Kircher, of whom it may be said that even when he erred, his errors seem to have arisen rather from too great a scope of theory, than from any want of knowledge, "The most "ancient Osiris among the Egyptians was "Henoch and it certainly appears from the

testimony of many authors, that all which "the Greeks wrote concerning Osiris, and the "benefits which he conferred upon mankind, "has been imputed by the Arabians and Chal"deans to Enoch." He adds, "The Hebrews "derive the name of Osyris or Asyris from Adris, which, with them, is synonymous with "Enoch. The change of d into s is very com

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mon in the Chaldee." And this certainly appears far more probable than the forced hypothesis of a derivation from the accidental coincidence of this name with the Greek, ιδρις

opic peritus." On the other hand, the mission ascribed by the same Arabian writer to Enoch, agrees with some part of the present books. "The most high God sent to them "Idris that he might persuade them to worship "the blessed and glorious God and he ga

"thered them together, and rebuked them for

"their great wickedness."

As Isis is said by Diodorus* to have been the mother of Horus, so the inscription on the columns also mentioned by Diodorus, represents her to have been the wife of Osiris.

"I am

"Isis the Queen of Egypt, taught by Mercury; "I who am the wife of Osiris. I am the mother "of Horus the King."

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On the pillar of Osiris was written, My "father is Saturn, the youngest of all the gods. "I am Osiris the King, who have gone over the "whole world."

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Thus also a passage which is said to be Fragmentum Apollinis Clarii in Colophone †," and which must certainly be very ancient, expresses the belief that Osiris and Horus were the same, a belief which must have arisen from an imperfect knowledge of the inscription on the pillar of Isis.

"O King! Apollo

"Osiris! Horus! Dionysius! Sun!

"Ruler of hours and times, of winds and showers;

"Of day, and star bespangled night."

*Lib. i. cap. ii.

Orac. Vet. Opsopæi, p. 7.

Ηλιος, Ωρος, Όσιρις, Αναξ, Διονυσος, Απολλων, “ Ώρων και καιρων ταμιης, ανεμων τε και ομβρων, “ Ηους, και Νυκτος πολυαστερος !”

But as the Osiris here mentioned has been already identified with Hermes; so, under another name, "Thoyth," Eusebius has preserved the words of an older author: "Taavros εUPE TE

την των πρωτων στοιχειων γραφην. And Philo adds, « Των υπομνηματων γραφης καταρξας,

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ov

ALYUTTIOL OWV :" and as this name was joined with Mercurius, so Pliny*, speaking of the origin of letters, says, "Alii apud Egyptios a Mercurio repertas volunt." Thus also Diodorus † calls Mercury Γραμματέα Οσιριδος,” the scribe of Osiris, while on another occasion he says that Osiris communicated every thing to Mercury. “ Απαντα προσανακοινούσθαι και μαλιστα χρησθαι τη τουτου συμβουλιᾳ.” Asimilar confusion to that which has caused Mercury and Osiris to be spoken of as contemporaries, has by some mythological or Platonic allusion, associated the name of Isis with Osiris, yet Plutarch mentions them so as to coincide with the scriptural truth concerning

* Plin. cap. vii.

Diod. xli. p. 10.

Enoch, that "God took him.”

« Ο μεν γαρ

Όσιρις και η Ισις εκ δαιμονων αγαθων εις θεους μετηλ

λαξαν *. Isis and Osiris truly passed from the state of beneficent intelligences, to the Gods." In the "Canon Chronicus" of Marsham many authorities are referred to as proving the identity of Thoyth, of Mercury, and Osiris; while the name of Hermes is quoted by this author as belonging to one of the Cabiri †.

Thus to Hermes, Osiris, Isis, Mercury, and Thoyth or Taaut, the same actions are ascribed; while the mist of fabulous antiquity, enveloping these names in one common obscurity, forbids us to look more closely into their origin.

It will be remembered, therefore, that I do not attempt to reconcile the various contradictions with which History so ancient, is encumbered.

I only wish to show that the works ascribed to Hermes, and to Enoch, agree in several places too exactly for that agreement to be attributed to chance; and having now mentioned some of the many instances in which the names of Hermes and Enoch have been used, as syno

*Plutarch de Isid. et Osir. 362.

Schol. Apollonii Rhodii, v. 917.

nymous, I will proceed to inquire what fragments can be found among the works attributed to the former, which agree with the books of Enoch.

The accurate Cudworth, after pointing out many apparent interpolations in the books of Hermes, still asserts that traces of the ancient learning of the Egyptians were nevertheless to be found in them. In confirmation of this opinion, it appears, that while the titles said to have belonged to the books of Hermes have in many instances, a remarkable resemblance to the subjects formerly supposed to have been treated of in the writings of Enoch, as well as to portions of the books which now exist; there is on the other hand very little relation between these titles, and some of the contents of the books to which they are supposed to belong; so that it appears that the titles of more ancient books, may have been applied without much discrimination, to compilations belonging to a comparatively modern period. In speaking of these titles, I therefore assume that some of them, at least, must have originally belonged to works far