The Hieroglyphics of Horapollo Nilous

[Josie Linde]

XXXVII. HOW EDUCATION.

[Josie Linde]

To denote education 1 they represent the HEAVEN DISTILLING DEW, intimating that as falling dew alights on all Vegetables, and softens those which have a nature susceptible of being softened, but is unable to operate upon those which essentially remain hard in the same way as upon the others; so also among men education is common to all; and a man of an apt disposition receives it as dew, while

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a man of a disposition less docile is incapable of doing so.

[Josie Linde]

Footnotes

57:1 Qy. An Educator or Priest? See Ch. 21, fig. 4. See also fig. 3 of Neith, who was the Minerva, the Goddess of Education, pouring out the waters.

[Josie Linde]

XXXVIII. HOW THE EGYPTIAN LETTERS.

[Josie Linde]

To denote the Egyptian letters, or a sacred scribe, or a boundary, they delineate INK, and a SIEVE, and a REED, and they thus symbolise the Egyptian letters, because by means of these things all writings among the Egyptians are executed: for they write with a reed and nothing else: and they depict a SIEVE, because the sieve being originally

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[Josie Linde]

an instrument for making bread is constructed of reed; and they thereby intimate that every one who has a subsistence should learn the letters, but that one who has not should practise some other art. And hence it is that among them education is called SBO, 1 which when interpreted signifies sufficient food. Also they symbolize by these a sacred scribe, because he judges of life and death. For there is among the sacred scribes a sacred book called AMBRES, by which they decide respecting any one who is lying sick, whether he will live or not, ascertaining it from the recumbent posture of the sick person. And a boundary, because he who has learnt his letters has arrived at a tranquil harbour of existence, no longer wandering among the evils of this life.

[Josie Linde]

Footnotes

58:1

I. Inkstand: the ink and reeds, with one of which Thoth is writing, are placed in the cavities of the inkstand.

II. A royal scribe.

III. Thoth, the sacred scribe, is usually in this position, behind Osiris in the judgment of the dead.

59:1 SBO in Coptic denotes learning.—Champ.

http://sacred-texts.com/egy/hh/hh040.htm

[Josie Linde]

XXXIX. HOW A SACRED SCRIBE.

[Josie Linde]

And again when they would denote a sacred scribe, or a prophet, or an embalmer, or the spleen, or smelling, or laughter, or sneezing, [or government, or a judge,] they depict a DOG. And by this they denote a sacred scribe, because it is necessary for one who is desirous of becoming a perfect sacred scribe to be extremely careful, and to bark perpetually, and to be fierce,

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[Josie Linde]

fawning upon no one, like dogs. And they symbolise by it a prophet, because the dog gazes intently 1 upon the images of the gods more than all other animals, as does a prophet. And an embalmer of the sacred animals, because he also surveys the naked and dissected forms which are preserved by him. And the spleen, because this animal alone of all other creatures has this organ very light: and whether death or madness seizes him it arises from his spleen. And those who attend this animal in his exequies, when about themselves to die, generally become splenetic; for smelling the exhalations from the dog, when dissecting him, they are affected by them.

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[Josie Linde]

And it denotes smelling, and laughter, and sneezing, because the thoroughly splenetic are neither able to smell, nor laugh, nor sneeze.
Footnotes

60:1

I. Anubis on a tomb.

II. Anubis as an embalmer.

61:1 In the ceiling of the Ramesseion is a figure of Anubis seated, as in fig. I., at each end of the zodiac, gazing at the gods, who represent the intermediate months.

[Josie Linde]

XL. IN WHAT MANNER THEY REPRESENT GOVERNMENT, OR A JUDGE.

[Josie Linde]

When they denote government, 3 or a judge, they place

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close against the dog a ROYAL ROBE, the undress garment: 1 because like the dog, who, as I said before, gazes intently on the images of the gods, so likewise the minister, being in the more ancient times a judge also, used to see the king naked, and on this account they add the royal garment.

[Josie Linde]

Footnotes

62:1

I. The figure, which appears to be some spotted skin upon a pole, is commonly placed beside Osiris or Thoth in the judgment of the dead, in which Anubis or the Dog is also concerned. It may be some coarse garment, but it is evidently the panther skin of the Greek Dionysus, the counter-part of Osiris.

II. Osiris as judge of the dead; another forth of Khem.

62:2 Qy. ὀσφραινόμενοι, the robe bearer, who was one of the officers of the procession. See the illustration of these chapters from Clemens, in the plate and note at the end.

62:3 Qy. Ἄρχοντα, An archon or minister of state.

63:1 Very obscure—Treb. reads nudæ figuræ appositam, placed on a naked figure.—Mer. and De Pauw. suggest σχήματι γύμνῳ—Caus. καὶ σχῆμα γυμνόν. It seems to have been the hide of some beast worn next the skin by the King, (as Dionysus and Hercules are represented,) sod, according to Mr. Wilkinson, by the priests of a certain grade.—See his Ancient Egypt.

[Josie Linde]

XLI. HOW THEY SIGNIFY THE BEARER OF THE SHRINE.