May6] PROCEEDINGS. [1S90.<^>, ai>-re,we find (besidesthe / |\ Mf\ \er^> tne ' ¥^ $f 1 sem>the 5>, n^~ gf, se-mer-ef, andsomeotherwell-knownpriests) the
D Ma, ^a, and the IT M£ , fsw.
Thelatter title, whichmeets us on countless inscriptions,has
hada remarkable destiny at the hands of Egyptologists. M. de
Roug£,seeing thatmany greatpersonages at the Egyptian couit
bore the title, mildlyhasardeda suggestion about it. " Peul-etie
doit-onle comparer au titre ptolemai'querwv
himselfhoweverdid not attach muchimportanceto this conjecture,
and he would certainlynot have ventureduponit had he known
that the Ptolemaic (pi\ot or kialpoi were not originally Egyptian
but Macedonian.* They were introduced into Egyptand Syria
by the Macedonian kingsof those countries;and the Roman emperors
imitatedthe eastern courtsin their 'amici Augusti' and in their
'comites,' our Counts. Thereis not a particle of evidence that
it ever meant 'friend.' It is impossible to quote a single Egyp
tian text in which the word is so used, andto quote the Coptic
cycbHDas i's representative is to insult etymology.
Fromfirst to last snur is the name of an officer, and it is in virtue
of his office as smer thathe officiates in the religious ceremoniesof
the Ritual.
Thetitleis not necessarily one confined to the male sex. Queen
Meri-Seanch, for instance, at this courtof Chafra, besides being
priestessof Thoth andof other gods,wasv\ II T , the Smerit
of Horus. Thereis also the proper name I T | J, Smerit-ka, of
a great ladywhowas priestess of Hathor.
The D erpa has a title which,in later times,waswritten
fl
□ ^, and, in this form,naturallysuggeststhe composition of theword,from <^>and—-J. But the scribes of the eighteenth and
- It has been thoughtprobablethatAlexanderborrowedthis institution, as
well as others, fromthe Persian Court. Thisis not the case. Theinstitutionis
olderin Macedon thanAlexander'sfather,Philip. Thereadersof Demosthenes
are familiar withthe «Jiroipoi, the foot-guards. Thehorse-guardswerecalled
ircupotor QiAot.
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