112

The raiser of this figure was Iskalapuis. la the
opinion of the Magians of Riimi, it rendered oracles,
because, having been made in strict dependency on
the observation of the motions of the seven planets
at the most suitable moments, it was constituted in
such a manner that one of the spirits of the stars
descended into it; and therefore answered any ques-
tion asked from him. The name of this figure was
Saklapes.l

The Sabeans believe that in some of their idols a
white hand appears. Further, the wise men of
Persia, Greece, India, and the Sabeans, all acknow-
ledge the stars as the Kiblah, and the blessed Em-
peror (Akbar) also received divine commands with
regard to them.

In the histories of the Turks is to be found that
Jangiskhan2 worshipped the stars, and several

rem invocabunt ^Esculapii filium—(see f.ycophron, v. 1054); and that he
was often confounded with the sun, as son of Apollo, who also was the
sun, and of the nymph Coronnis,who was the daughter ofPhlegyas, that
is, " ihe heat of the sun."

1 Saklapes probably stands for Serapis. It is known that Serapis and
Bacchus were the sun of autumn and the sun of spring. Serapis bore
sometimes the character of the Egyptian Chmiin, surnamed Esculapius.
To predict and to resuscitate were powers attributed toApollo-Esculapius.
As the latter, so had Serapis a serpent. He was also Osiris. Helios-
Serapis and Jupiter-Serapis are read upon bronzes. Temples of Serapis
were numerous in Asia, Thracia, Greece, and Italy. I shall only mention
that of Antium, and that at Rome, on an island of the Tiber, beyond the
pons Palatinus.

2 Jangis khan, originally called Tamujin, was, according to Chinese and