-3803:] 
and the Greek tunic either had none, or 
had them fo fhort as not to reach to the 
' elbows ; it appears likewife certain, that 
the tunic of the Macedonians did not dif- 
fer from the Greek tlinic. Their coiffure, 
or head drefs (the caufa) and their chla- 
mys, might alone diltinguifh them from 
other Greeks. The tunic of Sakapa has 
belonged, therefore, to an Egyptian :— 
but at what period of time? The re- 
porter only obferves, that we cannot go 
back further than to the time when 
Thebes was abandoned ; then doubtlefs, 
fays he, the grottoes of Sakapa were dug, 
which are diftant about a myriameter 
from the ruins of Memphis. It.was in the 
fixth century before the vulgar era, that 
Cambyfes ravaged Thebes, defpoiling it 
of its riches and iis monuments. ‘The 
moft remote age, therefore, that we can 
affign for the time when the tun‘c was 
wove, is the fifth, or the fourth, before 
the reign of Auguftus. 
It is impoffible to treat with more pre- 
cifion of what relates to the perfonage who 
wore it. Herodotus fays exprefsly, that 
the Egyptian priefts wore a fingle veft- 
ment made of linen, and trow/ers of pa- 
pyrus. ‘The prie%s of Ifis were called at 
Rome, the troop cloathed with linen, (Jini- 
gera turba). Pythagoras, who imitated 
them in many things, made no ule of 
ftuffs woven with the exuvie of animals. 
-Therefore the tunic of Sakapa was not 
worn by an Egyptian of the facerdotal 
order. , 
It was not worn by a woman ; for the 
father of hiftory further informs us, that 
the Egyptian women were clothed with 
linen. The men alfo wore fimilar gar- 
ments, but they laid white veftments of 
wool over thefe tunics. ‘* But (Herodo- 
tus adds) they do not wear wooilen ap- 
parel in the temples, and they do not in- 
ter the dead in raiment of that material, 
which would be confidered as difhonour- 
able.” 
The yellowifh tinge of the tunic, un- 
lefs it be the effect of age, would not be 
an argument thatit fhould not have be- 
longed to an Egyptian; but if it be 
owing to art, we may fuppofe it to have 
been the diltin&tive mark of fome digni- 
tary. As for other matters, we may fay 
with certainty of this Egyptian veitment, 
that it has not been tranlported with a 
dead body into the grottoes of Sakapa, 
fubterranean places which ferved for 
tombs, becaule it was contrary to the 
practice of the Egyptians to bury in any 
: zene 
thing wove with wool, It muft have, 
P voceedings of Learned Societies. 
253 
v 
therefore, been depofited with other riches 
that they wilhed to conceal from enemies. 
The new Treatife on Coftume, prefented 
to the National Inftitute, by Citizen Mail- 
lot, profeflor in the Central School of the 
department of Upper Garonne, and of 
which a committee have given an account 
to the clafs, is principally defigned for 
young: pupils who devote themfelves to 
the cultivation of the fine arts. 
The firft volume, in the dida&ic form, 
on the three arts of painting, {culpture, 
and architecture, may ferve tor an intio- 
duction : the greater number of the prin- 
ciples contained in it are at once admiia- 
ble and ufetul; it contains the coftume 
of the Romans, in a very great detail, 
after medals and many other ancient 
monuments, and agreeably tothe different 
ages, from Romulus to the laft emperors 
of Couftantinople. 
In the fecond volume, the coftume 
of the nations of Gaul, Italy, Greece, 
Egypt, &c. &c. is explained at length. 
‘The author makes the nomenclature of a 
great many nations, almoft unknown, of 
whom he has been able to difcover any 
monuments; and he has inferted in this 
volume the coftume of the priecfts of the 
Roman church. 
The third and laft volume is entirely 
appropriated to the coftume of the French, 
from the commencement of the monarchy 
to the reign of Louis the Thirteenth, in- 
clufively. We cannot guarantee either 
the truth of certam affertions, or the 
jaltnefs or authenticity of feveral monu- 
ments related in this treatife, as it is not 
_the author’s practice to quote, with the 
name of the work, the precife place from 
which he derives his authorities; which, 
in matter fibje&t to examination and ditt 
cuffion, we might confider as the firft duty 
of an accurate writer, and. one who 
is. defirous to make his inftruét:on pro- 
fitable. 
wee 
ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 
OPTICS. 
lhc firtt paper on this fubje& is A 
method of examining refraétive 
and difperfive powers by priimatic reflec- 
tion, by Dr. Wollafton.’” To the vo- 
lume we muft refer the reader for a de- 
tailed account of the method ufed by Dr. 
“Wollaton, and to the tables whica are 
formed from his various experiments. 
One fact, however, claims the attention of 
the natural philofopher :—hitherto it has 
been generaily fuppofed thata_ray of 
white light is fepazable by means of re- 
7 Page 1S 
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