eover assured, that
the people of Ethiopia had a dog for their king: that he was kept in great
state, being surrounded with a numerous body of officers and guards, and in
all respects royally treated. Plutarch speaks of him as being [39][Greek:
semnos proskunomenos], worshipped with a degree of religious reverence. The
whole of this notion took its rise from a misinterpretation of the title
above. I have mentioned, that in early times Cahen was a title universally
conferred upon priests and prophets: hence Lycophron, who has continually
allusions to obsolete terms, calls the two diviners, Mopsus and
Amphilochus, [Greek: Kunas].

[40][Greek: Doiaide rheithron Puramou pros ekbolais]
[Greek: Autoktonois sphagaisi Derainou KYNES]
[Greek: Dmethentes aichmazousi loisthion boan.]

Upon which the Scholiast observes: [Greek: Kunes hoi Manteis]: _by Cunes
are meant Diviners:_ and again, [Greek: Kunas Apollonos tous manteis
eipein.] _The Poet, by_ [Greek: Kunas], _means the ministers and prophets
of Apollo._ Upon this the learned [41]Meursius observes, that Lycophron had
here made use of a term imported from Egypt: so that, I think, we cannot be
mistaken about the purport of the word, however it may have been perverted.

The name of the Deity, Canouphis, expressed also Canuphis, and Cnuphis, was
compounded with this term. He was represented by the Egyptians as a
princely person, with a serpent entwined round his middle, and embellished
with other characteristics, relating to time and duration, of which the
serpent was an emblem. Oph, and Ouph, signified a serpent in the Amonian
language; and the Deity was termed Can-uph, from his serpentine
representation. The whole species, in consequence of this, were made sacred
to him, and styled Canyphian. To this Lucan alludes, when, in speaking of
the Seps, he calls all the tribe of serpents Cinyphias pestes:

[42]Cinyphias inter pestes tibi palma nocendi.

Canuphis was sometimes expressed Anuphis and Anubis; and, however rendered,
was by the Greeks and Romans continually spoken of as a dog; at least they
supposed him to have had a dog's head, and often mention his [43]barking.
But they were misled by the title, which they did not understand. The
Egyptians had many emblematical personages, set off with heads of various
animals, to represent particular virtues and affections, as well as to
denote the various attributes of their Gods. Among others was this canine
figure, which I