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ries, that is Sleeping Places: But before Bu-rial they were embalm'd after a very curiousManner, as fhall be fhewn. The firft andmoft coftly Kind of Embalming was valuedat a Talent of Silver, which may be com-puted at about eight hundred and fifty Li-vers, at that Time of Day, but reckon'dnow wou'd amount to eight thoufand Livers,or five hundred Pounds Sterling and upwards.

This Embalming was us'd to none but Per-fons of the firft Quality. Three People us'dto be imploy'd in the Operation ; one wasa Kind of Defigner, or Overfeer, whomark'd oitt fuch Places of the Body, as wereto be opened to take out the Bowels. Thenext was a Diffeftor, who, with a Knifemade of an Ethiopian Stone, cut the Fiefh asmuch as was neceflary, and as the Lawwou'd permit, and immediately after fledaway with all the Expedition imaginable ;becaufe it was the Cuftom of the Relationsand the Domefticks to purfue the Deflectorwith Stones, and do him all the Injuries theycou'd, treating him as an impious Wretch,and the worft of Men. After this Opera-tion the Embalmers, who were reckon'd asHoly Men, enter'd to perform their Offices;and began firft, fome to remove the Bowelsin the upper Cavity, excepting the Heart andReins ; and others to cleanfe the lower Bel-ly, which they wafh'd with Palm Wine, orother aromatical Liquors; and during theSpace of above thirty Days, they wafh'd theBody with Balfam, Gum, or Rofin of Ce-dar, and fill'd it with Powder of Myrrh,Aloes, Indian Spicknard, Bitumen of Judea,and other Things of the like Nature; butthey never us'd Frankjncenfe, which we nowcall Olibanum • either becaufe of the greatVeneration they had for that Drugg, or byReafon of its Scarcenefs. As to the Headthey us'd Iron Inftruments, which theythruft up the Noftrils, and pierced the Scullwith, to draw from thence the Subftance ofthe Brain j and afterwards they fyring'd upprecious and odoriferous Liquors.

The fecond Sort of Embalming was rec-kon'd at half a Talent, which was us'd tothe middle Sort of People, where they con-tented themfeives only to fyringe the Body,or make Injections of Water, or rather ofa Decoction made of Simples, or otherPruggs, and Oil of Cedar; and afterwards,

General Bftory of DRUGG S.

Voi.ir.

when the Body was thus prepar'd, to put itinto Salt for feventy Days j after whichTime they took it out, and having open'dthe Hole they drew out the Inteftines, whichwere almoft wholly confum'd. This done,they wrap'd all the Body in Bandages offine Linnen dip'd in Myrrh and Afphaltum ;and the Defigner, which they call'd the Scribe,cover'd the Wrappings with a paintedCloath, whereon was reprefented the Ritesof their Religion in Hieroglyphic!^ Chara-cters, and the Animals which the Dead lov'dmoft.

The Hiftory of the Beetle.

The Principal of all thofe Animals, or thatfor which the Egyptians had moft Veneration,was the Beetle; as well becaufe of its won-derful Birth or Production, as from the A-nalogy or Refemblance they pretend thisAnimal has with the Sun, and the ftrangeInftin# in this Creature to continue its ownSpecies; for this little Animal breeds with-out the Aid or Afliftance of any Female;for when the Male wou'd produce, he feeksout the Dung of an Ox or Bull, and havingfound it, he forms a round Ball, of the Fi-gure of the World, which with his bindFeet he turns from Eaft to Weft, and turninghimfelf towards the Eaft, he imitates theMotions of the World. Having thus roll'dthe Ball, he puts it in the Ground and leavesic there twenty-eight Days, which is theTime that the Moon paffes thro' the Signsof the Zodiack ; and during that Time hehatches the little Beetles in the Ball; and thetwenty-ninth Day, which is the Day of theConjunction of the Moon with the Sun, andthe Time Productions are mad. in Nature,this little Animal rolls its Ball into the Wa-ter, where it opens, and the Beetles get out.It is upon this account fome fay that it ismade the Emblem of Birth, and the Sym-bol of Fathers; becaufe thefe Infects havebut one Father, and no Mother. They re-prefent alfo the World, becaufe of the Baitwhich they form and turn round ; and Man,becaufe there are none but Male Beetles :They are of feveral Kinds, but thofe for whichthe Egyptians have the greateft Veneration,are fuch as have a Head like a Cat, accom-paay'd with Rays, which gives Occafion to

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