For that the Gods, being afraid of Typhon, changed
themselves into these animals, and did as it were hide
themselves in the bodies of ibises, dogs, and hawks, is a
foolery beyond all prodigiousness and legend. And that
such souls of men departed this life as remain undissolved
after death have leave to be reborn into this life by these
bodies only, is equally incredible. And of those who
would assign some political reason for these things, there
are some that affirm that Osiris in his great army, dividing
his forces into many parts (which we in Greek call λόχοι
and τάξεις), at the same time gave every of them certain
ensigns or colors with the shapes of several animals upon
them, which in process of time came to be looked upon as
sacred, and to be worshipped by the several kindred and
clans in that distribution. Others say again, that the kings
of after times did, for the greater terror of their enemies,
wear about them in their battles the golden and silver
heads and upper parts of fierce animals. But there are
others that relate that one of these subtle and crafty
princes, observing the Egyptians to be of a light and vain
disposition and very inclinable to change and innovation,
and withal, when sober and unanimous, of an inexpugnable and irrestrainable strength by reason of their mighty
numbers, therefore taught them, in their several quarters,
a perpetual kind of superstition, to be the ground of endless quarrels and disputes among them. For the various
animals which he commanded different cities to observe
[p. 130]
and reverence being at enmity and war with one another,
and desiring one another for food, each party among them
being upon the perpetual defence of their proper animals,
and highly resenting the wrongs that were offered them,
it happened that, being thus drawn into the quarrels of
their beasts, they were, before they were aware, engaged
in hostilities with one another. For at this very day, the
Lycopolitans (or Wolf-town-men) are the only people among
the Egyptians that eat the sheep, because the wolf, which
they esteem to be a God, doth so too. And in our own
times, the Oxyrynchites (or those of Pike-town), because
the Cynopolitans (or those of Dog-town) did eat a pike,
catched the dogs and slew them, and ate of them as they
would do of a sacrifice; and there arising a civil war upon
it, in which they did much mischief to one another, they
were all at last chastised by the Romans.
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