Types of mankind, or, Ethnological researches, based upon the ancient monuments, paintings, sculptures, and crania of races, and upon their natural, geographical, philological and Biblical history / illustrated by selections from the inedited papers of Samuel George Morton and by additional contributions from L. Agassiz, W. Usher, and H.S. Patterson ; by J.C. Nott and Geo. R. Gliddon.

  • Nott, Josiah C. (Josiah Clark), 1804-1873.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Types of mankind, or, Ethnological researches, based upon the ancient monuments, paintings, sculptures, and crania of races, and upon their natural, geographical, philological and Biblical history / illustrated by selections from the inedited papers of Samuel George Morton and by additional contributions from L. Agassiz, W. Usher, and H.S. Patterson ; by J.C. Nott and Geo. R. Gliddon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    658/800 (page 602)
    Fig. 359. pays sous l’ombrage des voiles’; (98) and tlie late Major Mordecai Noah actually read — “Hail! Land of the (American) Eagle!* Rosellini (99) was the first to indicate that here the prophet apostrophizes Egypt under the metaphor of her national symbol — J8^“ — the “winged globe”; as Birch defines it, “emblem of Kheper, the Creator Sun”.(100) We subjoin the learned Pisan’s emendation, with a few additions: — “ IIo! Land of the Winged Globe [Egypt] ! which art beyond the rivers of KUSA [i. e. the “ torrens JEgypti,” on the Isthmus of Suez ; supra, p. 484] : that sendest into the sea, as messengers, the canals of thy waters; and that navigatest with boats of papyrus on the face of the waves. Go, ye light messengers, to the elongated people [i. e. stretched out along the narrow alluvials of the Nile,] and shaved nation [the Egyptians were essentially a shaven population — vide Genesis xli. 14,]; to a people terrible from the time that was, and also previously; to the geometrical people [Geometry originated in Egypt], who treading [with their feet cultivate their fields] ; whose lands the rivers will devastate [referring to some unfulfilled prophecy].” II. — Ecclesiastes xi. 1—2. “ Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days.... Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.” Unless there was some cabalistic key to the latter portion of these sentences, through t which the Translators understood what they wrote, the super-refined meaning they attached to the numerals 7 and 8 surpasses our feeble comprehension: even Solomon, reputed author and great magician, could not unravel their knot. Let us substitute: — “ Cast thy bread where fruits are borne, because time will restore it with usury. . . . Give the measure (porzione) even to saturity and abundance, because thou knowest not what evil may come upon the earth.” Here, comments Lanci, (101) the sage exhorts man to do good, and to charitable acts towards the poor who, satiated with abundant food, will cause to rain upon him, through the fervor of their prayers, ample benedictions during bad seasons. But, what can be expected from men who translate “ Tor, Sus, and AgUr” — ve Him ve SUS ve £GUR, S.—Jeremiah viii. 7, — by “ the turtle and the crane and the swallow,” — when the prophet meant “the lull and the horse and the colt”‘l (102) T. —Zechariah v. 1, 2, 3. “ Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll And he said to me, What seest thou 1 And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length whereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits. . . . Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth; for every one that stealetli shall be cut off, as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.” If the prophet had been so unfortunate as to receive the words of this angelic vision in English, he would have required a second revelation to understand its Translators’ impene- trable meaning. A “flying roll”! Think of a parchment synagogue roll (MeGiLall, Mcghilld), of such proportions, actually flying through the air! Consider the amount of inspiration it must (98) IX. pp. 66, 67. (99) Monumenti Civili; ii. pp. 394-403. (100) Guddox: Otia JEgypt.; pp. 95, 96: — “It is the Morning Sun: it is often called the beam, of light which rises, or ‘ comes out,’ of the horizon ” — Birch : Egyptian Inscription at the Bibliothtque Rationale ; JR, Soc. Lit.; 1852; iv. p. 3. (101) Sag. Scrit.; ch. iv. § 64. Caiten: xvi. p. 129, notes 1, 2. (102) Paralip.; ii. p. 391. The “ seasons ” should be “ rutting-times — although CanEN, x. pp. 30, 31, pre- fers the old reading.