In the latter the bird Benno* is seated in its branches, accompanied by the name of Osiris, of whom it was an emblem; and in the former two priests are represented watering the tree, as it grows beneath a canopy. This confirms in a remarkable manner the account of Plutarch †, who, in describing "the tomb of Osiris at Philæ www No. 465. a. Priests watering the sacred Tamarisk. crowned with flowers at the solemnization of his funeral rites by the priests," says, "it is overshadowed by the branches of a tamarisk tree, whose size exceeds that of an olive." Of the lotus I have already spoken ‡, as also of the papyrus and other plants of the country.§ The agrostis, alluded to by Diodorus, was not related to the grass called agrostis by modern botanists, * Woodcut, No. 465. Vide suprà, p. 225.; and Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 342. Plut. de Is. s. 21. Vide suprà, Vol. I. (2d Series) p.332. Vide Vol. II. p. 217. Vide Vol. II. p. 183. 219.; (2d Series) p. 60. 411. et seq. Vol. III. p. 61. 146.; and suprà, Vol. I. but seems rather to be a name applied to the lotus, which was so commonly held in the hands of guests in the convivial meetings of the Egyptians. Proclus pretends that the lotus was peculiarly typical of the Sun," which it appeared to honour by the expansion and contraction of its leaves." It was an emblem of Nofre-Atmoo, and introduced with the infant Deity Ehôou.* "Garlic and onions," according to Plinyt, "were treated as Gods by the Egyptians when taking an oath;" and Juvenal‡ derides them for their veneration of these garden-born Deities. Plutarch says, being held in abhorrence, the priests abstained from them§ as unlawful food; the reason of which was probably derived from a sanatory precaution, as in the case of beans and "other kinds of pulse." || But there is no direct evidence from the monuments of their having been sacred; and they were admitted as common offerings on every altar. Onions and other vegetables were not forbidden to the generality of the people, to whom they were a principal article of food ¶; for, whatever religious feeling prohibited their use on certain occasions, this was confined to the initiated, who were required to keep themselves more especially pure for the service of the Gods. The palm branch I have shown to have been adopted to represent a year, as Horapollo also states**; and Clemens †† considers it the symbol * Vide suprà, p. 25.; and Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 410, 411. Plin. xix. 6. Juv. Sat. 15. Vide suprà, Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 162. Plut. s. 8. Vide suprà, Vol. II. p. 373. || Plut. s. 5. **Horapollo, i. 4. Vide suprà, p. 2.; and Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 256. ++ Clem. Strom. 6. of astrology. Plutarch tells us the ivy was styled by the Egyptians Chenosiris; that is, as some interpret it, "the plant of Osiris ;" and Diodorust, after saying "it was consecrated to that God, and called in the Egyptian tongue the plant of Osiris," affirms that "it was carried before the vine in consecrations, because, while this loses its leaves, the ivy continues to retain them." Many instances occur of the preference shown by the ancients for evergreen plants; and, for a similar reason, they dedicated the myrtle to Venus, the laurel (bay tree) to Apollo, and the olive to Mi nerva. But we may doubt if the ivy was at any time a native of Egypt. The periploca secamone may have been mistaken for that plant in the representations given of it in the paintings ‡, both from its climbing nature and even the form of its leaves; though it must be confessed that a plant having so acrid a juice could scarcely have been used for garlands, if even it were tolerated in the hand. Plutarch mentions a garland of the melilotus §, which fell from the head of Osiris. This plant may therefore have been deemed sacred by the Egyptians. Clemens mentions thirty-six plants, dedicated to the thirty-six decans or genii, who presided over portions of the twelve signs of the zodiac ; but the symbols of those mysterious beings had no claim to sanctity. *Plut. de Is. s. 37. Vide Vol. III. p. 157. + Diodor. i. 17. Plut. de Is. s. 36. This signified the plants produced by the inundation at the edge of the desert. Vide suprà, Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 331. 334. 336. 437. Vide Prichard, p. 329. Vide suprà, p.76.; and Vol. I. (2d Series) EMBLEMS. The most remarkable emblems, independent of the types of the Deities, were the signs of Life, of Goodness, of Purity, of Majesty and Dominion (the flail and crook of Osiris), of Royalty, of Stability, and of Power, which were principally connected with the Gods and Kings. 1 6 7 1 5/ 7 8 9 2 3 4 5 Many others belonged to religious ceremonies; a long list of which may be seen in the chamber of Osiris at Philæ*, and in the coronation ceremony at Medeenet Haboo.t The sign of Life (tau, or crux ansata) I have mentioned elsewhere. The sign of Goodness is the initial of the word nofre, "good;" and the sceptre of Purity, which the Gods hold in their hands, has been shown to enter into one of the groups signifying "Egypt," or the pure land. § This has been styled the Upupa-headed sceptre; but I have shown the head to be of an animal, and not of a bird, as usually supposed. The lower end is forked; and this, as well as the head itself, has been found in the excavations at Thebes. A similar staff seems to have been used by the Egyptian peasant, perhaps as a crook; and the Arabs to the present day * Given in the Plates of the R. S of Literature, Plate 66, 67. す Vide suprà, p. 47. make their máhgin of this form, for the purpose of recovering the falling bridle of their dromedaries.* It is even represented in the hands of labourers engaged in the corn fields; an instance of which occurs in one of the ancient paintings from Thebes preserved in the British Museum. † This, with the tau, are the principal gifts of the Gods to man, in the hieroglyphic legends; where the Deity thus addresses the kings, "We give you life and purity," or "a pure life," with "stability," "power," "victory," "majesty," "dominion," "and other good things," similar to which are the favours said to be bestowed by the Deity on King Remeses, in the inscription of the obelisk translated by Hermapion. No. 467. The gifts of, 1. life and purity; 2. with stability; 3. power; 4. victory; and 5. royal majesty, or the dominion of the world. The flagellum and crook of Osiris, the emblems of majesty and dominion, were presented by the Gods to the king, sometimes with the falchion of victory or vengeance, when he was about to undertake an expedition against the enemies of his country; and in some instances the monarch is represented holding the phoenix in his hand, emblematic of his long absence from Egypt in a foreign land. In this picture‡ we observe a singular proof of the flagellum of Osiris being really a * It is so called from hégin, the name of a dromedary. + In the Egyptian Room; marked No. 176. |