punged with some Diospolites, or 37 Thebans. But they should be all alike cancelled; for with the Shepherds, those Auritæ, and Demigods, the chronology of Egypt began. Therefore the seventeenth dynasty of Eusebius should have been marked the first, for it certainly was so esteemed by the Egyptians; and we ought for the future to read, Πρώτη Δυνασεία, Ποιμένες ήσαν ξενοι βασιλεις, δι και Μέμφιν ἑιλον, κτλ. The first dynasty consists of the Shepherd kings, who were foreigners, and took Memphis, &c. To the truth of this the Old Chronicle bears witness; in which the first who reign are the Shepherds, under the title of Semidei and Auritæ. The number and titles of the dynasties do not turn out so precisely the same as we find them in other accounts; for the Chronicle falls off towards the end, being most defective where we might expect it to be most perfect. 37 As the two dynasties of Manethon were brought after the Shepherds, Eusebius varies his disposition, and places his Diospolites above them; for he saw plainly that the place of the Shepherds was the fifteenth inclusive from the bottom. But by this interpolation he made it the seventeenth from the top. Whereas it was the centre dynasty equally removed from the extremes. It stood between the spurious and the genuine dynasties, and belonged to the latter. 38 It has in some places been altered to serve a purpose; and probably by Syncellus. 1 It affords, however, though very concise, the great outlines of the Egyptian Chronology, and must be esteemed as an excellent guide, as far as it is capable of conducting us. I would not, therefore, do any thing to disparage its merit; yet, it is probably nothing more than a part of a yearly calendar, in which the celestial motions were calculated. The months and holidays specified, and the reigns of the kings prefixed. Among many others, there were two Hermetic books in common use among the Egyptians. The 39 first of these related to the energy of the heavens, to the powers of the planets, and the influence of the stars; and was properly a treatise concerning horoscopes and astrology; and was full of dark and mysterious learning. The other, which related to the real operations of nature, was of more use, but in less esteem, being nothing more than a common almanack, and so denominated. 4ο Τατε εν τοις Αλμενιχιακος (forte Αλμενιακοις) μερος τι βραχύτατον περιέχει των Ερμαϊκων διαταξε εων και τα περι ασέρων, η φασεων, η κρύψεων, η Σελήνης αυξέσεων, η μειώσεων, εν τοις εσχάτοις είχε την παρ' Αιγυπο TIDIS AITIONOVIAN. What, says Chæremon, is comτιοις αιτιολογίαν. prised in the Egyptian ALMANACKS, contains but 39 Jamblichus. Sect. S. c. 4. p. 160., 4o Ibid. The e small part of the Hermaic institutions. whole that relates to the rising and occultation of the stars, to the increase and decrease of the moon, was held in the least estimation. Porphyry likewise mentions the Egyptian Almanacks, and gives an account of their contents, which seem to be very curious. They consisted of a detail about the phases of the sun and moon, and of the rising and setting of the stars for the year; also of the aspects and influences of the planets, and what was from them portended: xa gaia walwy, there was και θεραπειαι παθων, also some physical advice subjoined. All this, says Porphyry, εν Αλμενιχιακος φέρεται, is 'contained in the Egyptian ALMANACKS. According to Iamblichus, these calendars were not held in so high repute as the other Hermetic writings. Be this as it may, our Chronicle is probably of this sort; and though formerly of no great esteem, on account of its being cheap and obvious, yet not at all for that reason of less authority. It began, as I have shewn, with the supposed reign of Hephaistus, and of the Sun; and afterwards of Cronus, and twelve other Gods. Syncellus imagines, that it misled Manethon by the immense number of years, of which these reigns are said to consist. The amount of the whole was no less 4 Epistola ad Anebonem. p. 7. than 36525 years. There is something particu lar in this number to which we must attend, as it has misled not only Manethon, but Syncellus for they, with many more, have applied these numbers to the dynasties of Egypt; by which means the annals of the country have been carried to an unwarrantable height. Iamblichus, who had studied the Egyptian history very closely, takes notice of the same numbers, and applies them to the writings of Hermes. He introduces Chæremon, who is speaking of first principles and essences: 42 all which, says he, Hermes transmitted in twenty thousand volumes, according to Seleucus, or rather, as Manethon has shewn, they were completed in thirty-six thousand five hundred and twenty-five. We may from hence perceive, how uncertain writers were about a circumstance of this consequence. What some applied to the duration of their monarchy, others supposed to be a number of books, the volumes written by Hermes. But the numbers were misapplied in both cases. They related indeed to volumes; but to volumes of another nature; to the revolutions of the sun: 42 Τας μεν ουν όλας Ερμης εν ταις δισμυρίαις βίβλοις, ὡς Σελευκος απεγράψατο η ταις τρισμυρίαις τε και εξακισχιλίαις, και πεντακοσίαις και είκοσι πέντε, ὡς Μανέθως ισορεί, τελέως ανέδειξε. Iamblich. Sect. 8. c. 1. p. 157, and were an artificial calculation. One kind of Egyptian year consisted of three hundred and sixty days; with the five mayoμeval, which were sacred to five Deities, 43 Osiris, Aroueris, Typhon, Isis, and Nephthe. Some Deity, or title of a Deity, was affixed to every day in the calendar: hence they amounted to 365 in number. These were introduced into Greece, and, as was supposed, by Orpheus. To this Theophilus alludes, when he upbraids Orpheus with his polytheism. 44 TI ωφελησεν-Ορφέα δι τριακοσιοι εξηκοντα πεντε Θεοι; What advantage did Orpheus ever find from his three hundred and sixty-five Gods? This year of 365 days was termed the Sothic, from Sothis, the dog-star, at whose heliacal rising it was supposed to commence. But they had another year in Upper Egypt, which was heliacal, and styled the Theban. This consisted more accurately of three hundred sixty-five days, and six hours. 45 ПIEVTE Sμegas Πεντε δ' ήμερας 43 Plutarch. Isis et Osir. p. 355. 44 Theoph. Caius Cæsar-imitatus Ægyptios, solos divinarum rerum omnium conscios, ad numerum solis, qui diebus singulis tricenis sexaginta quinque et quadrante cursum conficit, annum dirigere contendit. Macrob. Sat. 1. 1. c. 14. p. 178. The Thebans understood την επ' ακριβες αερολογίαν. Diod. 1. 1, p. 46. |