the golden bough-第140章

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ls　on　earth　like　beings　come　from　a　better　world　to　support　and　guide　our　weak　and　erring　nature。　Both　preached　moral　virtue　as　the　means　of　accomplishing　what　they　regarded　as　the　supreme　object　of　life；　the　eternal　salvation　of　the　individual　soul；　though　by　a　curious　antithesis　the　one　sought　that　salvation　in　a　blissful　eternity；　the　other　in　a　final　release　from　suffering；　in　annihilation。　But　the　austere　ideals　of　sanctity　which　they　inculcated　were　too　deeply　opposed　not　only　to　the　frailties　but　to　the　natural　instincts　of　humanity　ever　to　be　carried　out　in　practice　by　more　than　a　small　number　of　disciples；　who　consistently　renounced　the　ties　of　the　family　and　the　state　in　order　to　work　out　their　own　salvation　in　the　still　seclusion　of　the　cloister。　If　such　faiths　were　to　be　nominally　accepted　by　whole　nations　or　even　by　the　world；　it　was　essential　that　they　should　first　be　modified　or　transformed　so　as　to　accord　in　some　measure　with　the　prejudices；　the　passions；　the　superstitions　of　the　vulgar。　This　process　of　accommodation　was　carried　out　in　after　ages　by　followers　who；　made　of　less　ethereal　stuff　than　their　masters；　were　for　that　reason　the　better　fitted　to　mediate　between　them　and　the　common　herd。　Thus　as　time　went　on；　the　two　religions；　in　exact　proportion　to　their　growing　popularity；　absorbed　more　and　more　of　those　baser　elements　which　they　had　been　instituted　for　the　very　purpose　of　suppressing。　Such　spiritual　decadences　are　inevitable。　The　world　cannot　live　at　the　level　of　its　great　men。　Yet　it　would　be　unfair　to　the　generality　of　our　kind　to　ascribe　wholly　to　their　intellectual　and　moral　weakness　the　gradual　divergence　of　Buddhism　and　Christianity　from　their　primitive　patterns。　For　it　should　never　be　forgotten　that　by　their　glorification　of　poverty　and　celibacy　both　these　religions　struck　straight　at　the　root　not　merely　of　civil　society　but　of　human　existence。　The　blow　was　parried　by　the　wisdom　or　the　folly　of　the　vast　majority　of　mankind；　who　refused　to　purchase　a　chance　of　saving　their　souls　with　the　certainty　of　extinguishing　the　species。

Chapter　38。　The　Myth　of　Osiris。

IN　ANCIENT　EGYPT　the　god　whose　death　and　resurrection　were　annually　celebrated　with　alternate　sorrow　and　joy　was　Osiris；　the　most　popular　of　all　Egyptian　deities；　and　there　are　good　grounds　for　classing　him　in　one　of　his　aspects　with　Adonis　and　Attis　as　a　personification　of　the　great　yearly　vicissitudes　of　nature；　especially　of　the　corn。　But　the　immense　vogue　which　he　enjoyed　for　many　ages　induced　his　devoted　worshippers　to　heap　upon　him　the　attributes　and　powers　of　many　other　gods；　so　that　it　is　not　always　easy　to　strip　him；　so　to　say；　of　his　borrowed　plumes　and　to　restore　them　to　their　proper　owners。

The　story　of　Osiris　is　told　in　a　connected　form　only　by　Plutarch；　whose　narrative　has　been　confirmed　and　to　some　extent　amplified　in　modern　times　by　the　evidence　of　the　monuments。

Osiris　was　the　offspring　of　an　intrigue　between　the　earth…god　Seb　（Keb　or　Geb；　as　the　name　is　sometimes　transliterated）　and　the　sky…goddess　Nut。　The　Greeks　identified　his　parents　with　their　own　deities　Cronus　and　Rhea。　When　the　sun…god　Ra　perceived　that　his　wife　Nut　had　been　unfaithful　to　him；　he　declared　with　a　curse　that　she　should　be　delivered　of　the　child　in　no　month　and　no　year。　But　the　goddess　had　another　lover；　the　god　Thoth　or　Hermes；　as　the　Greeks　called　him；　and　he　playing　at　draughts　with　the　moon　won　from　her　a　seventy…second　part　of　every　day；　and　having　compounded　five　whole　days　out　of　these　parts　he　added　them　to　the　Egyptian　year　of　three　hundred　and　sixty　days。　This　was　the　mythical　origin　of　the　five　supplementary　days　which　the　Egyptians　annually　inserted　at　the　end　of　every　year　in　order　to　establish　a　harmony　between　lunar　and　solar　time。　On　these　five　days；　regarded　as　outside　the　year　of　twelve　months；　the　curse　of　the　sun…god　did　not　rest；　and　accordingly　Osiris　was　born　on　the　first　of　them。　At　his　nativity　a　voice　rang　out　proclaiming　that　the　Lord　of　All　had　come　into　the　world。　Some　say　that　a　certain　Pamyles　heard　a　voice　from　the　temple　at　Thebes　bidding　him　announce　with　a　shout　that　a　great　king；　the　beneficent　Osiris；　was　born。　But　Osiris　was　not　the　only　child　of　his　mother。　On　the　second　of　the　supplementary　days　she　gave　birth　to　the　elder　Horus；　on　the　third　to　the　god　Set；　whom　the　Greeks　called　Typhon；　on　the　fourth　to　the　goddess　Isis；　and　on　the　fifth　to　the　goddess　Nephthys。　Afterwards　Set　married　his　sister　Nephthys；　and　Osiris　married　his　sister　Isis。

Reigning　as　a　king　on　earth；　Osiris　reclaimed　the　Egyptians　from　savagery；　gave　them　laws；　and　taught　them　to　worship　the　gods。　Before　his　time　the　Egyptians　had　been　cannibals。　But　Isis；　the　sister　and　wife　of　Osiris；　discovered　wheat　and　barley　growing　wild；　and　Osiris　introduced　the　cultivation　of　these　grains　amongst　his　people；　who　forthwith　abandoned　cannibalism　and　took　kindly　to　a　corn　diet。　Moreover；　Osiris　is　said　to　have　been　the　first　to　gather　fruit　from　trees；　to　train　the　vine　to　poles；　and　to　tread　the　grapes。　Eager　to　communicate　these　beneficent　discoveries　to　all　mankind；　he　committed　the　whole　government　of　Egypt　to　his　wife　Isis；　and　travelled　over　the　world；　diffusing　the　blessings　of　civilisation　and　agriculture　wherever　he　went。　In　countries　where　a　harsh　climate　or　niggardly　soil　forbade　the　cultivation　of　the　vine；　he　taught　the　inhabitants　to　console　themselves　for　the　want　of　wine　by　brewing　beer　from　barley。　Loaded　with　the　wealth　that　had　been　showered　upon　him　by　grateful　nations；　he　returned　to　Egypt；　and　on　account　of　the　benefits　he　had　conferred　on　mankind　he　was　unanimously　hailed　and　worshipped　as　a　deity。　But　his　brother　Set　（whom　the　Greeks　called　Typhon）　with　seventy…two　others　plotted　against　him。　Having　taken　the　measure　of　his　good　brother's　body　by　stealth；　the　bad　brother　Typhon　fashioned　and　highly　decorated　a　coffer　of　the　same　size；　and　once　when　they　were　all　drinking　and　making　merry　he　brought　in　the　coffer　and　jestingly　promised　to　give　it　to　the　one　whom　it　should　fit　exactly。　Well；　they　all　tried　one　after　the　other；　but　it　fitted　none　of　them。　Last　of　all　Osiris　stepped　into　it　and　lay　down。　On　that　the　conspirators　ran　and　slammed　the　lid　down　on　him；　nailed　it　fast；　soldered　it　with　molten　lead；　and　flung　the　coffer　into　the　Nile。　This　happened　on　the　seventeenth　day　of　the　month　Athyr；　when　the　sun　is　in　the　sign　of　the　Scorpion；　and　in　the　eight…and…twentieth　year　of　the　reign　or　the　life　of　Osiris。　When　Isis　heard　of　it　she　sheared　off　a　lock　of　her　hair；　put　on　a　mourning　attire；　and　wandered　disconsolately　up　and　down；　seeking　the　body。

By　the　advice　of　the　god　of　wisdom　she　took　refuge　in　the　papyrus　swamps　of　the　Delta。　Seven　scorpions　accompanied　her　in　her　flight。　One　evening　when　she　was　weary　she　came　to　the　house　of　a　woman；　who；　alarmed　at　the　sight　of　the　scorpions；　shut　the　door　in　her　face。　Then　one　of　the　scorpions　crept　under　the　door　and　stung　the　child　of　the　woman　that　he　died。　But　when　Isis　heard　the　mother's　lamentation；　her　heart　was　touched；　and　she　laid　her　hands　on　the　child　and　uttered　her　powerful　spells；　so　the　poison　was　driven　out　of　the　child　and　he　lived。　Afterwards　Isis　herself　gave　birth　to　a　son　in　the　swamps。　She　had　conceived　him　while　she　fluttered　in　the　form　of　a　hawk　over　the　corpse　of　her　dead　husband。　The　infant　was　the　younger　Horus；　who　in　his　youth　bore　the　name　of　Harpocrates；　that　is；　the　child　Horus。　Him　Buto；　the　goddess　of　the　north；　hid　from　the　wrath　of　his　wicked　uncle　Set。　Yet　she　could　not　guard　him　from　all　mishap；　for　one　day　when　Isis　came　to　her　little　son's　hiding…place　she　found　him　stretched　lifeless　and　rigid　on　the　ground：　a　scorpion　had　stung　him。　Then　Isis　prayed　to　the　sun…god　Ra　for　help。　The　god　hearkened　to　her　and　staid　his　bark　in　the　sky；　and　sent　down　Thoth　to　teach　her　the　spell　by　which　she　might　restore　her　son　to　life。　She　uttered　the　words　of　power；　and　straightway　the　poison　flowed　from　the　body　of　Horus；　air　passed　into　him；　and　he　lived。　Then　Thoth　ascended　up　into　the　sky　and　took　his　place　once　more　in　the　bark　of　the　sun；　and　the　bright　pomp　passed　onward　jubilant。

Meantime　the　coffer　containing　the　body　of　Osiris　had　fl