ordinary scrutiny. To follow its traces from Paradise to Peru would be no difficult task; but, in a work like this, it might appear redundant. We shall, therefore, satisfy ourselves, and, we trust, the reader too, by submitting a few historical remarks relative thereto. And, before we begin, let us forewarn the reader to mark appellatives partaking of Eph, Oph, Ab, Op, &c.: for instance, Eph-Ait, our Celtic name for Egypt; Ophis, the Greek name for a serpent, whence Ophiolatreia, or serpent-worship; Ab, as in Arab; Ob, as in Obed-Edom; and Op, as in C'opt, Coptic, Ethiop, Europe, &c.—all symbolical terms expressive of the serpent or solar worship, and generally embracing a Trinity. The rapidity of speech, indeed, has been the means of mystifying the root still more: in the following instances, viz., Phoni, Phoenician, Phiantich, Phamair, Famores &c. terms which have their radices in Eph or Oph, transposed, and equivalent to Eph-At, Egypt; Ophites, the name of a Cadmian colony which settled in Boetia, and said to have been led by a Serpent.

"The serpent among the Amorites," says Bryant, was styled Oph, Eph, and Ope; by the Greeks expressed Ops, OUTIS; which terms were continually combined with the different titles of the Deity. This worship prevailed in Babylonia, Egypt, and Syria, from which countries it was brought by the Cadmians into Greece."

"The Arabs," says Philastratus, "worshipped the serpent to that degree, that they ate the heart and liver of serpents!"

Sanchoniatho, who is considered to be the most ancient writer of the Pagan world, and who composed in the Celtic or Phoenician language, afterwards translated into Greek by Philo Byblius, writes thus :

"Taautus first attributed something of the divine nature to the serpent and the serpent tribe; in which he was followed by the Phoenicians and Egyptians. For this animal was deemed by him the most inspired of all the reptiles, and of a fiery nature; inasmuch as it exhibits an incredible celerity, moving by its spirit without either hands or feet, or any of those external members by which other animals effect their motion. And in its progress it assumes a variety of forms, moving in a spiral course, and darting forward with whatever degree of swiftness it pleases. It is moreover long-lived, and has the quality, not only of putting off its old age, and assuming a second youth, but of receiving at the same time an augmentation of its size and strength. And when it has fulfilled the appointed measure of its existence, it consumes itself; as Taautus has laid down in the SACRED books; upon which account this animal is introduced in the sacred rites and mysteries." Euseb. lib. i. c. 10.

This was the understanding of Sanchoniatho, and, probably, that of his day and generation; but we are inclined to consider it as a degenerate view of the symbol.

"The first God," says Orpheus, "bears with himself the heads of animals, many, and single; of a bull, of a serpent, of a fierce lion, and they sprung from the primeval (mundane) egg."

This carries us back again into Egypt, and is equivalent to the Chaldean oracle, viz.,

"He assimilates, professing to cast around him

the form of images."

But this is perhaps digressing.

"Oph," says Bryant in another place, "signifies a serpent, and is pronounced at times, and expressed Ope, Oupis, Opis, Ops, and by Cicero Upis."

After this we will do well to watch the characters B, Ph or F, P, and V, as Cabalistic or sacred; the serpent being the prototype and hieroglyphic of them all, in that sense. Hitherto we refrained from explaining the term Cabala: but, having now, we flatter ourselves, prepared the mind of the reader for the comprehension thereof, the explanation will form part of our next chapter.

"What are ages and the lapse of time,

Matched against truths as lasting as sublime?
Fixed in the rolling flood of endless years,
The pillar of the eternal plan appears." .

CHAPTER IV.

"Never change barbarous names, for there are names in every nation given from God, having unspeakable efficacy in the mysteries."-Chaldean Oracle.

THE CABALA EXPLAINED-ADAM STILL NAMING THE

BEASTS OF THE FIELD—SERP, PYTHON, NACHS, &C.,

UNVEILED-PROOFS OF THE GREAT PREVALENCE OF

SERPENT WORSHIP, &C.

WE take it for granted that the reader is now prepared to ascend with us another step in the ladder of observation, and survey that rather occult object called Cabala. Thus, then, Johnson on the term:

"CABAL, S. (cabale, Fr.

kble, tradition.)

1. The secret science of the Hebrew rabbins.

2. A body of men united in close design.

3. Intrigue."

We may be allowed a doubt whether this threefold explication have furnished the learner with the ideal meaning of this important trisyllable. He is informed, it is true, that the French for the same term is Cabale, and the Hebrew Kble; but where is the French-where is the Hebrew from? Where is the root-the radix-the primary leading idea? Answer; Rather occult. If by this answer we

libel the reader, we beg pardon; but, presuming we do not, let us search further.

“CABALA,kble, tradition," says Calmet, “is a mystical mode of expounding the law, which the Jews say was discovered to Moses on Mount Sinai, and has been from him handed down by tradition. It teaches certain abstruse and mysterious significations of a word or words in Scripture ; from whence are borrowed, or rather forced, explanations, by combining the letters which compose it. This Cabala is of three kinds the Gematry, the Notaricon, and the Themurah, or change. The first consists in taking the letters of a Hebrew word for arithmetical numbers, and explaining every word by the arithmetical value of the letters which compose it. . . . . The second consists of taking each letter of a word for an entire diction. The third kind of Cabala consists in transposition of letters, placing one for another, or one before another, much after the manner of anagrams."

This is all we wanted. The Jews may say that this species of free-masonry was discovered to Moses on mount Sinai, and from him handed down by tradition; but, with deference, we would presume that it was discovered, nay, taught to him in Egypt, for "Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians:" the rest of the Hebrews being slaves, it was incompetent to initiate them into the mysteries. Well: the science Cabala "teaches certain abstruse and mysterious significations of a word or words." Yes: the characters C, B, L, we have made clear, were produced-the first by the symbolic dog, the second by the symbolic serpent, and the third by the symbolic lion. This