The Egyptian Book of the dead by P. Le Page Renouf and Edouard Naville

be misunderstood by superficial readers. They are not meant to imply that ‘father of the gods’ was the special attribute of Chepera. ‘Father of the gods’ is predicated in Chapter 8 of Sutu, and it is predicated elsewhere of many other divinities. As in mathematics _any_ point in space may be conceived as the origin of a given line or surface, so in Egyptian mythology any god may be rightly called the father of the gods. And for the same reason. The Day precedes the Night, but not more truly than Night precedes, or in mythological language _gives birth to_ Day. But we may begin at Daybreak, or at Noon, or at Sunset, or with the Sun or the Moon, or with the rising of the Nile or any other natural phenomenon which obeys an evidently permanent fixed Law. ----- Footnote 11: One of the names of the Uræus on the royal crown. Footnote 12: ‘The Glorious ones’; see Note 1 on Chapter I. Footnote 13: See note 11. Footnote 14: An abode of bliss (like the Elysian fields) frequently mentioned and described in the Book of the Dead. Footnote 15: The dragon Âpepi. Footnote 16: Both _Chabasu_ and _Hammemit_ have the sign of the plural, which may arise from the omission of _who art above_ before the first of these words. Unfortunately we have no other copy to check the readings. But it is certain that the sign of plurality is often affixed to words which though in plural form (like the Latin _moenia_, _literae_, _tenebrae_) have a singular meaning. _Chabasu_ means a _lamp_, and the stars, especially the decans, were called by this appellation. _Hammemit_ is the name given to those yet unborn. Footnote 17: ⁂⁂⁂_Un-tȧ_, signifies the god who assumes the face or form of a _Hare_ ⁂, just as _Mau-tȧ_ signifies the god with the face or form of a Cat, _Tehuta_, the god with the head or form of an Ibis. Footnote 18: I am deeply grieved that in my conversation and correspondence with Goodwin (see my _Miscellaneous Notes on Egyptian Philology_, p. 15), I hit upon ‘Ennead’ as a translation of ⁂. Goodwin took it up, and it has since been productive of much mischief. The word in itself (like Triad), is perfectly innocent and correct, yet every word has its ‘cycle’ of associations, and some of them lead the unwary astray. I had just been lecturing on Plotinus when Goodwin asked me for the word. Footnote 19: The _four_ children of Horus are called (_Tempelins._, I, 41, 1) ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. PLATE IV. BOOK OF THE DEAD.