Page:Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians Volume 1.djvu/17

Rh It is to be regretted that the partial details, relating to the reigns of the early Pharaohs, given by Herodotus and Diodorus, do not sufficiently agree with the more authentic information derived from the monuments, so as to be embodied with this last, as a continuous history; but, in order not to omit the accounts of those two writers, I have introduced them separately; which, though in some measure it breaks in upon the thread of the history, does not perplex the reader by the examination of controverted points, and he is enabled to form his own opinion respecting their statements, and the information derived from other sources.

I cannot conclude without expressing the obligations I owe to the valuable assistance afforded me by Lord Prudhoe, Mr. W. Hamilton, and Sir William Gell. But, while it is a pleasure to offer my acknowledgments for their kindness, it is melancholy to be obliged to accompany them with feelings of deep regret at the death of so excellent a friend as Sir W. Gell. In him the literary world has sustained a great loss: but friendship and gratitude combine to increase my sorrow; and I can never forget that, for all the satisfaction I have derived from the prosecution of researches to which he first directed my attention,—however unimportant their results,—I am indebted to his kindness and instruction. To many has he lent his powerful assistance in those studies, whose advancement his