Worship of the Serpent: Chapter II. Serpent-Worship In Africa
1. EGYPT.--Of all the nations of antiquity, none was so infamous for idolatry, as Egypt. She was the alma mater of every superstition; conveying, with her colonists, wherever they were settled, some corruption of the truth, which, under the fostering care of her established priesthood, assumed a form of consistency and allurement. Among the rest, the worship of the serpent was in her early history an important and conspicuous part of her idolatry. The serpent entered into the Egyptian religion under all his characters, of AN EMBLEM OF DIVINITY, A CHARM, AN ORACLE, and A GOD. 1. As an emblem of divinity, the sacred serpent was particularly symbolical of the gods CNEPH and THOTH, and of the goddess ISIS: though he entered, more or less, into the symbolical worship of all the gods. CNEPH was considered by the Egyptian priests as "the architect of the universe," and was adored as "the good dæmon." He was sometimes represented as A SERPENT WITH AN EGG IN HIS MOUTH. The egg denoted the mundane elements as proceeding from him. The serpent in a circle, passing diametrically and horizontally from circumference to circumference, was his hieroglyphical emblem. This became the ninth letter of the Egyptian alphabet, and was called Thita 2; from which the Greeks borrowed both the form and name of their Theta. The name of this letter was derived from that of its inventor THOTH, the reformer of the religion and manners of Egypt, and the supposed author
For his many services to the people, in teaching them letters, hieroglyphics, astronomy, and morals, TAAUTUS or THOTH was deified after death as "the god of health," or of "healing," and became the prototype of the god ÆSCULAPIUS 2. He was also identified with HERMES or MERCURY. As "the god of healing," THOTH was himself symbolized by the serpent, which he had taught the Egyptians to consider as a general emblem of divinity. The seventh letter of the
THOTH, as the god of healing, is represented leaning upon a knotted stick, which is enfolded by a serpent: and a female deity, corresponding with the Grecian goddess Hygeia, is encircled by a serpent who drinks out of a chalice in her hand 2. The serpent was also symbolical of Isis, and formed a conspicuous feature in her mysteries. The Isiac table 3, which describes these mysteries, is charged with serpents in every part, as emblems of the goddess. The species of serpent peculiarly dedicated to Isis was the asp. This is seen on the heads of her statues, and on the bonnets and sashes of her
SERPENT-WORSHIP IN AFRICA.
(Sic tua sacra pies semper Osiris amet,
PIGRAQUE LABATUR CIRCA DONARIA SERPENS 1--)
From which we may infer that LIVING ASPS were kept in the temples of Isis, and employed, perhaps, to glide about the offerings, to sanctify them. This will throw a light on the practice of the Syrian ophites mentioned in the pre-ceding chapter; namely, the hallowing of the Eucharist by the gliding of the sacred serpent about the bread. This custom obtained also, as we shall observe in the sequel, among the Britons and Scandinavians in their most solemn mysteries.
The asp of Isis was not a reptile of Egyptian production. Ovid, we may remark, describes her as accompanied by a "peregrina Serpens," a foreign serpent; and all the representations of the asp describe it as having a large expanded head, unlike any snake which has ever been found in Egypt. It was probably the hooded serpent of India, which is invariably the sacred snake of that country. But how it became an emblem of divinity in Egypt it is not easy to prove; for the native two-horned snake of the
The figure of Serapis, encircled by serpents, is found on tombs. The appearance of serpents As an emblem of dedication to the service or honour of THE DEITY, the serpent was sculptured with a GLOBE and WINGS on the porticoes of most of the Egyptian temples, and on the summits of some of the obelisks. The temples of LUXORE, ESNAY, KOMOMBU, DENDARA, and APOLLINOPOLIS, are surmounted by this favourite symbol of consecration 2; and it appears on the top of each compartment of the Pamphylian
The great consideration in which the symbolical serpent was held by the Egyptians, appears in the variations under which he is found on monumental remains. The reason of these has been assigned by authors who have undertaken to investigate the nature and object of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The serpent was deemed symbolical of the divine wisdom, power, and creative energy 3; of immortality and regeneration, from the shedding of his skin; and of eternity, when represented in the act of biting his own tail. Besides these various symbolizations, we are informed that the Egyptians represented the world by a circle, intersected by two diameters perpendicular to each other 4. These diameters were serpents, as we may
The learned Kircher has also instructed us that the several elements were likewise represented by serpents in various positions. Thus when they desired to depict the element of EARTH, "which was animated by the igneous power of OPH, (the genius who governed all things, and was symbolized by the serpent,) they drew a prostrate two-horned snake." When they wished to denote the element of WATER, they described a serpent moving in an undulated manner. The AIR was represented by an erect serpent in the act of hissing; this was the figure which formed the letter zeuta. The element of FIRE they denoted by an asp standing on his tail, and bearing upon his head a globe:
From which hieroglyphics it is clear that THE SERPENT was the most expressive symbol of divinity with the Egyptians. The last figure, the emblem of the "Vis ignea," was peculiarly the hieroglyphic of the god CNEPH, the Agathodæmon and Demiurge of Egyptian mythology, the chief god of their original worship. The extent to which the veneration of the symbolical serpent prevailed in Egypt, is illustrated by a very curious plate of gold discovered at Malta, in the year 1694, in the old wall of the city, where it is supposed to have been concealed by its former possessor in the days of religious fervour, when every thing idolatrous was consumed as abominable. This interesting relic is engraved in Montfaucon, vol. ii. p. 207, and thus described: "This plate was rolled up in a golden casket; it consists of two long rows, which contain a very great number of Egyptian deities, most of which have the head
Among the curiosities of Egyptian idolatry were the VOTIVE HANDS and FEET, sometimes found in temples. They were offered up in the same manner as the church of Rome consecrates waxen images of hands and feet, &c. commemorative of preservations--a custom derived, doubtless, from Pagans, as are most of the religious ceremonies of the Romish church. These VOTIVE HANDS 1 or FEET are charged with figures of serpents, emblematic of recovered health. The basilisk or royal serpent, so called as being the most venomous of the species, and, as
The Egyptian gnostics of the school of Basilides were much addicted to magic; and among their amulets had certain gems called Abraxas. This was the name which they gave to the Almighty, because, said they, "the letters forming the word 'Abraxas,' in Greek numeration, would make up the number three hundred and sixty-five; that is, the number of the days in one revolution of the sun, as the word
Iao Sabaoth," "Adonai," &c. which formed them. A serpent biting his own tail, to represent eternity, was often seen on those gems 1. These Abraxas, in which Egyptian idolatry and Christian revelation were so inextricably interwoven, are existing proofs of the prevalence of ophiolatreia in the first ages of the church. The Egyptians held basilisks in such veneration, that they made images of them in gold, and consecrated and placed them in the temples of their gods 2. Bryant thinks that they were the same as the Thermuthis, or deadly
The serpent is sometimes found sculptured, and attached to the breasts of mummies; but whether with a view to talismanic security, or as indicative of the priesthood of ISIS, is doubtful. A female mummy, opened by M. Passalacqua at Paris a few years ago, was adorned with a necklace of serpents carved in stone. The small figure of the bull-headed serpent, mentioned above, may have been intended for a similar purpose. Bracelets, in the form of serpents, were worn by the Grecian women in the time of Clemens Alexandrinus, who thus reproves the fashion: "The women are not ashamed to place about them the most manifest symbols of the evil one; for as the serpent deceived Eve, so the golden trinket in the fashion of a serpent misleads
Between Egypt and Greece there was always a great intercourse; and many of the customs, and most of the mythology of the latter, were derived from the former. It is not improbable, therefore, that these serpentine trinkets were worn also in Egypt; but whether as merely ornamental, or as talismanic, or as indicative of the priesthood of Cneph or Isis, I will not venture to decide. 2. But a very striking example of the talismanic serpent may be seen in the celebrated CADUCEUS, which was usually, though not exclusively, attributed to Hermes or Mercury. It did not exclusively belong to that god, for we may find it in the hand of Cybele, "the Syrian goddess," the mother of the gods 3. Cybele is the same as OPS, in whose history the serpent makes a prominent feature. We find it again,
The CADUCEUS was represented under various forms, according to the fancy of the sculptor, but almost always preserved the original design of a winged wand entwined by two serpents. Sometimes it was described without the wings, but never, properly, without the serpents: the variations consisted chiefly in the number of the folds made by the serpents' bodies round the wand, and the relative positions of the wings, and serpents' heads. The CADUCEUS was deemed powerful in paralyzing the mind, and raising the dead. This talismanic character was probably inherent in the serpents, rather than in any other part of the Caduceus; for though frequently exhibited without the wings, it is rarely, if ever, seen without the serpents. The
The origin of the Caduceus has been elaborately developed by the learned Kircher, in his dissertation on the Pamphylian obelisk 2. From him we learn that the Caduceus was originally expressed by the simple figure of a cross, by which its inventor, Thoth, is said to have symbolized the four elements proceeding from a common centre. This symbol, after undergoing some alterations, was used as a letter of the Egyptian alphabet, and called, from its inventor, Taut. It was the corresponding letter to the Hebrew Tau, though different in shape. It corresponded with it also in its mystic signification. The next form assumed by this remarkable symbol was
Thoth first taught the Egyptians to symbolize divinity by serpents; hence the two chief objects of Egyptian idolatry, the SUN and the MOON, were represented by two serpents, male and female. Later philosophers, therefore, not deeming the Taautic emblem sufficiently explicit of its own meaning, substituted for the lunar crescent and the solar circle, TWO SERPENTS, the representatives of these deities, each of which was most ingeniously described by the intersecting of the two serpents, so as to form a circle below, and a crescent above, with their bodies. The arms of the cross they changed in like manner into WINGS, which were emblematical of the hovering of the divine spirit
But notwithstanding all these variations, the original idea was never lost. The symbol was
Kircher supposes that Thoth received the emblem upon which he founded the crux ansata from the patriarchs (before the flood, I presume,) by tradition. Of this there can be no proof. Certain it is, however, that by the descendents of the patriarchs after the flood, the figure of a CROSS was ever esteemed a most sacred sign, whatever may have been its origin or mystery. It occurs, according to Maurice, among the hieroglyphics of the Brahmins, and is stamped upon the most magnificent shrines of their deities. On the Egyptian obelisks the Taautic Much curious learning has been employed upon the origin of this celebrated character. The Hebrew ת is supposed to have been derived from it, though it has lost the figure of the original sign which is more accurately preserved in the Greek Τ; and still more so, in the Coptic dau. It is supposed that an allusion is made to this mysterious sign in Ezekiel ix. 4, where God directs "the man clothed in linen, which had the writing inkhorn by his side," to set "A MARK" upon the foreheads of those who lamented the prevalence of idolatry in Jerusalem. In the original the phrase is, "set a TAU (ת) upon their foreheads." The vulgate preserves the real meaning of the command,--"mark with the LETTER TAU the foreheads," &c. Upon which Lowth observes, that in the parallel passage in the Septuagint, το Σημειον (a mark) should be TAU Σημειον (the mark TAU.) It has been finally determined by the learned, that in
It is probable that the early Christians, perceiving how aptly this ancient symbol of dedication to the deity might be used to signify the dedication of the convert to CHRIST, employed it in baptism without any fear of scandal, as it symbolized likewise the cross upon which the SAVIOUR died. There seems to be an allusion to this ancient custom of setting the THAU upon the foreheads of the servants of God, in that saying of our I grant that this might have been figuratively spoken, in reference to the perils which the disciple would undergo: but does it mean nothing more? I cannot but think that it does; for the subsequent verses represent a picture not much dissimilar to that in the 9th chapter of Ezekiel, where the expression "thau" first occurs. Our Lord goes on to say, "For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake, shall find it . . . . For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Now, comparing this passage with the 9th chapter of Ezekiel, we shall find that the abstract ideas are the same,--namely, a divine visitation and judgment, in which the righteous are to be spared in the destruction of the wicked. Whoever among the inhabitants of the polluted city should be found by the destroying angel with the THAU (the cross) upon his forehead, would be spared; whoever among the millions of the departed souls shall be found at the second coming of the
It is the custom of the Brahmins, to this day, to set a mark on the foreheads of the votaries of Veshnu and Seeva; and the Oriental Christians were accustomed to mark CRUCIFIXES on their arms and other parts of the body. The phylacteries of the Hebrews are also well known. The Mahometans, again, write the word "ALLAH" (God) upon their persons 2. All of which customs may be traced to one common origin, which I conceive to be of the most remote antiquity. The first mention of a MARK is of that set upon CAIN; and though this may at first sight appear to militate against the argument before us, yet upon consideration we shall find that it confirms
Very pertinent to our question is the remark, that when the Greeks intimated the condemnation of a criminal to death, they marked his name in the judicial tablet, with the letter Θ; and on the contrary, when they wished to express his acquittal, with a Τ 2. The former is said to have been the initial letter of Θάνατος--death: but of the latter we have received no satisfactory explanation from the ancients. It is probably derived from the original symbol of dedication to the Deity, which we have been considering, borrowed by the Greeks from the Egyptians, and used in ignorance of its mystic meaning. The Τ which was to be set upon the foreheads of the servants of God in Jerusalem,
A very curious form of the Taautic symbol is sometimes presented in Egyptian hieroglyphics--that of a hawk-headed serpent issuing from a circle which surmounts the cross, and having another smaller circle at the extremity of his In concluding this long and desultory article, we may remark, that all the planets known to the ancients were distinguished by the mystic Taautic Cross, in conjunction with the solar or lunar symbols:--Thus,
Whatever may be the mystic meaning of these astronomical signs, their connexion with
: the figure of the sun being superadded, as if to denote that the sun was
. This was the complete figure which represented the supreme deity. It was called by the Egyptians the TAAUTIC EMBLEM; and when Thoth was elevated into the rank of a god, by the name of Hermes or Mercury, it became his hieroglyphic. Hence it was employed as a symbol of the planet MERCURY; for in early mythology every deified hero was changed into a planet or constellation. The SUN, being the great object of primeval idolatry, was worshipped with the highest honours; and THOTH, being the great prophet and reformer of the
Taautic emblem, and the first form of the CADUCEUS, was thus depicted. In this form it is seen in the hand of ANUBIS, in the plate engraved of him in Herwart's Hieroglyphic Theatre, from which it is copied by Kircher. After this, the CADUCEUS underwent many variations. The serpents were made to entwine about the shaft, and the wings were placed above the serpents. The intersections of the serpents, also, became more frequent, sometimes amounting to three or four; and gave rise to the fable of Jupiter and Rhea, to which the supposed conjugal union of the sun and moon (represented by these serpents) gave some colour. Sometimes the point of intersection was a knot, which was called "the knot of Hercules 1."
SATURN was denoted by the lunar emblem, surmounted by the Taautic cross.
JUPITER, by the lunar emblem, surmounting the Θαῦμα.
MARS, by its combination with the solar symbol.
VENUS was distinguished by the same combination, but the Taautic cross was below the circle.
MERCURY united all the symbols.
Our elegant and learned etymologist, Bryant,
Another proof of the superior antiquity of Ophiolatreia is afforded by the divining cup of Joseph mentioned in Gen. xliv. The mention of this superstition in connection with such a name is not a little remarkable; and commentators have accordingly exerted themselves to explain away the inference that Joseph practised the heathen art of divination. I am as unwilling as any of them to believe that the Hebrew Patriarch was an idolater; but that the "divining cup" here mentioned was similar to the Poculum Boni Dæmonis of the Bacchanalian orgies, which so closely corresponded with those of Isis, cannot well be doubted by any one who examines the phraseology of the original text. Such a cup was preserved in the collection of the late Earl of Besborough, and is described by Mr. Pownall in the seventh volume of the Archæologia. Upon the lid of it are two serpents, and on the cup itself near the rim, the Ophite hierogram of literally οἰωνισμῷ οἰωνεῖται. Now נַחֵשׁ and οἰωνὸς are the peculiar words by which the serpent used in divination was designated 1. I hesitated to deliver this conjecture respecting the cup of Joseph in the former edition of this treatise; but the opinion of Mr. Faber kindly communicated to me since its publication has determined me to advance it. He remarks that "the peculiar phraseology of Gen. xliv. 15. implies the worship of the Nachash." I argue, therefore, that the serpent was an object of veneration in Egypt before the Exodus of the Israelites. Besides the great temple of the serpent-god CNEPH, at Elephantina, there was a celebrated one of Jupiter at Thebes, where the practice of Ophiolatreia was carried to a great length. We are informed, by Herodotus, that "At Thebes there are two serpents, by no means injurious to men; small in size, having two horns springing up from the top of the head. They bury these when dead in the temple of Jupiter: for they say that they are sacred to that God 2."
Among the prefectures of Egypt, we find one
In Montfaucon, plate 46, vol. ii. we have an engraving of an ancient Egyptian marble found at Rome, anno 1709, in which there is a representation of a priest kneeling down before an idol, which, instead of a head of its own, has three serpents rising up out of the shapeless block. In Herwart's tables of Egyptian hieroglyphics, we see a priest offering adoration to a serpent. The same occurs in the Isiac table. That these denoted something more than a mere worship of an idol, is evident from the foregoing instances of actual worship paid to the reptile. In a tomb at Biban al Malook is a beautiful
Bishop Pococke thinks (and justly) that the above superstition is a remnant of the ancient Ophiolatreia. The annual visit of the women is similar to the customs observed in Epirus, and at Lanuvium, of which we shall see a full account in the sequel. With these notices we close our remarks on the serpent-worship in Egypt; from whence, however, it spread far and wide, until almost every nation of Africa became devoted to the same idolatry.
An Abyssinian monk named Gregory, visited Germany a short time before Ludolf published his "Ethiopic History," and the way in which
The worship of the serpent prevailed at Axum until the Abyssinians were converted to Christianity. The glory of this conversion is ascribed to nine saints, who are reported to have succeeded by the instrumentality of miracles. Ludolf 2 citing father Mendez, thus enumerates their triumphs. "These did great miracles when they converted a great part of Ethiopia; and among others, it is reported that 'a great dragon who lived near Axum, and devoured many men and cattle, was burst asunder by their prayers.' An Abyssinian poet celebrated the praises of these Christian Missionaries, in a poem which Ludolf quotes. The founder of Ophiolatreia, or rather the leader of the first
Although the seven Christian saints overcame the Dragon of Axum, they did not succeed in destroying his whole family. The Shangalla, a race of Negroes on the northern frontier of Abyssinia, retain to this day their primitive superstitions; they worship serpents, trees, and the heavenly host 2. And the Agaazi, a tribe of Ethiopian shepherds, still dwell in the mountains, called (probably in reference to the Ophite superstitions there practised in former times) Habab: which means "a serpent." This word looks very like a reduplication of the universal AB, which was the name of the Serpent-god in most primitive countries which had any connection with Phœnicia. III. WHIDAH AND CONGO.--The worship of the serpent was not confined to the north-eastern
The gods of Whidah may be divided into three classes,--the serpent, tall trees, and the sea: of these the serpent is the most celebrated and honoured, the other two being subordinate to this deity. The snake, which the Whidanese thus honour and worship, is perfectly harmless, and to be seen in all the houses of the natives, leaving its young in their very beds, from which it is the height of impiety to dislodge them. This serpent they invoke under all the difficulties and emergencies of life. For this purpose
Such is the account of Captain Snellgrave,
Of the interior of Africa we have had little authentic information until lately; by which time, the irruption of the Mohamedans (Moors and Arabs) had, for the most part, effaced the superstitions of the natives. There are, however, even now, many idolatrous tribes of which we have no account at all. When time and science shall have laid open their superstitions, But from this prospect, perhaps visionary, of future discoveries, let us turn to the knowledge which we already possess of the superstitions of the Gold Coast. We have ascertained that the SERPENT was in reality worshipped there; that temples, priests, and sacrifices were appointed to him; and that there is a tradition, that this worship came originally from a foreign country. But, moreover, we are in possession of facts which unequivocally demonstrate WHENCE that worship came. In the kingdom of Whidah there is still a tribe of people known by the name of EBOES, who are addicted to a worship which may be considered as little more than a variation of Ophiolatreia. They worship the guana, a species of lizard.
From these two tribes chiefly were the negroes of Jamaica and the West Indian islands formerly taken; and the addiction of these people to the OBEAH-WORSHIP is well known by melancholy memorials. The word obeah may be the feminine adjective of the substantive obi, which, in the native language of the negroes, signifies a CHARM. By means of this charm the professors of Obi, who were all natives of Africa, held their unhappy votaries in such awe, that against whomsoever the charm was laid, or as they termed it, "obi was set," that person invariably became the victim of his own horror, and died a miserable death. The usual practice was to set this charm (which consisted of several ingredients 2 mixed
"The woman at Endor," observes Bryant, "who had a familiar spirit, is called אוב, Oub,
Oubos is, therefore, the name of the serpent Oub, with a Greek termination--a practice universally adopted by Grecian writers, when speaking of foreign appellatives. Besides, Kircher remarks, that Obion is still, among the people of Egypt, the name of a serpent. "The same occurs in the Coptic Lexicon 1." OBION, in its original signification, was a sacred title, applied to the solar god, who was symbolized by the serpent OB. It is compounded of OB and ON. ON is a title of the SUN--thus the city of ON, in Egypt, was called by the Greeks Heliopolis. It is observable, that the woman of Endor is called Oub or Ob; and she was applied to as oracular. Similarly, whenever a negro was desirous of detecting a thief, or of recovering lost property, he applied to the obi-man or obi-woman, for an oracle.
3. These people (the Eboes) are still addicted to a species of serpent-worship: they worship the guana. 4. A neighbouring tribe, the Koromantynes, adore and propitiate as THE EVIL SPIRIT, a god whom they call OBONI. From these facts we may infer, that the deity OBONI was the original evil deity of the Negro nations of that part of Africa;--that he was originally worshipped under the symbol of a serpent, as his name imports; that his peculiar worshippers (perhaps his priesthood) were called
That the Koromantynes should worship Oboni as a spirit, while the Eboes, or Oboes, adored him under the emblem of the guava; and so degraded mental into sensual worship, is by no means surprising. For while history represents the Koromantynes as a peculiarly quick and noble-minded race, it describes the Eboes as the most degraded among the Negro tribes, apparently susceptible of no generous feeling 2. It was therefore to be expected that the Koromantynes would first emancipate themselves from the superstition of their common ancestors. Hence,
With these remarks I take leave of Africa--a
120:1 Montfaucon, ii. 191. 120:2 Kircher Œdip. "Egypt. vol. iii. p, 46, who calls it the thirteenth letter. 121:1 Jablonski Panth. Ægypt. c. iv. p. 81. 121:2 Ibid. lib. v. c. 6. 122:1 Kircher. Œdip. Æg. iii. 36; who calls it the 12th letter. 122:2 Montfaucon, vol. 5. 122:3 This was a celebrated plate of brass overlaid with black enamel, intermixed with plates of silver. It was destroyed at the taking of Mantua, 1630. See Montfaucon, who has engraved it, vol. 2. 123:1 Jablonski, P. Æg. 119. See also Bryant ii. 200. 123:2 De Anim. x. 31. 124:1 Lib. 2. Amor. Eleg. 13. 126:1 Porphyry in Euseb. cited by Montfaucon, supplement, ii. 214. 126:2 See plates in Maurice Ind. Antiq. Vols. II. III. IV. 127:1 See plate in Kircher. 127:2 Desc. of East. i. 70. 127:3 Bryant, Plagues of Egypt, 209. 127:4 Jablonski, P. Æg. lib. i. p. 86. 128:1 Præp. Ev. lib. i. p. 42. 128:2 Jablonski ut supra. 130:1 In the British Museum, among the Grecian Antiquities, are two votive feet, encircled by serpents. 131:1 Horus Apollo, c. i. p. 2. 131:2 Spanheim De Usu Num. 188. 131:3 Jablonski, P. Æ. 89. 132:1 See Plates, &c. in Montfaucon. 132:2 Horus Apollo, c. i. p. 2. 133:1 Gesner, Hist. Anim. p. 54, citing Ælian. To some such notion may possibly be referred Cleopatra's choice of death. She destroyed herself by the venom of a viper. 134:1 Pæd. lib. ii. 245. Edit. Potter. 134:2 Cœl. Rhodig. cited by Gesner, Hist. Anim. 32. Dr. Clarke, Travels, vol. i. p. 72, describes a very beautiful bracelet of golden serpents which was found in a tumulus, near the Cimmerian Bosphorus. 134:3 Montfaucon, Vol. i. plate, p. 8. 135:1 Montfaucon, Vol. i. plate, p. 85. 135:2 Kircher, Pamp. Obel. plate of Anubis. 135:3 De Astrolog. p. 544, Edit. 1615, Paris. 136:1 Parkhurst, Lex. οφις. 136:2 Lib. iv. Hierogr. 20. 138:1 For this conjecture I must crave indulgence; for though only a conjecture, unsupported by authority, I cannot but consider it as founded on probability. The reader will find, upon reference to Kircher, that I have taken other liberties with his argument besides this, which may stand or fall by its own merits. 139:1 Macrob. Saturnal. lib. i. c. 19. 141:1 See Bruce's Travels--plate. 143:1 Matt. xvi. 24. 144:1 Gal. vi. 17. See also Rev. xiii. 16. and xiv. 1. 144:2 Border's Oriental Customs on Ezek. ix. 4, and Gal. vi. 17. 145:1 Some learned men, as Mr. Faber, doubt the Rabbinical legend, and even whether there was any mark at all upon Cain. They translate the text, "And the Lord appointed a sign unto Cain, that no one finding him should kill him." 145:2 Alexander ab Alex. lib. iii. c. 5, cum notis Tiraquelli. See also Persius, Sat. iv. 12. 146:1 Montf. Supplent. vol. v. p. 42. 148:1 Euseb. Præp. Evang. i. 41. 149:1 Gesner. Hist. Anim. lib. v. p. 59. 150:1 Wisd. c. xi. v. 15. 153:1 Hesychius on οἰωνός. 153:2 Herod. ii. 74. 154:1 De Animal. lib. xvi. c. 39. 154:2 Ælian. Var. Hist. lib. xi. c. 17. 156:1 Amator, p. 755. 159:1 Pococke, Desc. of East, vol. i. 160:1 Anal. ii. 206. 160:2 Ludolf. Ethiop. Hist. 160:3 Ludolf. lib. ii. c. i. p. 23. 32. 161:1 Ludolf. lib. ii. c. 3. 161:2 Ludolf. Comment. lib. iii. p. 284. 162:1 Bruce, vol. i. 411. 162:2 Bruce, vol. ii. 554. 165:1 Bosman on Guinea, Acta Erud. Lip. 1705, p. 265. 169:1 Astley, vol. iii. p. 489. 171:1 The worship of the snake still prevails in CENTRAL AFRICA 2, although in danger of being shortly superseded by Islamism. Among the idols in a temple of the Yaribeans is one with the image of a snake upon his head; which reminds us of the Egyptian priest with the asp of Isis. 171:2 Lander's Records. Preface, and vol. ii. p. 198. 172:1 Bryan Edwards's Hist. of the West Indies, vol. ii. pp. 75 and 466. 172:2 One of these was crocodiles' teeth, perhaps a substitute for serpents'; the rest were bits of rags, feathers, &c. A practice somewhat similar to this may be discovered in the The connexion of serpents and charms is noticed by Horace, Epod. v. 14. 172:3 Anal. vol. i. pp. 59, 60. 173:1 Potter, Archæol. Græca, H. 251. 174:1 Bryant, ut supra. 176:1 The name of the king of the Eboes in 1831 was OBI. The people described by Lander are far less barbarous than the Eboes of Edwards. The Slave Trade, which generally barbarizes Europeans, appears in this instance to have conferred a comparative civilization upon Africans. 177:1 Their only idol--if it may be called one--was the Argoye, a human figure crowned with serpents and lizards. It was a subordinate fetiche. 177:2 Bryan Edwards, ut supra. 178:1 John xviii. 14.
Crines et incomptum caput, &c. &c.
