veries have been as warmly welcomed by the public as they have been gratefully appreciated; but in neither case more so than the importance and the interest of the research demanded. It appears clearly ascertained that the hieroglyphics of aboriginal Egypt, as we find them pourtrayed on the walls of the tombs of the kings, and the temples of Karnac, Dendera, &c., and sculptured on obelisks and sarcophagi, together with the paintings and inscriptions of the sycamore coffins, bandages of mummies, and those of Papyri, are transcriptions of the sacred or hieratic characters of the priesthood of Egypt. This, in all probability, was the sole medium of expressing their mysteries, though it does not appear to have been altogether confined to the expression of mythological rites, ceremonies, and belief. Fortunately, there appears to have been another character called the enchorial, in common use, and which M. Champollion calls demotic, or popular, which seems to have been employed in interpretation; and to these, the ancient Greek character has been discovered in addition; the last forming a convenient key for deciphering both; and thus constructing an alphabet of hieroglyphic characters, which has, accordingly, been done both by Dr. Young and M. Champollion. It is, therefore, much to be regretted, that the hieroglyphics which Denon copied from the walls of the temple of Karnac and elsewhere, are not correct or faithful representations of the originals, and of course become altogether useless in the question of Egyptian literature. Those copied on the spot, by M. Champollion, during his recent visit to Egypt, and fac similes taken from specimens actually existing in this country, or at Paris, are alone to be credited. The exorbitant antiquity supposed to be attached to these inscriptions, had, down to a comparatively recent period, induced a belief, that the question was for ever lost in the night of ages, and that no key could be found for their solution, in such Greek and Roman inscriptions as were sometimes discovered in their immediate vicinity. The discovery of the Rosetta-stone, when digging for the foundations of Fort St. Julian, supplied

at once the cipher and the solution; and this interesting trophy now reposes in the British Museum,—a legend that all may read. On this fragment of the pillar of Rosetta, there are the hieroglyphic characters, as well as the enchorial and ancient Greek, in so many distinct bands*-three distinct inscriptions, as was the case with that which Pilate caused to be affixed to the cross,"Hebrew, Greek, and Latin." Nor is the celebrated Rosetta-stone a solitary memorial of this triple inscription. The fragment of the obelisk found in the Isle of Philæ, has the same pictured language, accompanied by the enchorial and Greek characters; and it has been from the aid of the triple inscription, that the problem has been solved. We possess a fragment of papyrus with both hieratic and enchorial characters; and among some papyri, submitted by Mr. Grey to Dr. Young, there were found three Egyptian conveyances in the enchorial character, with separate registries, in very legible Greek, on the margin. That the Greek was really designed as a translation, is evident from the circumstance, that in the inscription on the Rosetta-stone, Mr. Akerblad had pointed out, at the end of the hieroglyphical inscription, the three first numerals, I. II. and III. respectively, where the Greek has "the first and the second," the end being broken off. The Egyptian hieroglyphics, therefore, may be considered a written language in symbolic characters, somewhat intermediate between the picturewriting of the ancient Mexicans and the modern Chinese characters. We have deemed it necessary to preface these observations, to shew that the evidence deduced from hieroglyphic inscriptions is not fanciful, but alto

* The_most_curious part of the history of this remarkable monument of antiquity, consists in the accidental discovery, by Champollion, among a number of manuscripts, brought to Paris by M. Casati, of one which considerably resembled in its preamble the enchorial text of the pillar of Rosetta; and the value of which discovery was much enhanced by the existence of a Greek translation of the same manuscript, brought by Mr. Grey to London.

D

gether inductive; and it is important that a distinct understanding of the degree of credit attached to them should be clearly defined. The following remarks are made by Dr. Young, as the results of his inquiries into Egyptian literature, through the medium of these hieroglyphic characters. "I must acknowledge, that my respect for the good sense and accomplishments of my Egyptian allies by no means became more profound as our acquaintance became more intimate: on the contrary, all that Juvenal, in a moment, as might have been supposed, of discontent, had held up to ridicule of their superstitions and depravity, became, as it were, displayed before my eyes as the details of their mythology became more intelligible."* It is amusing to observe the folly displayed in the speculations of some of those individuals who had examined the hieroglyphic documents before these mystic symbols were clearly deciphered by the enlightened zeal of Dr. Young and M. Champollion. According to Kircher, they all contained metaphysical dogmas or mythological mysteries; but it seems to have been with him equally the same, whether he began to read the lines, at the commencement or the opposite end: and by Palin's account, it was merely necessary to translate the Psalms of David into Chinese, and write them in the ancient characters of that language, in order to re-produce the Egytian papyri that are found with the mummies. "The mathematicians," says Dr. Young, "of France, and the metaphysicians of England, have continued to argue upon elements which it was impossible either to prove or disprove; while the fortuitous coincidences of some accidental results, with the collateral testimony of history or of astronomy, have been forced into the service of the delusion, as evidences of the truth of the hypotheses from which they had been deduced. Nor are these amusements, even at this moment, discontinued, by some persons, who have shown themselves capable of

* Discoveries in Hieroglyphical Literature.-London, 1823, Svo. p. 19.

doing better things." As the geologist is now attending more to fact and less to speculation, so the genius of literature is conducting her inquiries with more calm and sober thought into the arcana of Egyptian learning. Let us not overlook the fact, that these mystic symbols were not disused entirely until a much more recent date than is generally supposed. Even on the coins of the apostate Julian, in the fourth century, we observe the deified bull, the obverse having Julian's head; and in the reverse of another, the cynocephalus or dog-headed anubis, with the caduceus and sistrum.

Nothing can more decidedly expose the eccentric follies of the human mind, than the speculations in which it indulged, respecting the celebrated zodiacs of Esneh and Dendera. The period prescribed by Sacred Chronology was set at defiance; imagination took wing, and rioted, without restraint, in the regions of conjecture and obscurity; and by recording its whims and fancies, has reared a monument on which is inscribed its disgrace: but, if it should serve as a beacon to caution other adventurers from risking the credit of their mental sagacity, it will be not altogether unprofitable. Calculations were made, and conjectures were formed ; these calculations were reconsidered and discovered to be erroneous, while conjecture was supplanted by the discoveries of truth. Hypotheses, multiplied on hypotheses, have only displayed the errors of intellect subsequent discoveries have rooted up these idols of the mind, and exposed their authors to ridicule. Under these mysterious sculptures and paintings the names of PTOLEMY, CLEOPATRA, TRAJAN, and others, have been most clearly deciphered. While M. Letronne was engaged in researches on the several structures of the temples of Egypt, M. Champollion the younger was deciphering the hieroglyphic inscriptions, and both were conducted to the same result: others, at the same time, by an accurate study of the style of the sculptures and architecture, increased the evidence, which was further confirmed by manuscripts and mummies brought from Egypt. By several methods of induction, it is

indubitably proved, that these two famous zodiacs, which had excited the wonder of the world, and for the high antiquity of which there had been so stout a contest, are certainly posterior to the era of Christianity. Of a similar description is the plate of gold found under the foundation of one of these temples, which it had been pretended was anterior to the Hebrew cosmogonist. It has a Greek inscription, however, on which the names of Ptolemy and Berenice are distinctly legible. The zodiac brought from Egypt, by M. Calliaud, may be considered of no greater antiquity than the nineteenth year of the reign of Trajan.

Some remarks, as a lesson of caution, against receiving the speculations of men of eminent attainments in science, instead of the sterling deductions of calm and sober truth, may not be out of place; and may present a curious portraiture of the errors of the understanding, when bewildered by the ignis fatuus of romance and imagination. It would require a volume to particularize the assumptions, and deductions from false premises, which the history of these planispheres present; we shall, therefore, confine our attention to a very few. M. Fourier, a celebrated mathematician, affected to discover in one of the zodiacs, an astronomical representation of the state of the heavens at the heliacal rising of sirius, the sun being in the constellation cancer; and his inference was, that these symbolical figures were intended to adumbrate the epocha of the inundation of the Nile. Subsequent investigations have convinced him of his folly and his error; and his silence proclaims the triumph of truth. Dupuis referred the construction of the zodiac of Dendera to the epocha of the renovation of the solsticial period, about thirteen thousand years before our era! Burckhardt was of opinion, that the temple of Dendera must have been constructed four thousand years ago; but, he adds "On ne peut se tromper, que de très peu de siècles sur cette espace immense." Visconti considers the zodiac as a work of the Greeks; and Delalande observes, that the Grecian sphere, such as we find it described by Eudoxus and