the reins of government were held by Lycus, a fon of NYCTEUS, or NACTUN-CHARA: he was fucceeded by LAIUS, which, like Páli, means a herdsman, or fhepherd, for λαία, λεία, and λείη fignify herds and flocks; and thus we find a certain LAIUS, who had a fon BucCOLION, and a grandfon PHIALUS, both which names have a reference to pasture, for the fhepherds were called by the Greeks Aytλaños, and AGELAIA, was fynonymous with PALLAS. The fon of LAIUS was EDIPUS, with whofe dreadful misfortune, as we intimated in the firft fection, the Hindus are not unacquainted, though they mention his undefigned inceft in a different manner, and fay, that YO'GABRASH TA', whom they defcribe as a flagitious woman, entered into the fervice of fome cowherds, after the miferable death of her fon MAHA'SU'RA, or the Great Hero, by LINA'SU, the fon of LUB DHACA, who was defcended from PALLI: the whole ftory feems to have been Egyptian, though transferred by the Greeks to Thebes in their own country.

XIII. THE laft piece of hiftory, mixed with an aftrological fable, which I think it ufeful to add, because it relates to Barbara, is the legend of DA'SA-RAT'HA, or the monarch, whofe car had borne kim to ten regions, or to the eight points, the zenith, and the nadir it is told both in the Bhawishya Purán and the Brákmánda. He was defcended from SURYA, or HE'LI, which is a name of the Sun in Greek and in Sanferit: one of his ancestors, the great

RAGHU,

RAGHU, had conquered the feven dwipas, or the whole earth, and VISHNU became incarnate in the perfon of his fon RA'MACHANDRA. It happened in the reign of DASARAT'HA, that SANI, having juft left the lunar manfion, Critticá, or the Pleiads, was entering the Hyads, which the Hindus call Róbini, and that paffage of SATURN is diftinguished by the appellation of Sacata-bhéda, or the fection of the wain; an univerfal drought having reduced the country to the deepeft diftrefs, and a total depopulation of it being apprehended, the king fummoned all his aftrologers and philofophers, who afcribed it folely to the unfortunate paffage of the malignant planet; and VASISHT'HA added, that, unless the monarch himself would attack SANI, as he ftrongly advised, neither INDRA nor BRAHMA' himself could prevent the continuance of the drought for twelve years. DASAR AT’HA that inftant afcended his miraculous car of pure gold, and placed himself at the entrance of Robinì, blazing like his progenitor the Sun, and drawing his bow, armed with the tremendous arrow Sanháráftra, which attracts all things with irrefiftible violence: SANI, the flow-moving child of SU'RYA, dreffed in a blue robe, crowned with a diadem, having four arms, holding a bow, a spiked weapon, and a cimeter, (thus he is defcribed in one verfe,) difcerned his formidable opponent from the last degree of Crittica, and rapidly defcended into the land of Barbara, which burst into a flame, while he concealed himself S

far

far under ground. The hero followed him; and his legions, marching to his affiftance, perifhed in the burning fands; but SANI was attracted by the magnetick power of the Sanháráftra, and, after a vehement conflict, was overpowered by DASARAT’HA, who compelled him to promife, that he never more would attempt to pafs through the wain of Róbini: the victor then returned to his palace, and the regent of the planet went to SANI-ft'hán, in Barbara, while the ground, on which he had fought, affumed a red hue. The Hindu aftrologers fay, that SANI has hitherto performed his promife, but that, in four or five years, he will approach fo nearly to Robinì, that great mischief may be feared from fo noxious a planet; who has nothing in this age to apprehend from a hero in a felf-moving car with an irresistible weapon: they add, that MANGALA, or Mars, the child of PRIT'HIVI, has alfo been prevented from traverfing the waggon of Róbini, but that VRIHASPATI, SUCRA, and BUDHA, or Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury, pafs it freely and innocently, while it is the conftant path of So'MA, or the Moon, of whom the beautiful Róbinì, or Aldeberán, is the favourite confort.

THE hiftory of DASARAT'H being immediately connected with that of RA'MACHANDRA, and confequently of the first colonies, who fettled in India, it may properly conclude this third fection, which has been confined to the demigods and fages, who diftinguished themfelves in the countries bordering

on

on the Nile of Ethiopia; and, whatever may be thought of fome etymological conjectures, which I have generally confirmed by facts and circumftances; it has been proved, I truft, by pofitive evidence, that the ancient Indians were acquainted with those countries, with the course of that celebrated river, and with Mifra, or Egypt.

REMARKS

ON THE PRECEDING ESSAY.

BY THE PRESIDENT.

SINCE I am perfuaded, gentlemen, that the learned Effay on Egypt and the Nile, which you have just attentively heard, has afforded you equal delight with that which I have myself received from it, I cannot refrain from endeavouring to increafe your fatisfaction, by confeffing openly, that I have at length abandoned the greatest part of that natural distrust and incredulity, which had taken poffeffion of my mind, before I had examined the fources, from which our excellent affociate, Lieutenant WILFORD, has drawn fo great a variety of new and interefting opinions. Having lately read again and again, both alone and with a Pandit, the numerous and original paffages in the Puránas and other Sanferit books, which the writer of the differtation adduces in fupport of his affertions, I am happy in bearing teftimony to his perfect good faith and general accuracy, both in his extracts and in the tranflations of them; nor fhould I decline the trouble of annexing literal verfions of them all, if our third volume were not already filled with a fufficient ftore of curious, and (my own part being excepted) of valuable, papers:

there