Pilgrimage, Book 6 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Of the Aegyptian Idoles, with their Legendary Histories and Mysteries.
IF wee stay longer on this Aegyptian Stage, partly the varietie of Authors may excuse vsus which hauehave entreated of this subiect, partly the variety of matter, which, adding some light to the Diuine Oracles, (not that they neede it, which are in themselues a light a2.Pet.t.19.shining in a darke place; but because of our need, whose owly eyes can not so easily discerne that light) deserue a larger relation. For whether the Histories of the Old Testament, or the Prophecies of the New be considered, both there literally we reade of Egyptian rites practised, and heere mystically of like superstitions in the Antichristian Synagogue reuiued, therefore bApoc.II.8.called spiritually Sodome and Aegypt. No where can Antiquitie pleade a longer succession of errour; no where of superstition more multiplicitie; more blind zeale, in prosecuting the same themselues, or cruelty in persecuting others that gaines aied. Oh Aegypt! wonderfull in Nature, whose Heauen is brasse, and yet thine Earth not Yron, wonderfull for Antiquitie, Arts and Armes, but no way so wonderfull, as in thy Religions, wherewith thou hast disturbed the rest of the world, both elder and later, Heathen and Christian; to which thou hast beene a sinke and mother of Abhominations. Thy Heathenisme planted by Cham, watered by Iannes, Iambres, Hermes, ouerflowed to Athens and Rome: Thy Christianisme, famous for many ancient Fathers, more infamous for that Arrian heresie, which rising heere, eclipsed the Christian light; the world wondring and groning to see it selfe an Arrian: I speake not of the first Monkes, whose egge, here layd, was faire, and beginnings holy: but (by the Deuills brooding) brought forth in after-ages a dangerous serpent: Thy Mahumetisme entertayned with like lightnes of credulity, with like eagernes of deuotion, no lesse troublesome to the Arabian Sect in Asia and Afrike, then before to the Heathens or Christians in Europe. The first Author (it seemeth) of this Egyptian, as of all other false Religions, was Cham (as before is sayd) which had taken deepe rooting in the dayes of Ioseph the Patriarch, and in the dayes of Moses; their Priests cGen.41.8. Exodus1 7.Wisemen and Soothsayers, confirming their deuotions with lying miracles, as the Scriptures testifie of Iannes and Iambres; and dHer.Asc.lep.Hermes Trismegistus, of his grandfather and himselfe. The Grecians ascribe these deuotions to Osiris and Isis: of whom the Historie and Mysterie is so confused; that Typhon neuer hewd Osiris into so many peeces, as these vaine Theologians, and Mythologians hauehave done. They are forsooth in the Egyptian throne, King and Queene: in the heauens, the Sunne & Moone: beneath these, the Elements: after Herodotus, they are Bacchus and Ceres: Diodorus maketh Osiris the same with the Sunne, Serapis, Dionysius, Pluto, Ammon, Iupiter: Isis, the Moone, Ceres and Iuno. In Macrobius and Servius she is the nature of things; he, Adonis and Atis: Plutarch addeth to these Interpretations Oceanus and Sirius, as to Isis, Minerua Proserpina, Thetis. And if you hauehave not enough, Apulcius will helpe you, with Venus, Diana, Bellona, Hecate Rhamnusia: and Heliodorus nearer home, maketh Osiris to be Nilus, the Earth Isis. So true is it that el.Cor.8.4. Io. 4 12.an Idoll is nothing in the world, and Idolaters worship they know not what.
But to search this fountaine further, you may reade the Egyptian opinion in Diodorus, fDiod.Sic.li.1.how that the world, being framed out of that Chaos, or first matter, the lighter things ascending, the heauier descending, the Earth yet imperfect, was heated and hardned by the Sunne, whose violent heate begat of her slimie softnesse certaine putride swellings, couered with a thinne filme, which beeing by the same heate ripened, brought forth all manner of creatures. This muddy generation was say they) first in Egypt, most fit, in respect of the strong soile, temperate ayre, Nilus ouerflowing, and exposed to the Sunne, for to beget and nourish them: and yet retaining some such vertue. at the new flaking of the riuer, the Sunne more desirous (as it were) of this Egyptian Concubine, whom the waters had so long detained from his sight, ingendring in that lustfull fit many Creatures, as mice and others, whose forepartes are seene mouing before the hinder are formed. These newly-hatched people could not but ascribe Diuinitie to the Author of their humanity, by the names of Osiris and Isis, worshipping the Sunne and Moone, accounting them to be Gods, and euerlasting: adding in the same Catalogue, vnderunder disguised names of Iupiter, Vulcan, Minerua, Occanus, and Ceres, the fiue Elements of the world, Spirit, Fire, Aire, Water, & Earth. These eternall Gods begot others, whom not Nature, but their owne proper merite made immortall, which reigned in Egypt, and bare the names of those celestiall Deities. Their Legend of gSome think that this Osiris was Mizraim the sonne of Cham.Morn.Osiris, is, that he hauing set Egypt in order, leauing Isis his wife gouernour, appoynting Mercurie her Counsellour (the inuenter of Arithmetike, Musicke, Physicke, and of their superstition) made an expedition into farre countries, hauing Hercules for his Generall, with Apollo his brother, Anubis and Macedon his sonnes, (whose Ensignes were a Dogge and a Wolfe, creatures after for this cause honored, and their counterfeits worshipped) Pan, Maron, and Triptolemus, and the nine Muses attending with the Satyres. Thus did hee inuade the world, rather with Arts, then Armes; teaching men husbandry in many parts of Asia and Europe, and when Vines would not grow, to make drinke of barley. At his returne, his brother Typhon slew him, rewarded with like death by the reuenging hand of Isis and her sonne Orus. The dispersed peeces, into which Typhon had cut him, she gathered and committed to the Priests, with iniunction to worship him, with dedication vntounto him of what beast they best liked, which also should be obserued with much ceremonie, both aliue and dead, in memory of Osiris. In which respect also hLactant.lib athey obserued solemnely to make a lamentable search for Osiris with many teares, making semblance of like toy at his pretended finding, whereof Lucan singeth, Nunquam que satis quaesitus Osiris; alway seeking (saith Lactantius) and alway finding. To establish this Osirian Religion she consecrated a third part of the land in Egypt for maintenance of these superstitious rites and persons: the other two parts appropriated to the King, and his souldiours. This Isis, after her death, was also deified in a higher degree of adoration then Osiris selfe. One thing is lacking to our tale, which was also lacking a long time to Isis in her search. For when shee had with the helpe of waxe made vp of six and twenty parts, which she found so many Images of Osiris, all buried in seuerall places: his priuities, which Typhon had drownd in Nilus, were not without much labor found, & more solemnity interred. And that the deuil might shew how far he can besot men, the Image iArnob. contr Gent lib.5.aliam resort coulam oblc…siment Natalis Com.li. 5: ca 3.aliam.hereof was made and worshipped; the light of this darkenesse shining as farre as Greece, whose Phallus, Phallogogia, Ishiphalli, Phallophoria, and Phallophon issued out of this sincke, together with their membrous monster Priapus. Athenaeus kAthin.l.5.c.5telleth of Ptol. Philadelphus in a solemnitie wherein he listed to shew to the world his madnesse; or (as it was then esteemed) his magnificence (a place worth the reading to them, who are not heere glutted with our tedious Egyptian banquet) hee among many sumptuous spectacles presented a lPhallus is the image of a mans yard.Phallus of gold, painted, with golden Crownes, of one hundred and twenty cubites length, hauing a golden starre on the top, whose circumference was six cubites. This was carried in a Charriot, as in others the Images of Priapus, and other Idoles.
Of the Isia call rites, mLaur.Pig. Mens.Isiac.exposit.that brazen Table (supposed to hauehave been some Altar-couer) after possessed by Card. Bembus, full of mysticall Characters, explaned by Laurentius Pignorins in a Treatise of this Argument, may further acquaint the desirous Reader. Diodorus thinketh this the cause why they consecrated Goates, and erected Images of Satyres in their Temples; affirming that their Priests are first initiated in these bawdie rites. Their canonized beasts, of which the Egyptians and Syrians, (sayth nDe Nat. Deorum. lib.1.Tully) conceiued stronger opinions of Deuotion, then the Romans of their most sacred Temples, were oPhilo. Jud. de decem praec. Ios.cont.App.Dogges, Cattes, Wolues, Crocodiles, Ichneumaons, Rammes, Goates, Bulles, and Lions, in honour of Isis: their sacred Birds were the Hawke, Ibis, Phanicopterus: besides Dragons, Aspes, Beetles, amongst things creeping: and of fishes, whatsoeuer had scales; and the Eele. Yea their reason did not onelyonly to sensible things ascribe Diuinitie, but garlike and onions were free of their Temples, derided therefore by pIuuenal.Iuuenall,
Porrum & coepe nefas violare & frangere morsu:
O sanctas gentes quibus haee nascuntur in hortis.
Numme.
Onions or Leekes by old Egyptian Rite,
It was impiety to hurt or bite:
Oh holy people! in whose gardens grow
Their Gods, on whom deuotion they bestow.
For this cause some qTrem & Iun. in Genes. 43. Exod. 8.thinke the Hebrewes were in such abhomination to the Aegyptians, that they would not eate with them, as eating and sacrificing those things, which the other worshipped. Example whereof Diodorus an eye-witnesse telleth, that when Ptolomey gaue entertainement to the Romans, whose friend he was declared; a Roman, at vnawares hauing killed a Cat, could not by the Kings authority, sending Officers for his rescue, nor for feare of the Romans, be detained from their butcherly furie. For such was their custome for the murther of those sacred creatures, to put to death by exquisite torments him that had done it wittingly, and for the Bird Ibis and a Cat, although vnwittingly slaine. And therefore if any espie any of them lying dead, hee standeth aloofe lamenting and protesting his owne innocencie. The causes of this blinde zeale, were the metamorphosis of their distressed Gods into these shapes; secondly, their ancient Ensignes; thirdly, the rTusc.Qu.li.5.profit of them in common life. Origen sOrig.contra Celum lib.4.addeth a fourth, because they were vsed to diuination, and therefore (saith he) forbidden to the Israelites as vncleane. Eusebius out of the Poet citeth a fift cause, namely, the Diuine Nature diffused into all creatures, after that of the Poet:
Deum nam que ire per omnes
Terras que tractus que maris caelum que profundum.
God goes through Sea, and Land, and lofty Skies.
I might adde a sixt, that μετεμψὺχωσις or transanimation which Pythagoras (it seemeth) here honoured. If I might, with the Readers patience, I would adde somewhat of their Mysterie of iniquitie, and the mysticall sense of this iniquitie. For, as many hauehave sweat in vnfolding the mysteries of that Church, which spiritually is called Sodome and Aegypt, as Ambrosius de Armariolo, Amalarius, Durandus, Durantus, and others: so heere hauehave not wanted mysticall Interpreters, Porphyrius, Iamblicus, Plutarch and the rest. Such is the deepnesse of Satan in the shallownesse of humane both reason and truth. Water and Fire they vsed in all their Sacrifices, and do them deuoutest worship (saith tApud Euseb. de Praep.li.3.c.2.Porphyry) because those Elements are so profitable to mans vse: and for this vse sake they adored so many creatures: at Anubis they worshipped a man. But especially they held in veneration those creatures which seemed to holde some affinitie with the Sunne. Euen that stinking Beetle or Scarabee did these more blinde then Beetles in their stinking superstitions obserue, as a liuing Image of the same, because forsooth, all Scarabees are of male sex, and hauing shed their seede in the dung, do make a ball thereof, which they rowle to and fro with their feet, imitating the Sunne in his circular iourney. Eusebius followeth this Argument in the seuerall beasts which they worship: but to auoid tediousnesse, I leaue him, to looke on Plutarchs paines in this Argument. uDe Os. & Is.He maketh Isis to be deriued of the verb foreign to know, as being the Goddesse of Wisedome and Knowledge: to whom Typhon for his ignorance is an enemie. For without Knowledge Immortalitie it selfe could not deserue the name of Life, but of Time.
Their Priests shaued their owne haire, and ware not woollen but linnen garments, because of their professed puritie, to which the haire of man or beast being but an excrement, disagreed: and for this cause they reiected Beeues, Mutton and Porke, as meats which cause much excrements. Yea their Apis might not drinke of Nilus, for this riuers fatning qualitie, but of a fountaine peculiar to his holinesse. At Heliopolis they might not bring wine into the Temple, holding it vnseemely to drinke in the presence of their LORD. They had many purifications wherein wine was forbidden. Their Kings, which were also Priests, had their sacred stints of wine; and did not drinke at all before Psametichus time, esteeming wine to be the bloud of them, which sometime warred against the gods, out of whose slaine carkasses Vines proceeded, and hence proceedeth drunkennesse, and madnesse by wine. Their Priests abstaine from all fish: they eate not Onions, because they grow most in the wane of the Moone, they procure also teares and thirst. Their Kings were chosen also either of the Priests, or of the souldiours; and these also after their election, were presently chosen into the Colledge of Priests. Osiris signifieth many eyes, in the Egyptian language. Os, is much, and Eri, an eye. The Image of Minerua at Sai, had this inscription, I am all, which is, which hath beene, which shall be, whose shining light no mortall man hath opened. Ammon xforeign. Opifex intellectus qui veritatis est dominus & sapientiae, quatenus in generationem progrediens occultam latentium rationem producit in lucem, Amum Aegyptiacae lingua vocant: quatenus autem sine mendacio peragit omnia Pit a nuncupatur: quatenus effector bonor…, Osiris aliasque denominationes habet propter potentias actionesque differentes. Iamblichus de Mysterijs.they call Am (the same as is before said with Ham or Cham the sonne of Noah) in the vocatiue case, as inuocating him, whom they hold the chiefe GOD of the world, to manifest himselfe. They esteemed children to hauehave a diuining facultie, and obserued the voices of children playing in the Temples, and speaking at aduenture, as Oracles, because Isis seeking after Osiris, had enquired of children. They interpret Astronomically the Dog-starre to belong to Isis; the Beare, to Typhon; Orion, to Horus.
The Inhabitants of The bais acknowledged nothing for GOD which was mortall; but worshipped Cneph, which they said, had neither beginning nor ending. So many are the interpretations in their mysticall Theologie, that Truth must needs be absent, which is but One: and these may rather seeme subtle fetches of their Priests, to gull their people, then the true intents of their first authors of Idolatrie. Because Typhon was of red colour, they consecrated red Bulls, in which yet there might not be one haire blacke or white. They esteemed it not a sacrifice acceptable to the gods, but contrarie, as which had receiued the soules of wicked men: and therefore they cursed the head of the sacrifice, which they hurled into the riuer: and since hauehave vsed to sell to strangers. The diuell happily would teach them an apish imitation of that sacrifice of the red Cow, Numb. 19. The Priests abhorre the sea, as wherein Nilus dieth; and salt is forbidden them, which they call Typhons spittle. In Sai, in the Porch of Mineruaes Temple…, was pictured an Infant, an old man, a Hauke, a Fish, and a Sea-horse. The mystery was, O yee that are borne, and die, GOD hateth shamelesse persons. The Hauke signified GOD, the Fish hatred, the Sea-horse impudencie.
By their Osiris and Typhon, they signified the good and euill, whereof we hauehave not onelyonly vicssitudes, but mixtures, in all these earthly things. And heere Plutarch is large in shewing the opinion of these wise-men, which when they saw so much euill, and knew withall that good could not bee the cause of euill, they imagined two beginings, one whereof they called GOD, the other Deuill: the good, Orimazes; the bad, Arimanius. This opinion is fathered on Zoroastres, Betwixt these two was Mithres, whom the Persians called a Mediator. So the Chaldaeans had among the Planets, two good, two bad, three of middle disposition. The Grecians, their Iupiter and Dis, and Harmonia begotten of Venus & Mercury. Empedocles called the one Friendshippe, the other Discord: the Pythagoreans yVid.Soc.lib. I.cap.17.call the good, One, bounded, abiding, right, square, &c. The other, Duplicitie, infinite, moued, crooked, long, &c. Anaxagoras, the minde and infinitenesse; Aristotle, Forme and Priuation. Plato, the Same, and Another. Hence appeareth how true it is, that zI.Cor.2.14.the Naturallmen perceiue not the things of GOD, nor can know them: and hence grew the Manichaean heresie.
All aNat.Com.lib.6. & 8.the deformitie and defect of things, Plutarch ascribeth to Typhon (whome they also called Seth, Bebon, and S…y, saith Pignorius) that which is good, to Osiris, and Isis bThe hornes of Isis (for so they picture her) are by Suidas ascribed to that fable of Io, which some say is Isis., to this the matter, to him the forme. In the Towne of Idithya they burned liuing men, whom they called Typhonians, scattering their ashes, and bringing them to nothing. This was openly done in Dog-daies. But when they sacrificed any of their sacred beasts, it was done closely, and at vncertaine times. He that would further be acquainted with these mysteries, let him resort to Eusebius and Plutarch. Iamblichus hath written a large Treatise, De Mysterijs, where the more curious Reader may further satisfie himselfe. Hee mustereth in their rankes and order, first the Gods, then Arch-angles, next Angels, then Daemones, after them Heroes, Principalities and Soules in their subordinate orders. Marsilius cM. Fic. in lamb. translated according to Proclus.Ficinus doth thus dispose his Egyptian mysteries, or mysticall opinions of GOD. The first in order is, Vnum Super Ens. The second, Vnum Ens, or Vnitas Entis. The third, Intellectus Intelligibilis, Prima Icthon. The fourth, Emeph, the Captaine of the heauenly Deities. The fift, Captaine of the workmen of the world, the vnderstanding of the soule of the world, called Amun, Phtha, Vulcan Osiris. But these wayes are too rough, cragged and thornie for a daintie traueller: they that will, may reade Iamblichus, Proclus, Porphyrius, translated by Marsilius Ficinus.
Mercurius Trismegistus (so called, dGen.Dier. lib.2. cap.8.because he was thrice greatest King, Priest, and Philosopher) was (saith eLact.lib.1.c.6.Lactantius) called Thoth or Thoyth, of whom they named their first monethmonth, acknowledging to hauehave receiued their lawes and letters from him. He built the Citie Hermopolis, and of the Saits was honored for a god. Of him also Augustine De Ciuit, 'Dei.lib.8. cap.26. illustrated by the Annotations of Vines, will further acquaint you.
Fran. Patrici… Zoreaster.Franciscus Patricius (as he hath taken great paines, out of Psellus, Ioannes Picus, and others, for the opening of the Assyrian, and Chaldaean opinions, and hath collected three hundred and twenty Oracles, and sacred sentences of Zoroaster, so he) hath with F. P. Her. Trismegist. Gracolatno lesse industry published twenty bookes of Hermes or Mercury Trismegistus. He affirmeth that there were two of that name, the one Grand-father to the other: the elder of which was councellour and instructer of Isis, and the scholler of Noah. He had a son named Tat, which begate the second Hermes, which Hermes had a son also called Tat, by which likenes in name great confusion and vnlikelihoods hauehave happened in historie. This second Hermes (hee supposeth) liued in the dayes of Moses, but was somewhat more ancient. Both the elder and yonger were writers, as he sheweth out of their workes: and called Trismegists, not for that he was greatest King, Priest, and Philosopher, as Ficinus, saith, nor for their cleare sentences touching the Holy Trinity, but (as the French vse the word thrice, for the Superlatiue) as men thrice or most excellent in learning. The same Patricius hath set forth three Treatises of Asclepius: of which name were three learned Aegyptians, Asclepius Vulcani, inuenter of Physike, Asclepius Imuthes, inuenter of Poetry, and another which had no sur-name, to whom Asclepius de sole & damonib. l.….Hermes dedicated some of his bookes; and the same Asclepius in the beginning of his first booke, calls himselfe the scholler of Hermes. In the writings of these Aegyptians, translated into Greeke, and explaned by the Aegyptian Priests, the Greeke Philosophers, especially the Platonikes and Pythagoreans, learned their Diuine, Morall, and Naturall Philosophy. Antiquitie and Learning hold vsus longer in these mens companie; the more curious may hauehave recourse to their owne workes. Twenty thousand bookes are ascribed to Hermes: some say thirty six thousand fiue hundred twentie fiue.
He in his Asclepius, fAsclep.cap.9.translated by Apuleius, thus writeth. Aegypt is the Image of heauen, and the Temple of the whole world. But the time shall come when the Aegyptiā deuotiō shall proue vaine, & their pietie frustrate: for the Diuinitie shall returne to heauen, and Aegypt shall be forsaken of her gods. And no maruell, seeing that these gods were Idols, the workes of mens hands, as himselfe gCap.13.after sheweth: and when as they could not make soules, they called, hOrigen.cont.Celsum lib. 4. saith, that among other spels they vsed to adiure diuels in the name of the God of Israel, God of the He. brewes, God that drowned the Egyptians in the red sea.or coniured into them the soules of diuels or angels, by which the Images might hauehave power to doe good or euill. For thy Grandfather, O Asclepius, saith he was the first inuēter of Physike, to whom is a Temple consecrated in a mountaine of Libya, where his worldly man (his body) resteth: for the rest or rather his whole selfe is gone to heauen, and doth now heale men by his Deitie, as then by his Physike. The same doth iThis might be that Mere. of whom Tully saith, Quem Aegyptij nefas putant nominare. De N.D.lib.3.Mercury my grandfather, preseruing all such as resort to him. Much may the willing Reader learne further of their superstitions, which he thus freely confesseth in that Author, whose prophecie, GOD bethanked, by the bright and powerfull Sunne-shine of the Gospell, was long since effected.