The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent. (Port Gibson, Claiborne Co., Miss.) 1848-18??, 1850-01-18


all, and its final blessedness or condemna-
tion when again united with the body.
He termed his code, the "Funercaf Ritual
or "Book Of the Manifestations Of Light"
translating literally the hieroglyphical title.
Lepsius has since named it 1.-The Book OF
the Dead" )" (Todtenbuch, } while MI Birch,
in MS. wherein he has kindly given us
the translation Of many portions, happily
designates it, "a Book for tFe Dead to
Read. :" These looks or ritual nave been
found in whole or in part, under many diff
terent degrees Of preservation, in many
mummies, and it seems 10 have been the
almost universal custom to inclose within
the ''aromatic folds" Of the deceased a
copy Of this "Guide to Hades," for his
use IN the perils he was about to cncoun-
ter; very much in the same way as with
the Indians are buried propitiatory offer
lngs to their gods, the bows and arrows
they have used, and the faithful dog which
IS thereafter to bear them company" A
still better analogy, continued Mr.. Gliddon,
IS found IN the custom which prevailed
among Christians in the middle ages Of
lnclosIng Illuminated Missa's in the tombs
OF eminent persons; and from the style Of
executing these, we are now enabled to
ascertain the epoch of each.
Now let US suppose that such a usage
as this had prevailed for thousand years
down to the present time, and that with
our presidents and princes we had been
accustomed to bury a complete copy Of our
sacred scriptures, with those Of less note a
single book, such as the Psalms Of David,
or Eplstle 10 the Hebrews, and with a pea
SAINT or laborer only chapter OF a single
verse. All other traces Of cur literature
and religion being lost, would not an anti
quarlan some thousands Of years hence,
be able by diligent comparison and col
latlon Of such cotfined reiiguip to recon-
struct our system of religion, and show to
his cotcmporaries what we believed rela-
tive to God and our future state! More
than this, such diligent explorer or exhu-
mer as we suppose, would be able, BY COM
parng the different styles and characters
OF the documents, to fix the relative ages
of this production. He would find pro-
grcsslve development. First-uncial char
acters, with rude figures of angels in i'm
possible positions; thence through black
letter with richly gilt illustrations, he
would come down to the epoch Of printing,
first rude and clumsy, accompanied with
engravings, and bound in pieces Of oak
board, and thence to the hot-pressed, gilt
edged and elegantly embossed Bibles Of
our day. In like manner we find the ear
lest papyri written in the plain linear
hlerograPhIc, and IN subsequent ages in
successive forms Of TIE hieratc Or saccr-
dotal characters. Ali this is independent
of the relative ages Of the mummics them
selves, as deducible from the peculiar fash
ions Of successive generations and other
epochal characteristics, Of which time for
bids us now TO speak.
The longest and most perfect papvrus
Of this .'Todtenbuch'' is that in the Turin
Of which have already spoken.
Single detached chapters, and even por-
tons Of chapters, have been found in other
each, however. forming part Of
one great whole; fragmentary copies Of one
great original, and in many cases, might
say nearly all, The chapter and verse may
be assigned to all the detached portions yet
found.
We here interrupted our guide for a
moment to inquire as to the probability Of
either Of the mummies which during his
discourse had been staring at Us, contain
ing any portion Of this extraordinary book;
10 which he replied: that although they
were females, the ancient Egyptians held
lie sex III such honor that these sacred
writings were frequently folded with them,
md as these were Of the higher class We
might reasonably expect to find some CO.
pious portions Of the ..Todtenbuch" inside
when the time arrived for breaking the
'scals Of their medicatcd trunks" Other
questions sprang to our lips on hearing
his announcement, but waving his hand,
our learned friend proceeded without graf
flying our eager curiosity. Having thus
sltetched briefly the description and histo-
" Of the Book of the Dead, let us now
urn to the book itself, of which | hold
correct photographic copy in my hand, fac
smiled by Lepsius, and enlarged plates
rom which were hung within our view.
This book, says Lepsius in his preface to
he Todenbuch. IS not a Ritual 1t con-
aims no directions for the worship of the
lead, no hymns nor prayers to be spoken
II the funeral, but the deceased is himself
he active person therein, and the text con-
,erns him only. and his adventures in the
ong wanderings after the earthly death.
/ is either narrated or written, whittier he
rrives, what he does, what he hears or
ices, or they are prayers and harangues
which he himself addresses TO the differ
mt gods before he arrives.
At the head of each chapter is a Wig
lette representing the subject of the text
,elow, and some Of those are now before
rou. l am indebted to my honored friend,
.Ir. Birch, Of the British Museum, for the
Glowing MS. description of this wonder
Ill document: The antiquity Of portions
if their books is as early as the 18th dy-
TASTY. I am even informed as early as
he 4th dynasty, (3400 years B. c., or
bout 1900 years before the birth Of Abra-
lam.) Their scope is to give general d.
ections how the deceased and his soul
nav keep in or come out of Kar-neter or