fish; and from hence the first hint
of dying was [76]taken. This gave birth to the proverbial expression,
[77][Greek: Heurema kunos en he sebaste porphura.] Nonnus mentions the
particular circumstance of the dog's staining his mouth:

[78][Greek: Chioneas porphure pareidas haimati kochlou.]

Such is the story, which at first sight is too childish to admit of credit.
It is not likely that a dog would feed upon shell-fish: and if this may at
any time have happened, yet whoever is at all conversant in natural
history, must know, that the murex is of the turbinated kind, and
particularly aculeated; having strong and sharp protuberances, with which a
dog would hardly engage. The story is founded upon the same misconception,
of which so many instances have been produced. Hercules of Tyre, like all
other oriental divinities, was styled Cahen, and Cohen; as was allowed by
the Greeks themselves. [79][Greek: Ton Heraklen phasi kata ten Aiguption
dialekton CHONA legesthai.] _We are told, that Hercules in the language of
the Egyptians is called Chon._ This intelligence, however, they could not
abide by; but changed this sacred title to [80][Greek: kuon], a dog, which
they described as an attendant upon the Deity.

The Grecians tell us, that the Egyptians styled Hermes a dog: but they seem
to have been aware, that they were guilty of an undue representation. Hence
Plutarch tries to soften, and qualify what is mentioned, by saying,
[81][Greek: Ou gar kurios ton Hermen KYNA legousin (hoi Aiguptioi)]: by
which this learned writer would insinuate, that it was not so much the name
of a dog, as the qualities of that animal, to which the Egyptians alluded.
Plutarch thought by this refinement to take off the impropriety of
conferring so base a name upon a Deity. But the truth is, that the
Egyptians neither bestowed it nominally; nor alluded to it in any degree.
The title which they gave to Hermes was the same that they bestowed upon
Hercules: they expressed it Cahen, and Cohen; and it was very properly
represented above by the Greek term [Greek: Chon], Chon. It is said of
Socrates, that he sometimes made use of an uncommon oath, [Greek: ma ton
kuna, kai ton chena] _by the dog and the goose_: which at first does not
seem consistent with the gravity of his character. But we are informed by
Porphyry, that this was not done by way of ridicule: for Socrates esteemed
it a very serious and religious mode of attestation: and under these terms
ma