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Noah, and the Deluge. 54 The ship of Isis is well known; and the celebrity among the Egyptians, whenever it was carried in public. The name of this, and of all the navicular shrines was Baris: which is very remarkable; for it was the very name of the mountain, according to Nicolaus Damascenus, on which the ark of Noah rested; the same as Ararat in Armenia. Εσιν ύπερ την την Μινυαδα μεγα όρος κατα την Αρμενίαν, Βαρις λεγομενον, εἰς ὁ πολλες συμφύγοντας επι τε κατακλυσμα λόγος έχει περισωθηναι, και τινα έπι λαρνακος οχέμενον επι την ακρώρειαν οκειλαι, και τα λείψανα των ξυλων επι πολυ σωθῆναι. There is a large mountain in Armenia, which stands above the country of the Minyæ, called Baris; to this it was said, that many people betook themselves in the time of the Deluge, and were saved: and there is a

54 See Lexicon Petisci. Iamblichus. Sect. 6. c. 5. p. 147. and notes. p. 285.

55 Apud Euseb. Præp. Evang. 1. 9. c. 11. p. 414.

See also Nic. Damasc. apud Joseph. Jud. Antiq. 1. 1. c. 3. §. 6. Το μεν διακομίζον τα σώματα πλοιον Βαριν καλείσθαι. Diodor. Sic. 1. 1. p. 87. of the sacred boat, in which the dead were transported to the Charonian plains.

Strabo, 1. 11. p. 803. mentions a Goddess Baris in Armenia, who had a temple at mount Abus.

Herodotus speaks of Baris, as the Egyptian name of a ship. 1. 2. c, 96. See Euripides Iphig. in Aulis. v. 297. and Æschyli Persa. p. 151. Αιγυπτίαν δε Βαριν ουκ υπερθορη. Αυταργοτευάζον Bagi. Lycophron. v. 747.

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tradition of one person in particular floating in an ark, and arriving at the summit of the mountain. We may be assured then that the ship of Isis was a sacred emblem: in honour of which there was among the Egyptians an annual festival. It was in aftertimes admitted among the Romans, and' set down in their 5 Calendar for the month of March. The former in their descriptions of the primary deities have continually some reference to a ship or float. Hence we frequently read of 57 DEOL VOUTIAλOVTES. They oftentimes, says 58 Porphyry, describe the sun in the character of a man sailing on a float. And Plutarch observes to the same purpose, that they did not represent the sun and the moon in chariots; 59 αλλα πλοίοις οχημασί χρωμένες περιπλειν, but wafted about upon floating machines. In doing which they did not refer to the luminaries; but to a personage represented

56 Calendarium Rusticum mense Martio habet Isidis navigium, quod est Ægyptiorum festum, a Romanis admissum. Marsh. Can. Chron. Sect. 14. p. 356.

See Gruter's Inscript. p. 138.

57 Iamblich. de Myster. Sect. 7. c. 2.

53 Ήλιον δε σημαινέσι ποτε μεν δι' ανθρωπε συμβεβηκοτος πλοίδ. Porphyry apud Euseb. P. E. 1. 3. p. 115.

59 Isis et Osiris. p. 364. See also Euseb. Præp. Evang. 1. 3. e. 11. p. 115. Clemens Alexand. Strom. 1. 5. p. 670. 'Halov si

under those titles. The Sun, or Orus, is likewise described by Iamblichus as sitting upon the lotus, and sailing in a vessel.

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60

It is said of Sesostris, that he constructed a

ship, which was two hundred and eighty cubits in length. It was of cedar; plated without with gold, and inlaid with silver: and it was, when finished, dedicated to Osiris at Thebes. It is not credible, that there should have been a ship of this, size, especially in an inland district, the most remote of any in Egypt. It was certainly a temple, and a shrine. The former was framed upon this large scale and it was the latter, on which the gold and silver were so lavishly expended. There is a remarkable circumstance relating to the Argo-. nautic expedition; that the dragon slain by Jason was of the dimensions of a 2 Trireme: by which must be meant, that it was of the shape of a ship in general; for there were no Triremes at the time

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60 Ο Επι τε λωτῳ καθημενος, και επι πλοις ναυτιλλομενος (Θεός), Iamblichus de Myst. Sect. 7. p. 151.

Ος και τῳ παχει και τῳ μήκει το σωματος πεντηκοντορον ναυν κατείχεν

*, ως ενιοι, εμβληθεις επλήξει ναυν πεντηκοντορον. Schol. ibid.

alluded to. And I have moreover shewn, that all these dragons, as they have been represented by the poets, were in reality temples, Dracontia; where, among other rites, the worship of the serpent was instituted. There is therefore reason to think, that this temple, as well as that of Sesostris, was fashioned in respect to its superficial contents after the model of a ship: and as to the latter, it was probably intended in its outlines to be the exact representation of the ark, in commemoration of which it was certainly built. It was a temple sacred to Osiris at Theba; or, to say the truth, it was itself called Theba: and both the city, said to be one of the most antient in Egypt, as well as the Province, was undoubtedly 3 denominated from it. Now Theba was the very name of the ark. When Noah was ordered to construct a vessel, in which he and his family were to be preserved; he was directed in express terms to build, nan, Theba, an ark. It is the very 4 word made use of by the

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63

63 Το αρχαίον ή Αιγυπτος Θηβαί καλεμένη. Aristot. Meteorol. v. 1. 1. 1. p. 771.

Theba and Diospolis the same: Τας Θήβας και Διοσπολιν την αυτην υπαρχειν. Diodorus Sicul. 1. 1. p. 88.

Theba now called Minio, according to Sanson.

Θηβα πόλις Βοιωτιας, και Κιβωτίον. Hesych. .

64 According to the Grecian mode of allegorizing, Theba was said to have been the daughter of Prometheus, who gave name to

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sacred writer: so that we may, I think, be assured of the prototype, after which this temple was fashioned. It is said, indeed, to have been only two hundred and eighty cubits in length: whereas the ark of Noah was three hundred. But this is a variation of only one fifteenth in the whole : and, as the antient cubit was not in all countries the same; we may suppose that this disparity arose rather from the manner of measuring, than from any real difference in the extent of the building. It was an idolatrous temple; said to have been built by Sesostris in honour of Osiris. have been repeatedly obliged to take notice of the ignorance of the Greeks in respect to antient titles; and have shewn their misapplication of terms in many instances: especially in their supposing temples to have been erected by persons, to whom they were in reality sacred. Sesostris was Osiris ; the same as Dionusus, Menes, and Noah. He is called Seisithrus by Abydenus, Xixouthros by Berosus and Apollodorus; and is represented by them as a prince, in whose time the Deluge happened. He was called Zuth, Xuth, and Zeus and had certainly divine honours paid to him.

the place: Απο Θηβης της Προμηθέως. Steph. Βyzant. Γαμοι δε Ζήθος μεν Θήβην, αφ' ής ή πολις Θηβαι. Αpollodor. 1. 3. p. 145.