the most abstract notions, and to place a nymph or a genius in every grove and almost in every flower: hence Hygieia and Jaso, health and remedy, are the poetical daughters of ESCULAPIUS, who was either a distinguished physician, or medical skill perfonified; and hence Chloris, or verdure, is married to the Zephyr. IV. The metaphors and allegories of moralifts and metaphysicians have been alfo very fertile in Deities; of which a thousand examples might be adduced from PLATO, CICERO, and the inventive commentators on HOMER in their pedigrees of the Gods, and their fabulous leffons of morality: the richeft and nobleft ftream from this abundant fountain is the charming philofophical tale of PSYCHE, or the Progrefs of the Soul; than which, to my taste, a more beautiful, fublime, and well fupported allegory was never produced by the wisdom and ingenuity of man. Hence alfo the Indian MA'YA', or, as the word is explained by fome Hindu fcholars, "the firft in clination of the Godhead to diversify himself (fuch is their phrase) by creating worlds," is feigned to be the mother of univerfal nature, and of all the inferiour Gods; as a Cashmirian informed me, when I asked him, why CA'MA, or Love, was reprefented as her fon; but the word MaYA', or delufion, has a more fubtile and recondite fenfe in the Védánta philofophy, where it fignifies the fyftem of perceptions, whether of fecondary or of primary qualities, which the Deity was believed by EPICHARMUS, PLATo, and many truly pious men, to raise by his omnipresent spirit in the minds of his creatures, but which had not, in their opinion, any existence independent of mind. In drawing a parallel between the Gods of the Indian and European heathens, from whatever fource they were derived, I shall remember, that nothing is lefs favourable to enquiries after truth than a systematical spirit, and fhall call to mind the faying of a Hindu writer," that who"ever obftinately adheres to any fet of opinions, may bring himself to believe that the freshest fandal wood is a flame of fire:" this will effectually prevent me from infisting, that such a God of India was the JUPITER of Greece; fuch, the APOLLO; fuch, the MERCURY: in fact, fince all the causes of polytheism contributed largely to the affemblage of Grecian divinities (though BACON reduces them all to refined allegories, and NEWTON to a poetical disguise of true history), we find many JOVES, many APOLLOS, many MERCURIES, with diftinct attributes and capacities; nor fhall I prefume to fuggest more, than that, in one capacity or another, there exists a striking fimilitude between the chief objects of worship in ancient Greece or Italy and in the + very interesting country, which we now inhabit. The comparison, which I proceed to lay before you, must needs be very fuperficial, partly from my fhort refidence in Hindustan, partly from my want of complete leifure for literary amufements, but principally because I have no European book, to refresh my memory of old fables, except the conceited, though not unlearned, work of PoMEY, entitled the Pantheon, and that fo miferably tranflated, that it can hardly be read with patience. A thousand more strokes of refemblance might, I am fure, be collected by any, who fhould with that view perufe HESIOD, HYGINUS, CORNUTUS, and the other mythologifts; or, which would be a fhorter and a pleafanter way, fhould be fatisfied with the very elegant Syntagmata of LILIUS GIRALDUS. Difquifitions concerning the manners and conduct of our fpecies in early times, or indeed at any time, are always curious at least and amusing; but they are highly interefting to fuch, as can fay of themfelves with CHREMES in the play, "We are men, and take an intereft in all "that relates to mankind:" They may even be of folid importance in an age, when fome intelligent and virtuous perfons are inclined to doubt the authenticity of the accounts, delivered by MOSES, concerning the primitive world; fince no modes or fources of reasoning can be unimportant, which have a tendency to remove fuch doubts. Either the first eleven chapters of Genefis, all due allowances being made for a figurative Eastern ftyle, are true, or the whole fabrick of our national religion is falfe; a conclufion, which none of us, I truft, would wish to be drawn. I, who cannot help believing the divinity of the MESSIAH, from the undisputed antiquity and manifeft completion of many prophefies, especially thofe of ISAIAH, in the only perfon recorded by history, to whom they are applicable, am obliged of course to believe the fanctity of the venerable books, to which that facred perfon refers as genuine; but it is not the truth of our national religion, as fuch, that I have at heart: it is truth itself; and, if any cool unbiaffed reafoner will clearly convince me, that MOSES drew his narrative through Egyptian conduits from the primeval fountains, of Indian literature, I shall efteem him as a friend for having weeded my mind from a capital error, and promife to ftand among the foremost in affifting to circulate the truth, which he has afcertained. After fuch a declaration, I cannot but perfuade myself, that no candid man will be displeased, if, in the course of work, I make as free with any arguments, that he may have advanced, as I fhould really defire my my him to do with any of mine, that he may be dif pofed to controvert. Having no system of own to maintain, I fhall not pursue a very regular method, but shall take all the Gods, of whom I difcourfe, as they happen to prefent themselves; beginning, however, like the Romans and the Hindus, with JANU or GANE'SA. The titles and attributes of this old Italian deity are fully comprized in two choriambick verfes of SULPITIUS; and a farther account of him from OVID would here be fuperfluous: Jane pater, Jane tuens, dive biceps, biformis, "Father JANUS, all-beholding JANUS, thou "divinity with two heads, and with two forms; "O fagacious planter of all things, and leader " of deities!" He was the God, we fee, of Wisdom; whence he is represented on coins with two, and, on the Hetrufcan image found at Falifci, with four, faces; emblems of prudence and circumfpection; thus is GANE SA, the God of Wisdom in Hinduftan, painted with an Elephant's head, the fymbol of fagacious difcernment, and attended by a favourite rat, which the Indians confider as a wife and provident animal. His next great character (the plentiful fource of many superftitious ufages) was that, from which he is em¬ |