2
Of alle peples whereof wee knowen, Egyptyens weren firste, as men seyn, for to taken conceyte of Goddes, and to stablisschen holy places and closes, and to apoynten feste dayes. And thei firste knewen holy names and maden holy tales. But no long tyme after, Assuryens herden rumour and speche of Egyptyens as touching to goddes, and rereden seyntuaryes and temples, in the whiche thei lette putten ymages and setten symulacres.In Astrology, Lucian similarly credits the Egyptians with priority over the Chaldaeans in the study of the stars. In th cases his view, surprising in a Syrian, was the common one of his time, to be found, for instance, in Diodorus
3
But auncientlye amonges Egyptyens weren temples withouten symulacres. And in Surrye ben temples almost als olde as tho in Egypte, of the whiche I have seen the moste, and namely the temple of Hercules in Tyre, not that Hercules that Grekes preysen in here songes, but that oon wherof I speke is moche elder, and is Tyres patroun.The god was Melkart. Herodotus was told by the priests there that the cult was established when the city was founded, and was then (ca. 430 B.c.) 2,300 years old (Herod. 2, 44).
