atical;
and it will be hereafter shewn, that it related to a great preservation,
which was most religiously recorded, and became the principal subject of
all their mysteries. The person in the shrine was their chief ancestor, and
the whole process was a memorial of the deluge; the history of which must
have been pretty recent when these works were executed in Egypt.

[Illustration: _Pl. IV. The Ship of Isis Biprora with an Ark._]

[Illustration: _Ship of Isis and Image. From Pocock's Account of Egypt. Pl. XLII._]

From the shrines of Amon abovementioned we may derive the history of all
oracles; which, from the Deity by whom they were supposed to be uttered,
were called Omphi and Amphi, as I have shewn: also, Alphi, Elphi, Orphi,
Urphi, from El, and Orus. The Greeks adhered religiously to antient terms,
however obsolete and unintelligible. They retained the name of Amphi,
though they knew not the meaning: for it was antiquated before they had
letters. That it originally related to oracular revelation is plain from
its being always found annexed to the names of places famous on that
account; and from its occurring in the names of men, renowned as priests
and augurs, and supposed to have been gifted with a degree of
foreknowledge. We read of Amphiaraus, Amphilocus, Amphimachus, persons
represented as under particular divine influence, and interpreters of the
will of the Gods. Amphion, though degraded to a harper, was Amphi-On, the
oracle of Apollo, the Sun: and there was a temple, one of the antient
[Greek: hupaithra], dedicated to him and Zethus, as we may read in
Pausanias. Mopsus, the diviner, is styled [Greek: Ampukides], Ampucides;
which is not a patronymic, but a title of the oracular Deity.

[765][Greek: Entha kai Ampukiden autoi eni emati Mopson]
[Greek: Neleies hele potmos; adeukea d' ou phugen aisan]
[Greek: Mantosunais; ou gar tis apotropie thanatoio.]

Idmon, the reputed son of Abas, was a prophet, as well as Mopsus: he was
favoured with the divine Omphe, and, like the former, styled Ampucides.

[766][Greek: Entha men aisa paresche kataphthisthai duo photas,]
[Greek: Ampukiden Idmona, kubernetera te Tiphun.]

What his attainments were, the Poet mentions in another place.

[767][Greek: De tot' Abantos pais nothos eluthe karteros Idmon,]
[Greek: Ton rh' upokussamene teken Apolloni anakti]
[Greek: Ambrosion para kuma pheretrios Antianeira,]
[Greek: Toi kai MANTOSYNEN epore, kai thesphaton