elegance, leaves us wholly in the dark, which of the Gods was the actor in it: other Mythologists are more explicit; and we may rely on the authority of CORNUTUS, that the old European heathens confidered Jove (not the son of SATURN, but of the Ether, that is of an unknown parent) as the great Life-giver, and Father of Gods and men; to which may be added the Orphean doctrine, preferved by PROCLUS, that "the abyss and empyreum, the earth and fea, the Gods and Goddeffes, were produced "by ZEUS or JUPITER." In this character he correfponds with BRAHMA'; and, perhaps, with that God of the Babylonians (if we can rely on the accounts of their ancient religion), who, like BRAHMA', reduced the universe to order, and, like BRAHMA', loft his head, with the blood of which new animals were instantly formed: I allude to the common ftory, the meaning of which I cannot discover, that BRAHMA' had five heads till one of them was cut off by NA'RA'YA'N.

That, in another capacity, Jove was the Helper and Supporter of all, we may collect from his old Latin epithets, and from CICERO, who informs us, that his ufual name is a contraction of Juvans Pater; an etymology, which shows the idea entertained of his character, though we may have some doubt of its accuracy. CALLIMACHUS, we know, addreffes him as the bestower of all good, and of fecurity from grief; and, fince neither wealth without virtue, nor virtue without wealth, give complete happiness, he prays, like a wife poet, for both. for both. An Indian An Indian prayer for riches would be directed to LACSHMI, the wife of VISHNU, fince the Hindu Goddeffes are believed to be the powers of their respective lords: as to CUVE'RA, the Indian PLUTUs, one of whofe hames in Paulaftya, he is revered, indeed, as a magnificent Deity, refiding in the palace of Alacá, or borne through the sky in a splendid car named Pushpaca, but is manifeftly fubordinate, like the other feven Genii, to the three principal Gods, or rather to the principal God confidered in three capacities. As the foul of the world, or the pervading mind, so finely

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defcribed by VIRGIL, we fee Jove represented by feveral Roman poets; and with great fublimity by LUCAN in the known speech of CATO concerning the Ammonian oracle, "JUPITER is, wherever we look, "wherever we move." This is precifely the Indian idea of VISHNU, according to the four verfes above exhibited, not that the Brábmans imagine their male Divinity to be the divine Effence of the great one, which they declare to be wholly incomprehenfible; but, fince the power of preferving created things by a fuperintending providence, belongs eminently to the Godhead, they hold that power to exift tranfcendently in the preferving member of the Triad, whom they suppose to be EVERY WHERE ALWAYs, not in fubftance, but in fpirit and energy: here, however, I speak of the Vaishnava's; for the Saiva's ascribe a sort of preeminence to SIVA, whofe attributes are now to be concisely examined.

It was in the capacity of Avenger and Destroyer, that Jove encountered and overthrew the Titans and Giants, whom TYPHON, BRIAREUS, TITIUS, and the rest of their fraternity, led against the God of Olympus; to whom an Eagle brought lightning and thunderbolts during the warfare thus, in a fimilar conteft between SIVA and the Daityas, or children of DITI, who frequently rebelled against heaven, BRAHMA is believed to have prefented the God of Deftruction with fiery fhafts. One of the many poems, entitled Rámáyan, the last book of which has been tranflated into Italian, contains an extraordinary dialogue between the crow Bhushunda, and a rational Eagle, named GARUDA, who is often painted with the face of a beautiful youth, and the body of an imaginary bird; and one of the eighteen Puránas bears his name and comprizes his whole history. M. SONNERAT informs us, that VISHNU is represented in some places riding on the GARUDA, which he supposes to be the Pondicheri Eagle of BRISSON, especially as the Brahmans of the Coast highly venerate that class of birds and provide food for numbers of them at ftated hours: I rather conceive the Garuda to be a

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