the outward man, it passed into various states; and after a circuit of three thousand years, it returned to re-animate the human body, Pythagorus first transplanted this dogma from Egypt into Greece, and, though no works of that philosopher are now extant, yet we may gather, from later writers, the essential tenets of the Pythagorean sect. Plato, after the death of Socrates, inculcated the same principle, in order to validate the primary tenet of the Socratic school-the immortality of the soul. Virgil has shown himself very sedulous in propagating the same doctrine among the Romans. These two nations were of opinion, that death separated the soul from the body; they were, therefore, no longer concerned about the perishable part of man; and being enlightened by the rays of rational philosophy, through the mists of error and superstition, they looked forward to a future state as a reward for the virtuous, and a punishment for the damned. The Egyptians, on the contrary, were more solicitous to preserve the material part from putrefac¬ tion and injury, conceiving that the soul was inseparable from its body, so long as the latter was free from corruption. Inspired by this superstition, they studied and put in practice every means of preserving the human frame; they applied to the study of natural history to discover the virtues of simples, and provided buildings of the greatest magnitude and durability, as depositories for the dead, which still remain the most stupendous monuments of human labour in the world. That the pyramids were built as sepulchres for the kings, there appears no reason to doubt, this is fully testified by modern travellers. Besides, Diodorus says expressly, that Chemnis and Cephron constructed them for this purpose. The principal care of the Egyptians was turned to the preserving the dead; they looked upon their houses as temporary dwellings, but to their cemeteries, they gave the name of the eternal mansions. Among the three modes of embalming, that adopted by the rich was very tedious in its process, and expensive in its preparation. As soon as a man of any consideration died, the relations of the deceased, after the most violent expressions of grief, sent for the embalmer, who carried away the corpse. The first part of the operation was to extract the brains through the nostrils, with a crooked instrument of iron; for the more ready performance of which, the medium septum of the nose was cut away; the va→ cuities were then filled up with perfumes and aromatic composition. After this, the body was opened with much ceremony; for this purpose the priest made a mark on the left side, just above the hip, to shew how far the incision was to be made. A particular officer made an opening with a very sharp Ethiopian stone. As soon as the people saw this, they pelted him with stones, and pursued him with maledictions ; for the Egyptians looked with abhorrence upon any one who offered violence to a human body, either dead or alive. The embalmer then inserted his hand, and drew out all the viscera, except the heart and kidneys, while the bowels were washed with odours. The entrails were not restored to the abdomen, but, from a religious motive, they were thrown in the Nile. Afterwards the belly was filled with cinnamon, myrrh, and other odoriferous drugs; and then the orifice of the wound was closed. The body outwardly was anointed with the oil of cedar, and other preservatives, for thirty days. This length of time was necessary to administer the preparations for drying it and preventing its putrefaction. At the expiration of this term, the corpse was again washed, and wrapped up in many folds of linen, painted with sacred characters, and seasoned with gums and other glutinous matter. This renders the cloth so durable, that it has preserved its consistence even to the present day, as many of the specimens lately exhibited in this country fully testify. These swathes of cere-cloth were so manifold, that there are seldom less than a thousand yards of filleting about one body: and so ingeniously were the wrappings managed, that the lineaments of the deceased were easily discernible, even though the face was covered with a kind of mask filled with mastic. the breast was spread a broader piece of cere-cloth, on which was inscribed some memorable sentiment; but, for the most part, having the figure of a woman with expanded arms. The embalmer having done his duty, the mummy was sent back to the kindred of the defunct, who deposited it in a wooden coffin, made of a species of sycamore, called in Egypt, Pharaoh's figtree. Some few coffins have been found of solid stone; a miniature model of one, in marble, was to be seen at Belzoni's exhibition, from which he says the body had been taken. The top of the wooden coffin, or mummy chest, was carved in the shape of a woman's head, the face had been richly painted; the rest of the trunk was adorned with hieroglyphics, and the lower end was broad and flat like a pedestal, on which the coffin On was placed erect in the place designed for its reception. The body of Joseph was put in a coffin. The corpse was lastly conveyed down the Nile to its final destination, in a vessel called Baris. The mode just described, was the most expensive, and adopted by the rich only; those, however, who were unable or unwilling to go to so great an expense, had recourse to a more simple process. A quantity of cedar-oil and aromatic liquors were injected, by means of a syringe, into the body, at the anus; after this, it was laid in nitre for seventy days, when the pipe was withdrawn, and the oil running out, carried with it the paunch and entrails, while the nitre consumed the flesh, leaving nothing but skin and bones. The bodies of the poorer people were filled with a nitrous composition, which had such virtue and efficacy as to consume the intestines. They were afterwards wrapt up in bundles of reed, or branches of the palm-tree. The same care was bestowed on the sacred animals, such as the ibis, the dog, the cat, the ape, the scarabæus, the sheep, and in some parts the crocodile; but more especially on the sacred apis, or ox, whose festivals were celebrated with great solemnity and rejoicings. What raillery have this superstitious people been exposed to, from their foolish veneration for irrational creatures. Herodotus, Diodorus, and Aelian, are consentient in their ridicule of this stupid idolatry. When a house was on fire, the father of a family would be more anxious to rescue his cat from the flames, than to save his wife, his children, or property. So infatuated were they, that, mothers accounted it a blessing (oh, horror!) for their children to be devoured by the ravenous cro R codile; they gloried that their offsprings became food to that fierce creature. (Aelian de Nat. Animal, 1. 10, c. 21.) Nay, more, in the extremities of famine, it is said that this deluded people, would rather eat one another, than lay violent hands on these disgusting objects of worship, (Diod. lib. 1, p. 93). Juvenal exposes these enormities in nervous and eloquent language. Classical Journal. THE GENTLEMAN. "He is complete in manners and in mind, SHAKSPEARE. To the knight-errant of the age of chivalry, and the gallant loyalty of the cavaliers, has succeeded the title of "Gentleman." It is difficult precisely to state what is generally comprised in this denomination of character. The perfect Gentleman, or, at least, the nearest approach to perfection, is distinguished by characteristics, of which I shall attempt a sketch. He is not great, in the ordinary sense of the term. His attainments are rather numerous than lofty. He has more grace and beauty of mind, than sublimity. The quality in which he is most eminent, is refined taste. He is more accomplished than learned. His attainments, including all the elegant exercises of the age, consists more of the ornamental, than the positively useful. He has too many refined avocations, to be |