far exceeds the most boafted aufterities of Romish penitents. I fhall, in a fucceeding chapter, lay before the reader fome circumstances of voluntary penance undergone by the YOGEES, or devotees of India, that cannot fail to excite equal horror and aftonishment in his mind. For the present I shall content myself with giving a few pasfages, that relate to the Indian doctrine of the Metempfychofis and the Unity of God, from the three Sanfcreet publications, fo often alluded to in the course of this Differtation; fince thofe publications are doubtless the most authentic fource of all poffible information upon Indian antiquities; and fince one of them, the GEETA, was unqueftionably written in the very earliest ages of the world, and, at all events, many centuries before the ages of Pythagoras, Socrates, and Plato.

In that fublime Episode, which, Mr. Wilkins informs us, the Brahmins confider as the repofitory "of all the grand mysteries of their religion,"* the doctrine of the Metempfychofis was probably firft promulgated to mankind in the following paffages. " As the foul, in this mortal frame, findeth infancy,

* Preface to the Geeta, p. 23.

youth,

youth, and old age; fo, in fome future frame, will it find the like." Bhagvat-Geeta, page 36. "As a man throweth away old garments and putteth on new, even fo the foul, having quitted its old mortal frames, entereth into others which are new." "Death is cer

tain to all things which are fubject to birth, and regeneration to all things which are mortal." The former ftate of beings is unknown, the middle ftate is evident, but their future ftate is not to be discovered." Ibid. page 37. In these paffages, the doctrine of the transmigration itself is clearly established: let us confider it in the afcending fcale, as holding out a reward for virtuous actions. "A man, whofe devotions have been broken off by death, having enjoyed, for an immenfity of years, the rewards of his virtues in the regions above, at length is born again in fome refpectable family; or, perhaps, in the houfe of fome learned YOGEE." Ibid. p. 67. This fpecies of devotees, whose prescribed routine of penance and prayer has not been fully completed, feems alluded to in another part of the Geeta, under the character of thofe," who obtain the regions of Eendra, the prince of celestial beings, in which (inferior) heaven (as in Mahomed's paradife)

they feaft upon celeftial food and divine enjoyments; and, when they have partaken of that spacious heaven for a while, in proportion to their virtues, they fink again into this mortal life." P. 80. "Wife men, who have abandoned all thought of the fruit which is produced from their actions, (that is, who are actuated by a total indifference in regard to terreftrial concerns, and are abforbed in contemplation of the Deity,) are freed from the chains of birth, and go to the regions of eternal happiness." P. 40. "The YOGEE, or devotee, who, labouring with all his might, is purified of his offences, and, AFTER MANY BIRTHS, MADE PERFECT, at length goes to the supreme abode." Ibid. p. 67. "Know, O Arjun, that all the regions, between this and the abode of Brahm, afford but a tranfient refidence; but he, who findeth me, returneth not again to mortal birth." P. 75. Let us now confider the doctrine of the Metempsychofis in the descending scale, or as a punishment of vicious actions. "There are two kinds of destiny prevailing in the world; the divine destiny is for MoкSH, or eternal ab forption in the divine nature, and the evil destiny confineth the foul to mortal birth. Thofe, who are born under the influence of

the

the evil destiny, know not what it is to proceed in virtue or recede in vice; they fay the world is without beginning, without end, and without an Eefwar (fupreme God), that all things are conceived by the junction of the fexes, and that LOVE is the only cause." The principles of the SEEVA BUKHT seem here to be cenfured by Kreefhna, who, we have often before obferved, is the incarnate representative of the very deity, VEESHNU, by whose name the other great fect of Hindoftan is distinguished. "Thefe LOST SOULS, and men of little understandings, having fixed upon this vifion, are born of dreadful and inhuman deeds, for the deftruction of mankind; they trust to their carnal appetites, [most probably the true fource of the devotion paid to the Lingam,] which are hard to be satisfied, are hypocrites, and overwhelmed with madness and intoxication. Because of their folly, they adopt falfe doctrines, and continue to live the LIFE OF IMPURITY; therefore I caft down upon the earth those furious abject wretches, thofe evil beings, who thus defpife me, into the wombs of EVIL SPIRITS and UNCLEAN BEASTS. Being doomed to the wombs of AsOORS, (fallen rebellious fpirits,). from birth to birth, at length, not finding me,

they

f

they go into the most infernal regions." Geeta," p. 115, 116, 117. In the infernal regions, however, they are not doomed to languish in mifery for ever, fince the Hindoo system of theology allows' not of the doctrine of eternal torments; but, after a certain period, the delinquents are called forth again to begin anew the probationary journey of fouls, and are all to be finally happy.

There is a very curious, though fomewhat obfcure, paffage, in the eighth divifion of this most ancient collection of divine precepts, that strongly corroborates the opinion, which I ventured to affer in a preceding page, that the feven BOOBUNS, or fpheres of purification, through which, according to Mr. Halhed, the tranfmigrating foul is doomed to pass, had a direct allufion to the feven planets: it is as follows. Those holy men, who are acquainted with Brahm, departing this life in the fiery light of day, in the bright season of the moon, within the fix months of the fun's northern course, go unto him; but those who depart in the gloomy night of the moon's dark feafon, and whilst the fun is yet within the fouthern part of his journey, afcend for a while into the regions of the moon, and again return into mortal birth." Ibid. p. 76.

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