evolutions by means of that soul, which I raised up there
from inertness out of the watery matter."[98] This is a most important
papyrus for a knowledge of Ancient Egyptian philosophy.

"'In the beginning: When there was not yet heaven, when there was not
yet earth, when there were not yet men, when the gods were not yet
born, when there was not yet death.'[99] Nu alone was existing, the
water (or humid) principle of all things, and in that primordial
water, Tumu, the father of the gods.[100] The day of creation came,
Shu raised the waters upon the staircase which is in Khmunu.[101] The
earth was made even under his feet, as a long united table; heaven
appeared above his head as a ceiling of iron (or steel) upon which
rolled the divine Ocean. Hor (Horus) and his sons Hapi, Amsit (or
Mestha,) Tuamautef and Qebhsennuf, the gods of the four cardinal
points, went out at once and posted themselves at the four corners of
the inferior table, and received the four angles of the firmament upon
the point of their sceptres; the sun appeared and the voice of the
god, the first day is arisen and the world was thereafter constituted,
such as it ought to ever remain!"[102]

"Glory of all things, God, the divine and the divine nature.
Principles of the beings; God, the Intelligence, nature and matter.
Wisdom manifests the universe, of which the divine is the principle,
the nature, energy, necessity, the end and the renewing.

There was darkness without limit over the abyss and the water, and a
subtle and intelligent spirit, contained in chaos by the divine
power. Then gushed forth the holy light, and under the sand (i.e., the
atomic dryness) the elements went forth from the humid essence, and
all the gods distributed the fecundity of nature. The universe being
in confusion and disorder, the buoyant elements ascended, and the
heavier were established as a foundation under the damp sand, (and)
everything became separated by fire and suspended, so as to be raised
by the spirit."[103]

The Ancient Egyptians made many more statements which undoubtedly
referred to an unknown, all-powerful, ideal deity of the highest
order, I have a great number of such, but will not bring them forward
in this writing; I refer the reader for some quotations on this
subject, to the valuable writings of Mr. P. Le Page Renouf, especially
to his; Religion of Ancient Egypt (Hibbert Lectures for 1879), which I
have already cited in several places.

It will be