uted, and detained for some time in her temple: after which they are
permitted to be given in marriage. Nor is any body at all scrupulous about
cohabiting with a young woman afterwards, though she has been in this
manner abused._

The Patrica were not only rites of Mithras, but also of Osiris, who was in
reality the same Deity.

We have a curious inscription to this purpose, and a representation, which
was first exhibited by the learned John Price in his observations upon
Apuleius. It is copied from an original, which he saw at Venice: and there
is an engraving from it in the Edition of Herodotus by [911]Gronovius, as
well as in that by [912]Wesselinge: but about the purport of it they are
strangely mistaken. They suppose it to relate to a daughter of Mycerinus,
the son of Cheops. She died, it seems: and her father was so affected with
her death, that he made a bull of wood, which he gilt, and in it interred
his daughter. Herodotus says, that he saw the bull of Mycerinus; and that
it alluded to this history. But, notwithstanding the authority of this
great author, we may be assured that it was an emblematical representation,
and an image of the sacred bull Apis and Mneuis. And, in respect to the
sculpture above mentioned, and the characters therein expressed, the whole
is a religious ceremony, and relates to an event of great antiquity, which
was commemorated in the rites of Osiris. Of this I shall treat hereafter:
at present, it is sufficient to observe, that the sacred process is carried
on before a temple; on which is a Greek inscription, but in the provincial
characters: [Greek: Endon Patriken Heorten Phero]. How can [Greek: Heorte
Patrike] relate to a funeral? It denotes a festival in honour of the Sun,
who was styled, as I have shewn, Pator; and his temple was called Patra:
whence these rites were denominated Patrica. Plutarch alludes to this
Egyptian ceremony, and supposes it to relate to Isis, and to her mourning
for the loss of her son. Speaking of the month Athyr, he mentions
[913][Greek: Boun diachruson himatioi melani bussinoi peribalontes epi
penthei tes Theou deiknuousin (hoi Aiguptioi)]. _The Egyptians have a
custom in the month Athyr of ornamenting a golden image of a bull; which
they cover with a black robe of the finest linen. This they do in
commemoration of Isis, and her grief for the loss of Orus_. In every
figure, as they are represented in the sculpture, there appears deep
silence and reverential