355 
Europe, and is to become, this spring, under the able presidency 
of one of our most leading Egyptologists, the text-book in 
which our students of the hieroglyphics are to be instructed 
from which they may at all events learn that there is such 
a thing as a future life, and that rewards and punishments are 
then to be dispensed to the just and to the wicked. 
Thus it was the dark mystery of a future life and the mani- 
festation in the light of the morning, f which intently occupied 
the attention of these men of unknown antiquity. It was a 
subject well worthy of the spiritual nature of man, and leading 
us to conclusions in reference to their state, exactly opposite to 
those which it is the fashion to derive from the misunderstood 
history of the past. The old Egyptians believed that they 
should be gainers by the resurrection, and therefore cherished 
the doctrine. Our modern sceptics know that a future life 
would be all against them, and consequently attempt, however 
unsuccessfully, to conceal its truth from themselves and from 
others ! 
Antiquity of Egypt. 
I now proceed to inquire what was the real antiquity of 
Memphis, or, in other words, what was the real era of Men'es? 
We have seen that one Arab writer placed it at four thousand 
years or more before his time. If we look to modern authorities, 
we shall find that this apparently fabulous antiquity is increased 
to the following extent. According to the authors mentioned 
below, the era we are in search of was as follows : — 
Boccldi 5702 B.C. 
Unger 5G13 ,, 
Brngsch 4455 „ 
Lanth 4157 „ 
Lepsius 3892 „ 
Bunsen 3623 „ 
The difference between those extreme limits is not less than 
2,079 years. It is as if some sixty centuries after our time the 
* So announced at the meeting of the Bib. Arch. Soc., Feb. 1, 187G. 
f This seems, as nearly as I can gather, the meaning of the title of the 
Book of the. Dead, “ Per-em-hrou,” translated by Champollion, “ Manifesta- 
tion a la lumiere ” ; by M. Rouge, “ Manifestation au jour ” ; by M. Th. 
Deviera ; “ Sortie de la journ^e ” ; and by M. Lefebure, “ Sortie pendant le 
jour ” ; as the sun rises, being a promise of resurrection after the night of the 
tomb. Comp. Ps. xlix. 1 9, — where it is said of the wicked man, “He shall 
go to the generation of his fathers, they shall not see light.” See Pierret, 
Did. d' Arclicologie Egypt., sub voce Manifestation. 
VOL. X. 2d 
