file which includes the original        
illustrations4       ,see #cidad-;h4htm 
or #cidad-;h4zip3                       
7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu
b_/#cidad_/pg#cidad-;images4html7       
or                                      
7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#ci
dad_/cidad-;h4zip7         ,images of   
the original pages are available through
       ,internet ,archive4 ,see         
http3_/_/archive4org_/details_/masculine
crossor#jjlond   ,transcriber's note3   
,text enclosed by underscores is in     
italics 7italics74        ,text enclosed
 by equal signs is in bold face 7bold74 
,the original text includes ,greek      
characters4 ,for this       text version
 these letters have been replaced with  
transliterations4        ,the original  
text contains two symbols that are      
represented in this version as symbol4  
,,the ,,masculine ,,cross4              
,illustration3 ,god ,indra ,nailed to a 
,cross4  ,illustration3 ,buddhist       
,cross4  ,illustration3 ,cross ,common  

on ,ancient ,assyrian ,monuments4       
,illustration3 ,ancient                 
,heathen1--,mexican ,cross4   ,,the     
,,masculine ,,cross  ,or ,a ,history of 
,ancient and ,modern ,crosses and ,their
 ,connection with the ,mysteries of ,sex
 ,worship ,also an ,account of the      
,kindred ,phases of ,phallic ,faiths and
 ,practices4        ,privately ,printed 
#aijd4     ,,contents4                  
,,page    ,,chapter ,i4     ,,the       
,,cross                                 
#a     ,,chapter ,,ii4     ,,the ,,cross
 7,continued7                           
#bc     ,,chapter ,,iii4     ,,the      
,,doctrine ,,of ,a ,,sacred ,,triad     
#db     ,,chapter ,,iv4     ,,the       
,,doctrine ,,of ,a ,,sacred ,,triad     
7,continued7      #fc     ,,chapter ,v4 
,,the ,,golden ,,calf ,,of ,,aaron      
#gi     ,,chapter ,,vi4                 
,,circumcision                          
#ia     ,,chapter ,,vii4                
,,androgynous ,,deities1 ,,sex          
,,worship1 ,c4          #ajj            

,,introductory4   ,in the following     
pages certain things supposed to be of  
comparatively modern origin have been   
traced back to the remotest historic    
ages of the world2 as a consequence1 it 
follows that the modern symbolical      
meaning given to such things is         
sometimes only one acquired in          
subsequent times1 and not that exactly  
which was originally intended1--it must 
not be supposed1 therefore1 that the    
interpretation belonging to the epoch in
 which we are first enabled to trace a  
definite meaning is to be conclusively  
regarded as that which gave birth to the
 form of the symbol4 ,the original may  
have been--probably was--very different 
to what came after2 the starting point  
may have been simplicity and purity1    
whilst the developments of after years  
were degrading and vicious4             
,particularly so was this the case in   
the ,lingam worship of the vast empire  
of ,india2 originally the adoration of  
an ,almighty ,creator of all things1 it 

became1 in time1 the worship of the     
regenerative powers of material nature1 
and then the mere indulgence in the     
debased passions of an abandoned and    
voluptuous nature4  ,with regard to the 
symbol of the ,cross1 it may be         
repugnant to the feelings of some to be 
told that their recognition of its      
purely ,christian origin is a mistake1  
and that it was as common in ,pagan as  
in more advanced times2 they may find   
consolation1 however1 in the fact that  
its real beginning was further back     
still in the world's history1 and that  
with ,paganism it was1 as it had been   
with ,christianity1 simply an adopted   
favourite4  ,our story is taken up in   
the middle epoch of the history1 and    
shews the relationship of the things we 
deal with to prevailing phallic faiths  
and practices4     ,,the ,,masculine    
,,cross4     ,,chapter ,i4              
,universal prevalence of the            
,cross--,mistakes--,the ,cross not of   
,christian ,origin--,christian          

,veneration of the ,cross--,the ,roman  
,ritual--,the ,cross equally honoured by
 the ,gentile and ,christian            
,worlds--,druidical ,crosses--,the ,copt
 ,oak of ,charnwood ,forest--,assyrian  
,crosses in ,british ,museum--,pectoral 
,crosses--,egyptian ,crosses--,greek    
,cross--,st4 ,andrew's                  
,cross--,planetary ,signs and           
,crosses--,monogram of     ,christ at   
,serapis--,cross in ,india--,pagodas in 
form of     ,crosses--,mariette ,bey's  
,discovery--,buddhist and ,roman        
,crosses--,chinese                      
,crosses--,kampschatkan                 
,crosses--,american ,crosses--,cross    
among the ,red     ,indians--,the ,royal
 ,commentaries of ,peru--,mexican ,ideas
 relative to the     ,cross--,the       
,spaniards in ,america--,sign of the    
,cross--,cross as an                    
,amulet--,hot-cross ,buns--,tertullian  
on the ,use of the ,cross4   ,the       
universal prevalence of the cross as an 
ornament and symbol during the last     

eighteen centuries in the ,christian    
church has led to some great1 if not    
grave1 mistakes4 ,it has been supposed1 
and for various obvious reasons very    
naturally so1 to be of exclusively      
,christian origin1 and to represent     
materially no more than the instrument  
by which the founder of that religion   
was put to death2 and1 spiritually or   
symbolically1 faith in the sacrificial  
atoning work he then completed4 ,there  
are not a few people about who1 having  
become imbued with this idea1 rush to   
the hasty conclusion that wherever the  
cross is found1 and upon whatever       
monuments1 it indicates a connection    
with ,christianity1 and is therefore of 
comparatively modern origin4 ,history1  
in consequence1 becomes a strange and   
unfathomable mystery1 especially when it
 belongs to kingdoms of well-known great
 antiquity1 amongst whose symbols or    
ornaments the cross is plentiful1 and   
the mind finds itself involved in a     
confusion from which it cannot readily  

extricate itself4 ,never was there a    
greater blunder perpetrated1 or a more  
ignorant one1 than the notion of the    
figure of the cross owing its origin to 
the instrument of ,christ's death1 and  
the ,christian who finds comfort in     
pressing it to his lips in the hour of  
devotion or of trouble must be reminded 
that the ancient ,egyptian did a similar
 thing4  ,the fact is1 there is great   
similarity between the cross worship1 or
 veneration if you please1 of ancient   
and modern times4 ,christians1 we know1 
are apt to repudiate the charge of      
rendering worship to this symbol1 but it
 is clear from what is printed in some  
of their books of devotion that some    
sort of worship is actually rendered1   
though disguised under other names4 ,as 
to the veneration thus offered being    
right or wrong1 we here say nothing2 the
 fact only concerns us so far as it     
relates to the subject we have in hand4 
,if we open the ,tablet 7,roman         
,catholic newspaper7 for the #bfth of   

,november1 #ahec1 we read3--,those of   
our readers who have visited ,rome will1
 doubtless1 have remarked1 at the foot  
of the stairs which descend from the    
square of the ,capitol to the square of 
the ,campo ,vaccino1 under the flight of
 steps in front of the ,church of ,st4  
,joseph1 and over the door of the       
,mamertine prison1 a very ancient wooden
 crucifix1 before which lamps and wax   
tapers are constantly burning1 and      
surrounded on all sides with exvotos and
 testimonies of public thanksgiving4 ,no
 image of the crucified ,saviour is     
invested with greater veneration4444    
,the worship yielded to the holy        
crucifix of ,campo ,vaccino is universal
 at ,rome1 and is transmitted from      
generation to generation4 ,the fathers  
teach it to the children1 and in all the
 misfortunes and all the trials of life 
the first idea is almost always to have 
recourse to the holy crucifix1 the      
object of such general veneration1 and  
the source of so many favours4 ,it is1  

above all1 in sickness that the succour 
of the holy image is invoked with more  
confidence and more eagerness4444 ,there
 are few families in ,rome who have not 
to thank the holy crucifix for some     
favour and some benefit4444 ,in the     
interval of the sermons and other public
 exercises of devotion the holy         
crucifix1 exposed on the high altar in  
the midst of floods of light1 saw       
incessantly prostrated before it a crowd
 of adorers and suppliants4444 ,as soon 
as the holy image of the ,saviour had   
appeared on the ,forum1 the ,holy       
,father advanced on the exterior flight 
of steps of the church to receive it1   
and when the shrine had arrived at the  
base of the stairs of the ,church of    
,san ,luca1 at some paces from the      
flight of steps on which the ,holy      
,father stood1 in rochet1 stole1 and    
pallium of red velvet1 he bowed before  
the holy crucifix and venerated it      
devoutly4  ,in harmony with this1 the   
,missal supplies us with prayers and    

hymns in the service for ,good ,friday1 
addressed directly to the cross4  ,we   
adore ,thy cross1 ,o ,lord1 and we      
praise and glorify ,thy holy            
resurrection2 for by the wood of the    
cross the whole world is filled with    
joy4      ,o faithful cross1 ,o noblest 
tree1     ,in all our woods there is    
none like thee4     ,no earthly groves1 
no shady bowers     ,produce such       
leaves1 such fruit1 such flowers4       
,sweet are the nails and sweet the wood1
     ,which bore a weight so sweet and  
good4      ,o lovely tree1 whose        
branches bore     ,the royal purple of  
,his gore1     ,how glorious does thy   
body shine1     ,supporting members so  
divine4     ,hail1 cross6 our hope1 on  
thee we call     ,who keep this paschal 
festival2     ,grant to the just        
increase of grace1     ,and every       
sinner's guilt efface4  ,there is       
something unusually remarkable about the
 popularity of the cross2 we can hardly 
point to a time when1 or to a part of   

the world where1 it has not been in     
favour4 ,it has entered into the        
constitution of religions of the most   
opposite character1 has been transmitted
 from one to another1 and though        
originally belonging to the rudest form 
of pagan idolatry1 is now esteemed      
highly by those who profess to have     
adopted the loftiest ideal of civilised 
worship4 ,after mentioning the fact of  
its popularity in the pagan world1 ,mr4 
,maurice remarks3 ,let not the piety of 
the ,catholic ,christian be offended at 
the preceding assertion1 that the cross 
was one of the most usual symbols among 
the hieroglyphics of ,egypt and ,india4 
,equally honoured in the ,gentile and   
the ,christian world1 this emblem of    
universal nature--of that world to whose
 four quarters its diverging radii      
pointed--decorated the hands of most of 
the sculptured images in the former     
country1 and in the latter stamped its  
form upon the most majestic shrines of  
their deities4  ,here we may profitably 

glance at a few different parts of the  
world and at some of the past ages1 in  
tracing out the possible origin and     
meaning of this symbol4 ,in ,britain    
there have been found monuments so      
ancient and with such surroundings that 
but for certain peculiar marks they     
would unhesitatingly have been put down 
as ,druidical4 ,they are marked with the
 cross1 and in the estimation of some1  
as we have already pointed out1 that is 
regarded as conclusive proof of         
,christian origin4 ,the inference1      
however1 is a false one1 the monuments  
are too old for ,christianity1 and the  
cruciform etchings upon them belong to  
another religious system altogether4 ,it
 is known that the ,druids consecrated  
the sacred oak by cutting it into the   
shape of a cross1 and so necessary was  
it regarded to have it in this form1    
that if the lateral branches were not   
large enough to construct the figure    
properly1 two others were fixed as arms 
on either side of the trunk4 ,the cross 

having been thus constructed1 the       
,arch-,druid ascended and wrote the name
 of the ,deity upon the trunk at the    
place of intersection1 and on the       
extremities of the arms4  ,the peculiar 
interest attached to this idol lies in  
the fact that it is described by the    
best authorities as the ,gallic or      
,celtic ,tau4 ,the ,tau1 says ,davies in
 his ,celtic ,researches1 was the symbol
 of the ,druidical ,jupiter4 ,it        
consisted of a huge grand oak deprived  
of all its branches1 except only two    
large ones which1 though cut off and    
separated1 were suspended from the top  
of its trunk-like suspended arms4 ,the  
idol1 say others1 was in reality a      
cross1 the same in form as the linga4   
,a few years ago1 near the hill of      
,bardon1 in the middle of ,charnwood    
forest1 in the county of ,leicester1    
there grew and perhaps still grows1 a   
very old tree called the ,copt ,oak4    
,this tree1 there is reason to believe1 
was more than two thousand years old1   

and once formed a ,celtic ,tau4 ,forty  
years ago1 a writer who knew the tree   
well1 said that its condition then      
suggested very distinctly the           
possibility of the truthfulness of the  
story4 ,it was described as a vast tree1
 then reduced to a mere shell between   
two and three inches only in thickness1 
perforated by several openings1 and     
alive only in about one-fourth of the   
shell2 bearing small branches1 but such 
as could not have grown when the tree   
was entire2 then it must have had       
branches of a size not less than an oak 
of ordinary dimensions4 ,this was       
evident from one of the openings in the 
upper part of the shell of the trunk1   
exactly such as a decayed branch would  
produce4 ,the tree was evidently of     
gigantic size in its earlier days1 as   
shown by its measurement at the date we 
are speaking of4 ,the remains of the    
trunk were twenty feet high1 the height 
proper for the ,tau1 and the            
circumference at the ground was         

twenty-four feet2 at the height of ten  
feet the girth was twenty1 giving a     
diameter of nearly seven feet4 ,this    
tree1 we have said1 was called the ,copt
 ,oak2 the epithet copt1 or copped1 may 
be derived from the ,celtic cop--a head1
 and evidently indicates that the tree  
had been headed and reduced to the state
 of a bare trunk4 ,the idol1 as already 
described1 was formed by cutting away   
the branches of the tree1 which was     
always a large one1 and affixing a beam1
 forming a cross with the bare trunk4#a 
,from time immemorial the ,copt ,oak has
 borne a celebrity that bears out the   
tradition of its ancient sacredness4    
,potter1 the historian of the forest of 
,charnwood1 writes that it was one of   
the three places at which ,swanimotes   
were held1 always in the open air1 for  
the regulation of rights and claims on  
the forest2 and persons have been known 
even in late times to have attended such
 motes4 ,at this spot1 he says1 it may  
be under this tree1 ,edric the ,forester

 is said to have harangued his forces   
against the ,norman invasion2 and here  
too1 in the ,parliamentary troubles of  
#afdb1 the ,earl of ,stamford assembled 
the trained bands of the district4      
,these facts1 says ,dudley1 mark the    
,copt ,oak extraordinary1 and show1 that
 notwithstanding the lapse of two       
thousand years1 the trunk was at that   
distant period a sacred structure1 a    
,celtic idol2 and that it is            
illustrative of antiquarian records4    
,still further back in history than the 
foregoing are we able to trace this     
singular figure4 ,if we visit the       
,assyrian galleries of the ,british     
,museum we shall observe life-size      
effigies in stone of the kings          
,samsi-,rammanu1 ,b4,c4 #hbe1 and       
,assur-,nazir-,pal1 ,b4,c4 #hhj2        
suspended from the necks of these       
monarchs and resting upon their breasts 
are prominently sculptured ,maltese     
crosses about three inches in length and
 width2 they are in a good state of     

preservation1 and will amply repay      
anyone for the trouble of an inspection1
 should they be desirous of pursuing    
this enquiry4 ,in the ,roman ,catholic  
dictionaries we find these ornaments    
described as pectoral crosses--crosses  
of precious metal worn at the breast by 
bishops and abbots as a mark of their   
office1 and sometimes also by canons1   
etc41 who have obtained the privilege   
from ,rome4 ,it is stated these         
pectorals were not generally used by the
 ,roman ecclesiastics till the middle of
 the sixteenth century2 however that may
 be1 it is a fact1 as proved by the     
,assyrian sculptures1 that they are     
nearly1 if not more than1 three thousand
 years old1 and not the least           
interesting feature distinguishing them 
is their perfect similarity of design4  
,it is strange that we moderns--the     
disciples of ,christ--should have had   
supplied to us at that remote period the
 pattern of an ornament or symbol which 
we are accustomed to regard as          

emblematic of essential features of our 
religion1 but it is true4  ,look across 
now to ,egypt and we find monuments and 
tombs literally bedizened with the      
cross1 and that too in a variety of     
shapes4 ,long1 long before ,christ1 the 
,ibis was represented with human hands  
and feet1 holding the staff of ,isis in 
one hand1 and a globe and cross in the  
other4 ,here we are in one of the most  
ancient kingdoms of the world--a kingdom
 so ancient that its years are lost in  
obscurity--yet still the cross is found4
 ,whatever it may have represented in   
other countries1 and whatever may be its
 meaning here1 from the positions in    
which it is found and from its constant 
association with ecclesiastical         
personages and offices1 it was evidently
 one of the most sacred of their        
symbols4 ,two forms1 among others1 are  
common1 one a simple cross of four limbs
 of equal length1 the other that shaped 
like the letter ,x2 the first is        
generally known as the ,greek cross1 the

 second as that of ,st4 ,andrew1 both   
however being of the same form and owing
 their different appearance only to the 
position in which they are placed4  ,it 
is well known1 probably1 to most of our 
readers that the astronomical signs of  
certain of the planets consist of       
crosses1 crescents1 circles1 and in     
ancient ,egypt these were precisely the 
same as those now used4 ,saturn was     
represented by a cross surmounting a    
ram's horn1 ,jupiter by a cross beneath 
a horn1 ,venus by a cross beneath a     
circle1 the ,earth by a cross within a  
circle1 ,mercury by a cross surmounted  
by a circle and crescent1 and ,mars by a
 cross above a circle4 ,these may still 
be seen in almanacs1 and on the large   
coloured bottles in the windows of the  
druggist4 ,in the hands of ,isis1       
,osiris1 and ,hermes1 corresponding with
 the ,venus1 ,jupiter1 and ,mercury of  
the ,greeks1 are also found the above   
signs4  ,when the temple of ,serapis1 at
 ,alexandria1 was destroyed by one of   

the ,christian emperors1 it is related  
by several historians1 ,socrates and    
,sozomen1 for instance1 that beneath the
 foundation was discovered the monogram 
of ,christ2 and that considerable       
disputing arose in consequence thereof1 
the ,gentiles endeavouring to use it for
 their own purposes1 and the ,christians
 insisting that the cross1 being uneasy 
beneath the weight or dominion of the   
temple1 overthrew it4  ,if we turn to   
,india we find the cross almost as      
common as in ,egypt and ,europe1 and not
 the least interesting feature of the   
matter is the curious fact that a number
 of the pagodas are actually cruciform  
in structure4 ,jagannath is the name of 
one of the mouths of the ,ganges1 upon  
which was built the great pagoda where  
the ,great ,brahmin or ,high ,priest    
resided4 ,we were told years ago1 by    
travellers1 that the form of the choir  
or interior was similar in proportion to
 all the others1 which were built upon  
the same model1 in the form of a cross4 

,the pagoda at ,benares1 also1 was in   
the figure of a cross1 having its arms  
equal4 ,after the above1 in importance1 
was the pagoda at ,muttra2 this likewise
 was cruciform4 ,one of these temples1  
that at ,chillambrum on the ,coromandel 
coast1 is said to be four miles in      
circumference4 ,here there are seven    
lofty walls one within the other round  
the central quadrangle1 and as many     
pyramidal gateways in the middle of each
 side which form the limbs of a vast    
cross1 consisting altogether of         
twenty-eight pyramids4 ,there are1      
therefore1 fourteen in a row1 which     
extend more than a mile in one          
continuous line4  ,what has been called1
 and perhaps justly so1 the oldest      
religious monument in the world was     
discovered a few years ago by ,mariette 
,bey1 near the ,great ,pyramid4 ,for    
ages it had lain there1 buried in the   
sand--how many we cannot tell1 but very 
many we know2 enough to carry us back to
 a very remote past4 ,and this1 too1    

like the ,indian temples1 was in the    
shape of a cross4 ,renan visited it in  
#ahfe1 and though he found it in many   
particulars different from those known  
elsewhere1 he described the interior1   
which much recalled the chamber of the  
,great ,pyramid1 as in the form of ,t1  
the principle aisle being divided in    
three rows1 the transverse aisle in two4
  ,mr4 ,fergusson1 the architect1 also  
saw it1 and1 while admiring its simple  
and chaste grandeur of style1 with some 
astonishment described the form of the  
principal chamber as that of a ,,cross4 
,and this was the plan of both tomb and 
temple in the earliest ages1 testifying 
to the great veneration paid to this    
symbol4  ,there is a remarkable         
resemblance between the ,buddhist       
crosses of ,india and those used by the 
,christian ,roman ,church4 ,the cross of
 the ,buddhist is represented with      
leaves and flowers springing from it1   
and placed upon a ,calvary as by the    
,roman ,catholics4 ,it is represented in

 various ways1 but the shaft with the   
cross-bar and the ,calvary remain the   
same4 ,the tree of life and knowledge1  
or the jamba tree1 in their maps of the 
world1 is always represented in the     
shape of a cross1 eighty-four yoganas1  
or #dbc or #dcb miles high1 including   
the three steps of the ,calvary4  ,from 
,india we naturally turn to ,china1 and1
 though its use there is involved in a  
deal of mystery1 the cross is found     
among their hieroglyphics1 on the walls 
of their pagodas and on the lamps which 
they used to illuminate their temples4  
,in ,kamschatka1 ,baron ,humboldt found 
the cross and remains of hieroglyphics  
similar to those of ,egypt4  ,passing   
into ,america1 we find that what could  
only be described as perfect idolatry   
prevailed with respect to the veneration
 paid to the cross4 ,throughout ,mexico 
and some parts of ,south ,america the   
emblem is constantly found1 and in many 
instances is evidently of great         
antiquity4 ,some travellers have        

explained their presence by attributing 
them to the ,spaniards1 but those people
 found them there when they arrived1 and
 were greatly astonished at the         
spectacle1 not knowing how to account   
for it4 ,a lieutenant of ,cortez passed 
over from the island of ,cosumel to the 
continent1 and coasted the peninsula of 
,yucatan as far as ,campeachy4          
,everywhere he was struck with the      
evidences of a higher civilisation1 and 
was astonished at the sight of numerous 
large stone crosses1 evidently objects  
of worship1 which he met with in various
 places4  ,at ,cozuma an ancient cross  
is still standing4 ,here there is a     
temple of considerable size1 with       
pyramidal towers rising several stories 
above the rest of the building1 facing  
the cardinal points4 ,in the centre of  
the quadrangular area within stands a   
high cross1 constructed of stone and    
lime like the rest of the temple1 and   
ten palms in height4 ,the natives regard
 is as the emblem of the god of rain4   

,the discovery of the cross amongst the 
,red ,indians as an object of worship1  
by the ,spanish missionaries1 in the    
fifteenth century1 completely mystified 
them1 and they hardly knew whether to   
attribute it to a good or an evil       
origin--whether it was the work of ,st4 
,thomas or of the ,devil4 ,the symbol   
was not an occasional spectacle in odd  
places1 as though there by accident1 it 
met them on all sides2 it was literally 
everywhere1 and in every variety of     
form4 ,it mattered not whether the      
building was old or new1 inhabited or   
ruined and deserted1 whether it was a   
temple or a palace1 there was the cross 
in all shapes and of all materials--of  
marble1 gypsum1 wood1 emerald1 and      
jasper4 ,what was1 perhaps1 still more  
remarkable was the fact that it was     
associated with certain other things    
common on the ,babylonian monuments1    
such as the bleeding deity1 the serpent 
and the sacred eagle1 and that it bore  
the very same names by which it was     

known in ,roman ,catholic countries1 the
 tree of subsistence1 the wood of       
health1 the emblem of life4 ,in this    
latter appellation there was a parallel 
to the name by which it was known in    
,egypt1 and by which the holy ,tau of   
the ,buddhists has always been known2   
thus placing1 as has been said1 any     
supposition of accidental coincidence   
beyond all reasonable debate4  ,in the  
,royal ,commentaries of ,peru1 we have  
some interesting allusions to the cross 
and to the general sanctity with which  
it was surrounded4 ,in the city of      
,cozco1 the ,incas had one of white     
marble1 which they called a crystalline 
jasper1 but how long they had had it was
 unknown4 ,the ,inca1 ,garcillasso de la
 ,vega1 said he left in the year #aefj1 
in the cathedral church of that city2 it
 was then hanging upon a nail by a list 
of black velvet2 formerly1 when in the  
hands of the ,indians1 it had been      
suspended by a chain of gold and silver4
 ,the form is ,greek1 that is1 square2  

being as broad as it was long1 and about
 three fingers wide4 ,it was previously 
kept in one of the royal apartments1    
called ,huaca1 which signified a        
consecrated place4 ,the record says that
 though the ,indians did not adore it1  
yet they held it in great veneration1   
either for the beauty of it1 or for some
 other reason which they knew not to    
assign2 and so was observed amongst     
them1 until the ,marquess ,don          
,francisco ,pizarro entered the valley  
of ,tumpiz1 when by reason of some      
accidents which befel ,pedro de ,candia 
they conceived a greater esteem and     
veneration for it4 ,the historian       
complains that the ,spaniards1 after    
they had taken the imperial city1 hung  
up this cross in the vestry of a church 
they built1 whereas1 he says1 they ought
 to have placed a relic of that kind    
upon the high altar1 adorning it with   
gold and precious stones2 by which      
respect to a thing the ,indians esteemed
 sacred1 and by assimilating the        

ordinances of the ,christian religion as
 near as was possible with those which  
the law of nature had taught this       
people1 the lessons of ,christianity    
would thereby have become more easy and 
familiar1 and not seemed so far         
estranged from the principles of their  
own ,gentilism4  ,this cross is again   
mentioned in another part of the ,royal 
,commentaries1 and two travellers are   
described as being filled with          
admiration at seeing crosses erected on 
the top of the high pinnacles of the    
temples and palaces2 the which1 it is   
said1 were introduced from the time that
 ,pedro de ,candia1 being in ,tumpiz1   
charmed or tamed the wild beasts which  
were let loose to devour him1 and which1
 simply by virtue of the cross which he 
held in his hand1 became gentle and     
domestic4 ,this was recounted with such 
admiration by the ,indians1 who carried 
the news of the miracle to ,cozco1 that 
when the inhabitants of the city        
understood it they went immediately to  

the sanctuary where the jasper cross    
already mentioned stood1 and1 having    
brought it forth1 they with loud        
acclamations adored and worshipped it1  
conceiving that though the sign of the  
cross had for many ages been conserved  
by them in high esteem and veneration   
yet it was not entertained with such    
devotion as it deserved1 because they   
were not as yet acquainted with its     
virtues4 ,believing that the sign of the
 cross had tamed and shut the mouths of 
the wild beasts1 they imagined that it  
had a like power to deliver them out of 
the hands of their enemies4  ,on both   
the northern and southern continents of 
,america the cross was believed to      
possess the power of restraining evil   
spirits1 and was the common symbol of   
the god of rain and of health4 ,the     
people prayed to it when their country  
needed water1 and the ,aztec goddess of 
rains held one in her hand4 ,at the     
feast celebrated to her honour in the   
spring1 when the genial shower was      

needed to promote fertilisation1 they   
were wont to conciliate the favour of   
,centeotl1 the daughter of heaven and   
goddess of corn1 by nailing a boy or    
girl to a cross1 and after they had been
 so suspended for awhile piercing them  
with arrows shot from a bow4 ,the       
,muyscas1 less sanguinary than the      
,mexicans in sacrificing to the god of  
the waters1 extended a couple of ropes  
transversely over some lake or stream1  
thus forming a gigantic cross1 and at   
the point of intersection threw in their
 offerings of food1 gems1 and precious  
oils4  ,quetyalcoatl1 god of the winds1 
bore as his sign of office a mace like  
the cross of a bishop2 his robe was     
covered with the symbol1 and its        
adoration was connected throughout with 
his worship4  ,there is1 of course1 no  
doubt whatever that the ,spaniards took 
the cross with them to ,america1 and    
scattered it about so much in such      
varied directions that their own became 
so intermingled with the native ones as 

to make it difficult to distinguish one 
from the other2 but the fact remains    
that what there was of cordiality in the
 reception they met with from the       
aborigines1 was due in no small degree  
to their use of the same emblem on their
 standards2 when this became apparent   
the astonishment was mutual4 ,many      
travellers have told us of these ancient
 crosses1 and some of them while        
expressing doubts as to their antiquity1
 have yet supplied us with evidence of  
the same4 ,mr4 ,stephens is one of      
these4 ,in his ,incidents of ,travel in 
,central ,america1 he supplies us with  
some wonderful ,altar ,tablets found at 
,palenque1 the principal subject in one 
of which is the cross4 ,it is surmounted
 by a strange bird1 and loaded with     
indescribable ornaments4 ,there are two 
human figures1 one on either side of the
 cross1 evidently of important          
personages2 both are looking towards the
 cross1 and one seems in the act of     
making an offering4 ,the traveller      

says3--,all speculations on the subject 
are of course entitled to little regard1
 but perhaps it would not be wrong to   
ascribe to those personages a sacerdotal
 character4 ,the hieroglyphics doubtless
 explain all4 ,near them are other      
hieroglyphics which remind us of the    
,egyptian mode of recording the name1   
history1 office1 or character of the    
persons represented4 ,this tablet of the
 cross has given rise to more learned   
speculations than perhaps any others    
found at ,palenque4 ,dupaix and his     
commentators1 assuming for the building 
a very remote antiquity1 or at least1 a 
period long antecedent to the ,christian
 era1 account for the appearance of the 
cross by the argument that it was known 
and had a symbolical meaning among      
ancient nations long before it was      
established as the emblem of the        
,christian faith4  ,near ,miztla1 the   
city of the moon1 is a cavern temple    
excavated from the solid rock in the    
form of a cross1 #abc feet in length and

 breadth1 the limbs being about #be feet
 in width4  ,other relics have been     
found in abundance in the same part of  
the world1 proving how well known this  
emblem was before the advent of         
,christianity4 ,in the ,mexican ,tribute
 ,tables1 we were told a few years ago  
by a writer in the ,historical          
,magazine1 small pouches or bags        
frequently occur4 ,appendages to dress1 
they are tastefully formed and          
ornamented with fringe and tassels4 ,a  
cross of the ,maltese or more ordinary  
form 7,greek or ,latin7 is conspicuously
 woven or painted on each4 ,they appear 
to have been in great demand1 a thousand
 bundles being the usual ,pueblo tax4   
,the practice of marking the cross on   
their persons and wearing it in their   
garments was once common with some if   
not with all the occupants of the       
,southern ,continent4 ,the ,abipones of 
,paraguay tatooed themselves by pricking
 the skin with a thorn4 ,they all wore  
the form of a cross impressed on their  

foreheads1 and two small lines at the   
corner of each eye1 extending towards   
the ears1 besides four transverse lines 
at the root of the nose1 between the    
eyebrows1 as national marks4 ,what these
 figures signified no one was able to   
tell4 ,the people only knew this1 that  
the custom had been handed down to them 
by their ancestors4 ,not only were      
crosses marked on their foreheads1 but  
woven in the red woollen garments of    
many of them4 ,this was long before they
 knew anything of the ,christian        
religion4  ,the hot cross bun1 eaten in 
this country on ,good ,friday1 is       
supposed by many to be exclusively      
,christian in its origin2 whereas it is 
no more than a reproduction of a cake   
marked with a cross which was duly      
offered in the heathen temples to such  
living idols as the serpent and the     
bull4 ,it was made of flour1 honey and  
milk1 or oil1 and at certain times was  
eaten with much ceremony by both priests
 and people4  ,there was also used in   

the ,pagan times the monogram of a cross
 upon a heart1 the meaning of which was 
according to ,egyptologists1 goodness4  
,this figure1 says ,sir ,g4 ,wilkinson1 
enclosed in a parallelogram1 in which   
form it would signify 'the abode of     
good1' was depicted or sculptured upon  
the front of several houses in ,memphis 
and ,thebes4  ,a very ancient           
,phoenician medal was found many years  
ago in the ruins of ,citium1 on which   
were inscribed the cross1 the rosary1   
and the lamb4 ,an engraving of this may 
be seen in ,higgins' ,celtic ,druids and
 in ,dr4 ,clark's ,travels4  ,the       
connection of the cross with ,paganism  
originally1 and its ultimate assumption 
by the ,christian church1 is curiously  
and strikingly brought out by           
,tertullian in his ,apologeticus and ,ad
 ,nationes4 ,these treatises1 we may    
observe1 are so much alike that the     
former has sometimes been regarded as a 
first draft of the latter1 which is     
nearly double the length4 ,probably1    

however1 they are entirely different    
productions1 one being addressed to the 
general public and the other to the     
rulers and magistrates4  ,charged with  
worshipping a cross1 he says3--,as for  
him who affirms that we are the         
priesthood of a cross1 we shall claim   
him as our co-religionist4 ,a cross is  
in its material a sign of wood2 amongst 
yourselves also the object of worship is
 a wooden figure4 ,only1 whilst with you
 the figure is a human one1 with us the 
wood is its own figure4 ,never mind for 
the present what is the shape1 provided 
the material is the same2 the form1 too1
 is of no importance1 if so be it be the
 actual body of a god4 ,if1 however1    
there arises a question of difference on
 this point1 what1 let me ask1 is the   
difference between the ,athenian ,pallas
 or the ,pharia ,ceres1 and wood formed 
into a cross1 when each is represented  
by a rough stock without form1 and by   
the merest rudiment of a statue of      
unformed wood8 ,every piece of timber   

which is fixed in the ground in an erect
 position is a part of a cross1 and     
indeed the greater portion of its mass4 
,but an entire cross is attributed to   
us1 with its transverse beam1 of course1
 and its projecting seat4 ,now you have 
the less to excuse you1 for you dedicate
 to religion only a mutilated imperfect 
piece of wood1 while others consecrate  
to the sacred purpose a complete        
structure4 ,the truth however1 after    
all1 is that your religion is all cross1
 as ,i shall show4 ,you are indeed      
unaware that your gods in their origin  
have proceeded from this hated cross4   
,now every image1 whether carved out of 
wood or stone1 or molten in metal1 or   
produced out of any other richer        
material1 must needs have had plastic   
hands engaged in its formation4 ,well   
then1 this modeller1 before he did      
anything else1 hit upon the form of a   
wooden cross1 because even our own body 
assumes as its natural position the     
latent and concealed outline of a cross4

 ,since the head rises upwards and the  
back takes a straight direction and the 
shoulders project laterally1 if you     
simply place a man with his arms and    
hands out-stretched1 you will make the  
general outline of a cross4 ,starting   
then from this rudimental form and prop1
 as it were1 he applies a covering of   
clay1 and so gradually completes the    
limbs and forms the body1 and covers the
 cross within with the shape which he   
meant to impress upon the clay2 then    
from this design1 with the help of      
compasses and leaden moulds1 he has got 
all ready for his image which is to be  
brought out into marble1 or clay1 or    
metal1 or whatever the material be of   
which he has determined to make his god4
 ,this then is the process3 after the   
cross-shaped frame the clay2 after the  
clay the god4 ,in a well-understood     
routine the cross passes into a god     
through the clayey medium4 ,the cross   
then you consecrate1 and from it the    
consecrated deity begins to derive its  

origin4 ,by way of example let us take  
the case of a tree which grows up into a
 system of branches and foliage1 and is 
a reproduction of its own kind1 whether 
it springs from the kernel of an olive1 
or the stone of a peach1 or a grain of  
pepper which has been duly tempered     
under ground4 ,now if you transplant it 
or take a cutting off its branches for  
another plant1 to what will you         
attribute what is produced by the       
propagation8 ,will it not be to the     
grain1 or the stone1 or the kernel8     
,because as the third stage is          
attributable to the second1 and the     
second in like manner to the first1 so  
the third will have to be referred to   
the first1 through the second as the    
mean4 ,we need not stay any longer in   
the discussion of this point1 since by a
 natural law every kind of produce      
throughout nature refers back its growth
 to its original source2 and just as the
 product is comprised in its primal     
cause1 so does that cause agree in      

character with the thing produced4      
,since then1 in the production of your  
gods1 you worship the cross which       
originates them1 here will be the       
original kernel and grain from which are
 propagated the wooden materials of your
 idolatrous images4 ,examples are not   
far to seek4 ,your victories you        
celebrate with religious ceremony as    
deities1 and they are more august in    
proportion to the joy they bring you4   
,the frames on which you hang up your   
crosses--these are as it were the very  
core of your pageants4 ,thus in your    
victories the religion of your camp     
makes even crosses objects of worship2  
your standards it adores1 your standards
 are the sanction of its oaths1 your    
standards it prefers before ,jupiter    
himself4 ,but all that parade of images 
and that display of pure gold1 are as so
 many necklaces of the crosses4 ,in like
 manner also in the banners and ensigns1
 which your soldiers guard with no less 
sacred care1 you have the streamers and 

vestments of your crosses4 ,you are     
ashamed1 ,i suppose1 to worship         
unadorned and simple crosses4  ,we give 
this passage at length because it       
emphasises what we are urging in        
connection with this subject1 viz41 that
 the cross is common to both            
,christianity and ,paganism1 that the   
latter possessed it ages before the     
former1 and is therefore more likely to 
have originated it4 ,we speak with some 
reserve on this latter point for want of
 proper and full evidence4 ,it may of   
course be possible that in a purer and  
more enlightened age the cross was known
 and used2 we shall probably1 however1  
find our researches stop short in ,pagan
 times1 in which we shall have to look  
for the generally recognised meaning of 
the symbol4  ,it is remarkable in the   
quotation just made1 that ,tertullian   
never attempts to refute the charge     
brought by the ,pagans against the      
,christians of his time of worshipping  
the cross2 he merely retaliates by      

asserting that they did the very same   
thing in a somewhat different manner4   
,as for him1 he says1 who affirms that  
we are the priesthood of a cross1 we    
shall claim him as our                  
co-religionist4444 ,what1 let me ask1 is
 the difference between the ,athenian   
,pallas or the ,pharian ,ceres1 and wood
 formed into a cross8  ,he further      
identifies himself and his religion with
 the ,pagans in this particular by      
saying3--,in all our movements1 our     
travels1 our going out and coming in1   
putting on our shoes1 at the bath1 at   
the table1 in lighting our candles1 in  
lying down1 in sitting down3 whatever   
employment occupies us1 we mark our     
forehead with the sign of the cross4    
,how much all this reminds us of the    
universality of the symbol in           
pre-,christian times4 ,we can scarcely  
point to an age or to a century in which
 it did not in some way enter into its  
history1 its theology1 its social and   
domestic life4 ,again and again have    

monuments been discovered which put the 
date of its use further back than had   
been imagined1 and some have been       
brought to light which carry the story  
back into very remote antiquity indeed4 
,in the wilds of ,central ,india1 for   
instance1 a little over twenty years    
back1 the late ,mr4 ,mulheran1 ,c4,e41  
discovered two of the oldest crosses    
ever met with4 ,they were granite       
monoliths1 perfect in structure1 and    
very much like those to be found here   
and there in the western parts of       
,cornwall4 ,one was ten feet nine inches
 in height1 and the other eight feet six
 inches2 each being in the midst of a   
group of cairns and cromlechs or        
dolmens1 which ,colonel ,taylor         
describes as similar in character to    
some which he formerly surveyed near the
 village of ,rajunkolloor1 within the   
,principality of ,shorapoor1 in the     
,deccan4 ,their extreme antiquity is    
inferred from the fact1 as stated by the
 ,european officer who first discovered 

them1 that the vicinity of the groups of
 cromlechs and crosses had1 at some     
remote period1 been cultivated2 that    
parts of the hills had been cut into    
terraces1 and supported by large stone  
banks or walls2 but that the country for
 miles in every direction was1 and had  
been for centuries and centuries1       
entirely uninhabited1 and was grown over
 with dense forests4 ,it has been       
estimated that1 as this elevated and    
long-neglected region has been the      
possession of the low castes1 or        
non-,aryan helots1 from time immemorial1
 we may confidently assume that the     
monoliths in question were erected by   
the aboriginal population of the soil--a
 population which was driven1 not       
improbably three thousand years1 at the 
least1 before the advent of ,christ1    
from the richer plains below by the     
first ,aryan invader who had crossed the
 five streams1 and found a temporary    
refuge in the nearest range of hills to 
the west of ,chandar1 until another     

foe--the ,mogul--appeared upon the      
scene1 and finally subdued both the     
conqueror and his victims4 ,here then1  
says a reviewer1 amongst these now      
fragmentary people from the debris of a 
widely-spread primeval race 7to borrow a
 phrase from a recent writer on the     
non-,aryan languages of the ,continent71
 we find the symbol of the cross1 not   
only expressing the same mystery as in  
all other parts of the world1 but its   
erection1 doubtless1 dating from one of 
the very earliest migrations of our     
species4 ,it is impossible to adduce any
 clearer or stronger proof of its       
primitive antiquity than this4  ,it has 
been suggested by some writers1 who1 for
 some reason or other1 objected to the  
recognition of the cross as an emblem of
 great antiquity1 that the stone        
structures which were erected in the    
,british ,islands by the ,druids1       
,saxons1 and ,danes1 owed their         
cruciform character to the necessities  
of the situation rather than to any     

other cause2 that the stones were placed
 across each other as a matter of mere  
convenience1 and not with the view of   
forming a cross1 and that these         
monuments1 which served as instruments  
of ,druidical superstition before the   
implanting of the ,gospel in ,britain1  
were afterwards appropriated to the use 
of ,christian memorials by being formed 
in the figure of a cross or marked with 
this emblem4 ,it is admitted1 of course1
 that those cruciform structures were   
thus appropriated1 but of what use will 
it be to repudiate the antiquity of     
examples whose age has been far         
surpassed in other parts of the world4  
,the crosses of ,india1 just alluded to1
 remain to be accounted for1 and even   
when they have been as summarily        
disposed of as the ,british ones1 there 
are the crosses suspended from the necks
 of the ,assyrian kings1 whose existence
 cannot possibly be accounted for by the
 above hypothesis4 ,it was not necessity
 or convenience that designed a ,maltese

 cross1 a thousand years before the     
,christian era1 of precisely the same   
form as that which is worn by men and   
women in this nineteenth century1 nor   
probably was it a merely ornamental     
taste2 we are rather disposed to believe
 that the secret lies in the symbolical 
meaning1 which has ever been attached to
 the form4  ,the universality of the    
cross as a religious symbol is certainly
 a most astounding fact1 and the more so
 because it has evidently always        
represented the same fundamental idea in
 connection with the theological        
systems1 in all ages1 of the ,old and   
,new ,worlds4 ,if but one of these      
mythologies possessed it1 there might be
 little difficulty in tracing out the   
significance of the coincidence between 
its existence there and in ,christian   
theology1 but prevailing as it does     
universally1 and destined as it is to   
retain its connection with the religion 
of man1 it excites feelings of the most 
profound wonderment and surprise4       

,lipsius and other early writers1 in    
reference to this matter1 declared their
 sincere belief that the numerous       
cruciform figures to be found on the    
monuments of antiquity were of a typical
 character1 and expressed a sentiment   
which looked forward to the cross of    
,christ2 a few others doubted this1 and 
suggested difficulties1 while ,gibbon   
ridiculed the whole matter1 as it thus  
stood1 from beginning to end4 ,the      
belief1 however1 that the cross in      
,pagan lands was in some                
incomprehensible manner connected with  
the same object or idea as in the       
,christian church was not easily got rid
 of1 and was considerably deepened by   
the testimony of missionaries to the    
,new ,world that amongst people of      
apparently different origin and of      
altogether different attributes1 the    
cross was common as an object of worship
 and veneration4 ,so universal has the  
presence of this symbol and its         
attendant worship been found that it has

 been said to form a complete zone about
 the habitable globe1 extending as it   
does from ,assyria into ,egypt1 and     
,india1 and ,anahuac1 in their ruined   
temples2 to the pyramidal structures of 
,east and ,west1 and to those in        
,polynesia1 especially the islands of   
,tonga1 ,viti1 and ,easter2 as it       
appears upon numberless vases1 medals1  
and coins of the earliest known types1  
centuries anterior to the introduction  
of ,christianity2 and as its teaching is
 expressed in the concordant customs1   
rites1 and traditions of former nations 
and communities1 who were widely        
separated from1 and for the most part   
ignorant of1 the existence of each      
other1 and who possessed1 so far as we  
are aware1 no other emblematical figure 
in common4 ,egypt1 ,assyria1 ,britain1  
,india1 ,china1 ,scandinavia1 the two   
,americas--all were alike its home1 and 
in all of them was there analogy in the 
teaching respecting its meaning4        
,,chapter ,,ii4      ,forms of the      

,cross--,ancient ,maltese               
,cross--,phallic ,character of some     
,crosses--,offensive ,forms of the      
,cross in ,etruscan and ,pompeian       
,monuments--,thor's ,battle-axe--,the   
,buddhist ,cross--,indian ,crosses--,the
     ,fylfot or ,four-footed            
,cross--,danish ,poem of the ,thors of  
,asgard--,legend of ,thor's ,loss of his
 ,golden ,hammer--,original ,meaning    
of these ,crosses--,reception of        
,christianity amongst the               
,britons--,plato     and the            
,cross--,the ,mexican ,tree of          
,life--,rain ,makers--,the              
,winds--,various ,meanings attributed to
 the ,cross--,the ,crux                 
,ansata--,phallic ,attributes--,coins1  
,gaulish and ,jewish--,roman            
,coins--,the ,lake ,dwellings--,the     
,cross in the ,patriarchal ,age4   ,in  
studying the origin and signification of
 the pre-,christian cross1 we1 naturally
 of course1 turn our attention to the   
forms in which it is delineated2 these  

are both numerous and varied--so varied 
indeed that a writer1 some years ago1 in
 the ,edinburgh ,review stated that his 
commonplace-book contained nearly two   
hundred representations1 which he had   
found combined as often as not with     
other emblems of a sacred character1 and
 which had been collected from all parts
 of the world4 ,we may notice a few of  
the principal which are really1         
generally speaking1 types of all4  ,most
 people are familiar with the ,maltese  
cross--that consisting of four triangles
 meeting in a central circle1 or as it  
is generally described1 the cross with  
the four delta-like arms conjoined to or
 issuing from the nave of a wheel or a  
diminutive circle4 ,it derives its name 
from its discovery on the island of     
,malta1 and from its adoption by the    
,knights of ,st4 ,john for their        
coat-of-arms4 ,there is no doubt it is  
one of the most ancient forms of the    
cross we are acquainted with1 as it is  
found1 as we have already stated1 on the

 sculptures of the ,assyrian monarchs   
long before the ,christian era1 and may 
be seen on the sculptures in the        
,british ,museum4 ,in some of the       
,nineveh monuments representing         
subject-people bringing tribute to the  
king1 it occurs in the form of          
ear-rings4  ,in ,assyria1 it is believed
 to have been the emblem of royalty1 as 
it is found on the breasts of the most  
powerful of the rulers4 ,as it was known
 originally in ,malta1 it was of a very 
different character to the ornament worn
 either by the ,assyrian monarch or by  
the modern inhabitants of civilised     
nations4 ,it was indeed of so gross a   
character1 that the ,knights of ,st4    
,john soon set to work to make something
 more decent of it--something which     
while not altogether discarding the old 
form1 should yet be inoffensive to the  
eye of the more modest onlooker4 ,it was
 made up1 in fact1 of four gigantic     
phalli carved out of the solid granite1 
similar to the form in which it is found

 in the island of ,gozyo1 and on some of
 the ,etruscan and ,pompeian monuments4 
,the reason why it assumed a phallic    
character in the locality which gives it
 its name1 is not perhaps clear1 but the
 study of ,assyrian antiquities has     
revealed the meaning attached to it in  
the palmy days of ,nineveh and ,babylon2
 it referred to the four great gods of  
the ,assyrian pantheon--,ra1 and the    
first triad--,ana1 ,belus1 and ,hea2 and
 when inserted in a roundlet1 as may be 
seen in the ,british ,museum1 it        
signified ,sansi1 or the sun ruling the 
earth as well as the heavens4 ,it was   
therefore the symbol of royalty and     
dominion1 which accounts for its        
presence on the breasts of kings4  ,on  
the ,etruscan and ,pompeian monuments   
generally1 this cross is as gross and   
offensive in form as in ancient ,malta1 
but it is found in a character as       
unobjectionable as in ,assyria1 on the  
official garments of the ,etruscan      
priesthood4 ,it has been found in ,asia 

,minor1 ,cyprus1 and ,sicily2 and ,dr4  
,schliemann discovered many examples of 
it 7with other crosses7 on the vases    
which he dug from the seat of ancient   
,troy4 ,it was also found in what was   
described as a magnificent cruciform    
mosaic pavement1 discovered about thirty
 years ago in the ruins of a            
,gallo-,roman villa at ,pont d',oli     
7,pons ,aulae71 near ,pau1 in the       
,basses-,pyrenees1 accompanied by       
several other varieties of the cross1   
including the ,st4 ,george and the ,st4 
,andrew1 all glowing in colours richly  
dight1 and surrounding a colossal bust  
of ,proteus1 settled in the midst of his
 sea monsters4  ,the cross generally    
regarded as the most notable type of    
that emblem1 because it is said to have 
figured in the religious systems of more
 peoples than any other1 is that known  
as ,thor's hammer1 or ,thor's           
battle-axe4 ,it may1 perhaps1 also be   
set down as the most ancient of the     
crosses--how many years back it dates we

 cannot say1 several thousands          
evidently4 ,it consisted of the last    
letter of the ,samaritan alphabet1 the  
tau or tav in its decussated or most    
primitive form1 and may be described1 as
 it has been sometimes1 as a cruciform  
hammer4  ,it derived its name from being
 borne in the hand of ,thor1 as the     
all-powerful instrument by means of     
which his deeds recorded in the ,eddas  
were accomplished4 ,it was venerated by 
the heroes of the north as the magical  
sign which thwarted the power of death  
over those who bore it2 and the         
,scandinavian devotee placed it upon his
 horn of mead before raising it to his  
lips1 no doubt for the purpose of       
imparting to it the life-giving virtues4
 ,to this hour it is employed by the    
women of ,india and of the north-eastern
 parts of ,africa as a mark of          
possession or taboo1 which they         
generally impress upon the vessels      
containing their stores of grain1 c4  ,a
 writer in the ,edinburgh ,review of    

,january1 #ahgj1 hazards the opinion    
that this was the mark which the prophet
 was commanded to impress upon the      
foreheads of the faithful in ,judah1 as 
recorded in ,ezekiel ix4 #d4 ,he gives  
no reason or authority for this         
statement1 but probably derived it from 
,st4 ,jerome and others of his time1 who
 said that the letter tau was that which
 was ordered to be placed on the        
foreheads of those mourners4 ,jerome    
says that the ,hebrew letter tau was    
formerly written like a cross4  ,as to  
the name of this cross1 the popular     
designation is clearly a mistake1 since 
its origin dates back centuries before  
the mythology of the north was          
developed4 ,in ,india it was known as   
the swastika of the ,buddhists1 and     
served as the monograms of ,vishnu and  
,siva4 ,such are its associations and   
uses at the present day1 and1 no doubt1 
they have been the same from the very   
advent of the religions of these        
respective deities4 ,the enquirer has1  

however1 not even here measured the     
limit of its antiquity1 for in ,china it
 was known as the ,leo-tsen long before 
the ,sakya-,buddha era1 and was         
portrayed upon the walls of their       
pagodas and upon the lanterns used to   
illumine their most sacred precints4 ,it
 has ever been the symbol of their      
heaven4 ,in the great temple of ,rameses
 ,,ii41 at ,thebes1 it is represented   
frequently with such associations as    
conclusively prove that its significance
 was the same in the land of the ,nile  
as in ,china4 ,all over the ,east it is 
the magic symbol of the ,buddhist       
heaven2 the chief ornament on the       
sceptres and crowns of the ,bompa       
deities of ,thibet1 who dispute the palm
 of antiquity with all other divinities2
 and is beautifully pressed in the      
,artee1 or musical bell1 borne by the   
figure of ,balgovina1 the herald or     
messenger of heaven4 ,the universality  
of the use of this symbol is proved by  
its prevalence as well in ,europe as in 

,asia and ,africa4 ,among the ,etruscans
 it was used as a religious sign1 as is 
shown by its appearance on urns exhumed 
from ancient lake-beds situated between 
,parma and ,pacenza4 ,those taken from  
the ,lacustrine cemeteries are thought  
to date back to #ajjj ,b4,c4 ,on the    
terra-cotta vases of ,alba ,longa the   
same sign is impressed1 and served as   
the symbol of ,persephone1 the awful    
queen of the shades1 the arbiter of     
mortal fate2 while on the roll of the   
,roman soldier it was the sign of life4 
,on the old ,runic monuments it is ever 
present4 ,even in ,scotland it is found 
on sculptured stones of unknown age4    
,the most numerous examples of this     
form1 however1 are found in the         
sculptures of ,khorsabad1 and in the    
ivories from ,nimroud2 here occur almost
 all the known varieties4 ,it has been  
observed1 too1 in ,persia2 and is used  
to this day in ,northern ,india to mark 
the jars of sacred water taken from the 
,indus and ,ganges4 ,it is especially   

esteemed by the inhabitants of ,southern
 ,india as the emblem of disembodied    
,jaina saints4 ,very remarkable         
illustrations of it1 carved in the most 
durable rock1 and inserted in the       
exterior walls of temples and other     
edifices of ,mexico and ,central        
,america1 also occur1 which may be seen 
in ,lord ,kingsborough's ,mexican       
,antiquities4 ,it is found on           
innumerable coins and medals of all     
times and of all peoples2 from the rude 
mintages of ,aegina and ,sicily1 as well
 as from the more skilful hands of the  
,bactrian and ,continental ,greeks4 ,it 
is noteworthy1 too1 in reference to its 
extreme popularity1 or superstitious    
veneration in which it has been almost  
universally held1 that the cross-patee1 
or cruciform hammer1 was one of the very
 last of purely pagan symbols which were
 religiously preserved in ,europe long  
after the establishment of              
,christianity4 ,to the close of the     
,middle ,ages the stole1 or ,isian      

mantle1 of the ,cistercian monk was     
usually adorned with it2 and men wore it
 suspended from their necklaces in      
precisely the same manner as did the    
vestal-virgins of pagan ,rome4 ,it may  
be seen upon the bells of many of our   
parish churches in the northern1        
midland1 and eastern counties1 as at    
,appleby1 ,mexborough1 ,hathersage1     
,waddington1 ,bishop's ,norton1 ,west   
,barkwith1 and other places1 where it   
was placed as a magical sign to subdue  
the vicious spirit of the tempest4 ,it  
is said to be still used for the like   
purpose1 during storms of wind and rain1
 by the peasantry in ,iceland and in the
 southern parts of ,germany4#b  ,this   
cross is also known as the ,fylfot1 or  
,fytfot 7four-footed cross71 or         
,gammadion--the dissembled cross under  
the discipline of the secret4 ,jewitt1  
who has written in an interesting manner
 upon the subject1 supports what we have
 already stated in the foregoing pages  
with the observation that this is one of

 the most singular1 most ancient1 and   
most interesting of the whole series of 
crosses4 ,some say it is composed of    
four gammas1 conjoined in the centre1   
which as numerals expressed the ,holy   
,trinity1 and by its rectangular form   
symbolised the chief corner-stone of the
 ,church4 ,we mentioned that it was     
known in ,india as the swastika of the  
,buddhists2 we note further that it is  
said to be formed of the two words su   
7well7 and asti 7it is71 meaning it is1 
or it is well2 equal to so be it1 and   
implying complete resignation4 ,from    
this the ,swastikas1 the opponents of   
the ,brahmins1 who denied the           
immortality of the soul1 and affirmed   
that its existence was finite and       
connected only with the body upon earth1
 received their name2 their             
monogrammatic enblem1 or symbol1 being  
the mystic cross formed by the          
combination of two syllables1 su  ti    
suti1 or swasti4#c  ,the connection of  
this cross with ,thor1 the ,thunderer1  

is not without its signification and    
importance1 in considering the forms and
 origin of these emblems and their      
transmission from the ,pagan to the     
,christian world4 ,thor was said to be  
the bravest of the sons of ,odin1 or    
,woden1 and ,fria1 or ,friga1 the       
goddess of earth4 7,from ,thor1 of      
course1 we get our ,thursday2 from      
,woden1 ,wednesday2 and from ,friga1    
,friday74 ,he was believed to be of the 
most marvellous power and might2 yea1   
and that there were no people throughout
 the whole world that were not subjected
 unto him1 and did not owe him divine   
honour and service2 and that there was  
no puissance comparable to his4 ,his    
dominion of all others most farthest    
extending itself1 both in heaven and    
earth4 ,that1 in the aire he governed   
the winds and the clouds2 and being     
displeased did cause lightning1 thunder1
 and tempest1 with excessive raine1     
haile1 and all ill weather4 ,but being  
well pleased by the adoration1          

sacrifice1 and service of his           
suppliants1 he then bestowed upon them  
most faire and seasonable weather2 and  
caused corne abundantly to grow1 as all 
sorts of fruits1 c41 and kept away the  
plague and all other evil and infectious
 diseases4  ,thor's emblem was a hammer 
of gold1 represented as a fylfot1 and   
with it he destroyed his enemies the    
,jotuns1 crushed the head of the great  
,mitgard serpent1 killed numbers of     
giants1 restored the dead goats to life 
that drew his car1 and consecrated the  
pyre of ,baldur4 ,this hammer1 boomerang
 like1 had the property1 when thrown1 of
 striking the object aimed at and then  
returning to the thrower's hand4 ,mr4   
,jewitt thinks we have1 in this1 a      
curious insight into the origin of the  
form of the emblem itself4 ,he says3--,i
 have remarked that the fylfot is       
sometimes described as being formed of  
four gammas conjoined in the centre4    
,when the form of the boomerang--a      
missile instrument of barbaric nations1 

much the shape of the letter ,v with a  
rounded instead of acute bottom1 which1 
on being thrown1 slowly ascends in the  
air1 whirling round and round1 till it  
reaches a considerable height1 and then 
returns until it finally sweeps over the
 head of the thrower and strikes the    
ground behind him--is taken into        
consideration1 and the traditional      
returning power of the hammer is        
remembered in connection with it1 the   
fylfot may surely be not inappropriately
 described as a figure composed of four 
boomerangs1 conjoined in the centre4    
,this form of fylfot is not uncommon in 
early examples1 and even on a very      
ancient specimen of ,chinese porcelain  
it occurs at the angles of the          
pattern--it is the ordinary fylfot1 with
 the angles curved or rounded4  ,ancient
 literature abounds in curious and      
sensational stories about the wonders   
accomplished by ,thor with the          
assistance of this hammer4 ,once he lost
 his weapon1 or tool1 and with it his   

power1 by stratagem however he regained 
both4  ,the ,danish poem1 called the    
,thorr of ,asgard1 as translated by ,de 
,prior1 says3--      ,there rode the    
mighty of ,asgard1 ,thor1       ,his    
journey across the plain2     ,and there
 his hammer of gold he lost1       ,and 
sought so long in vain4      ',twas then
 the mighty of ,asgard1 ,thor1          
,his brother his bidding told--     ,up 
thou and off to the ,northland ,fell1   
,and seek my hammer of gold4      ,he   
spake1 and ,loki1 the serving-man1      
,his feathers upon him drew2     ,and   
launching over the salty sea1           
,away to the ,northland flew4  ,greeting
 the ,thusser king1 he informed him of  
the cause of his visit1 viz41 that ,thor
 had lost his golden hammer4 ,then the  
king replied that ,thor would never     
again see his hammer until he had given 
him the maiden ,fredenborg to wife4     
,loki took back this message to ,thor1  
who disguised himself as the maiden in  
woman's clothes1 and was introduced to  

the king as his future bride4 ,after    
expressing his astonishment at the      
wonderful appetite of the maiden1 he    
ordered eight strong men to bring in the
 hammer and lay it across the lap of the
 bride4 ,thor immediately threw off his 
disguise and seized the hammer1 with    
which1 after he had slain the king1 he  
returned home4  ,the fylfot cross is    
frequently found on ,roman pottery in   
various parts of ,england1 as for       
instance on the famous ,colchester vase1
 on which is depicted a gladiatorial    
combat1 the cross being distinctly      
marked on the shields of the combatants4
 ,another fine example is found on a    
,roman altar of ,minerva at ,high       
,rochester4 ,the constant use of the    
symbol1 says ,jewitt1 through so many   
ages1 and by so many and such varied    
peoples1 gives it an importance which is
 peculiarly striking4  ,to sum up this  
part of the subject then1 we have       
amongst numerous others the following   
chief forms of the cross common in all  

parts of the world4 ,the ,latin1 a long 
upright with shorter cross beam2 the    
,greek1 an upright and bar of equal     
lengths2 the ,st4 ,andrews1 in the form 
of a letter ,x2 the ,maltese1 four      
triangles conjoined to a circular       
centre2 the ,hammer of ,thor2 and the   
,crux ,ansata1 or handled cross4  ,the  
question now arises1 what was the origin
 or original meaning of these crosses8  
,uninformed ,christians are generally   
under the impression that all refer to  
one and the same thing1 viz41 the       
instrument of the death of ,jesus       
,christ3 historical evidence just       
produced1 however1 clearly disproves    
that1 and what we may say further will  
add additional weight to the argument4  
,it has been noticed that the ,britons  
received ,christianity with remarkable  
readiness1 and this has been attributed 
to the following among other            
circumstances1 viz41 the impression     
which they held in common with the      
,platonists and ,pythagoreans1 that the 

,second ,person of the ,deity was       
imprinted on the universe in the form of
 a cross4 ,we have already explained    
that the ,druids in their groves were   
accustomed to select the most stately   
and beautiful tree as an emblem of the  
,deity they adored1 and having cut off  
the side branches1 affixed two of them  
to the highest part of the trunk in such
 a manner as that those branches1       
extending on each side like the arms of 
a man1 together with the body1 should   
present to the spectator the appearance 
of a huge cross1 and that on the bark of
 the tree1 in various places1 was       
actually inscribed the letter ,t1--,tau4
  ,some have gone so far as to suppose a
 ,celtic origin for the word cross1 and 
have derived it from ,crugh and ,cruach1
 which signify a cross in that language1
 though others suppose these have a much
 more probable origin in the ,hebrew and
 ,chaldee4 ,chrussh1 signifies boards or
 pieces of timber fastened together1 as 
we should say1 cross-wise2 the word is  

so used in ,exodus xxvii4 #f4 ,this     
seems a very natural and probable       
etymology for the term1 but it may also 
allude more to the agony suffered on    
such an erection1 and then its origin   
perhaps may be traced to ,chrutz1       
'agitation4' ,this word also means to be
 'kneaded1' and broken to pieces like   
clay in the hands of a potter4          
,chrotshi1 in ,chaldee1 we are told by  
,parkhurst1 means accusations1 charges1 
revilings1 reproach1 all of them terms  
applied to ,jesus ,christ in his        
sufferings4 ,pliny shows that the       
punishment of the cross among the       
,romans was as old as ,tarquinus        
,priscus2 how much older it is perhaps  
difficult to say4  ,plato1 born #dcj    
years before ,christ1 had advocated the 
idea of a ,trinity1 and had expressed an
 opinion that the form of the ,second   
,person of it was stamped upon the      
universe in the form of a cross4 ,st4   
,augustine goes so far as to say that it
 was by means of the ,platonic system   

that he was enabled to understand       
properly the doctrine of the ,trinity4  
,perhaps1 originally1 the cross had but 
one meaning1 whatever its form2 it is   
probable that it was so4 ,however that  
may be1 it is certain that as time went 
on and its form varied1 different       
significations were attached to it4 ,it 
represented creative power and eternity 
in ,egypt1 ,assyria1 and ,britain2 it   
was emblematical of heaven and          
immortality in ,india1 ,china1 and      
,scandinavia2 it was the sign of freedom
 from physical suffering in the         
,americas2 all over the world it        
symbolised the ,divine                  
,unity--resurrection and life to come4  
,in the ,mexican tongue it bore the     
significant and worthy name1 ',tree of  
our ,life1' or ',tree of our ,flesh4'   
,it represented the god of rains and of 
health1 and this was everywhere its     
simple meaning4 ',those of ,yucatan1'   
say the chroniclers1 'prayed to the     
cross as the god of rains when they     

needed water4' ,the ,aztec goddess of   
rains bore one in her hand1 and at the  
feast celebrated to her honour in the   
early spring 7as we have previously     
noted7 victims were nailed to a cross   
and shot with arrows4 ,quetzalcoatl1 god
 of the winds1 bore as his sign of      
office a mace like the cross of a       
bishop2 his robe was covered with them  
strewn like flowers1 and its adoration  
was throughout connected with his       
worship4  ,we have mentioned that when  
the ,muyscas would sacrifice to the     
goddess of waters1 they extended cords  
across the tranquil depths of some lake1
 thus forming a gigantic cross1 and that
 at the point of intersection threw in  
their offerings of gold1 emeralds and   
precious oils4 ,the arms of the cross   
were designed to point to the cardinal  
points1 and represent the four winds1   
the rain bringers4 ,to confirm this     
explanation1 let us have recourse to the
 simpler ceremonies of the less         
cultivated tribes1 and see the          

transparent meaning of the symbol as    
they employed it4  ,when the rain maker 
of the ,lenni ,lenape would exert his   
power1 he retired to some secluded spot 
and drew upon the earth the figure of a 
cross1 placed upon it a piece of        
tobacco1 a gourd1 a bit of some red     
stuff1 and commenced to cry aloud to the
 spirits of the rains4 ,the ,creeks at  
the festival of the ,busk1 celebrated to
 the four winds1 and according to the   
legends instituted by them1 commenced   
with making the new fire4 ,the manner of
 this was to place four logs in the     
centre of the square1 end to end1       
forming a cross1 the outer ends pointing
 to the cardinal points2 in the centre  
of the cross the new fire is made4#d    
,as the emblem of the winds which       
disperse the fertilising showers1 says  
,brinton1 it is emphatically the tree of
 our life1 our subsistence1 and our     
health4 ,it never had any other meaning 
in ,america1 and if1 as has been said1  
the tombs of the ,mexicans were         

cruciform1 it was perhaps with reference
 to a resurrection and a future life as 
portrayed under this symbol1 indicating 
that the buried body would rise by the  
action of the four spirits of the world1
 as the buried seed takes on a new      
existence when watered by the vernal    
showers4 ,it frequently recurs in the   
ancient ,egyptian writings1 where it is 
interpreted life2 doubtless1 could we   
trace the hieroglyph to its source1 it  
would likewise prove to be derived from 
the four winds4#e  ,the ,buddhist cross 
to which allusion has been made was     
exactly the cross of the ,manicheans1   
with leaves and flowers springing from  
it1 and placed upon a ,mount ,calvary as
 among the ,roman ,catholics4 ,the tree 
of life and knowledge1 or the ,jambu    
tree1 in their maps of the world1 is    
always represented in the shape of a    
,manichean cross #hd yojanas1 or #dbc   
miles high1 including the three steps of
 the ,calvary4 ,this cross1 putting     
forth leaves and flowers 7and fruit     

also1 ,captain ,wilford was informed71  
is called the divine tree1 the tree of  
the gods1 the tree of life and          
knowledge1 and productive of whatever is
 good and desirable1 and is placed in   
the terrestrial ,paradise4 ,agapius1    
according to ,photius1 maintained that  
this divine tree1 in ,paradise1 was     
,christ himself4 ,in their delineation  
of the heavens1 the globe of the earth  
is filled with this cross and its       
,calvary4 ,the divines of ,thibet1 says 
,captain ,wilford1 place it to the      
,s4,w4 of ,meru1 towards the source of  
the ,ganges4 ,the ,manicheans always    
represented ,christ crucified upon a    
tree1 among the foliage4 ,the           
,christians of ,india1 though they did  
not admit of images1 still entertained  
the greatest veneration for the cross4  
,they placed it on a ,calvary in public 
places and at the meeting of cross      
roads1 and even the heathen ,hindus in  
these parts paid also great regard to   
it4  ,captain ,wilford was presented by 

a learned ,buddhist with a book1 called 
the ,cshetra-samasa1 which contained    
several drawings of the cross4 ,some of 
these his friend was unable to explain  
to him1 but whatever the variations of  
the cross were in other particulars1    
they were declared to be invariable as  
regards the shaft and two arms2 the     
,calvary was sometimes omitted4 ,one of 
these crosses seemed to puzzle the      
,buddhist completely1 or he would not   
say either what he thought or knew about
 it4 ,it consisted of the ordinary cross
 with shaft and cross-bar1 pointed at   
the ends1 but with two other bars       
intersecting the right angles formed by 
the shaft and cross-bar1 thus giving six
 points4 ,no one can look at this cross1
 and not at once discern its phallic    
character4 ,some writers affect to laugh
 at this1 but we have ample evidence    
that at times such a meaning has been   
attributed to the cross4 ,in connection 
with this1 ,dr4 ,inman makes some       
remarks which we shall do well to       

consider1 whether we receive them or    
not2 there may be nothing in them1 and  
there may be much4 ,he says3--,there can
 be no doubt1 ,i think1 in the mind of  
any student of antiquity1 that the cross
 is not originally a ,christian emblem2 
nay1 the very fact that the cross was   
used as a means of executing criminals  
shows that its form was familiar to     
,jews and ,romans4 ,it was used partly  
as an ornament1 and partly in certain   
forms of religious worship4 ,the simple 
cross1 with perpendicular and transverse
 arms of equal length1 represented the  
nave and spokes of the solar wheel1 or  
the sun darting his rays on all sides4  
,as the wheel became fantastically      
developed so did the cross1 and each    
limb became so developed at the outer   
end as to symbolise the triad4          
,sometimes the idea was very coarsely   
represented2 and ,i have seen1 amongst  
some ancient ,etruscan remains1 a cross 
formed of four phalli of equal length1  
their narrow end pointing inwards2 and  

in the same work another was portrayed1 
in which the phallus was made of        
inordinate length so as to support the  
others high up from the ground2 each was
 in itself a triad4 ,the same form of   
cross was probably used by the          
,phoenicians1 who appear to have        
colonised ,malta at a very early period 
of their career2 for they have left a   
form of it behind them in the shape of a
 cross similar to that described above1 
but which has been toned down by the    
moderns1 who could not endure the idea  
of an union between grossness and the   
crucifix1 and the phalli became as      
innocent as we see them in the ,maltese 
cross of to-day4  ,so many traces of the
 cross1 as used in ancient times in all 
parts of the world1 meet us on every    
hand that we find it difficult within   
the limited space at our command even to
 enumerate them2 we have already        
traversed in our account a greater part 
of the known world1 and still vast      
numbers of instances remain unnoticed4  

,almost as varied as its principal forms
 are the explanations offered respecting
 its origin and significance4 ,we are   
told by some that for its origin we must
 go to the ,buddhists and to the ,lama  
of ,thibet1 who is said to take his name
 from the cross1 called in his language 
,lamh4 ,higgins quotes ,vallence as     
saying that the ,tartars call the cross 
,lama1 from the ,scythian ,lamh1 a hand1
 synonymous to the ,yod of the          
,chaldeans2 and that it thus became the 
name of a cross1 and of the high priest 
with the ,tartars2 and with the ,irish1 
,luarn1 signifying the head of the      
church1 an abbot1 c4  ,the last form of 
cross to which we shall here allude is  
that known as the ,crux ,ansata1 or     
,handled ,cross4 ,whatever may be the   
signification of that instrument1 or    
ornament1 it is certain that no other   
has ever been so variously explained1 or
 has been so successful in puzzling     
those who have sought to give it a      
meaning4 ,some have said it was a       

,nilometer1 or measure of the rise of   
the ,nile2 one--a bishop--thought it was
 a setting stick for planting roots2    
another said it represented the ,law of 
,gravitation4 ,don ,martin said it was a
 winnowing fan2 ,herwart said it was a  
compass2 ,pococke said it represented   
the four elements4 ,others1 again1      
suggest that it may be only a key4 ,it  
opened1 says ,borwick1 the door of the  
sacred chest4 ,it revealed hidden       
things4 ,it was the hope of life to     
come4 ,and he continues1 ,however well  
the cross fit the mathematical lock1 the
 phallic lock1 the gnostic lock1 the    
philosophical lock1 the religious lock1 
it is quite likely that this very       
ancient and almost universal symbol was 
at first a secret in esoteric holding1  
to the meaning of which1 with all our   
guessing1 we have no certain clue4      
,this cross has certainly a most        
remarkable connection with the ancient  
history of ,egypt1 being found          
universally represented on the          

monuments1 the tombs1 the walls1 and the
 wrapping cloths of the dead2 hence1    
evidently1 the idea that it is          
peculiarly ,egyptian and its ascription 
of ,key of the ,nile4 ,from ,socrates1  
,sozomen1 ,theodoret1 and ,ruffinus1 we 
learn that it was known to the ,egyptian
 ,christians at the close of the fourth 
century as the symbol of eternal life4  
,later on1 ,dr4 ,max ,uhlman wrote1 that
 the handle cross means life1 is        
manifest from the ,rosetta inscription  
and other texts4 ,zoeckler1 another     
,german author1 notices the opinion of  
,macrobius that it was the hieroglyphic 
sign of ,osiris1 or the sun1 it being a 
fact that when the ancient ,egyptians   
wished to symbolise ,osiris1 they set up
 a staff with an eye upon it1 because in
 antiquity the sun was known as the eye 
of ,god1 and then claims that the round 
portion represented the orb of the sun1 
the perpendicular bar signifying the    
rays of the high mid-day sun1 and the   
shorter horizontal bar symbolising the  

rays of the rising or setting sun4 ,the 
discovery of this emblem by ,m4         
,mariette in a niche of the holy of     
holies in the ancient temple of         
,denderah1 points significantly to its  
importance and peculiar sacredness1 and 
it has been thought probable that it was
 the central object of interest in the  
inner precincts of the temple4  ,it     
seems that the ,egyptian priests1 when  
asked for an explanation of this cross1 
evaded the question by replying that the
 ,tau was a divine mystery4  ,however   
varied the explanations offered may be1 
and whatever the mystery said to        
surround this object1 the feature always
 remains1--its symbolisation of life and
 regeneration4 ,from this1 its phallic  
character was very easily inferred--its 
derivation from the lingam-yoni symbol1 
said ,barlow1 seemed a very natural     
process4 ,the junction of the yoni with 
the cross1 in ,dr4 ,inman's judgment1   
sufficiently proved that it had a       
phallic or male signification2 a        

conclusion which certain unequivocal    
,etruscan remains fully confirmed4 ,we  
conclude1 therefore1 says this writer1  
that the ancient cross was an emblem of 
the belief in a male creator1 and the   
method by which creation was initiated4 
,not the least remarkable               
exemplification of the universal        
prevalence of the cross both as to time 
and country1 is found amongst coins and 
medals3 here as in other things it is   
ever prominent4 ,take the ancient       
,gaulish coins1 for instance1 and the   
fylfot and ordinary ,greek cross abound2
 take the ancient ,british coins of the 
age long prior to ,christianity1 and the
 same thing occurs4 ,on ,scandinavian   
coins1 as well as those of ,gaul1 the   
fylfot cross appears1 as it also does on
 those of ,syracuse1 ,corinth1 and      
,chalcedon4 ,on the coins of ,byblos1   
,astarte is represented holding a long  
staff1 surmounted by a cross1 and       
resting her foot on the prow of a       
galley4 ,on the coins of ,asia ,minor1  

the cross is also to be found4 ,it      
occurs as the reverse of a silver coin1 
supposed to be of ,cyprus1 on several   
,cilician coins2 it is placed beneath   
the throne of ,baal of ,tarsus1 on a    
,phoenician coin of that time1 bearing  
the legend ',baal ,tharz4' ,a medal     
possibly of the same place1 with        
partially obliterated ,phoenician       
characters1 has the cross occupying the 
entire field of the reverse side4       
,several1 with inscriptions in unknown  
characters1 have a ram on one side and  
the cross and ring on the other4        
,another has the sacred bull1           
accompanied by this symbol2 others have 
a lion's head on obverse1 and a cross   
and circle on the reverse4#f  ,strangely
 enough1 even ,jewish money is marked   
with this emblem1 the shekel bearing on 
one side what is usually called a triple
 lily or hyacinth2 the same forming a   
pretty floral cross4  ,on ,roman coins  
the cross was of very frequent          
occurrence1 and illustrations of good   

examples may be seen in the pages of the
 ,art ,journal for the year #ahgd4 ,an  
engraving of the quincunx1 or piece of  
five unciae1 is given1 bearing on one   
side a cross1 a ,v1 and five pellets2   
and on the other a cross only4 ,this is 
an example of the earlier periods2 of   
course when we come to the later periods
 the emblem is still more frequent4     
,these coins are often found in ancient 
graves and sarcophagi1 and these latter 
again supply examples of various        
familiar forms of crosses of very remote
 antiquity1--not simply the adornment of
 coffin and gravecloths1 but the actual 
construction of the tomb or grave-mound 
in that form4 ,fine specimens of these  
have been discovered at                 
,stoney-,littleton1 at ,new ,grange1 at 
,banwell1 ,somerset1 at ,adisham1 at    
,hereford1 at ,helperthorpe1 and in the 
,isle of ,lewis4  ,before the ,romans1  
long before the ,etruscans1 there lived 
in the plains of northern ,italy a      
people to whom the cross was a religious

 symbol1 the sign beneath which they    
laid their dead to rest2 a people of    
whom history tells nothing1 knowing not 
their name1 but of whom antiquarian     
research has learned this1 that they    
lived in ignorance of the laws of       
civilisation1 that they dwelt in        
villages built on platforms over lakes1 
and that they trusted in the cross to   
guard1 and may be to revive their loved 
ones whom they committed to the dust4   
,throughout ,emilia are found remains of
 these people2 these remains form       
quarries whence manure is dug by the    
peasants of the present day4 ,these     
quarries go by the name of terramares4  
,they are vast accumulations of cinders1
 charcoal1 bones1 fragments of pottery1 
and other remains of human industry4 ,as
 this earth is very rich in phosphates  
it is much appreciated by agriculturists
 as a dressing for their land4 ,in these
 terramares there are no human bones4   
,the fragments of earthenware belong to 
articles of domestic use2 with them are 

found querns1 moulds for metal1 portions
 of cabin floors1 and great quantities  
of kitchen refuse4 ,they are deposits   
analogous to those which have been      
discovered in ,denmark and ,switzerland4
 ,the metal discovered in the majority  
of these terramares is bronze2 the      
remains belong to three distinct ages4  
,in the first none of the fictile ware  
was turned on the wheel or fire-baked4  
,sometimes these deposits exhibit an    
advance of civilisation4 ,iron came into
 use1 and with it the potter's wheel was
 discovered1 and the earthenware was put
 in the furnace4 ,when in the same      
quarry these two epochs are found1 the  
remains of the second age are always    
superposed over those of the bronze age4
 ,a third period is occasionally met    
with1 but only occasionally2 a period   
when a rude art introduced itself1 and  
representatives of animals or human     
beings adorned the pottery4 ,among the  
remains of this period is found the     
first trace of money1 rude little bronze

 fragments without shape4  ,among other 
remains in these lake-dwellings1 pottery
 has been in many cases found1 and these
 vessels bear1 on the bottom1 crosses of
 various forms1 as well also curious    
solid double cones4 ,that which         
characterises the cemeteries of         
,golasecca1 says ,m4 de ,mortillet1 and 
gives them their highest interest1 is   
this3--first1 the entire absence of all 
organic representations2 we only found  
three and they were exceptional1 in     
tombs not belonging to the plateau2     
secondly1 the almost invariable presence
 of the cross under the vases in the    
tombs4 ,when we reversed the ossuaries1 
the saucer-lids1 or the accessory vases1
 we saw almost always1 if in good       
preservation1 a cross traced thereon 444
 the examination of the tombs of        
,golasecca proves1 in a most convincing1
 positive1 and precise manner1 that     
which the terramares of ,emilia had only
 indicated1 but which had been confirmed
 by the cemetery of ,villanova2 that    

above a thousand years before ,christ1  
the cross was already a religious emblem
 of frequent employment4#g  ,there is   
every reason to suppose that the cross  
was a symbol of more import in the early
 patriarchal ages than is generally     
imagined4 ,it was not only the first    
letter1 but it was also the emblem1 of  
,taut1 the ,mercury1 the word1 the      
messenger of the gods1 the angel1 as we 
may say1 of his presence1 himself a god 
among the ,egyptians and the ,britons1  
whose god ,teutates was analagous both  
in name and nature2 a winged messenger4 
,m4 ,le ,clerc1 one of the ablest       
mythologists who ever wrote1 has shown  
that the ,teutates of the ,gauls1 the   
,hermes of the ,greeks1 the ,mercury of 
the ,romans1 were all one and the same4 
,the ,ethiopic letter ,taui1 or ,taw1   
says ,lowth1 still retains the form of a
 cross1 ,x2 and the ,samaritan ,t1 which
 the ,ethiopians are said to have       
borrowed from the ,samaritans1 was in   
the form of a ,x cross4 ,in several     

,samaritan coins1 says ,montfaucon1 to  
be found in the collections of          
medallists1 the letter ,tau is engraved 
in the form of a cross1 or ,greek ,chi1 
and he gives as his authority ,origen   
and ,jerome4  ,the ,jewish ,high-priest1
 we are informed by the ,rabbis1 was    
anointed on his investiture1 while he   
who anointed him drew on his forehead   
with his finger the figure of the ,greek
 letter ,chi1 ,x4#h     ,,chapter ,,iii4
      ,heathen ,ideas of a              
,trinity--,the ,magi--,ancient          
,theologies--,the ,indian               
,trinity--,the ,sculptures of           
,elephanta--,the ,sacred                
,zennar--,temples     consecrated to    
,indian ,trinities--,the ,greek         
,trident--,attributes of                
,brahm--,the ,hindu                     
,meru--,narayana--,the ,trimurti--,gods 
of ,egypt4   ,many of the heathens are  
said to have had a notion of a ,trinity1
 wrote a contributor to an              
encyclopaedia1 some eighty years ago4   

,now that altogether fails to reach the 
truth1 for heathen nations are known to 
scholars to have had very definite ideas
 indeed about a sacred ,triad2 in fact1 
as another writer has said1 there is    
nothing in all theology more deeply     
grounded1 or more generally allowed by  
them1 than the mystery of the ,trinity4 
,the ,chaldeans1 ,phoenicians1 ,greeks1 
and ,romans1 both in their writings and 
their oracles1 acknowledged that the    
,supreme ,being had begotten another    
,being from all eternity1 whom they     
sometimes called the ,son of ,god1      
sometimes the ,word1 sometimes the      
,mind1 and sometimes the ,wisdom of     
,god1 and asserted to be the ,creator of
 all things4  ,among the sayings of the 
,magi1 the descendants of ,zoroaster1   
was one as follows3--,the ,father       
finished all things1 and delivered them 
to the ,second ,mind4  ,we learn from   
,dr4 ,cudworth that1 besides the        
inferior gods generally received by all 
the ,pagans 7viz43 animated stars1      

demons1 and heroes71 the more refined of
 them1 who accounted not the world the  
,supreme ,deity1 acknowledged a ,trinity
 of divine hypostases superior to them  
all4 ,this doctrine1 according to       
,plotinus1 is very ancient1 and         
obscurely asserted even by ,parmenides4 
,some have referred its origin to       
,pythagoreans1 and others to ,orpheus1  
who adopted three principles1 called    
,phanes1 ,uranus1 and ,cronus4 ,dr4     
,cudworth apprehends that ,pythagoras   
and ,orpheus derived this doctrine from 
the theology of the ,egyptian ,hermes2  
and1 as it is not probable that it      
should have been first discovered by    
human reason1 he concurs with ,proclus  
in affirming that it was at first a     
theology of divine tradition1 or        
revelation1 imparted first to the       
,hebrews1 and from them communicated to 
the ,egyptians and other nations2 among 
whom it was depraved and adulterated4   
,plato1 also1 and his followers1 speak  
of the ,trinity in such terms1 that the 

primitive fathers have actually been    
accused of borrowing the doctrine from  
the ,platonic school4  ,in ,indian      
theology there is no more prominent     
doctrine than that of a ,divine ,triad  
governing all things1 consisting of     
,brahma1 ,vishnu1 and ,siva4 ,by        
,brahma1 they mean ,god1 the ,creator2  
by ,vishnu 7according to the ,sanscrit71
 a preserver1 a comforter1 a cherisher2 
and by ,siva1 a destroyer and avenger4  
,to these three personages1 different   
functions are assigned1 in the ,hindoo  
system of mythologic superstition1      
corresponding to the different          
significations of their names4 ,they are
 distinguished1 likewise1 besides these 
general titles1 in the various sastras  
and puranas1 by an infinite variety of  
appellations descriptive of their       
office4  ,whatever doubts may arise     
respecting the ,indian ,trinity1 they   
will very speedily be dispelled by a    
view of that wonderful and magnificent  
piece of sculpture which is found in the

 celebrated cavern of ,elephanta1 which 
has so often been described by          
travellers1 and which has ever been such
 a source of amusement to them4 ,this1  
it is said1 proves that from the        
remotest era1 the ,indian nations have  
adored a ,triune ,deity4 ,in this       
cavern1 the traveller beholds1 with awe 
and astonishment1 carved out of the     
solid rock1 in the most conspicuous part
 of the most ancient and venerable      
temple in the world1 a bust nearly      
twenty feet in breadth1 and eighteen    
feet in altitude1 gorgeously decorated1 
the image of the great presiding ,deity 
of that sacred temple4 ,the bust has    
three heads united to one body1 and     
adorned with the oldest symbols of the  
,indian theology1 is regarded as        
representing the ,creator1 the          
,preserver1 and the ,regenerator of     
mankind4 ,owing to the gross            
surroundings of these characters1       
respectively denominated ,brahma1       
,vishnu1 and ,siva1 any comparison      

cannot be instituted with the ,christian
 ,trinity2 yet the worship paid to that 
triple divinity incontestably evinces   
that1 on this point of faith1 the       
sentiments of the ,indians are congenial
 with those of the ,chaldeans and       
,persians4 ,nor is it only in this great
 ,deity with three heads that these     
sentiments are demonstrated1 their      
veneration for that sacred number       
strikingly displays itself in their     
sacred books--the three original        
,vedas--as if each had been delivered by
 one personage of the august ,triad1    
being confined to that mystic number2 by
 the regular and prescribed offering up 
of their devotions three times a day2 by
 the immersion of their bodies1 during  
ablution1 three times in the purifying  
wave2 and by their constantly wearing   
next their skin the sacred ,zennar1 or  
cord of three threads1 the mystic symbol
 of their belief in a divine all ruling 
,triad4  ,the sacred ,zennar1 just      
mentioned1 is of consequence enough to  

demand a fuller notice4 ,its threads can
 be twisted by no other hand than that  
of a ,brahmin1 and he does it with the  
utmost solemnity and many mystic rites4 
,three threads1 each measuring          
ninety-six hands1 are first twisted     
together2 then they are folded into     
three1 and twisted again1 making it to  
consist of nine1--that is three times   
three threads2 this is folded again into
 three1 but without any more twisting1  
and each end is then fastened with a    
knot4 ,such is the ,zennar1 which being 
put upon the left shoulder1 passes to   
the right side1 and hangs down as low as
 the fingers can reach4  ,the ,hindoos1 
says ,m4 ,sonnerat1 adore three         
principal deities1 ,brouma1 ,chiven1 and
 ,vichenou1 who are still but ,one2     
which kind of ,trinity is there called  
,trimourti1 or ,tritvamz1 and signifies 
the reunion of three powers4 ,the       
generality of modern ,indians adore only
 one of these three divinities1 but some
 learned men1 besides this worship1 also

 address their prayers to the ,three    
united4 ,the representation of them is  
to be seen in many pagodas1 under that  
of human figures with three heads1      
which1 on the coast of ,orissa1 they    
call ,sariharabrama2 on the ,coromandel 
coast1 ,trimourti2 and ,tretratreyam1 in
 the ,sanscrit4 ,it is affirmed by      
,maurice that this latter term would not
 have been found in ,sanscrit had not   
the worship of a ,trinity existed in    
those ancient times1 fully two thousand 
five hundred years ago1 when ,sanscrit  
was the current language of ,india4     
,there have been found temples entirely 
consecrated to this kind of ,trinity2   
such as that of ,parpenade1 in the      
kingdom of ,travancore1 where the three 
gods are worshipped in the form of a    
serpent with a thousand heads4 ,the     
feast of ,anandavourdon1 which the      
,indians celebrate to their honour1 on  
the eve of the full moon1 in the month  
of ,pretachi1 or ,october1 always draws 
a great number of people1 which would   

not be the case1 says ,sonnerat1 if     
those that came were not adorers of the 
,three ,powers4  ,mr4 ,forster writing1 
in #aghe1 on the ,mythology of the      
,hindoos1 says3--,a circumstance which  
forcibly struck my attention1 was the   
,hindoo belief in a ,trinity4 ,the      
persons are ,sree ,mun ,narrain1 the    
,mhah ,letchimy 7a beautiful woman71 and
 a ,serpent1 which are emblematical of  
strength1 love1 and wisdom4 ,these      
persons1 by the ,hindoos1 are supposed  
to be wholly indivisible4 ,the one is   
three1 and the three are one4 ,in the   
beginning1 they say that the ,deity     
created three men to whom he gave the   
names of ,brimha1 ,vystnou1 and         
,sheevah4 ,to the first was committed   
the power of creating mankind1 to the   
second of cherishing them1 and to the   
third that of restraining and correcting
 them4 ,the sacred persons who compose  
this ,trinity are very remarkable2 for  
,sree ,mun ,narrain1 as ,mr4 ,forster   
writes the word1 is ,narayen1 the       

supreme ,god2 the beautiful woman is the
 ,imma of the ,hebrews2 and the union of
 the sexes in the ,divinity1 is         
perfectly consonant with that ancient   
doctrine maintained in the ,geeta1 and  
propagated by ,orpheus1 that the ,deity 
is both male and female4  ,damascius1   
treating of the fecundity of the divine 
nature1 cites ,orpheus as teaching that 
the ,deity was at once both male and    
female1 to show the generative power by 
which all things were formed4 ,proclus  
upon the ,timaeus of ,plato1 among other
 ,orphic verses1 cites the following3   
,jupiter is a man1 ,jupiter is also an  
immortal maid4 ,in the same commentary1 
and in the same page we read that all   
things were contained in the womb of    
,jupiter4  ,the serpent is the ancient  
and usual ,egyptian symbol for the      
divine ,logos4  ,m4 ,tavernier1 on his  
entering one of the great pagodas1      
observed an idol in the centre of the   
building1 sitting cross-legged in the   
,indian fashion1 upon whose head was    

placed une triple couronne2 and from    
this triple crown four horns extended   
themselves1 the symbol of the rays of   
glory1 denoting the ,deity to whom the  
four quarters of the world were under   
subjection4 ,according to the same      
author1 in his account of the ,benares  
pagoda1 the deity of ,india is saluted  
by prostrating the body three times1 and
 he is not only adorned with a triple   
crown1 and worshipped by a triple       
salutation1 but he bears in his hand a  
three-forked sceptre1 exhibiting the    
exact model of the trident of the ,greek
 ,neptune4  ,now here we must allude to 
some very remarkable discoveries        
respecting the ,trident of ,neptune and 
the use of a similar symbol of authority
 by the ,indian gods4  ,mr4 ,maurice    
points out that the unsatisfactory      
reasons given by mythologists for the   
assignment of the trident to the        
,grecian deity1 exhibit very clear      
evidence of its being a symbol that was 
borrowed from some more ancient         

mythology1 and did not naturally1 or    
originally belong to ,neptune4 ,its     
three points1 or tines1 some of them    
affirm to signify the different         
qualities of the three sorts of waters  
that are upon the earth1 as the waters  
of the ocean1 which are salt2 the water 
of fountains1 which is sweet2 and the   
water of lakes and ponds1 which1 in a   
degree1 partakes of the nature of both4 
,others1 again1 insist that this        
three-pronged sceptre alludes to        
,neptune's threefold power over the sea1
 viz41 to agitate1 to assuage1 and to   
preserve4 ,these reasons are1 all of    
them1 in his estimation1 mighty         
frivolous1 and amount to a confession of
 their total ignorance of its real      
meaning4  ,the trident was1 in the most 
ancient periods1 the sceptre of the     
,indian deity1 and may be seen in the   
hands of that deity in one of the plates
 7iv47 of ,m4 d',ancarville's third     
volume1 and among the sacred symbols    
sculptured in ,elephanta cavern1 as     

pictured by ,niebuhr in his engravings  
of the ,elephanta antiquities4 ,it was1 
indeed1 says ,maurice1 highly proper1   
and strictly characteristic1 that a     
threefold deity should wield a triple   
sceptre1 and ,i have now a very curious 
circumstance to unfold to the reader1   
which ,i am enabled to do from the      
information of ,mr4 ,hodges1 relative to
 this mysterious emblem4 ,the very      
ancient and venerable edifices of       
,deogur1 which are in the form of       
immense pyramids1 do not terminate at   
the summit in a pyramidal point1 for the
 apex is cut off at about one seventh of
 what would be the entire height of the 
pyramid were it completed1 and1 from the
 centre of the top1 there rises a       
circular cone1 that ancient emblem of   
the sun4 ,what is exceedingly singular  
to these cones is1 that they are on     
their summits decorated with this very  
symbol1 or usurped sceptre1 of the      
,greek ,greek3 ,poseidon4 ,thus was the 
outside of the building decorated and   

crowned1 as it were1 with a conspicuous 
emblem of the worship celebrated within1
 which from the antiquity of the        
structure1 raised in the infancy of the 
empire after cavern-worship had ceased1 
was probably that of ,brahma1 ,vishnu1  
and ,siva3 for we have seen that        
,elephanta is1 in fact1 a temple to the 
,indian ,triad1 evidenced in the        
colossal sculpture that forms the       
principal figure of it1 and excavated   
probably ere ,brahma had fallen into    
neglect among those who still           
acknowledge him as the creative energy1 
or different sects had sprung up under  
the respective names of ,vishnu and     
,siva4 ,understood with reference to the
 pure theology of ,india1 such appears  
to me to be the meaning of this mistaken
 symbol2 but a system of physical       
theology quickly succeeded to the pure2 
and the debased1 but ingenious1 progeny1
 who invented it1 knew too well how to  
adapt the symbols and images of the true
 and false devotion4 ,the three sublime 

hypostases of the true ,trinity were    
degraded into three attributes2 in      
physical causes the sacred mysteries of 
religion were attempted to be explained 
away2 its doctrines were corrupted1 and 
its emblems perverted4 ,they went the   
absurd length of degrading a ,creator   
7for such ,brahma1 in the ,hindoo creed1
 confessedly is7 to the rank of a       
created ,dewtah1 which has been shewn to
 be a glaring solecism in theology4     
,the evident result then is1 that1      
nothwithstanding all the corruption of  
the purer theology of the ,brahmins1 by 
the base alloy of human philosophy1     
under the perverted notion of three     
attributes1 the ,indians have           
immemorially worshipped a threefold     
,divinity1 who1 considered apart from   
their physical notions1 is the ,creator1
 the ,preserver1 and the ,regenerator4  
,we must again repeat that it would be  
in the highest degree absurd to continue
 to affix the name of ,destroyer to the 
third hypostasis in their ,triad1 when  

it is notorious that the ,brahmins deny 
that anything can be destroyed1 and     
insist that a change alone in the form  
of objects and their mode of existence  
takes place4 ,one feature1 therefore1 in
 that character1 hostile to our system1 
upon strict examination vanishes2 and   
the other feature1 which creates so much
 disgust and gives such an air of       
licentiousness to his character1 is     
annihilated by the consideration of     
their deep immersion in philosophical   
speculations1 of their incessant        
endeavours to account for the divine    
operations by natural causes1 and to    
explain them by palpable and visible    
symbols4  ,no image of the supreme      
,brahma himself is ever made2 but in    
place of it his attributes are arranged1
 as in the temple of ,gharipuri1 thus3  
,brahma   ,power    ,creation           
,matter  ,the ,past     ,earth          
,vishnu   ,wisdom   ,preservation       
,spirit  ,the ,present  ,water     ,siva
     ,justice  ,destruction   ,time     

,the ,future   ,fire  ,captain ,wilford 
in the #ajth vol4 of the ,asiatic       
,researches writes of ,meru or ,moriah1 
the hill of ,god1 and he                
says3--,polyaenus calls ,mount ,meru or 
,merius1 ,tri-coryphus4 ,it is true that
 he bestows improperly that epithet on  
,mount ,meru1 near ,cabul1 which is     
inadmissible4 ,meru1 with its three     
peaks on the summit1 and its seven      
steps1 includes and encompasses really  
the whole world1 according to the       
notions of the ,hindus and other nations
 previously to their being acquainted   
with the globular shape of the earth4   
,basnage1 in his history of the ,jews1  
says there are seven earths1 whereof one
 is higher than the other2 for the ,holy
 ,land is situated upon the highest     
earth1 and ,mount ,moriah 7or ,meru7 is 
in the middle of that ,holy ,land4 ,this
 is the hill of ,god so often mentioned 
in the ,old ,testament1 the mount of the
 congregation where the mighty ,king    
sits in the sides of the north1         

according to ,isaiah1 and there is the  
city of our ,god4 ,the ,meru of the     
,hindoos has the name of ,sabha1 or the 
congregation1 and the gods are seated   
upon it in the sides of the north4      
,there is the holy city of ,brahma-puri1
 where resides ,brahma with his court in
 the most pure and holy land of         
,ilavratta4  ,thus ,meru is the worldly 
temple of the ,supreme ,being in an     
embodied state1 and of the ,tri-,murtti 
or sacred ,triad1 which resides on its  
summit1 either in a single or threefold 
temple1 or rather in both3 for it is all
 one1 as they are one and three4 ,they  
are three1 only with regard to men who  
have emerged out of it they are but one3
 and their threefold temple and         
mountain1 with its three peaks1 become  
one equally4 ,mythologists in the west  
called the world1 or ,meru with his     
appendages1 the temple of ,god1         
according to ,macrobius4 ,hence this    
most sacred temple of the ,supreme      
,being is generally typified by a cone  

or pyramid1 with either a single chapel 
on its summit1 or with three2 either    
with or without steps4  ,this worldly   
temple is also considered by the        
followers of ,buddha as the tomb of the 
son of the spirit of heaven4 ,his bones1
 or limbs1 were scattered all over the  
face of the earth1 like those of ,osiris
 and ,jupiter ,zagreus4 ,to collect them
 was the first duty of his descendants  
and followers1 and then to entomb them4 
,out of filial piety1 the remembrance of
 this mournful search was yearly kept up
 by a fictitious one1 with all possible 
marks of grief and sorrow1 till a priest
 came and announced that the sacred     
relics were at last found4 ,this is     
practised to this day by several        
,tartarian tribes of the religion of    
,buddha2 and the expression of the bones
 of the son of the spirit of heaven is  
peculiar to the ,chinese1 and some      
tribes in ,tartary4  ,hindu writers     
represent ,narayana moving1 as his name 
implies1 on the waters1 in the character

 of the first male1 and the principle of
 all nature1 which was wholly surrounded
 in the beginning by tamas1 or darkness1
 the ,chaos and primordial ,night of the
 ,greek mythologists1 and1 perhaps1 the 
,thaumaz or ,thamas of the ancient      
,egyptians2 the ,chaos is also called   
,pracriti1 or crude ,nature1 and the    
male deity has the name of ,purusha1    
from whom proceeded ,sacti1 or1 the     
power of containing or conceiving2 but  
that power in its first state was rather
 a tendency or aptitude1 and lay dormant
 and inert until it was excited by the  
bija1 or vivifying principle1 of the    
plastic ,iswara4 ,this power1 or        
aptitude1 of nature is represented under
 the symbol of the yoni1 or bhaga1 while
 the animating principle is expressed by
 the linga3 both are united by the      
creative power1 ,brahma2 and the yoni   
has been called the navel of            
,vishnu--not identically1 but nearly2   
for1 though it is held in the ,vedanta  
that the divine spirit penetrates or    

pervades all nature1 and though the     
,sacti be considered as an emanation    
from that spirit1 yet the emanation is  
never wholly detached from its source1  
and the penetration is never so perfect 
as to become a total union or identity4 
,in another point of view ,brahma       
corresponds with the ,chronos1 or ,time 
of the ,greek mythologists3 for through 
him generations pass on successively1   
ages and periods are by him put in      
motion1 terminated and renewed1 while he
 dies and springs to birth alternately2 
his existence or energy continuing for a
 hundred of his years1 during which he  
produces and devours all beings of less 
longevity4 ,vishnu represents water1 or 
the humid principle2 and ,iswara fire1  
which recreates or destroys1 as it is   
differently applied2 ,prithivi1 or      
earth1 and ,ravi1 or the sun1 are       
severally trimurtis1 or forms of the    
three great powers acting jointly and   
separately1 but with different natures  
and energies1 and by their mutual action

 excite and expand the rudiments of     
material substances4 ,the word murti1 or
 form1 is exactly synonymous with       
,greek3 eidola1 of the supreme spirit1  
and ,homer places the idol of ,hercules 
in ,elysium with other deceased heroes1 
though the ,god himself was at the same 
time enjoying bliss in the heavenly     
mansions4 ,such a murti1 say the        
,hindus1 can by no means affect with any
 sensation1 either pleasing or painful1 
the being from which it emanated2 though
 it may give pleasure or pain to        
collateral emanations from the same     
source2 hence they offer no sacrifices  
to the supreme ,essence1 of which our   
own souls are images1 but adore ,him    
with silent meditation2 while they make 
frequent homas or oblations to fire1 and
 perform acts of worship to the sun1 the
 stars1 the earth1 and the powers of    
nature1 which they consider as murtis1  
or images1 the same in kind with        
ourselves1 but transcendently higher in 
degree4 ,the moon is also a great object

 of their adoration2 for1 though they   
consider the sun and earth as the two   
grand agents in the system of the       
universe1 yet they know their reciprocal
 action to be greatly affected by the   
influence of the lunar orb according to 
their several aspects1 and seem even to 
have an idea of attraction through the  
whole extent of nature4 ,this system was
 known to the ancient ,egyptians2 for   
according to ,diodorus1 their ,vulcan1  
or elemental fire1 was the great and    
powerful deity1 whose influence         
contributed chiefly toward the          
generation and perfection of natural    
bodies2 while the ocean1 by which they  
meant water in a collective sense1      
afforded the nutriment that was         
necessary2 and the earth was the vase1  
or capacious receptacle1 in which this  
grand operation of nature was performed3
 hence ,orpheus described the earth as  
the universal mother1 and this is the   
true meaning of the ,sanscrit word      
,amba4  ,further information respecting 

the male and female forms of the        
,trimurti has been gathered as          
follows3--  ,atropos 7or ,raudri71 who  
is placed about the sun1 is the         
beginning of generation2 exactly like   
the destructive power1 or ,siva among   
the ,hindus1 and who is called the cause
 and the author of generation3 ,clotho1 
about the celestial moon1 unites and    
mixes3 the last1 or ,lachesis1 is       
contiguous to the earth3 but is greatly 
under the influence of chance4 ,for     
whatever being is destitute of a        
sensitive soul1 does not exist of its   
own right2 but must submit to the       
affections of another principle3 for the
 rational soul is of its own right      
impassable1 and is not obnoxious to     
affections from another quarter4 ,the   
sensitive soul is a mediate and mixed   
being1 like the moon1 which is a        
compound of what is above and of what is
 below2 and is to the sun in the same   
relation as the earth is to the moon4   
,major ,wilford says3--,well ,pliny     

might say1 with great truth1 the        
refinements of the ,druids were such1   
that one would be tempted to believe    
that those in the east had largely      
borrowed from them4 ,this certainly     
surpasses everything of the kind ,i have
 ever read or heard in ,india4  ,these  
three goddesses are obviously the       
,parcoe1 or fates1 of the western       
mythologists1 which were three and one4 
,this female tri-unity is really the    
,tri-murtti of the ,hindus1 who call it 
the ,sacti1 or energy of the male       
,tri-murtti1 which in reality is the    
same thing4 ,though the male tri-unity  
be oftener mentioned1 and better known  
among the unlearned than the other2 yet 
the female one is always understood with
 the other1 because the ,trimurtti      
cannot act1 but through its energy1 or  
,sacti1 which is of the feminine gender4
 ,the male ,trimurtti was hardly known  
in the west1 for ,jupiter1 ,pluto1 and  
,neptune have no affinity with the      
,hindu ,trimurtti1 except their being   

three in number4 ,the real ,trimurtti of
 the ,greeks and ,latians consisted of  
,cronus1 ,jupiter and ,mars1 ,brahma1   
,vishnu and ,siva4 ,to these three gods 
were dedicated three altars in the upper
 part of the great circus at ,rome4     
,these are brothers in their ,calpas2   
and ,cronus or ,brahma1 who has no      
,calpa of his own1 produces them1 and of
 course may be considered as their      
father4 ,thus ,brahma creates in        
general2 but ,vishnu in his own ,calpa1 
assumes the character of ,cronus or     
,brahma to create1 and he is really     
,cronus or ,brahma3 he is then called   
,brahma-rupi ,janardana1 or ,vishnu1 the
 devourer of souls1 with the countenance
 of ,brahma3 he is the preserver of his 
own character4  ,these three were       
probably the ,tripatres of the western  
mythologists1 called also ,tritopatores1
 ,tritogeneia1 ,tris-,endaimon1         
,trisolbioi1 ,trismacaristoi1 and       
,propatores4 ,the ancients were not well
 agreed who they were3 some even said   

that they were ,cottus1 ,briareus1 and  
,gyges1 the sons of ,tellus and the sun4
 ,others said that they were ,amalcis1  
,protocles1 and ,protocless1 the        
door-keepers and guardians of the minds4
 ,their mystical origin probably        
belonged to the secret doctrine1 which  
the ,roman college1 like the ,druids1   
never committed to writing1 and were    
forbidden to reveal4 ,as the ancients   
swore by them1 there can be little doubt
 but that they were the three great     
deities of their religion4              
,disentangling the somewhat intricate   
and involved web of ,indian mythology1  
and putting the matter as simply as     
possible1 we may say the deities are    
only three1 whose places are the earth1 
the intermediate region1 and heaven1    
namely ,fire1 ,air1 and the ,sun4 ,they 
are pronounced to be deities of the     
mysterious names severally1 and         
7,prajapati7 the lord of creatures is   
the deity of them collectively4 ,the    
syllable ,o'ru intends every deity3 it  

belongs to 7,paramasht'hi7 him who      
dwells in the supreme abode2 it pertains
 to 7,brahma7 the vast one2 to 7,deva7  
,god2 to 7,ad'hyatma7 the superintending
 soul4 ,other deities1 belonging to     
those several regions1 are portions of  
the three gods2 for they are variously  
named and described on account of their 
different operations1 but there is only 
one deity1 the ,great ,soul             
7,mahanatma74 ,he is called the ,sun1   
for he is the soul of all beings4 ,the  
,sun1 the soul of 7jagat7 what moves1   
and of that which is fixed2 other       
deities are portions of him4  ,the name 
given by the ,indians to their ,supreme 
,deity1 or ,monad1 is ,brahm2 and       
notwithstanding the appearance of       
materialism in all their sacred books1  
the ,brahmins never admit that they     
uphold such a doctrine1 but invest their
 deities with the highest attributes4   
,he is represented as the ,vast ,one1   
self-existing1 invisible1 eternal1      
imperceptible1 the only deity1 the great

 soul1 the over-ruling soul1 the soul of
 all beings1 and of whom all other      
deities are but portions4 ,to him no    
sacrifices were ever offered2 but he was
 adored in silent meditation4 ,he       
triplicates himself into three persons  
or powers1 ,brahma1 ,vishnu1 and ,siva1 
the ,creator1 the ,preserver1 and the   
,destroyer1 or ,reproducer2 and is      
designated by the word ,om or ,aum by   
the respective letters of which sacred  
triliteral syllable are expressed the   
powers into which he triplicates        
himself4  ,the ,metempsychosis and      
succession of similar worlds1           
alternately destroyed by flood and fire 
and reproduced1 were doctrines          
universally received among the heathens3
 and by the ,indians1 the world1 after  
the lapse of each predestined period of 
its existence1 was thought to be        
destroyed by ,siva4 ,at each appointed  
time of its destruction1 ,vishnu ceases 
from his preserving care1 and sleeps    
beneath the waters3 but after the       

allotted period1 from his navel springs 
forth a lotus to the surface1 bearing   
,brahma in its cup1 who reorganises the 
world1 and when he has performed his    
work1 retires1 leaving to ,vishnu its   
government and preservation2 when all   
the same heroes and persons reappear1   
and similar events are again transacted1
 till the time arrives for another      
dissolution4  ,after the construction of
 the world by ,brahma1 the office of its
 preservation is assumed by ,vishnu4    
,his chief attribute is ,wisdom3 he is  
the ,air1 ,water1 ,humidity in general1 
,space1 and sometimes1 though rarely1   
,earth3 he is ,time present1 and the    
middle3 and he is the ,sun in the       
evening and at night4 ,his colour is    
blue or blackish2 his ,vahan1 the ,eagle
 named ,garuda2 his allotted place1 the 
,air or intermediate region1 and he     
symbolises ,unity4 ,it is he who most   
commonly appears in the ,avatars or     
,incarnations1 of which nine in number  
are recorded as past3 the most          

celebrated of which are his incarnations
 as ,mateya or the ,fish ,rama1         
,krishna1 and ,buddha3 the tenth of     
,kalki1 or the ,horse1 is yet to come4  
,it is from him that ,brahma springs    
when he proceeds to his office of       
creation4  ,the destroying and          
regenerating power1 ,siva1 ,maha-deva1  
,iswara1 or ,routrem is regarded        
metaphysically as ,justice1 and         
physically as ,fire or ,heat1 and       
sometimes ,water4 ,he is the ,sun at    
noon3 his colour is white1 with a blue  
throat1 but sometimes red2 his ,vahan is
 the bull1 and his place of residence   
the heaven4 ,as destruction in the      
material world is but change or         
production in another form1 and was so  
held by almost all the heathen          
philosophers1 we find that the peculiar 
emblems of ,siva are1 as we have already
 shown1 the ,trident1 the symbol of     
destruction2 and the ,linga or ,phallus1
 of regeneration4  ,the three deities   
were called ,trimurtti1 and in the      

caverns of ,ellora they are united in a 
,triune bust4 ,they are collectively    
symbolized by the triangle4 ,vishnu1 as 
,humidity personified1 is also          
represented by an inverted triangle1 and
 ,siva by a triangle erect1 as a        
personification of ,fire2 while the     
,monad ,brahm is represented by the     
circle as ,eternity1 and by a point as  
having neither length1 nor breadth1 as  
self-existing1 and containing nothing4  
,the ,brahmans deny materialism2 yet it 
is asserted by ,mr4 ,wilford1 that1 when
 closely interrogated on the title of   
,deva or ,god1 which their most sacred  
books give to the ,sun1 they avoid a    
direct answer1 and often contradict     
themselves and one another4 ,the supreme
 divinity of the ,sun1 however1 is      
constantly asserted in their scriptures2
 and the holiest verse in the ,vedas1   
which is called the ,gayatri1 is3--,let 
us adore the supremacy of that divine   
sun1 the ,godhead1 who illuminates all1 
who recreates all1 from whom all        

proceed1 to whom all must return1 whom  
we invoke to direct our understanding   
aright in our progress towards his holy 
seat4  ,it has been said that in ,india 
is to be found the most ancient form of 
that ,trinitarian worship which prevails
 in nearly every quarter of the known   
world4 ,be that as it may1 it is not in 
,india where the most remarkable phase  
of the worship is to be found2 for that 
we turn to ,egypt4 ,here we meet with   
the strange fact that no two cities     
worshipped the same triad4 ,the one     
remarkable feature in nearly all these  
triads is that they are father1 mother1 
and son2 that is1 male and female       
principles of nature1 with their        
product4  ,mariette ,bey                
says3--,according to places1 the        
attributes by which the ,divine         
,personage is surrounded are modified2  
but in each temple the triad would      
appear as a symbol destined to affirm   
the eternity of being4 ,in all triads1  
the principal god gives birth to        

himself4 ,considered as a ,father1 he   
remains the great god adored in temples4
 ,considered as a ,son1 he becomes1 by a
 sort of doubling1 the third person of  
the triad4 ,but the ,father and the ,son
 are not less the one god1 while1 being 
double1 the first is the eternal god2   
the second is but the living symbol     
destined to affirm the strength of the  
other4 ,the father engenders himself in 
the womb of the mother1 and thus becomes
 at once his own father and his own son4
 ,thereby are expressed the             
uncreatedness and the eternity of the   
being who has had no beginning1 and who 
shall have no end4  ,generally speaking1
 the gods of ,egypt were grouped in sets
 of three1 each city having its own     
,trinity4 ,thus in ,memphis we find     
,ptah1 ,pasht and ,month2 in ,thebes1   
,amun-,ra1 ,athor and ,chonso2 in       
,ethiopia1 ,noum1 ,sate and ,anucis2 in 
,hermonthis1 ,monthra1 ,reto and        
,harphre2 in ,lower ,egypt1 ,seb1       
,netphe and ,osiris2 in ,thinnis1       

,osiris1 ,isis and ,anhur2 in           
,abousimbel and ,derr1 ,ptah1 ,amun-,ra 
and ,horus-,ra2 in ,esne1 ,neph1 ,neboo 
and ,hake2 in ,dabad1 ,seb1 ,netpe and  
,mandosti2 in ,ambos1 ,savak1 ,athor and
 ,khonso2 in ,edfou1 ,horket1 ,hathor   
and ,horsenedto4 ,the trinity common    
throughout the land is that of ,osiris1 
,isis and ,horus4  ,dr4 ,cudworth       
translates ,jamblichus as follows1      
quoting from the ,egyptian ,hermetic    
,books in defining the ,egyptian        
,trinity3--,hermes places the god ,emeph
 as the prince and ruler over all the   
celestial gods1 whom he affirmeth to be 
a ,mind understanding himself1 and      
converting his cogitations or           
intellections into himself4 ,before     
which ,emeph he placeth one indivisible1
 whom he calleth ,eicton1 in which is   
the first intelligible1 and which is    
worshipped only by silence4 ,after which
 two1 ,eicton and ,emeph1 the demiurgic 
mind and president of truth1 as with    
wisdom it proceedeth to generations1 and

 bringeth forth the hidden powers of the
 occult reasons with light1 is called in
 the ,egyptian language ,ammon3 as it   
artificially affects all things with    
truth1 ,phtha2 as it is productive of   
good1 ,osiris2 besides other names that 
it hath according to its other powers   
and energies4 ,upon this1 ,dr4 ,cudworth
 remarks3--,how well these three divine 
hypostases of the ,egyptians agree with 
the ,pythagoric or ,platonic ,trinity   
of1--first1 ,unity and ,goodness itself2
 secondly1 ,mind2 and1 thirdly1         
,soul1--,i need not here declare4 ,only 
we shall call to mind what hath been    
already intimated1 that ,reason or      
,wisdom1 which was the ,demiurgus of the
 world1 and is properly the second of   
the fore-mentioned hypostases1 was      
called also1 among the ,egyptians by    
another name1 ,cneph2 from whom was said
 to have been produced or begotten the  
,god ,phtha1 the third hypostasis of the
 ,egyptian ,trinity2 so that ,cneph and 
,emeph are all one4 ,wherefore1 we have 

here plainly an ,egyptian ,trinity of   
divine hypostases subordinate1 ,eicton1 
,emeph or ,cneph1 and ,phtha4  ,mr4     
,sharpe1 in his ,egyptian ,inscriptions1
 mentions the fact that there is in the 
,british ,museum a hieroglyphical       
inscription as early as the reign of    
,sevechus of the eighth century before  
the ,christian ,era1 showing that the   
doctrine of the ,trinity in ,unity      
already formed part of their religion1  
and stating that in each of the two     
groups1 ,isis1 ,nephthis and ,osiris1   
and ,osiris1 ,isis1 and ,horus1 the     
three gods made only one person4 ,also  
that the sculptured figures on the lid  
of the sarcophagus of ,rameses ,,iii41  
now at ,cambridge1 show us the ,king1   
not only as one of a group of three     
gods1 but also as a ,trinity in ,unity  
in his own person4 ,he stands between   
the goddesses1 ,isis and ,nepthys1 who  
embrace him as if he were the lost      
,osiris1 whom they have now found again4
 ,we further know him to be in the      

character of ,osiris by the two sceptres
 which he holds2 but at the same time   
the horns upon his head are those of the
 goddess ,athor1 and the ball and       
feathers above are the ornaments of the 
god ,ra4  ,nearly all writers describe  
the ,egyptian ,trinity as consisting of 
the generative1 the destructive1 and the
 preserving powers4 ,isis answers to    
,siva4 ,iswara1 or ,lord1 is the epithet
 of ,siva4 ,osiris1 or ,ysiris1 as      
,hellanicus wrote the ,egyptian name1   
was the ,god at whose birth a voice was 
heard to declare1 that the ,lord of all 
nature sprang forth to light4  ,a       
peculiar feature in the ancient         
trinities is the way in which the       
worship of the first person is lost or  
absorbed in the second1 few or no       
temples being found dedicated to        
,brahma4 ,something very much like this 
often occurs among ,christians2 we are  
surrounded by churches dedicated to the 
second and third persons in the trinity1
 and to saints1 and to the ,mother of   

,christ1 but none to the ,father4  ,it  
has been noticed that while we find     
inscribed upon the monuments of ,egypt a
 vast multitude of gods1 as in ,india1  
the number diminishes as we ascend4     
,amun ,ra alone is found dedicated upon 
the oldest monuments1 in three distinct 
forms1 into one or other of whose       
characters all the other divinities may 
be resolved4 ,amun was the chief god1   
the sacred name1 corresponding with the 
,aum of the ,indians1 also1 probably1   
the ,egyptian ,on4 ,according to ,mr4   
,wilkinson1 the ,egyptians held ,kneph1 
,neph1 ,nef1 or ,chnoubus1 as the idea  
of the ,spirit of ,god which moved upon 
the face of the waters4 ,he was the     
,spirit1 animating and perpetuating the 
world1 and penetrating all its parts2   
the same with the ,agathodaemon of the  
,phoenicians1 and like him1 was         
symbolized by the snake1 an emblem of   
the ,spirit which pervades the universe4
 ,he was commonly represented with a    
,ram's head2 and though the colour of   

the ,egyptian divinities is perhaps more
 commonly green than any other1 he is as
 frequently depicted blue4 ,he was the  
god of the ,nile1 which is indirectly   
confirmed by ,pindar2 and by ,ptolemy1  
who says that the ,egyptians gave the   
name of ,agathodaemon to the western1 or
 ,heracleotic branch4 ,from his mouth   
proceeded the ,mundane egg1 from which  
sprung ,phtah1 the creative power4 ,mr4 
,wilkinson proceeds3--,having separated 
the ,spirit from the ,creator1 and      
purposing to act apart and defy each    
attribute1 which presented itself to    
their imagination1 they found it        
necessary to form another deity from the
 creative power1 whom they call ,phtah1 
proceeding from the former1 and thence  
deemed the son of ,kneph4 ,some         
difference was observed between the     
power1 which created the world1 and that
 which caused and ruled over the        
generation of man1 and continued to     
promote the continuation of the human   
species4 ,this latter attribute of the  

divinity was deified under the          
appellation ,khem4 ,thus was the supreme
 deity known by the three distinct names
 of1      ,kneph1      ,phthah1         
,khem3  to these were joined the        
goddesses ,sate1 ,neith1 and ,buto2 and 
the number of the eight deities was     
completed by the addition of ,ra1 or    
,amun-,ra1 this last1 however1 was not a
 distinct god1 but a name common to each
 person of the triad3 and1 indeed1 to   
all the three names above the name of   
,amun was constantly prefixed4#i        
,phthah corresponds with the ,indian    
,brahma1 and the ,orphic ,phanes1 and   
appears in several other forms4 ,in one 
form he is represented as an            
infant--often as an infant ,priapaean   
figure1 and deformed4  ,the deity called
 ,khem by ,mr4 ,wilkinson1 and ,mendes  
by ,champollion1 is common on the       
monuments of ,egypt1 and is recognised  
as corresponding with the ,pan of the   
,greeks4 ,his chief attribute is heat1  
which aids the continuation of the      

various species1 and he is generally    
coloured red1 though sometimes blue1    
with his right arm extended upwards4    
,his principal emblems are a            
triple-thonged ,flagellum and a         
,phallus4 ,he corresponds with ,siva of 
the ,indians1 his attributes being      
similar1 viz41 ,destroying and          
,regenerating4 ,he is the god of        
generation1 and1 like ,siva1 has his    
,phallic emblem of reproduction2 the    
triple-thonged flagellum is regarded by 
some as a variation of the trident1 or  
of the axe of ,siva4 ,he has for a vahan
 the ,bull ,mneuis1 as ,sivi has the    
,bull ,nandi4 ,the ,goat ,mendes was    
also consecrated to him as an emblem of 
heat and generation2 and it is well     
known that this animal is constantly    
placed in the hands of ,siva4 ,in short1
 says ,mr4 ,cory1 there is scarcely a   
shade of distinction between ,khem and  
,siva3 the ,egyptians venerated the same
 deity as the ,indians1 in his          
generative character as ,khem1 when they

 suspended the flagellum1 the instrument
 of vengeance1 over his right hand2 but 
in his destroying character1 as the     
ruler of the dead1 as ,osiris1 when they
 placed the flagellum in his hands as   
the trident is in that character placed 
in the hand of ,siva4  ,in the ,chaldean
 oracles1 so far as they have been      
preserved1 the doctrine of a triad is   
found everywhere4 ,allowing for the     
existence of much that is forged amongst
 these oracles1 as suggested by ,mr4    
,cory and others1 we may reasonably     
conclude that there still remains a deal
 that is ancient and authentic4 ,they   
teach as a fundamental tenet that a     
triad shines throughout the whole world1
 over which a ,monad rules4 ,this triad 
is ,father1 ,power1 and ,intellect1     
having probably once been ,air1 ,fire1  
and ,sun4  ,amongst the ,laplanders the 
,supreme ,god was worshipped as ,jumala1
 and three gods were recognised as      
subordinate to him4 ,the first was ,thor
 of the ,edda2 the second ,storjunkare1 

his vicegerent1 the common household    
god2 and the third ,beywe1 the ,sun4    
,with regard to the ,phoenicians and    
,syrians1 ,photius states that the      
,kronus of both was known under the     
names of ,el1 ,bel1 and ,bolathen4  ,the
 ,sidonians1 ,eudemus said1 placed      
before all things ,chronus1 ,pothas1 and
 ,omichles1 rendered by ,damascius as   
,time1 ,love1 and ,cloudy ,darkness1    
regarded by some as no other than the   
,khem1 ,phthah1 and ,amun ,kneph of the 
,egyptians4  ,the ,heracles or ,hercules
 of the ,greeks1 known as ,arcles of the
 ,tyrians1 was a triple divinity1       
described by ,hieronymus as a dragon1   
with the heads of a bull1 of a lion1 and
 of a man with wings4  ,among the       
,philistines also we find their chief   
god ,dragon1 who is the ,ouranus of     
,sanchoniatho4 ,it appears also that    
,baal was a triple ,divinity3 while     
,chemosh1 the abomination of the        
,moabites1 and ,baal ,peor1 of the      
,midians1 seem to be the ,priapaean     

,khem of ,egypt1 the god of heat and    
generation4 ,the ,edessenes also held   
the triad1 and placed ,monimus and      
,azizus as contemplars with the ,sun4#aj
     ,,chapter ,,iv4      ,the ,supreme 
,god of the ,peruvians--,assumed ,origin
 of the ,trinity ,idea     in the       
,patriarchal ,age--,welsh               
,ideas--,druidical ,triads--,the        
,ancient     ,religion of ,america--,the
 ,classics and ,heathen ,triads--,the   
,tritopatoreia--,the ,virgin ,mary--,the
 ,virgin amongst the                    
,heathen--,universality of the ,belief  
in a ,trinity--,the ,dahomans4   ,the   
,supreme ,god of the ,peruvians1 was    
called ,viracocha2 known also as        
,pachacarnac1 ,soul of the world1 ,usapu
 admirable1 and other names4  ,garcilazo
 says1 he was considered as the giver of
 life1 sustainer and nourisher of all   
things1 but because they did not see    
him1 they erected no temples to him nor 
offered sacrifices2 however they        
worshipped him in their hearts1 and     

esteemed him for the unknown ,god4      
,generally1 speaking1 the sun was the   
great object of ,peruvian idolatry      
during the dominion of the ,incas4 ,its 
worship was the most solemn1 and its    
temples the most splendid in their      
furniture and decorations1 and the      
common people1 no doubt1 reverenced that
 luminary as their chief god4  ,herrera 
mentions the circumstance that at one of
 the festivals1 they exhibited three    
statues of the sun1 each of which had a 
particular name1 which as he translated 
them were ,father and ,lord ,sun1 the   
,son ,sun1 and the ,brother ,sun4 ,he   
also says1 that at ,chucuisaea1 they    
worshipped an idol called ,tangatanga1  
which they said was three and one4  ,the
 ,spanish writers consider this doctrine
 to have been stolen by the devil from  
,christianity1 and imparted by him to   
this people4 ,by this opinion they      
evidently declare its antiquity in ,peru
 to have been greater than the time of  
the ,spanish conquest4  ,those writers  

and scholars who refuse to believe that 
the doctrine of the ,trinity as taught  
in the ,christian religion1 was known   
during the patriarchal or judaical      
dispensations1 and therefore will not   
allow that the trinity of the ,peruvians
 had any reference to the dogma of      
,christianity1 contend that their       
trinity was founded in those early      
corruptions of patriarchal history1 in  
which men began to represent ,adam1 and 
his three sons2 and ,noah1 and his three
 sons2 as being triplicates of the same 
essential person1 who originally was the
 universal father of the human race3 and
 secondly1 being triplicated in their   
three sons1 who also were considered the
 fathers of mankind4 ,they say          
therefore1 ,adam and ,noah were each the
 father of three sons2 and to the       
persons of the latter of these triads1  
by whose descendants the world was      
repeopled1 the whole habitable earth was
 assigned in a threefold division4 ,this
 matter1 though it sometimes appears in 

an undisguised form1 was usually wrapped
 up in the cloak of the most profound   
mystery4 ,hence instead of plainly      
saying1 that the mortal who had         
flourished in the golden age and who was
 venerated as the universal demon father
 both of gods and men1 was the parent of
 three sons1 they were wont to declare1 
that the great father had wonderfully   
triplicated himself4  ,pursuing this    
vein of mysticism1 they contrived to    
obscure the triple division of the      
habitable globe among the sons of ,noah1
 just as much as the characters of the  
three sons themselves4 ,a very ancient  
notion universally prevailed that some  
such triple division had once taken     
place2 and the hierophants when they had
 elevated ,noah and his three sons to   
the rank of deity1 proceeded to ring a  
variety of corresponding changes upon   
that celebrated threefold distribution4 
,noah was esteemed the universal        
sovereign of the world2 but1 when he    
branched out into three kings 7i4e41    

triplicating himself into his three     
sons71 that world was to be divided into
 three kingdoms1 or1 as they were       
sometimes styled1 three worlds4 ,to one 
of these kings was assigned the empire  
of heaven2 to another1 the empire of the
 earth1 including the nether regions of 
,tartarus2 to a third1 the empire of the
 ocean4  ,so again1 when ,noah became a 
god1 the attributes of deity were       
inevitably ascribed to him1 otherwise1  
he would plainly have become incapable  
of supporting his new character3 yet    
even in the ascription of such          
attributes1 the genuine outlines of his 
history were never suffered to be wholly
 forgotten4 ,he had witnessed the       
destruction of one world1 the new       
creation 7or regeneration7 of another1  
and the oath of ,god that he would      
surely preserve mankind from the        
repetition of such a calamity as the    
deluge4 ,hence when he was worshipped as
 a hero-god1 he was revered in the      
triple character of the destroyer1 the  

creator1 and the preserver4 ,and when he
 was triplicated into three cognate     
divinities1 were produced three gods1   
different1 yet fundamentally the same1  
one mild though awful as the creator2   
another gentle and beneficent as the    
preserver2 a third1 sanguinary1         
ferocious1 and implacable as the        
destroyer4#aa  ,the idea of a trinity   
was rather curiously developed amongst  
the ,druids1 especially amongst the     
,welsh4 ,they used a number of          
triplicated sentences as summaries of   
matters relating to their religion1     
history1 and science1 in order that     
these things might be the more easily   
committed to memory and handed down to  
future generations4 ,the triads were    
these3--  #a4 ,there are three primeval 
,unities1 and more than one of each     
cannot exist3      ,one ,god2     ,one  
,truth2     ,one ,point of ,liberty1    
where all opposites equiponderate4  #b4 
,three things proceed from the primeval 
unities3      ,all of ,life2     ,all   

that is ,good2 and     ,all ,power4  #c4
 ,god consists necessarily of three     
things3      ,the ,greatest of ,life2   
,the ,greatest of ,knowledge2 and       
,the ,greatest of ,power4#ab  ,the      
,druids venerated the ,bull and ,eagle  
as emblems of the god ,hu1 and like the 
,jews and ,indians1 made use of a term1 
only known to themselves1 to express the
 unutterable name of the ,deity1 and the
 letters ,,oiw were used for that       
purpose4  ,from ,herodotus1 ,aristotle1 
,plutarch1 and others1 we get           
information concerning the triads       
amongst the ,persians1 and which were   
similar in many respects to those       
recognised by other eastern nations4    
,oromasdes and ,arimanes were ruling    
principles always in opposition to each 
other1 viz41 good and evil1 and         
springing from light and darkness1 which
 they are said to have most resembled4  
,eudemus says1 they proceeded from      
,place or ,time4 ,oromasdes was looked  
upon as the whole expanse of heaven1 and

 was considered by the ,greeks as       
identical with ,zeus4 ,he was the       
,preserver2 and ,arimanes1 the          
,destroyer4 ,between them1 according to 
,plutarch was ,mithras1 the ,mediator1  
who was regarded as the ,sun1 as ,light1
 as ,intellect1 and as the creator of   
all things4 ,he was a triple deity and  
was said to have triplicated himself4   
,the ,leontine mysteries were instituted
 in his honour1 the lion being          
consecrated to him1 and the ,sun was    
represented by the emblems of the ,bull1
 the ,lion1 and the ,hawk1 united4  ,in 
the ancient religions of ,america1 a    
species of trinity was recognised       
altogether different to that of         
,christianity or the ,trimurti of       
,india4 ,in some of the ancient poems a 
triple nature is actually ascribed to   
storms2 and in the ,quiche legends we   
read3 ,the first of ,hurakan is the     
lightning1 the second the track of the  
lightning1 and the third the stroke of  
the lightning2 and these three are      

,hurakan the ,heat of the ,sky4  ,in the
 ,iroquois mythology the same thing is  
found4 ,heno was thunder1 and three     
assistants were assigned to him whose   
offices were similar to those of the    
companions of ,hurakan4  ,heno was said 
to gather the clouds and pour out the   
warm rain2 he was the patron of         
husbandry1 and was invoked at seedtime  
and harvest4 ,as the purveyor of        
nourishment1 he was addressed as        
grandfather1 and his worshippers styled 
themselves his grandchildren4  ,amongst 
the ,aztecs1 ,tlaloc1 the god of rain   
and water1 manifested himself under the 
three attributes of the flash1 the      
thunderbolt1 and the thunder4  ,but this
 conception of three in one1 says       
,brinton1 was above the comprehension of
 the masses1 and consequently these     
deities were also spoken of as fourfold 
in nature1 three and one4 ,moreover1 as 
has already been pointed out1 the       
thunder-god was usually ruler of the    
winds1 and thus another reason for his  

quadruplicate nature was suggested4     
,hurakan1 ,haokah1 ,tlaloc1 and probably
 ,heno1 are plural as well as singular  
nouns1 and are used as nominatives to   
verbs in both numbers4 ,tlaloc was      
appealed to as inhabiting each of the   
cardinal points and every mountain top4 
,his statue rested on a square stone    
pedestal1 facing the east1 and had in   
one hand a serpent in gold4 ,ribbons of 
silver1 crossing to form squares1       
covered the robe1 and the shield was    
composed of feathers of four colours1   
yellow1 green1 red and blue4 ,before it 
was a vase containing all sorts of      
grain2 and the clouds were called his   
companions1 the winds his messengers4   
,as elsewhere1 the thunderbolts were    
believed to be flints1 and thus1 as the 
emblem of fire and the storm1 this stone
 figures conspicuously in their myths4  
,tohil1 the god who gave the ,quiches   
fire by shaking his sandals1 was        
represented by a flint-stone4 ,he is    
distinctly said to be the same as       

,quetzelcoatl1 one of whose commonest   
symbols was a flint4 ,such a stone1 in  
the beginning of things1 fell from      
heaven to earth1 and broke into #afjj   
pieces1 each of which sprang up a god2  
an ancient legend1 which shadows forth  
the subjection of all things to him who 
gathers the clouds from the four corners
 of the earth1 who thunders with his    
voice1 who satisfies with his rain the  
desolate and waste ground1 and causes   
the tended herb to spring forth4 ,this  
is the germ of the adoration of stones  
as emblems of the fecundating rains4    
,this is why1 for example1 the ,navajos 
use as their charm for rain certain long
 round stones1 which they think fall    
from the clouds when it thunders4  ,it  
is said that all over ,africa1 belief in
 a trinity of gods is found1 the same   
to-day as has prevailed at least for    
forty centuries1 and perhaps for very   
much longer4 ,chaldaea1 ,assyria1 and   
the temple of ,erektheus1 on the        
,acropolis of ,athens1 honoured and     

sacrificed to ,zeus 7the ,sun1          
,hercules1 or ,phallic idea7 the        
,serpent and ,ocean2 and ,africa still  
does so to the ,tree-,stem or ,pole1 the
 ,serpent1 and the ,sea or ,water2 and  
this ,trinity is one god1 and yet serves
 to divide all gods into three classes1 
of which these are types4  ,important   
and interesting notices relative to the 
nature of the deities worshipped by the 
ancients are to be found in the treatise
 of ,julius ,firmicus ,maternus1 ,de    
,errore ,profanarum ,religionum ad      
,constantium1 et ,constantem ,angg4     
,firmicus attributes to the ,persians a 
belief in the androgynous nature of the 
deity naturam ejus 7jovis7 ad utriusque 
sexus transferentes4 ,no doubt this     
doctrine has always been recognised1 by 
many writers1 as being held by the      
philosophers of ,india and ,egypt1 and  
that it constituted a part of the creed 
of ,orpheus1 but its connection with    
,persia has not been so generally       
acknowledged4  ,firmicus1 after speaking

 of the two-fold powers of ,jupiter     
7that is1 the deity being both male and 
female7 adds1 when they choose to give a
 visible representation of him1 they    
sculpture him as a female4 ,again1 they 
represent him as a female with three    
heads4 ,it was a figure adorned with    
serpents of a monstrous size4 ,it was   
venerated under the symbol of fire4 ,it 
was called ,mithra4 ,it was worshipped  
in secret caverns4 ,the rites of ,mithra
 were familiar to the ,romans1 but they 
worshipped them in a manner different   
from the ,persian ceremonies4 ,firmicus 
had seen ,mithra sculptured in two      
different ways3 in one piece of         
sculpture he was represented as a female
 with three faces1 and infolded with    
serpents2 and in another piece of       
sculpture he was represented as seizing 
a bull4  ,classic writers abound with   
references1 not simply to a plurality of
 gods among the heathen1 but to a       
trinity in unity and unity in trinity1  
sometimes approaching in the similarity 

of their broad outlines the doctrine as 
held by orthodox religionists4          
,herodotus calls the deity of the       
,pelasgians1 ,gods1 and it is admitted  
that the passage evidently implies that 
the expression was used by the priests  
of ,dodona4 ,the ,pelasgians worshipped 
the ,cabiri1 and the ,cabiri were       
originally three in number1 hence it is 
inferred that these ,cabiri were the    
,pelasgian ,trinity1 and that having in 
ancient times no name which would have  
implied a diversity of gods1 they       
worshipped a trinity in unity4 ,the     
worship of the ,cabiri by the           
,pelasgians is evident1 for ,herodotus  
says1 in his second book1 that the      
,samothracians learnt the ,cabiric      
mysteries from the ,pelasgians1 who once
 inhabited that island1 and afterwards  
settled in ,greece1 near ,attica4       
,cicero testifies that the ,cabiri were 
originally three in number1 and he      
carefully distinguishes them from the   
,dioscuri4 ,a passage in ,pausanias     

states that at ,tritia1 a city of       
,achaia1 there is a temple erected to   
the ,dii ,magni 7or ,cabiri72 their     
images are a representation of a god    
made of clay4 ,we need not be surprised1
 said a writer once1 that ,pausanias    
should be puzzled how to express the    
fact that1 though it was the temple of  
the three ,cabiri1 yet there was only   
one image in it4 ,is not this the       
doctrine of a trinity in unity8  ,potter
 informs us that those who desired to   
have children were usually very liberal 
to the gods1 who were thought to preside
 over generation4 ,the same writer also 
says3--,who these were1 or what was the 
origination of their name1 is not easy  
to determine3 ,orpheus1 as cited by     
,phanodemus in ,suidas1 makes their     
proper names to be ,amaclides1          
,protocles1 and ,protocleon1 and will   
have them to preside over the winds2    
,demo makes them to be the winds        
themselves4 ,another author tells us    
their names were ,cottus1 ,briareus1 and

 ,gyges1 and that they were the sons of 
heaven and of earth3 ,philocrus likewise
 makes earth their mother1 but instead  
of heaven1 substitutes the sun1 or      
,apollo1 for their father1 where he     
seems to account1 as well for their     
being accounted the superintendents of  
generation1 as for the name of ,greek3  
tritopateres2 for being immediately     
descended from two immortal gods1       
themselves1 saith he1 were thought the  
third fathers1 and therefore might well 
be esteemed the common parents of       
mankind1 and from that opinion derive   
those honours1 which the ,athenians paid
 them as the authors and presidents of  
human generation4  ,again1 the          
,tritopatoreia was a solemnity in which 
it was usual to pray for children to the
 gods of generation1 who were sometimes 
called tritopateres4 ,the names of the  
,cabiri1 as ,cicero says1 are           
,tritopatreus1 ,eubuleus1 and           
,dionysius3 this fact is supposed to    
give us a little insight into the origin

 of the word tritopateres1 or           
tritopatreis4 ,philocrus1 as we have    
seen1 makes them the sons of ,apollo and
 of the earth3 this fact will help us to
 develop the truth3 the two last        
hypostases emanated from the ,creator3  
thus in the ,egyptian ,trinity of       
,osiris1 of ,isis1 and of ,horus1 ,isis 
is not only the consort1 but the        
daughter of ,osiris1 and ,horus was the 
fruit of their embrace1 thus in the     
,scandinavian ,trinity of ,adin1 of     
,trea1 and of ,thor1 ,trea is not only  
the wife1 but the daughter of ,odin1 and
 ,thor was the fruit of their embrace1  
as ,maillet observes in his ,northern   
,antiquities 7vol4 ii471 there is the   
,roman ,trinity of ,jupiter1 of ,juno1  
and of ,minerva1 ,juno is the sister and
 the wife of ,jupiter1 and ,minerva is  
the daughter of ,jupiter3 now1 it is a  
singular fact1 that in the ,pelasgic    
,trinity of the ,cabirim1 two of them   
are said to have been the sons of       
,vulcan1 or the ,sun1 as we read in     

,potter 7vol4 i47 ,hence we see1 it has 
been contended1 the mistake of          
,philocrus3 there were not three        
emanations from the ,sun1 as he         
supposes1 but only two3 their name      
tritopateres1 which alludes to the      
doctrine of the trinity1 puzzled        
,philocrus1 who knew nothing of the     
doctrine1 and he is credited with       
coining the story1 to account for this  
appellation3 the ,cabiri were1 as is    
known from ,cicero1 called              
,tritopatreus1 ,dionysius1 and          
,eubuleus4 ,dionysius is ,osiris1 and   
,eubuleus and ,tritopatreus are the two 
hypostases1 which emanated from him3 the
 name of the third hypostasis is        
generally compounded of some word which 
signifies the third3 hence ,minerva     
derived her name of ,tritonis1 or       
,tritonia ,virgo3 hence ,minerva is     
called by ,hesiod 7referred to in       
,lempriere's ,classical ,dictionary71   
,tritogenia3 hence came the ,tritia1 of 
which ,pausanias speaks3 hence came the 

,tritopatreus of ,cicero3 hence came the
 ,thridi of the ,scandinavians4 ,we read
 in the ,edda these remarkable words3   
,he afterwards beheld three thrones     
raised one above another1 and on each   
throne sat a man2 upon his asking which 
of these was their king1 his guide      
answered1 'he who sits upon the lowest  
throne is the king1 and his name is     
,hor1 or the ,lofty ,one3 the second is 
,jaenhar1 that is ,equal to the ,lofty  
,one2 but he who sits upon the highest  
throne is called ,thridi1 or the        
,third4'  ,pausanias has a number of    
passages which bear upon this subject1  
and seem to prove conclusively that the 
,greeks recognised the doctrine of a    
trinity in unity and worshipped the     
same4 ,in his second book he says3      
,beyond the tomb of ,pelasgus is a small
 structure of brass1 which supports the 
images of ,diana1 of ,jupiter1 and of   
,minerva1 a work of some antiquity3     
,lyceas has in some verses recorded the 
fact that this is the representation of 

,jupiter ,machinator4 ,again1 in ,book  
,i41 when describing the ,areopagite    
district of ,athens1 he says3--,here are
 the images of ,pluto1 of ,mercury1 and 
of ,tellus1 to whom all such persons1   
whether citizens or strangers1 as have  
vindicated their innocence in the ,court
 ,areopagus1 are required sacrifice4 ,in
 a temple of ,ceres1 at the entrance of 
,athens1 there are images of the goddess
 herself1 of her daughter1 and of       
,bacchus1 with a torch in his hand4     
,that the grouping of the three deities 
was not accidental is evident from the  
frequency with which they are so        
mentioned1 and other passages show that 
they were the three deities who were    
worshipped in the ,eleusinian mysteries4
 ,thus in ,book ,,viii41 ,ch4 #be3--,the
 river ,lado then continues its course  
to the temple of the ,eleusinian ,ceres1
 which is situated in territories of the
 ,thelpusians3 the three statues in it  
are each seven feet high1 and all of    
marble3 they represent ,ceres1          

,proserpine1 and ,bacchus4 ,in another  
passage 7,book ,,ii41 ,ch4 #b7 he       
says3--,by a temple dedicated to all the
 gods1 there were placed three statues  
of ,jupiter in the open air1 of which   
one had no title1 a second was styled   
the ,terrestrial1 and the third was     
styled the highest4  ,the learned say1  
of course1 it is clear that the missing 
title should have been the ,god of the  
,sea1 as the others were the ,god of    
,heaven1 and the ,god of the ,earth4    
,another passage in ,pausanias confirms 
this3--,in a temple of ,minerva was     
placed a wooden image of ,jupiter with  
three eyes2 two of them were placed in  
the natural position1 and the other was 
placed on the forehead4444 ,one may     
naturally suppose that ,jupiter is      
represented with three eyes as the ,god 
of the ,heaven1 as the ,god of the      
,earth1 and as the ,god of the ,sea4    
,it has been remarked that ,pausanias   
records the tradition that this story of
 the three-eyed ,jupiter comes from     

,troy1 and it is known that the ,trojans
 acknowledged a trinity in the divine   
nature1 and that the ,dii ,penates1 or  
the ,cabiri of the ,romans1 came from   
,troy4 ,quotations from the translation 
of the ,atlas ,chinesis of ,montanus1 by
 ,ogilby1 show that the three-eyed      
,jupiter was an oriental emblem of the  
trinity3--,the modern learned1 or       
followers of this first sect1 who are   
overwhelmed in idolatry1 divide         
generally their idols1 or false gods1   
into three orders1 viz41 celestial1     
terrestrial1 and infernal3 in the       
celestial they acknowledge a trinity of 
one godhead1 which they worship and     
serve by the name of a goddess called   
,pussa2 which1 with the ,greeks1 we     
might call ,cybele1 and with ,egyptians1
 ,isis and ,mother of the ,gods4 ,this  
,pussa 7according to the ,chinese       
saying7 is the governess of nature1 or1 
to speak properly1 the ,chinese ,isis1  
or ,cybele1 by whose power they believe 
that all things are preserved and made  

fruitful1 as the three inserted figures 
relate4  ,in the doctrine relating to   
the ,virgin ,mary as held by the ,church
 of ,rome1 there is a remarkable        
resemblance to the teaching of the      
ancients respecting the female          
constantly associated with the triune   
male deity4 ,her names and titles are   
many1 and though diversified1 mostly    
pointing to the same idea4 ,some of     
these are as follows3--,the ,virgin1    
conceiving and bringing forth from her  
own inherent power4 ,the wife of ,bel   
,nimrod2 the wife of ,asshur2 the wife  
of ,nin4 ,she is called ,multa1 ,mulita1
 or ,mylitta1 or ,enuta1 ,bilta or      
,bilta ,nipruta1 ,ishtar1 ,ri1 ,alitta1 
,elissa1 ,bettis1 ,ashtoreth1 ,astarte1 
,saruha1 ,nana1 ,asurah4 ,amongst other 
names she is known as ,athor1 ,dea      
,syria1 ,artemis1 ,aphrodite1 ,tanith1  
,tanat1 ,rhea1 ,demeter1 ,ceres1 ,diana1
 ,minerva1 ,juno1 ,venus1 ,isis1        
,cybele1 ,seneb or ,seben1 ,venus       
,urania1 ,ge1 ,hera4 ,as ,anaitis she is

 the 'mother of the child2' reproduced  
again as ,isis and ,horus2 ,devaki with 
,christna2 and ,aurora with ,memnon4    
,even in ancient ,mexico the mother and 
child were worshipped4 ,again she       
appears as ,davkina ,gula ,shala1       
,zirbanit1 ,warmita ,laz4 ,in modern    
times she reappears as the ,virgin ,mary
 and her son4 ,there were ,ishtar of    
,nineveh and ,ishter of ,arbela1 just as
 there are now ,marie de ,loretto and   
,marie de la ,garde4  ,she was the      
,queen of fecundity or fertility1 ,queen
 of the lands1 the beginning of heaven  
and earth1 ,queen of all the ,gods1     
,goddess of war and battle1 the holder  
of the sceptre1 the beginning of the    
beginning1 the one great ,queen1 the    
,queen of the spheres1 the ,virgo of the
 ,zodiac1 the ,celestial ,virgin1 ,time1
 in whose womb all things are born4 ,she
 is represented in various ways1 and    
specially as a nude woman carrying an   
infant in her arms4#ac  ,the name       
,multa1 ,mulita1 or ,mylitta1 ,inman    

contends is derived from some words     
resembling the ,hebrew meal1 the place  
of entrance1 and ta1 a chamber4 ,the    
whole being a place of entrance and a   
chamber4 ,the cognomen ,multa1 or       
,malta1 signifies1 therefore1 the spot  
through which life enters into the      
chamber1 i4e41 the womb1 and through    
which the fruit matured within enters   
into the world as a new being4 ,by the  
association of this virgin goddess with 
the sacred triad of deities is made up  
the four great gods1 ,arba-il4  ,we are 
here reminded of the well-known symbol  
of the ,trinity which seems to have been
 as abundantly used in ancient times1 at
 least in some countries--,egypt for    
instance4 ,this is the                  
triangle--generally the                 
equilateral--which of course symbolised 
both the trinity in unity and the       
equality of the three4 ,sometimes we get
 two of those triangles crossing each   
other1 one with the point upwards1 the  
other with the point downwards1 thus    

forming a six-rayed star4 ,the first    
represents the phallic triad1 the two   
together shew the union of the male and 
female principles producing a new       
figure1 each at the same time retaining 
its own identity4 ,the triangle with the
 point downwards1 by itself typifies the
 ,mons ,veneris1 the ,delta1 or door    
through which all come into the world4  
,the question has arisen3--,how comes it
 that a doctrine so singular1 and so    
utterly at variance with all the        
conceptions of uninstructed reason1 as  
that of a ,trinity in ,unity1 should    
have been from the beginning1 the       
fundamental religious tenet of every    
nation upon earth8  ,inman without      
hesitation declares the trinity of the  
ancients is unquestionably of phallic   
origin4 ,others have either preceded    
this writer or have followed suit1      
contending that the male symbol of      
generation in divine creation was three 
in one1 as the cross1 c41 and that the  
female symbol was always regarded as the

 ,triangle1 the accepted symbol of the  
,trinity4 ,the number three1 was        
employed with mystic solemnity1 and in  
the emblematical hands which seem to    
have been borne on the top of a staff or
 sceptre in the ,isiac processions1 the 
thumb and two forefingers are held up to
 signify the three primary and general  
personifications4 ,this form of priestly
 blessing1 thumb and two fingers1 is    
still acknowledged as a sign of the     
,trinity4  ,the ancients tell us plainly
 enough that they are derived from the  
cosmogonic elements4 ,they are primarily
 the material and elementary types of   
the spiritual trinity of                
revelation--types established by        
revelation itself1 and the only resource
 of materialism to preserve the original
 doctrine4 ,the spirit1 whether physical
 or spiritual1 is equally the pneuma2   
and the light1 whether physical or      
spiritual1 equally the phos of the      
,greek text3 so that the materialist of 
antiquity had little difficulty in      

preserving their analogies complete4    
,the ,dahomans are said by ,skertchley  
to deny the corporeal existence of the  
deity1 but to ascribe human passions to 
him2 a singular medley4 ,their religion1
 he says1 must not be confounded with   
,polytheism1 for they only worship one  
god1 ,mau1 but propitiate him through   
the intervention of the fetiches4 ,of   
these1 there are four principal ones1   
after whom come the secondary deities4  
,the most important of these is ,bo1 the
 ,dahoman ,mars2 then comes ,legba1 the 
,dahoman ,priapus1 whose little huts are
 to be met with in every street4 ,this  
deity is of either sex1 a male and      
female ,legba often residing in the same
 temple4 ,a squat swish image1 rudely   
moulded into the grossest caricature on 
the human form1 sitting with hands on   
knees1 with gaping mouth1 and the       
special attributes developed to an      
ungainly size4 ,teeth of cowries usually
 fill the clown-like mouth1 and ears    
standing out from the head1 like a      

bat's1 are only surpassed in their      
monstrosity by the snowshoe-shaped feet4
 ,the nose is broad1 even for a negro's1
 and altogether the deity is anything   
but a fascinating object4 ,round the    
deity is a fence of knobbed sticks1     
daubed with filthy slime1 and before the
 god is a flat saucer of red            
earthenware1 which contains the         
offerings4 ,when a person wishes to     
increase his family1 he calls in a      
,legba priest and gives him a fowl1 some
 cankie1 water1 and palm oil4 ,a fire is
 lighted1 and the cankie1 water1 and    
palm oil mixed together and put in the  
saucer4 ,the fowl is then killed by     
placing the head between the great and  
second toes of the priest1 who severs it
 from the body by a jerk4 ,the head is  
then swung over the person of the       
worshipper1 to allow the blood to drop  
upon him1 while the bleeding body is    
held over a little dish1 which catches  
the blood4 ,the fowl is then            
semi-roasted on a fire lighted near1 and

 the priest1 taking the dish of blood1  
smears the body of the deity with it1   
finally taking some of the blood into   
his mouth and sputtering it over the    
god4 ,the fowl is then eaten by the     
priest1 and the wives of the devotees   
are supposed to have the children they  
crave for4  ,the principal ,dahoman     
gods1 described by ,skertchley1 are thus
 mentioned by ,forlong3--  ,legba1 the  
,dahoman ,priapus1 and special patron of
 all who desire larger families4  ,zoo1 
the god of fire1 reminding us of ,zoe1  
life4  ,demen1 he who presides over     
chastity4  ,akwash1 he who presides over
 childbirth4  ,gbwejeh1 he or she who   
presides over hunting4  ,ajarama1 the   
tutelary god of foreigners1 symbolised  
by a whitewashed stump under a shed1    
apparently a ,sivaic or white ,lingam1  
no doubt called foreign because ,ashar  
came from ,assyria1 and ,esir from the  
still older ,ethiopians4  ,hoho1 he who 
presides over twins4  ,afa1 the name of 
the dual god of wisdom4  ,aizan1 the god

 who presides over roads1 and           
travellers1 and bad characters1 and can 
be seen on all roads as a heap of clay  
surmounted by a round pot1 containing   
kanki1 palm oil1 c4  ,so that we have   
,legba1 the pure and simple phallus2    
,ajarama1 'the whitened stump1' so well 
known to us in ,india amidst rude       
aboriginal tribes2 and ,ai-zan1 the     
,hermes or ,harmonia1 marking the ways  
of life1 and symbolised by a mound and  
round pot and considering that this is  
the universal form of tatooing shown on 
every female's stomach1--,mr4           
,skertchley says1 a series of arches1   
the meaning is also clearly the omphi4  
,mr4 ,s4 says that ,afa1 our ,african   
,androgynous ,minerva1 is very much     
respected by mothers1 and has certain   
days sacred to mothers1 when she or he  
is specially consulted on their special 
subjects1 as well as on all matters     
relating to marrying1 building a house1 
sowing corn1 and such like4#ad  ,some   
years ago a writer1 speaking of the     

,sacred ,triads of various nations1     
said3 ,from all quarters of the heathen 
world came the trinity1 what we have    
already revealed shows that the doctrine
 has been held in some form or other    
from the far east to the extreme verge  
of the western hemisphere4 ,some of the 
forms of this ,triad are as             
follows3--,india--,brahma1 ,vishnu1     
,siva3 ,egypt--,knef1 ,osiris as the    
first2 ,ptha1 ,isis as the second2      
,phree1 ,horus as the third3 the        
,zoroastrians--,the ,father1 ,mind1 and 
,fire3 the ,ancient ,arabs--,al-,lat1   
,al ,uzzah1 ,manah3 ,greeks and         
,latins--,zeus or ,jupiter1 ,neptune1   
,pluto3 the ,syrians--,monimus1 ,azoz1  
,aries or ,mars3 the ,kaldians--,the    
,one2 the ,second1 who dwells with the  
,first2 the ,third1 he who shines       
through the universe3 ,china--the ,one1 
the ,second from the ,first1 the ,third 
from the ,second3 the                   
,boodhists--,boodhash1 the ,developer2  
,darmash1 the ,developed2 ,sanghash1 the

 ,hosts ,developed3 ,peruvians--,apomti1
 ,charunti1 ,intiquaoqui3               
,scandinavia--,odin1 ,thor1 ,friga3     
,pythagoras--,monad1 ,duad1 ,triad3     
,plato--the ,infinite1 the ,finite1 that
 which is compounded of the ,two3       
,phenicia--,belus1 the ,sun2 ,urama1 the
 ,earth2 ,adonis1 ,love3                
,kalmuks--,tarm1 ,megozan1 ,bourchan3   
,ancient ,greece--,om1 or ,on2          
,dionysus1 or ,bacchus2 ,herakles3      
,orpheus--,god1 the ,spirit1 ,kaos3     
,south ,american ,indians--,otkon4      
,messou1 ,atahanto4     ,,chapter ,v4   
,the ,golden ,calf of ,aaron--,was it a 
,cone or an ,animal8--,the ,prayer to   
,priapus--,hymn to ,priapus--,the       
,complaint of ,priapus4   ,in the       
thirty-second chapter of the ,book of   
,exodus we have the following remarkable
 account of certain ,israelitish        
proceedings in the time of ,moses and   
,aaron3--,when the people saw that      
,moses delayed to come down out of the  
mount1 the people gathered themselves   

together unto ,aaron1 and said unto him1
 up1 make us gods1 which shall go before
 us2 for as for this ,moses1 the man    
that brought us up out of the land of   
,egypt1 we wot not what is become of    
him4 ,and ,aaron said unto them1 break  
off the golden earrings1 which are in   
the ears of your wives1 of your sons1   
and of your daughters1 and bring them   
unto me4 ,and all the people brake off  
the golden earrings which were in their 
ears1 and brought them unto ,aaron2 and 
he received them at their hand1 and     
fashioned it with a graving tool1 after 
he had made it a molten calf1 and they  
said1 ',these be thy gods ,o ,israel1   
which brought thee out of the land of   
,egypt4' ,and when ,aaron saw it1 he    
built an altar before it2 and ,aaron    
made proclamation1 and said1 ',to-morrow
 is a feast to the ,lord4' ,and they    
rose up early on the morrow1 and offered
 burnt offerings1 and brought offerings1
 and brought peace offerings2 and the   
people sat down to eat and to drink1 and

 rose up to play4  ,there is no doubt   
this is a most remarkable1 and1 for the 
most part1 inexplicable transaction4    
,that it was an act of the grossest     
idolatry is clear1 but the details of   
the affair are not so readily disposed  
of1 and some amount of discussion has in
 consequence arisen1 which has cast     
imputations upon the conduct of the     
ancient ,jews not very favourably       
regarded by the moderns4  ,the conduct  
of ,aaron is certainly startling1 to say
 the least of it1 for when the people   
presented their outrageous demand1      
coupled with their insolent and         
contemptuous language about the man     
,moses1 he makes no remonstrance1 utters
 no rebuke1 but apparently falls in at  
once with their proposal and prepares to
 carry it out4 ,the question is1        
however1 what was it that was really    
done8 ,what was the character of the    
image or idol1 he fashioned out of the  
golden ornaments which he requested them
 to take from the ears of their wives1  

their sons1 and their daughters8  ,the  
suggestion that anything of a phallic   
nature is to be attributed to this      
transaction has been loudly ridiculed   
and indignantly spurned by some who have
 had little acquaintance with that      
species of worship1 but it is by no     
means certain that the charge can be so 
easily disposed of4 ,that phallic       
practises prevailed1 more or less1      
amongst the ,jews is certain1 and       
however this matter of the golden image 
may be explained1 it will be difficult  
to believe they were not somehow        
concerned in it4  ,it may be a new      
revelation to some to be told that in   
the opinion of some scholars the idol   
form set up by those foolish idolators  
was not that of a calf at all1 but of a 
cone4 ,the ,hebrew word egel or ghegel  
has been usually taken to mean calf1    
but1 say these gentlemen1 erroneously   
so1 its true signification being        
altogether different4 ,it is pleaded    
that it was not at all likely that the  

,israelites should1 so soon after their 
miraculous deliverance from the house of
 bondage1 have so far forgotten what was
 due from them in grateful remembrance  
of that1 as to have plunged into such   
gross and debased idolatry as the       
adoration of deity under the form of an 
animal4 ,also that it would have been   
inconsistent with their exclamation when
 they saw the image1 ,this is thy ,god1 
,o ,israel1 which brought thee up out of
 the land of ,egypt1 and with ,aaron's  
proclamation1 after he had built an     
altar before the idol for the people to 
sacrifice burnt offerings on1 ,to-morrow
 is a feast to the ,lord4 ,it is urged  
from these expressions that the only    
reasonable and legitimate inference is1 
that the golden idol was intended to be 
the similitude or symbol of the ,eternal
 ,himself1 and not of any other ,god4   
,certainly it is1 as we have said1      
remarkable1 and presents a problem not  
at all easy of solution4 ,dr4 ,beke     
contends that in any case1 it is        

inconceivable that the figure of a calf 
should have been chosen to represent the
 invisible ,god--he concludes1          
therefore1 that the word egel has been  
wrongly translated4  ,with regard to the
 etymology of the word1 its root agal is
 declared to be doubtful1 ,fuerst taking
 it to mean to run1 to hasten1 to leap1 
and ,gesenius suggesting that its       
primary signification in the ,ethiopic1 
egel denoting1 like golem1 something    
rolled or wrapped together1 an unformed 
mass2 and hence embryo1 foetus1 and also
 the young1 as just born and still      
unshapen4  ,it is inferred from this1   
supposing it to be correct1 that the    
primary idea of this and kindred roots1 
is that of roundness1 so that egel may  
readily mean any rounded figure1 such as
 a globe1 cylinder1 or cone4 ,adopting  
this1 says ,dr4 ,beke1--a cone1 as the  
true meaning of the ,hebrew word in the 
text1 the sense of the transaction      
recorded will be1 that ,moses having    
delayed to come down from the ,mount1   

the ,israelites1 fearing that he was    
lost1 and looking on the ,eternal as    
their true deliverer and leader1        
required ,aaron to make for them        
,elohim--that is to say1 a visible      
similitude or symbol of their ,god who  
had brought them up out of the land of  
,mitzraim4 ,aaron accordingly made for  
them a golden cone1 as an image of the  
flame of fire seen by ,moses in the     
burning bush1 and of the fire in which  
the ,eternal had descended upon ,sinai1 
this being the only visible form in     
which the ,almighty had been manifested4
 ,of such a representation or symbol1 a 
sensuous people like the ,israelites    
might without inconsistency say1 ',this 
is thy ,god1 ,o ,israel1 which brought  
thee up out of the land of ,mitzraim2'  
at the same time that ,aaron1 after     
having built an altar before it1 could  
make proclamation and say1 ',to-morrow  
is the feast to the ,eternal1' that is  
to say1 to the invisible ,god1 whose    
eidolon or visible image this egel was4 

,it is admitted by the advocates of this
 theory that there are certain things in
 the ,english version which appear      
adverse to it4 ,for instance1 it is said
 that all the people broke off the      
golden earrings which were in their     
ears1 and brought them to ,aaron2 and he
 received them at their hand1 and       
fashioned it with a graving tool1 after 
he had made it a molten calf1 from which
 it might be inferred1 it is said1 that 
the idol was first roughly moulded and  
cast by the founder1 and then finished  
by the sculptor4  ,it is urged however1 
that it is generally admitted by        
scholars that the original does not     
warrant this rendering1 the words after 
he had1 which are not in the text1      
having been added for the purpose of    
making sense of the passage1 which1 if  
translated literally1 would read1 ,he   
formed it with a graving tool1 and made 
it a golden calf1 a statement1 says ,dr4
 ,beke1 which in spite of all the       
efforts made to explain it1 is          

inconsistent with the rest of the       
narrative1 which repeatedly says1 in    
express terms1 that the idol was a      
molten image4  ,in order to get rid of  
this difficulty1 several learned        
commentators have interpreted the word  
hhereth 7graving-tool7 as meaning like  
hharith1 a bag1 pocket1 or purse1       
causing the passage to read1 ,he        
received them at their hands1 and put it
 7the gold7 into a bag1 and made it a   
golden calf4 ,dr4 ,beke thinks this     
untenable on the ground that as ,aaron  
must necessarily have collected the     
golden earrings together before casting 
them into the fire1 it is hardly likely 
that express mention would be made of so
 trivial a circumstance as that of his  
putting them into a bag merely for the  
purpose of immediately taking them out  
again4  ,the root hharath1 according to 
,gesenius1 has the meaning of to cut in1
 to engrave2 and one of the             
significations of the kindred root      
pharatz is to cut to a point1 to make   

pointed4 ,hharithim1 the plural of      
hhereth1 is said to mean purses1 bags   
for money1 so called from their long and
 round shape1 perhaps like an inverted  
cone2 whence it is that ,bochart and    
others acquired their notion that ,aaron
 put the golden earrings of the         
,israelites into a bag4#ae  ,dr4 ,beke  
remarks3--,if the word hhereth signifies
 a bag1 on account of its resemblance to
 an inverted cone1 it may equally       
signify any other similarly-shaped      
receptacle or vessel1 such as a conical 
fire-pot or crucible2 and if the golden 
earrings were melted in such a vessel1  
the molten metal1 when cool1 would of   
course have acquired therefrom its long 
and round form1 like an inverted cone1  
which is precisely the shape of the egel
 made by ,aaron1 on the assumption that 
this was intended to represent the flame
 of fire4 ,consequently1 we may now read
 the passage in question literally1 and 
without the slightest violence of       
construction1 as follows3 ',and all the 

people brake off the golden earrings    
which were in their ears1 and brought   
them unto ,aaron4 ,and he received them 
at their hands1 and placed it 7the gold7
 in a crucible1 and made it a molten    
cone2' this cone having taken the long  
and rounded form of the crucible in     
which it was melted and left to cool4   
,an argument in favour of this reading  
is certainly supplied by ,exodus xxxii4 
#bd1 where ,aaron is represented as     
saying to ,moses1 when trying to excuse 
his action1 ,i said unto them1          
,whosoever hath any gold1 let them break
 it off4 ,so they gave it me3 then ,i   
cast it into the fire1 and there came   
out this calf or cone84 ,it is contended
 that the whole tenour of the narrative 
goes to show that the operation of      
making the idol for the children of     
,israel to worship must have been a most
 simple1 and1 at the same time1 a very  
expeditious one1 such as the melting of 
the gold in a crucible would be1 but    
which the moulding and casting of the   

figure of a calf1 however roughly       
modelled and executed1 could not        
possibly have been4  ,this cone or      
phallic theory met with a by no means   
ready reception by ,jewish scholars2 it 
had not been broached many days before  
it was energetically attacked and its   
destruction sought both by ridicule and 
argument4 ,it has been admitted1        
however1 that philologically there is   
something in it1 more even1 says ,dr4   
,benisch1 than its advocate ,dr4 ,beke  
has made out4 ,the former goes so far as
 to state that its root1 not only in    
,hebrew1 but also in ,chaldee and       
,arabic1 primarily designates roundness2
 and secondarily1 that which is the     
consequence of a round shape1 facility  
of being rolled1 speed1 and conveyance2 
consequently1 that it may therefore be  
safely concluded that it would be in    
,hebrew a very suitable designation for 
a cone4 ,moreover1 the same root in the 
same signification is also found in some
 of the ,aryan languages4 ,compare the  

,german 'kugel' 7ball7 and 'kegel'      
7cone74  ,the chief objection lies in   
the fact that there are various passages
 in the ,scriptures where the word      
occurs1 whose contexts clearly show that
 the idea intended was that of a living 
creature1 and that the unbroken usage of
 language1 from the author of ,genesis  
to that of ,chronicles1 shows that the  
term had never changed its              
signification1 viz43 that of calf1      
bullock1 or heifer4 ,in ,levit4 ix4 #b1 
#c1 #h2 #a ,sam4 xxviii4 #bf2 ,ps4 xxix4
 #f2 ,isa4 xi4 #f2 ,isa4 xxvii4 #aj2    
,mic4 vi4 #f1 for instance1 there can be
 no mistake that the reference is to the
 living animal1 and a reference to the  
,hebrew concordance shows that the term1
 inclusive of the feminine 7heifer71    
occurs fifty-one times in the ,bible1 in
 twenty-nine cases of which the word    
indisputably means a living creature4   
,dr4 ,benisch therefore asks1 ,is it    
admissible that one and the same writer 
7for instance1 the ,deuteronomist7      

should have used four times this word in
 the sense of heifer 7xxii4 #d and #f2  
xxi4 #c71 and once in that of cone 7ix4 
#af7 without implying by some adjective1
 or some turn of language1 that the word
 is a homonyme8 ,or that ,hosea1 in x4  
#aa1 should clearly employ it in the    
sense of heifer1 and1 in viii4 #e1 in   
that of cone8 ,a glance at the          
concordance will show that1 in every one
 of the more important books1 the word  
in question occurs most clearly in the  
sense of calf1 and never in a passage   
which should render a different         
translation inadmissible4 ,on what      
ground1 therefore1 can it be maintained 
that1 in the days of the author of the  
#ajfth ,psalm1 the supposed original    
meaning of cone had been forgotten1 and 
that of calf substituted8  ,the reply to
 the objection that one and the same    
word is not likely to have been used by 
the same or contemporaneous writers in  
two different senses1 and that the word 
has a uniform traditional               

interpretation1 is that in the ,hebrew1 
as in the ,english1 considerable        
ambiguity occurs1 and that the same word
 sometimes has two meanings of the most 
distinct and irreconcilable character4  
,as regards the second objection1 says  
,dr4 ,beke1 which is based on the       
unbroken chain of tradition for about   
two thousand years1 it can only hold    
good on the assumption that the         
originators of the tradition were       
infallible4 ,if not1 an error1 whether  
committed intentionally or              
unintentionally in the first instance1  
does not become a truth by dint of      
repetition2 any more than truth can     
become error by being as persistently   
rejected4 ,the ,doctor contends that    
when the ,jews became intimately        
connected with ,egypt1 and witnessed    
there the adoration of the sacred bull  
,apis1 they fell into the error of      
regarding as a golden calf the egel1 or 
conical representation of the flame of  
fire1 which their forefathers1 and after

 them the ,ten ,tribes1 had worshipped  
as the similitude of the ,eternal1 but  
of which they themselves1 as ,jews1 had 
lost the signification4 ,if this was the
 case1 it is only natural that the error
 should have been maintained            
traditionally until pointed out4  ,so   
stands the argument with regard to the  
theory of its being a golden cone1 and  
not the figure of a calf that ,aaron    
made out of the people's ornaments1 and 
the worship of which so naturally       
provoked the wrath of ,moses4 ,there is 
much to be said in its favour1 though   
not enough1 perhaps1 to make it         
conclusive4 ,the propounder of it       
expressed his regret that he was under  
the necessity of protesting against the 
allegation that he had imputed to the   
,israelites what he calls the obscene   
phallic worship4 ,most expressly1 he    
says1 did ,i say that the molten golden 
image made by ,aaron at ,mount ,sinai   
was a plain conical figure1 intended to 
represent the ,god who had delivered the

 people from their bondage in the land  
of ,mitzraim1 in the form in which alone
 ,he had been manifested to them and to 
their inspired leader and legislator1   
namely that of the flame of fire4 ,this 
is perfectly true1 but those who are    
intimately acquainted with the phallic  
faiths of the world will find it        
difficult to disassociate the conical   
form of idol from those representations 
of the human physical organ which have  
been found as objects of adoration in so
 many parts of both the eastern and     
western hemispheres4  ,supposing the    
philological argument to possess any    
weight--and that it does has been       
admitted even by those who regret the   
cone theory1--there are other           
circumstances which certainly may be    
adduced in confirmation thereof4 ,for   
instance1 the word cheret translated    
graving-tool1 may mean also a mould4    
,again1 it does not appear at all likely
 that the quantity of gold supplied by  
the ear-rings of the people would be    

sufficient to make a solid calf of the  
size4 ,true1 it may have been           
manufactured of some other material and 
covered with gold2 but the easier       
solution of the difficulty certainly    
seems that which suggests that ,aaron   
took these ornaments and melted them in 
a crucible of the ordinary form1        
afterwards turning out therefrom1 when  
cold1 the golden cone to which the      
people rendered idolatrous worship4     
,the whole subject is surrounded with   
difficulty1 and men of equal learning   
and ability have taken opposite sides in
 the discussion1 supporting and refuting
 in turn4 ,passing over the dispute as  
to whether ,aaron simply received the   
ear-rings in a bag or whether he graved 
them with an engraving tool1--the first 
warmly argued by ,bochart1 and the      
latter by ,le ,clerc--a dispute we can  
never settle owing to the remarkable    
ambiguity of the language1 we may       
briefly notice the question1 supposing  
it was a calf made by ,aaron1 what      

induced and determined the choice of    
such a figure8 ,nor must it be supposed 
that here we are upon undebatable       
ground2 on the contrary1 the same       
divergence of opinion prevails as with  
respect to the previous question4 ,fr4  
,moncaeus said that ,aaron got his idea 
on the mountain1 where he was once      
admitted with ,moses2 and on another    
occasion with ,nadab and ,abihu1 and the
 seventy elders4 ,this writer and others
 tell us that ,god appeared exalted on a
 cherub which had the form of an ox4    
,patrick says that ,aaron seems to him  
to have chosen an ox to be the symbol of
 the ,divine presence1 in hope that     
people would never be so sottish as to  
worship it1 but only be put in mind by  
it of the ,divine power1 which was      
hereby represented1--an ox's head being 
anciently an emblem of strength1 and    
horns a common sign of kingly power4 ,he
 contends that the design was simply to 
furnish a hieroglyphic of the energy and
 power of ,god4  ,the usual explanation 

is that ,aaron chose a calf because that
 animal was worshipped in ,egypt4 ,that 
the ,israelites were tainted with       
,egyptian idolatry is plain from        
,joshua's exhortation3--,now therefore1 
fear the ,lord1 and serve him in        
sincerity and in truth2 and put away the
 gods which your fathers served on the  
other side of the flood1 and in ,egypt1 
and serve ye the ,lord 7,josh1 xxiv41   
#ad74 ,also ,ezekiel xx41 #g and        
#h3--,they did not every man cast away  
the abominations of their eyes1 neither 
did they forsake the idols of ,egypt4   
,there is no deficiency of evidence     
respecting the worship of the ox in     
,egypt4 ,strabo says one was kept at    
,memphis1 which was regarded as a       
divinity4 ,pliny repeats the story and  
says that the ,egyptians called this ox 
,apis1 and that it had two kinds of     
temples1 the entrance to one being most 
pleasant1 to the other frightful4       
,herodotus says of this idol3--,apis or 
,epatus1 is a calf from a cow which     

never produced but one1 and this could  
only have been by a clap of thunder4    
,the calf denominated ,apis1 has certain
 marks by which it may be known4 ,it is 
all over black1 excepting one square    
mark2 on its back is the figure of an   
eagle1 and on its tongue that of a      
beetle4  ,it certainly seems tolerably  
clear that the worship of the calf came 
out of ,egypt1 but so much difficulty   
surrounds the question of whether the   
,egyptian worship preceded or followed  
that of ,aaron's calf1 that we are      
inclined to endorse the opinion of a    
modern writer1 and say we suspend our   
judgment respecting the precise motive  
which determined ,aaron to set up a calf
 as the object of ,israelitish worship1 
and conclude that had he offered any    
other object of worship1 whether some   
other animal1 or any plant1 or a star1  
or any other production of nature1 the  
learned would have asked1 ,why this     
rather than some other8 ,many would have
 been the divisions of opinion on the   

question2 each one would have found in  
antiquity1 and in the nature of the     
case1 probabilities to support his own  
sentiment1 and perhaps have exalted them
 into demonstrations4#af  ,the mention  
of a cone in connection with the matter 
now under consideration1 and as the form
 of ,aaron's idol1 suggests other       
examples of the same figure which are   
said to have had a phallic form4 ,the   
,paphian ,venus1 for instance1 was      
represented by a conical stone3 of which
 ,tacitus thus speaks3--,the statue of  
the goddess bears no resemblance to the 
human form4 ,it is round throughout1    
broad at one end1 and gradually tapering
 to a narrow span at the other1 like a  
goat2 the reason of this is not         
ascertained4 ,the cause is stated by    
,philostratus to be symbolic4  ,lajard  
7,recherches sur la ,cult de ,venus7    
says3--,in all ,cyrian coins1 from      
,augustus to ,macrinus1 may be seen in  
the place where we should anticipate to 
find a statue of the goddess1 the form  

of a conical stone4 ,the same is placed 
between two cypresses under the portico 
of the temple of ,astarte1 in a medal of
 ,aelia ,capitolina2 but in this        
instance the cone is crowned4 ,in       
another medal1 struck by the elder      
,philip1 ,venus is represented between  
two ,genii1 each of whom stands upon a  
cone or pillar with a rounded top4      
,there is reason to believe that at     
,paphos images of the conical stone were
 made and sold as largely as were       
effigies of ,diana of the ,ephesians4   
,medals and engraved stones demonstrate 
that the hieratic prescriptions required
 that all those hills which were        
consecrated to ,jupiter should be       
represented in a conical form4 ,at      
,sicony1 ,jupiter was adored under the  
form of a pyramid4     ,,prayer ,,to    
,,priapus4      ,delight of ,bacchus1   
,guardian of the groves1     ,the kind  
restorer of decaying loves3     ,lesbos 
and verdant ,thasos thee implore1       
,whose maids thy pow'r in wanton rites  

adore3     ,joy of the ,dryads1 with    
propitious care1     ,attend my wishes1 
and indulge my pray'r4     ,my guiltless
 hands with blood ,i never stain'd1     
,or sacrilegiously the god's prophan'd3 
,thus low ,i bow1 restoring blessings   
send1     ,i did not thee with my whole 
self offend4     ,who sins through      
weakness1 is less guilty thought2       
,indulge my crime1 and spare a venial   
fault4     ,on me when fate shall       
smiling gifts bestow1     ,i'll 7not    
ungrateful7 to your god-head bow2     ,a
 sucking pig ,i'll offer to thy shrine1 
,and sacred bowls brimful of generous   
wine2     ,a destin'd goat shall on thy 
altar lie1     ,and the horn'd parent of
 my flock shall die2     ,then thrice   
thy frantic vot'ries shall around       
,thy temple dance1 with smiling garlands
 crown'd1     ,and most devoutly drunk1 
thy orgies sound4--,,petronius4         
,,hymn ,,to ,,priapus4      ,bacchus and
 ,nymphs delight ,o mighty ,god6        
,whom ,cynthia gave to rule the blooming

 wood4     ,lesbos and verdant ,thasos  
thee adore1     ,and ,lydians in loose  
flowing dress implore1     ,and raise   
devoted temples to thy pow'r4     ,thou 
,dryad's ,joy1 and ,bacchus' ,guardian1 
hear     ,my conscious prayer with      
attentive ear4     ,my hands with       
guiltless blood ,i never stain'd1       
,nor yet the temples of the gods        
prophan'd4     ,restore my strength1 and
 lusty vigour send1     ,my trembling   
nerves like pliant oziers bend4     ,who
 sins through weakness1 is not guilty   
thought1     ,no equal power can punish 
such a fault4     ,a wanton goat shall  
on your altars die1     ,and spicy smoke
 in curls ascend the sky4     ,a pig thy
 floors with sacred blood shall stain1  
,and round the awful fire and holy      
flame1     ,thrice shall thy priests1   
with youth and garlands crown'd1     ,in
 pious drunkenness thy orgies           
sound4--,,petronius4     ,a             
,,translation ,,out ,,of ,,the          
,,priapeia4    ,,the ,,complaint ,,of   

,,priapus ,,for ,,being ,,veiled4       
,the ,almighty's ,image1 of his shape   
afraid1     ,and hide the noblest part  
e'er nature made1     ,which ,god alone 
succeeds in his creating trade4     ,the
 ,fall this fig-leav'd modesty began1   
,to punish woman1 by obscuring man2     
,before1 where'er his stately ,cedar    
moved     ,she saw1 ador'd and kiss'd   
the thing she loved4     ,why do the    
gods their several signs disclose1      
,almighty ,jove his ,thunder-bolt       
expose1     ,neptune his ,trident1 ,mars
 his ,buckler shew1     ,pallas her     
spear to each beholder's view1     ,and 
poor ,priapus be alone confin'd         
,t'obscure the women's god1 and parent  
of mankind8     ,since free-born brutes 
their liberty obtain1     ,long hast    
thou journey-worked for souls in vain1  
,storm the ,pantheon1 and demand thy    
right1     ,for on this weapon 'tis     
depends the fight4--,,petronius4        
,,chapter ,,vi4      ,circumcision1 male
 and female1 in various countries and   

ages4   ,circumcision is one of the most
 ancient religious rites with which we  
are acquainted1 and1 as practised in    
some countries1 there seems reason to   
suppose that it was of a phallic        
character4 ,it can scarcely be doubted1 
says one writer1 that it was a sacrifice
 to the awful power upon whom the fruit 
of the womb depended1 and having once   
fixed itself in the minds of the people1
 neither priest nor prophet could       
eradicate it4 ,all that these could do  
was to spiritualise it into a symbol of 
devotion to a high religious ideal4     
,bonwick says3 ,though associated with  
sun worship by some1 circumcision may be
 accepted as a rite of sex worship4     
,ptolemy's ,tetrabiblos1 speaking of the
 neighbouring nations as far as ,india1 
says3 ,many of them practise divination1
 and devote their genitals to their     
divinities4  ,it is not possible1       
perhaps1 to speak with any degree of    
certainty about the origin of this rite2
 the enquiry carries the student so far 

back in history1 that the mind gets lost
 in the mists of the past4 ,it is       
regarded by some as a custom essentially
 ,jewish1 but this is altogether wrong2 
it was extensively practised in ,egypt1 
also by the tribes inhabiting the more  
southern parts of ,africa2 in ,asia1 the
 ,afghans and the ,tamils had it1 and it
 has been found in various parts of     
,america1 and amongst the ,fijians and  
,australians4 ,it has been argued1 and  
with considerable plausibility1 that it 
existed long before writing was known1  
and from the fact of its having been    
employed by the ,new ,hollanders1 its   
great antiquity may be inferred with    
certainty4  ,it has been noticed by     
historians that sometimes a nation will 
pledge itself to a corporal offering of 
such a kind1 that every member shall    
constantly bear about its mark on       
himself1 and so make his personal       
appearance or condition a perpetual     
witness for the special religion whose  
vows he has undertaken4 ,thus several   

,arabian tribes living not far from the 
,holy ,land1 adopted the custom1 as a   
sign of their special religion 7or1 as  
,herodotus says1 after the example of   
their ,god71 of shaving the hair of     
their heads in an extraordinary fashion1
 viz41 either on the crown of the head  
or towards the temples1 or else of      
disfiguring a portion of the beard4     
,others branded or tattooed the symbol  
of a particular god on the skin1 on the 
forehead1 the arm1 the hand4 ,israel1   
too1 adopted from early times a custom  
which attained the highest sanctity in  
its midst1 where no jest1 however       
trifling1 could be uttered on the       
subject1 but which was essentially of a 
similar nature to those we have just    
mentioned4 ,this was circumcision4#ag   
,it was this special character which no 
doubt gave rise to the idea so common   
amongst the uninformed that it was a    
,jewish rite4  ,herodotus and ,philo    
,judaeus have related that it prevailed 
to a great extent among the ,egyptians  

and ,ethiopians4 ,the former historian  
says it was so ancient among each people
 that there was no determining which of 
them borrowed it from the other4 ,among 
the ,egyptians he says it was instituted
 from the beginning4 ,shuckford says    
that by this he could not mean from the 
first rise or original of that nation1  
but that it was so early among them that
 the heathen writers had no account of  
its origin4 ,when anything appeared to  
them to be thus ancient1 they pronounced
 it to be from the beginning4 ,herodotus
 clearly meant this1 because we find him
 questioning whether the ,egyptians     
learnt circumcision from the            
,ethiopians1 or the ,ethiopians from the
 ,egyptians1 and he leaves the question 
undecided1 merely concluding that it was
 a very ancient rite4 ,if by the        
expression from the beginning1 he had   
meant that it was originated by the     
,egyptians1 there would not have been   
this indecision3 and it is known that   
among heathen writers to say a thing was

 from the beginning1 was equivalent to  
the other saying that it was very       
anciently practised4  ,herodotus1 in    
another place1 relates that the         
inhabitants of ,colchis also used       
circumcision1 and concludes therefrom   
that they were originally ,egyptians4   
,he adds that the ,phoenicians and      
,syrians1 who lived in ,palestine1 were 
likewise circumcised1 but that they     
borrowed the practice from the          
,egyptians2 and further1 that little    
before the time when he wrote1          
circumcision had passed from ,colchis to
 the people inhabiting the countries    
near ,termodon and ,parthenius4         
,diodorus ,siculus thought the          
,colchians and the ,jews to be derived  
from the ,egyptians1 because they used  
circumcision4 ,in another place1        
speaking of other nations1 he says that 
they were circumcised1 after the manner 
of the ,egyptians4 ,sir ,j4 ,marsham is 
of opinion that the ,hebrews borrowed   
circumcision from the ,egyptians1 and   

that ,god was not the first author      
thereof2 citing ,diodorus and ,herodotus
 as evidences on his side4              
,circumcision1 though it is not so much 
as once mentioned in the ,koran1 is yet 
held by the ,mahomedans to be an ancient
 divine institution1 confirmed by the   
religion of ,islam1 and though not so   
absolutely necessary but that it may be 
dispensed with in some cases1 yet highly
 proper and expedient4 ,the ,arabs used 
this rite for many ages before ,mahomet1
 having probably learned it from        
,ismael1 though not only his            
descendants1 but the ,hamyarites and    
other tribes practised the same4 ,the   
,ismaelites we are told1 used to        
circumcise their children1 not on the   
eighth day1 according to the custom of  
the ,jews1 but when about twelve or     
thirteen years old1 at which age their  
father underwent that operation2 and the
 ,mahomedans imitate them so far as not 
to circumcise children before they are  
able at least distinctly to pronounce   

that profession of their faith1 there is
 no ,god1 but ,god1 ,mahomet is the     
apostle of ,god2 but they fix on what   
age they please for the purpose between 
six and sixteen4 ,the ,moslem doctors   
are generally of opinion that this      
precept was given originally to         
,abraham1 yet some have said that ,adam 
was taught it by the angel ,gabriel1 to 
satisfy an oath he had made to cut off  
that flesh1 which1 after his fall1 had  
rebelled against his spirit2 whence an  
argument has been drawn for the         
universal obligation of circumcision4   
,the ,mahomedans have a tradition that  
their prophet declared circumcision to  
be a necessary rite for men1 and for    
women honourable4 ,this tradition makes 
the prophet declare it to be ,sonna1    
which ,pocock renders a necessary rite1 
though ,sonna1 according to the         
explanation of ,reland1 does not        
comprehend things absolutely necessary1 
but such as1 though the observance of   
them be meritorious1 the neglect is not 

liable to punishment4  ,in ,egypt       
circumcision has never been peculiar to 
the men1 but the women also have had to 
undergo a practice of a similar nature4 
,this has been called by ,bruce and     
,strabo excision4 ,all the ,egyptians1  
the ,arabians1 and natives to the south 
of ,africa1 the ,abyssinians1 the       
,gallas1 the ,agoues1 the ,gasats1 and  
,gonzas1 made their children undergo    
this operation--at no fixed time1 but   
always before they were marriageable4   
,belon says the practice prevailed among
 the ,copts2 and ,p4 ,jovius and        
,munster say the same of the subjects of
 ,prester ,john4 ,sonnini says it was   
well known that the ,egyptian women were
 accustomed to the practice1 but people 
were not agreed as to the motives which 
induced them to submit to the operation4
 ,most of those who have written on the 
subject of female circumcision have     
considered it as the retrenchment of a  
portion of the nymphae1 which are said  
to grow1 in the countries where the     

practice obtains1 to an extraordinary   
size4 ,others have imagined that it was 
nothing less than the amputation of the 
clitoris1 the elongation of which is    
said to be a disgusting deformity1 and  
to be attended with other inconveniences
 which rendered the operation necessary4
  ,before he had an opportunity of      
ascertaining the nature of the          
circumcision of the ,egyptian women1    
,sonnini also supposed it consisted of  
the amputation of the excrescence of the
 nymphae or clitoris1 according to      
circumstances1 and according as the     
parts were more or less elongated4 ,he  
says it is very probable that these     
operations have been performed1 not only
 in ,egypt1 but in several other        
countries in the ,east1 where the heat  
of the climate and other causes may     
produce too luxuriant a growth of those 
parts1 and this1 he adds1 he had the    
more reason to think1 since1 on         
consulting several ,turks who had       
settled at ,rosetta1 respecting the     

circumcision of their wives1 he could   
obtain from them no other idea but that 
of these painful mutilations4 ,they     
likewise explained to him the motives4  
,curious admirers as they were of smooth
 and polished surfaces1 every           
inequality1 every protuberance1 was in  
their eyes a disgusting fault4 ,they    
asserted too that one of these          
operations abated the ardour of the     
constitutions of their wives1 and       
diminished their facility of procuring  
illicit enjoyments4  ,niebuhr relates   
that ,forskal and another of his        
fellow-travellers1 having expressed to a
 great man at ,cairo1 at whose country  
seat they were1 the great desire they   
had to examine a girl who had been      
circumcised1 their obliging host        
immediately ordered a country girl      
eighteen years of age to be sent for1   
and allowed them to examine her at their
 ease4 ,their painter made a drawing of 
the parts after the life1 in presence of
 several ,turkish domestics2 but he drew

 with a trembling hand1 as they were    
apprehensive of the consequences it     
might bring upon them from the          
,mahometans4 ,a plate from this drawing 
was given by ,professor ,blumenbach1 in 
his work ,de ,generis humani ,varietate 
nativa1 from which it is evident that   
the traveller saw nothing but the       
amputation of the nymphae and clitoris1 
the enlargement of which is so much     
disliked by husbands in these countries4
  ,sonnini suspected that there must be 
something more in it than an excess of  
these parts1 an inconvenience1 which1   
being far from general among the women1 
could not have given rise to an ancient 
and universal practice4 ,determining to 
remove his doubts on the subject1 he    
took the resolution1 which every one to 
whom the inhabitants of ,egypt are      
known1 he says1 will deem sufficiently  
bold1 not to procure a drawing of a     
circumcised female1 but to have the     
operation performed under his own eyes4 
,mr4 ,fornetti1 whose complaisance and  

intelligence were so frequently of      
service to him1 readily undertook to    
assist him in the business2 and a ,turk1
 who acted as broker to the ,french     
merchants1 brought to him at ,rosetta a 
woman1 whose trade it was to perform the
 operation1 with two young girls1 one of
 whom was going to be circumcised1 the  
other having been operated on two years 
before4  ,in the first place he examined
 the little girl that was to be         
circumcised4 ,she was about eight years 
old1 and of the ,egyptian race4 ,he was 
much surprised at observing a thick1    
flabby1 fleshy excrescence1 covered with
 skin1 taking its rise from the labia1  
and hanging down it half-an-inch4  ,the 
woman who was to perform the operation  
sat down on the floor1 made the little  
girl seat herself before her1 and       
without any preparation1 cut off the    
excrescence just described with an old  
razor4 ,the girl did not give any signs 
of feeling much pain4 ,a few ashes taken
 up between the finger and thumb were   

the only topical application employed1  
though a considerable quantity of blood 
was discharged from the wound4  ,the    
,egyptian girls are generally freed from
 this inconvenient superfluity at the   
age of seven or eight4 ,the women who   
are in the habit of performing this     
operation1 which is attended with little
 difficulty1 come from ,said4 ,they     
travel through the towns and villages1  
crying in the streets1 ,who wants a good
 circumciser8 ,a superstitious tradition
 has marked the commencement of the rise
 of the ,nile as the period at which it 
ought to be performed2 and accordingly1 
besides the other difficulties he had to
 surmount1 ,sonnini had that of finding 
parents who would consent to the        
circumcision of their daughter at a     
season so distant from that which is    
considered as the most favourable1 this 
being done in the winter2 money1        
however1 overcame this obstacle as it   
did the rest4  ,from ,dalzel's ,history 
we learn that in ,dahome a similar      

custom prevails with regard to the women
 as that in ,egypt4 ,a certain operation
 is performed upon the woman1 which is  
thus described in a                     
foot-note3--,prolongatio1 videlicit1    
artificialis labiorum pudendi1 capellae 
mamillis simillima4 ,the part in        
question1 locally called ,tu1 must1 from
 the earliest years1 be manipulated by  
professional old women1 as is the bosom 
among the embryo prostitutes of ,china4 
,if this be neglected1 her lady friends 
will deride and denigrate the mother1   
declaring that she has neglected her    
child's education2 and the juniors will 
laugh at the daughter as a coward who   
would not prepare herself for           
marriage4#ah  ,circumcision was a       
federal rite1 annexed by ,god as a seal 
to the covenant which he made with      
,abraham and his posterity1 and was     
accordingly renewed and taken into the  
body of the ,mosaical constitutions4 ,it
 was not a mere mark1 only to           
distinguish the ,hebrews as the seed of 

,abraham from other nations2 but by this
 they were made the children of the     
covenant1 and entitled to the blessings 
of it2 though if there had been no more 
in it than this1 that they who were of  
the same faith should have a certain    
character whereby they should be known1 
it would have been a wise appointment4  
,the mark seems to be fitly chosen for  
the purpose2 because it was a sign that 
no man would have made upon himself and 
upon his children1 unless it were for   
the sake of faith and religion4 ,it was 
not a brand upon the arm1 or an incision
 in the thigh1 but a difficult operation
 in a most tender part1 peculiarly      
called flesh in many places of          
scripture4 ,that member which is the    
instrument of generation was made choice
 of1 that they might be an holy seed1   
consecrated unto ,god from the          
beginning2 and circumcision was properly
 a token of the divine covenant made    
with ,abraham and his posterity that    
,god would multiply their seed1 and make

 them as the stars of heaven4#ai        
,ludolf1 in his ,history of ,ethiopa1   
after comparing the circumcision of the 
,jews with that of the ,abyssinians1    
says3 ,this puts us in mind of the      
circumcision of females1 of which       
,gregory was somewhat ashamed to        
discourse1 and we should have more      
willingly omitted it had not            
,tzagazabus1 in his rude ,confession of 
,faith1 spoken of it as a most          
remarkable custom introduced by the     
command of ,queen ,magneda2 or had not  
,paulus ,jovius himself1 ,bishop of     
,como1 insisted in the same manner upon 
this unseemly custom4 ,this same        
ceremony was not only used by the       
,habisenes1 but was also familiar among 
other people of ,africa1 the ,egyptians1
 and the ,arabians themselves4 ,for they
 cut away from the female infants       
something which they think to be an     
indecency and superfluity of nature4    
,jovius calls it ,carunniculam1 or a    
little piece of flesh2 ,golius1 an      

oblong excrescence4 ,the ,arabians1 by a
 particular word1 called it ,bedhron1 or
 ,bedhara1 besides which they have many 
other words to the same purpose4 ,among 
their women it is as great a piece of   
reproach to revile a woman by saying to 
her1 ,o ,bandaron3 that is1 ,o          
,uncircumcised1 as to call a man ,arel1 
or ,uncircumcised1 among the ,jews4 ,the
 ,jewish women in ,germany1 being       
acquainted by their reading with this   
custom1 laugh at it1 as admiring what it
 should be that should require such an  
amputation4     ,,chapter ,,vii4        
,androgynous ,deities--,theories        
respecting the ,dual ,sex of the        
,deity--,sacredness of the              
,phallus--,sex ,worship--,the ,eastern  
,desire for     ,children--,sacred      
,prostitution--,hindu ,law of ,adoption 
and     ,inheritance--,hindu ,need of   
,offspring1 and especially of a         
,son--,obsequies of the ,departed4      
,the phallic idea alluded to again and  
again in the preceding pages as entering

 into the heathen conception of a       
trinity1 the practice of circumcision1  
and the use of the cross as a symbol1   
branches out in a great variety of      
directions2 at some of these we must    
cast a brief glance in order that we may
 form a correct estimate of the subject4
  ,reference has been made to the       
androgynous nature ascribed to the      
,deity by different nations1 and here at
 once is opened up the whole subject of 
sex worship4 ,it is impossible to say   
how far back we should have to retrace  
our footsteps in seeking for men's first
 ideas upon this matter2 many ages1 it  
is certain4 ,forlong1 speaking of a     
remote age and our forefathers1 says3   
,they began to see in life and all      
nature a ,god1 a ,force1 a ,spirit2 or1 
,i should rather say1 some nameless     
thing which no language of those early  
days1 if indeed of present1 can         
describe4 ,they gave to the outward     
creative organs those devotional        
thoughts1 time1 and praise which        

belonged to the ,creator2 they figured  
the living spirit in the cold bodily    
forms of stone and tree1 and so         
worshipped it4 ,as we read in early     
,jewish writings1 their tribes1 like all
 other early races1 bowed before ,ashar 
and ,ashe'ra1 as others had long before 
that period worshipped ,belus and       
,uranus1 ,orus and ,isis1 ,mahadeva1    
,siva1 ,sakti1 and ,parvati4 ,jupiter   
and ,yuno1 or ,juno1 or rather the first
 ideas of these1 must have arisen in    
days long subsequent to this4 ,all such 
steps in civilisation are very slow     
indeed1 and here they had to penetrate  
the hearts of millions who could neither
 read nor write1 nor yet follow the     
reader or the preacher2 so centuries    
would fleet past over such rude         
infantile populations1 acting no more on
 the inert pulpy mass than years1 or    
even months1 now do2 and if this were so
 after they began to realise the ideas  
of a ,bel and ,ouranos1 how much slower 
before that far-back stage was won4     

,their first symbolisation seems clearly
 to have been the simple line1 pillar1  
or a stroke1 as their male god2 and a   
cup or circle as their female2 and lo6  
the dual and mystic #aj which early     
became a trinity1 and has stood before  
the world from that unknown time to     
this4 ,in this mystic male and female we
 have the first great androgynous god4  
,alluding to this subject1 an anonymous 
writer1 believed to be a ,roman         
,catholic priest1 some sixteen years    
ago1 said3--,the primitive doctrine that
 ,god created man in his own image1 male
 and female1 and consequently that the  
divine nature comprised the two sexes   
within itself1 fulfils all the          
conditions requisite to constitute a    
catholic theological dogma1 inasmuch as 
it may truly be affirmed of it1 that it 
has been held 'semper1 ubique1 et ab    
omnibus1' being universal as the        
phenomenon to which it owes its         
existence4  ,how essential to the       
consistency of the ,catholic system is  

this doctrine of duality you may judge  
by the shortcomings of the theologies   
which reject it4 ,unitarianism blunders 
alike in regard to the ,trinity and the 
,duality4 ,affecting to see in ,god a   
,father1 it denies him the possibility  
of having either spouse or offspring4   
,more rational than such a creed as this
 was the primitive worship of sex1 as   
represented by the male and female      
principles in nature4 ,in no gross sense
 was the symbolism of such a system     
conceived1 gross as its practice may    
have become1 and as it would appear to  
the notions of modern conventionalism4  
,for no religion is founded upon        
intentional depravity4 ,searching back  
for the origin of life1 men stopped at  
the earliest point to which they could  
trace it1 and exalted the reproductive  
organs into symbols of the ,creator4    
,the practice was at least calculated to
 procure respect for a side of nature   
liable under an exclusively spiritual   
regime to be relegated to undue         

contempt4  ,it appears certain that the 
names of the ,hebrew deity bear the     
sense ,i have indicated2 ,el1 the root  
of ,elhoim1 the name under which ,god   
was known to the ,israelites prior to   
their entry into ,canaan1 signifying the
 masculine sex only2 while ,jahveh1 or  
,jehovah1 denotes both sexes in         
combination4 ,the religious rites       
practised by ,abraham and ,jacob prove  
incontestably their adherence to this1  
even then1 ancient mode of symbolising  
deity2 and though after the entry into  
,canaan1 the leaders and reformers of   
the ,israelites strove to keep the      
people from exchanging the worship of   
their own divinity for that of the      
exclusively feminine principle          
worshipped by the ,canaanites with      
unbridled licence under the name of     
,ashera1 yet the indigenous religion    
became closely incorporated with the    
,jewish2 and even ,moses himself fell   
back upon it when1 yielding to a        
pressing emergency1 he gave his sanction

 to the prevailing ,tree and ,serpent   
worship by his elevation of a brazen    
serpent upon a pole or cross4 ,for all  
portions of this structure constitute   
the most universally accepted symbols of
 sex in the world4  ,it is to ,india    
that we must go for the earliest traces 
of these things4 ,the ,jews originated  
nothing1 though they were skilful       
appropriators and adapters of other     
men's effects4 ,brahma1 the first person
 in the ,hindoo ,triad1 was the original
 self-existent being1 inappreciable by  
sense1 who commenced the work of        
creation by creating the waters with a  
thought1 as described in the ,institutes
 of ,manu4 ,the waters1 regarded as the 
source of all subsequent life1 became   
identified with the feminine principle  
in nature--whence the origin of the     
mystic rite of baptism--and the         
atmosphere was the divine breath or     
spirit4 ,the description in ,genesis of 
the ,spirit of ,god moving upon the face
 of the waters1 indicates the influence 

upon the ,jews of the ,hindoo theogony  
to which they had access through        
,persia4  ,the twofold name of ,jehovah 
also finds a correspondence in the      
,arddha-,nari1 or incarnation of        
,brahma1 who is represented in          
sculptures as containing in himself the 
male and female organisms4 ,and the     
worship of the implements of fecundity  
continues popular in ,india to this day4
 ,the same idea underlies much of the   
worship of the ancient ,greeks1 finding 
expression in the symbols devoted to    
,apollo or the sun1 and in their        
androgynous sculptures4 ,aryan1         
,scandinavian1 and ,semitic religions   
were alike pervaded by it1 the male     
principle being represented by the sun1 
and the female by the moon1 which was   
variously personified by the virgins1   
,ashtoreth or ,astarte1 ,diana1 and     
others1 each of whom1 except in the     
,scandinavian mythology1 where the sexes
 are reversed1 had the moon for her     
special symbol4 ,similarly1 the allegory

 of ,eden finds one of its keys in the  
phenomena of sex1 as is demonstrated by 
the ancient ,syrian sculptures of       
,ashera1 or the ,grove2 and 'the tree of
 life in the midst of the garden' forms 
the point of departure for beliefs which
 have lasted thousands of years1 and    
which have either spread from one source
 over1 or been independently originated 
in1 every part of the habitable         
globe4#bj  ,it is evident that this     
worship is of the most extremely ancient
 character and that it was based        
originally upon ideas that had nothing  
gross and debasing in them4 ,it is true 
that it at various times assumed        
indelicate forms and was associated with
 much that was of the most degrading    
character1 but the first idea was only  
to use for religious purposes that which
 seemed the most apt emblem of creation 
and regeneration4 ,is it strange1 asks a
 lady writer1 that they regarded with   
reverence the great mystery of human    
birth8 ,were they impure thus to regard 

it8 ,or1 are we impure that we do not so
 regard it8 ,let us not smile at their  
mode of tracing the infinite and        
incomprehensible cause throughout all   
the mysteries of nature1 lest by so     
doing we cast the shadow of our own     
grossness on their patriarchal          
simplicity4  ,it became with this very  
much as it does with all symbolism1 more
 or less1 that is to say from the       
worship of that which was symbolised1 it
 degenerated to the worship of the      
emblem itself4  ,but the ancient        
,egyptians exerted themselves           
considerably to restrain within certain 
bounds of propriety the natural tendency
 of this worship and we find them       
allowing it to embrace only the         
masculine side of humanity1 afterwards1 
as was perhaps only to be expected1 the 
feminine was introduced4 ,then1 as      
particularly exhibited in the case of   
,india1 it gradually became nothing more
 or less than a vehicle for satisfying  
the licentious desires of the most      

degrading of both sexes4  ,it is        
wonderful1 however1 the extraordinary   
hold these ideas attained upon the human
 mind1 whether they entered into the    
religious conceptions of the people1 or 
pandered to vicious desires under the   
mere cloak of religion4 ,the            
,tetrabiblos of ,ptolemy 7four books    
relative to ,starry ,influences71       
speaking of the countries ,india1       
,ariana1 ,gedrosia1 ,parthia1 ,media1   
,persia1 ,babylon1 ,mesopotamia1 and    
,assyria1 says3--,many of them practise 
divination1 and devote their genitals to
 their divinities because the           
familiarity of these planets renders    
them very libidinous4  ,nor must we     
forget the peculiar sacredness with     
which in the early ,jewish ,church these
 organs were always regarded1--that is1 
the male organs4 ,injury of them        
disqualified the unfortunate victim from
 ministering in the congregation of the 
,lord1 and the severest punishment was  
meted out to the criminal who should be 

guilty of causing such injury4 ,thus in 
the book of ,deuteronomy1 chap4 xxv41   
#aa1 #ab1 we read3--,when men strive    
together one with another1 and the wife 
of the one draweth near for to deliver  
her husband out of the hand of him that 
smiteth him1 and putteth forth her hand1
 and taketh him by the secrets3 then    
thou shalt cut off her hand1 thine eye  
shall not pity her4 ,and this was not to
 be an act of revenge on the part of the
 injured man1 but was to be the legal   
penalty duly enforced by the civil      
magistrate4 ,it is very extraordinary1  
for it appears that such an injury      
inflicted upon an enemy--and evidently  
it meant the disablement of the man from
 the act of sexual intercourse--was     
regarded as even more serious than the  
actual taking of life in self-defence4  
,the degradation attached to the man    
thus mutilated was greater than could   
otherwise be visited upon him--all      
respect for him vanished and he was     
henceforward regarded as an abomination4

  ,such mutilation has always been      
common in heathen nations--similarly    
regarded as amongst the ,hebrews1 but   
used as the greatest mark of indignity  
possible to inflict upon an enemy--some 
of the ,egyptian bas-reliefs represent  
the ,king 7,rameses ,,ii47 returning in 
triumph with captives1 many of whom are 
undergoing the operation of castration1 
while in the corners of the scene are   
heaped up piles of the genital organs   
which have been cut off by the victors4 
,some of the ,north ,american ,indians1 
particularly the ,apaches of ,california
 and ,arizona1 have been noted for their
 frequent use of the same barbarous     
practice on the prisoners taken in war  
and upon the bodies of the slain4  ,we  
get a similar instance in ,israelitish  
history as recorded in the first book of
 ,samuel1 where ,saul being afraid of   
,david1 sought a favourable opportunity 
to get him slain by the ,philistines4   
,there is the story of the love of      
,michal1 ,saul's daughter1 for ,david1  

and the use ,saul endeavoured to make of
 that fact in carrying out his evil     
designs4 ,the news that ,michal had thus
 fallen in love1 pleased ,saul1 and he  
said1 ,i will give him her1 that she may
 be a snare to him and that the hand of 
the ,philistines may be against him4 ,so
 ,david was told that the ,king would   
make him his son-in-law4 ,but it was    
customary in those times for the        
bridegroom to give a dowry instead of as
 at other times and in other places1 to 
receive one1 and ,david immediately     
raised the objection that this was out  
of his power as he was but a poor man4  
,this was ,saul's opportunity and his   
message was1 the ,king desireth not any 
dowry1 but an hundred foreskins of the  
,philistines4 ,but ,saul thought to make
 ,david fall by the hand of the         
,philistines4 ,of course this involved  
the slaughter of a hundred of the enemy1
 and ,saul made sure in attempting such 
a task1 ,david would fall before odds so
 terribly against him4 ,in commanding   

the foreskins to be brought to him ,saul
 made sure that they would be           
,philistines who were slain1 they being 
almost the only uncircumcised people    
about him4 ,this proposal1 however1 it  
seems1 did not alarm ,david in the      
least1 he went forth at once on his     
terrible mission and actually brought   
back thrice the number of foreskins     
required of him by the ,king4 ,this is  
not the only case on record of such a   
mutilation2 mention is made by ,gill the
 commentator of an ,asiatic writer who  
speaks of a people that cut off the     
genital parts of men1 and gave them to  
their wives for a dowry4  ,so sacred was
 the organ in question deemed in ancient
 times1 especially in ,israel1 that it  
was used as the means of administering  
the most binding form of oath then      
known4 ,it is described as putting the  
hand upon the thigh1 and instances are  
found in ,genesis xxiv41 #b1 and xlvii41
 #bi4 ,in the former of these passages  
,abraham requires his elder servant to  

put his hand under his thigh and take an
 oath respecting the wife he would seek 
for his son ,isaac4 ,in the second      
passage1 it is ,jacob requiring his son 
,joseph to perform a similar action2 in 
each case what is meant is that the     
genital organ1 the symbol of the        
,creator and the object of worship among
 all ancient nations was to be touched  
in the act of making the promise4  ,but1
 as we have pointed out1 there is       
another side to this matter1 the worship
 of the male organ was only one part2   
the female organs of generation were    
revered as symbols of the generative    
power of ,god4 ,they are usually        
represented emblematically by the shell1
 or ,concha ,veneris1 which was         
therefore worn by devout persons of     
antiquity1 as it still continues to be  
by pilgrims and many of the common women
 of ,italy4 ,the union of both was      
expressed by the hand1 mentioned in ,sir
 ,william ,hamilton's letter1 which1    
being a less explicit symbol1 has       

escaped the attention of the reformers1 
and is still worn as well as the shell  
by women of ,italy1 though without being
 understood4 ,it represented the act of 
generation1 which was considered as a   
solemn sacrament in honour of the       
,creator4  ,some of the forms used to   
represent the sacti or female principle1
 are very peculiar yet familiar to many 
who may not understand them4 ,indeed1 as
 ,inman says1 the moderns1 who have not 
been initiated in the sacred mysteries1 
and only know the emblems considered    
sacred1 have need of both anatomical    
knowledge and physiological lore ere    
they can see the meaning of many a sign4
  ,as already stated1 the triangle with 
its apex uppermost represents the       
phallic triad2 with its base uppermost1 
the ,mons ,veneris1 the ,delta1 or the  
door by which all come into the world4  
,dr4 ,inman says3--,as a scholar1 ,i had
 learned that the ,greek letter ,delta  
7symbol7 is expressive of the female    
organ both in shape and idea4 ,the      

selection of name and symbol was        
judicious1 for the word ,daleth and     
,delta signify the door of a house and  
the outlet of a river1 while the figure 
reversed 7symbol7 represents the fringe 
with which the human ,delta is          
overshadowed--this ,delta is simply     
another word for the part known as      
,concha1 a shell4 ,this ,concha or      
,shank is one of the most important of  
the ,eastern symbols1 and is found      
repeated again and again in almost      
everything connected with the ,hindu    
,pantheon4 ,plate vi4 of ,moor's        
elaborately illustrated work on the     
,indian deities represents it as seen in
 the hands of ,vishnu and his consort4  
,the god is represented like all the    
solar deities with four hands1 and      
standing in an arched doorway4 ,the     
head-dress is of serpents2 in one of the
 right hands is the diamond form the    
symbol of the ,creator2 in one of the   
left hands is the large ,concha and in  
the other right hand1 the great orb of  

the day2 the shell is winged and has a  
phallic top4  ,this shell is said to    
have been the first priestly bell1 and  
it is even now the ,hindoo church-bell1 
in addition to gongs and trumpets4 ,it  
comes specially into use when the priest
 performs his ceremonies before the     
,lingam2 it is blown when he is about to
 anoint the emblem1 like a bell is used 
in some ,christian churches in the midst
 of ceremonies of particular importance 
and solemnity4  ,the female principle1  
or sacred ,sacti1 is also represented by
 a figure like that called a sistrum1 a 
,hebrew musical instrument1 sometimes   
translated cornet4 ,inman contends in   
spite of much opposition from his       
friends that this represents the mother 
who is still virgo intacta4 ,he points  
out that in some things it embodies a   
somewhat different idea to the ,yoni1   
the bars across it being bent so that   
they cannot be taken out1 this showing  
that the door is closed4  ,the secret of
 this peculiar worship seems to lie in  

the fact1 ever so prominent in all that 
has to do with the social and religious 
life of the ,eastern1 of an intense     
desire for offspring4 ,in harmony with  
this is the frequent promise in the     
,scriptures of an abundance of children 
and the declaration of happiness of the 
man so blessed4 ,one instance may be    
noted as recorded in ,genesis xiii41    
#af1 the promise to ,abram3 ,i will make
 thy seed as the dust of the earth3 so  
that if a man can number the dust of the
 earth1 then shall thy seed also be     
numbered4 ,none the less                
fervent--perhaps even more so--is the   
desire of the ,indian to possess and    
leave behind him a progeny who shall not
 only succeed to his worldly            
acquisitions1 but by religious exercises
 help forward his happiness in the      
region of the departed4  ,it is said    
that in this part of the world1 a       
constant topic of conversation amongst  
the men is their physical power to      
propagate their race1 and that upon this

 matter physicians are more frequently  
consulted than upon any other4 ,not only
 does the man think thus1 but the female
 has her thoughts directed to the same  
channel1 and there has been a special   
bell invented by ,hindoo priests for    
childless females4 ,some kindred belief 
seems to be held or suggested by the    
practices of the ,mormon community1 in  
which large numbers of women are united 
in marriage to one man4 ,in ,genesis    
xxx41 ,rachel seeing that she bore no   
children is described as envying her    
sister1 and saying to ,jacob1 ,give me  
children1 or else ,i die4 ,again #a     
,samuel i41 #aj1 #aa3 ,and she 7,hannah7
 was in bitterness of soul1 and prayed  
unto the ,lord1 and wept sore4 ,and she 
vowed a vow1 and said1 ',o ,lord of     
hosts1 if thou wilt indeed look on the  
affliction of thine handmaid1 and       
remember me1 and not forget thine       
handmaid1 but will give unto thine      
handmaid a man child1 then ,i will give 
him unto the ,lord1 c4' ,and so on2     

instances could be multiplied largely1  
but it is unnecessary4  ,with many of   
the eastern women it was a matter of the
 highest consequence that they have     
children1 as failing to do so it was    
strictly within the legal rights of the 
husband at once to put away his wife by 
a summary divorce1 or at any rate to    
take a concubine into his home in order 
that he might not go childless2 the     
woman who proved hopelessly barren      
became an object of contempt or         
commiseration to all about her1 and her 
life a scene of prolonged shame and     
misery4 ,and so1 in certain parts of the
 world1 arose sex worship1 the idea     
being that by the worship of the organs 
of generation the misfortune of         
barrenness might be avoided4 ,the       
priests were not slow to avail          
themselves of a ready means of adding to
 their reputation and influence and     
increasing their revenues1 and women1   
who for some cause or another had       
hitherto been without offspring1 were   

encouraged to visit the temples and make
 their proper offerings1 and go through 
the prescribed ceremonies for curing    
their sterility4 ,as willing as the     
women were for all this1 were the men1  
and though sometimes the defect lay in  
themselves physically1 it is said that  
the arrangements at the temples were    
such as almost invariably succeeded in  
making the wives mothers4  ,if abundance
 of offspring was promised as a         
blessing1 says ,dr4 ,inman1 it is clear 
to the physiologist that the pledge     
implies abundance of vigour in the man  
as well as in the woman4 ,with a husband
 incompetent1 no wife could be fruitful4
 ,the condition1 therefore1 of the      
necessary organs was intimately         
associated with the divine blessing or  
curse1 and the impotent man then would  
as naturally go to the priest to be     
cured of his infirmity as we of to-day  
go to the physician4 ,we have evidence  
that masses have been said1 saints      
invoked1 and offerings presented1 for   

curing the debility we refer to1 in a   
church in ,christianised ,italy during  
the last hundred years1 and in ,france  
so late as the sixteenth                
century1--evident relics of more ancient
 times4  ,whenever a votary applied to  
the oracle for help to enable him to    
perform his duties as a prospective     
father1 or to remove that frigidity     
which he had been taught to believe was 
a proof of ,divine displeasure1 or an   
evidence of his being bewitched by a    
malignant demon1 it is natural to       
believe that the priest would act partly
 as a man of sense1 though chiefly as a 
minister of ,god4 ,he would go through1 
or enjoin attendance on certain         
religious ceremonies--would sell a      
charmed image1 or use some holy oil1    
invented and blessed by a god or saint1 
as was done at ,isernia--or he would do 
something else4  ,intimately connected  
with the worship of the male and female 
powers of generation is the sacred      
prostitution which was practised so     

generally by some of the ancient        
nations1 and of which we have details in
 the classics4 ,the information given by
 ,herodotus respecting the women of     
,babylonia reads strange indeed to those
 who are acquainted only with modern    
codes of morals1 and to whom the special
 and essential features of phallic      
faiths are unknown4 ,this author        
describes it as a shameful custom1 but  
he informs us of it as an indisputable  
fact1 that every woman born in the      
country was compelled at least once in  
her life to go and sit in the precinct  
of ,venus1 and there consort with a     
stranger4 ,rich and poor alike had to   
conform to this rule--the ugly and the  
beautiful1 the attractive and the       
repulsive4 ,a peculiarity of the custom 
was that once having entered the sacred 
enclosure1 the woman was not allowed to 
return home until she had paid the debt 
which the law prescribed as due from her
 to the state2 the result of this was   
that those who were the happy possessors

 of personal charms seldom were detained
 very long1 while the plain-featured and
 unattractive ones were sometimes       
several years before they could obtain  
their release4 ,we are told that the    
wealthier women1 too proud to associate 
with the lower class1 though obliged to 
undergo the same ordeal1 would drive to 
the appointed place in covered carriages
 with a considerable retinue of         
servants1 there making as much display  
as possible of their rank and wealth in 
order to overawe the commoner class of  
men1 and drive them to females of       
humbler rank2 they sat in their         
carriages while crowds of poorer people 
sat within the holy enclosure with      
wreaths of string about their heads4    
,the scene was at once strange and      
animated2 numbers of both sexes were    
coming and going2 and lines of cords    
marked out paths in all directions in   
which the women sat1 and along which the
 strangers passed in order to make their
 choice4 ,patiently or impatiently1 as  

the case may be1 the female waited till 
some visitor1 taking a fancy to her1    
fixed upon her as his chosen sacrifice  
by throwing a piece of silver into her  
lap and saying1 ,the goddess ,mylitta   
prosper thee4 7,mylitta being the       
,assyrian name for ,venus74 ,the coin   
need not be of any particular size or   
value1 but it is obligatory upon her to 
receive it1 because when once thrown it 
is sacred4 ,nor could the woman exercise
 any choice as to whom she could go     
with1 the first who threw the coin had a
 legal title to her1 and the law        
compelled her submission4 ,but having   
once obeyed the law1 she was free for   
the rest of her life1 and nothing in the
 shape of a bribe1 however extensive1   
would persuade her to grant further     
favours to any one4  ,there is an       
allusion to this custom in the book of  
,baruch 7vi41 #dc71 where it is         
said3--,the women also with cords about 
them1 sitting in the ways1 burn bran for
 perfume2 but if any of them1 drawn by  

some that passeth by1 lie with him1 she 
reproaches her fellow that she was not  
thought worthy as herself1 nor her cords
 broken4 ,strabo in his sixteenth book  
testifies to the same effect1 and he    
says that the custom dated from the     
foundation of the city of ,babylon4 ,the
 same writer states also that both      
,medes and ,armenians adopted all the   
sacred rites of the ,persians1 but that 
the ,armenians paid particular reverence
 to ,anaitis1 and built temples to her  
honour in several places1 especially in 
,acilisene4 ,they dedicated there to her
 service male and female slaves1 and in 
this1 ,strabo says1 there was nothing   
remarkable1 but that it was surprising  
that persons of the highest rank in the 
nation consecrated their virgin         
daughters to the goddess4 ,it was       
customary for these women1 after being  
prostituted a long time at the temple of
 ,anaitis1 to be disposed of in         
marriage1 no one disdaining a connection
 with such a person4 ,he mentions what  

,herodotus says about the ,lydian women1
 all of whom1 he adds1 prostituted      
themselves4 ,but they treated their     
paramours with much kindness1           
entertaining them hospitably and        
frequently1 making a return of more     
presents than they received1 being amply
 supplied with means derived from their 
wealthy connexions4 ,the ,lydians indeed
 appear to have devoted themselves with 
the most shameless effrontery1 for they 
not only attended the sacred fetes      
occasionally for the purpose1 but       
practised prostitution for their own    
benefit4 ,a splendid monument to        
,alyattes1 the father of ,croesus1 built
 by the merchants1 the artizans1 and the
 courtesans1 was chiefly paid for by the
 contributions of the latter1 which far 
exceeded those of the others put        
together4  ,it has been asserted by some
 writers that sacred prostitution was   
not practised in ,egypt1 but so much is 
known of the character of certain acts  
of worship in that country that the     

statement is regarded as of little      
worth4 ,the worship of ,osiris and      
,isis1 which was very much like that of 
,venus and ,adonis1 was attended with   
excesses that indicate a very abandoned 
state of things4 ,it is known that when 
the pilgrims were on their way to the   
fetes of ,isis at ,bubastis1 the females
 indulged in the most indecent dances as
 the vessels passed the riverside       
villages1 and historians declare that   
those obscenities were only such as were
 about to happen at the temple1 which   
was visited each year by seven hundred  
thousand pilgrims1 who gave themselves  
up to incredible excesses4  ,it cannot  
be shewn that the motive leading to what
 is called sacred prostitution was the  
same in all countries2 in ,india1 for   
example1 it appears to have had very    
much to do with the desire for children 
which we have described as common with  
the easterns2 so common was it that the 
one object of woman's life was marriage 
and a family4 ,this1 and the more rapid 

development of the female in that part  
of the world than in others1 and the    
impression that dying childless she     
would fail to fulfil her mission lies at
 the basis of the early betrothals and  
marriages which appear so repulsive and 
absurd to ,european ideas4 ,there is a  
further desire1 however1 than that of   
simply having children1 especially in   
,india2 the desire is for male children1
 and where these fail1 it is common for 
a man to adopt a son1 and in this his   
motive is a religious one4 ,according to
 prevalent superstition1 it is held that
 the future beatitude of the ,hindu     
depends upon the performance of his     
obsequies1 and payment of his debts1 by 
a son1 as a means of redeeming him from 
an instant state of suffering after     
death4 ,the dread is of a place called  
,put1 a place of horror1 to which the   
manes of the childless are supposed to  
be doomed2 there to be tormented with   
hunger and thirst1 for want of those    
oblations of food1 and libations of     

water1 at prescribed periods1 which it  
is the pious and indispensable duty of a
 son to offer4  ,the ,laws of ,manu     
7,ch4 ix41 #ach71 state3--,a son        
delivers his father from the hell called
 ,put1 he was therefore called puttra 7a
 deliverer from ,put7 by the            
,self-existent 7,svayambhu7 himself4    
,the sage ,mandagola is represented as  
desiring admission to a region of bliss1
 but repulsed by the guards who watch   
the abode of progenitors1 because he had
 no male issue4 ,the ,laws of ,manu     
illustrate this by the special mention  
of heaven being attained without it as  
of something extraordinary4 ,ch4 v41    
#aei1 ,many thousands of ,brahmanas1 who
 were chaste from their youth1 have gone
 to heaven without continuing their     
race4  ,sir ,thomas ,strange1 many years
 ago ,chief ,justice of ,madras1 wrote  
very fully concerning the ,hindu law of 
inheritance and adoption1 and we learn  
from this great authority that marriage 
failing in this1 its most important     

object 7that is to say securing male    
issue71 in order that obsequies in      
particular might not go unperformed1 and
 celestial bliss be thereby forfeited1  
as well for ancestors as for the        
deceased1 dying without leaving         
legitimate issue begotten1 the old law  
was provident to excess1 whence the     
different sorts of sons enumerated by   
different authorities1 all resolving    
themselves1 with ,manu1 into twelve1    
that is the legally begotten1 and       
therefore not to be separately          
accounted3--all formerly1 in their turn 
and order1 capable of succession1 for   
the double purpose of obsequies1 and of 
inheritance4 ,failing a son1 a ,hindu's 
obsequies may be performed by his widow2
 or in default of her1 by a whole       
brother or other heirs2 but according to
 the conception belonging to the        
subject1 not with the same benefit as by
 a son4 ,that a son1 therefore1 of some 
description is1 with him1 in a spiritual
 sense1 next to indispensable is        

abundantly certain4 ,as for obtaining   
one in a natural way1 there is an       
express ceremony that takes place at the
 expiration of the third month of       
pregnancy1 marking distinctly the       
importance of a son born1 so is the     
adopting of one as anxiously inculcated 
where prayers and ceremonies for the    
desired issue have failed in their      
effect4  ,the extreme importance to the 
,hindu of having male offspring1 and the
 desire to get such children as the     
result of marriage rather than by       
adoption--a practice allowed and        
inculcated as a last resort1 has led to 
that extensive prevalence of ,lingam    
worship which is such a conspicuous     
feature in ,india4 ,in nearly every part
 of that vast empire are to be seen     
reproductions of the emblem in an       
infinite variety of form1 and so totally
 free from the most remotely indecent   
character are they1 that strangers are  
as a rule totally ignorant of their     
meaning4 ,we have even known1 within the

 last few years1 specimens of the       
smaller emblems being put up for sale in
 this country1 of whose meaning the     
auctioneer professes himself for the    
most part ignorant1 volunteering no     
other statement than that they were     
charms in some way connected with ,hindu
 customs and worship4  ,it is--being a  
representation of the male              
organ--represented1 of course1 in a     
conical form1 and is of every size1 from
 half-an-inch to seventy feet1 and of   
all materials1 such as stone1 wood1     
clay1 metal1 c4 ,lingas are seen of     
enormous size2 in the caves of          
,elephanta for instance1 marking        
unequivocally that the symbol in        
question is at any rate as ancient as   
the temple1 as they are of the same rock
 as the temple itself2 both1 as well as 
the floor1 roof1 pillars1 pilastres1 and
 its numerous sculptured figures1 having
 been once one undistinguished mass of  
granite1 which excavated1 chiselled1 and
 polished1 produced the cavern and forms

 that are still contemplated with so    
much surprise and admiration4 ,the      
magnitude of the cones1 too1 further    
preclude the idea of subsequent         
introduction1 and together with gigantic
 statues of ,siva and his consort1 more 
frequent and more colossal than those of
 any other deity1 necessarily coeval    
with the excavation1 indicate his       
paramount adoration and the antiquity of
 his sect4 ,lingas are seen also of     
diminutive size for domestic adoration1 
or for personal use2 some individuals   
always carrying one about with them1 and
 in some ,brahman families1 one is daily
 constructed in clay1 placed after due  
sanctification by appropriate ceremonies
 and prayers1 in the domestic shrine1 or
 under a tree or shrub sacred to ,siva1 
the ,bilva more especially1 and honoured
 by the adoration of the females of the 
household4  ,it is rather singular that 
while many ,hindus worship the deity of 
male and female in one1 there are       
distinct sects which worship either the 

,lingam or the ,yoni2 the first being   
apparently the same as the phallic      
emblem of the ,greeks1 the membrum      
virile3 and the latter pudendum         
muliebre4  ,the interesting ceremony    
connected with the obsequies which we   
have just said can be the most          
effectually performed by a male child1  
and which gives rise to the intense     
longing both on the part of husband and 
wife for such offspring1 is called      
,sradha1 and is of daily recurrence with
 individuals who rigidly adhere to the  
ritual4 ,it is offered in honour of     
deceased ancestors1 but not merely in   
honour of them1 but for their comfort2  
as the ,manes1 as well as the gods      
connected with them1 enjoy1 like the    
gods of the ,greeks1 the incense of such
 offerings1 which are also of an        
expiatory nature1 similar1 it is said1  
to the masses of the ,church of ,rome4  
,over these ceremonies of ,sradhi       
presides ,yama1 in his character of     
,sradhadeva1 or lord of the obsequies4  

,it is not within our province to give a
 detailed account of these ceremonies1  
but owing to their connection with the  
subject generally of our book1 a brief  
outline will no doubt prove interesting4
  ,a dying man1 when no hopes of his    
surviving remain1 should be laid upon a 
bed of cusa grass1 either in the house  
or out of it1 if he be a ,sudra1 but in 
the open air1 if he belong to another   
tribe4 ,when he is at the point of      
death1 donations of cattle1 land1 gold1 
silver1 or other things1 according to   
his ability1 should be made by him2 or  
if he be too weak1 by another person in 
his name4 ,his head should be sprinkled 
with water drawn from the ,ganges1 and  
smeared with clay brought from the same 
river4 ,a ,salagrama stone ought to be  
placed near the dying man2 holy strains 
from the ,veda or from the sacred poems 
should be repeated aloud in his ears2   
and leaves of holy basil must be        
scattered over his head4  ,passing over 
the ceremonial more especially connected

 with the burning of the corpse as not  
particularly relative to our subject1 we
 proceed4 ,after the body has been      
burnt1 all who have touched or followed 
the corpse1 must walk round the pile    
keeping their left hands towards it1 and
 taking care not to look at the fire4   
,they then walk in procession1 according
 to seniority1 to a river or other      
running water1 and after washing1 and   
again putting on their apparel1 they    
advance into the stream4 ,they then ask 
the deceased's brother-in-law1 or some  
other person able to give the proper    
answer1 ,shall we present water8 ,if the
 deceased were a hundred years old1 the 
answer must be simply1 do so3 but if he 
were not so aged1 the reply is do so1   
but do not repeat the oblation4 ,upon   
this they all shift the sacerdotal      
string to the right shoulder1 and       
looking towards the south1 and being    
clad in a single garment without a      
mantle1 they stir the water with the    
ring finger of the left hand1 saying1   

waters1 purify us4 ,with the same finger
 of the right hand1 they throw up some  
water towards the south1 and after      
plunging once under the surface of the  
river1 they rub themselves with their   
hands4 ,an oblation of water must be    
next presented from the jointed palms of
 the hands1 naming the deceased and the 
family from which he sprung1 and saving 
may this oblation reach thee4  ,after   
finishing the usual libations of water  
to satisfy the manes of the deceased1   
they quit the river and shift their wet 
clothes for other apparel2 they then sip
 water without swallowing it1 and       
sitting down on soft turf1 alleviate    
their sorrow by the recital of such     
moral sentences as the following1       
refraining at the same time from tears  
and lamentation3--  #a4 ,foolish is he1 
who seeks permanence in the human state1
 unsolid like the stem of a plantain    
tree1 transient like the foam of the    
sea4  #b4 ,when a body1 formed of fine  
elements to receive the rewards of deeds

 done in its own former person1 reverts 
to its fine original principles2 what   
room is there for regret4  #c4 ,the     
earth is perishable2 the ocean1 the     
,gods themselves pass away3 how should  
not that bubble1 mortal man1 meet       
destruction4  #d4 ,all that is low1 must
 finally perish2 all that is elevated1  
must ultimately fall2 all compound      
bodies must end in dissolution2 and life
 is concluded with death4  #e4          
,unwillingly do the manes of the        
deceased taste the tears and rheum shed 
by their kinsmen3 then do not wait1 but 
diligently perform the obsequies of the 
dead4  ,all the kinsmen of the deceased1
 within the sixth degree of             
consanguinity1 should fast for three    
days and nights2 or one at the least4   
,however if that be impracticable1 they 
may eat a single meal at night1         
purchasing the food ready prepared1 but 
on no account preparing the victuals at 
home4 ,so long as the mourning lasts1   
the nearest relations of the deceased   

must not exceed the daily meal1 nor eat 
flesh-meat1 nor any food seasoned with  
fictitious salt2 they must use a plate  
made of leaves of any tree but the      
plantain1 or else take their food from  
the hands of some other persons2 they   
must not handle a knife or any other    
implement made of iron2 nor sleep upon a
 bedstead2 nor adorn their persons2 but 
remain squalid1 and refrain from        
perfumes and other gratifications3 they 
must likewise omit the daily ceremonies 
of ablution and divine worship4 ,on the 
third and fifth days1 as also on the    
seventh and ninth1 the kinsmen assemble1
 bathe in the open air1 offer tila and  
water to the deceased1 and take a repast
 together3 they place lamps at cross    
roads1 and in their own houses1 and     
likewise on the way to the cemetery2 and
 they observe vigils in honour of the   
deceased4  ,on the last day of mourning1
 or earlier in those countries where the
 obsequies are expedited on the second  
or third day1 the nearest kinsman of the

 deceased gathers his ashes after       
offering a sradha singly for him4  ,in  
the first place1 the kinsman smears with
 cow-dung the spots where the oblation  
is to be presented2 and after washing   
his hands and feet1 sipping water and   
taking up cusa grass in his hand1 he    
sits down on a cushion pointed towards  
the south1 and placed upon a blade of   
cusa grass1 the tip of which must also  
point towards the south4 ,he then places
 near him a bundle of cusa grass1       
consecrated by pronouncing the word     
namah6 or else prepares a fire for      
oblations4 ,then lighting a lamp with   
clarified butter or with oil of sesamum1
 and arranging the food and other things
 intended to be offered1 he must        
sprinkle himself with water1 meditating 
on ,vishnu1 surnamed the lotos-eyed1 or 
revolving in his mind this verse1       
,whether pure or defiled1 or wherever he
 may have gone1 he1 who re-enters the   
being whose eyes are like the lotos1    
shall be pure externally and internally4

 ,shifting the sacerdotal cord on his   
right shoulder1 he takes up a brush of  
cusa grass and presents water together  
with tila and with blossoms1 naming the 
deceased and the family from which he   
sprung1 and saying may this water for   
ablutions be acceptable to thee4 ,then  
saying may this be right1 he pronounces 
a vow or solemn declaration4 ,this day  
,i will offer on a bundle of cusa grass 
7or1 if such be the custom1 'on fire'7 a
 sradha for a single person1 with       
unboiled food1 together with clarified  
butter and with water1 preparatory to   
the gathering of the bones of such a one
 deceased4 ,the priests answering do so1
 he says namo6 namah6 while the priests 
meditate the gayatri and thrice repeat1 
,salutation to the ,gods2 to the manes  
of ancestors1 and to mighty saints2 to  
,swaha goddess of fire3 to ,swadha the  
food of the manes3 salutation unto them 
for ever and ever4  ,he then presents a 
cushion made of cusa grass1 naming the  
deceased and saying may this be         

acceptable to thee2 and afterwards      
distributes meal of sesamum1 while the  
priests recite ,may the demons and      
fierce giants that sit on this          
consecrated spot1 be dispersed2 and the 
bloodthirsty savages that inhabit the   
earth2 may they go to any other place1  
to which their inclinations may lead    
them4  ,placing an oval vessel with its 
narrowest end towards the south1 he     
takes up two blades of grass2 and       
breaking off a span's length1 throws    
them into the vessel2 and after         
sprinkling them with water1 makes a     
libation while the priests say1 ,may    
divine waters be auspicious to us for   
accumulation1 for gain1 and for         
refreshing draughts2 may they listen to 
us1 and grant that we may be associated 
with good auspices4 ,he then throws tila
 while the priests say1 ,thou art tila1 
sacred to ,soma2 framed by the divinity1
 thou dost produce celestial bliss for  
him1 that makes oblations2 mixed with   
water may thou long satisfy our         

ancestors with the food of the manes1 be
 this oblation efficacious4 ,he         
afterwards silently casts into the      
vessel1 perfumes1 flowers1 and durva    
grass4 ,then taking up the vessel with  
his left hand1 putting two blades of    
grass on the cushion1 with their tips   
pointed to the north1 he must pour the  
water from the argha thereon4 ,the      
priests meantime recite3--,the waters in
 heaven1 in the atmosphere1 and on the  
earth1 have been united by their        
sweetness with milk2 may those silver   
waters1 worthy of oblation1 be          
auspicious1 salutary1 and exhilarating  
to us2 and be happily offered3 may this 
oblation be efficacious4 ,he adds namah1
 and pours out the water1 naming the    
deceased and saying1 may this argha be  
acceptable unto thee4 ,then oversetting 
the vessel1 and arranging in due order  
the unboiled rice condiments1 clarified 
butter1 and the requisites1 he scatters 
tila1 while the priests recite ,thrice  
did ,vishnu step1 c4 ,he next offers the

 rice1 clarified butter1 water and      
condiments1 while he touches the vessel 
with his left hand1 and names the       
deceased1 saying1 may this raw food1    
with clarified butter and condiments1   
together with water1 be acceptable unto 
thee4 ,after the priests have repeated  
the gayatri preceded by the names of the
 worlds1 he pours honey or sugar upon   
the rice1 while they recite this prayer1
 may the winds blow sweet1 the rivers   
flow sweet1 and salutary herbs be sweet1
 unto us2 may night be sweet1 may the   
mornings pass sweetly2 may the soil of  
the earth1 and heaven parent of all     
productions1 be sweet unto us2 may ,soma
 king of herbs and trees be sweet3 may  
the sun be sweet1 may kine be sweet unto
 us4 ,he then says namo6 namah6 ,while  
the priests recite whatever may be      
deficient in this food2 whatever may be 
imperfect in this rite2 whatever may be 
wanting in this form2 may all that      
become faultless4  ,he should then feed 
the ,brahmanas1 whom he has assembled1  

either silently distributing food       
amongst them1 or adding a respectful    
invitation to them to eat4 ,when he has 
given them water to rinse their mouths1 
he may consider the deceased as fed     
through their intervention4 ,the priests
 again recite the gayatri and the prayer
 may the winds blow sweet1 c41 and add  
the prescribed prayers1 which should be 
followed by the music of flageolets1    
lutes1 drums1 c4  ,taking in his left   
hand another vessel containing tila1    
blossoms and water1 and in his left hand
 a brush made of cusa grass1 he         
sprinkles water over the grass spread on
 the consecrated spot1 naming the       
deceased and saying ,may this ablution  
be acceptable to thee3 he afterwards    
takes a cake or ball or food mixed with 
clarified butter1 and presents it       
saying1 ,may this cake be acceptable to 
thee1 and deals out the food with this  
prayer2 ,ancestors1 rejoice2 take your  
respective shares1 and be strong as     
bulls4 ,then walking round by the left  

to the northern side of the consecrated 
spot1 and meditating1 ,ancestors1 be    
glad2 take your respective shares1 and  
be strong as bulls1 he returns by the   
same road1 and again sprinkles water on 
the ground to wash the oblation1 saying1
 ,may this ablution be acceptable to    
thee4  ,next1 touching his hip with his 
elbow1 or else his right side1 and      
having sipped water1 he must make six   
libations of water with the hollow palms
 of his hands1 saying1 ,salvation unto  
thee1 ,o deceased1 and unto the         
saddening hot season2 salvation unto    
thee1 ,o deceased1 and unto the month of
 tapas or dewy season2 salvation unto   
thee1 ,o deceased1 and unto that season 
which abounds with water2 salvation unto
 thee1 ,o deceased1 and to the nectar of
 blossoms2 salvation unto thee1 ,o      
deceased1 and to the terrible and angry 
season2 salvation unto thee1 ,o         
deceased1 and to female fire or the     
sultry season4  ,he next offers a thread
 on the funeral cake1 holding the wet   

brush in his hand1 naming the deceased1 
and saying1 ,may this raiment be        
acceptable to thee2 the priests add1    
,fathers1 this apparel is offered unto  
you4 ,he then silently strews perfumes1 
blossoms1 resin1 and betel leaves1 as   
the funeral cake1 and places a lighted  
lamp on it4 ,he sprinkles water on the  
bundle of grass1 saying1 ,may the waters
 be auspicious2 and offers rice1 adding1
 ,may the blossoms be sweet3 may the    
rice be harmless2 and then pours water  
on it1 naming the deceased and saying1  
,may this food and drink be acceptable  
unto thee4 ,in the next place he strews 
grass over the funeral cake1 and        
sprinkles water on it1 reciting this    
prayer3 ,waters6 ye are the food of our 
progenitors2 satisfy my parents1 ye who 
convey nourishment1 which is ambrosia1  
butter1 milk1 cattle1 and distilled     
liquor4 ,lastly1 he smells some of the  
food1 and poises in his hand the funeral
 cakes1 saying1 ,may this ball be       
wholesome food2 and concludes1 paying   

the officiating priest his fee with a   
formal declaration1 ,i do give this fee 
7consisting of so much money7 to such a 
one 7a priest sprung from such a family1
 and who uses such a veda and such a    
sacha of it71 for the purpose of fully  
completing the obsequies this day       
performed by me in honour of one person 
singly1 preparatory to the gathering of 
the bones of such a one deceased4       
,after the priest has thrice said3      
,salutation to the gods1 to progenitors1
 to mighty saints1 c41 he dismisses him2
 lights a lamp in honour of the         
deceased2 meditates on ,heri with       
undiverted attention2 casts the food1   
and other things used at the obsequies1 
into the fire2 and then proceeds to the 
cemetery for the purpose of gathering   
the ashes of the deceased4  ,so long as 
mourning lasts after gathering the      
ashes1 the near relations of the        
deceased continue to offer water with   
the same formalities and prayers as     
already mentioned1 and to refrain from  

factitious salt1 butter1 c4 ,on the last
 day of mourning1 the nearest relation  
puts on neat apparel1 and causes his    
house and furniture to be cleaned2 he   
then goes out of the town1 and after    
offering the tenth funeral cake1 he     
makes ten libations of water from the   
palms of his hands2 causes the hair of  
his head and body to be shaved1 and his 
nails to be cut1 and gives the barber   
the clothes which were worn at the      
funeral of the deceased1 and adds some  
other remuneration4 ,he then anoints his
 head and limbs1 down to his feet1 with 
oil of sesamum2 rubs all his limbs with 
meal of sesamum1 and his head with the  
ground pods of white mustard2 he bathes1
 sips water1 touches and blesses various
 auspicious things1 such as stones1     
clarified butter1 leaves of ,nimba1     
white mustard1 ,durva grass1 coral1 a   
cow1 gold1 curds1 honey1 a mirror1 and a
 couch1 and also touches a bamboo staff4
 ,he now returns purified to his home1  
and thus completes the first obsequies  

of the deceased4  ,the second series of 
obsequies1 commencing on the day after  
the period of mourning has elapsed1 is  
opened by a lustration termed the       
consolatory ceremony4 ,the lustration   
consists in the consecration of four    
vessels of water1 and sprinkling        
therewith the house1 the furniture1 and 
the persons belonging to the family4    
,after lighting a fire1 and blessing the
 attendant ,brahmanas1 the priest fills 
four vessels with water1 and1 putting   
his hand into the first1 meditates the  
gayatri1 before and after reciting the  
following prayers3 #a4--,may generous   
waters be auspicious to us1 for gain and
 for refreshing draughts2 may they      
approach towards us1 that we may be     
associated with good auspices4          
#b4--;,earth afford us ease2 be free    
from thorns2 be habitable4 ,widely      
extended as thou art1 procure us        
happiness4 #c4--,o waters6 since ye     
afford delight1 grant us food1 and the  
rapturous sight of the ,supreme ,being4 

#d4--,like tender mothers1 make us here 
partakers of your most auspicious       
essence4  ,putting his hand into the    
second vessel1 the priest meditates the 
gayatri1 and the four prayers above     
quoted2 adding some others1 and         
concluding this second consecration of  
water by once more meditating the       
gayatri4  ,then taking a lump of sugar  
and a copper vessel in his left hand1   
biting the sugar and spitting it out    
again1 the priest sips water4           
,afterwards putting his hand into the   
third vessel1 he meditates the gayatri  
and the four prayers above cited1       
interposing this3 ,may ,indra and       
,varuna the regents of the sky and of   
the ocean accept our oblations1 and     
grant us happiness2 may ,indra and the  
cherishing sun grant us happiness in the
 distribution of food2 may ,indra and   
the moon grant us the happiness of      
attaining the road to celestial bliss1  
and the association of good auspices4   
,it is customary immediately after this 

lustration to give away a vessel of     
tila1 and also a cow1 for the sake of   
securing the passage of the deceased    
over the ,vaitarani1 or river of hell3  
whence the cow1 so given1 is called     
,vaitarani-dhenu4 ,afterwards a bed1    
with its furniture1 is brought2 and the 
giver sits down near the ,brahmana1 who 
has been invited to receive the present4
 ,after saying1 ,salutation to this bed 
with its furniture2 salutation to this  
priest1 to whim it is given1 he pays due
 honour to the ,brahmana in the usual   
form of hospitality4 ,he then pours     
water into his hand1 saying1 ,i give    
thee this bed with its furniture2 the   
priest replies1 give it4 ,upon this he  
sprinkles it with water2 and taking up  
the cusa grass1 tila1 and water1        
delivers them to the priest1 pouring the
 water into his hand1 with a formal     
declaration of the gift and its purpose2
 and again delivers a bit of gold with  
cusa grass1 c41 making a similar formal 
declaration1 #a4--,this day1 ,i1 being  

desirous of obtaining celestial bliss   
for such a one defunct1 do give unto    
thee1 such a one1 a ,brahmana descended 
from such a family1 to whom due honour  
has been shown1 this bed and furniture1 
which has been duly honoured1 and which 
is sacred to ,vishnu4 #b4 ,this day ,i  
give unto thee 7so and so7 this gold1   
sacred to fire1 as a sacerdotal fee1 for
 the sake of confirming the donation ,i 
have made of this bed and furniture4    
,the ,brahmana both times replies be it 
well4 ,then lying upon the bed1 and     
touching it with the upper part of his  
middle finger1 he meditates the gayatri 
with suitable prayers1 adding ,this bed 
is sacred to ,vishnu4  ,with similar    
ceremonies and declarations he next     
gives away to a ,brahmana1 a golden     
image of the deceased1 or else a golden 
idol1 or both4 ,afterwards he           
distributes other presents among        
,brahmanas for the greater honour of the
 deceased4 ,of course1 all this can only
 be done by rich people4  ,the principal

 remaining ceremonies consist chiefly of
 the obsequies called sradhas4 ,the     
first set of funeral ceremonies is      
adopted to effect1 by means of          
oblations1 the reimbodying of the soul  
of the deceased1 after burning his      
corpse4 ,the apparent scope of the      
second is to raise his shade from this  
world 7where it would else1 according to
 the notions of the ,hindus1 continue to
 roam among demons and evil spirits71 up
 to heaven1 and there deify him1 as it  
were1 among the manes of departed       
ancestors4 ,for this end1 a sradha      
should regularly be offered to the      
deceased on the day after mourning      
expires2 twelve other sradhas singly to 
the deceased in twelve successive       
months3 similar obsequies at the end of 
the third fortnight1 and also in the    
sixth month1 and in the twelfth2 and the
 oblation called ,sapindana1 on the     
first anniversary of his decease4 ,in   
most provinces the periods for these    
sixteen ceremonies1 and for the         

concluding obsequies entitled           
,sapindana1 are anticipated1 and the    
whole is completed on the second or     
third day4 ,after which they are again  
performed at the proper times1 but in   
honour of the whole set of progenitors1 
instead of the deceased singly4 ,the    
obsequies intended to raise the shade of
 the deceased to heaven are thus        
completed4 ,afterwards1 a sradha is     
annually offered to him on the          
anniversary of his decease4  ,what we   
have just described1 elaborate as it    
looks1 is simply an abridgment of the   
long and complicated ceremonies         
attendant upon the funeral and after    
obsequies of a rich man among the       
,hindus1 but it is enough for our       
purpose4 ,it shows the vast importance  
attached to those obsequies1 and enables
 us to understand the desire on the part
 of these ,hindus to have children who  
will in a proper and acceptable manner  
carry out these proceedings4 ,we have   
already quoted from the sacred books to 

show that a son was regarded as better  
able to perform those duties than any   
other relation1 and that failing such   
offspring in the ordinary course of     
nature1 it was obligatory upon the would
 be father to adopt one4  ,dulaure and  
some other writers describe a variety of
 ceremonies which were taken part in by 
the women in order to procure the       
children who would satisfy the cravings 
of their husbands4 ,it is probable that 
a good deal of what took place at the   
shrines of heathen goddesses in other   
lands1 arose from this anxiety1 and not 
altogether from a merely licentious     
habit of character and disposition4 ,it 
has been said1 as we may have already   
suggested perhaps1 that the priests     
connected with some of the temples      
resorted to by childless women for the  
cure of their misfortune1 were cunning  
enough to provide for what was wanted in
 a more practical way than by the simple
 performance of certain ceremonies1 and 
that where the failure to produce       

children was due to some fault on the   
part of the husband1 means were at hand 
by which the woman soon found herself in
 the desired condition4 ,it is rather   
singular that something very similar was
 found among the ,jewish women in the   
time of ,ezekiel1 as we have found in   
,india2 the ,indian woman sacrificed her
 virginity at the shrine of the ,lingam1
 and in the #afth chapter of the        
prophet's book1 verse #ag1 we           
read3--,thou didst take also thy fair   
jewels of my gold1 and didst make to    
thyself images of men1 and didst commit 
whoredom with them4 ,the latter1        
however1 was evidently of a very        
different character to the former1 being
 nothing more or less than the impure   
worship of ,priapus as carried on in the
 orgies of ,osiris1 ,bacchus1 and       
,adonis1 the images of the ,hebrew women
 being such as the ,priapi used in those
 ceremonies2 on no account must those   
foolish and filthy practices be         
confounded with that act of worship     

which men in primitively simple         
condition rendered to the agents        
employed in the act of generation1 which
 was innocently regarded as only one of 
the operations of nature4  ,the moral of
 this part of the subject1 and with     
which for the present we take leave of  
it1 is this1 that the ,eastern1 from his
 views of the future life1 deems it     
absolutely necessary that he should     
leave offspring1 either real or adopted1
 behind him1 to carry out the           
obligations imposed by his religion1 and
 that in order to attain in the         
possession of what is to him such a     
blessing1 he is called upon to          
propitiate in every possible manner the 
physical agents and powers employed in  
the process1--hence the rise and        
practice of phallic worship4   ,,the    
,,end4     ,,footnotes3  #a ,see        
,dudley's ,naology4  #b ,edin4 ,rev41   
#ahgj1 p4 #bci4  #c ,jewitt4  #d        
,hawkins' ,sketch of the ,creek         
,country4  #e ,myths of the ,new ,world4

  #f ,jewitt in ,art ,journal1 #ahgf4   
#g ,quoted by ,jewitt1 in ,art ,journal1
 #ahgd4  #h ,lysons1 ,our ,british      
,ancestors4  #i ,cory1 ,mytho4 ,inquiry4
  #aj ,cory1 ,mytho4 ,inquiry4  #aa     
,faber1 ,orig4 ,pag4 ,idol4  #ab        
,meyrick's ,cardigan4  #ac ,inman1 ,anc4
 ,faiths4 ,i4  #ad ,rivers of ,life4    
#ae ,dr4 ,beke4  #af ,dr4 ,f4 ,a4 ,cox4 
#ag ,ewald1 ,antiq4 ,israel4  #ah ,mems4
 ,anthrop4 ,soc4 #a4  #ai ,lewis4       
,origines ,heb4  #bj ,keys of the       
,creeds1 ,v4