1801.] 
leaft injured. The Greek infcription has 
fuffered much more than the preceding 
one. Of forty-four lines which it con- 
tains, twenty-four have been, more or 
lefs corroded. Some have loft more than 
a quarter of their length, which disfi- 
gures the text fo as to render it fome- 
times quite unintelligible. - Although 
this inicription is defeétive, enough ap- 
pears to atteft that it is a monument e- 
refted in honour of Ptolomy Epiphanes, 
fon of Ptolomy Philopater, and of Arfi- 
noé, Ptolomy Epiphanes was the fifth 
of fourteen fovercigns who reigned in 
Egypt, after the death of Alexander, 
from Ptolomy, fon of Lagus, furnamed 
Soter, or Saviour, to the famous Cleopa- 
tra. This monument was erected by 
virtue of a decreé iflued by the priefts, 
who had affembled from all parts of. 
Egypt, at Memphis, to celebrate the 
fea(t of inauguration of the new King, 
fon of Ptolomy Epiphanes. The name 
of Ptolomy, who is the object of the 
infcription, is hardly ever repeated with- 
out being accompanied by the- words, 
ever ltving or immortal ; beloved fon of the 
God Ptha, or Vulcan; God Epiphanes, and 
moi gracious, Ye is compared in it to 
Vulcan, to th@Great Hermes, and to 
Orus, fon of {fis and of Ofiris. His fa- 
ther, his grandfather, and the other Pto- 
lomies, his ancefters, partake with him 
of the honours of this pompous pream- 
ble, after which comes the firftt part of the 
decree. The priefts here allege the mo- 
tives on which itis founded; the motives 
are, in general, the piety of the Prince 
towards the gods, and his beneficence 
towards men. The infcription purports, 
that Ptolomy Epiphanes had made great 
donations in filver, wheat, and other 
largefles of every kind, to the temples 
and to the priefts who ferved them; that 
he had reftored by force of arms, tran- 
quillity toEgypt ; that he had afterwards 
fought to repair the evils of war, and 
to re-eftablifn the domeftic comforts of 
the people, by remitting, either in whole, 
or in part, the taxes that were in arrears, 
and by diminifhing the weight of thofe 
which were in force, on his acceffion to 
the throne. The infeription adds, that 
ht had caufed the prifons to te opened to 
“thofé confined in them, and difcharged a 
great number of accufed perfons who 
had been long expe&ting their fentence ; 
that, he had ordered all the duties and ’ 
rents which conftituted the domain of the 
temples, and all thofe, which, under the 
reign of Prolomy Philopater, his father, 
\ were collected either in filver or in kind, 
every year, on the vines and on the gar- 
Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
here in fupport of the infcription. 
Pp i 
339 
dens, to the profit of the gods, fhould 
continue te be exactly paid, as in the 
time preceding; and that the priefts 
fhould pay no more for their perfonal im- 
pofition, than what they had been required 
to pay, at the commencement of the reign 
of his father. The infcription here re- 
fers to a particular faét, which is wor-~ 
thy of remark. It informs us that there 
were manufactures of linen cloth, defig- 
nated under the name of byffus, and de- 
pendent on the temples, and that every 
year acertain quantity of this merchan- 
dife was deducted, partly forthe fervice 
of the marine, and partly for, the private 
fervice of the Prince; and that Ptolomy 
Epiphanes, in one circumftance, ordered 
the ‘remiffion of a part of this right or 
due, and that in another, he fufpended | 
the colleétion of it. This Prince made 
other decrees in favour of the people and 
of religious worfhip, to dweli on which 
would exceed the limits prefcribed in this 
extract. In the eighth year of the reign 
of Ptolomy Epiphanes, there was a great . 
inundation of the Nile. This Prince or- 
dered dykes to be conftruéted to contain 
the river in its bed, and to prevent it 
from f{preading over the plain country, as 
it generally did every year. The in- 
fcription {peaks alfo of the fiege and cap- 
ture of Lycopolis, (city of Wolves) which 
this Prince took by affault. Hiftory comes - 
It in- 
forms us that Lycopolis had revolted 
againft Ptolomy Epiphanes, and that af- 
ter having entered it as a conqueror, he 
treated the inhabitants with much feveri- 
ty; but if he’ punifhed with an extreme 
rigour the rebels who perfifted in their re- 
volt, he generoufly pardoned thofe who 
returned to their duty, and even ordered 
them to be re-eftablithed in their proper- 
ties. Whe ox Apis, and the ox Mnevis, 
two of the greateft divinities of the an= 
tient religion of the Egyptians, had alfo 
a part in his pious liberalities. Extend- 
ing his forefight, tays the infcription, 
further than his predeceffors, he affigned 
confiderable funds to detray the charge of 
their funerals and fepuiture, and to fup- 
port the expence of their worfhip and the 
maintenance of their temples. —And thus, 
continues the infcription, the gods, 
to recompence him for thefe beneficent 
aétions, have given him health, ftreneth, 
victory, and every other advantage 
which can render a Prince happy. The 
priefts then pafs to the arret or con- 
clufion of their decree. This fecond part 
of the inicription is unfortunately that 
which has fuffered the'mof frum the inju- 
Lies of time, There appears onit, ngverthe- 
% lefs, 
