to whatever was placed upon it. And the privilege of presenting them in this form appears to have been generally enjoyed by that class of priests who wore the leopard-skin dress. *

In general, "the priests abstained from most sorts of pulse, from mutton, and swine's flesh; and in their more solemn purifications, even excluded salt from their meals +;" but some vegetables were considered lawful food, being preferred by them for their wholesome nature, and it is certain that the leguminous productions and fruits of Egypt are frequently introduced into the sculptures, and are noticed by Pliny and other authors as abundant, and of the most excellent quality.

In their ablutions as in their diet, they were

*This spotted skin has been mistaken for that of the veßpic, or fawn. Plut. de Is. s. xxxv.

+ Plut. de Is. s. v.

When Alexandria was taken by Amer, 4000 persons were engaged in selling vegetables in that city.

equally severe, and they maintained the strictest observance of numerous religious customs. They bathed twice a day and twice during the night*; and some who pretended to a more rigid observance of religious duties, washed themselves with water which had been tasted by the ibis, supposed in consequence to bear an unquestionable evidence of its purity; and shaving the head and the whole body every third day, they spared no pains to promote the cleanliness of their persons, without indulging in the luxuries of the bath. † A grand ceremony of purification took place previous and preparatory to their fasts, many of which lasted from seven to forty-two days‡, and sometimes even a longer period: during which time they abstained entirely from animal food, from herbs and vegetables, and above all from the indulgence of the passions.

DRESSES.

Their dress was simple; but the robes of ceremony were grand and imposing, and each grade was distinguished by its peculiar costume.

The high priest who superintended the immolating of the victims, the processions of the sacred boats or arks, the presentation of the offerings at the altar §, or at funerals, and the anointing of the

*Herodot. ii. 37. Porphyry says thrice a day, and the nocturnal ablutions were only required on certain occasions.

+ It is supposed that Homer alludes to this when speaking of the priests of Jove (Il. xvi. 238.), though he describes them with unwashed feet:

<< αμφι δε Σελλοι

Σοι ναιους υποφήται ανιπτόποδες, χαμαιεύναι.”

Porphyr. de Abstinentiâ, l. iv. s.7.

Probably in the capacity of priest to the king.

king, was covered with a sort of mantle made of an entire leopard skin; and this badge was also attached to the dress of the monarch when en

gaged in a similar office. Various insignia were worn by them, according to their rank or the ceremony in which they were engaged; and necklaces, bracelets, garlands, and other ornaments were put on during the religious ceremonies in the temples. Their dresses were made of linen, which, as Plutarch observes, is perfectly consistent with the customs of men anxious to rid themselves of all natural impurities; for certainly, he adds, it would be absurd for those who take so much pains to remove hair and all other superfluities from the body, to wear clothes made of the wool or hair of animals.

Their prejudice, however, against woollen garments was confined to the under robes, it being lawful for them to put on a woollen upper garment for the purpose of a cloak; and cotton dresses were sometimes worn by the priests, to whom, if we may believe Pliny*, they were particularly agreeable. But no one was allowed to be buried in a woollen robe, from its engendering worms, which would injure the body; nor could any priest enter a temple without previously taking off this part of his dress. Their sandals were made of the papyrus+ and palm leaves, and the simplicity of their habits extended even to the bed on which they slept. It was sometimes a simple skin extended upon the bare ground §; sometimes it consisted of a sort of wicker work made of palm branches ||, on which

* Plin. xix. 1. Herodotus says they only wore linen. iii. 37. Herod. ii. 81. Conf. Herod. ii. 37.

$ Eustath. in Homer Il. xvi. 235.

No doubt the same as the caffass of the present day, which is so generally used for bedsteads in Egypt. Porphyry is right in saying the palm branch (in Arabic gereet) was called bai. Lib. iv. s. 7.

they spread a mat or skin; and their head, says Porphyry, was supported by a half cylinder of wood, in lieu of a pillow.*

The same mode of resting the head was common to all the Egyptians, and a considerable number of these stools † have been found in the tombs of Thebes generally of sycamore, acacia, or tamarisk wood; or of alabaster, not inelegantly formed, and frequently ornamented with coloured hieroglyphics. In Abyssinia, and in parts of Upper Ethiopia, they still adopt the same support for the head; and the materials of which they are made are either wood, stone, or common earthenware. Nor are they peculiar to Abyssinia and the valley of the Nile: the same custom prevails in far distant countries; and we find them used in Japan, China, and Ashantee §, and even in the island of Otaheite, where they are also of wood, but longer and less concave than those of Africa.

Of the peculiar dresses worn by the different classes of priests I shall speak hereafter in describing the costume of the Egyptians, the preceding remarks being merely introduced in connection with the habits and character of the sacerdotal caste.

Though excesses in their mode of living, and all external display of riches were avoided by the

* Vide infra, on the furniture of the houses.

+ It is remarkable that the ancient Egyptians denominated them koorsee (korsi), a name still applied by the Arabs to a stool, or chair.

‡ Vule suprà, p. 214.

$ Those of the Chinese and Japanese are also of wood, but they are furnished with a small cushion.