not tell; nor
could the priests afford him any satisfactory information. There are many
instances in Pausanias of this nature; where divine honours are paid to the
unknown children of fathers equally unknown.

Herodotus tells us, that, when he discoursed with the priests of Thebes
about the kings who had reigned in Egypt, they described them to him under
three denominations, of Gods, of heroes, and of men. The last succeeded to
those above, and were mere mortals. The manner of succession is mentioned
in the following words: [449][Greek: Piromin ek Piromios gegonenai--kai
oute es theon, oute es Heroa anadesan autous (hoi Aiguptioi)]. There are
many strange and contradictory opinions about this [450]passage; which, if
I do not deceive myself, is very plain; and the purport of it this: _After
the fabulous accounts, there had been an uninterrupted succession of
Piromis after Piromis: and the Egyptians referred none of these to the
dynasties of either the Gods or Heroes, who were supposed to have first
possessed the country_. From hence I think it is manifest that Pi-romis
signifies _a man_. Herodotus, indeed, says, that the meaning of it was
[Greek: kalos kagathos], _a person of a fair and honourable character_: and
so it might be taken by implication; as we say of a native of our own
country, that he is a true and staunch [451]Englishman: but the precise
meaning is plain from the context; and Piromis certainly meant _a man_. It
has this signification in the Coptic: and, in the [452]Prodromus Copticus
of Kircher, [Greek: Piromi], Piromi, is _a man_; and seems to imply a
native. Pirem Racot is an Alexandrine; or, more properly, a native of
Racotis, called Raschid, and Rosetta. Pirem Romi are [453]Romans.

By means of this prefix we may be led to understand what is meant by Paraia
in the account given by Philo from Sanchoniathon: who says, that Cronus had
three sons in the region of Paraia: [454][Greek: Egennethesan de kai en
Paraiai Kronoi treis paides.] Paraia is a variation of P'Ur-aia; and means
literally the land of Ur in Chaldea; the region from whence antient writers
began the history of mankind. A crocodile by the Egyptians was among other
names called [455][Greek: Souchos]: and the name is retained in the Coptic,
where it is expressed [456]Pi-Souchi.

This prefix is sometimes expressed with an aspirate, Phi: and as that word
signifies a mouth, and in a more extensive signification, speech and
language, it sometimes