in Greek ritual; and
the general idea of a river to cross, of dangerous monsters to avoid, of
perils to encounter, of precautions to be taken by the wandering soul, is
nearly universal, where it must be unborrowed from Egypt, in Polynesian
and Red Indian belief. As at Eleusis, in these remote tribes formulas of
a preservative character are inculcated.

The "Book of the Dead" was a guidebook of the itinerary of Egyptian
souls. Very probably similar instruction was given to the initiate at
Eleusis. But the Fijians also have a regular theory of what is to be
done and avoided on "The Path of the Shades." The shade is ferried by
Ceba (Charon) over Wainiyalo (Lethe); he reaches the mystic pandanus tree
(here occurs a rite); he meets, and dodges, Drodroyalo and the two
devouring Goddesses; he comes to a spring, and drinks, and forgets sorrow
at Wai-na-dula, the "Water of Solace." After half-a-dozen other
probations and terrors, he reaches the Gods, "the dancing-ground and the
white quicksand; and then the young Gods dance before them and sing. . . . "
{91a}

Now turn to Plutarch. {91b} Plutarch compares the soul's mortal
experience with that of the initiate in the Mysteries. "There are
wanderings, darkness, fear, trembling, shuddering, horror, then a
marvellous light: pure places and meadows, dances, songs, and holy
apparitions." Plutarch might be summarising the Fijian belief. Again,
take the mystic golden scroll, found in a Greek grave at Petilia. It
describes in hexameters the Path of the Shade: the spring and the white
cypress on the left: "Do not approach it. Go to the other stream from
the Lake of Memory; tell the Guardians that you are the child of Earth
and of the starry sky, but that yours is a heavenly lineage; and they
will give you to drink of that water, and you shall reign with the other
heroes."

Tree, and spring, and peaceful place with dance, song, and divine
apparitions, all are Fijian, all are Greek, yet nothing is borrowed by
Fiji from Greece. Many other Greek inscriptions cited by M. Foucart
attest similar beliefs. Very probably such precepts as those of the
Petilia scroll were among the secret instructions of Eleusis. But they
are not so much Egyptian as human. Chibiabos is assuredly not borrowed
from Osiris, nor the Fijian faith from the "Book of the Dead." "Sacred
things," not to be shown to man, still less to woman, date from the
"medicine bag" of the Red Indian, the mystic tribal b