribes on this continent. In what precise manner the respect 

 paid to animals, originated in Ethiopia, we know not; nor whether 

 their tribes were named, or not, after particular animals ; but it 

 does appear that the Egyptian priests attached a particular 

 animal to each divinity. Thus the crocodile was consecrated to 

 Saturn ; the cow to Ibis ; the hawk to Osiris ; the dog to Anubis 

 &c. The veneration paid to their deities, was extended to the 

 animals associated with them, and which were brought up in 

 the temples in which the deities were worshipped. Many of 

 the emblems of their religion were borrowed from the animal 

 kingdom : with such favourable opportunities of observing the 

 external forms and the habits of animals, a foundation for natural 

 history was insensibly laid. A further obligation appears too, to 

 have devolved upon them, that of embalming these animals 

 when they died ; and as it was equally the custom to embalm 



