spring from the new endeavour. Agriculture is characteristic to the new age, and forms a beautiful transition from the old to the new age.

"In it, or at least with it, the Egyptian priests preserved the remaining relics of the former wisdom of nature. These were not imparted, as the sciences are, in our age, but to all appearances they were neither learned nor taught; but as a reflection of the old revelations of nature, the perception must arise like an inspiration in the scholar's mind. From this cause appear to have arisen those numerous preparations and purifications the severity of which deterred many from initiation into the Egyptian priesthood; in fact, not unfrequently resulted in the scholar's death. Long fasting, and the greatest abstinence, appear to have been particularly necessary: besides this, the body was rendered insensible through great exertions, and even through voluntarily inflicted pain, and therefore open to the influence of the mind. The imagination was excited by representations of the mysteries; and the inner sense was more impressed by the whole than-as is the case with us-instructed by an explanation of simple facts. In this manner the dead body of science was not given over to the initiated, and left to chance whether it would become animated or not, but the living soul of wisdom was breathed into them.

"From this fact, that the contents of the mysteries were rather revealed than taught—were received more from inward inspiration and mental intoxication, than outwardly through endless teaching, it was necessary to conceal them from the mass of the people. Among all priests of this age, from the Egyptians to the ancient Scandinavians, the punishment of death was awarded to any of the initiated who desecrated the contents of the mysteries by cold words or descriptions to those who had not received the inspiration. The people only saw the truth in obscure pictures and parables, and even these parables were not confided to writing among the Scandinavians. So firm was faith in that old world, that truth and wisdom could not be communicated from man to man, but must be received by the mind through divine influence.

"The insight into the future, the gift of prediction, is not

strange to human nature; yet there is one which is sickly and false, as well as one which is healthy and truthful. That is healthy which was peculiar to the early ages, and even now appears occasionally in good men in moments of inspiration. The spirit of prediction appears to have been healthy and powerful, when, as has often been the case, it has seized upon whole tribes and even countries. Those predictions which approach the nature of oracles are of sickly nature. Travellers have related circumstances referring to the savage inhabitants of America, Madagascar, Borneo, and Java, which very closely agree with the nature of oracles, and with that of demonism. We here find that insane prophets, or persons of a sickly nature, have foretold future events, the weather, or even the arrival of strange vessels. Those theories which, also in the early Christian ages, regarded oracles as produced by the unhealthy states, class the predictions of the prophetic priestesses of the early Christians in the same category, denominating all demonism. Lucan describes the inspiration of Pythia as similar to an epileptic fit. Some phenomena exhibited in the history of this oracle are very similar to those of somnambulism (they are perfectly the same). We must mention here the remarkable power of the Christians over those persons who were said to be possessed or inspired by Apollo. Thus Tertullian considered the power over demons such an universal peculiarity of the Christians that he wished to sentence to death, as unfaithful and false Christians, those in whom this power was wanting. We find the power of the Christians over those persons who were inspired by Apollo mentioned by Lactantius; and many others mention the impotence of the Pagan gods against the Christians. Numbers of cases are narrated by Justin, Tertullian, Athanasius, Cyprian, and Eusebius, of unhealthy prophetic spirits which had been unsuccessfully treated by physicians and magicians retiring before the power of some simple Christian ; and we must, as regards the outer form, admit the effect of a diseased human nature in the oracles. At least this was the case in later ages, even when we perceive in them some traces of a more noble origin and a more perfect age, to which perhaps the metrical form and arrangement of the earlier oracles points. The predictions of

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the oracles themselves confirm this view, from the fact that in them the future is but indicated in an obscure and ambiguous manner like a dream. Still more so is it confirmed by the manner in which those states of inspiration were produced in which the priests predicted the future; for this often took place by artificial means. We find on all hands that that state of wild inspiration in which futurity dimly reveals itself was produced by violence, the direst of which was the shedding of human blood. We, however, know from the history of these ages that the oracles ceased with the discontinuance of human sacrifices." (This is not true.)

“Those violent measures, by which the later heathendom produced a false inspiration, show how different the high influence which inspired the old world was from that to which the new world gave itself when it had departed from its pristine innocence. We certainly find the latter in communication with nature, but in a narrower sense. On the contrary, as we have already seen, it was the higher divine influence, from which this nature and man were created, whose reflection man had at first seen in nature, till, with the awakening consciousness of the will, man lost the divine portion of nature; and the erring races still sought for the lost power in the empty shell, and gave themselves over to the influence of a lower nature, which deteriorated that which was noble therein to a low idolatry.

"The more ancient, better heathenism, shrinking from all spilling of blood, alone made itself worthy by abstinence and pious innocence of the revelations of higher nature, and in this manner obtained glimpses of its secrets. When, however, the gates of nature's sanctum were closed to the gradually ripening human mind, it sought in an inhuman manner to find another road through the gates of death and terror, and over bleeding and mangled corpses. In vain; the former sun did not rise, and there was only a faint light in the vault of the former nature; healthy inspiration degenerated into diseased insanity.

"Lastly, the sanguinary struggle was stilled by Christianity in the impoverished human mind. The star which these sages saw rising has become a sun, and behold a great portion of the earth already enjoys its radiance."

The voice of the oracles is an echo of the original national language of mankind, which the priests knew how to call forth; it was generally the result of an unhealthy state, but also in rare cases the utterance of a sound inspiration.

The most ancient race in Egypt was, according to Sprengel (Geschichte der Arzneikunde, vol. i. p. 64), a tribe of priests, and its government priestly, which endeavoured to unite the people in striving after a common purpose. When several other tribes had in course of time gathered together, this older caste of priests still remained the most honoured; and from it the kings were chosen. The practice of physic was most intimately connected with that of religion. The priests distinguished themselves by continuous and strict observance over themselves; they remained withdrawn into themselves, and to despise the outer senses was their chief virtue. They never laughed, were laconic, and only saw each other at occasional festivals. "The priests," says Iamblich (De mysteriis Ægyptiorum, edit. Gale, p. 173), occupied themselves alone with the knowledge of God and of themselves, and of wisdom; they did not desire any vain honours in their sacred practice, and did not give way to the imagination." We now see in all monuments of Egyptian art the priests represented in one unvarying position, as if with rigid hands and feet.

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In this manner the way to every innovation was closed, and outward knowledge and science could certainly not rise to a high degree of external perfection; but that rude sensuality, inclination for change and variety, was suppressed as the chief source of all bodily and spiritual vices, is clear, as well as that here, as in India, an ascetic and contemplative life was recommended.

They imparted their secret and divine sciences to no one who did not belong to their caste, and it was long impossible for foreigners to learn anything; it was only in later times that a few strangers were permitted to enter the initiation after many severe preparations and trials. Besides this, their functions were hereditary, and the son followed the footsteps of his father. In Homer's age Egypt was by its early civilization the fatherland of science, and Homer makes his sorcerers Egyptian, as Xenophon and Plato describe their ideals as Persians. The Bible speaks of the wisdom of the

Egyptians; of Babylonian and Egyptian soothsayers and sorcerers. That the magic of the Egyptians reached a high degree of perfection is shown by the many wonders done, in imitation of Moses, by the Egyptian magicians, till at length the Lord smote "all the first-born of Egypt;" but " against the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue.'

The first foreigners who were admitted to the secrets of the priests were Orpheus, Thales, and Pythagoras. But how difficult it was for them to gain their ends is seen from the History of Pythagoras.

Porphyrius (De vita Pythagoræ) says, "That Pythagoras, before his journey to Egypt, begged Polycrates, the King of Samos, to give him a letter of recommendation to the Egyptian King Amasis, that the priests might initiate him in their secrets. The king did this; but the Heliopolites, to whom he first addressed himself, sent him to Memphis as if to the elders. At Memphis, he was sent under the same pretext to the Diospolites or Thebans. As then, out of fear of the king, they dared not make any more excuses, they determined to frighten him from his determination by excessive labours and hardships. But as Pythagoras fulfilled everything most perfectly, they felt so much surprised, that they initiated him, and permitted him to assist at their mysteries, which had never before been permitted to a stranger."

According to Iamblichus, Pythagoras spent twenty-two years in Egypt, learning the sacred sciences and customs. In this manner several more were gradually admitted, and their secrets more or less revealed; but so mixed with Grecian fables that the truth was almost wholly lost.

At a later time, many Greeks travelled to Egypt to enjoy the instruction of the Priests; as, for instance, Dædalus, Homer, Democritus of Abdera, Enopis, Euripides, Eudoxus, Solon, and many others; but, as Jablonski says, no one gathered so much knowledge there as Pythagoras. (Illud extra dubitationis aleam positum est, ex Græcis non ostendi posse quemquam, qui æque præparatus omnibusque illis beneficiis ex fructibus tam copiose donatus fuit atque Pythagoras alumnus genuinus totius disciplinæ sacerdotalis Egypt. Jablonski, I. c. iii. proleg. cli.)

The priests were held in the greatest honour, and their dignity was placed beside that of the king: this was especi