Psamethik, in the same city ;-the famous cow of the celestial Hathor, and the statues of Osiris and Isis, the offerings of a certain Psamethik, in whose grave in the cemetery of Memphis these images of serpentine were found, which now form the admired masterpieces of the collection at Boulaq;-the splendid pair of lions of king Nahkt-neb-ef, which he dedicated to the Egyptian Hermes of Hermopolis Parva (now in the Vatican); the numberless statuettes in bronze of the goddess Neit of Saïs:-these, and a hundred similar works of sculpture, furnish instructive examples of the refinement and delicacy of the monuments which came from the hands of the artists of the age now in question.

The return to the good old times, from which the intelligent artist took the models of his works, is proved by monuments, not few in number, upon which the representations, both of lifeless objects and of living creatures, standing out in relief upon a flat surface, call to remembrance the masterpieces of the old kingdom. In fact, even to the newly created dignities and titles, the return to ancient times had become the general watchword. The stone door-posts, which were found in a house of the age of the kings named Psamethik in the mounds of débris at Mit-Rahineh (now at Boulaq), the offering of a certain Psamethik-nofersem, reveal the old Memphian style of art mirrored in its modern reflection after the lapse of 4,000 years.

6 The special character of the work referred to is that called intaglio rilevato, in which the outline of the figure is cut deep into the stone, and the surface rises towards the central parts in curves adapted to the proportions of the figure. An exquisite specimen of this age is seen in a piece of a frieze in the British Museum.-Ed.

While this effort to return to antiquity on the artistic side called forth distinctive aims in the province of æsthetics, which has hence been designated by the name of the Egyptian renaissance, so to another side of the national life-that of the old Egyptian theology and the esoteric traditions of the priestly schools-a new contribution appears to have been made, modelled closely after the Græco-Asiatic pattern, which was far from harmonizing with the old wisdom taught in the temples. Beside the great established gods of the old-Egyptian theology, there now come forward upon the monuments monstrous forms, the creations of a widely-roving fancy, which peopled the whole world, heaven, earth, and the subaqueous and subterranean depths, with demons and genii, of whom the older age and its pure doctrine had scarcely an idea.

Exorcisms of the demons in all manner of forms, from wild beasts with their ravening teeth to the scorpion with his venomous sting, formed henceforth a special science, which was destined to supersede the old and half-lost traditional lore of past ages. The demon-song of 'The old man who regained his youth, the hoary one who became young,' the exorcisms of Thot and the powers of witchcraft in league with him, are the favourite themes which cover the polished surfaces of the monuments of this remarkable time of transition. A priest Ankh-Psamethik, a son of the lady Thent-nub, finds an ancient writing in the temple of the Mnevis-bull of Heliopolis, in the time of king Nakht-hor-hib, and forthwith a whole stone

is adorned with indescribably fine inscriptions and the most elegant figures-a unique work of art, which now forms the most remarkable ornament of Prince Metternich's collections at Königswerth in Bohemia.

The above-named founder of the Thirtieth Dynasty seems to have found particular delight in this new world, full of overstrained creations. All the walls of the sanctuary in the temple of Amon, founded by Darius I. in the Great Oasis of El Khargeh (the ancient Hibis), are covered with such demoniacal representations, the explanation of which is little aided by the annexed inscriptions. Their origin goes back to the same king, Nakht-hor-hib. The last Egyptian king, Nakht-neb-ef, earned the cheap reputation of an exorcist. He was a famous magician, who left Egypt and fled into Ethiopia, laden with rich treasures-never to return!

A flood of light has been thrown on the chronological relations to the very day as well as year— of the several reigns of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, since the discovery of memorial stones (stela) of the Apis-bulls in the Serapeum at Memphis; and they have rendered even greater service by their data of time than by their occasional revelations of the part taken by the kings of that age in the honours paid to the bulls, both living and deceased. We subjoin the translations of the most important of these memorial inscriptions, in order to place our readers in a position to form their own judgment on the significance of these inscriptions for the purposes referred to.

TABLET I.

'Year 20, month Mesori, day 20, under the reign of king Psamethik I., the Majesty of the living Apis departed to heaven. This god was carried in peace (to his burial) to the beautiful land of the West, in the year 21, month Paophi, day 25; having been born in the 26th year of the king of Upper Egypt, Taharaqa; and after having been inaugurated at Memphis in the month Pharmuthi, on day 9. (The total) makes 21 years.' 7

TABLET II.

After the full name of king Psamethik I., we read:

'In the year 52, under the reign of this god, information was brought to his Majesty: "The temple of thy father Osiris-Apis, with what is therein, is in no choice condition. Look at the holy corpses (the bulls), in what a state they are! Decay has usurped its place in their chambers." Then his Majesty gave orders to make a renovation in his temple. It was made more beautiful than it had been before.

'His Majesty caused all that is due to a god to be performed for him (the deceased bull) on the day of his burial. All the dignitaries took the oversight of what had to be overseen. The holy corpse was embalmed with spices, and the cere-cloths were of byssus, the fabric becoming for all the gods. His chambers were pannelled with ket-wood, sycomore-wood, acacia-wood, and the best sorts of wood. Their carvings were the likenesses of men in a chamber of state. A courtier of the king was appointed specially for the office of imposing a contribution for the work on the inner country and the lower country of Egypt.'

As Mariette has already proved conclusively, Psamethik I. was the founder of a new gallery and

7 Besides its determination of the lifetime of the Apis in question, this record is of special importance for the length of the reign of king Taharaqa. The reading-'made in the year 21,' which has not the least grammatical foundation-is absolutely contradicted by other inscriptions containing similar data. (See what is said below, under the reign of Cambyses, p. 299.)

new sepulchral chambers (with pannelled woodwork, as the inscription informs us), in the subterranean necropolis of the holy Apis-bulls. This was done, according to the above inscription, in the 52nd year of his reign, on the occasion of the burial of a bull who died at that time.

TABLET III.

Year 16, month Khoiakh, day 16, under the reign of king Neku, the ever-living, the friend of Apis-Osiris. This is the day of the burial of this god, and of the arrival of this god in peace into the nether world. His interment was accomplished at his burial-place in his holy house in the Libyan Desert near Memphis, after they had fulfilled for him all that is customary in the chambers of purification, as has been done from early times.

'He was born in the year 53, in the month Mekhir, on the 19th day, under the reign of king Psamethik I. He was brought into the temple of Ptah (of Memphis) in the year 54, in the month Athyr, on the 12th day. His union with life took place [in the year 16,] month Paophi, day 6. The whole duration of his life amounted to 16 years, 7 months, 17 days.

'His Majesty king Neku II. supplied all the costs and everything else in splendour and glory for this sublime god. He built his subterranean tomb of fine white limestone in well-wrought workmanship. The like of it was never done before.'

8

TABLET IV.

'Year 12, month Payni, day 21, under the reign of the king Uah-ab-ra, the friend of Apis-Osiris, the god was carried in peace to the good region of the West. His interment was accomplished in the West of the Libyan Desert near Memphis, after they had fulfilled for him all that is customary in the chambers of purification. The like was never done since the early times.

'This god departed to heaven in the year 12, month Pharmuthi, day 12. He was born in the year 16, month Paophi, day 7,

8 The Pharaoh-Hophra of the Bible, and the Apries of Herodotus.