Brahmins, who were afhamed of their abfurd mythology; and they are contradicted by the commentaries and explications of others. It is only a tranflation, of the canonical books of Indians (of which, many extol the wifdom and antiquity, without knowing much about them) that can fix our ideas on this fubject.

For the tranflation of the work here announced, the public is indebted to the Baron de Sainte Croix, of the Royal Academy of Inscriptions. It was made by a Brahmin of Benares, who was a correspondent of that academy; it was found among the papers of Mr. Barthelemy, fecond member of the council of Pondicherry; and a copy of it was brought from India by Mr. Modave, who made a prefent of it to M. DE VOLTAIRE; and in the year 1761, the latter fent it to the king's library. The manufcript, however, was not complete; but M. de Sainte Croix fupplied the chapters, which are wanting, from another copy of the fame tranflation, made by M. Anquetil du Perron, from one in the poffeffion of the nephew of M. Barthelemy.-All this is related at length in the preface of the learned editor.

This preface is followed by fome preliminary obfervations, in which M. De Sainte Croix, tracing up to its origin the religion of the Indians, finds in it feveral lines of resemblance with that of the Egyptians, many of whom he carries into India about the end of the 16th century, before Chrift, upon the teftimony of Jofephus, without, however, quoting the paffage. The learned Baron relates afterwards the progrefs and viciffitudes of this religion, takes notice of its refemblance with that which Zoroafter taught the Perfians, particularly in the province of Ariana, from whence, and from the neighbouring countries, he reprefents the Samaneans (a kind of magi or philofophers which fome have erroneoufly confounded with the Brahmins) as fpreading themselves in India, and teaching new doctrines. Before their arrival, the Brahmins, fays our Author, were in the highest period of their glory; they were the only oracles of India; and their principal refidence was on the banks of the Ganges, and in the adjacent mountains; while the Samaneans were fettled towards the Indus.-By this account, one would be led to conclude, that the Indians had a religious doctrine before that which had been taught them by the Sa-. maneans: but this is not conformable with what the Brahmins fay themselves, viz. that they derived all their knowledge from the Samaneans, before whofe arrival it would, in effect, be difficult to prove that the Brahmins were the religious teachers of the Indians.

The most celebrated and ancient of the Samanean doctors was Boutta (Boudda, or Budda), who was born 683 years before Chrift. His difciples honoured him as a God, and his doctrine,

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which confifted chiefly in the Tranfmigration of Souls, and in the Worship of Cows, was adopted not only in India, but also in Japan, China, Siam, and Tartary. It was propagated, according to our Editor, in Thibet, in the eighth century, and fucceeded, there, the ancient religion of Zamolxis *. The Samaneans or Buddifts, were entirely deftroyed in India by the jealous rage of the Brahmins, whofe abfurd practices and fables they affected to treat with contempt; but feveral of their books are ftill refpectfully preferved on the coaft of Malabar; and, moreover, we are told, that feveral of the Brahmin-orders have adopted their manner of living, and openly profefs the greatest part of their doctrines.

Our Author, or rather Editor, renders it more than probable, that the Indians derived a great part of their knowledge, and even of their fables, from the Jews (whofe captivity and difperfion may have led many of them to India, in the time of Budda), from the Greeks, who went afterwards there with Alexander, and alfo from the Chriftians, who fettled in India, in the early ages of the church. They alfo availed themselves of the opportunity of acquiring knowledge from commercial travellers; but from whatever fources they derived information, it was ftill disfigured by their exceffive fuperftition.

With respect to the work itself, it is a commentary on the Vedam, or facred books of law and religion, which were written by the Samaneans, in the Samfcretan language, and which but a small number, even of the Brahmins, understand at this day. M. DE SAINTE CROIX gives us an idea of four Vedams, from Indian memoirs and relations: He fpeaks alfo of the Pouranams, which were religious books of an inferior order, and which some of the Brahmins reject, as others do the Vedams, The Baga Vedam, which contains the doctrine of the Indians concerning the Deity, happiness, a contemplative life, the hiftory of the creation, prefervation, and deftruction of the univerfe, the origin of inferior gods, men, giants, &c. is one of the Pouranams. After thefe, come the Schaftlers or Shafta, whofe antiquity has been greatly cried up in Europe, but which must be pofterior to the Vedams, of which they are no more than the explication. Now M. De Sainte Croix places the publication of the Vedams in the tenth century of the Chriftian

↑ Budda was high priest; and our Editor thinks, that the grand Lamas, which the people of Thibet always kept up, even after 'their adopting the Indian religion, were his reprefentatives and fucceffors. But M. de Guignes thinks, that it was from the Indian pontiff, that the people of Thibet took the thought of erecting one among themselves, when their religious voyages into India were rendered difficult and dangerous, by the arrival of the Mahometans in the northern parts of that country.

æra

æra, and that of the Pouranams in the fifteenth. All these books contain the most fublime and elevated ideas of the Supreme Being, mingled with the most abfurd fables, the grofleft materialism, and the most monftrous fancies. As to the EZOUR Vedam, now before us, M. Voltaire pretended, that it was more ancient than the age of Alexander the Great; but the Editor refutes this opinion, by an argument to which there is no reply, viz. that mention is made, in this book, of the Mahometans and Moors.

After thefe preliminary obfervations, we find the translation of the EZOUR VEDAM. This work is a dialogue between a man plunged in the thickest darkness of idolatry, called Biache, and Chumontou, a philofopher of the Canigueuls or Eclectics, who were attached to no fect, but took from each the doctrines that

pleased them most. The former gives an account of Indian paganifim, in all its popular doctrines ;-the latter fhews their abfurdity, combats idolatry, and gives his own opinions con cerning the unity of God, the creation, the nature of the foul, the worship that is worthy of the Supreme Being, and the duties of every rank and ftation in life; and his doctrine feems to be entirely conformable to the Samanean fyftem. His work contains eight books, divided into different chapters, in which he treats of the creation of the world, the Vedams, the different Caftes, of the production of beings, the different states of life, of hell, of fin, of good works, of meditation, of paradife, of the different incarnations of the gods, of giants, and of the foul.

There is a strange mixture of enormous abfurdity and rational theology in this work, from which we shall extract fome paffages. After having heard Biache's account of the origin of the worship of Lingam, which furpaffes, in indecent ftupidity, almoft all the fables of Grecian theology, Chumontou treats the ftory with the warmest expreffions of contempt and indignation. He, moreover, cenfures feverely the invention of the Pouranams, of the incarnations of Vifchnou, and condemns thofe, who confer the name of God upon Brahma, Vifchnou, Chiven, or Gonetho, or worship them as fuch. He alfo combats the diftinction of the Caftes, which raife certain orders of men fo much above others, and obferves, on this occafion, that Adimo is the name of the first man, whom God formed, and that from him proceeded all those whom Biache falfely looked upon as Deities. He repeats to this latter the prayer, which thofe (whom he erroneously looks upon as Gods) addrefs to the Supreme Being, and this prayer is, indeed, remarkable enough to deferve a place here. It is as follows: "O God Creator, O God Preferver of all things-thou haft formed me from nothing, that I might employ the life thou haft beftowed upon

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me, in loving and ferving thee! But fcarcely had I proceeded from thy forming hand, when a fatal enchantment deluded my understanding, and corrupted my heart. Ignorance and error have made me forget my duties to thee, and have disguised them. This I confefs with forrow: and I come, proftrate at thy feet, to implore thy clemency, and to fue for pardon. Enslaved by luft and pleasure, I have followed their impulfe, and the cares and perplexities of the world have occupied and divided a heart, which I ought to have kept for thee alone.-O God, who art invifible,-O God, who art eternal-Hold out to me an arm of fuccour, and bring me back entirely to thy felf."

Befides this prayer, and feveral others, equally rational, and recommendable for their beautiful fimplicity, there are moral maxims, and portraits in this work, which muft give a very favourable opinion of Cbumontou, and the other Indian philofophers, who think as he does. But these lines of wisdom are tarnished by the practices and ceremonies that accompany them, and which, though defigned to affift and perfect the habit of meditation, only ferve to nourifh a mystical indolence and apathy. Such, among others, is their method of acquiring a divine light, by pronouncing the word oum, the fignal for suspending every operation of the external fenfes, and even refpiration itself, as far as that is poffible, that the mind may be concentrated in the contemplation of the Deity. It is in confequence of thefe meditations, which are the great bufinefs of the contemplative philofophers among the Indians, that one of them paffed nine years with his eyes fixed upon a wall. Some of thefe dreamers fit cross-legged with their eyes directed towards the point of the nofe, pronouncing certain myfterious words, and they imagine, that they perceive a white spot, after they have been, for fome time, in this attitude, and this fpot they call the Divine Light. This eftrangement from all things external, produces an apathy, which, according to them, identifies the foul with the Deity, from whofe effence it originally proceeded.

It is certain that this work gives a much fuller and clearer account of the religious doctrine of the Indians than any of the relations of travellers that have vifited that country. Among other things, the doctrines of the philofophers (among whom fome are materialifts and pantheifts), the different orders of the Brahmins, the manfions of the pretended deities, are circumftantially described; but the Author of the Ezour-Vedam teaches pofitively the unity of God. He confiders Vifchnou as born from the right fide of Adimo, the first man, and all the other gods as mortals; and, at the fame time, he falls into all the mystical abfurdities of the contemplative philofophers. This fect, notwithstanding their great pretenfions to fanctity, is disfigured by

a multi

a multitude of hypocrites, and fome travellers represent the greatest part of them as a profligate banditti. Upon the whole, it still appears to us, that pantheifm and tranfmigration are the great lines of the Indian theology and philofophy.

The learned notes and illuftrations which the Baron DE ST. CROIX has fubjoined to this tranflation of the Ezour-Vedam, explain feveral points of the Indian theology, that have been hitherto but imperfectly understood; but much yet remains to be done in this matter; nor fhall we be able fully to appreciate the pretended merit of the Indian philofophers (if they deferve that name), until a greater number of their works be publifhed; and more especially until we are better acquainted with the history of India, which alone can inform us of the part these pretended fages have acted under the monarchs and princes of that vaft region.

ART. V.

Oeuvres de Blaife Pafcal.-The Works of Blaife Pafcal. 5 Vols. 8vo. Paris and the Hague. 1779.

PA

ASCAL was certainly one of the greatest geniuses of the laft century. He was a mathematician of the first order, a profound dialectician, and a writer equally diftinguished by the fublimity of his ideas, the force and fweetness of his eloquence, and the eafy and flowing amenity of his wit and pleafantry; and all these happy talents were confecrated to the fervice of religion, philofophy, and virtue. It is, therefore, but juft to confider this edition of his works, in which they are collected for the first time, as a valuable present to letters and to philofophy. Several of his excellent productions have hitherto remained in manufcript: fome (of which but a fmall number of copies were printed) were become exceedingly rare, and would, in a little time, have been loft to the Public, had they not been redeemed from oblivion by the present collection. In this number we must reckon particularly his mathematical works, which, though they have no more the merit of novelty, will still be interefting, as they carry the ftrong lines of inven tive genius, and exhibit its procedure in the pursuit of evidence, and in the investigation of truth. It is well known that PASCAL had extended and improved confiderably the theory of conic fections, and had difcovered feveral of their properties that were unknown to the ancients; and it is to be lamented that the treatifes which contained thefe difcoveries, and several others relative to mathematical fcience, have been loft.

The learned Editor to whom we are indebted for this colJection, has prefixed to it a life of PASCAL; who, as he lived in one of the hotteft periods of theological conteft, as he was one of the combatants, and was too great a man to be viewed

without