other divisions
into: "The Mystery Teachers of Heaven," or, the astronomers and
astrologers; "The Mystery Teachers of All Lands," or, the geographers
and those who studied other peoples and countries; "The Mystery
Teachers of the Depth," likely, the possessors of a knowledge of
minerals, mining, varieties of rocks, etc.; "Mystery Teachers of the
Secret Word," doubtless those interested in abstract thought,
religious metaphysics and philosophy; "Mystery Teachers of the Sacred
Language," men who devoted themselves to grammar and the form of
writing; "Mystery Teachers of Pharaoh, or, 'of all the commands of
Pharaoh,'" wise men, likely private scribes and secretaries of the
king; "Mystery Teachers who examine Words," likely learned men who sat
as judges to hear complaints, and sift the opposing statements of
litigants and witnesses. The learned writers known as scribes were
also divided into many branches.[66]

We cannot accept the statements of most of the Greek authors upon this
subject, for the study of the last few years of the Ancient Egyptian
papyri and other remains, shows that they either did not know or they
willfully misrepresented, Egyptian abstract thought; about the only
works, outside of the papyri and the monuments, from which we can
gather as to it with any sureness, meagre details; are the writings
attributed to Hermes Trismegistos; the Osiris and Isis, of Plutarch;
the work ascribed to Horapollon, and the book of Iamblichus, entitled:
A Treatise on the Mysteries. The Greek writers upon Ancient Egypt,
Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, Thales, Plato, Pythagoras, Solon,
and others, of less note; give but little assistance, indeed in many
cases their statements are misleading. It is a question yet to be
solved, as to how much of the foundations of the philosophy of
Pythagoras, Plato, Solon and other Greek writers, were obtained from
the learned men of Egypt or their writings.[67]

Chapter XXX. of the _Per-em-hru_, or, Book of the Dead, has frequently
in the papyrus copies, a picture of the soul of the dead in adoration
before a scarabaeus set upright upon a support. This chapter is
entitled: "Chapter of not allowing the heart of a man to have
opposition made to it in the divine inferior region." It says towards
the end: "This chapter is to be said over a scarabaeus of hard stone,
formed and set in gold, which should be placed in the breast of the
man, after the opening of the mouth has been made and the