day, and the lesser light to rule the night: the stars also." Gen. i, 16.

The beginnings of all arts and of all practices are extremely simple; and it is impossible, from the simple beginnings of practices founded on a mere mental idea, so much as to conjecture in what they may issue, when the ingenuity of man has refined upon them, and they have been the study of successive generations. To suppose that every star, and especially every revolving planet, was animated by a resident angel peculiar to itself, was doubtless accepted as the happy thought of a mind deeply imbued with the learning of the age, with astronomical knowledge in more than usual proportion; and perhaps favored by some superior power with a revelation, by which it was enabled to penetrate into mysteries "far beyond this visible diurnal sphere." Nor less felicitous and convenient was the formation of a symbolical representation of a star; it required no skill; a mere effort of the hand was sufficient to execute the design; and the model once obtained, the idol was constantly before the eye of the worshiper, whether the original were above or below the horizon. And yet, in these rude efforts originated that idolatry which eventually, like a flood, overwhelmed the whole human race; to which the sacred books, though standing in direct opposition, bear but too striking witness, and which to this day retains its tyranny in some of its most odious and destructive forms. the issue proved, that when the stars and the planets were once named, their idols were named after them; that when their idols were formed, they gradually assumed the personal figure of those intelligences whose names they bore, and of which they became

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the human representatives. Hence gods and goddesses of every description and attribute; until at length their numbers became incalculable, and their characters flagitious, and "darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people."

Ammon, or Amun, was the name of an Egyptian deity, whom the Greeks considered as synonymous with their Zeus, and was by the Romans termed Jupiter. Ammon. He is represented on the monuments of Egypt, and various other works of Egyptian art, with a ram's head and human body; about which Herodotus tells us an odd story, picked up during his travels in Egypt:

"Hercules was exceedingly anxious to have a sight of Zeus, but Zeus did not feel inclined to show himself. At last, Hercules being very importunate, Zeus hit on the following contrivance: he flayed a ram, and cutting off the head, put it before his face; he then got into the skin, and in this guise showed himself to Hercules. From this circumstance the Egyptians represent Zeus with a ram's head."

The worship of Ammon was not common to all the Egyptians; it would seem to have been specially of Ethiopic origin. The two chief temples that now exist are that at Karnak, on the east side of the Nile, forming part of the extensive ruins of Thebes; and that of Siwah, in the Libyan desert, known to the Greeks by the name of Ammonium. The name of the city of Thebes was changed by the Greeks to Diospolis Magna, that is, the great city of Jove.

Excepting only the Pyramids, the most ancient remains now existing are unquestionably in the great Temple of Karnak, the largest and most splendid ruin of which perhaps any age can boast; but it was the

work of successive monarchs, each of whom was anxious to surpass his predecessor.

Sir Gardner Wilkinson is of opinion that no part of the earliest foundation of the temple remains, but of what does exist, a portion was erected by Osirtesen, the cotemporary of Joseph, and therefore dates about thirty-six centuries.

The remains of Karnak lie north-east of Luxor, about two thousand five hundred feet from the banks of the river, the principal part on an artificial elevation, surrounded by a wall of unburned bricks, about five thousand three hundred yards in circuit. It is impossible, without a plan on a large scale, to give any adequate idea of the extent of these remains. They consist of several buildings, the largest of which, by some called a palace and by others a temple, is 'contained within the spacious inclosure just mentioned, which was extensive enough to hold also a large tank, that was cased with stone, and had a flight of steps leading down to it. The chief front (the western) is turned to the Nile, with which it was connected by an alley of colossal crio-sphinxes; and at the termination there was probably a flight of steps leading down to the banks of the river. The axis of each part of this temple lies in the same direction, which is fortynine degrees west of the magnetic pole.

Here the devotee would land, who came from a distance to the shrine of Ammon, and with amazement and a feeling of religious awe would he slowly walk along between the majestic and tranquil sphinxes to the still more magnificent propyla of the building. This colossal entrance is about three hundred and sixty feet long and one hundred and forty-eight high, but without sculptures; the great door in the

middle is sixty-four feet in height. Passing through this doorway, he would enter a large court, occupied by a range of pillars on the north and south sides, and a double row of taller pillars running down the middle. It is rather curious that on the south side of this court another building of smaller dimensions projects some distance into it; which was either a subordinate part of the larger temple, or, if we consider the great building to be a palace, this appendage must be considered as a temple attached to it. The pillars in the middle of the entrance-court terminate opposite to two colossal statues in front of a second propylon, one of which is still standing in tolerable preservation. It is a figure with one foot a little in advance of the other. The whole is made of a single block, through which, after ascending a flight of twenty-seven steps, we come to a large hall, which has had a flat stone roof. This is the great hypostyle hall of Karnak, which is supported by one hundred and thirty-four colossal pillars; there being sixteen columns running across the breadth of the building, in nine parallel rows, which, however, as we shall presently explain, offer some irregularities.

The adytum itself consists of three apartments entirely of granite. The principal room, which is in the center, is twenty feet long, sixteen wide, and thirteen feet high. Three blocks of granite form the roof, which is painted with clusters of gilt stars on a blue ground. The walls are likewise covered with painted sculptures of a character admirably adapted to the mysterious purposes mentioned by Herodotus, on the subject of the virgins who were there introduced to the Theban Jupiter. Beyond this are other porticoes and galleries, which have

been continued to another propylon at the distance of two thousand feet from that at the western extremity of the temple.

This temple seems in fact to have had some resemblance in its plan to the great temple of Memphis, which had four principal propyla, turned respectively to the four cardinal points. The western entrance of Karnak faced the river; opposite to this at the eastern end was another propylon, which Mr. Hamilton describes as being two thousand feet distant from that first mentioned; and again another set of propyla (four in the French plan, all of which had colossi in front of them) on the southern side formed the approach from Luxor. We may conjecture that another similar approach on the northern side would perhaps have been made, had the native monarchs continued to reign at Thebes.

The great hall has a double row of larger pillars, twelve in number, running down the center. Owing to the projection of a doorway or entrance from the court which succeeds the hypostyle hall, there are two pillars cut off on each side, from the rows of smaller pillars which are next to the larger ones. This reduces the whole number to one hundred and thirty-four, which would be one hundred and fortyfour, if all the pillars were of the same size, and if there were no irregularity in the two rows nearest the center rows on each side. The width of this magnificent hall is about three hundred and thirtyeight feet, and the length or depth (measured in the direction of the axis of the building) one hundred and seventy feet. It is remarkable that the great courts and chambers in some of the oldest Egyptian buildings, such as Medinet-Abou and the tomb