The public festivals were celebrated with exceeding splendour, and vast multitudes assembled to solemnize the rites. The scenes at Juggernaut may give you an idea of some of those Egyptian revels ; and there, too, indecent rites were allowed. But the most afflicting scenes which have ever degraded the ceremonies of idol worship, were the human sacrifices, which were frequently offered to appease the wrath of offended di vinities. To Typhon were such sacrifices presented ; and as the red-haired were chosen for this purpose, and the Egyptians being of a dark complexion, Greeks or strmgers were frequently obtained. Perhaps this distinction of colour was made on purpose to save the natives from such a fate. This barbarous custom was continued in Egypt till the reign of Amasis; and it was not till the time of the caliphs, that the peculiar practice was laid aside of sacrificing annually a virgin to the Nile, when a mock ceremony was substituted. Heliopolis and Thebes were peculiarly marked for this Clark superstition. Every ancient nation, excepting the Jews, were guilty of such horrors; and still prisoners of war arc sacrificed in the South Sea islands, and in some parts of Africa, Asia, and America.
Heroes were worshipped in Egypt, and eminent per sons were raised to the rank of gods. At first it was merely veneration for great characters after their death; but it was an easy and natural transition, in a country where the objects of worship were so multifarious, to suffer great respect and high veneration to pass into prescribed forms of divine worship. When the Ro mans took possession of Egypt, they did not change its religious rites; but Christianity obtained its votaries there, as well as in other parts of the Roman dominions; and when the Saracens subdued it, they imposed upon the inhabitants, as far as possible, the religion of Ma hommed. Both Jews and Christians arc allowed to re side in Egypt ; but the only authorised religion of the country is still the religion of Mahommed.
The ancient temples were large and costly buildings, and, in point of splendour, outshone every other edifice. Various circumstances contributed to give them this pre-eminence. The priests of Egypt were the princes of the land, and had great influence over the national revenues. The whole national feeling was favourable to the dignity of the public worship; and the temples, together with the tombs of the illustrious dead, were the principal works upon which they bestowed much labour or cxpence. To this assertion we must not he understood as making an exception in favour of royal palaces, for it does not appear that any fabric of this nature could bear a comparison, either in point of dig nity or extent, to the temples which were erected in honour of the gods. The holy place, where the sacred animal, the representation, or the statue of their divi nity was placed, was comparatively of small extent. At Butes, at Suis, &c. the sanctum sanctorum was of one large stone, brought from the granite quarries of Elephantina. The vast compass of the temple build ings was employed in porticos and vestibules, open courts, curious windings, and private abodes. In con
nection with the temple itself, were the lodgings, or sumptuous dwellings of the sacred order ; and the whole constituted a grand assemblage of various apart ments and expensive buildings.
In this respect, an important difference subsisted be tween the temples of the Greeks and Romans, and those of the Egyptian people. The views and consti tutions of Greece and Rome admitted an increasing se ries of divinities, and a vast profusion of temples was scattered through the various cities and towns of their respective dominions; whereas, in Egypt, though the gods were various, yet their worship appears to have been consistent with each other, excepting the offerings and sacrifices which were presented to the hateful be ings who were supposed to be the authors of Evil. Sel dom, if ever, was there more than one temple in a city of Egypt ; because these buildings were erected by the state, and not by the people, who were neither permit ted to deliberate nor have a choice in sacred things; and while this appears to intimate, that their divinities were mare diversified by names than in icalitv, it aided them to render their religious fabr;es tome spaci ous and splendid. Through the whole l'.g p hut con stitution of sacred things, there were doctrines:m(1 rites which were concealed from the vulgar rye, and held back from uncultivated minds: and, ttl,ilt she multi tude were invited to join in the public f • Ai% els and duties of religion, certain orders and hulk idual,, only initiated into the mysteries, which it sees then thought wise and prudent to conceal from the And hence those interior and subterraneon, aputl mmnts, where these instructions wcre giu,en, secret ceremonies observed. These mysterious piaci , were kept secret, and not exposed to the public eve.
Among the things of a serious and important nature which claim our notice, and murk the character of na tions, is the care which is shewn toward the dead, and the reverence maintained for the tombs of their friends. In this respect the Egyptians were conspicuous for at tention and reverence. We cannot enter upon the con sideration of the various methods by which, in different ages of their country, they manifested their :mention to the dead ; for though the number of bodies preser ved in a peculiar manner, and denominated mummies, have led us to suppose, that this was the general mode of disposing of their dead, yet we can scarcely imagine, that through such a lentth of time as the ancient Egyp tian kingdom subsist* the manner of treating their departed friends was uniformly the same. Other na tions have pursued various methods; and, though the ancient Egyptian manners were not given to change, but, by national prejudices, were peculiarly permanent, yet in a long lapse of time, different methods must have been adopted for disposing of their dead. The opera tions necessary for the formation of mummies, ale not consistent with a very rude state of society. They re quire preparations, and a degree of knowledge, which imply improvements in the au is of life.