derive an acquaintance with the private life of the Egyptians of 3000 years ago, perhaps more exact than we possess of our own ancestors in the times of the Edwards and the Henries.

But the temples, or palace-temples as they have been called, are the monuments that present to us the liveliest impression of the power and grandeur of this wondrous nation. Those of ancient Thebes, covering a space now occupied by several villages, as Luxor, Karnak, Medinet-Abou, and Gournou; of Edfou, of Philæ in Upper, and of Bebek el Hadjar and Memphis in Lower Egypt, are of surprising vastness and magnificence. Denon, who accompanied the French army in Egypt, says of Thebes, "this remote city, which imagination has only caught a glimpse of through the darkness of time, was still so gigantic an apparition, that at the sight of its scattered ruins, the army halted of its own accord, and the soldiers, with one spontaneous movement, clapped their hands." The accompanying engraving will give an idea of the present state of these temples.

The two immense masses of masonry at the left side of the picture, like enormous walls diminishing to the top, are called propylea,* and, it seems, were always built at some distance in front of the temple, the entrance being between them. Those at Edfou are each one hundred and four feet wide in front, and thirty-seven feet thick at the bottom; their height is one hundred and fourteen feet. On every side of these propylea enormous figures are sculptured in a masterly style; in three rows on the front. * Or anteportals.

On passing between these through the doorway, we enter a court one hundred and sixty-one feet long, which may be partly seen in the engraving; it was originally surrounded with thick pillars. Thence steps lead to a spacious portico of eighteen pillars, six in a row, beyond which is a hall of twelve pillars; other rooms lead to the sanctuary, an oblong room, about thirty-three feet by seventeen, in which the figure of the idol was placed. Long rooms or galleries run round the principal rooms on three sides, and several flights of stairs lead to the flat and terraced roof of the temple, where the priests might enjoy the cool evening air, but which is now occupied by the mud huts of the filthy and miserable Fellahs. A wall surrounds the temple, which, as well as every part of the temple itself, is covered with figures and hieroglyphic inscriptions. "On looking," observes Belzoni, "at an edifice of such magnitude, workmanship, and antiquity, inhabited by a half savage people, whose huts are stuck against it, not unlike wasps' nests, and to contrast their filthy clothes with these sacred images that were once so highly venerated, makes one strongly feel the difference between the ancient and the modern state of Egypt."

From the jambs of the door may be observed to project two square masses of stone, which were probably intended as pedestals to support gigantic statues called Colossi, many of which occur in Egypt, commonly in a sitting posture, and often placed in pairs in front of a temple. Some specimens of these, and fragments of others, are in the British Museum. The reader, on turning again to the en

graving, may observe two long niches on the front of each propyleon. Before each of these probably once stood an obelisk, which is a taper four-sided column formed out of a single stone, ending in an abrupt point. Their form and effect will be understood from the following engraving of the entrance to the grand temple of Luxor.

The painted sculptures which adorn the walls of the palace-temples are of a different character from those found in the tombs. The King, in whose honour the edifice has been erected, is represented of gigantic size, riding in his war-chariot, leading on his armies, or, single and unassisted, trampling under his horse's feet the hosts of his enemies, who, in the same spirit of flattery, diminished to mere dolls, fly before him, or implore his mercy. Sometimes a fort is besieged, from which the garrison are throwing themselves in despair, while the conqueror towers above their loftiest walls; again a sea-fight is pourtrayed, in which the Egyptians are not only, like the Romans, always victorious, but seem by their very presence to annihilate their foes. Another scene presents the triumphal return, with multitudes of captives; in another we see representatives of each conquered tribe, bound to one stake, whose heads the victorious King prepares to strike off at a blow;* while yet another depicts him in the temple of his idol-god, offering up his sacrifices and thanksgivings for his successful enterprise.

* Mr. Birch and other able interpreters consider that a real human sacrifice is not hereby intended (though such were sometimes offered,) but that it is symbolical of what the King has done, and not either a present or future action.