my 1 1 m ■ IN 1 ■I s I! S?\ H ■ ■all MB ffi ■ ■so H B Hi •HUB HI ■Bfl ■r BBB JBHB i ■"■ ■ ' i 1 !fil! am : f,!i| ! I; ii liihc ! i ill VWjYO^ff LIBRARY Theological Seminary PRINCETON, N. J. * Case BL 1570 .W54 1843 sjnlf Wilson, John, 1804-1875 The P ars i religion Book -" ^ y *£* aid in this attempt, that I have endeavoured to improve the ad- vantages of observation and inquiry which I have enjoyed in connexion with my professional duties in Bombay, and con- templated for some time the publication of a general treatise on the tenets and observances ot the Zoroastrians, and that with a particular reference to their own improvement. The form which this volume has ultimately assumed, is entirely to be ascribed to the publication of certain works by the Zoroastri- ans themselves, in explanation and defence of their faith, and in opposition to Christianity, which the benevolence of their well-wishers in distant lands is now pressing on their atten- tion. The circumstances in which the works to which I now refer have appeared, are detailed in our first Chapter ; and it is only the mere mention of them individually which is here required. I. The first of them, a quarto of 268 pages, bears the following titles :— « Talim-i-Zurtoosht ; or the Doctrine of Zoroaster in the Guzrattee language, for the instruction of Parsi youths ; together with an Answer to Dr. Wilson's Lecture on [the] Vandidad, compiled by a Parscc priest. Bombay 1840." « c\l the dadgah — A man defiled by n corpse in the jungle may be purified by cow's urine, or repair to the priest — Sin of entering water with an impure body — <0 — .Ceremony of the Barashnom — More about the expulsion oi the devil Nacusby ablutions, and the frightening of devils by the word. — Presents to be given to the person who performs the Barashnom — 10 — Frightening of devils by the word — Place for the Barashnom — 11 — Pu- rification of natural objects terrestrial and celestial — Extermination of de- vils by the word — 12 — Ceremonies for the dead, and purification of arti- cles and places defiled by corpses — Special prayers prescribed for dead re- latives— Purification of places defiled by corpses — 13 — Character and treatment of living dogs — 11 — 10,000 stripes to be inflicted on the murderer of a water-dog — Extraordinary atonements to be made by the criminal — • 15 — Crimes of praising a foreign faith, feeding dogs with hard bones and too hot food, etc. — ■Obscenities alluded to — >1(5- — ■ Treatment of women — -17 — -How to cut off hair, pare the nails, and and conduct the funeral of the refuse. — 18 — ■ Equipment of a priest — ■ Destruction and mortality by the devil — -The morning occupation of the bird Parodars — .Cravings of Fire — Feeding the bird Parodars — > Conver- sation between Sarosh and the devil Hashem — -Extraordinary atonements — -19 — i How Zoroaster encountered the devil — -Zoroaster informed as to a method of destroying the works of the devil — ■ How the lzashne is to be performed. — 'Purification of a person defiled — .The doom of men and devils discoursed of — -The Resurrection — • Polytheistic worship enjoined — -20 — ■ Additional legends respecting Jamshid — ■ Worship of the Exalted Bull re. commended — ■ Its wonderful influence, particularly with regard to rain . Rain discoursed of. — -22 — -Hormazd contrasts himself with Ahrinian — Creations of Ahriman — -Mission of Zoroaster- — -General remarks on the character of the Vandidad. CHAPTER VII. THE PA'RSI' NOTIONS OF THE RESPONSIBILITY, DEPRAVITY, AND GUILT OF MAN, AND THE MEANS OF HIS SALVATION. Page 347. Vandidad and Dosabhaion the purity of man at his birth — Voltaire on Ori- ginal Sin — Scriptural account of the Primitive Slate of man — the Proba- tion of Man — The Fall of man and its consequences — Reply to Voltaire quoted by the Parsis — .Scriptural account of the Depravity of man and its propagation — Opinions on this subject of the Greeks, Romans, and Ilindfis — .Illustrations from natural analogies — Connection of the posterity of Adam with himself — A want of a due sense of the Responsibility, De- pravity, and Guilt of man, apparent in the Parsi Books — Consequent in- difference about a right way of Salvation — . Unsuitableness of the means of Salvation proposed in the Zand-Avasta: — The rites of the Mazdayacni faith, Charity, Repentance, Penances, Intercession of friends — State- ment of the Gospel of Christ, and its adaptation to bring glory to God, on earth peace, and good will to men. 2 1 CONTENTS. CHAPTER Vllf. THE ALLEGED PROPHETICAL MISSION OF ZOROASTER DIS- PROVED, AND THE IMPUGNMENT OF THE EXTERNAL AUTHORITY OF THE BOOKS WHICH THE PA'RSIS' RECKON THE STANDARD OF THEIR FAITH AND PRACTICE. Page 396. Recapitulation of the internal evidence establishing the fact that the Zand-Avasta lias no claim to be considered a divine revelation — State- in iit of the question as to the Authenticity, Genuineness, and Credibility of the Zand-Avasta — Shirking of this question by the controversialists — Antiquity of the Zand language admitted — Failure of the Parsis to estab- lish the prophetic Mission of Zoroaster — Notices and re views of all the authorities to which they have appealed on this subject : The Zinat-at- Tawarikh — The Dabistan— The Sharistan— The Dasatir— The Din-Kard — The Burhan-i-Katagh — The Shahnamah — The Zartusht-Namah — The Ro- zat-as-Safa — The Wajar-Kard — The Ardai-Viraf-Namah — The Shayist- Nashayist — The Changhraghach-Namah — The Jamasp-Namah — Argu- ment for the divine Mission of Christ, and the divine authority of the Christian Scriptures. — Concluding address to the Parsis. APPENDIX. Page 475. A — Translation of the Zartusht-Namah, by E. B. Eastwick, Esq — B. — Comment on the " Anti-Conversion Memorial" — C — Miscellaneous remarks on certain passages in the works of the Parsi controversialists — • D — Esnikon Zarvana-Akarana and the Two Principles, etc., as translated from the Armenian by Aviet Aganur, Esq. — E — Translation of the Sifat- i-Sirozeh, by Dr. Wilson — F — View of the Parsi religion from the I'lma- i-Islam — G — Prophecies respecting Christ, with their Fulfilment — II — List of works on the Evidences of Christianity recommended to the atten- tion of the Parsis — I — Historical Legends of Persia from Kayomars to the Muhainmadan Conquest — J — Comparison of the Zand with the Ro- man, Pahlivi, Devanagari, and Gujarati Alphabets. INDEX. * * THE PARSI RELIGION THE PARSr RELIGION. CHAPTER I. REVIEW OF THE AUTHOR'S FORMER DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PA'RSI'S OF INDIA, AND NOTICE OF THE ORIGIN OF THE LATE PUBLICATIONS IN DEFENCE OF THE ZOROAS- TRIAN FAITH. Study of the Pdrsi Religion — Review published in a Bombay pe- riodical— Correspondence in the Samdchur newspaper on religious in- quiry, and the propagation of Christianity — Extracts from pamphlets published by the Editor of the Harkdrah and Vartamdn, on the same subject — The religion which has not God as its author should be for- saken— Some of the errors of the Pdrsi faith admitted — Divine Mission of Zoroaster not established by evidence — Motives which lead Christians to seek the conversion of the natives of India — Encourage- ments to Missionary labour — /illusions to the means of Salvation. Reprobation and defence of the Bundeshneby some of the Pdrsis— No- tice of letters published in the Harkdrah and Vartamdn — The Bible the standard of the Christian faith — Divine and human natures of Christ — Testimony of the apostles of Christ— Prophecies respecting the Saviour — Claims of the different sects of Christians to be dettr. mined by the Bible - Pdrsi rule of faith destitute of divine authority — Notice of Lectures on the Pdrsi religion by the author — Publication of a Lecture on the Fandiddd — Summary of its contents — Criticisms up- on a — Not vindicated by attacks on the Bible— These attacks repel- led— Unsuccessful attempt made by the Pdrsis to vindicate the Van- diddd from the charge of recommending the destruction of a child in par- ticular circumstances — Endeavours to diffuse a knowledge of Christi- anity among the Pdrsis — Foundation of the General Assembly's Insti- 4 £Q STUDY OF THE PARSI RELIGION*. tution — Conversion of two Parsi youths — Prosecution of the author, on a writ of Habeas Cm-pus — TheUbertyofthe converts guaranteed — Notice of the " Anti-Conversion Memorial, " and its reception by Go- vernment — Effects of the discussions caused !>'/ it, and of other pro- ceedings— Publication of various works by the Parsis- — The Par sis exhorted to the -prosecution of religious Inquiry — Notice of irrelevant matter introduced by the Parsi controversialists into their late publica- tions — Failure of their attempts to disparage the Christian converts — Vanity of their ronjidencc in Voltaire and Gibbon— Gibbon's opinion <>1 Zoroasler — Christianity not anstoerablt for the deceptions practised by the Jesuits — The miraculous powers exercised by the Apostles not needed by their descendants — Plan to be pursued in further discussing the merits of the Parsi religion. The references which are made by the Parsi gentlemen to whose works I sit down to reply, to my former discussions with individuals of their tribe, and to the pamphlets to which they gave rise, and the incorrect and unjust assertions which thej have frequently ventured to make respecting them, compel me to take a brief, but calm, review of these discussions, and to make such quotations, with additional notes, both from my own communications, and those of my opponents, as will re- move any misapprehensions which cxist,and exhibit in a proper light the misrepresentations, in which some have indulged. The course which I have thus laid down for my guidance, will sufficiently inform the reader about the circumstances in which the present publication originates ; and it will enable me conveniently to notice some of the reasonings of my present opponents, which are not essential to the main arguments which it is my duty to pursue. When I commenced my missionary operations in l>ombay in 18:29, I found the Parsis a numerous and very influential portion of its varied community, and well entitled to a large share of the evangelistic efforts which are being made for the instruction and conversion of the natives of India. With a view to qualify myself for advantageously holding intercourse with them, and unfolding to them the truths of divine revelation, I considered it my duty early to embrace such opportunities as might be presented to me of becoming acquainted with their REVIEW IN A BOMBAY PERIODICAL. !' religious tenets and observances, their national history, and the present manners and customs of their society. With this view, I directed my attention to most of the works treating of these subjects which are accessible to the European stu- dent in India, and especially to Anquetil du Perron's trans- lation of their sacred books comprised in the Zand-Avasta, and I also sought to profit by the intercourse which I main- tained with individuals of their tribe able and willing to give me correct information. In the numbers for July and August 1S31 of the Oriental Christian Spectator, — with the editorship of which I was con- nected,— I took occasion, when reviewing the '-History of Vartan, and the Battle of the Armenians, containing an ac- count of the Religious Wars between the Persians and Arme- nians, by Elisa3us," and translated by Mr. C. F. Neumann*, to give a very brief and general account of the religious works of the Parsis, and the doctrines which they propound. I was not without hope that my observations, simple as they were, would attract the attention of some individuals belong- ing to the interesting tribe to which they referred ; and I was not disappointed. On the 14th of the same month on which my article appeared, a Parsi gentleman addressed himself to the editor of the Samachar, — a respectable Gujarati news- paper, — with a view to his obtaining some assistance in form- ing an opinion of my lucubrations. The magazine, he said, "contains some remarks on the religion of the Parsis, which I think incorrect; but I wish to inquire of you, if what is therein asserted concerning our religion, and Zoroaster, and his doctrines, be true. Do the shets f, and those skilled in the knowledge of our belief, intend to say nothing [in refuta- tion]? I am astonished that you, Mr. Editor, should have been silent on the subject, and exceedingly regret that you have not translated the remarks into Gujarati. and pointed out their errors for the benefit of your readers.!" * Published by the Oriental Translation Committee, t This honorary term is applied to all classes of native gentlemen. J Letter signed Ktuti-bandni, (a wearer of the kuetf,) in the Bombay Samachar, 18th July, 1831. 28 CORRESPONDENCE IN THE SAMACHAR. With characteristic caution, the editor of the paper thus replied: — " I have seen the pamphlet alluded to; but I am not anxious to take on my own shoulders the burden of dis- putation, leaving this, as it properly falls, to these who are thoroughly acquainted with our faith, and to persons more advanced in years. To the question, whether the statements it contains are true or not, I reply that some of them are cor- rect, and others false ; and it would seem that the writer has got his information from former authors, not of our faith, whose word he has trusted. It is, however, the way of the world for one sect to run down another. The missionaries are but Christian padres, and what wonder is it if they should abuse other religions ? Moreover, the business of missionaries is to instruct persons of another religion and bring them into their own, and without abusing other reli- gions how can they get on ? With regard to translating the remarks about our religion contained in the magazine, as sug- gested to us, we must declare that we cannot see the use of it, — that we should not regard any of the falsities of infidels, for they are our enemies, — and that if we did so, we might be blamed by believers. We now drop the undertaking; but if it be recommended and thought advisable by the intelli- gent of our tribe, we shall give it a reconsideration." Thinking that some explanations were demanded of me, and that good might result, if a peaceful discussion of the mat- ters at issue were encouraged, I thought it my duty to come forward in propria persona. " I am not ashamed to acknowledge", I wrote on the 27th of July, " that I am the author of the review of which you and your correspondent complain. I got the information which it contains from the French translation of the Zand-Avasta. from some English, Armenian, and Latin books in my possession, from my own observation, and from conversation with some of the learned dasturs* and respectable gentlemen of your tribe. You say that some of my statements are true, and others # The chief-priests of the Parsfs are called dasturs ; those below them, mobeds ; and the lowest of all, herbads. PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY. 29 false. Point out the errors, and show your proofs, for I am ready to correct what may be wrong, and I am willing to get translated into English, and to publish in the Oriental Christian Spectator, whatever you may write in reply. Tell me your whole mind. It is my business, and that of the American missionaries in Bombay, and all the missionaries in India, to teach the Christian religion to those who are ignorant of it, as you correctly remark. The Christians in our native countries, have sent us hither for this very purpose ; and in order to set forth the doctrine of Christ to the na- tives of India, we have left our homes and our beloved friends. We preach in our houses and chapels, in the streets and highways, * in public and private, to Hindus, Parsis, Musalmans, and Jainas, and to all whom we meet who are ignorant of the way of salvation. We distribute the Scriptures, and other books, in various languages ; and we establish schools and educate the young. We believe that the Christian religion is that alone which has truth on its side, and we wish all men to come to Christ and be sav- ed. We seek to do good. We exhort our fellow-men to flee from hell. You say that we reproach the Hindu and Parsi religions ; but we declare only what is true respecting them. We reason ; but we use no violence. We enter into discussion that truth may appear; and we say to all, ' Inquire." \ The frank avowal of my connexion with the article to which reference was made, was not without its due effect. " It was out of our power, " said the editor in reply, "tore- fuse to insert his letter, after the gentleman has so unhes- itatingly given us his name. Whether it will have the ef- fect of making those persons to whom it refers look anxious- ly about themselves, and turn over the pages of their shas- tras with all haste, we do not take upon ourselves to say. If our friend the writer, John Wilson, (may the grace of God be upon him ! ) is desirous of drawing us into a discussion * In such places as injurious interruption- arc not anticipated | Samachar, 1st August, IKil. .'JO KKLIGIOUS discussion. of this character, we plainly say to him what wc told the wearer of the kust/. that it is not suitable for us to take the controversy on ourselves. . . . Having said this much, we must add, that if any pandit, religious officer, or intelligent person of one of the castes to which he has referred, should fulfil his wish, wc are perfectly indifferent in the matter, and feel neither joy nor sorrow. Should the writer of the letter ask our private opinion on the point, we tell him very will- ingly, that it is a good work for one to take pains in instruct- ing another of his own caste in his own faith, and to direct him in the right path ; but that to trouble himself about ano- ther's faith is what he should avoid." This personal judgment was accompanied by the earnest request that the repose of his people might not be disturbed. " Permit us, permit us," he said, " to follow the road on which we have been travelling, for at last all roads meet in one point. There is no Re- deemer of any. The finding of a man is according to his acting. We shall not say more than this, but sit in silence. From striking two stones together you will elicit nothing but fire. " * Though I feared that the door was shut against me in this quarter, I thought it right to offer a few explanatory remarks, particularly as I found that our previous correspondence had attracted particular attention in the native community. " Discussion conducted with the desire of promoting theiti- terests of truth, " I observed, " is a good thing. The spark elicited by striking two stones together, may ignite a lamp, to remove the darkness of a chamber, and it may kindle a flame, which may devour the rubbish which has been long ac- cumulating, and which proves injurious. There is sometimes, moreover, a crust around the diamond of truth which re- quires to be abraded, before the truth itself can dart forth its splendent rays. . . . " You seem to think that no attempt should be made by persons of any particular religion to convert those who arc de- voted to another. I entirely disagree with this sentiment. ' Sainachar, 8th August, 1831. CONVEBSION OF BRITAIN. 31 which supposes that all religions are alike true, and accepta- ble to God, and beneficial to man. There is only one religi- on, however, which discovers the glory of God ; and all other religions reproach him. There is only one religion which brings man to knowledge and civilization ; all other religions keep him in darkness and ignorance. But I do not wonder that many persons agree with your opinion. When Christian missionaries first came to Britain, they were after this fashion addressed by our fore-fathers : — ' Do not seek to convert us. We will not forsake our own religion. We will continue to worship our idols, and to serve our priests. We will conti- nue to offer human sacrifices to our gods. We will never cease to call upon the name of Thor, who holds the seven planets in his left hand, and a sceptre in his right. We will never cease to worship the sun when he rises and sets, and when we behold his image, as half a man, with the rays of light proceeding from his face, and with a tlaming wheel on his breast ; and we will never cease to worship the moon and the starry host'. The Christian Missionaries heard all these and many more such things, but they did not in despair aban- don their work. They put their trust in God, and declared his word. They used no force, but appealed to reason ; and in the day of God's power, a change began to appear. Our fore-fathers listened to the truth, and it entered into their souls. ' Our fathers have erred,' they said, c and we will no longer walk in their paths. We will worship Him who made the heavens and the earth. We will confess our sins, and, in the name of Christ, pray for pardon. We will by the help of God follow his commandments.' They thus became Chris- tians ; and God blessed both them and their descendants. Will you, Mr. Editor, affirm that the change which they made was bad ? No ! You see the advantages which Christianity has conferred upon us as a nation. We are indebted to it for the possession of all that is great and glorious among us ; and it is the source of all our hopes of happiness in the world which is to come. The Christian missionaries were the friends of our fathers, and our benefactors. Those who call upon you, and the Parsis, and Hindus, of Bombay to embrace the true 32 THE MEANS OF SALVATION. religion, are the friends of the natives ; and what they offer, in the name of Christ is happiness in time and eter- nity. " You say that all roads meet in one point. How do you prove this assertion ? If you mean that all souls go to God to be judged after death, I agree with you ; and I am sure that you will agree with me in thinking that it is a most important matter, to consider, while we dwell in this body, what we can answer God for our sins, when we depart. Our repentance, though it is necessary, cannot save us, for it can- not clear away the sins which we have committed before re- pentance ; and our good deeds cannot save us, for there is al- ways sin mingled with them, and as they cannot go be- yond the demands of the law of God, which requires all that we can do, there can be no merit in them, which can make amends for our past deficiencies. "Allow me to propose the consideration of a most important question to your learned dasturs, and to all the pandits in Bombay. It will be allowed, that if sinners be saved at all, their salvation must be brought about through the grace of God, and if they be saved, it is evident that their salvation must be accomplished so as to give no occasion to the impeach- ment of the holiness, and justice, and authority of God, who is the universal Sovereign, and who is required, for the preserva- tion of his kingdom, to manifest his hatred of sin. How, I ask, are the mercy of God, and the holiness of God, displayed by the means of salvation iniohich the Parsis and Musalmans put their trust 1 To the wise of the land, I look for a reply."* The editor of the Samachar kept to his resolution of main- taining silence. On publishing my letter, he merely intimated, that his next number would contain an epistle in the Per- sian and Gujarati languages by Haji Muhammad Hashim, in reply to a charge against Muhammad, which I had casually brought, in my first communication to his paper. This promis- ed document, in due time, appeared ; and it gave rise to an " SuniacliJir, 8th August, 1831. PAMPHLETS PUBLISHED BY A PARS1 PRINTER. 39 extensive correspondence on the claims of the Koran, to which I need not here allude. * The small " spark which had been struck, " was not destin- ed immediately to expire. Brief and simple as our discussion had been, it extensively formed the subject of conversation in Bombay. A bold and enterprizing spirit soon stood forth, to uphold the honor of the Parsis. Naurozji Mobed Darabjf, a printer who had issued the prospectus of another newspa- per, extensively advertised his readiness to receive and print, and circulate gratuitously whatever communications, on ei- ther side of the question, might be entrusted to his care, till such time as his own periodical, which should afford "a fair field and no favour," could be regularly issued. He kept his promise sacred, and at his own expense published several pam- phlets, neatly printed on excellent paper, and in the form of royal quarto. A Parsi, who assumed the signature of " Nauroz Goose- quill," f was the principal defendant of the Parsi religion. He could not justify, however, what he said in its favour. It has sometimes been with me a matter of doubt, in fact, whether, as regards much which fell from his pen, he was in real earnest. The following are a few of the passages con- tained in his first article. " You write that other religions were made by men. In reply to this, it is incumbent on me to inquire, whether, if without men, God himself has ordained any religion, and whe- ther any prophet has established his faith without making books. I also ask you, who made the books of your reli- gion ? " You write that in the book of the Christians, it is writ- ten that the nations do not know the way of salvation ; and * Haji Muhammad IJashim ultimately addressed to me a considerable pamphlet, a reply to which I have published in Hindustani and Persian, under the title of u Raddi-i-din-M ii.vtlmuni, or Refutation ofMuham- madism, " through the Bombay Tract and Book Society. t It was jocularly hinted to this writer, that he was in danger of earn- ing for himself the character of a. goose. He consequently, ultimately, changed his signature to that ot " Sivan-tjuill" ,'34 A PABSI S OBJECTIONS TO THE that it has to be .shown to them, that they may walk accord- ing to the commandments of God. The answer to this is, Why do you take so much trouble, because from the first we place no faith in your shastras, and we reckon the book of Mary's Son, Jesus, as a fable, for it was made by a man with two hands like ourselves, and not by God himself. I am a- ble to detect the faults of your books, as well as you those of ours ; and I have no kind of hesitation in so doing, because the defects of each religion having been drawn forth, and compared with reason, what appears good is to be retained, and what bad to be rejected. This is my practice. I do not proclaim, as you do, that my religion only is holy. We leave you missionaries to speak in this manner. But as when we were quietly sleeping, we were kicked and awakened, there is no reason why we should not speak likewise. One thing was being kicked, and the other was being aroused, from the place wherein we were quietly sleeping " You say, ' we declare the way of righteousness. ' But I tell you that we shall not go to heaven by the road of sal- vation which you point out, for the way to paradise was shown to us by our true prophet Zartusht * before you came. True it is, that without your aid, he was not ignorant of the way to heaven, because he himself went to paradise and returned. Besides, by the grace of the merciful God, who made the heavens and the earth, men and brutes, birds and insects, and every thing else, for his own glory, and who can create liv- ing flesh from the dead clay of thousands of years, we shall get to heaven. " Again, you write that the pious people of Scotland and America have sent you hither for the purpose of going about the streets and lanes to proclaim the Gospel to all other tribes, which according to your belief, is right The answer to this is, why do you come here for so many thousands of miles to labour? It becomes you to go back to Scotland and A- mcrica, and after having made Protestants of a number of your own people, to come and make Christians of the Parsis. * Zartusht is one of the Persian tonus of the name of Zoroaster. PROPAGATION OF < HIUSTT ANITY. 39 Without you, in tins way, set your own to rights, no one will believe either you or your religion. Your own not being- right, do you pretend to find out the defects of others ? It is true that you have come to exercise your calling; there can be no doubt of this. But rest assured, it does not appear to me that even a single Parsi will ever become a Protestant. Do you not know, that for about a hundred years, great trouble has been taken by the Parsis regarding the difference of a month ; but one [party] will not yet yield to the other* * The reference here is to the Kabisuh controversy, which has divided the Parsi community of India into two sects -those of the Qadimisan<\ Rasamis. The Qadi'mis, at the head of whom was the learned Mulla I- iruz, the author of the George-Namah, form the smaller hody, and profess to follow the custom of the ancients, as to the non-admission of an intercalary month to compensate for the time lost hy reckoning the religious year merely at 365 days. The Rasamis admit the intercalation, and celebrate their holidays a month later than their rivals. The following is a statement of the matter, from the preface to the Dafa-ul Huzl of Haji Muhammad Hashim of Isfahan :— « The question in dispute is this, whether the intercalation is a relig- ious institution, sanctioned by the practice of the Parsis (the ancient Persi- ans) prior to their last king Yazdijird ? or whether another era without in- tercalation for religious purposes was also sanctioned ? That is, whether the intercalary era was an observance instituted by their kings only tor the affairs of Government, the collection of revenue, and the equalization of the seasons, or whether it was also employed for purposes connected with religion ? The latter the Churigarians wrongfully deny." « The following, " says Mr. Romer in his Illustrations of the Zand and Pahlivi lancruao-es (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, No. viii, p. 300), « is an amusin "example of their love of effect, where they thought some- thing magnificent and high-sounding was attainable. Since the division amono- the Parsis of India, which arose nearly a century ago, on the subject of computing their year, - the era of Yazdijird — distinguishing names between the parties have been introduced. This era, known at the time in Persia by the name of ' Sal-i-qadim, ' was found to differ from that observed by the Indian Parsis by one month, commencing just thirty days earlier according to the names of the months, than the Indo-Persian year. A Parsi had deen deputed to Persia to inquire into the matter ; he was a Ch(u-i the Parsis were not satisfied by these, and similar statements, and they resorted to private inquiry among their European friends. They were informed that all Christians are bound to believe that their religion is an exclusive system, and that the followers of other systems are deceiving and injuring themselves by neglecting inquiry. " From the strain of Nauroz's letter, it appears very plain that many of the Parsis believe that the mere report of mi- racles said to have been performed by Zoroaster, and the insertion of some good doctrines in the Avasta, are sufficient to prove his divine mission, and the heavenly origin of his instructions. In order to exhibit the vanity of this confi- dence, the following remarks were made in ihe rejoinder. " ' The Parsis, like Nauroz Goosequill, are accustomed to tell us that Zartusht was introduced into the world in mira- culous circumstances, and that during the course of his life he himself performed a variety of wonderful works. They tell us that an angel was sent to his father, who persuaded him to drink a glass of wine, and that his wife soon after- wards conceived and bare a son. They tell us, like Nauroz Goosequill, that at the time of his birth, when other children cry, Zartusht smiled ; that the hands of the persons who sought to kill him, agreeably to the order of the king, were arrested by a divine impulse ; that he was exposed to the fury of wild beasts which did him no harm ; that when the king wished to drive herds of cattle upon him, one of them stood over him till they had all passed by ; that he was thrown into the flames and came out unhurt ; and that he was caught up into heaven, and brought down the Zand-Avasta. It would be well if the Parsis in Bombay would seek for the proofs of these assertions. They ought not to be believed without certain evidence. " ' I have asked some persons to state their reasons for believing in these stories ; and they have not been a little puzzled. Some of them say that they have heard them from their parents ; others that they have read them in books. Are these sufficient reasons for crediting them ? Many foolish tales are afloat in tho world, and many errors and 66 PAKSI RULE OF FAITH WITHOUT AUTHORITY. falsehoods of various kinds are eontained in books. An in- vestigation of the strictest kind must be resorted to ; and the most diligent search must be made. Who saw the mira- cles ? Who gave testimony respecting them ? Who ex- amined the witnesses ? Who recorded the evidence ? Who can prove that it is uncorrupted ? These are inquiries which most undoubtedly ought to be made. " ' It is found that there are no witnesses, and that there is no collateral history for the guidance of the student. The Musalmans, it is said, have made sad havoc, and only one nusk of the Avasta, and a few other insignificant works, re- main. These, we are told, are letters from heaven ; and they ought to be received as such. Are they worthy of this character ? " ' Though the Parsi scriptures contained many good things, I would not, on that account alone, say that they have come from God. You yourself, Mr. Editor, are able to write clever things, and good things. Thousands in every country are able to do the same. They can lay down good moral precepts ; they can give good advice ; they can dilate on the arts and sciences ; they can describe the different coun- tries of the world> and their various inhabitants and produc- tions ; they can frame curious stories ; they can compose poetry ; they can write philosophical treatises ; and they can speculate on the planets, stars, and other worlds far removed from our globe. Arc they, on these accounts, to be esteemed prophets, and their writings to be reckoned books from heav- en ? Most assuredly not. Before, then, you believe in the Parsi scriptures, you should perceive that their excellency transcends the power of men, and that they are worthy of God to bestow. If the wisdom, and holiness, and glory of God, is not to be found in them, you ought to have no faith in them. If they are of little or no importance, and, if they contain any falsehoods, or any errors, it is manifest that they are not from God.' "* My reply to Nauroz was given in sixteen chapters, which # Oriental Christian Spectator, May, 1832. LECTURES ON THE PARS1 RELIGION. 07 were published in as many numbers oi" the Gujarati lfarka- rah and Vartaman newspaper. The objects which I kept in view throughout, were to impugn the authority of the Van- didad, and point out its numerous errors in theology, and mor- als, and at the same time to set forth the evidence and ex- cellence of Christianity, in its doctrines, precepts, examples, and scheme of salvation. The charges which I made against the Vandidad I afterwards collected together in a lecture, which I delivered to an audience, composed both of natives and Europeans, on the 19th and 26th June, 1833.* This discourse was preceded by an extended course of lectures on natural religion, and formed part of a general inquiry into the question, Where is a divine revelation to be found? It was published in the circumstances mentioned in the pre- face. " The following lecture," it is there remarked, " forms part of a short series of discourses which I have lately delivered on the Parsi religion. It is published in compliance with the ex- pressed wish of a number of respectable individuals who are attached to that faith ;f and it is submitted to their candid consideration, not with the view of wantonly wounding their feelings, but in the hope that it may contribute, in some de- gree, to lead them to such inquiry as may issue in the rejec- tion of error and embracement of truth. The Parsis of India are superior in many respects to most of their countrymen ; and it is the earnest hope and desire of not a few of their Eu- ropean friends, that they may be among the first who will rig- idly examine the claims of the different religious systems, and devote themselves, with their acknowledged intelligence and vigor, to the pursuit and practice of truth. The zeal, and good temper, with which they have entered into religious * The substance of the lecture, and more than this, I beg the reader to observe, had been published in Gujarati, the vernacular language of the Parsfs, in the newspaper above-mentioned. f Aspandiarji politely says, that "the conclusion, [from my not spec- ifying their names] would be, that Dr. Wilson had been advised by some vagabond PSrsis, actuated by no other motive than that of earning some paltry means to fill their hungry bellies" ! ! 68 PUBLICATION OF A LECTURE ON THE VANDIDAD. discussions during the two last years ; the decision with which many of them have already renounced the claims of the Bundeshne, and Ardai-Viraf-Namah ; the encouragement which they have afforded to the native newspapers, which, under good management, may prove invaluable blessings to the community ; the increased readiness which they evince to promote a general education ; their gradual inclina- tion to the adoption of what is praiseworthy in Europe- an customs ; and many other circumstances which could easily be enumerated; tend to strengthen these expecta- tions." My remarks on the Vandidad, were founded principally on the French translation of Anquetil du Perron, published in 1771. " From his version," I observed, "and with an occa- sional reference to the Gujarat! translation and original [Zand], which I was enabled to inspect through the assistance of a learned Parsi, I have made an English version, to which I shall appeal. T have a considerable degree of confidence, that, in all essential points, my quotations will be found cor- rect." Since the publication of my lecture, I have been ena- bled to devote considerable attention to the Zand language, the key to which I obtained in the interlineary Gujarati Translation and Paraphrase of the late Framji Aspandiarji, in the Commcntaire sur le Yacna of M.Burnouf, and Bopp's Com- parative Grammar of the Sanskrit, Zand, and other languages,* and by following out the philological inquiries which the lan- guage itself suggests. Though I have found that it is not diffi- cult to improve upon Anquetil's version, I have also seen that for the purpose of ordinary theological discussion it is, gene- rally speaking, sufficiently accurate. The principal object of my lecture, is to prove that the Vandidad has no claim to be considered a divine revelation. The position which 1 lay down respecting it, I endeavour to support by the following remarks : — * Verfrleichende Giainmatik des Sanskrit, Zend,Griechischen, Latei- nischen, Litthauischen, Gothischen and Deutschen von Franz Bopp. Berlin, 1833. SUMMARY OF ITS CONTENTS. G9 1. There are no proofs of its authenticity, genuineness, or credibility. 2. The Vandidad Sade* is very defective as a rule of faith. 3. The Vandidad robs God of all his glory, inasmuch as it represents the supreme God as inactive, as disregarded ot the concerns of the universe, and as having surrendered the administration of affairs to Hormazd. 4. The Vandidad gives a highly irrational account of the origin and operations of natural good and evil. 5. The Vandidad teaches and recognizes the deification of the elements, and other inanimate objects. 6. The Vandidad gives an erroneous view of the natural state of man. 7. The Vandidad contains gross scientific blunders. 8. The Vandidad prescribes an immense number of ab- surd ceremonies. 9. The Vandidad ascribes an absurd power, or influence, to the ceremonies which it recommends. 10. The Vandidad represents ceremonial observances, as more important than moral observances. 1 1 . The Vandidad contains some passages directly oppos- ed to morality. 12. The Vandidad does not propose a reasonable scheme of salvation. 13. The Vandidad does not give a becoming account of the future state. The doctrines of the Vandidad on the matters here adverted to, are contrasted throughout with those of the sacred Scrip- tures. As it is principally in reply to my lecture that the works which I at present undertake to confute have been prepar- ed, and as the various topics of which it treats must pass in detail before our notice in subsequent parts of this work, I shall not in this place enter into any particular statements re- specting them. It is sufficient to allude to the manner in which it was at first received by the Parsi public. The first criticism upon it appeared in the Jam-i-Jamshid 70 CRITICISMS ON LECTURE ON THE VANDIDAD. newspaper, on the 16th September 1833, under the signa- ture of " A Zoroastrian." * The writer of the article says that he has discovered several errors in the pamphlet, though he does not point them out, and does not profess himself to be able to understand the Vandidad. " It is incumbent on some of the pious priests, " he says, " to reply to all the re- marks." He seems inclined to put a parabolical interpreta- tion on the words Hormazd and Ahriman, the names of the wood and evil Principles of the Parsis. " The honorable pro- phet Zoroaster," he says, " has declared matters of wisdom, by various secrets (or mysteries,) and signs, and minute cir- cumstances, that by some persons they should be considered as facts, and not fall into the hands of the ignorant, but should be understood in their whole meaning and mystery by the wise." He objects to tie Bible, as ''absurd and unreasonable," because it contains this statement : — " And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth ; both man and beast, and the creeping thing and the fowls of the air : for it repenteth me that I have made them."f And he speaks of the miracles of Zoroaster as equally au- thenticated with those of Christ. The attempt made by this writer to shield the Vandidad from a just criticism, by asserting that it is full of secrets and mysteries, appeared in its proper character to the acute and intelligent editor of the Harkarah and Vartaman. In his pa- per of the 19th September, he says, "The J£m-i-Jamshid, backed by its learned dasturs and munshis, has dared a re- ply. The correspondent of our contemporary has ventured to assert that ' Mr. W. knows nothing of his subject,' and as a reason adds, that ' the subject is a secret one,' stating, however, that he intends to employ his dasturs to answer what he himself knows nothing of. By whom was this secret dis- " From much of 'what follows, the reader will perceive that there is no foundation for the following observation of Aspandiarji: — "Itwas aftera very long time that the knowledge of this publication, and its contents spread among the Parsis of this place." t Genesis vi. 7. CRITICISMS ON LECTURE ON THE VANDIDAD. 71 closed to him? How has he proved the Vandidad to be a secret ? Has he any heavenly commerce ? What is his rea- son for disclosing a secret? Let these [questions] be answer- ed. He acknowledges his own ignorance of the subject, and in another place, instead of a direct reply, attacks the Bible A dastur, we understand, is now preparing a work opposed to Mr. Wilson, and we are happy to sec the dasturs coming forward in such a cause ; but as wo take to ourselves the mer- it of first calling upon our priests for an explanation of the difference between Ilormazd and Ahriman, we request them to give us an answer to our question of the secret. The writer of the Jami gives no credit to Mr. Wilson for his pamphlet, because it refers to a secret subject ; but who of the dasturs for the last 1100 years, has let us into this secret? If any fortunate man has had a dream lately on the point, we are rea- dy to hear it. 1 100 years ago the Vandidad Sade was regard- ed by the Parsi priests as a secret ; but no one during that time has solved it, and whither are we going for a solution ! We sincerely hope that the members of the Panchayat * will take this matter into consideration, not depending on the das- turs, as that confidence, we fear, would only injure our cause. While, too, the missionaries are so active, in proving the er- rors of our religion, are we to be idle ? Our countrymen must not be offended at our notice of their valued work as we believe it is to their advantage we have gone so far. Any reply by pamphlet shall be instantly attended to." f These reasonable remarks called forth nothing but abuse from the person for whose benefit they were particularly in- tended. The Zoroastrian, in reply, endeavoured to explain * Etymologically, this word means the Council-of-Five. The Sanhe- drim of the Parsis, however, consists of eighteen members, more or less. t This article appeared both in English and Gujarati, in both of which languages the Harkarah and Vartaman newspaper was now published. It is much to be regretted that few of the native papers in the vernacular languages pass under the eye of Europeans. Were their editors aware that an intelligent judgment was formed by our countrymen of their lucubrations, they would write in a more decent and respectful tone than that in which they commonly indulge. "72 VANDIDAD NOT VINDICATED BY ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE. them, by alleging that the writer was entirely " under the thumb of the missionaries ! " In a letter which I myself addressed to the Jam-i-Jamshid, I wrote as follows : — "I am glad to receive from the Zoroas- trian the expression of his opinion, that it is incumbent on the priests to reply to all my remarks ; and that a learned gen- tleman is at present engaged in writing a rejoinder It appears to me, that the attempt which is made by your cor- respondent to traduce the Bible, is a strange mode of defend- in"- the Vandidad. If you were accused, in a court, of theft and robbery, the judges would think that you were making a very poor defence, were you, instead of vindicating yourself, to proceed to accuse some of your neighbours of the crimes laid to your charge. The proof of their guilt would not establish your innocence. The charges made against yourself would still hang over you; and if you could not remove them, by proving that they were unjust, a sentence, agreeable to the amount of evidence brought forward, would be pronounced against you. " It must not be supposed from these remarks that I am afraid of an investigation of the Bible. I greatly desiderate on its behalf the strictest inquiry. ' The Bible,' I have remark- ed, ' has sustained the most rigorous investigation by friend and foe ; and it has commanded the assent and veneration of men of the greatest intellect and education. It has proved victorious over persecution the most direful, and barbarism and ignorance the grossest and most confirmed, and dissemin- ated civilization and holiness in many a land. Its statements are distinguished by the greatest simplicity, consistency, im- portance, wisdom and truth. The revelation which it makes of the character of God, comports with the discoveries which he gives of his character and moral government in his works, and is calculated to advance his glory in a manner which the unaided imagination of man cannot conceive. Its discove- ry of the state of man, explains all the perplexing appearances which force themselves on our attention, and lays the very thoughts and intents of his heart open to our view. It mani- fests a scheme of salvation, in the appointment of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to be the surety and substitute of. ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE REPELLED. 73 and sacrifice for sinful man, which accords with both the mer- cy and justice of God ; which is calculated in the highest de- gree to advance the divine glory ; which emphatically illus- trates the evil of sin, and deters from its commission ; and which effectually secures the pardon and sanctification, by the divine Spirit, of all those who sincerely rest upon it, and harmonize with it in their conduct. It furnishes man with the most powerful motives to obedience, and communicates to him the most glorious hopes. It supports him under the heaviest afflictions and calamities, illumines the darkness of the grave, and makes known to him an immortality of perfect happiness, and unalloyed and unutterable joy.' * " The objections which the Zoroastrian has endeavoured to bring against the Bible, are easily removed. When Moses says that God ' repented ' that he had made man, he does not say that God repented in the exact sense that men repent, for you will find him in his fourth book, (xxiii Chapter, and 19th verse,) writing thus : — ' God is not a man that he should lie ; nei- ther the Son of man, that he should repent. Hath he said it, and shall he not do it ? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good.' When it is intimated that God repented that he had made man, proper figurative language is used. We learn nothing more from the statement, than that the conduct of man was so bad that it required a corresponding change in the procedure of God. This change we best understand by the term repentance. We never suppose that the repent- ance spoken of, is like that of man, any more than we sup- pose that when the ' hand of God ' is spoken of, any thing more is meant than the energy, or power, of God. The liter- al passages in the Bible inform us how we are to understand the figurative. " Your correspondent seems to think that the miracles at- tributed to Zoroaster establish his divine mission as well as those attributed to Jesus Christ establish his divine mission. Let him again peruse what I have said on this subject under the first head of my lecture. He will learn from the observa- * Lecture on t ho Vanclidad, pp. 47, 48. 7 /I ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE REPELLED. tions which lie will there find, that there is no evidence that any miracles were ever performed by Zoroaster. "* The reply which the Zoroastrian offered to these remarks, appeared in the Jam-i-Jamshid of the 14th October. Noth- ing can be said in favour of either its justice or discretion. The principal points connected with Christianity to which it adverts, will be sufficiently set forth by the allusions which are made to it in my brief rejoinder. " It appears wonderful to the Zoroastrian, that God should have so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever- lasting life. If he will inquire into the evidences of Christian- ity, which are neither few nor small, he will find that what is wonderful in this instance is also true. If the Zoroastrian will reflect on the nature of sin, he will perceive that it is an infinite evil ; that no efforts of his own can of themselves re- move that sin which has been already committed ; and that if salvation be obtained at all, it must be through the merit of a divine substitute. Christ, he will find on inquiry, delivers from the punishment of sin, and saves from the power of sin, all those who put their trust in his name. Men's works are im- perfect, in every case, and in many instances positively sinful, and if the Zoroastrian looks to his works for his acquittance, he will find himself miserably disappointed. The danger of trusting in our self-righteousness, I have exposed at length in my lecture. " The Zoroastrian boastingly said, " With regard to the con- version of a Parsi, you cannot even dream of the event, be- cause even a Parsi babe, crying in the cradle, is firmly con- fident in the venerable Zartusht". " The conversion of a Parsi," I allow, " is a work too difficult for me to accomplish. The conversion of any man is a work too difficult for me to ac- complish. It is not too difficult, however, for the Spirit of God. It is my part to state the truth of God ; and it is God's part to give it his blessing." Along with the " Zoroastrian," another controversialist, as- • Jfun-i-Junislml, 7th October, 1833. ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE REPELLED. i .) suming the signature of Mahiari, appeared, to espouse the side of the question to which he was attached. The contents of his communications respecting several matters, were exactly similar to passages in the letters of others, which we have al- ready inserted. We shall confine our notice to arguments which we have not hitherto introduced into these pages. On the following passage in the Gospel of Matthew, he considered it expedient to furnish a comment. — " And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child [Christ] and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word : for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt." " The above quotation proves," he said, " that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God. Had the celebrated Jesus Christ been the Son of God, and had God produced him on the earth to show the right way, a million of kings, similar to Herod, could never, if they had been disposed to kill him, slay him, even with a great force, til! he had preached the right way among the people of this world. . . . Was God divested of su- pernatural power to save Jesus Christ from being destroyed by Herod, that he should have sent his angel to Joseph, and that Joseph, according to the direction of the angel, should have re- moved Jesus Christ and his mother Mary into Egypt ?. . . Look to what Zartusht Behram says in the work named Zartusht- Namah, or the History of Zoroaster, composed by himself. Zartusht Behram states as follows : — ' The news of the birth of the celebrated Zartusht, the prophet of the Parsis, became known to Duransarun, the emperor, who immediately repaired to the spot where Zartusht was, and ordered his followers to bring Zartusht outside, and unsheathed his sword, with the design of beheading him. When he was going to strike the blow, his hand with the sword became benumbed, and he con- sequently could not accomplish his fatal design. Then be- coming helpless and despondent, he went home dejected, and was attacked with convulsions.' * It is evident from the * This account agrees only .eenerallv with that of Zartusht Behram. 76 ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE REPELLED. preceding circumstances, that Zartusht the prophet of the Parsis was a true prophet appointed by God, as he was sav- ed by God from the sword of Duransarun the cruel king Had Jesus Christ been a real prophet from, and the Son, of God, he would have been likewise delivered from the fear of Herod, so as not to have rendered it necessary that he should be removed from one country to another. Look to Mat- thew, Chap. ii. 17, 22 : — " But when Herod was dead, be- hold an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mo- ther, and go into the land of Israel, for they are dead which sought the young child's life. And he arose and took the young child, and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither ; notwith- standing being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee.' Now observe, there are two highly reprehensible mistakes, in the above statement. First, God could not in spite of Herod, preserve his prophet at a certain station, and consequently made him adjourn from one coun- try to another. Secondly, when God directed his angel to appear to Joseph, the father of Jesus Christ, the carpenter, in a dream, and to order him to take Jesus Christ to the land of Israel, he did not perceive that Herod's son did reign in the room of his father." The reply given to this representation was the following: " Neither all the kings of the earth, nor all the devils in hell, could have inflicted death on Jesus Christ, [without his will,] till the appointed time had arrived. We must not limit God, however, as to the means to be employed in his preser- vation. He could, no doubt, have preserved Jesus in the land of Judah ; but it was his will that he should be con- veyed into Egypt, for this, perhaps among other reasons, that the prophecy, ' Out of Egypt have I called my Son,' might be fulfilled. It was his will also, that Jesus for the fulfilment of prophecy, should be conveyed into Galilee. To his will we cannot object ; and to the fulfilment of it, through the warning of an angel, [or any other instrumentality,] we cannot object. ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE REPELLED. 77 " The miracle reported by Zartusht Behram is entirely destitute of proof. Zartusht Behram lived many hundred years after the time at which it is reported Zoroaster lived. According to the common opinion, he flourished about the 647th year of Yazdajard [A. D. 1*277] ; and, consequently, his testimony to Zoroaster's reputed miracle is not worth a cowrie.* Matthew was a contemporary of Christ, and he had a personal knowledge of all the matters of his narrative. He published his account of Christ at a time when its truth or falsehood could be investigated. His Gospel, ever since his day, has been in the hands both of the friends and enemies of the Christian cause, and its statements never have been, and never can be, disproved."! The Mahiarf tried his skill also, by inventing objections to the words of Christ, " Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God," when contrasted with the declaration, " Think not that I am come to send peace on * Znrtuslit Behram himself gives the date of his work, as here mention- ed, near its conclusion. The author says also, at the same place, that lie was "intoxicated," on the day intervening between that on which he commenced and finished the work. " In this day of A'zar, I took [this work] in hand. On A 'ban wns the feast, and we were intoxicated {mast.) On the night of KhCir, I wrote it to the end. In this very day I completed it." By his intoxication, we might have supposed, he probably meant a kind of inspiration, had not his reference to the feast of A'ban suggested n real debauch. His in- spiration, if such be claimed for him, was certainly neither that of truth, nor of the Spirit of truth. An accurate translation of his book, which is in Persian, made by my friend E. B. Eastwick, Esq. is contained in the appendix (A). My Persian copy, from which this translation is made, was written 20G years ago. In a subsequent letter of Mahiari, which does not require special notice, he says that the author of the Zartusht-Namah, wrote agreeably to the information contained in a Pablivi book still existing. Let this work, I say, be produced, let its history be given, let its evidence be weighed, and 1 shall be prepared to furnish a comment upon it. To the authority of the Zartusht-Naimh, I advert in a subsequent chapter. f Letter in Jam-i-Jamshid, dated Oth Oct. 1S.11. 78 ATTACKS ON THE BIBLE REPELLED. earth : I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father,, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." "These contradictory sayings [of Christ], he observed, " are sufficient to prove him not to have been a prophet." " Christ," I remarked in reply, " was both a peace-maker, and a peace-breaker. As a peace-maker, he recommended, both by his words and actions, the promotion of peace to all his disciples. As a peace-breaker, he commanded his disciples to adhere to his cause, notwithstanding of whatever disturb- ance and persecution might arise. He was not, however, a culpable peace-breaker, as you will perceive from the illus- tration which I am about to give. If you were convinc- ed that Christianity has its foundation in truth, and if you were to signify to your parents, brothers, and sisters, that you were determined to become a Christian, they would pro- bably rise up against you, and persecute you. It would, nev- ertheless, be your duty to follow the dictates of truth, and to become a Christian. Your friends would say to you, You are a peace-breaker ; why should you leave us and create dissen- sion in our family ? You would then tell them that it is your duty to obey God rather than man, and that they would be to blame for any disturbances occasioned by you. Christ does not make disturbances ; but wicked men make them on ac- count of Christ. It is in this sense, that he said, ' Think not I am come to send peace on the earth : I came not to send peace, [the peace of sinful compliance,] but a sword.' ' Missionary operations, according to Mahiari, are directly contrary to the will of Christ. Jesus said, he observed, " Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Sa- maritans enter ye not ; but go rather unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel The celebrated Jesus Christ for- bad his disciples to go to the men of another religion, that is, to convert them to Christianity." "It is true," it was answered, "Jesus, in the first instance, commanded his disciples to ' go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' It is also true, however, that before his ascension DESTRUCTION OF A CHILD ACCORDING TO THE VANDIDAD. "19 to heaven, lie commanded his disciples to " Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."* Besides those contained in the letters from which I have now introduced these extracts, no comments on the Lecture on the Vandidad, worthy of any notice, appeared, so far as I know, till about five years after its publication. In some of the numbers of the Jam-i-Jamshid for June and July 1838, an attempt was made by a Parsi, signing himself Farmdbarddr, to impugn my translation of a passage, in the 15th fargard of the Vandidad, according to which the followers of Zoroaster are commanded to destroy an illegitimate child. I invited the complainant to disprove my interpretations by a critical analysis of the original Zand, which I had considered my warrant, or to meet me at any place which he might appoint, for the purpose of discussing the merits of the case. For some time he contrived to evade my reasonable request ; and when he did at last make the attempt to meet my wishes, he betrayed such an ignorance of the principles of universal grammar, as called down the reprehension of the Parsi newspaper the Chabuk, edited by the gentleman who had formerly conduct- ed the Harkarah and Vartaman, and which showed to me that I could expect little assistance from his critical abilities. Three of the controversialists whose works are now before me, have thought proper to refer to the passage in the Van- didad which was the subject of this discussion. It grieves me to be obliged to say, that every one of them has acted in the matter, both dishonorably and dishonestly. Dosabhai, when professing to extract the passage, stops short at the very word with which it commences.f Aspandiarjf, while pretending to quote the passage, and its context, has the effrontery to convert four distinct instances of crime into one, by four sev- eral times omitting the words upditi gatdto ratum vd paradd- tum vd aparaddtam vd putrdmchd he dadhditi, with which the statement of each of them commences; and he makes an interpretation of the whole quite unwarranted by the original * Matthew, xxviii. 19. I T&lim-i-Zartushi, pp. 102, 103, 80 DESTRUCTION OF A CHILD ACCORDING TO THE VANDIDAD. Zand.* And Kalam-Kas contents himself by quoting one of the refuted letters of Farmdbarddr, published in the Sama- char newspaper,! without making the slighest reference to the comments upon it which I laid before the Parsi commu- nity, through the same medium. This is a way of conduct- ing religious discussion, of which, I have no doubt, many of the Parsis in Bombay will be heartily ashamed, the moment that they direct to it the slightest attention. The passage which I have made the ground of the charge that child-murder, in a particular instance, is recommended in the Vandidad, is the following. I quote from the lithograph- ed copy of that work, edited by Edal Daru himself. -^ajjj^»^jj .Mil} .£iQ4jj) .Vo*-">^-"-U .JjH3-u^ "Vns . jj ay h;, jj . £ aw 0) b jj L? . _u <\JjJj hj ro • J V J -"» *o • MV-V3 JaJ^ .\> '-"J '^MSai •Jp'i'Je) •-»fn3-u^ •-AA>n5 -)jjjjiojyjy .(f u ay H3 ai <« ms ai .£y|aiy» .awj , boo ms oj • wautubjj L? .^ujaj^y .jjj^jj^ -au>»o . aiaoHSai . wai^ M5-u .^ny^MAi^)£^) . jj^>/ .oj|j)»> .aiaoMjai • J(S>J-u» JJg )ge) . J^jau ayjUjy . £ yaoH3aiK3ai -m) ))).(, uplift JUVjlf .aoL? .^(U^jj^ . out? . £ £

'-"{^" -"JJ^-MJ •H3WJJ^M3JJ . jj w jj » jj »> .j^jjuoo t . jj (v) ja> | jj (ky . ai pi jl j oj 4 • -ufojjj i . i y This remarkable passage, in Roman characters, is as follows : — Yo kainincm upditi catdto ratum vd actdto ratum vd pa- raddtam vd aparaddtam vdputhramcha he dadhaiti. Yezicha vaochdt aesa yd kaenaputhro aemnarovarsta ; yezicha vao- chdt also nd hanam aetdesamjijisanguhaperec.anguha ; aet- at aesa yd kaena hanam actaesamjijisditi perecditi, Aesa " Hadf-i-Gum Rahan, pp. S0; 83. i Nirang-Ha, pp. 327— 335. t Vandidad, lithographed, pp. 445, 446. DESTRUCTION OP A CHILD ACCORDING TO THE VANDIDAD. Si hana frabaraiti banghem vd khsaetem vd ghandnem vd frazdtem [frazpdtem 1] vd kdmchid vd vitdchinindm urua- randm. Aetamhdt puthrdt mlmarekhsanguha. Aetat aesa ha kaena aetamhdt puthrdt mimarekhsdili havanta aetahe skyaothnahe verezian ndcha kainicha handcha. I omit the translation of the first sentence, about the mean- ing of which there is no dispute, because of the indelicacy of the subject to which it refers. The meaning of the rest of the passage, is as follows: — "If she who is the girl, shall say, this son is the production of this man ; [and] if the said man say, visit your nurse and ask her [for the poisonous drug] ; [and] in this way she who is the girl visits her nurse and asks [her]. The nurse brings bhang, or kshaet, or ghandn, oxfra- zdt* or something or other pertaining to the juices of trees. Take the life from this child. If the girl shall take the life from this child, then both the man, and the girl, and the nurse, are alike guilty." I defy all the mobeds in Bombay to prove, how the words aetamhdt puthrdt mimarekhsanguha, can with propriety be translated otherwise than, " Take the life from this child." The last of them is the second person sin- gular of the imperative of the verb signifying to kill. Guha is shown by M. Burnouf to correspond with the Sanskrit *3", the formative of this part of speech.f All the dasturs make pere- sanguha, an exactly corresponding part of the verb, and used above, express the meaning " ask," and consistency alone will require them to admit the correctness of my version. The verb -"WJ?-"^^'^ merehchanguha, of nearly the same meaning, and of the same part of speech, is, in the com- mencement of the nineteenth fargard, applied to Zoroaster as * These are certain narcotics, the meaning of which I do not profess to explain. In the Pehlivi and Gujarati translations, bhang is rendered by "hair," a word which is evidently wrong. The Sanskrit jjjrr bhangd, (Cannabis sativa) so much used in the East, is no doubt what is pointed out. The words which follow are rendered as verbs by the dasturs, but they are evidently nouns in the accusative coupled together by the con- junction vd, which, as iti Sanskrit, is equivalent to "or." Kshaettm accord- ing to the allied Sanskrit radix, probably means" facientem ut intercat." See Westeigard's " Radices Linguae Sanskritre." p. 26. i Alphabet Zend, p. cxxvii. 82 DIFFUSION OF CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE AMONG THE PARSIS. the cry of the devil, and is with the words asdum Zarathus- tra, in connexion with which it is used, translated by Aspan- diarji Framji,"jfiTi// the holy Zoroaster. Anquetil supposes that the dastur, or the magistrate, is to be the instrument of the destruction of the illegitimate child, or abortion, and it is pro- bable that he is right in his conjecture on this point. In this summary of the contents of the fifteenth fargard of the Van- didad, he says with reference to the offending woman, " On doit detruire son fruit, mais il ne faut pas qu'elle le fasse elle- meme."* And in his translation, he says, " On les menera de- vant le Destour, ou devant le Roi, qui frappera, detruira, qui gatera de quelque maniere qui ce soit avec (du sue) d'arbre, que fera perir i'enfant."f This, as will have been seen, is more the scope of the passage than a literal version. But I must now proceed to notice matters of another kind. When I perceived that the publication of my pamphlet on the Vandidad had aroused the attention of a goodly portion of the followers of Zoroaster in Bombay, and thus accomplish- ed the principal object for which it was published, I considered it a matter of the greatest importance to direct their attention to the truth of God, as well as to expose the errors of the sys- tem to which they are unfortunately devoted ; and I had the pleasure of observing the regular attendance of several respect- able individuals at a course of lectures on Natural Religion, and the Evidences and Doctrines of Christianity, which I con- tinued to deliver for several years. They often conversed with interest on the subjects which were brought before their no- tice ; but I could not but perceive the disadvantages under which they laboured for want of early Christian education, and could not but regret that few or none of their connexions were attending any Christian schools in Bombay. As soon as there was the prospect of the transference of the Scottish Mis- sion, with which I was connected, to the guidance and support of the General Assembly of the Church, the most suitable body for conducting a missionary enterprize, I determined to make every exertion to have its operations directed to the promotion ■ Zund-Avasla, torn. ii. p. Ixx. f Zend- Avasta, bom ii, pp. 398» 394. FOUNDATION OF GENKRAI. ASSEMBLY^ INSTITUTION. 83 of the benefit of the Parsis, as well as that of the other tribes of the community. With this view, when founding, toward the close of 1835,* its central educational Institution, in which literature, science, and theology, were to be taught, through the medium of English, both for the general instruc- tion of the natives, ond the training of converts for the Christian ministry, I chose, after consulting with different friends, a lo- cality for its situation, which appeared to suit the convenience of the Parsis ; and, through the native newpapers, and other channels, I gave them notice of the commencement of its operations. I made no concealment of any of the objects which I had in view ; and even if I had attempted it, the ef- fort would have been altogether unsuccessful, for my profession and pursuits were well known throughout the whole of the island and the adjacent country. I was not content, however, to leave my proceedings, and those of my coadjutors, open to the inspection of all who were interested in them; but I gave express intimation through the public journals that, the Christian instruction of all our pupils formed an essential part of our plan. Though I had set myself in opposition to Zoro- astrianism, I had never proved unfriendly to any of the Parsis professing their attachment to that system of faith ; and they had no reason of complaint against me for the temper in which our discussions had from time to time been carried on. I enjoyed the acquaintance of not a few of their num- ber ; and I had the pleasure of soon seeing many of their youth take their places in our different classes. The atten- dance of Parsis at the Assembly's Institution, for four years after its formation, exceeded that at the central school of the Native Education Society, and the Elphinstone College, from both of which Christianity is systematically excluded. The parents and guardians frequently saw their wards engaged in their particular studies, and heard them catechized from the Bible and other religious books. Printed notices of the dif- ferent subjects of instruction, were extensively circulated a- mong them on the occasion of our annual examinations, at * At this time, I was the only Scotch missionary in Bombay. 84 CONVERSION OF TWO PARSI YOUTHS. which many of them did not tail to attend. In our public ad- dresses, when we were favoured with their presence, we most clearly, emphatically, and fully declared all the objects which we had in view. They were particularly noticed in all the re- ports which from time to time we gave to the public, and in the correspondence which we maintained with our constituents in Scotland. There are special reasons, as will afterwards appear, for my being so particular in these statements. With the motives which induced the Parsis to send their youth to our seminary, they themselves are best acquainted. It is my firm belief, founded both on the general shrewdness of their observation, and my acquaintance with their particular opinions, that not a few of them knew something of the di- vine purity and excellence of the Christian faith, and were not indisposed that their offspring should be become acquaint- ed with its doctrines and precepts, in connexion with their general studies. Others, I have no doubt, had little regard to any object but the advancement of their children in secu- lar knowledge, for the promotion of which our Institution of- fered many advantages. We expected conversion in some instances, as the most blessed result of our benevolent labours. Some of the Parsis were indifferent about such an issue ; and most of them, it may be readily admitted, had such confi- dence in the traditions of their own tribe, that they never made it a matter of expectation. As we practised no con- cealment, our duty was plain. We taught what we consider- ed most advantageous to our pupils without restraint. The happy effects of the system of Scriptural instruction which we pursued both in our scholastic and extra-scholastic engagements, were not long in becoming apparent. A con- siderable number of Parsi youths, as they grew in the know- ledge of the word of God, became deeply impressed with the necessity of attending to their eternal interests, and greatly attracted by the Gospel of Christ. The simple and affecting narrative of the actual conversion of one of their number, Dhanjibhai Nauroji, exactly as it was put into my hands, may be here introduced. CONVERSION OF TWO PARSI YOUTHS 85 11 Two days after Dr Wilson in 1835 established the Gen- eral Assembly's Institution, I applied to him for admission. which was immediately granted to me. At this time I \\;i- ignorant of the Bible, and of all the doctrines of the Christian religion. But I soon began to read the Bible. At first 1 did not think much about it, but when I advanced in my studies, I began to understand it, and had a great love for it. I read also in Thomson's Collection, which contains many interest- ing subjects, and which I found to be very useful. I got more knowledge of Christianity while attending Dr Wilson's Wed- nesday lectures at the Mission House. Mr Payne, one of the teachers in the Institution, took me to the Sunday School, and I sometimes attended with him at the Scotch Church, to hear the preaching of the Gospel. About two years ago, I was thinking about Christianity very much, but through the fear of my relations, and of my countrymen, I did not express my ideas to any one. When any thoughts about Christiani- ty would occupy my mind, I would try to put them out, by thinking that if the Parsi religion were false, it would not have continued to this time ; but this notion only lasted a short time, for I would feel something within warning me a- gainst the path which I was pursuing. I was somewhat con- vinced of my folly in worshipping the elements which is quite contrary to reason, and the first and second commandments of God, which he gave to Moses. I afterwards read Dr Wil- son's lecture on the Vandidad Sade, and became convinced of the fallacy of the Parsi religion. "My uncle ordered me to leave the Institution, and to as- sist his munshi in some work. Mr Payne came often to ask me to return to the Institution, and Dr Wilson having re- quested a Parsi gentleman to speak to my uncle about my absence, and that gentleman scold[ed] him very much, and he sent me back.* I again read Scripture with Mr Payne, and ' With reference to this matter, Dosabhai ( Taliin-i-Zartuslit, p. 27 ) says, that we pursued the youth like a " huntsman." He ought to know well that no educational institution can prosper in which there is any in- difference about the regular attendance of its pupils, or the completion of their studies. 8G CONVERSION OF TWO PAUSI YOUTHS. studied Mathematics and Natural History with Dr Wilson, and Menial Philosophy with Mr Nesbit. Not knowing how to ac- knowledge the Saviour, I proposed to enter into friendship with Mr Johannes Essai, whom I saw Dr Wilson admit into the Church, and whom I always found speaking in defence of the faith which he professed, and willing to assist any one in finding out the truth. One day he asked me to walk with him to Dr Wilson's Friday evening lecture, and I had much talk with him. I did not tell him the state of my mind, un- til he told me, that he intends to become a preacher of the glad tidings of salvation. At the same time, I expressed my fear of my relations, and of my countrymen, but he pointed out to me some passages in the Scriptures, by which I was quite satisfied ; and in keeping his friendship I gained many advan- tages. Mr Smith, one of my worthy teachers, who instruct- ed me in Geography and History, discovered what my feelings •were, and he wrote on my behalf to Dr W., who received me as an inquirer after true religion. I was very much with Dr W. both by day and night, and he took me with him on his tour to the jungles, when he gave me many instructions about Christianity, and Mr Mitchell of Poona, who was with us, also read and prayed with me. When I came back to Bombay, I told to my uncle that I wish to embrace Christianity, but at first he did not believe it. A month and half after, Dr W. asked me to stop with him, and to teach a lady Gujarati, and I told that to my uncle, and he gave me permission. " I now beg to come forward and to receive baptism, in the presence of the public, ready to suffer for my Lord and Sav- iour Jesus Christ, with a full assurance of the fulfilment of his promise. My eyes are open by the divine grace, and see the true light. Oh! what a great matter it is to know the true re- ligion. I lay hold of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven, and took upon himself our infirmi- ties, and suffered on the cross, and reigns in heaven, to save sinners. And now, my Christian brethren, I ask one thing from you, to pray for me, that I may prove to be a true dis- ciple of Christ. And now, my fellow-countrymen, I recom- mend to you to do one thing, and that is, to take the Bible in- CONVERSION OF TWO PARSI YOUTHS. 87 to your hands, and to road it earnestly, and ask Cod to open your eyes, and show you the true way, that you may follow it. Compare the Bible with your Vandidad, and see which is true. I am certain, certain as my life, that you will find out that the Christian religion is true, and if you do, I beg of you all to enter into it. If you will not do these things before you de- part from this wicked world, you will go to that place where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and where you will find no rest ; therefore do these things as soon as possible. "* A perfectly similar document, I had the pleasure of re- ceiving from another ingenuous youth, Hormazdji Pestanji, which I need not here insert.f In a joint letter addressed to me by him, and another of our pupils, Framji Bahmanji, there is the following passage. "After a long consideration we have been convinced that Christianity is the only true religion on the earth, and we have earnestly resolved with our hearts and souls to embrace it, being the only means of obtaining eter- nal life. Our design in embracing Christianity, is, not that we may have riches, (which we at present arc not at a loss for,) but that we may obtain an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of God, by confessing him who came from heaven to save sinners before men, that we may not be denied by him before his Father which is in heaven." The faith of these professing converts was destined to be tried by no common ordeal. Friends, relatives, and in fact a great part of the Parsi community, seemed suddenly to rise up against them, and not only to oppose their entrance into the Christian church, but to seek their serious injury, if not destruction. Dhanjibhai and Hormazdji, through the grace and power of the Saviour, were enabled on the one hand, to * Dosabhai, (Talim-i-Zartusht, p. 12 ), says that this could not have been Dhanjibhai's own composition, for lie laid only a ' fair copy " of it, as it was termed in Dr. Wilson's affidavit, before the Judge ! Does a Munshf require to be informed, that a person may take a fair copy of any thing which he himself writes ? t It appears in the appendix to my sermon, entitled, The Doctrine of Jehovah addressed to the Parsfs. 88 PROSF.CUTION ON A WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS. shut their hearts and ears to all the worldly temptations which the sincere, but mistaken, affection of their friends presented, and on the other, to withstand all the fierce opposition with which they were assailed. They recognized the supreme au- thority of conscience, directed by the word of God, in matters of religious faith and practice ; and the fear of God within them seemed to annihilate the fear of man. Frainji failed under the fury of the storm. May he, and others, yet do justice to their convictions ; and show that the hope of Christ can uphold, even amidst the greatest perils, his true disciples. There was no occasion for a moment's hesitation about the course to be pursued with regard to Dhanjibhai and Hormazdji. I gave them a refuge in my own family; and being fully persuad- ed,after much observation, of the sincere and enlightened nature of their Christian profession, I baptized them, under due protec- tion, before a numerous assembly of their countrymen and Eu- ropeans, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, the only living and true God. They continued to reside under my roof ; but of their personal liberty there was no restraint. Their friends had the freest access to them, except when violence was threatened and attempted. Some of their relatives expressly told me that, they had no personal objections to the course which had been pursued,and which it was propos- ed to pursue, respecting them, and that they were compelled to seek the possession of their persons only by the heads of the Parsi community, who would tolerate no departure from the faith of Zoroaster. I begged them to allow to others the religious liberty which they claimed for themselves, and ear- nestly solicited them to conduct their proceedings in a legal manner. To the law of England, they made their appeal. On the third of May, they procured, from the Supreme Court of Bom- bay, a writ of Habeas Corpus requiring me to produce the body of Dhanjibhai Nauroji, and a Rule Nisi requiring me to show "good and sufficient cause" why a writ of Habeas Cor- pus should not be directed to me, commanding me to brum up the body of Hormazdji Pestanji. These writs were obtained, on the allegation thai the youth wore under age, that I kept PROSECUTION ON A WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS. 89 them under restraint, and that I had used " undue and im- proper means " to "convert and seduce" them from "the faith of their " ancestors and families. " They were served upon me on the 4th, and the return to them was presented in Court, on the 6th of May 1839. I produced, on that occa- sion, a series of affidavits, which completely upset every one of the charges which had been brought against me. The counsel for the prosecutors, however, begged for time to answer these documents, alleging in particular, that they would be able to prove that no evil consequences were to be anticipated, were the youth to be handed over to the guardianship of their friends, or other parties connected with the Parsi community. Sir John Awdry, the judge, complied with their request, and in the mean time permitted the young men to go where they pleased. They intimated their intention to return with me to my own residence. When we were leaving the Court, an as- sault was attempted to be made upon us by a mob of Parsis, collected at its entrance ; and the most diabolical threats were uttered in our hearing. The presence and interposition of a large body of our friends, prevented all evil consequences. On the 16th of May, the case came before the judge for his ultimate decision. Five affidavits were presented in behalf of the prosecution, one of them being the joint production of nine of the members of the Parsi Panchayat, who were the real movers in all the proceedings which were adopted; and thirteen, disproving their assertions, were presented in the de- fence.* A spirited and able debate ensued, conducted by Mr Campbell, who appeared for myself and the converts, and Messrs Howard and Montriou, who appeared for those at * In the preparation of these documents, which necessity required to be got ready in a very short space of time, I enjoyed the valuable assistance of J. P. Larkins, Esquire, Solicitor, who evinced more than official zeal in forwarding our righteous cause. They were respectively sworn toby Cap- tain N. H. Thornbury, the Rev. Dr. Stevenson, W. H. Payne, Esquire, Ba- pu Mazda, Johannes Essai, the Rev. R. Nesbit and the Rev. J. M . Mitchell, Hormazdji Pestanjf, Mr. G. S. Collett, F. Hutchinson, Esquire, R. X. Mur- phy, Esquire, and Nauroji Darabjf, as well us by the convert Dhanjibhaf, and myself. 8 90 LIBERTY OF THE CONVERTS GUARANTEED. whose instigation the writ had been issued. The decision sustained the interests of civil and religious liberty, the sacred right of every subject of Britain's extended empire. It was ordered that Dhanjibhai Naurojf. be " at liberty to go where he pleases." The Rule Nisi in the case of Hormazdji Pes- tanji was " discharged." * Both the young men voluntarily returned to my home, in which they continue to reside. They are diligently and successfully prosecuting their studies at the General Assembly's, Institution, with a view to the holy min- istry, to which, we trust, they will, in due time, be called. Their conduct has gained for them the esteem of all who en- joy their acquaintance. With the law which vouchsafed to the youths their liberty, many of the leading members of the Parsi community were far from being satisfied. Toward the end of 1839, they present- ed to the Government of Bombay a libellous document, alto- gether adverse to it, ever since designated as the "Anti-Con- version Memorial," and bearing 2115 signatures, procured, after several months canvassing and misrepresentation, out of a population of about 250,000 souls residing on the island of Bombay. I have not space to insert it in full, but its objects and spirit will be sufficiently apparent from a part of the pray- er with which it concludes: — "We therefore pray of your Excellency, that you will be pleased to request the Legislative Council of India, to pass a law which shall place the Christian Missionaries, who resort to this country, on such a footing with reference to the people of India, that no such case as recent- ly happened can occur again, without redress being afforded through a Court of Law to the injured and afflicted family, and in particular that no Missionary or other schools be esta- * I have been purposely brief in the notice of the important proceedings in the Supreme Court, both because I do not wish unnecessarily to intro- duce into this work any matters which may prove a source of irritation to those whom I have long ago forgiven, and because the whole proceedings, including all the documents brought forward, and the opinions of the India Press respecting them, are recorded in the Oriental Christian Spectator for June, 1830. published in Bombay, and reprinted in Edinburgh, by Mr. Johnstone, bookseller. ANTI-CONVERSION MEMORIAL. 91 blished in the interior, without the previous sanction of the Governor in Council, and that no Missionary, or other person, shall be permitted to interfere or tamper with the religion of a native child, under twenty-one years of age, except with the express and explicit sanction in writing of the parent or legal guardians of such child. And farther, that if any person after the full age of twenty-one years shall become a convert to the Christian or other faith, he shall not be capable of exercis- ing any power or control over his wife or children, and also shall be liable to provide a reasonable sum for their mainte- nance ; and also that he shall forfeit all right and title to in- herit the family or ancestorial property of his parents, except such portion thereof as may be bequeathed to him by will, and that the provisions of the Act may be guarded by proper penalties to be enforced in any Court of Justice in India." In the comment on this document presented by me to Gov- ernment, and which is inserted in the appendix (B) to this work, there will be found a reply, by anticipation, to much of what appears in the controversial works now before me. I direct to it the attention of my native readers. The Anti-Conversion memorial was, with a simple excep- tion, universally reprobated by the public press in India. It *was impossible that it could meet with any favour from an enlightened and impartial government. In reply to it, the Governor in Council of Dombay remarked as follows : — " The principle, by which the proceedings of this Government will be regulated, in all questions connected with the labours of the missionaries is that of the strictest neutrality Whilst, however, the Government are thus resolved to ad- here to this path of strict neutrality, it will be obvious to you, that the course of argument and fair reason cannot be imped- ed, since its progress is a necessary consequence of the exten- sion of education, for which, in the abstract, you are justlv so anxiously solicitous. — As regards your complaints that the missionaries are allowed to locate themselves wherever they please, even at places which you hold most sacred, the Gov- ernment of India will determine, whether any, or what restric- tion should be imposed. — You likewise complain of the 92 RECEPTION OF MEMORIAL BY GOVERNMENT. extension of missionary schools, but it does not appear how Government, adhering to the principle laid down, can interfere to prevent their extension. The remedy, however, is clearly in your own hands, for, firstly, it is within your own choice to send your children to those schools, and secondly, you may send them to the Government schools, or unite among your- selves to establish schools, where Christanity shall not be taught" The deliverance of the Government of India was, if possi- ble, still more decided and satisfactory to all who respect the sacred claims of truth and of conscience. " In reply, I am de- sired to state," wrote the Secretary, " that his Lordship in Council has given his deliberate attention to the statements and requests contained in this memorial. It is among the first wishes of his Lordship in Council, that the just and tolerant principles, by which the British Government in India is actuated, with regard to every question connected with reli- gion, should be well understood by all classes of the population, and especially by persons of the high respectability and char- acter which belong to the memorialists. — His Lordship in Council is, however, entirely persuaded that the parties to the representation now before him, will, upon reconsideration, be satisfied, that they require no further assurance on this head, than that which is to be found in the uniform tenor of the proceedings of Government, and in those declarations of strict neutrality which have with much propriety been address- ed to the memorialists by the Hon'ble the Governor in Coun- cil at Bombay, and which his Lordship in Council would here desire, in the most emphatic manner, to repeat and confirm. — Consistently with the rules by which the Government alone can be guided, his Lordship in Council must feci himself pre- cluded from entertaining the question of passing legislative enactments, which would be at variance with a just regard to the rights of civil and personal liberty, with the principles sanctioned by the British Parliament, and with the express precedents of past legislation in India. * — The attendance ■ Section !>, regulation 7. Bengal Code, 1832. RECEPTION OF MEMORIAL BY GOVERNMENT. 93 at missionary schools, being entirely voluntary, the remedy against any evils, apprehended from the instruction impart- ed at them, is in the hand of native parents, who may re- frain, as is observed by his Honor in Council, from sending their children to those schools. — His Lordship in Council cannot deem it to be necessary, or proper, to prohibit the re- sort of missionaries to any places to which other British sub- jects may, without offence, have access. The law is already powerful to prevent whatever may obviously tend to the dis- turbance of good order, and to punish insult, and outrage, upon the native or other religions by any parties." The avovvment of these principles and determinations, had a most happy effect in the native community. An appeal which was made to England by those who wished them, and conse- quently the cause of civil and religious liberty, to be restricted, fell to the ground, from the belief of the friends and agents of the Parsis in that country, that no good result would follow further agitation, and that it was likely that, in that enlighten- ed country, reproach and obloquy would be the only harvest of its promoters. It is but justice to the Parsis, and the other natives who joined with them, to say, that many of them are heartily ashamed of their proceedings in the conversion case from first to last, and that some of them have apologized to myself, and other Europeans, for their own connection with it. By the simple narrative which I have now given, and in the appeal which I have made to incontrovertible documents, I have overturned much of what has been advanced in the controversial works now before me. I have left my native readers, in most instances, to make the application for themselves. I am persuaded that they will not fail to draw the right conclusions. But, what, it may be now asked, has been the result of all the agitation which some inconsiderate persons have contriv- ed to excite in connection with the conversion of the Parsi youth ? Has it served to confirm the Zoroastrians in the faith of their fathers ? Has it put an end to all farther religious inquiry ? The very opposite effects have been its consequence. The unreasonableness of the proceedings adopted, has gen- 94 EFFECTS OF DISCUSSION AND PUBLICATIONS BY THE PABSIS. crated the suspicion that there is no truth in reserve to stand on its own basis ? Curiosity has been widely excited and is anxiously prosecuting research. The communications on the comparative merits of Zoroastrianism and Christianity, which have from time to time issued from the press, have been eagerly pursued. Convictions of the feebleness of the one system, and the strength of the other, are not uncommon. Hence, the alarm of those who are not prepared to allow truth to take its course, and its great author, the Father of lights, to be glorified, and im- mortal souls to be saved. Hence, the belief of some, inordinately attached to Parsiism, that they can contribute to support its cause. Hence, the controversial works which I now under- take to answer, the products of an advocate hired by the Parsi Panchayat, and individuals occupying the highest place of its priesthood, and others of a more obscure standing. Dosa- bhai, who first appeared on the arena, concludes his work by saying that he has " toiled a whole year" at it, in conse- quence of an order which he received from the shets of the Pan- chayat, and other great men, to render tcVzi the good faith, and to answer Dr. Wilson." Edal Daru, * says, that lie writes for the purpose of showing the Mazdayasnis the foundations of their own faith, and assisting them in their controversies with the Jud-din, or Gentiles. Aspandiarji, whose book ap- peared in the end of November last, seems to express his grati- fication with the inquiry which is proceeding in the commu- nity of which he is a member. He says, " I have peculiar sat- isfaction to notice that the pamphlet referred to [the lecture on the VandidadJ has within the last few months, created some sensation among the Parsfs, and furnished them with many to- pics for discussion." f I cannot but tender my sincere congratulations, in these circumstances, to the members of the respected Parsi com- munity. They are in a situation different from that of many of the other tribes in this great country, who are not only in- volved in error, but altogether unconscious of their situation, and without any attempt being made to arouse them to con- * Prcfnce to the Maujazfit-i-Zartusht. + H^di-i Gum-Rahan, p. 2. THE PAHSIS EXHORTED TO RELIGIOUS INQUIRY. 95 sideration. Let tlicin do justice to the call for thorough inquL ry,and devout reflection, which has been providentially address- ed to them. It is certainly their duty, as it is the duty of all men to know what God reveals as religion, and requires to be prac- tised as religion. Ignorance of the Divine Being who created u-^. who confers upon us our intelligence, and all our possessions and enjoyments, and who continually supports and upholds us, and to whom we arc responsible for all that we have re- ceived and are capable of doing an d imparting, is in the highest degree dishonorable, detrimental, and dangerous. God has created us, expressly that we may know, love, serve, and enjoy him ; and when we fail to learn who and what he is, and what he requires of us, we must be considered as neglectful of the grand end of our existence, as ungrateful for the benefits which we have received, as opposed to the government of God, and as unmindful of our own best interests. Our conduct can in no degree be excused ; and in the view of it, we must consider ourselves as the enemies of God, whom he will visit for neg- lect and indilference. I beg permission of my friends direct- ly to address to them a few counsels on this subject, dictated by my own earnest desires for their happiness in time and eternity. I. Religious inquiry should be conducted by you in a teachable spirit. Unless you be heartily disposed to learn, it is of little use for you to propose to learn. An ardent desire to attain to the truth, is necessary ; and you must never resist it, when it is presented to you, or fail to seek and use the means of discovering it. " There is a listless vacuity of mind," says Dr. Abercrombie, with whose excellent work on the Intellectual Powers some of your youth arc acquainted, " which prevents it from being directed with attention, or interest, to the formation of defined opinions, even on subjects of supreme importance. There is a servility of mind, which leaves it the slave of mere authority, without forming opinions for itself by persona] inquiry. And there is a rude and reckless affecta- tion of mental independence, or liberty of thinking which leads a man to despise authority, to aim at striking out for himself a system distinguished from the received opinions of those 96 THE PARSIS EXHORTED TO RELIGIOUS INQUIRY. ground him — led, it may be, by a love of singularity or the vanity of appearing wiser than his neighbours ; — or perhaps impelled, by the condition of his moral feelings, to argue him- self into the disbelief of what he wishes not to be true. From all such distortions of the understanding, a regulated mental discipline tends to preserve us. It induces us to approach every subject with a sincere and humble desire for truth ; to give its due influence to authority without being blindly led by it ; to give its due weight to every kind of evidence, with- out partial views or imperfect examination ; and to direct the whole powers, not to favour, establish, or overturn particular opinions, but honestly and anxiously to discover what is truth. This is a subject of intense and solemn interest. A slight at- tention to the philosophy of it, will enable you to perceive its true bearings upon us as responsible beings ; and how, on the highest of all subjects, a man may incur moral guilt in the for- mation of his opinions. Both as intellectual and moral beings, the great agent by which we are acted upon, is truth. Truth derives its power from evidence; and there are laws of evidence, which,in their nature, are as absolute and immutable as the laws of physical relations. But for the operation of them, a state of the mind itself is required, and without this, even the best ev- idence may be deprived of its power to produce conviction. For the result of evidence upon the mind depends on close and continued attention ; and this is a voluntary process which every one may be able to perform. It is on this ground therefore, that we hold a man to be responsible for his belief, and contend that he may incur deep moral guilt in his disbe- lief of truths which he has examined in a frivolous or prejudic- ed manner, or which perhaps he indulges in the miserable affectation of disbelieving, without having examined them at all. The remarkable fact indeed, appears to be, that the chief source of unbelief, on the greatest of all subjects, is gen- erally to be found in a previous moral corruption of the mind. It arises from no defect of evidence, but from a state of mind on which the highest falls without power." * Pride and con- * Abercrombie's Inaugural Address. THE PARSIS EXHORTED TO RELIGIOUS INQUIRY. 97 ceit, indeed, are most unfavourable to the progress of any learner. They infallibly blind our minds and oppose the for- mation of right impressions. God, it is apparent, will not honour them. " To this man will I look," says he, " even to him that is of a poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trem- bleth at my word." " The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way. " These remarks are applicable both to those who teach and to those who are taught, and who both have much to learn in reference to Him, connected with whom it has been asked, "Canst thou by search- ing find out God ? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto per- fection ? It is high as heaven, what canst thou do ? deeper than hell, what canst thou know ? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea ? For he knoweth vain man : he seeth wickedness also, will he not then consider it ? for vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt." Religious inquiry, then, should be conducted by you under the impression of your liability to err. Men, when viewed in reference to the subjects of religious inquiry, are exceeding- ly limited in their comprehension ; they are undoubtedly ex- posed to many prejudices from education, and from prevail- ing sentiments and customs ; and they are exposed to many evil influences within and without. It is apparent, that they are connected with sin, and that its power may both restrain them in the search for that which is good, and lead them to reject that which is true, when it is presented to them. You ought not to imagine, then, that your sentiments and conduct are correct, merely because those of many persons around you accord with them ; merely because they were taught you by your parents and your priests, who still approve of them ; merely because they are similar to those of your remote an- cestors. You ought not to suppose, that any thing is true and right, merely because it may be agreeable to you, and you may be reaping some apparent advantages from it. You ought not, on the other hand, to conclude that any doctrine is wrong, merely because it has never formerly been present- ed to your view ; because it is difficult for you to comprehend 93 THE PARSIS EXHORTED TO RELIGIOUS INQUIRY. it ; because it is rejected by your countrymen ; or because it may reveal to you your own folly and wickedness. Many have erred, and you may err. On this account, you ought to proceed with the greatest caution ; and you ought to pray, that God may deliver you from all the temptations which sur- round you, and lead you into the knowledge of all truth. 2. Religious inquiry should be conducted by you with the determination to yield to the dictates of truth. Many difficulties, and much opposition, are frequently experienced in following the path of rectitude ; and it is well to calculate upon them, and to make preparation for meeting them. Most of these difficulties originate in our own depravity. We do not naturally like to acknowledge our errors and change our customs. We do not like to subject ourselves to the scorn and hatred of those who differ from us. We do not like to expose ourselves to hardships and sufferings. Whatever may be our feelings and apprehensions, however, there can be no doubt as to our duty. Ignorance, we have remarked, is very sinful ; but disobedience, when attended with knowledge, is more so. To resist truth, is to resist the God of truth, and to provoke his righteous displeasure. Those who know God and who glorify him not as God, are exposed to his right- eous indignation, while those who act agreeably to the will of God, according as it is revealed to them, obtain his approba- tion and are aided in the work of inquiry. God is able to support you under all the trials which you may be called to endure. He has supported many persons in situations similar to your own ; and he has enabled them to love the truth, even more than their own lives. It is infinitely better for you to suffer for an adherence to that which is good, than to re- main in error, or neglect, or resist, your right convictions. 3. Religious inquiry should be conducted by you under a deep impression of the brevity of time, and the speedy ap- proach of the hour of judgment. That which concerns the glory of God, and the salvation of the souls of men, must be very important ; and it must be apparent that to make it the subject of procrastination must be highly sinful and danger- ous. Your continuance in this tabernacle of clay, will be IRRELEVANT MATTER IN PARS] PUBLICATIONS. 99 short, and it is altogether uncertain. Now, as you must be speedily summoned to the presence of your Maker, and sub- jected to his unerring scrutiny, and as you may be called from this sublunary scene without any warning, you ought, above all things, to betake yourselves to immediate preparation. By following this course, you will avoid evil, and obtain good. It is not too soon for you to be delivered from the curse and power of sin ; and it is not too soon for you to obtain the knowledge of God, and the Redeemer whom he has appoint- ed, and an interest in his favour. Thousands perish because they resolve to delay. May the Lord in mercy prevent you from being added to their unhappy number ! To the controversialists whom the interests of truth require me to oppose, I trust that I cherish no feelings inconsistent with those of the purest benevolence. On the arena which they have chosen, I most readily meet them ; and in contend- ing with them, I bear in mind that the eye of God himself, as well as that of man, is directed to our movements. In the following chapters they will iind, I trust, all their represen- tations and reasonings, which legitimately bear on the contro- versy in which we are engaged, both fairly stated, and fairly criticized. Throughout all their works, with the exception of that of Edal Darn, who, to his own credit, has maintained his temper, there is much asperity of language, which it is my duty to avoid, rather, than imitate. They contain much irre- levant matter, some of which I must here dismiss with the briefest notice. 1. The efforts which are made to blast the character, and disparage the attainments, of the Parsi converts to Chris- tianity, will only redound to the discredit of their authors. For a learned munshi, like Dosabhai to speak of Dhanjibhai by the contemptuous epithet of the " Nazarenc,*" and to at- tempt to prove that by embracing the faith of Jesus, he has broken every one of the ten commandments given to Moses, is at once to dishonour his own venerable beard, and to bring reproach on his own understanding. Broken every one # T6]im-i-Zartushl p. 27. 100 FAILURE OF ATTEMPTS TO DISPARAGE THE CONVERTS. of the ten commandments by his conversion ! By embracing the religion of Jehovah, the self-existent God; by forsaking the worship of idols, whether natural or articifial ; by refusing vainly to use the name of God, or to give it to vanities ; by hallowing the space of time appointed for the worship of God, and the enjoyment of holy rest, on that day on which, since the resurrection of Christ from the dead, it is his intimation that this should be done; by honouring his relatives, and consulting their welfare, by showing them an invaluable example of de- ference to the will of God, whose authority is paramount ; and by connecting himself with those eternal principles of mercy, purity, honesty, truthfulness, and contentment which were written by the finger of God, on the tablets of testimo- ny ! It is only in connection with the doctrine of the Trinity, that there is any thing even specious in the munshi's reason- ings in support of his charge ; and even here there is noth- ing just or substantial. Trinity, or Tri-unity, expresses merely the fact, revealed to us in the Bible that in the one God- head, there are three personal distinctions and agents, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. They are not said to be both one and three in the same sense. In one sense, they are " one," and in another, " three." The doctrine of Scrip- ture may be above reason, — and, on this xery account, it has been revealed, — but most certainly it is not contrary to rea- son. Neither of the converts has put away his wife. From one of them the Parsis detain his partner and child, both of whom he would be happy to receive and treat with kindness. Nei- ther of them has denied his parentage.* The passage f which Dosabhai quotes from the Bible forbids all profane swearing. The Christian Scriptures, however, do not interdict a judicial oath. Such " an oath," they say, is " for confirmation," "an end of all strife." % 2. Dosabhai is very liberal in his quotations from the ' See comment on the Anti-Convers'on Memorial inserted in the Ap- pendix [B]. f Matthew, v. 33 — 37 J Hebrews vi. 16. VANITY OF CONFIDENCE IN VOLTAIRE AND GIBBON. 101 writings of Voltaire. It is to be regretted that he has not informed his readers, that the works of this infidel have been often refuted in the most satisfactory manner in Europe ; and that they are consequently destitute of all re- spect and authority. It may be proper to inform him that the principles of Voltaire failed him in his last moments, that he was greatly excited in the prospect of death, and that he sent for a Christian priest, to administer to him consolation ; and that he professed to die in the faith of the church in which he was born. * Dosabhai, as will be seen from another part of this work, claims the authority of Gibbon in favour of the Parsi religion. It is a pity that he did not quote the following passage from his History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, which is immediately connected with that with which he has favoured his readers : — " Had Zoroaster in all his institutions, invariably support- ed this exalted character, f his name would deserve a place with those of Numa and Confucius,"); and his system would be justly entitled to all the applause, which it has pleased some of our divines, and even some of our philosophers to bestow on it. But in that motley composition [ the Zend-Avesta ], * He undoubtedly penned the following declaration : — "I the under- written, declare, that for these four months past, having been afflicted with a vomiting of blood, at the age of eighty-four years, and not having been- able to drag myself to the Church — the Rev. the Curate of St Sulpice having been pleased to add to his good works that of sending to me the Abb<5 Gaultier, a priest, I confessed to him, — and if it please Cod to dis- pose of me, I die in the catholic religion, in which I was born, hop- ing that the Divine mercy will deign to pardon all my faults. If ever 1 have scandalized the Church, I ask pardon of God and of the Church. "Signed, Voltaire, March the 2d, 1778, in the house of the Marquis de Villette, presence of the Abbe Mignot, my nephew, and the Mar- quis de Villevielle, my friend." See this document and some others of a similar kind, with a narrative of the last days of the '-philosopher" in the "Vie Politique, Litteraire, et Morale, de Voltaire, par M. Lepan." t That, which, as Gibbon says, he had, when he "laid aside the prophet" and "assumed the legislator," and delivered some good agricultural and social maxims. t Numa was a legislator of the Romans, and Confucius of the Chi- nese. 102 gibbon o.v zoroaster". dictated by reason and passion, by enthusiasm and by selfish motives, seme useful and sublime truths were disgraced by a mixture of the most abject and dangerous superstition. The Magi, or sacerdotal order, were extremely numerous, since, as we have already seen, fourscore thousand of them were con- vened in a general council. Their forces were multiplied by discipline. A regular hierarchy was diffused through all the provinces of Persia ; and the archimagus,* who resided at Balch was respected as the visible head of the church, and the lawful successor of Zoroaster. The property of the Ma- gi was very considerable. Besides the less invidious posses- sion of a large tract of the most fertile lands of Media, they levied a general tax on the fortunes and the industry of the Persians. ' Though your good works ' says the interested prophet, ' exceed in number the leaves of the trees, the drops of rain, the s'ars in the heaven, or the sands on the sea-shore, they will all be unprofitable to you, unless they are accepted by the destour, or priest. To obtain the acceptation of this guide to salvation, you must faithfully pay him tithes of all you possess, of your goods, of your lands, and your money. If the destour be satisfied, your soul will escape hell tortures; you will secure praise in this world, and happiness in the next. For the destours are the teachers of religion ; they know all things, and they deliver all men. | " These convenient maxims of reverence and implicit faith, were doubtless imprinted with care on the tender minds of youth ; since the Magi were the masters of education in Per- sia, and to their hands the children even of the royal family were intrusted. The Persian priests, who were of a specula- tive genius, preserved and investigated the secrets of Orien- tal philosophy, and acquired, either by superior knowledge, or superior art, the reputation of being well versed in some of the occult sciences, which have derived their appellation from the Magi. "The Majesty of Ormusd, who was jealous of a rival, was se- conded by the despotism of Artaxerxes, who could not suffer # Chief Mobed. f Saddar, Art. 8. CHRISTIANITY NOT ANSWERABLE FOR JESUITISM. 103 a rebel ; and the schismatics within his vast empire were soon reduced to the inconsiderable number of eighty thousand. This spirit of persecution reflects dishonor on the religion of Zoroaster ; but as it was not productive of any civil commo- tion, it served to strengthen the new monarchy, by uniting all the various inhabitants of Persia in the bands of religious zeal."* It will be long before even an infidel will feel himself war- ranted to write in this style of the Christian Scriptures. Where do wc find the apostles of Christ begging for money, under the pretence of saving the souls of those who present it, or dooming to destruction those who withhold it, as the das- turs do in the passage which has been now quoted ? 3. Dosabhai has favoured his readers with several accounts of fraud and deception attributed to the Jesuits and other Roman Catholic padres. His avowed motive for so doing, is to prejudice the minds of the natives of India against the Christian missionaries who at present seek their conversion. If these missionaries either approve of, or imitate, the conduct of the Jesuits, let them certainly be held up to reproach and ignominy. That they do neither, is evident from Dosabhai's inability to bring any specific charges against them. They hold all deception in utter abhorrence. They view it in the light in which it is exhibited in the Christian Scriptures. They de- sire to be the humble followers of the apostles of the Saviour, who before the whole world, could thus declare themselves: — "Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as wc have receiv- ed mercy, we faint not : but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight ofGod."f * 4. Dosabhai pretends to blame the converts for not per- forming miracles, agreeably to his interpretation of Mark xvi. 17, &c. — " These signs shall follow them that believe : in my # Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. i. chap. 8. + 2 Cor. iv. 1,2. 104 MIRACULOUS POWERS NOT NECESSARY FOR CHRISTIANS. name shall they cast out devils ; they shall speak with new tongues." This promise was not given to all believers. It was fulfilled in the days of the apostles of Christ, in the case of those to whom it refers. In connection with his demurrer on the passage now quot- ed, Dosabhai repeats the following absurd story. " A mis- sionary thus confidently asserted to his disciples : — 'When I was riding on horseback, in the country of the Konkan, I saw a tiger opposite to me. The horse cast his eyes on the raven- ous brute, startled, and threw me to the ground. Upon this the tiger having smelled the illustrious pir walked away, and this it did three times. The missionary having come into the city told the story to his disciples ; and certain blue-light sim- pletons believed it, and published it to the world." The munshi is mightily pleased with this tale ; and it is almost a pity to destroy his complacency. The following, however, is the true version. "We set out for Nagotana, a little before sunset. On the road, I experienced a remarkable deliverance, which should excite my most fervent gratitude to the Father of all mercies. I had got the start of Mr. M. in passing through the jungle, and in order to allow him an opportunity of coming to me, I was just about to pull up my horse, when I observed an enor- mously large tiger about six yards from me. Instead of run- ning from me, he sprung up near my horse. I then cried out as loud as I could, with the view of frightening him. I had the happiness of seeing him retreat for a little ; and I gallop- ped from him, as fast as my horse could carry me, to Mr. M., whom I found walking with four or five natives. We passed together the spot where I had the encounter, without seeing our enemy. He was heard, however, among the trees by our horsekeepers. He has been seen by the natives for some days past, a short time after sunset, exactly at the place, (about six miles from Nagotana), where he appeared to me. The men whom I found with Mr. M. told me, that they regularly present offerings for protection from tigers to an image on Wardhan hill. I showed the vanity of their confidence ; but, in their misdirected devotion, I saw the call to remember ' the PLAN OF DISCUSSION. 105 Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High." Is there any pretence of a miraculous interposition iu this narrative?* But I must now proceed to the consideration of more im- portant matters. It is my intention, with as much regard to order and system as the want of arrangement in some of the works to which I reply will admit, to take a calm and impartial review of the whole of the essential principles of the Parsi re- ligion, and to compare them, when necessary, with those of the Christian faith. My observations will be directed amongst other matters, to the following subjects : — I. The Parsi notions of the Godhead, and the relations of Zariiana-Akarana, and Hormazd. II. The doctrine of the Two Principles, Hormazd and Ahriman. III. The worship of the Elements, and of the Amshas- pands and I'zads, who are said to preside over them and the other works of nature. IV. The general Polytheism of the Parsis. V. The Historical, Doctrinal, Ceremonial, and Moral Dis- coveries and Institutes of Zoroaster, as contained in the Yun- didad. VI. The Parsi notions of the Responsibility, Depravity, and Guilt of Man and the means of his Salvation. V. The alleged Mission of Zoroaster. As I proceed, I shall uniformly state the authorities on which my remarks are founded. Should I find at the end of the course which I have laid down for myself, that I have failed to notice any parts of the publications of my opponents deserving of the least attention, I shall refer to them in the Appendix (C). * Oriental Christian Spectator, vol. v. p. 155. 9 CHAPTER II. THE PA'RSI' NOTIONS OF THE GODHEAD, AND THE RELA- TIONS OF ZARU'A'NA-AKARANA AND HORMAZD. Importance of the knowledge of God — Edal Darn on the Godhead — Remarks on his description — Are the Pdrsis Deists — Edal Ddru's attempt to connect his account of the Godhead, with Hormnzd — Do- sabhdi's claim of Supreme Divinity for Hormazd — Extract from Dr. Wilsons lecture on the Vandiddd. on the derivation of Hormazd from Zarudna- Akarana — Refutation of criticisms on this extract — Testi- mony of Antiquity as to the derivation of Hormazd from Zarudna — Testimony of the Sacred Books of the Pdrsis on the same suhject — Tes- timony of the digests of I he Pdrsi faith, in the Ihindeshnt and Tlmd-i- Isldm — Concurrence of European Scholars — the Pdrsis remon- strated with on the unreasonableness of their iiotions of the Godhead, and of Zarudna- Akarana and Hormazd. The knowledge of the Supreme Being, it must be universal- ly allowed, lies at the foundation of true religion. If the attri- butes of his nature, and the character of his providence, be misapprehended or inadequately realized, there can not possi- bly be produced that right state of contemplation, and thought, and feeling, and action, in reference to God, in which genu- ine practical religion consists. A review of the Parsi notions of the Godhead, is consequently incumbent upon us in the very commencement of the inquiries which it is our duty to pursue. I shall permit the Parsis to speak for themselves, in the explanation of their tenets, and carefully examine the writings which they consider the authoritative standard of their faith, and devotional service. Edal Daru,the chief-priest of the Rasamis, in the commence- ment of his work entitled Maujazat-i-Zartusht, writes as follows, in the form of question and answer : — "Q,. Thou sayest that thou art a yazddn-parast ( a wor- shipper of Yazdan), then to what effect art thou acquainted EDAL DARU ON THE GODHEAD. 107 with God, and what dost thou acknowledge the Lord God to be ? "A. The one holy and glorious God, the Lord of the crea- tion of both worlds, and the Creator of both worlds, I acknow- ledge thus. — He has no form, and no equal; and the creation and support of all things is from that Lord. And the lofty sky, and the earth, and light, and fire, and air, and water, and the sun, and moon, and the stars, have all been created by him, and are subject to him. And that glorious Master is almighty, and that Lord was the first of all, and there was nothing before him, and he is always, and will always remain. And he is very wise and just ; and worthy of service, and praise, and imperative in his demand for service. Thus, ac- cording to the above precise statement, I know the Creator to to be one God, and I acknowledge him to be all-powerful over every object. " Q. How is God in his form, and what is his nature, and can that powerful Lord be beheld by us ? " A. God has no form or shape ; and he is enveloped in holy, pure, brilliant, incomparable light. Wherefore, no one can sec him ; and no one can adequately praise and celebrate that glorious Lord, and chief of wonders, who is without as- sistance and in his thought and opinion very glorious, and "Hl^L^l*! Ml0! I, or among the invisibles the invisible; that is to say, as the Izads and Amshaspands are invisible to us, so that they cannot be beheld by the eyes of men of the dust, so this exalted and supreme Lord is concealed from the an- gels and Amshaspands ; because that Lord is greatly supe- rior to the angels, and without shadow and form. We are able to inquire into that Lord by the light of the understand- ing; and through means of learning. We constantly observe his influence, and behold his marvellous wonders. This is e- quivalent to our seeing that Lord himself.* This fact is un- doubted and indisputable. "Q. Where is that God himself? ' n ^to^ n augnn eviJ^U naan*. %# 108 REMARKS ON THE DASTUR's NOTIONS OF THE GODHEAD. "A. That God is present in every place, in heaven, earth, and the whole creation; and whithersoever thou dost cast thine eyes, there he is nigh and by no means far from thee."* These passages prove that the learned dastur is acquainted with some of the attributes of the Supreme Being. I am happy to find that this is the case, — that he admits that the Creator of the universe, is an independent, eternal, omniscient, omni- potent, holy, just, glorious, and pure, Spirit, who is superior to all other existences, and who is worthy of the praise and ser- vice of all the creatures whom he has formed. But though I admit, and ever hold and teach, that God makes himself known by his word and works, I cannot assent to the declara- tion, — which I believe to be the foundation of many relig- ious errors, and especially of those in which the Parsis are in- volved,— that when "we observe his influence, and behold his marvellous wonders, this is equivalent to our seeing himself." When we are permitted to contemplate the glory of his works and agency, we are called upon to form just inferences res- pecting his character and providence; but we must be careful not to confound his works with his own person. The very spirituality of the divine nature, which the dastur professes to admit, forbids the imagination that it has a development in matter,either gross or refined, either dark or brilliant with glory. Some of the Parsis think, that because they admit the ex- istence of God, and acknowledge some of his attributes, they are entitled to the name and respect of Theists (khudd-paras- tan). But they must not be surprised, if we somewhat close- ly examine their claims to the designation which they wish to assume. All the tribes of men, throughout the world, however degraded they maybe in their intellect, and sunk in barbarism in their habits, they must bear in mind, admit the existence of a Supreme God, and have more or less correct views of some. of his qualities. AH of them, however, who deprive the divine character of any of its essential attributes which are plainly revealed, and who at the same time professedly re- cognize any other object of worship, besides the Supreme ) * Manjazati-Zartusht, pp. 2, :'.. mm: THE PAHSIS DEISTS : 109 God, and who worship God through the medium of images, the elements, and selected symbols, we consider Polytheists and Idolaters ; and those who confound God with his works, who teach, that besides God, there is in reality no other object existing, we consider Pantheists. The class to which the Parsis belong, must be determined by a calm and candid reference to their belief and practice. A sacred regard to the cause of truth, and an earnest desire to see its interests advanced, and most ruinous errors prevailing among my fellow-men corrected, have led me, from time to time, to protest against the notions of the Divine Being entertain- ed by the Parsis, — against the multifarious objects of worship and reverence which they suppose to exist and constantly serve, and against the mode of worship which is predominant in their community, and which is sanctioned by the books which they esteem sacred, and to which they appeal as the founda- tion of their religious opinions. How far my sentiments have been correct, and how far they are entitled to the reception of the Parsis, will appear from the subsequent pages. It will be seen, from the evidence which I have now to adduce, that Hormazd, whom they set forth as the supreme object of their worship, is supposed to be not a self-existent, but a deriva- tive and secondary being, originating in, or by, Zarudna- Akarana, or Time-without-Bounds. The account of the Supreme God, which we have already introduced from the work of Edal Daru, will be kept in mind, as containing the admission of certain truths to which we shall afterwards appeal, or which we shall take for granted. The dastur, in continuing his description of God, or rather attempt- ing to associate his ideas of God, with the principal object of worship recognized by the Parsis, proceeds as follows: — "Q. How many are the names of the glorious God ? "A. The names of God are numerous. Of these, the glorious names are three, the first Ddddr* the second Ahur- ' jj )jj(v*_uj_j d&tara, (in the vocative, in which it moat commonly occurs, g ) jj writes, "is this : — It is applied to the great wise God. The meaning of Ahur is Lord ( Khudd ) ; and the meaning of Mazd is 'wise' (ddnd), and ' greatly wise.' || I give one example of the meaning of the word Ahur. In the Ahurmazd-Yasht, it was said by Ahurmazd to Dadar Zartusht, ^t^^L ^IL"*! at£>l , Ahur nam ahme. The mean- ing of this in Pahlivi, is written ^%i ai"H <|>l*f>l, Khudd sum humnam, 'that is, Khudd (Lord ) is my name, or in other words, I am self-produced.' [Also we have] ' Mazddo nam ahme,' that is, 'my name is wise' or greatly wise, or in other words, I know all things." * -xijjhj-ij ashya, pure. M. Burnouf justly supposes this word to be like the Greek oaiog " holy." Commentaire sur 1' Ya?na, p. 16. t A list of the hundred and one names of God, is given at the end of theKhurdah-Avasta, and at the commencement of the Bombay edition of the Vandidad lithographed in the Zand character. A similar list, but with the names in a somewhat different order, is given in Hyde (De Vetere Religione Persarum, Cap. xi.). Many of them occur, and are explained, in the Hormazd Yasht, some passages of which we give in the Appendix (D). t Maujazat-i-Zartusht, p. 13 § Maujazat-i-Zartusht, p. 10, note. || This etymological explanation, to which I assent, agrees with that given by the learned JM. Eugene Burnouf, in his Commentaire sur 1* Yacjna (pp. 70 — 76.) The Zand form of the word is, in the nominative case, P-m \ <->£ .V^)w-" .lhw-6-Mazddo. DOSABHAIS CLAIM OF SUPREME DIVINITY FOR HORMAZD. Ill Dosabhai writes in a somewhat similar strain. In his pre- face, he says, " Dadar Hormazd is, without doubt, the great God (Parame8hvar.)" In the commencement of his work,* he writes as follows : — " We acknowledge one God, the Lord (Khuda), who has created the heavens, and the earth, and the angels, and the stars, and the sun, and moon, and fire, and water, and all objects in both worlds. We give him bhakti (worship), we give him parastash (worship), we serve him. Beside this God, we neither acknowledge nor worship another." He thus defines the meaning of the word Hor- mazd : " In the Burhan-i-Katagh the meaning of Hormazd is Rab-id-arbdb, that is Sahebno Saheb. In Richardson's dictionary Rab-ul-arbdb is translated, ' Lord of Lords.' " f * Talim-i-Zartusht,p. J. t Talim-i-Zartusht p. 134. With regard to this question, I would, in passing, make two remarks. It is not so much with the meaning of the word Hormazd in tiie Persian work Burh&n-i-K&tagli, or nny other Mu- salman dictionary, as in the sacred hooks of the Parsis, with which, we have most to do. And it may be well to take the whole rendering into account. What we find under the name is as follows : — J i) u--j ^ ^^ ' "-^ i±sw**> *'"> j ' o*. ! J; 1 jj; j*& -*-* >' C i vJ ^ ^ j* 'J &i i (J ^i^J*. y^ ^° ™ ) \J ^ r )*M % , Ljau * (j j d \ 1 i5 Jjtxj j L> j* .Sb ' j . _J La* } )J {j^wtti *b — " Ilurmuz is the first day of a solar month. It is propitious on this day to travel and put on new apparel, and not proper to lend money. And it is also the name of an angel, under whom are the deeds and counsels done on the day of Hurmdz. It is also the name of the planet Jupiter, and of the son of Bahman, the son of Asfandiar, and also of the son of Nausherwan. It has also the meaning of Lord of Lords." Here the word is declared to be the name of an angel, as well as of the Lord of Lords. Do the Parsis wish to have two super-human Hormazds ? It is only because the author of the dictionary knew that the Parsfs sometimes speak of Hormazd as a creature, that he writes of him under two characters. I would here notice an absurd digression of Dosabhaf, which occurs in the part of his work to which I have now referred. He blames me for 112 EXTRACT FROM LECTURE ON THE VAND1DAD. With the passages here given, the reader will now com- pare the following extract from my lecture on the Vandidad, founded, as far as that work is concerned, principally on the authority of Anquetil du Perron. " The Vandidad robs God of all his glory, inasmuch as it represents the Supreme God as inactive, as unmindful of the concerns of the universe, and as having surrendered the administration of affairs to Hormazd. " Zorwan [or rather -»^y>\J Zarudna], the first cause of all things, is seldom mentioned ; and his excellence and per- fections are not described. He is spoken of as " Time-with- out-Bounds;" as wholly absorbed in his own excellence, and as a " bird moving on high." Near the conclusion of the third fargard, Hormazd speaks of the world as belonging ' to that being who is absorbed in his own excellence.' He is perhaps, recognized by Zoroaster in the sixth fargard, and in some other places. He is invoked as " Time-with- out-Bounds," in the nineteenth fargard. But this notice which is taken of him, is inconsistent with his character as the Sovereign of all. He is not set forth, as he ought to be, as the Creator, calling all things into existence by the word of his power ; and as the Governor, doing according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth.* To Hormazd, indeed, are ascribed most of the per- using in my lecture the words Mazdayasnan, Amshdspand, Asman, Time tcithoxd- Bounds, Bad or Govad, Sapandarmad, Farohar, and Honnazd, with- out stating their meaning to the Parsis, which he himself professes to explain on the authority of the Burhan-i-Katagh. If he will look at my pamphlet, he will find, that though I had no occasion to discuss them ctymohgically in my lecture, I have not left the reader to be at any loss as to the sense which I attach to them ; and if he will attend to his own exposition, he will find that in some instances it goes beyond the Burhan- i-Katagh, by which lie professes to be guided, as well as contradicts his fellow controversialist, Edal Dard. Of the opposition of the latter kind, I may give one example. Mazdayaena he explains as " free from evil." Edal Darti, with more regard to the meaning, makes it a " worshipper of Yazdan." It ought to be a worshipper of Mazdao, or Hormazd. The cor- rect form of the substantive, is _ui_ij.M(,1,jjj So little is Aspandiarji attentive to my statements and arguments which he professes to refute, that he accuses me (Hadi-i-Gum-Rnlian EXTRACT {ROM LECTURE ON THE VANDI1>AI>. 11:} fections, and works, which are peculiar to God. He is call- ed the ' pure, the just judge.' He is the ' sovereign judge, the sovereign excellence, the sovereign knowledge.' He is, ' the best, the purest, the most intelligent, who possesses the best body, and who by reason of purity is above all." (Far- gard 19). He is represented in many places as the Creator, and Ruler of the visible world. " So powerful is the objection to be urged against the Vandidad from this view of matters, that many of the Beh- din or Lay-Parsis, have been led to deny the existence of Zorwan altogether, and to maintain that Hormazd is God, and God alone. They do this contrary to the testimonies from Greek, Latin, and Armenian authors, which I lately brought before your notice. They do this contrary to the faith of their forefathers, as expressed in the verses presented by them to the Hindu liana on their first arrival in Sanjan, in which Hormazd is described merely as the Divine Hor- mazd, the chief of the Amshaspands, or archangels. They do this contrary to the doctrines of their Dasturs, and Mo- beds, who, in their conversations with me, have admitted the existence of Zorwan, and spoken of him as Idrang, the co- lourless, and nirdkar, the formless. They do this contrary to the books which they esteem sacred. In the Si-Roze, [under the day] appointed for Hormazd, he is called an Izad. In the [heading of the] Yasht which bears his name, he is spoken of as < the depositary of the law given by Zorwan.' * In the p. 28) of "attempting to prove that Zorwan is represented in the Vandi- dad, as the Governor of all things." He will see, from this extract from my lecture which was before him, that the very reverse is the fact. * " Orrausd, depositaire de P autoritc' du Temps sans Bornes." An- quetil, torn, iii, p. 144. As the statement in this instance, appears to be merely that of the learned Frenchman, I am not now disposed to lay any particular stress upon it. It is somewhat curious, however, to find As- pandiarji (Hadi-i-Gum-Rah5n p. 32) characterize my reference to it as " downright falsehood." A little patience in inquiry, and a little polite- ness in expression, are disadvantageous to no controversialist. Aspan- diarji, in the part of his work now in my eye, quotes a passage from the llorroazd-Yasht, which, he says, makes Hormazd " the Creator of Time." in the translation of the Khurdah-avasta published at the Samachai 114 EXTRACT FROM LECTURE ON THE VANDIDAD. nineteenth fargard of the Vandidad, Hormazd is represented as having been created by Zorwan. In the second fargard of the same work, he speaks of himself as distinct from God. When Zoroaster asked him, whence cometh the light which brightens the Virashue, which Jamshid had perfected, he re- plied, I have given to him a hundred portions of the light given by God. In the nineteenth fargard, he is represented as opposing Ahriman by the word, or Honovar, and the law of the Mazdayasnans, or, in other words, by means prescrib- ed to him by another. There is no foundation for the opin- ion, that, according to the Parsi religion, Zorwan and Hor- mazd are the same divinity. In a catechism lately published by a Mobed, the name of Hormazd, who is all in all in the Vandidad, does not once occur. The author of that work is probably ashamed to give Hormazd the honours which are conferred on him in the Vandidad, and well he may." * It is with reference to this passage, that Dosabhai makes the statements which we have already quoted from his work. press, (p. 253) the very words which he thus renders, are made to inti- mate that llSU £'H£i Q "Time is alwavs". The Zand ad- jective which qualifies the noun, however, is -u jw_j -u ^ Khadata, which means neither more nor less than " self-given." * Lecture on the Vandidad, pp. 9 — 11. The catechism to which I refer in the concluding sentence of this quotation is that of " Sohrdbji Mobad Dorabji" printed at the press of the Harkarah and Vartaman in the year of Yazdajard 1202 [A. D. 1832.] Aspandiarji unwittingly informs the public that another catechism has been published without the name of Hormazd. " It is highly regretting (to be regretted,)" he odds, " that the author did not foresee that the name of Hormazd would be quite undervalued in the sight of the missionaries, merely from the circum- stance of its being not made mention of ..... • But there are several other works by the same author, in which the name of Hormazd is not omitted." The works to which he refers, are the Gujarati translations of a section of the Dabistan, and of the Pand-Namah of Mulla Firuz, which bear the name of my friend Fanlunji Marazbinjl, Of the use of the name of Hormazd in these last mentioned works, I am well aware. Still, however, the omission of it in the catechisms, evidently intended for gen- eral use, is worthy of notice. A liturgical work alone properly speak- ing," says Aspandiarjf, "should contain the name of Hormazd." What extraordinary shifts some have been driven to in these discussions! REFUTATION OF CRITICISMS. 115 To his special comments upon it, we shall direct particular attention. 1. He accuses me of ignorance of the character of Hor- mazd. :'About the meaning of the word Hormazd, " he says, " I produce an important proof. After we Parsis have recited the namdz ( worship ) appointed for the five watches,* we recite a species of adoration called the SitdishnS, in which we praise Hormazd. The Padre will learn from it, that Hor- mazd himself is the most high God."f Of this Sitdishne, Dosabhni quotes only the first sentence. As many of the Parris, however, lay great stress upon it, I give it in full, as it is published in the original language, but in the Gujarati character, in the Khurdah-Avastd : — q ^ 6"hi °x s tftbt tJe/% aiHd uv[iiH^lu$ °u-*{1*m urn. hw nm^i*^* =*U*. %w iu/^i H^i^k*^ii, =nin 4§*tTn a>ml*i an£iani*t#£iai°*i ^°^* ^^iJ ^"hl n*a±#H *vnl nni ^iiH^ h *H>ilnni ^lh^. h ^vntnnt *°tiH3t h£1 VH ^>tln"H#^ 3U^>t ^ H3uy*H#£lt bx.t*ta±n * ^ I oiH3iin*^i H3ie/ain * Hsu**! au§ 2ttai°*i*Sti *n n^aus. oiaJ*i Hcr/i itl# aL&VH >u*i ^Sain^w. u.#Ht,uJain $*k itotta 3u&MUi3u*t*anH fc*t ^O* S*a*Ul*t * aV^Vr/ ^tff/^t* ^t V/^i* 41*11 ^#4laiH SiniJain *i*r Sivne/s *g*.HaiH *ni ous#nHi*u n4oL^#^n an>tavLaiH\# nga/rn ^ <*/* 4l?.i«-/3i3L s,ayn*t c/*iai# ajfnl ^l jj^ts/^ ''t"^ QlHSJ*0!^ ttytlilL^'ytli3L^L are probably what the translator has had in view. t In the Gujarati translation of the Khurdah-Avasta, printed at the Sa- machar press in the year 1618, the explanation is here added, — " as one lamp from another lamp," £"*{ a^ 2{3UDl2{\ °{[0 2^131. 118 REFUTATION OF CRITICISMS. to pass the bridge Chinavad in safety, and preserves them from hell ; which guides (us) to that glorious place of gladness and felicity, which is destined for the righteous. May I, O Lord, obey thy command and profess thy (thine) faith, and medi- tate, speak, and do (every thing) according to thy desire and agreeably to thy will. — May I remain firm and stedfast in the path of rectitude. — I do hereby abstain from all sin, and per- severe in virtuous conduct and practise abstinence. — May I, O Lord of righteousness ! adore thee according to thy desire from the bottom of my heart, by means of expressions utter- ed from my mouth, by my deeds, by the practice of virtue, by my unsullied conscience, by my wisdom and sense, and to the utmost extent of my ability and strength. May I walk in the path of heaven. May I not be subject to the insuffera- ble rigors of hell. May I pass the bridge of Chinavad in safety, and reach the everlasting paradise which is adorned, full ol perfume, and easy of access. I praise the ever-glori- ous, and ever vigilant Almighty, who rewards those who prac- tise righteousness. I praise thee, O Lord, who ort the dis- penser of justice on the day of judgment, the Redeemer and Liberator of the wicked from hell, who art the Regenerator of the human race. J offer all my praise and adoration to Hormazd, the Omniscient, Omnipotent, the Independent and Absolute (master), the Creator of the seven Amshdsp and s and of Behrdm the powerful, who is the successful destroy- er of enemies. Do thou (O Lord) lend me thy assist- ance."* * This last sentence is more incorrectly translated than any of the pre- ceding- 1° the Khurdah-Avasta published at the Samachar press, it is thus given in the Gujarati language: — 3lh tSi'Unni °1&3i«u*. *nn wJk nini ai*t *M c/*<£ ^aynnin >u^«ii*. =nn h n* hsi shQ The literal meaning is: — " With all praise and Sllaish (praise) to Di- dar Hormazd, who is the knower of all circumstances, and who is potent REFUTATION OF CRITICISMS. 119 This Sitaishne, will never induce me to allow that Hor- mazd is the most high God, though it contains sufficient proof that many of the Parsis arc accustomed to ascribe most of the attributes and honours of God to Hormazd, a fact which I have very distinctly brought to notice in my lecture on the Vandidad, and other papers treating of the Parsi religion. The Sitaishne is not, as the translator alleges, from the Zand- A\astS.; for it is to be found only in the Pahlivi, and that of a comparatively modern character, not essentially different from Persian. It is not one of the prayers which are suppos- ed to be divinely authorized by the Parsis. As allowed by Do- sabhai, and as intimated in the heading prefixed to it in the Khurdah-Avasta, or minor liturgy, it is a mere supplement to some of the ordinary forms of worship which they repeat. It has, I suspect, been composed at a late period, in imitation of the forms of the Christians or Musalmans.* in every thing-, and who is without the cate of any one. And let the sev- en Amshaspands and Behram Izad, the destroyer of enemies and the powerful, created upright, come to my assistance." This, it will be seen, nearly agrees with the Pahlivi. * The alleged specimens of Zand shown to Sir William Jones by the P5rsf Bahman, were, I suspect, in the Pahlivi language. It was probably on this account that he has said. (Works vol. iii, p. 1 10,8vo. edit.) that " the dialect of the Gabrs, which they pretend to be that of Zeratusht, and of which Bahman gave me a variety of written specimens, is a late inven- tion of their priests, or subsequent at least to the Musalman invasion." I cannot acquiesce in this opinion even as far as the Pahlivi itself is con- cerned ; but I would certainly form a judgment in some cases, as in the present, as to the dace of certain compositions, from a consideration of their proximity to modern Persitn. As this sheet is passing through the press, I have received a letter from Manakji Peotaaji, who pressed on my attention the translation of the Nam Sitafshne, which I have quoted above, in answer, as he thinks, to some observations " which I made upon it in a public lecture lately de- livered in Bombay. "I admit," he says, "that it is in the Pahlivi [ why did he before say that it is in the Zand?] .... I beg to say that on consult- ing some of our ancient religious works [why are their nampsand dates not given, and specific references not made to them, and the authorities on which they rest, not extracted ?] I have found that the prayer which I had sent to you, and which you were pleased to read publicly, was composed by one of our holy prophet Zartusht's disciples, not long after the divine mis- i*20 REFUTATION OF CRITICISMS. The translation, given by Manakji Pestanji, though evident- ly too paraphrastic throughout, I am willing to receive as a well-meant attempt to do justice to the Nam Sitaishne. The only parts of it which bear upon the subject before us, are the opening sentences, * and especially the words which I have marked in italics, and which I have no doubt, the translator interprets as teaching the independence and eternal existence of Hormazd. The expession "self-created deity " is an inac- curate rendering of the Pahlivi ajas Khudash, — equivalent to the Persian Az-ash Khudd, — which means simply " of him- self the Lord." The declaration that Hormazd " has existed from the beginning does now, and ever will, continue to exist", is that only which demands our attention. What its legitimate interpretation is, — if it is to be understood in accordance with the passages in the Parsi scriptures which will immediately be produced, — we shall now see. Anquetil du Perron, consist- ently with what will now be mentioned, confines the expres- sions, "always was, and always is, and always will be," to defi- nite time, or time-with-bounds. In his table, he refers to them as showing that Hormazd " a ete dans le temps toujours, con- tinuellement, et sera toujours. "f He has the express authori- sion of this greatest of all the prophets ; and that it was incorporated in the volume, called Khurdah-Avasta by Adarbad Mahrespand, who flourished about 1700 years ago in the time of Shahpur, the successor of the cele- brated reformer ArdesMr Babegan, king of Persia, at the time when Muhammad was not in existence. It was Adarbad Mahrespand who en- joined the injunction you pointed out that evening, that it should be re- peated by every follower of Zartusht after every JSTiaish and Yasht." To Adarbad Mahrespand, we may afterwards have an opportunity of direct- ing attention. * Dosabhai renders them in Gujarati to the following effect : — " 1 praise the name of Hormazd, who always was, and always is, and who always will remain, whose name is khudainu wardhino karanur, the con- ductor of the Divine providence, the concealed, and amongst the things that are concealed, the concealed, the Lord who is created by himself, Hor- mazd, who alone is the great, and powerful, and wise Lord, that is, he who knows all mysteries, and who is the Creator, and Preserver, and Overseer, and the Protector of all, and the Lord of righteousness, and who is always observant and holy, and who is himself the Lord of justice. f Zend-Avesta, torn iii, p. 744. REFUTATION OF CRITICISMS. 121 ty of the Pahlivi Bundeshne, for such an interpretation. In a passage, in the commencement of that work, to which we shall again advert before the close of this chapter, and in which the origin of Hormazd in time, (zamdn,) is plainly stated, it is added : — " janunid u het u hamd janunid — " He [Hor- mazd] was, and is, and will be."* This, it must be remem- bered, is said merely in reference to existence in Time-with- Bounds, as is evident from the context. Dosabhai admits that there is such an object mentioned in the Vandidad, and other sacred books of the Parsis, as Zarudna-Akarana. But he says,f that, " it is the name of a Time, which is the attribute of Dadar Hormazd, ap- plied to him because no one knows the beginning or end of that Lord, the Creator, or, in other words, when that Lord was produced, or how long he will exist." Zaruana- Akarana, he expressly says, is equivalent to " Eternity. "J Now, with regard to this matter, I would remark, that if the Parsis really believe Hormazd to be eternal, they have no reason to speak of his being produced either at a time known to man, or unknown to man. To speak as they do, of his " having come out of eternity," is nonsense, if he exists during all eter- nity. What they should say, if their books really warrant them to consider him eternal, as they certainly do not, is, that he exists throughout or during eternity. Their acknow- ledgement that Hormazd "came out o/Zaruana", is fatal to the idea that he can be considered eternal. Dosabhai himself has seriously felt the untenableness of the ground which he here occupies. " It is true," he writes, " that Zaruana, is represented in the Vandidad as the first cause of the creation, for every thing has come out of eternity. Moreover, it is a misrepresentation of the padre when he sup- poses that we do not reckon him to be Lord (Khudd). In the same way as in the Zand-Avasta we give worship (ard- * Bundeshne, p. 1. f Quoting from the appendix to the Khurdah-Avasta, as translated by Edal Dam. t T&lim-i-Zartusht, p. 117. 10 122 REFUTATION OF CRITICISMS. dhand) to, that is, recognize, the four elements, and the moon, and the sun, so we worship, or recognize, Time-without- Bounds. As for example, we find it thus in the Khurshid- Niaish, — Zarddnem-akaranim yazamaidhi* that is to say, I worship (aradhuchj or recognize (ydd karuch)\ Time-with- out-Bounds." % I'1 v*ew °f tliese admissions, I put to him the following questions, and demand of him a precise and straight-forward answer : — How can the declaration that Hor- mazd came out of Zaruana, be equivalent to the declaration that he is " eternal," when it is allowed that every created object has come out of Zaruana ? Is it meant to be asserted that every created object is eternal ? How can Zaruana, if it be noth- ing more than eternity in the abstract, be an object of invo- cation, or esteemed "Lord ? " Are you, and the Parsts in ge- neral, not ashamed to speak to, and praise, eternity, which you allege is only an " attribute of God ? " O Dosabhai, you will never get out from the meshes of the net which you have woven for yourself. The more you roll and kick about, the tighter will it become. With a view to bewilder the reader, Dosabhai asks me, "Do not you recognize eternity, and do not you reckon God eternal, as in many passages of the Bible it is said, " God came from all eternity." $ I reply, I do not recognize eternity as an * -H3 £~J jj (f l^J -« n? ■c£f-u'j;2-u '^l-^55 '^t_5 In an ancient MS. copy of the Khurshid Niaish, said by the person who gave it tome to be the oldest in India, « d :s u.?ed for the <*dh of the common MSS. t This, the reader will perceive, is a disingenuous attempt of Dosabhai to soften the meaning of the preceding word, which its ancient appropria- tion, in the Parsi translations, to the Zand ynzamcadM forced him to use. A'ralhnn from which the Gujarat! verb ur&tthuch is derived, is the Sanskrit word for worship. For an investigation of the meaning of the verb ^oC-^JJ^^j-^-d yazamaidhe, see Chapter V. \ Talim-i-Zartum*, p. 117. § This alleged q otation he gives in English, as it here stands. Me translates it into Gujaratf thus: — " Khudd Zunrdn-vuhttl.i nika'o, God proceeded out of eternity !! " At this place, Dosabhai, I may remark, enters into a long digression from his argument, in which he introduces two Zand extracts from the Izashne, according to which the slhunavar or TESTIMONY OF ANTIQUITY. 123 object of invocation. God, I devoutly acknowledge, is eter- nal. I also say, that there is not a single passage in the Bi- ble, like that which Dosabhai professes to quote from it. The words c: God came from all eternity" and which he more than once sets before his reader, arc entirely a fabrication of his own imagination. Dosabhai further asks me, if I do not " reckon Jehovah, or Almighty God, as holy, and a just Judge, and the Lord of Justice." I answer him in the affirmative; but I deny his infer- ence, that there is nothing improper in giving these attributes and titles to Hormazd. He who originated in Zaruana, can never be compared to him who is self-existent, and who has no beginning and no end, who is ihe same, yesterday, to-day and forever, the Father of lights, with whom there is no va- riableness, neither shadow of turning. But to this matter, it will be necessary again to return. 3. Dosabhai blames me for wounding the Parsi religion by making references about Zaruana and Hormazd to Greek, Latin, and Armenian authors, quotations from whose works I have not produced. I beg of him to observe, that the quo- tations to which I allude, I had given at length in the second of my Parsi lectures delivered in 1833, and that my lecture on the Vandidad, — the publication of which was requested and accomplished, — was only apai't of that series. To some of the passages, as they are found in my notes, written nine years ago, he is now welcome. In the first of them Hormazd is represented as produced from light. ';Thcrc are others," says Plutarch, "who reckon that there arc two gods, devoted to contrary practices, so word, consisting of the twenfy-one original N&tks of the Avnstn, was created before the heavens, the earth, the water, fire, &c, and which Aha- navar lie recommends me to study at the feet of the dasturs. This di- gression is a proof of his conscious inability to grapple with my argument. It is quite of a kin with much of what we find in his hook. We shall by and by see more of the Ahunavar; but I may hero ask, why it was madtf long before it was noedtd by man ? Did Hormazd himself, like the II in lu Brahra with the Vedas, require to take lessons from it before the creation ? 124 TESTIMONY OF ANTIQUITY. that the one effects good works ; and the other evil works. Him who is the better, they declare to be God; and the worse, the Devil. Of which sentiment was Zoroaster the Magian, who they say, lived about five hundred years before the Tro- jan war. This Zoroaster called the better, Oromazes ; and the worse, Areimanius. And he added this announcement, that among objects falling under the cognizance of the senses, the former is most like to light, and the latter to darkness and ig- norance : that Mithras is intermediate between them, which is the reason why the Persians reckon Mithras the Mediator or intermedium They say that Oromazes was born of the purest light, and Areimanius of darkness, (O filv Q,QOfxa^r\Q \k tov KaZapioTaTOv (j)ciovc, o & \\peifj.aviOQ Ik tov %u(j)Ov ytyovufg), and that they continually wage war against one another."* In the second, God is represented as distinct from Hor- mazd and Ahriman, and concealed during their conflicts. Theopompus, as quoted by Plutarch, in the work from which the preceding extract is made, thus writes : — "Accord- ing to the sentiments of the Magi, one of these gods must be superior, and the other must succumb, in turn, for three thou- sand years ; and that they must carry on war with one anoth- er for three thousand years, and fight and demolish one anoth- er's works ; that at last hell shall be no more, and that then men shall be happy, not using food nor casting a shadow ; that the God also ivho planned all these things, keeps him- self in repose for a certain time (tov Se ravra ni)\avr}), an interval not too long for a God, but rather like the right and moderate time of a mortal's sleep."! The third quotation, from the " Persian or Zoroastrian O- racles, " written in the Greek language, and quoted by Psellus, Proclus, Synesius, and others, runs thus ; — "All things are the offspring of one fire . The father, or first Deity, perfected *De Isideet Osiride, in Plutarch. Om. Oper. vol. vii, p. 457, Lipsiee 1817. t Plutarch, ibid. p. 459. TESTIMONY OF ANTIQUITY. 125 all things, and delivered them to the second mind, who is that whom the nations of men commonly take for the first. "* The fourth quotation is to this effect : — " The Magi, and the whole Arian race, call (as Eudemus likewise writes) the rational universe, and the One, sometimes Space, sometimes Time, from which both the good God and evil Demon have separated ; or, as some will have it even before them ; light and darkness. When undivided nature had divided itself, the two-fold system of the higher powers formed itself — O- romazd forming one system, and Areiman the other." Eude- mus, here quoted by Damascius, is said to have been a pupil of Aristotle.f The fifth quotation, from the history of Vartan by Elisaeus, an Armenian writer, is composed of a proclamation issued by the Persian Government in the fifth century. I have marked in italics the passages to which attention should be particularly directed. " Mihrnerseh, grand vizier of Iran and Daniran, to the Armenians abundant greeting ( A. D. 450 ) : know, that all men who dwell under heaven and hold not the belief of the Mastesens, ( Mazdayasnis ) are deaf, and blind, and betrayed by the devil-serpent; for before the heavens and the earth were, the great God Zruan prayed a thousand years, and said, 'If I, perhaps, should have a son named Vormist, (Hormazd) who will make the heavens and the earth.' And he conceiv- ed two in his body, one by reason of his prayer, and the other because he said perhaps. When he knew that there were two in his body, he said, < Whichever shall come first, to him will I give over my sovereignty. He who had been conceiv- ed in doubt, passed through his body and went forth. To him spake Zruan: 'Who art thou?' He said, < I am thy son T'or- mist.' To him said Zruan : 'My son is light and fragrant * Cudworth's Intellectual System, pp. 287, 8. Cudworth (p. 292) gives a brief account of the work from winch this passage purports to he a translation. According to Bayle (article Zoroastre), an edition of the Zoroastrian Oracles was published at Amsterdam in the year 1089, with the scholia of Pletho and Psellus. t See the original in Hyde de Vet. Rel. Pers. p. 292, and Neumann's Vartan, p. 85. 126 TESTIMONY OF ANT10.U1TY. breathing ; thou art dark and of evil disposition.' As this appeared to his son exceedingly harsh, he (Zruan) gave him the empire for a thousand years. When the other son was born to him, he called him Vonnist. He then took the empire from Ahriinan, gave it to Vormist, and said to him, 'Till now I have prayed to thee, now thou must pray to me.' And Vormist made heaven and earth ; Ahriman on the contrary brought forth evil."* This passage clearly represents Hois mazd as the son of Zaruana. The next which I adduce, is similar to that which I have now brought forward. It is from Esnik, another Armenian writer of the fifth century. " Before yet any thing was made," he says, ;' either the heavens or the earth, or any creature what- soever, which liveth in the heavens or on the earih, was one named Zeruan, a word signifying the same with destiny or fame (fate?). A thousand years he offered sacrifice, that he might obtain a son, who should have the name Ormisd, and should create heaven and earth, and all things in them. After a thousand years of sacrifice, he began to reflect and said, ' the sacrifice which I have perfoimed, does it conduce to the end, and shall a son, Ormisd, be born to me, or do I strive in vain ? While he thought thus, Ormisd and Ahri- man were conceived in the body of their mother. Ormisd was the offspring of the sacrifice, and Ahrin an of the doubt. Zeruan knew this and said, — ' Two sons are in the mother's womb, he who shall first come forth to me, will I make the king. Ormisd knew his father's thought, imparted it to Ahri- man, and said, ' Our father Zeruan intends to make him king, who shall first come to him ; ' and Ahriman hearing this, pierced through the body of his mother, and stood before his father. Zeruan looking on him said, £ Who art thou ?' And he said, : I am thy son.' Then Zeruan spoke to him : ' My son is of odoriferous breath, and resplendent appearance, but thou art dark and of an evil odour,' While they were thus speaking together, Ormisd was born at his proper time, and he was bright-shining and sweet-breathing. He went forth and * History of Vartan, by Elisanis, translated by Newmann, pp. 11, 12. TESTIMONY OF ANTIQUITY. L2* came before Zeruan : and when Zeruan looked upon him, lie knew that this was his son Ormisd, for whom he had offered sacrifice. He took the vessel which he had in his hand, and wherewith he had sacrificed, gave it to Ormisd, and said, ' Hi- therto I have sacrificed for thee, now and henceforward thou must sacrifice for mc : and hereupon Zeruan gave his vessel to Ormisd, and blessed him. Ahriman saw this and said to Ze- ruan ' Hast thou not taken an oath, whichsoever of the two sons shall first come to me, him will I make king? ' Zeruan, that he might not break his oath, said to Ahriman, O thou false and evildoer ! to thee the dominion be given for nine thousand years; but I appoint Ormisd lord over thee. After the nine thousand years Ormisd shall rule, and what he wish- es, that shall he bring to pass. Now Ormisd and Ahriman be- gan to form creatures ; and all that Ormisd formed were good, and all that Ahriman formed were evil and perverse. * Notes to the History ofVartan, p. 9. The original of this may be seen in the work ofEsnik against the Heretics, printed at Venice in L823, p. 113. Esnik's reasoning upon it, as translated by my friend Avitt Aga- noor, Esq. I give in the Appendix (D). It is remarkably terse and appro- priate; and shows that the Armenian writer i^ an excellent logician. Somewhat similar to these Armi nian notice?, is a passage in the Ara- bic work, entitled Sharistanl, quoted hy Dr. Hyde, but the application of which, that learned author has not every distinctly perceived. " Altera Magorum Secta originalis, sunt Zemanitaz qui asserunt Lucem produxisse Personas ex Luce, quce omn s erant Spirituals s, Luminosse, Dominales ; sed quod harum maxima Persona, cui nomen Zervan, dubitavit de re ali- qua ; et ex ista dubhalione emcrsit Satanas. Sunt ex eis qui asserunt, non esse dubium quin Zervan ill 3 Magnus stetit et musitavit 7999 anno?, ut posset habere Filium, et non habuit. Turn novum quid animo molitus, cogitavit secum quod forte hie mundus nil valet. Ideoquo emersit Ahre- man ex tali solicitudine unica: et emersit Ilormus ex tali scientia : etqudd dum hi duo essent simul in 11:10 ventre, et Ilormus easel exitui propior, subtiliteragens Ahreman, scu Satanas, matris ventrem diffidit, ettum prior exiens occupavit iiiundum." .... These matters Hyde considers metaphorical, but for what reason he has not informed us. H>> adds: — "Et ab his non mullum obludunt quo? apud Photinm habet Theodorus Mopsaestii nsis Presbyter, qui scripsitde Persarum Magia, ubi exponit nefandum Dogma quod Zasrades introduxit, sive Zaruam quera Principem omnium facit, et fortunam appellat. Dein- de tradit, Hunc libationem facisse ut Hormisdam gigneret, quern et gonuit, uti et Satannm. Ttem, de eornm Atuouit,)a ubi etinmeorum per- 128 TESTIMONY OF THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE PARSIS. Esnik, the author of this passage, had the Parsi religion be- fore him as a practical system ; and he writes as a person tho- roughly conversant with its various dogmas. Moses of Cho- rene, another Armenian, who was nearly one of his contem- poraries, refers also to Zerovanus, and says that he is men- tioned in the Chaldaic books as synonymous with Zoroaster himself, the origin of the Medes and \\\e father of the Gods.* Such are the testimonies to which I referred in my lec- tures. When coupled with those more intimately connected with the Parsi, it will be acknowledged that they are possessed of no slight importance in a historical point of view. 4. Dosabhai's reply to my allusions to the testimony of the books esteemed sacred by the Parsis, as to the subordina- tion of Hormazd, as has been already in some degree appar- ent, is exceedingly lame. I had said that Hormazd, in the Sirozah is ': called an Jzad.";j; I should rather have said is " treated as an Izad.'' obsccenum Dogma verbatim exponit et refellit. De Vetere Religione Persarum, p. 298. Abulfeda, also says, that Zoroaster taught thai tbere is a God more an- cient tban the Two Principles. See Pocock. Spec. p. J43. * " Zerovanus, quern hie ea Zoroastrem Magum, Bactrianorum regem, fuisse dicit qui fuit Medorum principium ac Deorum pater." Winston's Translation, p. 10. f "I beg to expressmy wish to know," says Aspandiarji, (Hadf-i-Gum- Rahan, p. 31) "in what part of iheSiroze, Hormazd is called by the appel- lation of an Izad." I answer, In (he veryjirst cituse, according to Anquetil, whom I quoted in my lecture on the Vandidad, and who, from this copy of the smaller collection of ltavayats, has quoted the Zand words "Eokiona- inend iezeteh6" as his authority for his rendering, "Appelle Ized" (Zend- avesta torn, iii p. 11G). In the Zand MSS. now in my possession, I do not find this reading. My argument, however, remains untouched while Hor- mazd is there associated with the Izads in the manner above adverted to. In connection with this matter, Aspandiarji says, "that a Parsi came to- me to request me to " point out to him that part of the Siroze, which treats of good and evil omens, and that he returned home without any satisfac- tion." Of this visit, I remember nothing. This I know, however, that, the translation of the Si/'al Sirozah, — not the smaller liturgical Sirozah which Aspandiarji confounds with it, — was published in London by the Royal Asiatic Society (Journal, vol. iv.) in 1837. I now give Aspandifirjf the "sa- tisfaction" to he derived from a perusal of it, by inserting it in the Appen- dix (E.) TESTIMONY OV THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE PAUSIS. 129 Izad, the Mobed says, is a " name of God," as given in the Burhani-Katagh. This I allow ; and if Hormazd alone had been esteemed " the Izad," I should not perhaps have advert- ed to the expression as marking the fact that Hormazd is considered only a secondary divinity in the Parsi sacred writings. Hormazd, I beg my opponent to observe, however, is viewed as an Izad, in the [Lesser] Sirozah, in the same way that Bahman, Ardebehisht, Shahriwar, Spandarmad, Khur- dad, Amardad, Adar, A'ban, Khurshid, Mali, Tir, Gosh, Me- her, Sarosh, Rashne-Ilast, Farvardin, Behram, Ram, Guvad, Din, Ashasang, Ashtad, Asman, Zamiad, Mahraspand, and Aniran are viewed as Izads.* Each of the imaginary beings now mentioned, has a day of the month sacred to him, in the same way as Hormazd has the first, eighth, sixteenth, and twenty-third days of the month sacred to him. Is this an association and connection, I would ask, worthy of the reputed Creator of the heavens and the earth, who has " no equal," and whose glory it is impiety to give to another? It is not enough to say that he is the "chief of the Amshaspands and Izads," when they are thus suffered to be numerically arranged with him, to be reckon- ed his brethren, and to usurp his honour. f It is not enough * The Zand work for Izad is -u^-uj-uro yazata, which means an " object of worship." Ic corresponds exactly with the Sanskrit q-jp- ya- jata, which occurs in the Rig- Veda (Sanhita B. I. ch. iii, h. 34, st. 7), and which is explained by Sayan, the commentator, by zrg^q" yashtavya, and rendered by Rosen sacris celebrandus. M. Bnrnouf translates it by " dig- ne qu'on lui offre lc sacrifice." See Journal Asiatique, Octobre 1840. The Zand for Amshaspand is -u^^ge)-" .jj^j^jj amesha-spenta. The words of which this name is composed, are correctly represented, by Edal Daru ( Maujazat-i-Zartusht, p. 20), by " exalted immortal." The ap- pellation is conferred in the Zand writings on the first six imaginary per- sons mentioned, as well as on Hormazd. t Aspandia.j. ....inks that the shlokaa presented to Jade Rana of San- jan, represent the " divine Hormazd" as the "chief, or Lord, of the Am- shaspands, or archangels, as he is of the mortals below." This is educ- ing a meaning from them, which, though it is consistent with many pas- sages in the Parsf writings, I do not perceive to be conveyed by them. Why is Hormazd uniformly represented as one of the seven Amshaspands5 Why is he enumerated and classed along with his reputed creatures ? 130 TESTIMONY OF THE SACKED BOOKS OF THE PARSH. to say that at the time they are worshipped, he is worshipped, either first or last ; for if he were truly God, and to give a di- rectory for his worship, it would show that there is an infinite distance between himself and all and each of the creatures which he has made, and that he presides over every day of the month, as well as over the first. On this subject, however, I shall not now enlarge, as it will afterwards devolve on me to point out the absurdity and the sinfulness of the worship, in any form, of Izads and Amshaspands, as sanctioned by the Parsi writings. Of most of my references to the so-called sacred books of the Parsis, and other authorities which mark the derivative rank of Hormazd, Dosabhai has found it convenient to take no notice whatever.* But while 1 call the attention of the Parsis to the fact that they are not disallowed, or shown to be irrelevant, or proved to be the foundation of erroneous conclusions, I may also give a few more proofs of the fact that the authorities on which the Parsi religion rests, repre- sent Hormazd as a secondary and derivative God. (]). In the " sacred books" of the Parsis, there is a class of beings denominated Farohars\ frequently spoken of, and set forth as objects of worship. Anquetil du Perron, the French translator of these books, thus describes them : ' Les Ferouers sont comme l'expressicn la plus parfaite de la pen- see du Createur appliquee a tel object particulier. lis ont d' abord existe seuls. Reunis ensuite aux ttres quils repre- sentoient, ils ont fait partie, si je puis m'exprimer ainsi, de * Aspandiarji (Hadf-i-Gum Rahan pp.28, 29) gives what lie considers five positive " proofs" of the identity of Hormazd with God." Not a single one of them refers to the question about the origin of Hormazd, ei- ther negutively or positively. The first of them is the first verse of the first Ha of the Izashne, to which we shall refer under another head. The others are all Pahlivi, though Aspandiarji has cunningly marked them as from the " Avasta," which (p. 5) he calls the language of the sacred books of the Parsis! My observations on the Nam Sitafshne supersede further notice of the passages quoted. t The nominative singular is in Zand -mj j ftp *" » •" ^ fravash is. The noun is feminine. TESTIMONY OF THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE PAR5IS. 131 1'ame des Creatures."* M. Eugene Durnouf, the author of the learned and elaborate commentary on the Ya^na, says of them : — " Par ferouer lcs Parses entcndent le type divin de chacun des ttres douees d' intelligence. "f In Guigniat's trans- lation of Crcuzer on the Religions of Antiquity, they are cal- led "les idles, les prototypes, les modules de tous les ctres."J English writers give a similar account of them. '-The Faru- hers," says Mr. Erskine, the author of a very able essay on the Sacred Books and Religion of the Parsfs, "are the angels and unembodied souls of all intelligent beings. "§ Mr. Shea, in the translation of Mirkhond's History of the ancient Kings of Persia, calls them "models of existence. ''|| In a former pub- lication, I have referred to them in similar words, and also called them the "prototypes of spirits."H Dos ibhai has fa- voured us, with the following explanation. "Faruhar means johar. They call that johar, which is in English calied Es- sence. It is a montak, or logical word. In Arabic, they ap- ply johar to an article which is composed of ils own sub- stance ; and they apply the word araz to an object which is composed of another object. Take for example the sun and sunshine: — The johar is the sun and the sunshine is araz. Take another example, of wood, and a chair : — the wood is johar and the chair is araz, for the chair is made from wood, and if there were no wood, there would be no chair."** This statement I do not particularly oppose, except so far as to say that johar means more commonly the primitive state of an object, and that araz is applied to its accidents or proper- * Zend-Avasta, torn, ii, p. 83, n. 6. t Commentaire sur le Ya9na, vol. i, p. 270. I Tom. i, p. 32G. § Transactions of the Bombay Literary Society, vol. ii. p. 318. II P- 41. H Doctrine of Jehovah addressed to the Parsis, p 27. •• Talim-i-Zartusht, p. 134. 132 TESTIMONY OF THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE PARSIS. ties.* Dosabhai, by his stroke of logic, neither confirms nor il- lustrates his opinion. In none of the books of the Parsis, have I observed Zard- dna-Akarana spoken of as having a Faruhar. The reason is obvious. "Time-without-Bounds," says Anquetil du Per- ron, "has no Faruhar, because it is self-existent, and is con- sequently without a prototype."! That Hormazd, however, is represented as having a Faruhar, or prototype, and is there- fore not self-existent, can easily be proved. In the nineteenth fargard, or section, of the Vandidad, addressing Zoroaster, he gives this commandment : — — '• X p-^ )_ji d . Ms w jj ) ) w -»j • gjj n? Ni-zbyanguha tu Zarathushira Fradashie mana yat A- huraht Mazddo : — " Invoke thou, O Zoroaster, the Faruhar of me, that is, of Hormazd:" — An example of this worship, we find in the twenty-second Karde of the Yasht-Farvardin, in which it is said, " I make Izashne to all the Faruhars which have been from the commencement, with that of Hormazd ; the most perfect," &c.<§> In the twenty-third Ha of the Yagna, or Izashne, we have another ; — — :gj»« — A'yfcc yazte afradsahU Ahurhi-Mazddo: — "I express- my-love-to, I sacrifice-to the Faruhar of Hormazd." Many other passages of a like nature can easily be produced. Now the question comes to be, How has the recognition of the Faruhar of Hormazd come to be made ? If he is to be viewed as an uncreated being, there can neither have been, nor can there be, an "original idea," or a " type," or a "pro- * Of this fact, Dosabhai himself is well aware. In another part of his work, when treating of another subject, he says, that the logical word ac- cident i3 properly rendered by the Arabic word araz. Talim-i-Zartusht, p. 130. t Anquetil, torn, iii, p. 262. \ Lithographed Vandidad, p. 510. § Anquetil iii, 262. TESTIMONY OF THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE PARSIS. 133 totype " of himself, to be distinctly recognized or addressed by man. It is only when lie is supposed to be the produc- tion of another being, — of Zariiana-Akarana. — that there is any meaning whatever in the language which the Parsis have used in their sacred book-. The authors of these works have undoubtedly viewed him as a derivative being. (2). Near the commencement of the nineteenth fargard of the Vandidad, the Word, or Ahunavar, is particularly prais- ed, and it is there expressly said to have been given by Zaru- ana-Akaran. The words of the original Zand are : — — D at hat spent 6-mainy us dathat Zaruanz-Akaranahe. — These words are used in reference to the Word given to Zo- roaster. They have been tolerably correctly rendered into Gujarat! by the dasturs, a*u»{V§l0 ^H*U Ml*U ^iMVff cVMl^'li ^t^^lR.* — "^ has keen " giyen to me Dy tne high invisible, (or intelligence, Hormazd ;) it has been given to me by Time-without-Bounds." This is an unequivocal instance of Zaruana being set forth as a personal agent, having dealings with men, a fact utterly inconsistent with the notion of Dosa- bhai, that Zaruana means simply "eternity," or an " attribute of Dadar Hormazd,"' and it is consequently subversive of his whole theory. He himself must clearly see that this is the case, for in no sense can it be said that eternity has given the word to Zoroaster. A similar proof may be found in the re- presentation which is given of Zaruana, in the nineteenth fargard of the Vandidad, in which it is said that he has form- ed the way which leads to the bridge of Chinavad, on which the souls of men are said to be compelled to enter at death. That way is spoken of in Zand as f 4t>;-tJ0>-u» ).Vjj)-u_ {.(, uj,-»e> patham Zaruoddtanam " the path given by Time." * Lithographed Vandidad, p. 508. + Author's MS. Vandidad, vol. ii, p. 226. | Vandidad, lithographed, p. 516. 134 TESTIMONY OF THE BTJNDESHNE. (3). Dosabhai has himself quoted a passage from the KhurshicJ Niaish, in which Zaruana Akarana is represented as an object of worship, or, as he would have it, an object of recognition.* In the nineteenth fargard of the Vandidad a little in advance of the passage which we have quoted above, the command is expressly given to Zoroaster that he may be invoked : — — Ni-zbyamguha tu Zarathushtra thwdsahe Khadhataht Zarudnaht Akaranahe : — " Invoke thou, O Zoroaster, the self-given Time-without-Bounds." A little onward 7o- roaster thus expresses his consent : Nizbyemi Thwdsahi Kadhdtahi Zarudnalu Akaranhe, " I invoke the self-given heaven Zaruana- Akarana.* In the small Siroze, under the day of the Izad Ram, Za- ruana-Akarana receives the 0 jj^Vj-f^ji- khsnaothra, " the prayer which-renders-favorable ;" and in the great Siroze, under the same day, the supplicant says to him, or it, Yaza- maidhe Zarudnem-Akaranem, " I worship Zaruana-Akara- na." It is addressed in the same terms in the Nirang-Dast- Sho, or the formula for recitation on the occasion of washing hands. So much for the testimony of the sacred books of the Par- sis as to the secondary, and derivative, character of Hor- mazd. If it is not so extensive as some may expect, it must be borne in mind that these books arc reckoned incomplete of themselves, and considered mere fragments of works which have perished. It is quite consistent, I would now remark, with the digests of their cosmogonies and doctrines which the Zoroastians have from time to time given to the world. The most ancient of these digests is the Bund.shne, which till lately was so highly esteemed among them that it was * Yazamaidhe, the word used, literally signifies "sacrifice with prayers." t Vandidad lithographed, p. 411. TESTIMONY OF THE i'lMA-I-ISLAM. J 35 generally considered a work written by divine inspiration. It exists i-.i Pahlivi, and is supposed by Anquetil du Perron to have been written about the seventh century of the Christian era. Though it is in the highest degree absurd in manv of its statements, it is scarcely less so than the Vandidad itself, and may well be referred to, not for the proof of the correctness of the opinions of the Parsis, but for a statement of what they were when it was composed. In the very commencement of this work, we find the following passage : — -if-u>£J .j^j^_j -2_J- ?_!_)-" •ld^-';^ -_i_j .*!$ .(,-jj .jj ■■' i — Dain ham kana du vajarashna advak zak dam? zamdne akanar humnad jagun Anhuma ved u den, u zamdn An- huma janunid it het uhamd janunid, " With regard to the existence of both [Hormazd and Ahriman] in lime, each is the production of Timc-without-Bounds [Zaman Akaran], namely Ilormazd the most excellent, and the law, and [in] time Hormazd was, and is, and always will be." Another work entitled the Pima -i-Islam, containing the replies of a Parsi Dastur to the questions of a Musalman in- quirer, and of great repute among the Parsis, and supposed to have been composed about the year 1126 of the Christian era,* contains the following passage : — &£> SU , \Jimi} &i&i S.W lt..jU:. C^-J ...U; ^ J>j i , i-*«J -^ tj-' ^" J;' ; ;d ^° j vV l*J ^ lA-V ' «-0"*"* **j '•**■ <•*; ijil 8J.2 i}k^»^o ,U ; ;1 .j j& ,x> .A I , ,%•* ,fc * Anquetil, Zend-Avasta, torn iii. p. 339. Of the Flm't-i- Islam, Sir William Ouseley says "A copy of it I procured, but not without difficulty 136 TESTIMONY OF THE i'l.MA-1-ISLAM. " In the religion of Zoroaster, it is to this effect declared, that God (Khuda) created every thing from Time ; and that the Creator is lime. And for Time no limit has been made, and no height has been made, and no root has been made. And it always has been, and it will always be. He who has intelligence even, will not be able to tell whence it has been made. So great is its glory that there is no other being who can be called Creator, because the creation was not then made. Afterwards, fire and earth were created ; and from their union Hormazd was created. Time was the Creator and this Lord has guarded the creation he has made And I have in the commencement said, that Hormazd and Ahriman were created by Time." In the same work, we have also the following passage respecting Hormazd : — iSfjd *j]^ /,j &J to" *vvo/> ur'1-^ cVJ cJ^y ^ *■**• °1j^ ti-XL' (jit* ,l:& — "And whatever Hormazd created, he created by the aid of Time ; and all the righteousness that was in Hormazd was given to him. And Time had created it in the divine Hor- mazd, and had established him king for the space of twelve thousand years." Plainer language than this it is impossible to conceive. It is quite consistent with my account of the Parsi religion to which Dosabhai has objected ; with the quotations which I have adduced from Greek and Armenian authors ; with the testimonies which I have extracted from the reputed sacred writings of the Parsis ; and with all the considerations which I have brought before the notice of the reader. among the fire-worshippers, by whom as Anquetil justly observed, it is considered extremely valuable and ancient ; some of them tracing it up to the time of Ali, who died in the seventh century. But from this sup- posed antiquity, I am inclined to deduct at least six hundred years, and to believe it a work of the thirteenth century, for reasons which shall here • after be assigned in a descriptive catalogue of my oriental MSS." Ouse- ley's Travels, vol. ii, p. 270. CONCURRENCE OF EUROPEAN SCHOLARS. 137 I must now be allowed to hold, that I have established the pro- position which I have placed near the commencement of this chapter, — that I have proved that the Parsis, who are guid- ed by the authorities on which their religion is founded, ac- knowledge Horniazd, the supreme object of their worship, to be not a self-existent, and independent, but a derivative and secondary being. I am by no means singular in the opinion which I entertain on this subject. It is that, almost without exception, of every European scholar who has devoted his at- tention to the Parsi religion. To a few of the testimonies on this subject, I now request the attention of the Parsis. I need scarcely make any reference to Anquetil du Perron, as it was principally on his authority that I made the state- ments to be found in my lecture on the Vandidad. A refer- ence to the table of contents appended to his translation of the Zand-Avasta, under the head of " Temps sans Bornes," will show both the conclusions at which he has arrived, and the grounds on which he has rested his opinion. " The first and original Being, in whom, or by whom, the universe exists," says Gibbon, " is denominated in the writ- ings of Zoroaster, Time-ivithout-Bounds ;* but it must be confessed, that this infinite substance seems rather a meta- physical abstraction of the mind, than a real object endowed with self-consciousness, or possessed of moral perfections. From either the blind, or the intelligent operation of this infi- nite Time, which bears but too near an affinity with the chaos of the Greeks, the two secondary but active principles of the universe, were from all eternity produced, Ormusd and Ahriman, each of them possessed of the powerfc of creation, but each disposed, by his invariable nature, to exercise them with different designs. The principle of good is eternally absorb- ed in light ; the principle of evil eternally buried in darkness." * Gibbon's Decline and Full of the Rom. Empire vol. i, chap. viii. "Ze- ruane Akerene, so translated by Anquetil and Klenker. There is a dis-. sertation of Foucher on this subject, Mom. de 1' Acad, des Inscr. t. x.xi.x. According to Bohlen (das al Indien) it is the Sanscrit Sarrnm *lkara- nam, the uncreated whole ; or according to Fred. Schlegel, Sarvam . I- kharyam, the uncreated indivisible. Note by the Rev. II. II. Milman. II 138 CONCURRENCE OF EUROPEAN SCHOLARS. * " The cosmogony of the Zendavesta," says Lord Wood- houselee, " according to the account of these expositors, sup- poses the first principle of all things to be time-without-bounds, or eternity. From this first principle proceed (but in what manner is not explained,) the first light, the first water, and the original fire. From this first principle likewise sprung Ormusd and Ahriman, secondary principles, but active and creative of all things; Ormusd, a being infinitely good, and Ahriman, a being infinitely wicked. " f " God, he [Zoroaster] taught," says Sir John Malcolm, " existed from all eternity, and was like infinity of time and space.":]: " It may not be uninter- esting to observe," says Sir Graves Haughton, "that the word sarva employed here [in Manu] to signify the universe, in its original and primary sense implies all, or the whole In the account given in Enfield's History of Philosophy, it will be seem that Zarva was the chief of all the gods a- mong the Persians, and produced the good and evil princi- ples, Hormisda and Satana. I think, from the evident con- nection between the religious systems of the Persians and the Hindus, the identity of the good Zarva and the Sarva of In- dia must be incontestible; and we are thus enabled to take a new and most accurate view of the real nature of the Magian religion. In it we find the same prevailing idea common in all the theogonies of the ancients, namely, the finite nature of their gods, and their subordinate rank, as the personifications or power of the boundless whole, that is, of nature." $ Dr. F. Creuzer, the author of a most important work on the relig- ions of antiquity, writes as follows: <§> "On voit done que le doctrine des Perses ne s'arrcta point au dualisme, comme nombre de savans l'ont pense : elle aussi,elle reconnut un prin- cipe supreme de la dualite, la duree sans bornes, 1' E'ternite " Universal History, vol. i, p. 227, 228. f History of Persia, Vol. 1, p. 495, 8vo edition. t Institutes of Menu, vol. ii, pp. 434 — 5. § I copy the French translation of Guigniaut, not having the original work beside me. CONCURRENCE OF EUROPEAN SCHOLARS. 139 on P E'ternel, Zervane-Akerene, createur d'Ormuzd et d'Ah- riman. C'est Zervane-Akerene qui a donne la naissance a tous les etres ; e'est lui qui au commencement fit Zcrvane, le Temps ou le long temps, lagrande periode ou annee du mon- de, qui durera douze mille ansjusqu'a la insurrection. Dans Zervane repose Punivers, et comme lui de Temps fut cr£e, tandis que Zervane-Akerene et la duri'e increee, qui n'a point eu de commencement et qui n'aura pas de fin. " * Professor Stuhr, in his highly philosophical work on the Religions of the East, says ; — "As an idea of the Supreme Being, that of Zerouane-Akerene, or uncreated time, f occupies the first place [in the Zand-Avasta.] This original being, from which Ahriman as well as Ormazd are said to derive their existence, the first beginning of every thing, was sometimes called fate."X Many similar passages are now before me ; but it is of lit- tle use to multiply extracts of this nature. The Abbe Tou- cher, and Mr. Erskine, as far as I know, are the only writers of any consequence on the P&rsi religion who have entertained opinions somewhat different from those new introduced. The worthy Abbe, it must be borne in mind, however, wrote un- der a feeling of great disappointment with the Zand-Avast.i as a human composition ; and he was surprised to find that Zariiana-Akarana is so seldom alluded to in its pages, while Hormazd appears supreme both in honour and service.^ If he had kept the distinction which he himself at first recogniz- ed in view, he would not perhaps have felt the force of * Tom. i, p. 32-"3. "D'apiei le Zendavesta. Con/. Geerrea AJyfhengesch, 1. p. 219 seq. ; et la note 4 sur ce livre, § 2, que donnera de nouveaux de- veloppemens." Guigniaut, in the note here alluded to, refers for illustra- tions of his opinion to Frederick Von Schlegel, M. de Hammer, and Gserres, &c. t Or uncreated universe. (SWT V^r°nT ) \ Translation by the Rev. Mr. Weigle, in the Oriental Christian Spec- tator, Sept. 1840. ^ Mem. de la Acad, des Inseript. torn, xxxi.v, p. 727 Ac. 140 CONCURRENCE OF EUROPEAN SCHOLARS. the difficulties by which he was overcome.* As soon as the Parsis conceived of the origin of all thanks as existing in a state of insensibility or repose, it was easy for them to give the preference over it to the active principles, Hormazd and Ahriman, in both their regard and aversion. Mr. Erskine does not appear to have come to a very decided opinion on the point to which our attention is now directed. " Different opinions are held among them [the Parsis] concerning the nature of things, and the writings ascribed to Zertusht are very imper- fect on that subject. All the laity, or Behdins, consider Or- mazd, and Ahriman the author of evil, as having existed from the beginning; and Zerwan, or Time, as a production of Hormazd ; an opinion which seems to be favoured by the A- vesta [where ?]. But many of the dasturs, following the ex- positions of later authors, hold that every thing has originated from Zerwan, or Time, and that Hormazd was the first active and creative being produced by that original principle."! There is certainly imperfect information on the principal subject of this chapter in the sacred books of the Parsis ; but I cannot see that these books bear an interpretation different from that which I have put upon them, and which is so con- sistent with what is furnished from independent sources, and from the Bundsehneand I'lma-i-Islam, acknowledged by the Parsis themselves. To the existence of the errors which these books have begotten, and which Mr Erskine in the case of the priests so distinctly notices, I myself can bear my personal testi- mony. Though, when ashamed of the peculiar regard which they show to Hormazd, the Parsis keep Zaruana as much as * Les Ghrbres croient encore aujourd'hui que 1' Univers est compose d'une malihz insensible, et de deux principes actifs qui lui donnent le mouvement et la vie. Dc cos deux principes, l'un est essentiellement bon: e'est la lumiere ou le feu, e'est Ormouz ou Oromavie ; e'est Tame primitive du monde, dont le Soleil, la Lime, les Astres, et le feu terrestre sont des dc'tachemens. L'autre principe qui s'est insinue dans l'Univers, est essen- tiellement mauvais ; e'est la mauvais ame, source de tous les mauvais es- prits, e'est Ahriman, salan , le diable. — Mem. de la Acad, des Inscr. torn, xxx i. pp. 41H3 — 7. t Bombay Transactions, vol. ii, p. 317. REMONSTRANCE WITH TUE PARSIS. 141 possible out of sight, they are no sooner charged with the doc- trine of unmitigated Dualism, involved in their notions of the two principles Hormazd and Ahriman, than they immediately hint at Zaruana, the reputed parent of these implacable foes. Even Dosabhai, as has been already seen, shrinks from the abso- lute dismissal of Zaruana, and declares that he is Khiidd, Lord in a personal sense, and sometimes viewed as an object of worship. When the evasions which they have practis- ed in this controversy are overlooked, the Parsis, I fear, will a^ain yield themselves to the dogmas of their own books. To such of them, then, as hold Hormazd to be a derivative being, I say, that the ascription to him of divine names, and at- tributes, and titles, and works, and honours, as is dons throughout the whole of the Vandidad, the Izashne, the Yashts, Niaishes, &c. will appear to them, if they will grant the matter a rightful consideration, to be nothing short of absolute blasphemy. With a reference to their case, I repeat the ex- postulation which I have elsewhere addressed to them. "The fundamental truth of religion they have yet to learn, admit, and apply in their devotional and practical services. They must be considered, in the view of the claims of the Creator, as robbing him of that honour and glory which necessarily belong to him, as practising the sin than which none greater can be imagined, and as provoking the righteous indignation of Heaven. I call upon them to consider the position in which they stand, and to mark their guilt and danger ; and cherishing the deepest compassion for their immortal souls, and entertaining the most fervent desires for their welfare in time and eternity, I earnestly beseech them to beware of prejudice and sophistry when they attempt to form a sober judgment of their circumstances. Let them take no encour- agement in their errors from the similarity of their creed to that of the Hindus, who view the divine nature, as essentially nirguna, or devoid of qualities, and to be recognized in wor- ship only in its circumstantial manifestations, and effluences; for it can be shown that their theories and speculations are both inconsistent with themselves, and altogether destructive of the divine honour. T warn them against the delusion which is 142 REMONSTRANCE WITH THE PARSIS. so prevalent in this country, that if confidence be fairly placed in any one God, it is of no great consequence that erroneous notions are entertained of his character. He who has not " life in himself" is no God at all; and the sin of failing to re- cognize that God who has life in himself, however much it may be concealed through the influence of the temptation through which it is produced, is almost equivalent to absolute Atheism." * To this I add, that the ideas which the Par sis have of the first principle, or Zaruana, are such as to show that in their notions of it, or him, — for I really know not what pronoun it is best to apply in the case, — there is nothing corresponding with right conceptions of the one only living and true God. If Zaruana be indeed the Supreme Divinity, then to talk of him as merely Time, or Fate, or Destiny, or Eternity, to ascribe the principal works of creation and providence to one of his creatures ; to rob him of the actual government of the Uni- verse ; and to exclude him from all but occasional worship, is the quintessence of impiety. A God who has not divine at- tributes ; who has not performed, and who does not perform, the divine works of creation and providence ; who is not en- titled to be considered paramount in the inquiry and contem- plation, and love, and worship, and service of man, is a monstrous birth of the depraved imagination of man, from which every pious mind must revolt with horror. I do not wonder that the Parsis who are ignorant of the contents of their sacred books, are ashamed to admit that it is there to be found, and that there can be any being prior or superior to that Hormazd, whom they principally recognize and adore. Let them examine, however, the matter in all its relations ; and let them come to that conclusion which the in- terests of truth imperatively demand. Before repelling my reasonings on the subject, let them carefully examine the statements which I have submitted to their notice. Let them particularly remember that Dosabhai, the champion of the pan- chayat, in his eagerness to excuse what cannot be defended, • Doctrine of Jehovah addressed to the Parsis, pp. 22,23. REMONSTRANCE WITH THE PARS1S. 143 has even admitted, in the passage to which I have more than once referred, that Zaruana-Akarana is to be sometimes wor- shipped,— a fact which is perfectly irreconcilable, with the in- terpretation which he has given, in other parts of his work, that it means simply "Eternity" If they should overlook the whole of what I have now written, let them not withdraw their eyes from these plain truths : — To conceive of the origin of all things as merely uinfinity-of-time," is to dislodge God from his throne. To address " infinity -of -time" as intelligent, and observant, and able to hear and answer prayer, is to trample in the dust the reason of man. Of this sin and folly, in both, or either, of its instances, every Parsi who uses the Zand- Avasta is undoubtedly guilty. Let that book, consequently, be henceforth viewed and treated, merely as a monument of the errors of the human mind. CHAPTER III. THE DOCTRINE OF THE TWO PRINCIPLES, HORMAZD AND AHRIMAN. Testimony of Greek and Armenian Writers — Remarks upon this Testimony — Extract from lecture on Vandiddd — Dosabhdi's inter- pretation of Ahriman — Extract from the Dabistdn — Concurrence of Aspandidrji with Dosabhdi — Refutation of the j-easonings of Dosa- bhdi and Aspandidrji — Appeal in nineteen instances to the Vandiddd, with an exhibition of its demonology — Edal Ddrus views of the Devil. Criticism on the interpretations of the Dabistdn, Shdristdn, and of the Sipdsi Sufis in general — Demonology of the Bundeshne — The Ac- counts of Hormazd and, Ahriman contained in the Sacred Books of the Pdrsis shown to be impious and absurd in whatever way they may be interpreted — Notice of the information contained in the Bible respect- ing the origin and operations of physical and moral evil. One of the most difficult questions which the mind of man has ever proposed to itself, and which it is most anxiously in- clined to urge, is, How has physical, and especially moral, evil been introduced into the world in which we dwell. The religion of the Parsis, according to the views which have been generally, nay almost universally, taken of it, both in ancient and modern times, has professed to give as the reply, that evil has had its own peculiar author, who is quite distinct from that being who is essentially good in his own nature, and the origin of all the good which is diffused throughout the universe. This doctrine has not inappropriately been said to be the "foundation-stone of the whole structure, both of Zoroaster's religious and political philosophy."* Before mak- ing any remarks on its reasonableness, or unreasonableness, * Hetherington's Fulness of Time, p. 210. This work is characterized by great vigour both of thought and expression. It ought to be read by every person as a supplement to the Researches of Heeren. TESTIMONY OF ANTIHUITY. 145 it may be proper for us to refer to some of the accounts which we have of the form in which it has been propounded, and to the attempts which have been made, by more than one of the controversialists to whom it is my duty to reply, to disguise and conceal it. The prophet Isaiah, when addressing Cyrus, or Kai-Khosru, says to him, in the name of God,— who was afterwards to raise up that king for the deliverance of the Jews from the bon- dage of Babylon, — " I form the light and create darkness : I make peace and create evil : I Jehovah do all these things."* It is generally supposed by commentators on the Sacred Scriptures, — and the conjecture is not unreasonable, — that he thus takes for granted the existence, in that monarch, of the notion, which he condemns, that evil has a separate and dis- tinct principle. Xenophon, the Greek, f who wrote a work, partly histori- cal and partly imaginative, on the life of Cyrus, represents that king as challenging Araspes, a noble Persian youth, for his at- tachment to Panthea, a beautiful captive, and as receiving from him the following answer : — " I have plainly, he said, O Cy- rus, two souls (Auo tK\«c)- I have novv philosophized this point, ,by means of that wicked sophoster Love. For, a single soul cannot be good and bad at the same time, nor can it at the same time affect both noble actions and base ; yet these at the same time it wishes to do and not to do ; but it is plain there are two souls ; and when the good one prevails, it does noble things ; when the evil one prevails, it attempts base things." % This doctrine seems to harmonize, to a certain ex- tent, with that which is commonly laid to the charge of the ancient Persians, inasmuch as it takes it for granted that good and evil, even in the constitution of man, have each a distinct origin. * Isaiah xlv. 7. The prophecy of which this forms a part, was deliver- ed about 712 years before Christ- | Born about 450 years before Christ. | Cyropcedia, lib. vi. 146 TESTIMONY OF ANTIQUITY. We have already introduced into our pages several pas- sages in which the alleged principles of both good and evil are brought to our notice.* Plutarch f denominates them, as we have seen, respectively Oromazes and Areimanius, and repre- sents them as devoted to contrary practices, and effecting works corresponding with their nature. " Of plants," he says, " they [the Persians] reckon some to belong to the good God (ayaOov Oeov), and some to the evil Demon (icaicov Saljuovog) and of animals some, as dogs, birds, and land urchins, they attribute to the good being, and certain aquatic [urchins], to the evil one, and bless him who slays the most of them." Proceeding in his account of them, he attributes to each of these principles the power of creation. " Oromazes" he says, "made six gods ; the first that of Benevolence, the second of Truth, the third of Equity, and the others of Wisdom, Wealth, and the Joy which follows the doer of the things which are honest. Areimanius made an equal number opposed to them. Oromazes then magnified himself three-fold, and removed himself from the sun, as far as the sun is removed from the earth, and decorated the heaven with stars, and appointed one Sirius, the guardian and observer of the others. Then he cre- ated twenty-four other gods, and placed them in an egg ; while Areimanius created the same number which perforated the egg, and hence evil became commingled with good.";|: The final triumph of Hormazd, he anticipates. His testimony wonder- fully accords with the notions of the Parsis as contained in their sacred books. The good and evil intelligences which he mentions, are evidently the Anishaspands and Izads of Hor- mazd, and the evil genii of Ahriman which correspond with them.<§> To the opinion of Theopompus, who lived about * See the preceding chapter. f Born A. D. 50. t Plutarch, de Iside et O^iride, in Piut. Om, Op. Reiskii, vol. vii, p. 457. § For a full comparison of the passage from Plutarch with the doc- trine of the Parsis, see an article by Anqnetil du Perron in the Memoires de Litlerature, torn, xxxiv, p. 393, &c, and also Burnouf's Commentaire sur 1' Yacna, vol i, p. 148, &c. TESTIMONY OF ANTIQUITY. 147 350 years before Christ, as quoted by Plutarch, we have al- ready referred. * Diogenes Laertius, who wrote about 147 years after Christ, in his preface to the Lives of the Philosophers, writes as follows : — "Aristotle, in his first book on philoso- phy,teaches that they [the Magi of Zoroaster] are more ancient than the Egyptians ; and that according to them there are two principles, a good demon and an evil demon (Kat <$vo kot av- roig ttvai ap\a^ ayaOov Saljuova kcii kcikov Sai/uova), and that one of these is named Jupiter and Oromasdes, and the other, Pluto and Areimanius. Which thing Hermippus also de- clares in his first [book] on the Magi, and Eudoxus in the Peri- od, and Theopompus in the eighth [book] of the Philippians."f Here is a series of authorities of a very express character, and extending through nearly five centuries before the days of Diogenes. Eubulus, as quoted by Damascius, we have referred to, as declaring that the Iranians declare that there is both a "good God and an evil Demon," of whom "Time," or "Space ", is the author.J The testimony of several Armenian writers, we have given at length. It conclusively proves that they believed that the Parsis reckon Hormazd and Ahriman to be beings of op- posite character and principles, who were coetaneously pro- duced by Time. This testimony quite accords with the less extended one of Theodorus of the fifth century, that Za- ruam offering a libation to engender Ormisdas, produced both him, and Satanas.^ The influence of the tenets of the ancient Persians is con- spicuous in the doctrines broached and propagated by Manes, and other heretics, who were extensively instrumental in cor- f See page 124 of this work. * Diogeuis Laertii Procemio, seg. 8. I See page 125 of this work. § See page 127 of this work. 148 TESTIMONY OF ANTIQUITY. rupting several portions of the early Christian Church.* The resemblance of the Doctrines of the Persians and Manicheans is noticed by Agathias, the historian of the affairs of the emperor Justinian. He says, "They [the Persians] agree in most res- pects with those called Manicheans, since they hold that there are two first principles, one of whom is good, producing whatever is best from himself ; and that the other, the second, in a directly contrary method produces what is opposite ; and that they give barbarous names to them taken out of their own language. The God, or the Creator, they call Hormis- dates ; but Arimanes is the name of him who is evil and per- nicious." He goes on to mention their slaughter of noxious ani- mals as injurious to Ahriman and agreeable to Hormazd.f * Of Manes the following notice is perhaps sufficient. "As the Chris- tianity of the Gnostics had so much in common with the system of Zo- roaster, it is not wonderful that the Persian Christians, amongst whom Gnosticism had long prevailed, should have been led to combine them. The religion of the Zend having degenerated into a gross Dualism and mere ceremonial worship under the Arsacides, their successors, the Sas- sanides, were now making every effort to restore its ancient purity (A. D. 227 seq.) ; and in the assemblies of the Magi the supremacy of the one great first principle (Zeruane akcrcne) had been acknowledged, and Dualism with its adherents (Magusseans) condemned. It is probable, that this division amongst the believers in Parsiism first suggested to Manes the idea of uniting Chrstiainity with the systsm of the rejected Magusaeans. In the name of this man {Mani — Cubiicus, Manes, Ma- nichfEus) as well as in their accounts of him, the writers in the East differ from those in the West ; agreeing only in the following particulars: — that he was hated by the Magi, persecuted by the Persian kings, com- pelled to flee, and at length, according to the Orientals, by order of king Baharam, or Vararanes, (A. D. 272-275,) most barbarously put to death as a corrupter of the national religion, in a castle which the Eastern wri- ters call Dascarah, and the Western, Arabion. "The system of Manes begins with supposing two eternal and coexis- tent kingdoms, the kingdom of light, and the kingdom of darkness. These border on each other, and are under the dominion, the one of God and the other of the Demon, or Hyle." Gieseler's Ecclesiastical Histo- ry, vol. i, p. 131. f Vid Agathise Scholastic'! de Imperioet Rebus gestis Justiniani lib. ii. Agathias flourished about the middle of the sixth century after Christ. His account of the Persian religion, to which we shall afterwards have occasion to refer, is particularly interesting. EXTRACT FROM LECTURE ON THE VANDIDAD. 149 I am not aware that any passages can be quoted from an- cient authors which essentially differ from those which have now been given respecting the belief of the ancient Persians both in a good and evil principle, though others, perhaps, may be brought forward to show that a variety of opinion may have existed as to the exact origin of these principles. Some writers may have considered them eternal ; some as respec- tively originating from primitive light and darkness ; and some, as the productions of Zaruana-Akaraia, or Time-withoul- Bounds. All have given the same general accounts as to their supposed relation to one another ; and of the production by them of the good and evil which exist in the world. According to the universal testimony of antiquity, the ancient Persians must be considered as Dualists, holding the existence of two independent principles, either secondary to another being from whom they are said to have originated, or themselves eternal in their own nature. The stress of the evidence, as will have been seen from the last chapter, is in favour of their being viewed as secondary existences. Those who reject it will be obliged to admit the dualism of the Parsis in its most unmi- tigated form. Those who receive it, while they consider Hormazd and Ahriman the active lords of creation and pro- vidence, will still be held to be practical Dualists in the pro- per sense of the term. Whatever choice the Parsis may make in the case, most serious error must be laid to their charge, and secure their conviction before the bar of both rea- son and conscience. The doctrines of the Vandidad remarkably harmonize with the testimony of antiquity as to the opinion of the Parsis on this subject. "The Vandidad Sade," I remark in the lecture which Dosabhai and Aspandiarji have made the subject of their criticism, '-gives a highly irrational account of the origin and operations of natural good and evil. Hormazd was op- posed by Ahriman in all his works. When Hormazd created Eriane Vejo, similar to Behisht, Ahriman, according to the first fargard, produced in the river the great adder or winter ; when he created Soghdo, abundant in flocks and men, Ahri- man created flies which spread mortality among the flocks ; 150 DOSABHAl's INTERPRETATION OF AHRIMAN. when he created Bakhdi, pure and brilliant in its colours, Ah- riman created a multitude of ants which destroyed its pavil- ions ; when lie created any thing good, Ahriman was sure to create something evil. ' Ahriman, this chief of death,' it is said in the beginning of the nineteenth fargard, ' this chief of the Dews,* comes from the northj he proceeds from the places which are north. Ahriman full of death, the master of the evil law, runs continually everywhere producing devasta- tion. He is the author of evil." "They see," it is said in the same chapter, " running in crowds, and running separately and apart, Ahriman full of death, chief of the Dews, the Dew Andar, the Dew Saval, the Dew Naongs, &c. The author of evil has produced and engendered in time these Dews." f This is but a brief reference to the doctrines of the Vandi- dad on the subject to which it refers ; but it has attracted the particular attention of Dosabhai. That no injustice may be done to his comments upon it, I shall lay them at length be- fore the reader in a faithful translation. " What is written in the Vandidad about Hormazd and Ahriman, and light and darkness, is a parable of our prophet Zartusht. He has declared a matter in secret science, which, if its explanation were known to the padre, would not be de- clared by him to be nonsense. But being wretched and igno- rant, he looks at the outward narrative, and does not under~ stand its meaning. The explanation of the matter is this. The description is of the [good] qualities and evil qualities which are in a man, and which in Arabic are called fazilat and ra- zilat, and in English virtue and vice. Hormazd and Light are good works ; and Ahriman and Darkness are evil works ; as what is good is Hormazd, and what is bad is Ahriman. Li- berality is light, and Stinginess darkness ; the restraining of Anger is Hormazd, and indulging it is Ahriman ; Humility is Hormazd, and Pride is Ahriman. So, in like manner, may the other good and evil qualities be spoken of. The explanation of _jJ £ dew in Persian, and jj»m?-w_J datva in Zand. t Lecture on the VnmlidSd, p. 12. DOSABHAl's INTERPRETATION OF AHRIMAN. 151 what is written in the Vandidad about Ahriman running forth with the other Dews is, that to each side of a good quality there is an evil quality attached. For example, to Humility there are two evil qualities attached ; for if it exceeds its pro- per bounds, it becomes Lowness and Meanness ; and if it fall short of its bounds, it is not Liberality but Extravagance and Immorality, as it is called in English ; and if Liberality falls short of its bounds, it becomes Pride. In like manner, if Lib- erality is, in excess it is Stinginess. In this way, every good quality which is in man has its opposing bad quality. Connect- ed with this the Vandidad has given a parable ; and learned Parsis and Musalmans have consequently written in their books that the prophet Zartusht is a speaker of parables. Why does the padre not acknowledge all this, and why does he speak of it as nonsense ? It is a pity that the accomplished Parsi, whose assistance the padre has acknowledged in his pamphlet on the Vandidad, did not point out to him this ex- planation ; but if that wretch also did not know it, what could be done ? Now if the padre wont approve of what we have above written, let him read what is to be found in the four- teenth chapter of the celebrated book called the Dabistan about the secrets of Zoroaster, and be convinced. I shall here show one article on the subject. In the 64 2d page of the Gujarati translation of the Dabistan by the accomplished Parsi Mulla Firuz, * there is the undergiven account. " The author of the Dabistan says, ' I will now reveal whatever se- crets, and signs, and nice distinctions, are among the Parsis, because the exalted prophet Zartusht Saheb, has set forth ma- ny secret matters through means of signs and nice distinc- tions, that by declaring wisdom in a secret way, it might be in safe-keeping and trust-worthy, and not fall in to the hands of the ignorant, while the wise only should understand its full meaning and import. " ' Ramdz, or Mysterious Science. It is said that the Beh- # The translation bears the name of Fardunji Marazbanji. Mulla Firuz is only introduced into the preliminary notices, as certifying as to the ac- curacy of the version. 152 EXTRACT FROM THE DABISTAN. dins (the followers of the good faith) have written that there are two Creators, the one Hormazd and the other Ahriman. And it is said that God (Khuda) entertained this imagina- tion : — Perhaps some other [being] may be created to op- pose me, and maintain enmity against me. At that time, Ahriman was produced from this imagination of God. And in another place, it is written, that God was alone, and got a- fraid, and that God formed an imagination, from which Ahri- man was produced. And it is written that Ahriman was in this world, and beholding from a hole, that the most high God is possessed of great nobility, and glory, and dignity, he became jealous, and began to practise wickedness and deceit. Then God created an army of angels, with which he carried on war with Ahriman ; but Ahriman was not broken down by Hormazd, and Hormazd made with him a covenant of peace, that he should remain in the world for a certain num- ber of years, and that afterwards, when this space might be expired, Ahriman should be destroyed from out of this world, and that the whole world should be filled with righteousness and goodness, and evil deeds should leave the world.' " ' The explanation of this Mysterious Science. World, the body of man. Hormazd, the spirit which performs good works in man. Ahriman, the evil disposition of man. Imagi- nation, the evil habits of that spirit. The evil and deception of Ahriman, the power of the evil disposition of man upon the soul, and the desire of the evil disposition to keep the soul under its own authority. The army of angels created by God, the soul's imprisoning, by the strength of its righteous habits and abstinence, the army of the evil disposition. God made peace with Ahriman, the fact that bad and evil habits do not leave man in an instant, but have their remedy effected by degrees. Ahriman will remain a certain space in this world, the fact that the evil disposition of man's nature will not al- ways remain, but it continues only in his body while ignorance exists. Afterwards, if the soul of man become strong, through the strength of the soul's righteousness, the evil disposition will be removed. And the evil disposition remains in some bodies as long as they are not dead. After the time of Ahri- CONCURRENCE OF ASPAND1ARJI WITH DOSABHAI. 153 man has expired, he will be removed, the world will become righteous, and iniquity will depart from the worlds — is thus to be explained : — It occurs, in the first place, when persons by the power of abstinence and austerity (tap) strike their breath, so that though alive they are as dead, and restrain their souls as when they are under the power of death ; and, in the second place, when, according to the death to whieh every man is subjected, a person dies, and with a perfect and righteous soul, he becomes freed from the world, and proceeds to, and remains in safety in, the heavenly world filled with righteousness and goodness.' See the statements which are in the Vandidad about this matter. " * So much for Dosabhai's attempted explanation of the Good and Evil Principles of the Parsi religion. He denies the per- sonal existence of Ahriman and his ho3ts altogether ; and says that the accounts which are given of his actings are merely parabolical descriptions of the power and operations of the evil nature and disposition and habits of man. Aspandiarji's sen- timents are not dissimilar. " Ahriman, " he says, " has no real being, but is (merely) an emblem of vice or evil." f Now, while I allow to these writers, that most important instruc- tions may be conveyed by appropriate parables, as has been frequently done in the case of the most distinguished teacheis who have appeared in the world, I deny that they have been successful in defending the Parsi religion by pleading ior a parabolical interpretation of the passages in the Vandidad, and other Parsi books which refer to Ahriman. It requires no great effort to shew, that their explanation is altogether unsuited to the representations made in these books ; and that by resorting to it they force us to come to the conclusion, that the Parsi doctrine of the Two Principles, as commonly un- derstood and declared, is wholly indefensible. I am hopeful that the criticism to which I am about to submit it, and the references which in connexion with it I shall make to tlie Vandidad, will lead all the Parsis, who will give the subject * Talim-i-Zartusht, pp. 62—65. f Hadi-i-Gum-Rahan. p. 36. 12 154 REFUTATION OF PARSI CONTROVERSIALISTS. the serious and attentive consideration of which it is deserv- ing, for ever to abandon the faith of Zoroaster. I beg my readers to ask themselves, as we proceed, Is Do- sabhai'sand Aspandiarji's explanation consistent with the doc- trines and narratives of the Vandidad, and does it enable us to see that they are agreeable to reason, and common sense ? Or, is it not altogether opposed to reason and common sense, and exhibits the absurdity of the statements of the Vandidad in a more conspicuous manner than when they are literally in- terpreted ? 1. If Ahriman be only the evil dispositions and habits of man, and have no personal existence, then who is Hormazd, who is set in direct opposition to Ahriman ? Does Dosabhai wish it to be understood that he is only the good disposition of man, and has also no personal existence ? If he does not abandon his parabolical interpretation, he will answer the lat- ter of these questions in the affirmative. If he answers it in the affirmative, he will bring down upon himself the wrath of the whole Tarsi community, and render even to them the lan- guage of the Vandidad an unmeaning jargon. He is plainly between the horns of a dilemma, and I leave him to choose the one by which he may wish to be transfixed. Let him boldly move to the one side or the other. Aspandiarji has not shrunk from destruction in this case. He distinctly says, with refer- ence to the creations of Hormazd in the first fargard of the Vandidad. that " Hormazd is here represented as an emblem of the principle of good or virtue, which being inherent in the nature of man, inclines him to do what is good or virtuous. " He deprives the world of even a nominal Creator altogether !* 2. In the first fargard of the Vandidad, we are informed that when Hormazd created Vi^L? .m^mh^m Airyuna- Vaejo, or Iran-Vejo, a holy and beautiful place, fit for the a- bode of man, Ahriman created what was entirely of an op- posite character, a mere jungle.f Does Dosabhai consider * Hadi-i-Gum-Rahan, p. 35. V This passage of the Vandidad, I refer to as it is interpreted by the DEMONOLOGY OF THE VAND1DAD. 155 Iran-Vejo, a country, and the jungle of Ahriman, only man's evil nature and its effects? If his parabolical inter- pretation is not to be thrown aside, this he must do, and still leave it to be explained, how it is declared in the Vandidad that the first work of the Eaityarem (Ahriman) was the coun- ter part of the work of Hormazd. Is an "evil disposition" the counterpart of a country ? "Iran-Vejo, "says Aspandiarji, "is typical of faith or belief.*" He afterwards, however, speaks of "every 101011''' mentioned in the Vandidad as filled with serpents and noxious animals, the emblems of evil passions; and thus forgets that he had made the first of them a mere type also.* 3. In the same fargard of the Vandidad, we are told that Hormazd created in Iran-Vejo, a delightful river (called by the Parsis the Veherod) ; and that Ahriman created in this riv- er a great serpent. Do Dosabhai and Aspandiarji interpret this serpent as merely the evil disposition of man ? If they do so, according to their boasted explanation, they directly contradict the Vandidad, which expressly declares the mon- ster to be f (?£V^±J X)im±j ■ -"K £>>jj Zyamt h a dat- uo ddtem, " even winter given by the devils." 4. In the same fargard, we are informed that the second place created by Ahriman was Ve^J.-" Qughdho, or Shurik, and that Ahriman created in it a multitude of ^0-^ qkaitim, or flies, which destroyed its flocks and herds. Are these flies the evil dispositions of man ? What have they to to do with sheep, and goats, and cows, which the Parsis allow to have been given by God as food to man ? 5. The fourth place created by Hormazd is said to be y^^-^LJ Bdkhdi, or Bokhara. Ahriman, according to the Vandidad, there created ants to carry off its corn and grain. Are these industrious, but frequently troublesome, little creatures, also the evil dispositions of men ? Gnjarati translators of that work. hdn-Vejo, they denominate a Sl\^X or abode, and its opposite a eS3[£\ or desert Author's MS. vol. i. p. 2- » Iladi-i-Gnrn-Rahan, p. 35. t Ibid. 156 DEMONOLOGT OF THE VANDIDA&. 6. In (MiVV*1 Haroyum, * or Halab, the fifth reputed creation of Hormazd, Ahriman created " diverse wasps."f " Between these [the evil passions] " , says Aspandiarji, " and the noxious insects which commit such dreadful ravages, there is an apparent analogy, inasmuch as the first are calculated to molest or destroy the principle of virtue inherent in the constitution of man." But if these noxious insects are indeed the evil dispositions of man, they are certainly not confined to Aleppo. 7. In goujjjjyijjO Ranghaydo, or Khorasan, the sixteenth place said to be the work of Hormazd, the murderous Ahri- man created the Devil of winter. Is this supposed plague al- so the evil disposition of man ? Is even the winter, over which the fiend is said to preside, in its own season, ever a positive evil ? O Dosabhai, you will have some difficulty in retreating from the arena of controversy in your parabolical chariot. A- void being upset in it, like your friend Aspandiarji, who, af- ter declaring that "the sayings of our Lord Zoroaster, are full of divine or philosophic truths, buried in some mystic terms, each of which is susceptible of various interpreta- tions ; " that " it is asserted that the whole Avasta can thus be resolved into two opposite meanings; " and that "Ahri- man has no real being;" to complete his self-sacrifice as a reasoner, says, of the nineteenth fargard of the Vandidad that "it is distinctly stated therein that Ahriman is a crea- ture of the Almighty God ! ! "$ 8. In the third fargard, we are informed that there are certain Kharfastars, or noxious animals* which offend the earth, by making holes in k. Are the evil dispositions of man, the vermin and reptiles which breed and take refuge in the ground ? # This is the accusative case. + jj(ouu Ajy/j^jji . ji(0^g^Jjji )At faragkemcha dariwik&cha^ Anquetil translates these words by " une pauvrete' absolue." The place referred to, he considers to be Herat. The Dasturs consider it to be A- leppo. t Hadl-i-Gum-Rah£n, p. 36. DEMONOLOGY OF THE VANDIDAD. 157 9. Is the Devil Nasush, who according to the same far- gard, takes possession of the nose, eyes, tongue, mouth, and other members, of a man who carries a dead body, only an evil disposition in the mind of man ? 10. Is the same Devil, who according to the fifth fargard renders criminal the soul of a man, a part of whose body a dog, bird, tiger, wolf, or fly, may have carried away, only an ■evil disposition in the mind of man. ? 11. In the fifth fargard, we have the following extraor- dinary statements : — .gjj.il! ,.juL? .j^iwjjiu .(,£)jjj ..logjjj . . . . g ijiyjii \ — jjjy .gjVf •£g'JJ| .-H30-u> . g-m i_(-"4 .V'3W-u .>A>jj>£ -jjL? . j^MSJJ,) ,)-"_) Jg-jjj .^j ) . JJJ )

jj ^y L^ .jp?»-iJ-u O^J" -JJJ .i>>> -jjjjI^ .j^j^jjjitu^jj ) .j^jjjy .jhj0jjj ..jA»jj/£p .ujjju ,jj»j^ .j ) -^jjj . jj — Ddtare dfs narem jainti vd 1 A' at mraot Ahuro- Mazddo, dfs narem noit jainti. Ado-vidhaotus dim ban- dayeti vayo dim badem nayiiti. A'fs uzuazaiti, dfs ni- uazaiti, dfspaiti raechayttti. Vayo dim pa$chattafrangu~ harefiti. Athra adhdt frajasati bakhta adhdt nija^aiti. — Ddtare dtars narem jainti vdl Aat mraot Ahuro-Maz- ddo dtars narem noit jainti. Ado-vidhaotus dim banday- eti. Vayo dim bastem nayHti. A'tars handajaiti acta us- tdnemcha athra adhdt frajacaiti bakhta adhdt nijacaitu * Lithographed Vandid&d pp. 176, 177. 158 DEM0N0L0GY OF THE VANDIDAD. " O Ddddr [Hormazd], does water kill a man ? To this effect Hormazd replied, 'Water does not kill a man ; the devil Asto- Guvad binds up his breath, [and the devil] Naevatar having bound him carries him off. The water raises him ; the water takes him down; the water takes him forward [in the attempt to save him]. The Naevatar [devil possessing the fishes] vo- raciously consumes him from behind that place, and when his fate is completed, arrives.' — ' O Dadar, does fire kill a man Y To this effect Hormazd replied, 'Fire does not kill a man. The [devil] Asto-Guvad binds his breath, and the Naevatar having bound his breath carries him off. After this the fire burns his body and life and then takes him aloft. When his fate is completed he arrives."* This passage has proved rather troublesome to our parabo- lical friend, for he has condescended to give it special notice. " That fire kills not a man ; the devil Asto-Vad binds him," he observes, "is written in the Vandidad. The explanation is this : — the great wrath and quarrelsomeness that are in a man, are represented by the figure of a devil which misleads a man. For a man, on account of his wrath and quarrelsome- ness, falls into fire and water. His wrath is denominated Asto-Vad in the Vandidad ; for the evil dispositions and evil deeds that are in a man, as lust, wrath, covetousness, affec- tion, &c. are all spoken of as devils by our master the pro- phet [Zoroaster], though they are not like those whom you os- tentatious worshippers imagine to exist, and whose pictures and frightful images you draw with horns and tails. "f No such interpretation as this is once hinted at by the Gujarati trans- lators of the Vandidad. The difficulty, Dosabhai should have borne in mind, is not in showing how people may occasion- ally get into fire and water, but in explaining the strange treatment which they receive after they are involved in these * This rendering I give accoiding to tin; Gujarati translation and par- aphrase of the4aaturs. MS. vol. 1. pp. 119—121. For some critical remarks on the passage, see Burnout's Commentaire sur 1' Yacna, pp. 4f»4 —4(57. '\ here is little difficulty in making a literal translation. t Talim-i-Zartnslit, pp. ^3, 84. DEMONOLOGY OF THE VANDIDAD. 159 elements. Asto-Guvad begins his mischievous work after Uie unfortunate folks are enveloped in the flames, or covered with the waves. Is he then merely an evil disposition in the mind of man ? Is it anger and wrath, which according to Dosabhai, choke a drowning and a burning man ? Aspandi- arjij who writes a great deal of absolute nonsense on this sub- ject,* makes Asto-Guvad the " angel of death," and remarks, <:that until fate comes no one dies." But why, according to his theory, does Zoroaster confine his interrogation to water and/zre? His question, according to Aspandiarji's interpre- tation, ought to have been, Can any thing kill a man ; for it is to this question, that " No one can die before the time ap- pointed," is the reply.f It is the deification of the elements by the Parsis, to which we shall afterwards direct attention, which has led them to mantain that water and fire kill not a man, and to ascribe to a devil the work of destruction, which the common sense of man attributes to their instrumentality. 12. Dosabhai seems to have some joke lurking in his mind about devils with horns und tails, a notion of which he has probably acquired from the pictures usually contained in the Ardai-Viraf-Namah, and Shahnamah, or in prints made for the amusement of children. What does he make of the .\)A .V -u^gfMj m .jjb_u)).u .Vim^jj (j i . fMi ) ) ) \ druao biz- angro auatha ashemaogho "the accursed [devil] the two-foot- * Hadi-i-Gum-Rahan, pp. 40, 41. t That Aspandiarjf is not satisfied with his theory, is evident from the following- appendage which lie has attached to it. — "But here I may take the liberty of asking oue question to (of) my learned friend ; that whether lie is perfectly aware that the injury thus sustained is solely attributable to the agency of Fire and Water? For it is a well known fact, that no good or bad is effected without the combination of three causes ; as for instance, to continue with the same element, fire, it can- not be supposed to be capable of burning except through the agency or help of some inflammable substance, and also through that of the wind or air The same remark might as well he applied to water." So say I; and I now ask Aspandiarji, if he is willing to represent his "pro- phet" Zoroaster as asking llormazd, Does fire burn without some in- flammable substance? If Zoroaster put such a question, he was certainly not so wise as some of his infantile disciples in Bombav ? 160 DEMONOLOGY OF THE VANDIDAD. ed Ashmogh" mentioned in the fifth fargai d of the Vandid&d ? "Hesam Dew," he tells us,* "is anger; Nidz Dew, covetous- ness; Rasak Dew, envy ; Dir Dew, sickness and laziness ; Kha- sam Dew, wrath and enmity; Wdrun Dew, lust, or mockery, or pride ; Busidsp Dew, somnulency; Padmuj Dew, lamentation or sorrow ; Pas Dew, procrastination about the accomplish- ment of good works."! What evil passion has he left for Ash- mogh ? How can an evil disposition in the mind of man do what Ashmogh is said to do in the Vandidad, — "j;take posses- sion of food, and clothes, and trees, and herbage, and metals and so forth, as well as of a pure man? 13. Dosabhai speaks of evil dispositions remaining in a man till his death. Is the devil Nasush who enters a body in the form of a fly, after the life is departed from it, <§. also an evil disposition ? 14. Are the Devils, male and female, who in crowds of fifties, hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands, run about the dukhmas, or depositaries of the dead, || only the evil ha- bits and dispositions of men ? The bazars and tippling- houses, one would think, would be the favorite haunts of the vile passions. 15. Is the cursed devil Nasush who comes from the North, "and who according to the eighth fargard of the Vandidad, is frightened away by the white dog, with four white eyes 11 and yellow ears," also an evil disposition of man ? Can the barking of dogs destroy the evil habits of men ? 16. Dosabhai is acquainted with Richardson's Persian Dictionary. The author of this work, in a note to his preface, writes in the following strain respecting a passage contained in the eighth fargard of the Vendidad : — " Ormuzd (Omni- * Talim-i-Zartusht, pp. 68, 69. t Quoting the Farziat-i-Zartusht of Aspandiarji Framjf, p. 208. J Vandidad, fargard v. § See Vandidad, fargard vii. || Vandidad, Fargard vii. f The Dasturs explain this by saying that two of the eyes are real, and the other merely " spots" resembling eyes. DEMONOLOGY OF THE VANDIDAD. 161 potence) and Zoroaster are introduced in dialogue. The law- giver wishes to know how a man should get rid of a demon called Daroudj Nesosch, supposing him in the shape of a fly, to have taken possession of the crown of his head. Ormuzd directs him to wash the parts, which would drive the fiend between the eye-brows ; from thence he is to be forced, by another ablution, to the back of the head, from that to the ear, then to the nose, the mouth, the chin ; till at length, fighting every inch of ground, the poor devil is successively driven over every part of the body, till we find him stationed on the left foot ; when Zoroaster thus proceeds in his catechism ; (what is between hooks being M. Anquetil's explanatory in- terpretations, and not in the original). " ' When the water has reached the top of the left foot, where does the Daroudj Nesosch retire ?' Ormuzd replied : '(The Daroudj Nesosch) under the form of a fly, places him- self under the foot ; it must be raised, letting the toes rest on the ground, and thus wash the under part of the right foot. When the under part of the right is washed, the Daroudj Ne- sosch retires under the left foot. When the under part of the left foot is washed, the Daroudj Nesosch, in the form of a fly, places himself under the toes. Allowing the sole of the foot (to rest upon the ground) the toes must be raised, and those of the right (foot) washed. When the toes of the right foot are washed, the Daroudj Nesosch is overthrown (conquered, and returns) towards the North, he who under the shape of a fly places himself upon (the impure man) and strikes him like the Djodje (dog) of the desert, destroys the productions of the Dews and their dwellings,' &.e. (Zend-Avesta par M. Anquetil Du Perron, Vol I, part. II. p. 341). Can human credulity suppose this to be the composition of Zoroaster, or of any man who had pretensions to common sense ? " I have carefully compared this passage with the original Zand, and I find that it conveys the sense with sufficient ac- curacy, and that a more literal and complete version will only enhance the absurdity. # Dosabhai has ventured to apply to * Another passage of almost the same import, is given in the ninth fargard. 162 DEMONOLOGY OF THE VAND1DAD. it his far-fetched theory ! "The explanation of it," he says, " is this : — In the nature of man whatever bad works, bad habits, bad manners, and bad ways there are, they are this devil Na- sush. They don't leave the mind of man in an instant ; they must be extracted gradually by purity of heart, and holiness of mind, until they come to a man's toes and take their flight in the form of a fly." I am certain that in making this statement Dosabhai was conscious of its inapplicability. The defilement, spoken of in the Vandidad, which is said to give occasion to the possession of the devil, is not spiritual but corporeal. It follows defilement by a dead body* 17. We read in the eighth fargard of the smell of a cer- tain fire carried to the dadgah, frightening away and destroy - * The passage on wliicli we have now commented, is probably that to which reference is thus made by Mr. J. A. Pope, the translator of the Ardai-Viraf-Namah :. — "That they [the alleged writings of Zoroaster] a- bonnd in absurdities cannot be doubted, but that many of them seem to inculcate and impress on the minds of the vulgar, some moral duty, is evident from the following fact. Conversing with one of their priests a- bout the Zend-Avesta, I pointed out to him the dialogue between Or- mazd and Zoroaster as a specimen of great absurdity ; to which he a- greed. ' But this,' he ^aid, 'must not be taken in a literal 6ense ; this is only meant to impress the necessity of ablution and bodily cleanliness, and in this sense it is understood by us and so explained to the people. There are no doubt,' he continued, 'great incongruities in it, but we sup- pose it to be the work of our prophet Zeratush.'" Preface to Ard6i-Vi- rafNdmah, pp. xii. xiii. It is a curious fact that Dosabhai seems atone time to have been inclined to adopt the theory contained in this passage. He quotes apart of it (Talim-i-Zartusht, p. 81): but he refrains from drawing the inference which it suggests, no doubt because of its opposi- tion to his own theory about Ahriman and his hosts being the evil passions of the mind, which it entirely upsets. According to the explanation given by the priest to Mr. Pope, the story of the diabolical possession, and the minute directions given about the expulsion of the fiend, are pure inven- tions for the deception of the vulgar, made for the express purpose of frightening the people into the observance of cleanliness. The absurd- ity is not lessened by this view of the case. They receive only the ad- ditional character of" pious frauds" which however congenial they may be to systems of false religion, must lead to the execration of their au- thors. Aspandirirji's absurd comment on tiie passage, we shall notice in our sixth chapter. DEMONOLOGY OF THE VANDIDAD. Itv? ing various "devils with two feet," such as the Darvands Paris, and so forth. What kind of evil passions are those which are to be ranked among the bipeds, and which odori- ferous fumes expel from their hiding-places? 18. According to the tenth fargard, the devils Andar, Sa- val, Naoang, and others (who according to the Gujarat! trans- lation of the Vandidad are the counterpart of the Amshaspands Ardebehisht, Shahravar, &c); and the devils of houses, streets, villages, and provinces ; and the devils of a person's own body, and of a dead man, and of a dead woman ; and the devils of lords of houses, streets, villages, and provinces, are all to be expelled by the recitation of a certain part of the Avasta. O Dosabhai, see for a moment how the matter will stand, according to your theory : — Ander Deiv, an evil despo ition. Sivdl Dew, an evil disposition. Ndoang Dew, an evil disposition. House devil, an evil disposition. Provincial devil, an evil disposition. Dead man's devil, an evil disposition. Dead woman's devil, an evil disposition. Devil of a lord of a house, an evil disposition. Dev- il of a lord of a street, an evil disposition. Devil of a lord of a village, an evil disposition. Devil of a lord of a province, an evil disposition. Other hinds of devils, evil dispositions. Here you have specific devils, and generic devils, the de- vils of persons and places, of males and females, of the living and the dead, of bodies and souls, and what not, all evil dis- positions, and all ready to take their flight at hearing certain sounds, as they have been already represented as disposed to fly when regaled with certain sweet odours. You will find the parable somewhat troublesome in the explanation. I susDect that like the priest who conversed with Mr. Pope, you will be forced to admit after all your efforts that it contains "great incongruities. 19. Were I to proceed to bring forward all the passages in the Vandidad which are inconsistent with Dosabhaf's theory, and at the same time supremely absurd in whatever way they may be interpreted, and briefly comment on them, I should be required greatly to extend this volume. Leavirfg several notices till we come to give an analysis of the Vandi- 164 EDAL DATtu's VIEWS OF THE DEVIL. dad,* I can here make only a general allusion to a few more of those which I have observed. The devils of Mazandran can be opposed by the cock of the morning, by lances,poignards, bows, arrows, pikes, and slings, f The devils produce evil passions and dispositions, J and consequently must be as distinct from them, as the workman from his work. The devils carry on a long and filthy conversation, with the Izad Sarosh, about their own progeny. <§> Ahriman comes from the North, the peculiar place of his residence. He invents an evil law, in the same way that Hormazd is said to make one of an opposite character. He begs Zoroaster not to destroy his people. He Infests a dead body, behind and before, for three nights after the decease. He creates a great many other devils, — through one of whom he forms winter, — and who exereise a variety of functions, and who after doing much mischief betake them- selves to hell. These descriptions, and others of a like kind, leave not a shadow of doubt, that the framers of the Vandidad conceived the devils of whom they wrote to be malevolent spi- rits, the authors of all the moral and natural evil which exists. Dosabhai's interpretation, I have now more than sufficient- ly shown, is altogether opposed to the doctrines of the books esteemed sacred by the Parsis. It is directly opposed also to the work of his fellow controversialist Edal Daru, the chief- priest of the Rasamis, their larger sect. This Dastur tells us that by the "influence of the kusti, the Dews, Darujes, and ma- gicians are destroyed ;"|| that " the sadra (sacred vest) and kusti (sacred cincture) preserve the [departed] soul from the ^calamities accruing from Ahriman ;"H that the "souls of dead children " are prevented by them from becoming devils, khavis and jins," " while many of the souls of the Jud-din, •become devils, khavis and jins"** that Durasarun the magi- * See Chapter vi. + Fargard xii. t Fargard xviii. § Fargard xviii. || Maujazat-i-Zartush% p 4. U Ibid. p. 8. ** Maujazat-i-Zartusht, p. 8. I beg the reader here to notice the ab- surd importance which the dastur of the Rasamfs attacrfes to the wear- ing of the sadra and kusti. One of his disciples, when in England, gives a verv different account indeed of the matter. " The girdle and gar- EDAL DARu's VIEWS OF THE DEVIL. 165 eian found out through the wiles of Ahriman, that Zoroaster was to be born in the town of Rei ;"* and that Burantrus, ment may appenr superstitious," be says, " but it is no more than the- baptism of the Christian, or tbe circumcision of tbe Mahometan Why does a Christian priest wear a white neckcloth, slit into two part* under bis chin ? Why does he wear a white surplice in tbe reading desk, and a black gown in his pulpit ?" Colonial Magazine, June 1841. We content ourselves by giving a negative answer in this case. Nothing of the kind is done to prevent us from "becoming devils, khavis and jins" after death. "The kusti, according to the institutes of the Parsfs, should consist of seventy-two interwoven filaments, and should three times circumvent the waist. The appointed time for investiture, is when a child has arrived at tbe age of seven years, seven mouths, and ten days. It sometimes takes place at an earlier period, in order to facilitate in- fantile marriages, of which the Parsis are as fond as any other class of the natives of India ; and also at a later period, when the families are un- able to pay for the necessary ceremonies. In the third shloka. addressed by th It is manifest from all this information, that the dastur, like the Vandidad, considers Ahriman and his associates to be malevolent and injurious spirits, and not the evil dispositions of man, which they seek to inflame. j| Dosabhai, as we have seen, endeavours to support his theo- ry, by referring to the Dabistdn. He might have saved himself this trouble, for the author of that work, though he en- ters into descriptions of, and discussions about, what he con- ceived to be the religion of the Parsis, as it was represented to him by the conversation of priests, and certain books which he saw.had I suspect, never seen the Vandidad, or any of the other works comprised in the Zand-Avesta, and of course was quite incapable of interpreting them, or commenting upon them. The Zand-Avesta, in fact, was a word of which the Sipasi Sufis, * Maujazat-i-Zartusht, p. 44. | Maujuzat-i-Zartusht, pp. 68,69. t Manjazat-i Zartusht, p. 84. § Maujuzat-i-Zartusht, p. !03. || Eclal Darn is much guided in his notices of the Ahriman and his hosts by the Zartusht-Namah, a translation of which appears in the Appendix (A). This work throughout, is a testimony against DosabhaTs interpre- tation of the Devil. *•' CRITICISM ON THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE SHARISTAN. 167 or followers of Azar Kaiwan, to whom tho author of the Da- bistan belonged, knew not the meaning. Both in the Dabis* tan and Sharistan, as I have noticed in many instances, the A- vasla and Zand, or the Zand and Avasta, are spoken of as distinct books, while the Parsis generally consider the Zand to be the name of a language in which the Avasid or word, is written I* The absurdity of an appeal to the Dabistan, Sharistan, and other works of the Sipasi philosophers, must now be apparent. Their authors had neither seen nor stu- died, and consequently could not expound, the Zand-Avasta. There are two other most important facts connected with this subject, which remain to be taken into consideration. The Sipasi Sufis interpreted the Shaitdn of the Muhammad- ans and Christians in the same way that they interpreted the Ahriman of the Parsis, thus doing the utmost violence to the meaning attached to the word by these communities.! The general system of parabolical exposition to which the Sipasis resorted, outrages common sense. To this fact the attention of oriental students has been particularly directed by Mr. Ers- kine. When referring to the writers of the Dabistan, Dasa- tir, &c, he says of them: — ';They allegorize the whole of their * Jlvasl&'\3 a Pahlivi noun corresponding with the Zand mulhra or Sanskrit mantra. , t In support of this statement, I quote the following- passage from the Sharistan. *2My&— «*•] w-is-^^j ^J] I JkiA y^tlj ±hj )Jt± jyi ^ "They say that in theMajus religion there arc two Creators of the uni- verse, Yezdan and Ahriman. They call God Yesdan, and Satan, Ahriman What is found in the Mushif [the hook, i. e. ; the Koran]— « Gods are in heaven, and on the earth' — does not mean that there are two Gods; hut the meaning is this, that it should be known to him who has sense that the Koran, too, is in want of explanation." Author's M S. p 129 168 CRITICISM ON THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE SIPAS1S. ancient history ; whenever a div is mentioned, understanding by it a wicked man; and the conquest and destruction of the demons, they hold to mean only the conquest of man over his passions. In like manner the whole history of Khy-Khusro, and of Alexander the Great, is reduced to a moral and allego- rical romance."* To some of their other achievements and qualities, we shall afterwards have occasion to advert.f Fit helps are they indeed for the sinking cause of the religion of Zoroaster in Bombay ! Drowning men snatch at the foam.J This is the real explanation of Dosabhai's grasping at them. If Mulla Firuz, and others, did the same before he took up the pen to do battle for the panchayat, it is only because like him they had discovered that no defence can be offered of the doctrines of the Vandidad respecting Ahriman, when they are properly interpreted. They resorted to an allegorical mean- ing from sheer necessity, but even in it, they have found no refuge. The theory about the evil dispositions of men, as I have fully shown, and as Edal Daru seems to admit, from his using the terms for Ahriman and his associates in a per- sonal sense, cannot in the slightest degree explain the denvo- nology of the Vandidad, — give any interpretation of it at all agreeable to common sense. That theory is equally impotent with regard to the Bun- deshne, which in a cosmological and doctrinal point of view, is by the Parsis considered next in authority to the Vandidad itself, and according to some persons the only key to the right understanding of that volume. The Bundeshne repre- sents Ahriman in his essential character of the author and prince of evil, as the production of Time-without-Bounds, co-etaneous with Hormazd ; as existing with his evil law in primeval darkness, while Hormazd existed with his good law * Bombay Transactions, vol. ii, p. 367. The Parsis may see the foun- dation of Mr. Erskine's remark, by examining the Gujar&ti translation of the Dabistan, pp. 112— 116, &c. f See Chapter viii. of this work. t This is a Gujarat! improvement of the English proverb, " Drowning men catch at straws." BEMONOLOGY OF THE BUNDESIINE. 169 in primeval light ; and as peopling the abode of evil with evil beings, Dews, and Darvands, as soon as lie had discovered that Hormazd, during- the first three thousand years of his ex- istence, had peopled heaven with beinga of an opposite cha- racter. It represents Hormazd as fust proposing terms of peace and forbearance to Ahriman, entreating him to render his aid to his productions, and informing him that after nine thousand years, — during a third of which he should be alone, a third with his works confounded, and a third in subjection to Ahriman, — Ahriman should come to nought. It repre- sents Hormazd and Ahriman as each repeating their own law for their own protection. It represents them as respective- ly engaging in the work of creation, — Hormazd, for instance, as creating the Amshaspands, Bahman, Ardebehisht, Shahra- var, Sapandormad, Khurdad and Amardad; and Ahriman as creating the arch-devils, Akuman, Andar, Saval, Nikaid, Tarik, and Jarik ; and as encouraging their respective productions to mutual war. It represents Ahriman and his hosts as break- ing in upon the work of Hormazd in this world, and attempt- ing to commit in it all kinds of devastations, as assaulting the primitive Bull, and Kaiomars, the first famous king, and pol- luting lire, and creating the smoke which obscures it; as spreading abroad the darkness of the night ; as forming and scattering about serpents, scorpions, toads, and other noxious animals ; as scorching the trees ; and, in short, as doing un- speakable mischief, which required the utmost exertions of Hormazd to defeat and repair.* It represents Hormazd and and Ahriman, and their respective followers, as, after innume- rable combats and a brief experience of the torments of hell, reconciled at the end of the world. | It docs all this with a particularity, and sincerity, and absurdity of description, which must baffle the most ingenious parabolical interpreter who has ever appeared. Nothing is now left for mc but to charge the Parsi " sacred writings'' with the errors respecting the origin and operation # See Bundt shnr, near the beginning. t Bundeshne, near the end. 13 1 TO REPROBATION OF THE PARSl of natural and moral evil which they so abundantly contain. These errors arc so ruinous in practice, that a late most able Governor of Bombay, well acquainted with the Zoroastrians of this place, has correctly characterized their religious obser- vances as principally guided by their dcmonology. "Their religion itself," says the Hon. Mountstuart Elphinstone,* "has nothing inspiring or encouraging. The powers of good and evil are so equally matched, that the constant attention of every man is necessary to defend himself by puerile ceremo- nies against the malignant spirits from whom his deity is too weak to protect him." That no misunderstanding of the matters of this chapter may be thought excusable, and that no further evasion may be practicable, I shall submit my observa- sions in the plainest terms, and with reference to the different views which have been, or can be taken, of the case. 1. If it be held that the sacred books of the Parsis repre- sent Hormazd and Ahriman as both eternal and self-existent beings of opposite characters, and to be both supreme in their own connections, then these books must be considered as set- ting forth the doctrine of Two Principles, — which is both monstrous and supremely unreasonable. This is a dogma al- together inconsistent with the order, regularity, and benefi- cence, and the unity and harmony of the laws, which pervade and guide the wrorld, nay the whole extent of the universe with which we are in any degree acquainted. It is a dogma which the sun in its glory, the moon in its brightness, all the heavenly bodies in their courses, the earth full of the divine goodness, and every creature, primarily connected with phys- ical good, and only incidentally with evil, extinguish in the ra- tional mind. It is a dogma, according to which God is rob- bed of his essential and peculiar glory. If it be true, God is not alone without a Creator ; for the author of evil also exists without an origin. God is not alone without beginning of days and end of years ; for the devil also knows not the mea- surement of time. God is not alone infinite in knowledge; for the counsels of iniquity are independent of him, and 1 Elphinstonc'e History of India. ACCOUNTS OF HORMAZD AND AIIRIMAN. 171 uncontrolled by him. God is not alone possessed of undc- rived and boundless power, doing according to his will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and making the permitted and restrained wrath of man and devils to praise him ; for the devil too has power which was not be-/ stowed, and which cannot be restrained. God is not the uni- versal Creator, for the devil has formed many of the beings which exist, and many of the objects which arc to be found in the frame of the world. God is not the universal Sovereign ; for the devil lias millions of agents who arc subject to his un- divided control, and who in their every action acknowledge him as the only king. It is a dogma, according to which there is actually no being of infinite perfection, whom the mind of man can contemplate with holy reverence and fear, in whom it can supremely delight, and whom it can love, worship, and obey, under the influence of the conviction that he is possessed of eve-y possible excellence. 2. If it be held hat the Parsi " sacred books '" teach that x Hormazd and Abriman, with the names which they now pos- sess, are both the productions in time of a being existing from all eternity, then, while their mutual acts and relations refer both to creation and providence, the Parsis are to be still considered as practical Dualists, * and the charge is also originated and substantiated, that the being possessed of su- premacy of nature, and therefore to be recognized as God, has directly created an evil being, a being evil from the begin- ning, and the source of all the evil which exists, or ever will exist. The framcrs of this doctrine have " darkened coun- sel by words without knowledge." While endeavouring to show that the God of active providence, whom they denomi- nate Hormazd, is not the author of evil, they have made the God in whom he originated, the parent of Ahriman with his essential wickedness, and of all that he is supposed to genc- # The Abbe Foucher (Memoirca de Litterature, torn, xxxi, p. 499,) calls this " le dualisme mitig£ ; " but he properly add.*, Vest neanmoine un v. ritable dualisme, puisqu'on y reconnolt nnc nature cssentiellcmcn' rcaovaisc, que Dieu pent seulement n primer, ct non pas nneantir. '' J 72 REPROBATION OF THE PARSI rate. If this is not the highest blasphemy, let the Parsis de- clare in what the most heinous sin consists. 3. If it be said that the Parsi sacred books teach that Hormazd is the supreme God ; and that Ahriman is only one of his creatures, who has always possessed the character as- cribed to him in the Vandidad, then the charge of blasphemy to which I have above alluded, is equally just and surely es- tablished. The matter is simply this : — the God Hormazd made the devil Ahriman as a devil ; and God is thus the di- rect author of evil ! Are the Parsis prepared to make this im- pious affirmation ? 4. If it be maintained that the Parsi sacred writings rep- resent Ahriman as a creature, then they cannot with any consistency ascribe to him, as they actually do in the pas- sages which we have quoted, works of creation, and repre- sent him as in some respects equipotent with God himself. Can any being however exalted in station and dignity, but God himself, call into existence from absolute nothingness, and con- fer life ? Can any created being call the meanest insect, or worm, or serpent, or toad, into existence, as Ahriman is said to have done ? Can any created being create other beings posses- sed of the intelligence and power of the angels and archangels of God, like those who are declared to be the progeny of Ahriman ? Can any created being, as Ahriman is supposed to have done, so contend with God as positively to divide with him the sovereignty, and that against his own will and deter- minate effort ? 5. If it be said that the Parsi sacred writings seek, as un- doubtedly they do, to set forth the works of Ahriman, as evil and that continually, then it must be admitted that their au- thors have been most wretched philosophers ; — and have in many instances altogether mistaken the nature of physical evil. Darkness, the original abode of Ahriman, and the sub- stance which he is said to distribute over the earth, as I have formerly observed to the Parsis, is merely the absence of light, and is the consequence of God's creative and providen- tial energy and arrangements. Its recurrence and continuance is fraught with distinguished blessings to the human race, in- ACCOUNTS OF HORMAZD AND AHR1MAN. 173 asmucli as it furnishes and secures that repose, rest, and re- freshment, which independently of it, cannot be obtained. The winter which is said to have been created in Iran-Vejo, occurs according to the established laws of nature, connected with the declination of the poles of the earth, and the sun's place in the ecliptic ; and, notwithstanding certain inconveniences which attend it, when the prudence of man neglects to make proper provision for it, it is in the highest degree beneficial, as it forms a diversity in the seasons, and purifies, and restores, the earth and atmosphere. * The flies, and ants, which make de- vastations in Sughdho and Bakkdi, bear in their own constitu- tion the marks of benevolent workmanship ; are happy in their own existence, the enjoyment of what providence has furnished for them, and the humble functions which they exer- cise ; and have even their use to man,as they consume minute, butabundant,impurities, which could not perhaps be removed conveniently without their aid; and are only in particular cir- cumstances actually injurious.! Smoke is the natural result Let the Parsis note the simple, but sublime, praise of the Psalm- ist addressed to Jehovah : — " The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth : thou host made summer and winter. " Psalm Ixxiv : 16 17. f Respecting the ant there is a very beautiful couplet in the Shah-Na- mahofFirdausi, under Faridun, worthy of the attention of the l'arsid. CL~J ^T^ jjJ^*u J^j &Jd J^ J These lines have been thus paraphrased : — " Kill not the little ant that toils with pain To drag along and hoard the golden grain ; It too has life, and ah ! despite of care, How sweet is e'en to it the vital air. " More worthy than this of the attention of the Parsfs, is the following extract from the Confession.* of Augustine, bishop of Hippo, who Hour" ished at the commencement of the fifth century after Christ,and who be- fore his conversion was a follower of the heretic Manes, to whom we have already alluded. "1 now began to understand that every creature of thine hand is in its nature good, because every thing individually, as well us all things collectively, is good. Evil appeared to be a want of 174 REPROBATION OF THE PARS! of the decomposition of bodies, subjected to the process of combustion, and is merely the conspicuousness of the ascend- ing particles, borne up by, or composed of, the emitted gases. The bark of trees is not from the scorch, or creation, of Ahri- man ; but it is an essential part of their organization, answer- ing most important ends, and facilitating their vital func- tions. "It acts", says a celebrated botanist, " as a protection to the young and tender wood, guarding it from cold and exter- nal accidents. It is also the medium in which the proper juices of the plant, in their descent from the leaves, [which are a mere dilitation of itself], are finally elaboraled, and brought to the state which is peculiar to the species. It is from the bark that they are horizontally communicated to the medul- lary rays, which deposit them in the tissue of the wood," * even in the centre of the trunk. Some of the most useful substances, as gums and resins and the astringent principle used in tanning, are to be found in it in their greatest abun- dance. Its powders and extracts, as in the case of the Peruvian bark, quinine, etc. — which the Parsi mobeds, merchants, and mechanics, both know and appreciate, — are most useful in medicine. G. If it be said, as Dosabhai and Aspandiarji maintain, that the Parsi scriptures set forth Ahriman and his hosts, as merely the evil passions and dispositions of man,then it is abso- lutely necessary that they be interpreted throughout in consis- tency with this explanation. I have in this chapter shown some of the difficulties which exist ; and I call upon Dosabhai and his friends to solve them and the many others of a like agreement in some parts to others. My opinion of the two independent principles, in order to account for the origin ofevil, was without foundation. Evil is not a thing to be created ; let good tilings only forsake their just place, office, and order, and then, though all be good in their nature, evil, which is only a privative, abounds and produces positive misery. I asked what was iniquity, and I found to be no substance but a perversity of the will, which declines from thee the Supreme Substance to lower things, and casts away its internal excellency, and swells with pride externally. " Angustine'a Confessions, book vu, in Milner'a Church History, vol. ii. pp. 343, 343. ' Lindley'e Introduction to Botany, p. biO. ACCOUNTS OF IIORMAZD AND AHU1MAN. 175 kind wlncli will attract their attention in subsequent parts of this work. Were I to grant, which I do not, the correctness of their explanation, the essential absurdity of the passages in which Ahriman and his associates and his works arc spoken of, would still remain. There can be such a thing as inco- herent, incongruous, and ridiculous parable, as well as in- coherent, incongruous, and ridiculous narrative. There is not an intelligent Parsi in Bombay, who can read with gravity the descriptions of Ahriman, Nasush, and their company, which are contained in the Vandidad. Instead of claiming God for the author of the book, the candid reader, will be disposed like Richardson, to ask, " Can human credulity suppose this to be the composition of Zoroaster, or of any man who had pre- tensions to common sense ? " I commenced this chapter by saying, that "One of the most difficult questions which the mind of man has ever proposed to itself, and which it is most anxiously inclined to urge, is, 'How has physical, and especially moral, evil been introduced into the world in which we dwell.' " I have shown at length, that, notwithstanding the professions of its votaries, the Parsi religion has signally failed to give the reply, and that it has left the inquiry involved in far greater difficulties that it was found. I hope that the Parsfs will bear with me while I make a few further observations on the subject, guided by the revelation of God's character, and will, and works, contain- ed in the Scriptures of the Oldand New Testaments. They arc substantially those which, I have already in another pub- lication, submitted to their consideration * Though we charge the Parsis, as in the case to which we have now referred, with frequently considering what is essen- tially good to be actually evil, we can of course have no dis- pute with them as to the fact that much evil exists in the world. Our controversy with them refers to the nature of \ evil, and the arrangements under which it is produced. The ancient Persians, as we have shown by the quotations which we have made from the classical writers, attributed * See Doctrine of Jehovah addressed to the Persia, pp. 39 — p 41. 176 THE BIDLE ON THE ORIGIN AND OPERATION good and evil to different authors ; and the modern Parsis, who interpret their own reputed sacred books in their proper sense, assent to the general tenets which of old were promul- gated on this subject. The Bible teaches us, that in a most important sense, good and evil have one origin. But in doing this, it does not represent God, in any degree, as the culpable author of sin. The moment that we admit, that man is the lord of the creation of this lower world, and that he has been involved and continues in sin, or the transgression of the law of God, the existence of physical evil under the government of a holy and righteous God, is most satisfactorily accounted for. It is neither more nor less than God's emphatic testimony against iniquity, the proclamation to the universe of his un- sullied purity. It was sin, we must admit in this view of the case, which inflamed the wrath of God, whose blast has con- sumed much of the beauty of this fair creation. It is sin which commissions the storm, and the tempest, and the hurricane, and the earthquake, to spread devastation and woe among our race. It is sin which generates the fear, and shame, and trouble, and horror, and distress, and disease, which are everywhere committing their dreadful ravages. It is sin which sharpens the arrows of death, and sends them with unerring aim into the vitals of its victims. It is sin which hath kindled that fire which shall not be quenched, but which shall consume the wicked throughout the endless ages of eternity. Some have attempted to modify this view of physical evil, by maintaining that its ravages are not discriminative, that they do not realize the distinctions which actually exist in the moral goodness of individual men. In point of fact, however, they are, in a great degree, discriminative. Suffering is so closely connected with many vicious courses, as those of intempe- rance and profligacy, that it is universally admitted to be their direct and legitimate fruit. There is unspeakable hap- piness, and, as its consequence, freedom from many bodily ailments, and frequently a protraction of life, from the exer- cise and cultivation of holy affections. The afflictions of the righteous, even when they appear to equal or exceed in seve- OF PHYSICAL AND MORAL EVIL. 177 rity those of the wicked who are living in absolute rebellion against God, are associated witli special heavenly support and consolation, and are more corrective than punitive, more fitted to purify than destroy. Even though malignant spirits, according to the notions of the Parsis, may. in a way un- known to us, be in some degree instrumental in their applica- tion or distribution, they are all administered under the' direct control and guidance of God himself. It is in reference to our accounting for the existence of mo- ral evil, that any real, that in fact an insuperable, difficulty is experienced. When we consider that God hates sin, and that he has the power to prevent it, we cannot, in our present state, sec how it could at first have been introduced into the universe. That it has been introduced into the universe, however, and even into the world which we inhabit, we have too sure evidence in our own consciousness, in our unvarying observa- tion, and in every page of history. That it has not been cause- ed, according to the allegation of the Parsis, by a principle of evil existing from eternity, orcoetancous with the providence of God, is manifest from the facts, that it has no independ- ent support, which a God of goodness cannot destroy, and which in all who are sanctified, he actually destroys ; and that it is not incompatible with the creative energy, which it is admitted the God of goodness has displayed, to destroy the whole system of things in which it is found. That its guilty origin must have been in the creature and not in the Creator, is evident from the fact, that it is not viewed with compla- cency, but with wrath and indignation, by God, as is certified to us by the suffering which he fails not to inflict as part of its punishment. The divine revelation of the Bible, while in innumerable passages it exhibits and vindicates the holi- ness of God, directly informs us that sin was first voluntarily committed by angels, who kept not their first estate, and af- terwards by man, who offended God by also voluntarily break- ing his commands, which had been expressly made known, and supported by sanctions suitable to the authority of the Most High, on which they were founded. The same infallible standard of faith, however, assures us that all events occur ac- 178 PHYSICAL AND MORAL EVIL. cording to the appointment of God, and that even the greatest sin which was ever committed, the crucifixion of the Lord of glory, took place according to "his foreknowledge and determi- nate counsel." Though it attempts not to relieve our metaphy- sical perplexities, it supports the unlimited sovereignty of Jeho- vah, both in the permission and control of that which is evil. It exhibit^ God as frustrating the tokens of the liars, and mak- ing diviners mad ; as turning wise men backward, and mak- ing their knowledge foolish. It shows us "that the Lord hath made all things for himself, yea even the wicked for the day of evil ;" that he brings light out of darkness, strength out of weakness, and order out of confusion ; and that he makes the wrath of man to praise him, as well as restrains the remainder of his wrath. It saith in the name of God, unto Pharaoh, a most wicked and abandoned prince: — "Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared through- out all the earth." It shows that the existence and continu- ance of evil will be overruled by God for the manifestation of his praise, both through the dcvelopement and execution of the glorious scheme of redemption, and the awful visitation of the divine justice on the children of destruction, who go to their own place, the world of interminable woe. These observations, I respectfully commend to the consider- ation of the Parsis. If the statements ol the Bible do not afford all the information which they ask, they certainly fur- nish all that can be reasonably demanded in this sublunary world, where the wisest " know only in part." For the por- tion of light communicated by God, we ought to be grateful; while we patiently wait for such accessions to it, as our happiness in the other world may require. To this subject, we shall have occasion again to advert. * * Sec Chapter vii. CHAPTER IV. THE WORSHIP OF THE ELEMENTS AM) HEAVENL1 BOD- IES, AND OF THE AMSHA'SPANDS AND IZADS, WHO ARE SAID TO PRESIDE OVER THEM AND THE OTHER WORKS OF NATURE. Statement respecting the Polytheism of the Pdrsis — Their Wor- ship of the Elements and Heavenly Host — Alleged explanation of Gibbon — Testimony of the Greeks and Romans — Testimony of Ho Fathers and Historians of the Christian Church — Difficulties of Gib- bon and confession of Hyde — Testimony of the Musalmdns — /'< in- version of that of Fardausi by the Pdrsi controversialists — Notions of the present Pdrsis on the Worship of the Elements, Angels, and Celestial Bodies — Explanations and attempted vindications of Edal Dfiru — Pervasions and explanations of Dosabhdi, Aspandidrji, etc. Comparison of the views of the controversialists with the admissions of the Kadim Tarikh, Sanjan Shlokas, Kissah-i-Sanjdn, the dastur who instruct! d Mr. Lord, and the Zartushi-Ndmah — Refutation of the defences and apologies of the controversialists — Fire not the Glory or Substance of God — Impiety and unreasonableness of the worship of Angels said to preside over Fire or any of the other works of God — Errors respecting the number and combination of the Elements — Fire not a superintendent and preserver of man — Dosabhdi ashamed of the honours conferred on fire in the Vandiddd — Specimen of these honours — Blasphemous Worship of Fire illustrated by a translation of the A'tish-Behrdm Niaish, etc. — Comment on this form of prayer — Un- reaSonableness of legend in the Shahndmah respecting the discovery qj Fire by Hoshang — Explanation of the unquenchable fires of A'zaT' Uaijan — rVorthlessness of the legend of the Shahndmah respecting the Atishrburjin-Meher — Theories respecting the origin of the Wor- ship of the H( ivenh Host and tht Elements — General remarks on the unreasonableness and sinfulness of -worshipping any of tin inanimaU 01 intelligent Powers of Naturt . The charges which in ihc two preceding chapters I have brought against the Pars! religion, as unfolded in the books on which it professes to be founded, and which; I trust, I have 180 POLYTHEISM OF THE r ARSIS. clearly established, are of a very serious nature. I hope that not a few of those for whose benefit this work is particularly intended, will consider them in this light, and perceive that the system of faith to which they have been hitherto particu- larly attached, is fundamentally wrong, both as it sets forth as the object of supreme worship, an imaginary God, Hormazd, who is represented not as self-existent and independent, but secondary and derivative in his being, and as it degrades even him by recognizing an evil principle, or Ahriman, who is coetaneous, and, in some respects, equipotent, or, in other words, his equal both in duration and power. I hope, also, that they will see, that the accounts which are given in the Vandidad and other reputed sacred books of the Parsis, both of Hor- mazd and Ahriman, are so unreasonable and absurd, as to show, not only that these books have no claim to be consider- ed as given by inspiration of God, but that they have even no claim to be considered as the productions of philosophical and enlightened men. Another heavy charge against the fundamental principles of the Parsi religion remains to be made ; and I bring it for- ward with the fullest confidence that it can be substantiated. That religion is decidedly polytheistic. Not only does it set forth an erroneous object of supreme worship, and circum- scribe the glory and the power of that object by an imaginary being of an opposite character ; but it recognizes a vast, an almost uncountable, number of objects of religious worship and reverence. The full extent of its polytheism, I shall no- tice in our next chapter. I shall advert at present principally to the Elements of nature, and the Amshdspands, and Izads, and other beings, who are supposed to preside over them., and the works of God into the composition of which they enter. As in former instances, I shall, as introductory to the remarks which it is my duty to submit on the subject, as it is set forth in the Parsi sacred writings, refer to the testimony of anti- quity on this subject. This is the more necessary as Dosa- bhai himself has, in one instance at least, made an erroneous appeal to that testimony. Quoting Gibbon, he says; — "The theology of Zoroaster was darkly comprehended by foreigners. WORSHIP OF THE ELEMENTS AND HEAVENLY HOST. 181 and even by far the greater number of his disciples ; but even the most careless observers were struck with the philosophic simplicity of the Persian worship. -That people,' says Hero- dotus., 'rejects the use of temples, of altars, and of statues, and smiles at the folly of those nations, who imagine that the gods are sprung from, or bare any affinity with, the human nature. The tops of the highest mountains arc the places chosen for sacrifices. Hymns and prayers are the principal worship ; the supreme God who fills the wide circle of heaven, is the object to whom they are addressed. Yet at the same time, in the true spirit of a polytheist, he accuses them of adoring Earth, Water, Fire, the Winds, and the Sun and Moon. But the Persians of every age have denied the charge, and ex- plained the equivocal conduct, which might appear to give a colour to it. The elements, and more particularly Fire, Light, and the Sun, whom they called Mithra, were the objects of their religious reverence, because they considered them as the purest symbols, the noblest productions, and the most power- ful agents of Divine Power and Nature."* Herodotus, to whom reference has now been made, is known, I doubt not, to some of my native readers, as the '-Father of Grecian History." « With an ardour in the pursuit of knowledge very rarely equalled," says his latest and best translator, Mr. Isaac Taylor, " when in early life he devoted himself to the task of collecting the scattered materials of uni- versal history, did not think himself qualified for the work until he had visited every country to which the Greeks of his time had access : — everywhere examining documents, con- versing with the learned, and collecting connected evidence. The fruits of his industry we have before us ; and it may con- fidently be affirmed that, after every exception has been ad- mitted which the most sceptical criticism can substantiate, there will remain, in the nine books of Herodotus, a mass of information more extensive, important, and instructive, than is to be found in any other author of antiquity. Unaffected, * Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. i, p. 322, quot- ed in the preface of the Talim-i-Zartusht, p. 16. 182 TESTIMONY OF THE GREEKS. unambitious, mellifluous, perspicuous, in his style ; bland, candid, and gay, in his temper; laborious in his researches ; judicious, for the most part, in his decisions ; and apparently free from sinister intentions and national prejudices — he holds up a mirror in which is seen, without obscurity, or dis- tortion, the face of nature — the revolutions of empires, and the characters of statesmen. This great writer brings down the history of Greece to the end of the year 479, before the Christian era, when the Persians were compelled for ever to abandon their long-cherished hope of crushing liberty in its birth-place."* In the course of his great work, Herodotus gives a very curious account of the laws and manners of the Persians ; and though it may not in every respect be correct, it must be con- sidered as generally so, and extremely valuable. The part of it which refers to the Parsi religion is as follows. I use the translation of Mr. Taylor,, referring to the original only in a few instances connected with the terms expressive of worship and reverence. "I have informed myself," says Herodotus, "of the Per- sian Institutions, which are such as follow. — They think it unlawful to form images or to construct temples or altars — imputing extreme folly to those who do so: — I suppose not believing the gods to be allied to humanity, as the Greeks im- agine. Their custom is to ascend the highest mountains, where they perform sacrifices to Jove, and they call by this name the whole circle of the Heavens. They sacrifice (Svovm) also to the sun, to the moon, to the earth, to fire, and water, and to the wind, — to those only they anciently sacrificed ; but in latter times they have learned from the Assyrians and Arabians, to worship also Urania ; — the Assyrians caned Ve- nus, Mylitta — the Arabians, Alytta, but the Persians, Mithra. The mode of perlorming sacrifice to the above-mentioned di- vinities (Otowj) is as follows : — when about to sacrifice, the Persians neither erect altars, nor kindle fire : they neither make libations, nor use the flute, nor have garlands, nor cakes. * Preface to the Translation of Herodotus, p. v. TESTIMONY OF THE CREEKS. I .; If any intends to offer to a god, he leads the animal to a con- secrated spot : — there he invokes the god, having his tiara girt with a wreath — generally of myrtle. Nor docs the wor- shipper implore blessings for himself alone, hut prays that it may be well with all the Persians, and wilk the king : — thus Jig prays for himself only as included in the petition for all the Persians. Then dividing the victim into parts, lie boils the flesh, and lays it upon the most tender herbs, especially trefoil. This dono, a magus — without a magus no sacrifice may be performed, — sings a sacred hymn (iiraU&i Otoyovtov), called by them an incantation, (Irraioi'Biiv). After a little time, the wor- shipper carries away the flesh, of which he makes what use he thinks fit Whoever of the citizens is afflicted with the leprosy, is forbid to enter the city, or to hold intercourse with other Persians ; for they affirm that this disease is inflict- ed in punishment of some sin against the sun. Any foreign- er so diseased is expelled by the mob from the country ; and on the same account they drive away white pigeons. They are careful to preserve a river from every pollution, even that of washing the hands in it ; nor do they permit others to do so : as in fact they have a great veneration (g&ovtui) for all streams Thus far I have been able to speak accurately of what has fallen under my own observation ; but of another custom I cannot speak so positively ; I mean the rite of buri- al, in which more secrecy is observed. It is said that the corpse of every Persian, before interment, is torn of birds or dogs. This practice is, I certainly know, observed by the Magi, for it is done openly. The Persians having inclosed the body in wax, bury it in the earth. The Magi, as they differ much from other men, so also from the Egyptian priests ; for these scrupulously abstain from killing any animal, except such as they sacrifice ; but those, with their own hands, slay all ani- mals, except dogs and men : indeed they use great diligence in destroying ants, serpents, and various reptiles and birds ; there might be some peculiar reason originally for this custom which we leave as it is, and return to the course of the his- tory."* * Taylor's Translation of Herodotus pp. <;.">, fl/, 08. 184 TESTIMONV OF THE GREEKS. To these brief notiees, I am disposed to attach consid- erable importance. It will be observed that the father of Grecian history, whose veracity and general accuracy of per- sonal observation and description are universally admitted,* declares that his own observation and particular inquiries were the sources of his information. His formal testimony is in all essential points corroborated by various incidental allusions and intimations given in the course of his work, to some of which we shall now advert. 1. Temples and altars, as we shall immediately see, came into use among the Persians shortly after the days of Herodo- tus ; but that, they anciently adored the " whole circle of the heavens," in the mariner which he describes, there can be lit- tle doubt. Herodotus says that this object of worship was denominated Jove.-f To the same god, according to the in- formation which be gives in his historical narrative, were ded- icated the sacred white horses, and chariots of which, when describing the march and muster of the Persian host under Xerxes, he gives the following account: — " After these (the spearmen) came ten sacred Nisoean horses, gorgeously capa- risoned Close behind the ten horses, followed the sa- cred chariot of Jupiter drawn by eight white horses, and be- hind them walked the charioteer holding the reins, for no mortal ascends this seat."."|: This chariot was left in Poeonia when Xerxes advanced against Greece. The deification of what were conceived to be the elements of nature, is expressly intimated by Herodotus. The histori- an himself frequently refers, in the course of his history, to a treatment of these elements which could originate in nothing else but in the belief that they are sentient or divine. "When Cyrus attempted to pass the river Gyndes, which could only be done by boats, one of the white horses called sacred, 1 In reference to accounts received from others, he was sometimes singularly credulous. f Jove, according to the Greeks, the god of the firmament, correspond- ed in some respects with the A'smdn of the Parsfs. \ Taylor's Translation, p. 405. TESTIMONY OF THE CREEKS. 185 full of mettle, plunged into the stream, and endeavoured to reach the opposite bank ; but being submerged in the current, it was borne away. Cyrus, enraged at the river for this injury, threatened to reduce it so low that in future women should ford it with ease, — not wetting their knees. Having utter- ed this threat he delayed the progress of his army towards Babylon, and dividing his forces into two bodies, measured out one hundred and eighty channels to be cut from both banks of the river, thus diverting the Gyndes on all sides. He enjoined upon his army the work of digging these trench- es, and by their numbers they completed it ; but the whole summer was spent there in the labour. Cyrus, having in this manner punished the river Gyndes, by distributing its waters into three hundred and sixty trenches, advanced towards Ba- bylon."* Foolish as was this conduct of the great monarch, it proceeded from the belief that there was something sentient in the waters. It was more than surpassed by that of Xerxes. When he had constructed his bridges at Abydos, " there a- rose a hurricane, which rent and dissipated both of them. Xerxes, on hearing of this accident was filled with rage, and commanded three hundred strokes of the whip to be inflicted on the Hellespont ; and also that a pair of fetters should be thrown into the deep." " I have indeed heard, " continues the historian, " that he sent persons to brand the Hellespont with a hot iron ; at least he directed that when the flogging was inflicted, the following barbarous and outrageous words should be pronounced — ' O thou bitter water, thy lord in- flicts on thee this punishment for having injured him, though uninjured by him. Yet the king — even Xerxes will pass over thee, whether thou wilt or not. Justly no man offers sacrifice to thee, for thou art a perfidious and brackish stream." He also directed his officers to punish the sea in like manner, and he caused the overseers of the bridges to be decapitated. " f This was what the Hindus call the viroddhi- * Clio, Taylor'a Translation, p. 90, 91. t Polymvua, Taylor's Translation, p, 491. 14 186 TESTIMONY OF THE GREEKS. bhakti, or worship of opposition, with a vengeance ! * Threat- enings and punishments, however, did not always continue the order of the day. Recourse was afterwards had to praise, and offerings. When preparations were again made for the passage of the army, " the rising of the sun was eagerly desired ; meanwhile incense of all kinds was offered to the gods upon the bridges, and the road was strewed with branch- es of myrtle. At the instant of sun-rising, Xerxes poured a libation from a golden cup into the sea, at the same time addressing a prayer to the sun, intreating that no accident might prevent his continuing to vanquish the nations of Eu- rope, until he had reached its utmost limits. As he finished this prayer, he threw the cup into the Hellespont, together with a golden vase and a Persian sword of the kind called a scimitar. " "Whether this was done," says Herodotus, "as an offering to the sun, or whether, repenting of the stripes he had inflicted on the Hellespont, he wished to make a- mends to that water by these gifts which were thrown into it, is a question I cannot certainly determine."! Under the aus- pices of Xerxes, the Magi, (Mobeds) on the banks of the Strymon, " sacrificed some white horses, and obtained lucky omens. After the performance of various rites of divina- tion, addressed to the river, the host marched through what are called the Nine ways of the Edonians. "J These instances of the worship of water are decided. It was probably owing to the regard which was paid to this element, that few or none of the Persians were able to swim. Herodotus simply alludes to the fact. § The deification of fire he plainly intimates. He notices, as an act of impiety, the burning of the body of Am- asis by Cambyses, because " the Persians think fire to be a god, " and they " think it wrong to offer the dead body of a man to a god. " \\ We have already referred to Xerxes as * A reference to the practice of the Hindtis, who cajole or defy their gods in turn, throws considerable light on the conduct of the Persian monarch. f Polymnia, Taylor's Translation, p. 501. | Polymnia, Taylor, p52l. § Polymnia, Taylor, p 200. || Thalia, Taylor p. 194. TESTIMONY OF THE CREEKS. 187 pouring out a libation to the sun. Another instance of his act- ing in a similar manner, was before the commencement of the engagement in which Leonidas fell. * The following narra- tive connected with him represents the moon as an object of devotion among the Persians. "Xerxes, after passing the winter at Sardis, mustered the host after the commencement of spring, and advanced towards Abydos. While on his march, the sun, leaving its place in the heaven, disappeared ; and, though the sky was cloudless, and perfectly serene, day was exchanged for night. Xerxes in beholding and consider- ing this event was filled with inquietude, and sought from the Magi the meaning of the portent. They declared that ' God predicted to the Greeks the extinction of their state'; for said they, ' the sun is the tutelar of the Greeks, as the moon of the Persians.' " f Of the deification of the ivinds also, there is an illustration given. "The gale [which destroyed a great part of the fleet of Xerxes] raged during three days ; at length the Ma- gi, by making incisions, and by performing incantations to the wind, and moreover by sacrificing to Thetis and the Nereids assuaged the storm on the fourth day ;— or it might be that it abated of its own accord. "J 2. Herodotus states that the Persians had learned to worship some of the gods of other nations. Darius was so far affect- ed by the " glory of images, " that he wished his own image to be placed in an Egyptian temple. "The king Sesostris, alone of the Egyptian monarchs, " says the historian, "ruled over Ethio- pia. He left monuments of himself in figures of stone, placed in front of the temple of Vulcan. Two of them, representing himself and his wife, arc thirty cubits high ; the others are of his four sons, twenty cubits high. A long time afterwards a priest of Vulcan refused to permit a statue of Darius the Per- sian to be placed in front of these colossal images. " ^ Xer- xes appears to have been smitten with a similar devotion. " He sacrificed a thousand oxen to the Trojan Minerva ; at the same time the Magi performed libations to the heroes of » Polymnia, Taylor, p. 572. t Polymnia, Taylor, p. 403. t Polymnia, Taylor, p. 560. § Euterpe, Taylor p. 148. 88 TESTIMONY OF THE GREEKS. the place. "* Datis would not allow the Persian fleet to ap- proach Delos, because it was the birth-place of Apollo and Diana, f 3. The mode of disposing of the dead, observed by the an- cient Persians, corresponded with the accounts which were given to Herodotus, and did not essentially differ from that in use at the present day. The treatment of the dead had its origin in respect to " the god of the eorM." Herodotus says, that this deity was honoured by the burial of the living. The Persians under Xerxes at the Nine ways of the Edonians, " buried alive in it nine boys and nine girls, the children of the inhabitants ; for it is a Persian custom to bury the living ; and thus, as I have been informed, Amestris, the wife of Xerxes, when advanced in years, buried alive fourteen youths taken from the most illustrious Persian families, in order to gratify the god who is said to be under ground. " % 4. The Magi, to whom we have seen Herodotus referring, were the Mobeds or ministers of religion. They are men- * Polymnia, Taylor, p. 496. f Errato, Taylor, p. 450. The Persians, however, were not on all occasions thus the slaves of superstition. Darius Hystaspes wished to take the " statue of solid gold, twelve cubits in height, " but " dared not execute his wishes ; but his son Xerxes not only took it, but put to death the priest, who endeavoured to prevent its removal." (Clio, Taylor, p. 87.) When the priests of Egypt introduced Apis to Cambyses, " as in a fit of fury he drew his dagger, intending to strike the belly of Apis ; but instead he struck the thigh, and then laughing said to the priests — ' O you blockheads ! do the gods become such — consisting of blood and flesh, and that may feel iron ? Yet such a god is worthy of the Egyptians. But now you shall have no reason to rejoice at having mocked me." So saying, he commanded those whose business it was, to scourge the priests, and gave orders that all the Egyptians who'might be found feasting, should be put to death. Thus end- ed this festival, and the priests were punished. As for Apis who waa wounded in the thigh, he wasted as he lay in the temple, and at length dying of his hurt, the priests buried him, without the knowledge of Cam- byses. " (Thalia, Taylor, p, 201.) During the devastation of Phocis, the Persians destroyed several temples, to one of which there was an oracle of Apollo. (Urania, Taylor, p. 595.) The Athenians accused Xerxes of having burned the " dwelling-places and statues " " of their heroes, with- out dread. " t Polymnia, T&ylor, p. 521. TESTIMONY OF THE GREEKS. 189 tioned by Herodotus as a people of Media united under the sway of Dejoces with the Budi and other tribes. * He as- cribes to them the interpretation of dreams, f and omens, and the incantation of winds, &c. On them probably devolved the exposition of the ancient constitutions to which he allu- des, when speaking of Cambyses's marriage of his sisters. J One of them was guardian of the royal palace during the ab- sence of Cambyses in Egypt, and united with his brother in the usurpation of the government.^ 5. The respect which the Parsis of old paid to dogs, and their anxiety to destroy noxious animals, have continued a- mong their successors to the present day. The injunctions of the Vandidad respecting them, we shall have frequently occa- sion to notice in our sixth chapter. The Parsis of Bombay, I am sure, will now be prepared to perceive the want of candour evinced by Gibbon, when he represents Herodotus as bringing a charge against the ancient Persians, on the score of the worship of the Elements and of the Heavenly Host, which cannot be substantiated. The ven- erable historian writes with all the simplicity of truth. As he was himself a polytheist, it is absurd to speak of him as "ac- cusing" the Persians, when he refers to their polytheism. He evidently relates facts with which he was acquainted ; and he praises the Persians, when he esteems them praiseworthy. He mentions numerous circumstances which illustrate his general statements; and they are so minute and circumstantial, as to es- tablish his accuracy. In the very " religious reverence " of the elements which Gibbon admits, there is essentially that deification which he denies. Of this fact Dosabhaf, the hero of the Parsi panchayat, seems to have been well aware, for he renders " religious reverence " by kibldh, which is mere- ly a" centre-of-worship." f Why did he hesitate to give a faithful translation of Gibbon, when he claimed his patronage ? Only, I fear, because he knew that it would not suit his pur- pose. || * Clio, Taylor, p. 48, 4!». \ Clio, Taylor, p 51. t Thalia, Taylor, p. 202. § Polymnia, Taylor, p. 52. || Gibbon is not the only apologist of the Parsis who has unreasonably 190 TESTIMONY OF THE GREEKS. Ctesias, another Greek historian, who died about the year 384 before Christ, represents Darius Hystaspcs (or Gushtasp) as erecting an altar to Jupiter, the god of the firmament, and sacrificing upon it. Xenophon also a Greek historian, who wrote a few years later than Ctesias, takes occasional notice of Cyrus (or Kai- khosru), and his followers, as sacrificing to Jupiter (the god of the firmament), and to the sun, and to the earth, and address- ing them in prayer, and pouring out to them libations. Thus for example, we find him saying, " Cyrus sacrificed first to the regal Jupiter, then to the other deities As soon as he had passed the borders, he propitiated the earth by liba- tions, and the gods by sacrifice."* "When they came to the sacred enclosures, they sacrificed to Jupiter and burnt the bulls entirely. Then they sacrificed to the sun, and burnt the horses entirely ; then killing some victims for the earth, they did as the Magi directed."! Strabo the geographer, who flourished in the middle of the first century after Christ, gives a particular account of the Persian religion and customs. He says, " The Persians erect neither statues nor altars ; they sacrifice in a lofty place, reek- detracted from the testimony of Herodotus. Dr. Hyde, who was nearly as much a Zoroastrian as a Christian, — who could venture to say in re- ference to certain reported predictions of Zoroaster, " qua omnia suadent ct persuadent Zoroaslrem, hac in parte, vere divinam revtlaliontm habuisse, — waxes quite wroth respecting it, and modestly exclaims, hDolendum quod anliquissirnus scriptor addictusfuil mendaciis." This learned divine, however, was accustomed in this way to characterize whatever was ad- verse to his own unfounded theories. After alluding to the testimony of the fathers of the Christian church, and others, he completely loses self- control, and breaks out into profane swearing, " Bone Deus, quanta sunt hac mtndacia ."' (De Vet. Rel. Pers. Cap. vi. p. I3G.) The unfaithful- ness of Hyde in dealing with his authorities, has been noticed by many writers since his day, and particularly by Anquetil du Perron, Foucher, and Mosheim. The admitted learning of his work, probably on this very account, did not secure for it the favour which was expected. It " was so ill received by the public, that the Doctor boiled his tea-kettle with the greatest part of the impression. " See Pinkerton's Voyages and Travels, vol. ix, p. 196. • Cyropaid. lib. iii. t Ibid. lib. viii. TESTIMONY OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS. 194 oning the sky to be Jupiter. They worship (ri/unoai) the sun whom they call Mithra, and the moon, and Venus, and fire, and the earth, and the winds, and water. They sacri- fice in a clean place * They sacrifice particularly to fire and to water, placing dry wood upon the fire with the bark taken off and with fat thrown upon it; then, oil having been infused, they cause it to blaze, not breathing upon it but venti- lating it. If any one breathes, or throws any thing dead or fil- thy, upon the fire, he is punished with death. With regard to water, they thus act ; coming to a lake or river or fountain they make a trench, and they cut the throat of their victim, taking care lest any of the adjoining water should be touched with the blood, lest the whole should be polluted ; afterwards hav- ing placed the burnt-offerings upon myrtle and laurel, the Ma- gi burn them with slender twigs." Having noticed the fire- temples in Cappadocia and the altar which is in the midst of them, he says, " The Magi keep upon it a quantity of ashes and an immortal fire, and going there daily for an hour they repeat their prayers, holding a bundle of twigs before the fire." He says that their tiaras were pendent on each side, that impurities might be avoided. "The Persians," he con- tinues, " do not go into a river, nor do they wash in it nor bathe in it, nor cast a dead body into it, nor any other thing which appears to be impure. To whatever god they sacrific- ed, they first address fire."f Quintus Curtius, who flourished about the year of Christ 64, and who writes the life of Alexander the Great, when speaking of the army of Darius, says, " The fire which they called eternal was carried before them on silver altars : the Magi came after it singing hymns after the Persian manner ; three-hundred and sixty-five youths clothed in scarlet follow- ed them, according to the number of the days of the year as the Persians compute it." He also represents Darius as conjuring his soldiers by this " eternal fire," and the shining of the sun.| * lie here quotes Hero lotus. f Strabonis Geograph. lib. *v \ Curt. lib. iii, cap. '3. Lib. ii, cap. 11- 192 TESTIMONY OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS. Pliny, the natural historian, who flourished about 100 years after Christ, represents the Persians as averse to sailing on the sea, from the fear of polluting it; and as refraining to spit into water.* Diogenes Laertius, about A. D. 147, in his Lives of the Philosophers, says, " The Magi descant on the origin and na- ture of the gods, whom they [reckon to be] fire, and earth, and water. They reject symbols and statues. . . . They think it wrong to dispose of the dead by fire."f Sextus Empiricus, the Pyrrhonic philosopher, who is sup- posed to have lived in the early part of the second century, says that the "Persians reckon fire to be a god (Oeotpopov- (Ttv).".t Agathias, to whom we have already referred, says of the Persians, that " they particularly venerate water ;" and that " fire is most honoured by them, and seems the most sa- cred."$ Procopius, an imperial counsellor in the Roman service, and who is supposed to have died A. D. 560, represents Pe- rozes (Firuz) the Persian king as worshipping the rising sun ;|| and Chosroes (Khosru) repairing to the province of Ardabi- gana, " where there is a large pyreum, which the Persians worship as the chief of the gods, and where the Magi nour- ish the unextinguished fire."1F He notices it as a custom of the Persians, that they abstained from burying the dead.** Justin, a Latin author who wrote a Compendium of the His- tory of Trogus Pompeius, says that " the Persians esteem the sun to be the only one God (solem unum Deum), and sup- pose that horses should be sacrificed to the same God."ff Long before his day, Ovid gives a similar intimation.JJ * Hist. Nat. lib. xxx, cap. 2. f Procem ii, seg-m. 6, 7. t Sexti Empirici lib. ix, adversus Physicos. § Agath. Schol. lib. ii. || Procop. de Bello Pers. lib. i. cap. 3. 11 Ibid. lib. ii, cap. 23. ** Ibid. lib. i, cap. 11. ft Justin. Hist. lib. i, cap. 10. \\ Fast. lib. i. v. 355. Placat equo Persis radiis Hyperionacinctum, Ne detur celeri victima tarda Deo. TESTIMONY OF THE CHRISTIAN FATHERS. 193 These authorities most decidedly prove that divine honours were conferred by the ancient Persians on the Elements of nature, and on the Heavenly hosts. Many others testifying to the same fact, could easily be produced. To some of those found in the writings of the fathers and historians of the Christian church, we may now advert. It will be seen, that like those already quoted, they are altogether unequivocal. Clemens Alexandrinus, at the beginning of the third century, refers to Diogenes, as saying, that the Magi of Persia " confer divine honours on fire (to ttvo rtTifx^Kaai), and asserts, on the authority of Dio, that they reckon fire and water to be the only resplendencies of the gods, " (9eu>v aydX/xara )."* Chrysostom, of the fourth century, says, " Fire is reckoned a- mong the Persians to be God ; and the barbarians inhabiting those regions, honour it with great veneration."f Socrates, the church historian, says, that " the Persians worship fire ; and the king is accustomed to adore fire burning upon a perpetual al- tar.".!. Sozomenus gives a similar testimony, and represents the second Shahpur as grievously persecuting the Christians, because they would not unite in this idolatry. § Theodoritus in the fifth book of his Ecclesiastical History, || says of the Per- sians in the reign of Yazdajard, that " they reckon fire to be a god ; " and that the Persians are accustomed to call those Ma- gi,who deify theElements, (/uayovg St KaXovatv 6t Triooai rovg ra ^o\ua OeoTroidvvTag). Elisaeus, the Armenian author of the his- tory of Vartan, represents the Persian king as sacrificing to the * dementis Cohortatio ad gentes, 19. Bishop Potter in his edition of Clemens adds to this testimony the following: — "Auctor Recognition- um Clementis lib. 4. cap. 29. de Zoroastre agens, Busti cineres, inquit, tanquamfulminei ignis reliquias, qui primitus erant decepti, deferunt ad Persas, id ab eis, tanquam divinas t calo, lapsus ignis conservaretur excu- biis, atque ut calestis Deus colerelur. t Chrysost. ad populum Antioch. Horn. iv. J Socratis Hist. Eccleg. lib. vii. cap. 8. § Sozomen. Hist. Eccles. lib. li, cap. 9. A notice of the persecu- tion here referred to, the Pars! reader may see in The Doctrine of Jeho- vah addressed to the Parsfs. pp. 14, 15. || Cap. 39. 191 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF GIBBON AND HYDE. holy fire ill the year A. D. 450, and as issuing the command, " All people and tongues throughout my dominions must aban- don their heresies, worship the sun, bring to him their offerings, and call him god ; they shall feed the holy fire, and fulfil all the other ordinances of the Magi."* The translator of this work informs us, that the Armenian writers of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, call the followers of Zoroaster, the " sons or servants of the Sun."f Esnik, from whose work, written in the fifth century, a quotation is given in the ap- pendix (D), uses a similar epithet, as do many of the Syrian writers referred to by Assemanni in his Bibliothcca Orienta- lis. Gibbon, in the passage quoted by the author of the Talim- i-Zartusht, says that the " Persians of every age have deni- ed the charge of [fire-worship], and explained the equivocal conduct." Such an assertion is more easily made than es- tablished. I confidently challenge any of the supporters of his opinion to produce a single proof of its accuracy applica- ble to the age of the authors to whom I have now referred. Their testimony is absolutely uncontradicted by any of their contemporaries. This we are inclined to believe Gibbon knew right well, for he is forced to admit, as we have seen, that they viewed fire, light, and the sun, as " objects of reli- gious reverence.'''' Dr. Hyde, who was also a willing, but un- successful, apologist of the Parsis, was likewise compelled to admit that they believe in its intrinsic sacredness. He thus vvritcs ; — " Omnis Ignis, sive sit coelestis et superior Planeta- rum et Metcorum ; sive terrestris, aliquid Sanctitatis et Bca- tudinis in se habere creditur ; n% that is, " All fire, whether it be celestial and superior, of the planets and meteors ; or ter- restrial, is believed tQ have some sanctity and blessedness in itself." That the Musalmans have esteemed the Parsis fire-worship- pers, is evident from thousands of passages in their writings, and from the designations which they have usually conferred Neumann's Translation of the History of Vartan, pp. 6, &. f Preface, pp. xx. \ De Vctcre Religion* Pcrsurum, p. '-'I TESTIMONY OV THE MUSALMANS. ]*)') upon them, such as Atash-parast and Gabar. The former of these means literally a Jirc-worshipper ; and the latter is al- ways used as synonimous with Jirc-ivoi r shipper; as may be seen by a reference to any of the Persian dictionaries, to any book of travels in Persia, or to any of the Persian poets. Shaikh Sadi says in the Gulistan : — " Though the Gabar may serve fire a hundred years, yet the moment he falls into it, he will be burned. " That the Gabars were Parsis is evident from the fact, that the Musalmans in Persia so denominate the followers of Zoroaster in that coun- try at the present time, and speak of the remains of their fore- fathers as the works of the Gabars. * In the course of time, * Will it be credited that Kalam Kas in the JYirang-IIa, lins occupied nearly ten pages of his book, in denying that the Parsis are Gabars, and in railing against me for asserting the i'act ! Another Parsf writer in the Bombay Samachar has acted a similarly absurd part. Though the mat- ter has no great importance, I beg to request the attention of any Parsi who may have been influenced by them to the following note, which I extract from Ouseley's Travels : — " Gabr, according to the manuscript dictionary, Ikrhan Kattea, ' is used in the sense of Magh, which signifies a fire-worshipper': — This is sometimes written, and very often pronounced Gavr, by a change of letters frequent in Persian, as in other languages. 'Gavr, 'we learn from the dictionary Jefuingiri, means ' those fire-worshippers, who observe the religion of ZarduslU, (or Zoroaster), and they are also called Magh:'1 — Put Origen, in the third century, defending Christianity against Celaus, an Epicurean, who had alluded to the mysteries of Mithra, uses Kabtr, as equivalent to Persiaiis. , Let Celsus know, ' says he, 'that our pro- phets have not borrowed any thing from the Persians or Kabirs, " — l7iTai \tyovai tiviu — (Orig. contr. Cols. Lib. vi. p.291< Cantab. H358). A Jewish writer, quoted by Hyde, (Hist. Relig. Vet Per. Cap. xxix.) declares that the Persians call their Priests (in the plural) Chabeiiti, (or Khaberin) jnan piDttS piip D>»D"U>, whilst the singular -on 196 PERVERSION OF THE TESTIMONY OP F1RDAUSI. when some of them began to be affected by the principles of Sufiism, and when they erroneously viewed all the different forms of religion as nearly upon a point of equality, and in- ward contemplation as independent of outward profession, they may have occasionally taken a more indulgent, though not a more correct, view of the ancient Persians. Firdausi, * the author of the Shahnamah, is represented by Edal Daru as writing of them thus : — jj Jo yjla uu/u OJLuJ ji Jo ^(Iw o (iSJl^ .Ijjjx) That is to say, " Think not that they were fire-worshippers ; they were the worshippers of the holy God. " This passage, as it is here given, I have not found in the Shahnamah, But much dependence cannot be placed on the manuscripts of that work. " They differ from one another, " as observed by Sir William Ouseley, " in every part of the Shahnamah, and exhibit such a variety of readings, as would weary the most patient and persevering drudge who should undertake to collate several copies of a work, comprising more than one hundred and twenty thousand lines." Speaking of Kai-Khos- ru, and his maternal uncle, Firdausi, however, says : — &i Jo ^LLo. o jSJl^ .1 JJJx> ji Jo ^tj y i^f*V. ;«3 ^** »— &) J^J (_j) iJSJ^J K ajJJUuO JjO «_>' .^o ,Xi'jJ (^^J'l S •bi y_sj> i y|[J y t— f b -I ,fc :Kj J.£ b ^oJJ) U> ^^J*{ '* They were a whole week before God ; think not that they were the worshippers of fire, because fire was a conspicuous object at that time. The eyes of the worshippers were full of tears. If thou hast got so much thought, then [thou wilt Chaber or Khabet, (occurring in the Talmud), is explained by Hebrew commentators, as signifying indid Parsdi, or Persians. On this subject Hadrian Reland has offered some remarks, in Dissert, ix. de PersicisTal- mudicis. (See his ' Dissert. Miscell. Part. ii. p. 297. Traj. ad Rhen. 1706). Dr. Hyde, however, as above cited, thinks that Cfiaber or Cliaver, denoted both a priest and a layman ; any person ' modo sit hujus reli- gionis ; namque non notat Persam gente sed Persam religione ; nee sta"- tum civilem spectat.' " Ouseley 's Travels, vol. i, pp. 105, 10G. * Firdausi was born in the year of Christ, !»4»>. PERVERSION OF THE TESTIMONY OF FIRDAUSI. 197 see that] thou art not independent of the glorious God." The poet does not apply this description, it is to be observed, to all the ancient Persian kings and heroes ; and even if he did, there would still be left room for his idea, that Zoroaster was actually the patron of the fire-worshippers.* The assertion which it makes, is altogether inconsistent with the particular statements of Firdausi. Some of the oldest Persian kings, he expressly declares to have been fire- worshippers. When speak- ing of Hoshang, the grandson of Kaiomars, the first king of the Peshdadian dynasty, who, as mentioned in a passage which we shall afterwards quote, is said to have first discovered the me- thod of producing fire by friction, he represents him as com- manding his subjects to reckon it the " divine glory, " and to give it the highest worship, or " parastish. " The pas- sage is given in full by Edal Daru, when he sets forth the glory of fire in the Maujazdt-i-Zartusht. Firdausi also, af- ter having mentioned the erection of the city Darab-gird, by Darab, proceeds as follows : — " He then kindled a fire on the summit of a mountain. The worshippers-of-fire came in crowds ; and they procured the most skilful artists of every kind, by whom the whole city was adorned." The testimonies which we have now brought forward, prove that the Persians have from time immemorial been addicted to the worship of the elements, and particularly of fire. Had the practice, however, been a mere matter of history, we should not have adverted to it with this particularity. But it is a melancholy fact, that to this day, fire and the other ele- ments are regularly regarded as objects of worship and reve- rence, by the followers of Zoroaster. The following extracts from the work of Edul Daru, the chief priest of the Rasamis, their larger sect, while they reveal the existence of the feel- ing of a certain degree of shame on account of what is done, clearly unfold the sacred importance which they attach to fire' * See extract from Firdausi in Chapter viii. 198 NOTIONS OF THE PARSIS ON THE WORSHIP OP and the service which they render, to it. I give a literal trans- lation of what he has written on the subject. [1]. — " We Zoroastrians reckon fire, and the moon, and other glorious objects rilled with splendour and light, centres- of-worship (kibld.K) ; and in their presence we stand upright and practise worship (bandagi), for the most High God has declared that they are his glory. On this account, the sun and fire are the divine glory (khuddi-nur); and it is fit that at the time of worship {bandagi and cibddat) such glorious objects should be considered a kiblah. [2]. — "And it ought to be known, that over every object in earth or in the heavenly worlds created by God, there is a glorious angel appointed to preside, and exercise superin- tendence. For example, Khurshid Izad is over the sun ; Mohor Izad, the moon ; over the soil, is Aspandarmad Am- shaspand ; over fire, Ardebehisht Amshaspand ; over water, A'wa Izad ; over air, Gowad Izad ; over rain, Teshtar Tir Izad ; over trees, Amardad; over cattle, Bahman Amshaspand. In this way they preside and superintend, and in this way God has committed all these objects wholly to the charge of angels. Wherefore, when reciting the Zand-Avasta, they praise these objects of the universe, it ought to be certainly known that they praise the angels who preside over them. *o • fca-w -"> •-u»i»J -yL? .jDtU^y^a J . P-U* ) . -1U (0 -1J £-1* (U b -U ) ..MjyyOjJJ.y .JJJ(UA3 — Ithd dat yazamaide Ahurem-Mazdam, ye gamchd as- hemchd ddt, apacchd ddt, uruardocchd vanguhis raoch- docchd ddt, bumimchd vicjmchd vohu. [ashem vohu]. : — * The dastur gives this in the Gujarati character. I have substitut- ed the original Zand, for the sake of precision. The passage occurs at the commencement of the fifth Ha of the Ya9na. Tt is also given in the commencement of the Khurdah-Avasta. THE ELEMENTS, ANGELS, AND CELESTIAL BODIES. 199 ;< — ' Here, in this manner, I worship (drddhunch) (that is glorify and remember) Hormazd, by whom the cattle nnd the asoi [purity], (that is Bahman Amshaspand, and Ardebehisht, who is even over the asoi,) have been created and by whom the water has been created, and the good vegetation and the light have been created, and the earth and all that gives delight (jid'mal) from first to last have been created. — This Lord, in this place, I remember, and glorify ; and I praise him for this pleasant food which he has given to me.' * " Now,according to the above-mentioned proof, it is evi- dent that there is an angel presiding over every object in the world. Consequently, when in the course of reciting the Avasta, there is the praise of any object, there is the praise of the angel, who presides over that object. This ought to be rightly understood ; and also it ought to be known, that when the angel is praised, Dadar Hormazd, the creator of that an- gel, is praised. This ought certainly to be recognized, for there is no doubt of it. [3.] — " Concerning this matter, I give another proof: — 'The reason of making light and fire a centre-of-worship (kib- lah) is, that whatever under the first heaven is created in this world, is made from the four elements — fire, and air, and water, and earth. Therefore, there are four substances par- ticularly glorious, from which even all men are created. Of these, fire is particularly brilliant, and pure, and pregnant- with-light, and consequently, fire is several times superior to air, water, and earth, and on account of this superiority, it is quite right that fire-temples should be made, and the fire es- teemed a centre-of-worship ; and in like manner it is even * The passages within parentheses are so given by Edal Daru. An ex- act verbal translation of the Zand is the following-: — " Here, in-this-man- ner, I worship Hormazd who has created [or given] both cattle, and the purity [on which they feed], and created water, and created vegetation, and the good light, and the earth, and all delight. " »Qshem Vohu are the catch words of another short buj, which follows. The references by the dastur to the Amshaspand, it will be observed, are in this instance mere interpolations ! '200 NOTIONS OF THE PARSIS ON THE WORSHIP OF more proper that the heavenly bodies, as the sun and moon, should be esteemed centres-of-worship. ' So much is taken out of the Sharistan. [4]. — " Moreover, I give another proof. There is an hon- norable fire, which either manifestly, or secretly, exercises su- perintendence and preservation over the body of man. That fire, in the language of the Avasta, is called atarem vohu farianem ; * and in the Pahlivi and Pazand f languages, d- tish vohu faridn ; and in the Arabic language gharezi and hardrati gharezi. J From the blessing of that fire, every man lives, for to all the food which he eats, and the drink which he takes, that fire imparts heat. It also is the power which imparts the hunger, which succeeds eating. As long as that fire, possessed of light and heat, remains in the body of men, he preserves the ability of living, and remains com- fortable ; and when the heat of this invisible fire goes out of a man, then the appetite for eating and drinking is stopt and the hope of living is lost. Now a sensible view ought to be taken of the fact, that the venerable fire which is found with- in a man, imparting this power, confers happiness, and day and night is the cause of man's life, as long as it is not sepa- rated from him ; and it keeps man in happiness as long as he lives. And the fire which manifestly exercises superinten- dence, is that which forwards the works of the whole human race during the night. From its assistance, for example, meetings are held at night, and there is eating and drinking and enjoyment. All this is from the blessing of light. And even during the day, for all eating and cooking, and for put- ting away the cold and damp of snow from the body of man, it unfailingly communicates heat, and activity. And * Here the dastur uses the accusative for the nominative. His lan- guage approaches that of the Bundeshne, which professes to des- cribe all the different kinds of fire. See Gujaratf translation of Bunde'sh- ne\ pp. 310—344. t There is no such distinctive language as the Pazand. It is the ex- planatory language written along with, or underneath, the Zand, — Pahli- vi, Persian, or whatever else it may be. t Literally, latent heat. THE ELEMENTS, ANGELS, AND CELESTIAL BODIES. 201 besides, the arts and handicrafts, the making new inventions and projections and trades followed by men, arc practised' through the blessing of this venerable fire, and every thing requiring heat is performed through the help of this fire. Moreover, the excellence of this fire in behalf of man is very great. Wherefore it is proper that this venerable fire should be made a kibldh. There are many proofs of the matter, which if I were to give, there would be prolixity. I only briefly give a few proofs from the Avasta. [5] — " Now, I give a testimony about making the holy fire a kiblah from the Avasta. In the Ardebchisht Yast of the Avasta, Dadar Hormazd represented to the honorable Zo- roaster to this effect ; — < It is proper to make my Ardebe- hisht a kiblah.' I write the passage below, along with its meaning : — * -A3 . ^O ._> O _u_J _o ) e) .-U^^JJ^JjLjS ._u.qj.iJ .P-JJW .P-JJ-U) .JJJJ .-u(0£ )-uqA>_»^J' .jj<\)£^_uoi\_.__j^_U . jj Vs ay ) o _u ) jjj .jj^jj^jy .oJjog^-u^yMjjj .jjfoj^^jjjjjjj .jj{0j.|_u^Ij|£ .jjpjg^^jjj , ( .£_UJ{A-_u) . jj^hjjjjo^ ■ -U J -to W_?-" 1? ■ JJ0>£ ) JJ -^ _u 1 jj < .j .j-u -jij* .-u(ol,__U|_iJ_un, .^^au^jj .VjgU^ .ooy?»JJi))aipi, — itfraot Ahuro-Mazddo cpitamdi Zarathustrdi, A' at yat asa vahUtafradathis vpitama Zarathustra ctaotarecha zaotarecha zbdtarecha mathranacha yaptarecha dfritare- cha aibi zaratarPcha vanghdna khsaita raochdo khanav- aitis varPzo ahmdkSm yagndicka vakmdicha yat amPsndm* sp&fitanam : — — " < Hormazd said to Spitamati [the exalted] Zoroaster (thai is to me who am Spitamao Zoroaster), I have created the ex- alted and the just (that is, Ardebehisht) worthy of praise, and worthy of being made a kibldh, (that is. worthy of being * As in a former instance, I substitute the Zand letters for the Guja* rfitf of the dastur. 15 202 NOTIONS OF THE PARSIS ON THE WORSHIP OF served by a person standing upright in its presence,) and wor- thy of being remembered, and worthy of having the Avasta language read and obeyed, and worthy of adoration, and wor- thy of the dfrins, and worthy of being raised aloft, (that is, exalted), and worthy of having a glorious, excellent, and brilliant place made ; likewise worthy of the Izaslme, and worthy of the Nidish. — Such are the Amshaspands, and my Ardcbehisht Amshaspand is of them.' * " According to the preceding testimony from the Avasta, the Ardebehisht is a kiblah ; and in this manner respecting the other Izads and Amshaspands, the order was given by Dadar Horma/.d to the exalted Zoroaster, that they should be adored and praised. This doubtless ought to be known. And it ought lobe known, that from the time of the Pesh- dadian king Iloshang, and according to the order of the most High God to Iloshang, he formed atish-khdnahs [fire-temples] in every city, and ordered that fire should be a kiblah, and thenceforward this right law remained. Afterwards king Jam- shid and Faridiin and Kai-Khosru erected atish-khdnahs, that is, places for enthroning fire. Their regulations remained in force. The proof of this is to be found in our religious books, and in the Shahnamah. "f [6.] — Under the belief of the " sacredness of fire," ex- pressed in these passages, Edal Daru asks, in another part of his work, " Do you know any other warrants for making the sacred fire a kiblah ?" And he gives the following reply : — " Yes, I know that in the Shahnamah of the poet Firdau- si of Tus, Hoshang, the son of Saiamuk, went out with the sages of his court to walk in the direction of a mountain. Suddenly he saw a serpent at a great distance. It immediate- ly made an attack upon Hoshang, who instantly lifted up a large stone with which to kill it, when the serpent having * Tt will be observed, from the remarks on part of this passage, after- wards given in this chapter, that I have some objections to thistranslation. The quotation is a very important one, and a critical investigation of some of the words here used as expressive of religious honour, will be found in our filth chapter. t Talim-i-Zartusht, pp. 14—21. THE ELEMENTS, ANGELS, AND CELESTIAL BODIES. 203 leapt and ran away, 1 1 id itself in the grass. The stone hav- ing been smashed upon another stone, both flew into pieces ; and from the midst of them the light of fire became manifest, and from it all the dried grass and sticks were burned, and the fire blazed with light. Upon this the holy Sarosh Izad, having come from concealment, gave orders to king Hoshang to this effect : — O exalted king, make this glorious fire a kibldh, for the fire is divine in its glory (iiur-i-khuddi.) Ho- shang having heard this, gave thanks and praise to the most High God in his temple, because his glorious fire was given to him as a kiblah. Then at this time, he enthroned fire at the place of a kiblah, and commanded every person, as fol- lows: — This fire is the glory of God, inhere/ore it is neces- sary to worship it, (parastish hid hi joic.y* At that time king Hoshang instituted a great festival, and having made a great rejoicing, he established the festival under the name of the Jasun-i-Sadduh. In this manner having made fire a kib- lah, the directions which he gave about attending to it have been observed till the present time. " f In this passage Edal Daru, as will be afterwards shown, has used considerable liberty with the Shahnamah. A similar extract is given by Dosabhai from the Shdristdn, to which we shall also subsequently advert. There are a few other passages in the chief-priest's work, which throw additional light on the Parsi fire-worship, and which I insert, before making any comment on his opinions. [7.] — " The fourth glorious and grand object given to the exalted Zoroaster [when he was said to be in heaven], was the fire named A'dar-burjin-Meher. So wonderful was this fire, that it blazed of itself without fuel ; and it had no need of a human servant to make it burn with brilliancy. Nothing could do it harm, that is to say, neither fire nor earth, could injure it ; and from throwing earth and water upon it, it blaz- ed with great brilliancy. " J [3.] — " Afterwards, Ardebehisht Amshaspand, having ap- Thesc are the Gujarat! words used by the dastur. | ftfaujazat-i-Zartusht, pp.24, 25. | Moujazat i-Zartuahf,p. 63 204 NOTIONS OF THE PARSIS ON THE WORSHIP OF proached the holy Zoroaster said to him, Convey my message to king Gushtasp to this effect : — ' I have committed to you the charge of the fire of every place. Wherefore, in every city and place-of-abode, erect dtish-khdnahs, that is places for its residence, and grant a settled provision for its support, and appoint Mobeds for perpetually guarding it, and also for nourishing it, for fire is produced from the glory of God. And thou knowest well that at every instant it is useful to the whole population of the world, and no person can do without it, and he who always places fuel and odoriferous articles up- on it, will always remain young, and never become old. It reveals to man the property of every thing. If thou wilt place sweet-smelling articles upon it, it will emit sweet o- dours ; but if thou wilt place bad smelling odours upon it, it will emit bad odours. From this my fire, the pain and suffering from cold, damp, and shivering, is removed. Besides, in it there are many benefits. In the same manner that the holy Providence hath placed fire under my charge, I place it under thy charge, O Zartusht. Wherefore, advise all the inhabi- tants of the world in my name, to this effect : — Serve, and preserve fire. If you do not act according to my counsel, then the most High God will be displeased with you. "* [9.] " The wonders of the A ' dar-burjin-Meher are these. When any person took that fire into his hand, it was not burned. The exalted Zartusht having taken it into his hand, put it on the hand of Gushtasp, f and the hand of Gushtasp was not burned. Gushtasp put it into the hands ofhiswazir Ja- masp [the minister of Gushtasp], and the hand of Jamasp was not burned. In this way, Jamasp put it into the hands of all the nobles who were present in the royal company ; but its heat affected none of them. [Here follows a passage in almost the same words as those given above.] Another wonder of this fire was, that when the religion of Zoroaster was spreading in the * Maujazat-i-Zartusht, pp. t>4, 50. The dastur is here, with some alterations, following the Zartusht-Namah. t It was in the reign of Gushtasp, supposed to be Darius Hystaspes, that Zoroaster lived. THE ELEMENTS, ANGELS, AND CELESTIAL BODIES. 205 world, and king Gushtasp went to the country of Jabulistan where the hero Rustain was residing, for the purpose of embrac- ing it, and when he had resided there for a long period, Ar- jasp the grandson ofAfrasiab the king of Turkistan, having obtained leisure and opportunity, came into the country of Iran to make war, and wished from hatred and enmity to destroy the good faith. A considerable time before this, on a certain day, kingLohrasp was engaged in adoring the fire A'dar-bitrjin- Meher, when this concealed voice came forth from the light, ' O Lohorasp, hear, consider this my word, you have served me in a very excellent manner. Upon your body great trouble and labour have come ; you have to fight with your enemies ; the war is such that you will be forced to hold the sword, and through fear you will fail to remember God. ' In this manner, an invisible voice came out from the glory of the fire ; and in this manner the holy fire foretold to Lohrasp the war of Ar- jasp the Turki. " But some persons will say that the exalted Zartusht had applied some medicament to his hand, and that on this account the heat of the fire did not affect him. The reply is this : Consider, according to your excellent wisdom, the exalted Zartusht first took the fire into his hand, and gave it into the hand of the king Gushtasp; and Gushtasp gave it to his wazir Jamasp ; and Jamasp gave it into the hand of the other no- bles who were present in the royal company ; and neverthe- less the hand of no one was burned ! It is certain that king Gushtasp and his nobles, applied no medicament to their hands or bodies, and had no necessity to apply medicaments, because they did not wish to oppose the plea of the prophet. Since their hands were not burned, it undoubtedly a -.pears that God gave fire to the exalted Zoroaster with such proper- tics, that a distinguished prophetical mission might be mani- fest to the world. [10.J _ 'Moreover, I give a testimony about this fire from the Shahnamah. In the Shahnamah it is written, that the ex- alted Zartusht was a prophet from God. In the .lavs of kino Gushtasp, an altar with a splendent lire was brought from the "206 PERVERSIONS AND EXPLANATIONS OF DOSABHAI. presence of God, and the name of that fire was A'dar-burjin- Meher. "* Such are the explanations, and confessions, and attempted vindication of the honours rendered to fire by the Parsis, which have been lately set forth by the gentleman occupying the highest position in its priesthood, and at the pecuniary charge of the most wealthy individual of their community. Dosabhai, the advocate of the panchayat, writes on the sub- ject with a great deal more caution, but with a great deal more disingenuousness and inconsistency. We find him, indeed, giving the most contradictory accounts of the matter, and at the same time actually establishing the very charge which he professes to be anxious to repel. When scolding Dhanjibhai Nauroji, for accusing the Parsis of fire-worship, he mentions * that they view them merely as a kibldh, or centre-of- worship, and " visible symbols of the invisible God." He then brings in Gibbon to support his theory ; and while he quotes the passage from that author which we have already given, in which it is said that the Per- sians consider, " the elements, and more particularly Fire, Light, and the Sun, whom they called Mithra, as objects of religious reverence,'''' he gets afraid, as we have seen, to trans- late the passage aright, and actually renders the words which we have marked in italics by din dharmno keblo, [religious kibldh.] He forgets all this scrupulosity and evasion, howev- er, in subsequent parts of his work. In order, as he thinks, to evince that Dhanjibhai perverts the second commandment written on the tablets given to Moses, when he applies it to the Parsi treatment of fire, he says that the commandment re- fers only to images " made by the hand of mow," J and thus shows that the Parsis view fire, and the other supposed ele- ments, in a light which would be condemned by the second commandment, if it had, as it assuredly has, a more extensive meaning, and is applicable to the worship of the works of * Maujazat-i-Zartusht, pp. 71—73. * Talim-i-Zartusht, p. 15. t Talim-i-Zartuaht, p. 18. \ TSlim-i-Zartusht, p. 20. PERVERSIONS AND EXPLANATIONS OF DOSABHAI. 2011 God as well as to the works of man.* Afterwards, when re- plying to his own question, " Why do you, professing to ac- knowledge only one God, honour fire, and water, and the moon and the sun, and call fire the Son of God, and water and the earth, the Daughters of God," he presents us with some state- ments similar to those which we have already quoted from E- dal Daru. "As fire," he says, "and water, and the moon, and sun, &c., have been created, so over each of them an an- gel has been appointed to preside. As for instance, Ardebe- hisht is over fire ; Khurdad, over water ; Khur, over the sun; Mahbokhtar, over the moon ; and other angels, over other objects of the world, presiding and superintending, and to be adored. So we do adore faradhunch) the glorious angels, and according to the commandment of God, repeat the A'tish [Fire] Niaish, and the A'vva [Water] Niaish, and the Khur- shid [Sun] Niaish, and the Mali [Moon) Niaish ; we hon- our not fire, nor water, nor the sun, nor the moon. We reckon them our kiblah. In the same any that the Musal- mans, when they worship, turn their faces to the Ka'ba, so we reckon the brilliant angels a kiblah. Ami the explanation of the fact that in our Zand-Avasta fire is called the Son of Hormazd, and the earth and water, the Daughters of Hormazd, is this, that an object created by God is his offspring. Where- fore, we worship the angel that is over that object. What, do you not acknowledge the angels, of whom it is said in the Bible, in various places, that they appeared to Christ and to Mary, &c " ? In a subsequent part of his work, p. 1 1, he en- deavours, on the authority of some author, whose name he does not give, to prove that there is a connection between the Parsi religion and Free-Masonary, and quotes, amongsl others, this passage : "To come then at once to the point Masonry (as it appears from the customs, ceremonies, hiero- glyphics, and chronology of Masonry) is derived from, and is • In the fifth book of Moses, it is thus written: — "Take yc there- fore good hoed. . . . lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and n hen thou seest the sun, the moon, anil the stars, even all the host of heaven, should - est be driven to worship them and servo them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven." Deul. iv : 15, I!) 208 PERVERSIONS AND EXPLANATIONS OF DOSABHAI. the remains of, the religion of the ancient Druids, who like the (XT3 Magi of Persia and the priests of Heliopolis in Egypt were priests of the Sun. * (0°° They paid worship to this great luminary, as the great visible agent of a great invisible first cause, whom they styled time-without-limits." This state- ment he reckons a sufficient answer to the remark in the 18th page f of my Lecture on the Vandidad : — " The Parsi looks up to the heavens, and having perceived the great light which God has given to enlighten the path of man, he presents it with his adorations. He forgets that it has no life. He acts just as'absurdly as any !man would do, who instead of going to the Governor with a petition, should go and pray to the lamp which is burning on his table. " He afterwards, how- ever, returns, J to the passage now quoted from my lecture, and its context ; and in reply to the charge which it brings against the Parsis, he says, " We reckon the sun a glorious object created by God, and a visible sign of the invisible Lord. The name of the angel who is over it is Khur ; in the Bur- han-i-Katagh dictionary khur means a symbol ; $ " and he adds, || " We say that an angel is the glory of the most high God, and we honour and worship God's glory and his [the angel's] glory, which is right and proper. " In the 158th page of his work, he says " Fire is the glory of God, wherefore in the Zand-Avasta it is figuratively called the Son of God." In'the 160th page, he quotes a passage from the Shdristdn respecting Hoshang, similar to that which Edul Daru profes- ses to quote from the Shdhnamdh. In page 163, he says, " In the Vandidad, it is truly written that the master of a house should reverence the fire given by Hormazd ; but this fire is the presiding angel Ardebehisht or A'dar, whom we re- verence ; for fire is the meaning of the word ddar, or dzar ; and the angel who is over fire is called A'dar or Azar. . . . Look to the Burhan-i-Katagh and you will be convinced that * These hands directing attention to this passage, are those of Dosa- bliai. t Dosabhai quotes it as the fourteenth. I p. 136. 8 1 do not find this to be the case. || p. 126 ELEMENTAL WORSHIP ADMITTED. 209 this is the meaning. " All these passages, — some of which are not very consistent with one another, — show anxiety on the part of Dosabhai to vindicate the Parsis from the charge of fire- worship, while they evince also, that he wishes fire, and the an- gels who are said to preside over it, to be received with holy reverence. It will be seen from the quotations which we have already introduced from Edal Daru, how far he differs from that dastur. Both of them are more disinclined to admit the absolute fire-worship of the Parsis than many of their coun- trymen. Aspandiarji is, if possible, still more ashamed of the man- ner in which the elements are treated by his friends and by himself, when he officiates in the dtishgdh. He says that " the sun, moon, and fire, are viewed in the Parsi religion in no other light than that of a Kiblah."* He quotes some passages from the Avasta in which he thinks that the elements are said to be created ; but these passages have nothing to do with the wor- ship of the elements, except as suggesting a reason for its con- demnation to all but genuine Zoroastrians, who hold that the elements are made of the essential glory of God, and who give to God himself the name of -h0-»<»-"> A' tars or Fire, f and to a priest the name of -"»-" '^-", A'thrava or Fireman."]: I have just said that the Parsi controversialists are more disinclined to admit the elemental worship of their tribe, than many of their countrymen. In connexion with this assertion, I cannot withhold the following important testimonies, belong- ing both to ancient and modern times, which must satisfy every considerate mind. Dastur Aspandiarji Kamdinji of Baroch, in his controversial work entitled the Kadim Tdrikh Pdrshioni Kasar, published at Surat so late as 1826, in his translation of the Sanskrit shlo- kas said to have been presented to the Hindu Rana at San- jan, where they first landed in Gujarat, broadly represents * Hadi-i-Gum-Ralian, p. 11. t The Hundred and One Names of God, No. 54. J. Vandidad, passim. 210 WORSHIP OF FIRE AND THE OTHEB them as *>\0{ «- randrd," or Fire-worshippers * lie could not have done otherwise, as the first shloka clearly mentions their elemental worship, and that even before their worship of Hormazd : — — " They who worship the sun, fire, wind, earth, ether, water, — the five principal elements, the three worlds, three times a day, through the Nidish mantras, and [who worship] the divine Hormazd the chief of the Suras (angels), the greatly endowed, the exalted, the compassionate one, arc we, the fair, the bold, the heroic, the powerful, the Parsis." The eleventh shloka also alludes to their " Worship of the Sun, " or as Kamdin has it surajni pujd. The twelfth refers also to their worship of all the elements, even placing it, as in other instances, before that of Hormazd. In the Kissah-i-Sanjdn,\ the principal document in the hands of the Parsis detailing the particulars of the arrival of their ancestors in India, and composed by a priest of Nau- sari in the year A. D. 1590, it is said that the Parsi exiles when off Sanjan, the place where they first settled in Guja- rat, escaped from a dreadful storm. — " By the blessing of the fire of Behrdm the victorious." In the same work, they arc set forth as expressly declaring them- selves to be fire-worshippers to Jade [Jayadeva?], the Hindu liana of the place, when they solicited from him the liberty of settling in his country. The whole of what passed between the chief Mobcd who represented them, and the prince to whose protection they looked, is worthy of attention. I here give it a place in the original Persian, with a plain trans- See the Kadim Tarikli, pp. 129, 130. i Of tins little work a translation, 1 believe, will soon be published by Lieut. E. B. Easlwiek. SUPPOSED ELEMENTS ADMITTED BY THE PARSIS. 211 lation marking the passages which more immediately refer to the subject at present under discussion. J4" fij*> J3 iS W- \J~i JJ d ^ ^ i^J \&J C">: c-£U jUj d'ijdjjd e/';::';t^ eJ • U^» J; ^° d^i ^ ^^v • c/A^ J u^-^ *i} & ' /*«*■•* oS L. ^s-'A ji JJj J .li.>.< t-i.^ ,.'.i^ « ey i' | , ..'! J'il f, , La. Jo JoL ^> , ,.'j L ,i/o v/i ... | oo\ii ji.v iJa. ,!i Ji .a. ,»sjj ,, ij>*« y/o j ^ La. I. L*Ci ^xi ,^io Cl^wl, J^_< Jy U^, Jyj .<| , • Jjj^.' ^ ) , j' :' . -a£> ^jj! ,^J.*vJ^.a. J„>y\> ,Ui£ ^6& , ..}! ,L. Uj /• ;;Jv ej '; uf^ |*e j> u^J ; /• **j« u^' ^^ ur^ j]/' Lkjo,j v^ i& (_r iJo A- ki ^ **■ L*j* ^° ;' > > I"' 'J * J * fXX vj) J jj J^J jl ^ j ^ IjJ ^AA^ o ^t j^> U J ^i I j ^aSj C>^^ j C>^L> ,j L ^jLa. ^ j tU*fi> Cl^*1' Jj \S J j.a. ^1 .J (.i ic< (>ii. *Lj J wl J J t-.- *AJ I^stj j *s tV^'J i Lj j J j j'JtAJJ) L -ci^^ ^ Lft> JJJO^) <./« ^ Lu/ j (Jo..£ ij-^s:-? Jijl^j ^j Uto ^ J ^ ^j- l^'i li: (•Jt • L-/* '^^ '^ J*- ^-T^ y^- i««3 Jj-Ci ^)L«« Jk .• ^b jjxio Jj )jj % A.* yi JJ -,J ^Jj ;l Jo | ,5 ,/o i^T Jil Jo • ,i ^j : jjLuk-* >fc y< jXu:> (^v.Mj ! j' Uj ^1 L; j^( L_f la. .& jjt jj 212 W0MSHIP OF FIRE AND THE OTHER — " First, let us know the faith that is yours ; after that we shall make a place ready for you. The next condition is, that in order to remain here, you leave off the language of your country, that you give up the language of Iran, and acquire the language of Hind. The third condition regards the dress of women, which must be like that of our wo- men. Fourthly these weapons and these swords must be unopened and unworn in any place. Fifthly, when a child is married, the marriage procession must be at night. If these conditions are accepted by you, my city is open for your re- ception. When the dastur heard all these things from the Rai (prince,) being without resource he accepted the proposals. Then the chief Mobed thus addressed him, " Listen, O wise prince, to what I relate of our faith. Be not thou afraid of us ; no evil will accrue from us in this place. We shall be friends to all Hindustan. We will scatter the heads of your enemies in every place. Be assured that we are the worshippers of Yazdan. On account of our faith have we fled from the unbelievers [the Musalmans] ; we have abandoned all our possessions ; we have encountered many difficulties by the way ; house, and land, and possessions, all we have aban- doned. O prince of excellent fortune, we are the poor de- scendants of Jamshid. We give reverence (adab darem) to the moon and sun. Three other things we hold in estima- tion (neku medaram,) the cow, water, and fire. We worship (parastish mekunam) fire and ivater ; also the cow, the sun, and moon. Whatever God has created in the world, we bear worship to it (namdzash mebarem.) This kusti (cincture) composed of seventy-two threads, we bind on with a heart full of gladness. Our wives when they are in their courses look not on the sun, nor on the skies, nor on the moon. From fire and water, they remain at a distance, since those things arc of the essence of glory. From all things they carefully ab- * KiKsuli-i-Sanjan, Auihor'.s M.S, pp. 13, 13. SUPPOSED ELEMENTS ADMITTED BY THE PARSIS. 213 stain in the light of day and the darkness of night; they ab- stain till their courses are completed. When they have puri- fied themselves, they look on fire and on the sun. Moreover, the woman who bears a child must observe restriction forty days, the same restriction as a woman in her courses ; and she must remain retired and in seclusion. When a woman bears a child before her time is fulfilled, she is not permitted to go abroad or move out ; nor is she allowed to converse with any one. That woman must observe a strict abstinence ; forty-one days must she therein abide. And whatever besides were their observances and rites, the same did the dastur recite to the Raja." The Parsis gave a similar account of themselves to the English who particularly examined into their creed, when they first came into contact with them in India. Mr Lord repre- sents a Dastur as saying, that " Forasmuch as fire was de- livered to Zartusht their lawgiver, from God Almighty, who J pronounced it to be His virtue and His excellency, and that there was a law delivered for the worship of this fire, confirm- ed by so many miracles, that therefore they should hold it in holy reverence, and worship it as a part of God, who is of the same substance ; and that they should love all things that resemble it, or were like unto it, as the sun and moon which proceeded from it." * In the Zartusht-Ndmah, which I criticize at length in the eighth chapter of this work, and a translation of which is given in full in the appendix (A), there are many direct in- timations of, and unequivocal references to, the elemental worship of the Parsis. The writer of the Persian copy in my possession, made two hundred years ago, declares himself to be parastdr citish wa Behrdm, a " worshipper of fire and Behram."f If in times later than those to which these notices refer the Parsis have given contrary representations of their religious * Lord's Discovery of the Banians and Parsis, in Pinkerton's Voy- ages and Travels, vol. vii, p. 50(3. f Zartusht-Namah, author's MS., last page. 214 REFUTATION OF DF.FF.NCF.S OF ELEMENTAL WORSHIP. opinions, it is only because of the consciousness of shame, pro- duced by the light reflected from a Christian community. Though they may have misled some travellers, who have made little inquiry into their religious doctrines and practices, they have to this day most diligently continued the adora- tion of the elements and heavenly bodies in the manner which will immediately be noticed, and endeavoured, when pressed on the subject, to vindicate, like the controversialists now be- fore us, the religious reverence which they have extended to these the sacred objects of their regard. But I must now proceed to comment on the extracts which I have made from the works of Edal Daru and Dosa- bhai. I shall offer my remarks on the different considerations which they have brought before our notice with reference as far as possible to the order of arrangement which they them- selves have adopted. I indulge the sincere hope, and offer up the earnest prayer to God, that the Parsis who may atten- tively and candidly peruse what I have to present to their rea- son and conscience, will clearly see that their sacred books and religious teachers, have fallen into the most foolish, but at the same time grievous and dangerous mistakes, respect- ing the nature of fire and the other elements, and are guilty of the greatest sin against that God who has declared that he will not give His glory to another, whenever they act according to the directions of these books. 1.* Both Edal Daru and Dosabhai " reckon fire and the sun, and moon, and other glorious objects filled with splen- dour and light" " to be produced from the glory of God," and to be literally the " glory of God ;" and in doing this, as has been already seen and will yet appear, they do not go beyond their sacred books. This*, however, is not their character. Light is only the ivork of God ; and however wonderful it may be, — whether it be matter, or a state of matter, — it has not fl- ing of a divine nature, and forms no part of the divine sub- stance. It has neither intelligence, nor sensation, nor life. * The divisions which follow correspond with those which 1 have used in bringing forward the opinions of the dasturs. FIRE AND LIGHT NOT THE GLORY OF GOD. 215 Combustion, in which theParsis so much rejoice, when they try to promote it by odoriferous fuel, every one of them who lias studied chemistry knows, is caused merely by a union of substances having strong attraction for each other, and which during their combination evolve heat and light ; and most frequently it arises from the combination of any body with oxygen. Flame, which the Parsfs view as the most intense glory of God, is merely gas or vapour heated to a temperature sufficiently high to become luminous. God is present where light is absent. It is subject to motion and change and even extinction ; but God is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. Though in the language of man, lighl may be figuratively referred to as illustrating the glory of God, it does not constitute that glory. When the objects in which it is most apparent arc contemplated in their greatest splendour, let their Maker be addressed in the language of the Psalmist: — " Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands : they shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea all of them shall wax old like a garment : as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end."* 2. The existence and ministry of angels, Christians of course allow ; but they neither attribute to them divine works, nor confer upon them divine honours. They represent them as the humble, and cheerful, and obedient servants of God, and not his associates who participate in his praise and honour. They hold, that though he employs them in the ful- filment of his counsels and the execution of his commands, he himself, from the necessity of his own nature, and the absolute dependence of every object which exists on his power and goodness, sees all, upholds all, and directs all, for the accomplishment of his own purposes, and the manifesta- tion of his own glory. They view God himself as the uni- versal Sovereign, who docth " according to his will in the armies of heaven and amongst the inhabitants of the earth." ' Psalm cii : 35 — 27, 216 ANGELS NOT TO BE WORSHIPPED. His providence tliey consider as universal and ever active, extending to every province of nature, to every individual creature, and to every action and event. It comprehends, according to the Scriptures which they receive as true and faithful, all the arrangements and distributions which are made connected with the family of man. God " hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation ; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us ; for in him we live, and move, and have our being."* His knowledge of our circumstances, is so great, that " he understandeth our thought afar off ;"| and '• the very hairs of our heads," our most insignificant mem- bers, are by him " all numbered.";): His care extends beyond the human race, and all its diversities ; for all the cattle of the fold, all the beasts of the forest, all the fowls of the air, and all the innumerable tenants of the deep, wait upon him that he may give them their meat in due season : that he givcth them, they gather : he openeth his hand, they are filled with good.<§> " The earth is satisfied with the fruit of his works. "IT " The heavens," also, " declare the glory of God ; and the firmament showeth his handy-work." || These heavens he " stretched forth alone."** His sublime invita- tion to the children of men is, " Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringcth out their host by number : J he calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power ; not one faileth."ff " No magnitude, however vast, is beyond the grasp of the divinity :" " no minuteness, however shrunk from the notice of the human eye, is beneath the condescen- sion of his regard.JJ Men, in their boasted wisdom, have thought that they have exalted God, when they have repre- * Acts, xvii : 26, 27. f Psalm, exxxix : 2. \ Luke, xii: 7. § Psalm, civ: 27, 28. || Psalm, xix: 1. 11 Psalm, civ: 13. * * Isaiah, xliv : 24. ff Isaiah xl : 26. It Chalmers's Astronomical Discourses. ANGELS NOT TO BF. WORSHIPPED. 217 scnted him as not himself deigning to uphold the constitu- tion of the universe, and to direct the works of his hands, and when they have attributed the government of the world, and the guardianship of the various departments of nature, to subordinate deities and powers. While they have professed themselves in this way to be wise, however, they have proved themselves, by the imaginations of their heart, to be fools. They have greatly degraded Him whose kingdom is over all ; and they have attributed His works and providence to those, who, without his inspection and recognition and continued support^ could not be connected even with their humblest movements. They have committed great sin, and they have exposed themselves to great danger, by their unhallowed and presumptuous speculations. I desire to see all who coincide with them in their errors, and especially the Parsis, who have committed every province of nature to the care of the Izads and Amshaspands, to whom we have already re- ferred, awakened to a sense of the perilous situation in which they stand, and led, in the fulness of penitent and devotional hearts, to exclaim, " Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty ; for all that is in the heaven and the earth is thine : (It hie is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reigncst over all ; and in thine hand is power and might, and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all."* The Parsi notion of the appointment of Izads and Am* sbaspands to " preside over and superintend, every object in earth, or in the heavenly world created by God," I beg them to notice, is irrational and absurd, as well as impious. It is impossible that created beings can do the work which the Parsis have assigned to them. Take, for example, the rase of Khurshid, and Ardebehisht, and M ohor, and Mah- bokhtar, and A'wfi who are said to preside over light, and lire. and the firmament, and the moon, and wafer. What must !><• their dimensions, what their intelligence, and what their * I Chronicles xxix : II. 12. 16 218 ANGELS NOT TO BE WORSHIPPED. power, and what their co-operation by consent, before they can fulfil their duties ? Do not light and heat come from the sun which is 95,000,000 of miles distant from the earth ? and do not light and heat proceed from the sun to Herschel, the most remote planet of the solar system, which is 1800,000,000 miles distant from the sun's disc ? Does not light come from the stars, which are countless in number, and the suns of other systems immeasurably distant from our world ?* Docs Khurshid cover the whole surface of the sun, from which light proceeds ? Is that orb the centre of his being ? And does he fill the space which intervenes between the sun and the earth, and the planets, which are still more remote ? If his presence is confined to the sun, and if sound travel at the rate of about 1,107 feet in a second, how many years will be required for a Mobed's prayers to reach that luminary ? f How many followers of Zoroaster can Khurshid listen to at the same moment, and regard, •without confusion and distrac- tion ? Does he know the thoughts, and desires, and purposes of man's heart, in which prayer originates ? Does Mah- bokhtar borrow from him the light which is reflected from the moon ? How does Ardebehisht, who is said to preside over fire, divide the sovereignty between Khurshid, who is declared to be set over light 1 Is there a consultation held between Ardebehisht the Amshaspand of fire, A'wa the Izad of water, and Mohor the Izad of the firmament , when water is to be heated, or boiled, or evaporated, or cooled, or showered down on the earth, or frozen ? Or, do Ardebehisht and Mohor com- bine together to effect all these changes in its state without A'wa's consent ? or, do they absolutely make war against him when they are accomplishing them ? When air enters the lungs, or has its oxygen extracted and consumed by fire, or putrefaction, is Mohor the Izad of the firmament, perfect- * Professor Bessel, who thinks that lie has discovered the parallax of the star Gl Cygni, estimates its distance, from the earth at 057,700 times that of the sun, which gives the inconceivable distance of 02,481,500,000,000 miles ! *• Our hasty calculation gives us somewhat more than fourteen years. ANGELS NOT TO EE WORSHIPPED. 219 ]y satisfied to have it treated in this manner, and so render- ed impure ? What saitli Molior Izad when a mixture of the two airs, or gases, oxygen and hydrogen, are through an ex- plosion of fire, the charge of Ardebehist, entirely stolen from him, and converted into water, the charge of A' wS Izad ? Is Khurshid quite pleased when the light which he sends forth in straight lines, is refracted and reflected and ab- sorbed by the atmosphere, and water, and the earth ? Would the water which is taken up to the firmament by heat, ever return to the earth in copious and refreshing show- ers without the cold, by which its vapours are condensed, and which the followers of Zoroaster attribute to the devil ? Don't fire, and heat, and light, and water, and earth, mutually act upon one another, according to established laws, which show that they are under the guidance of one Supreme Ruler, and not under that of separate superintendents ? * These questions, I submit to the intelligent Parsis of Bom- bay. If they will calmly consider them, and others of a like nature which will readily suggest themselves, we shall hear less than we have been accustomed to do of the doctrine of * This consideration was pressed on the attention of the Parsfs so early as the year of Ciiri.t 450. The Christian Armenians at that time, thus addressed the prime minister of Persia. " The four distinct elements ex- ercise alternately the elemental service, and the four are eeen, although irrational, still not omitting the duties allotted to them by the will of their Creator, but on the contrary obeying it in reverence according to the or- der. Behold, easy and manifest to all eyes is the explanation of this sim- ple proposition; for that which is fire is, according to its being and power mingled with the three other elements : so, for example in° tone and in steel we find heat in abundance, less in the air and water, and of itself it never appears. Water is existent of itself, and exists in conjunction with the three other elements : we find it in abundance in the earth, and in smaller quantities in the air and in the fire. The air penetrates fire ami water, and by means of water all edible substances. And thus the ele- ments are mixed and combined as a body ; their natures are mutually unopposed : they have never taken an hostile position. Whence it is man- ifest that there is one only Lord who mingleth them, who arranges the objects mingled according to one rule suited to the nature of°all things living, and to the enduring existence of the world".— Elisieus's Hist, of Vartan by Neumann, p. 17. •2-20 PARSI ERRORS RESPECTING THE ELEMENTS. the Avasta, that God has " committed all objects wholly to the charge of angels ;" and there will be some hesitation about declaring, that " when reciting the Zand-Avasta, they praise the objects of the universe, they praise the angels who preside over them." On this latter point, I would again observe, that if an inan- imate object is praised as if it had life and intelligence, he to whom it belongs will not thank him who extols it ; and I would add, that if an angel receive any of the honours which belong to God, — if it be said, for instance, that he is pres- ent where he is not present, that he can know the thoughts and desires of men's hearts, and that he can hear and an- swer in heaven the prayers which are offered on earth, and that he can give that help which God alone can bestow, — God who alone is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, must be greatly displeased. 3. Edal Daru tells us that " whatever under the first heav- en is created in this world, is made from the four elements — fire, and air, water, and earth. " He states that fire, the most glorious of these elements, is consequently rightly made a kibldh. He is altogether wrong in his philosophy, I tell him ; and I call in a Parsi youth to correct his error. The intelligent editor of the useful Gujarati magazine, the Vid- ya-Sagar, in his first number, writes as follows : — "The ancients have said that in this world there are four elements, — first, fire ; second, air ; third, earth ; and fourth, water ; and all things are made from the union of these four substances. They have also said that in these four substances, no other thing is compounded. But the moderns, — the En- glish and other learned men, — say, that air, and water, and earth, are not elements, not originally simple substances. Wa- ter, for example, is made of two airs (hydrogen and oxygen) ; atmospheric air is composed of two substances (oxygen and nitrogen) ; and earth is composed of a great variety of sub- stances. Chemistry informs us that there are 54 elements ; and that all the substances which exist in the world arc form- ed from them. " Water and air, many of the Parsi youths in Bombay PARSI ERRORS RESPECTING THE ELEMENTS. 221 have seen decomposed by chemistry. No person, instructed in this science, will speak of fire as an element, or forget that the very soil of the earth is composed of the gases, or airs, as well as other simple substances. The science of Zoroas- ter and that of the educational institutions in Bombay, do not correspond. Even the plea of " popular language,'' some- times available, cannot be urged in favour of Zoroaster ; for, az has been seen, he has given to each of the supposed ele- ments,a distinctive angel to preside over it. The doctrine which is here confuted, the dastur tells us, is contained in the Shci- ristdn. This does not in the slightest degree support its cre- dit ; for the author of that work, though perhaps an accom- plished juggler, was but an indifferent chemist. Both Edal Daru and Dosabhai may depend upon it, that they do not sup- port their cause by referring to it, for neither in a philosophical nor a historical point of view, is it entitled to the slightest atten- tion. Dosabhai, I would remark in passing, has been at the trouble of lithographing a passage from it in the original Per- sian, giving the reader to wit, from the use which he makes of it as testifying to matters which happened many thousand years ago, that it is a very ancient book. This, however, is not its character. It is quite a modern work, as is known to every orientalist. The late Mullah Firuz, the most learned Tar- si of his day, says " Behram Ferhad, the author of the Sharis- tani Char Chamen, flourished in the reign of Akbar, and died about A. D. 1624, in the reign of the emperor Jahangir. This author, avIio appears to have been a native of Shiraz, though outwardly a Musalman, was really a Parsi, or rather a disr.iple of Azer-Keiwan, a philosophical ascetic, who founded a new sect on the foundation of ancient Parsi tenets. " * 4. Edal Daru is not content by saying, that there is an an- gel who presides over and superintends lire ; but he will have it that ./ire itself is a superintendent. He says that " there is an honorable lire, which either manifestly, or secretly, exercises Preface to the Dasatir, r>. vn. 222 DOSABHAI ASHAMED OF THE TARSI PYROLATHY. superintendence and preservation over the body of man." To this fire, he says, the Avasta has given the name of atarem vohu farianem. As to what is acknowledged to be secret, we can say but little ; but this we would observe, that what enters the stomach gives heat as" well as receives it, and that we have never yet seen a Pars! make akiblah of his stomach, except by eating and drinking. As to the light and heat which are manifest, we think them very important blessings given by God to man, not however that he may serve them, and worship them, but that they may serve him. Let lamps, and torches, and candles, by all means dispel the darkness of night. Let the man shivering from cold approach the fire that he may be warmed, in the same way that a person oppressed with heat should fly to the shade. Let hammers, and chisels, and hatchets, and other tools for labour, be fashioned in the fire. Let the tapelo, and degadi, and kadai, and lori, and kitali, and other cooking pots, and pans, and kettles, ever rest upon the fire. But, oh ! let no rational being speak to it, no prayer be addressed to it, no reverence be tendered to it. 5. Dosabhai, in a passage which we have already quoted, says, the Parsis " honour not fire, nor water, nor the sun, nor the moon ; " and that the fire which the Vandidad com- mands a master of a house to serve " is the presiding angel, Ardebehisht. " The extracts which we have already given from his own pages, and those of his fellow-controversialist Edal Daru, will show with what exceptions and limitations his language is to be understood. I most positively deny his assertion ; and refer him in support of my denial to the passages in the eighteenth fargard of the Vandidad, from which I have made extracts in my lecture, but which I shall now present in the original, with a literal translation : — _jji .jjJ . g -D ) . ,> j jj £) • H5 fcV -^ | -»■« £ { . H3 «y J-U ) ) jj .j(vijaiJJ SPECIMEN OF HONOURS CONFERRED ON FIRE. 223 . JJ ) .uj -(jy.(j .JDjj .j)yJ)jjjJJji)f«o . £ u £ JL> H? -" . jjj . JJ fcy ) -Jl .(f^)yjJi .^fj^J^JJjy ,^jV)-U£) .V^-UJ J .V»H5-U_J -i> .J-U)jj^j .^ .(jjjjy . jjh3jJJJ_J JJ-U -^E/g^^J • -»» •^J^-^JO-" • •*" •-"«>')3-wjJjD .jj(«ajjjJ .jjO^) . JJftVj^jj)^^^ _uj -JJ_J . JJJJ JjH3-U*0 •£ P|JJ^-13M3-U -Jjy .V^-Ul ^ -V) ) H?-» 1 ■-H?J_j(-UJ .H5^ -JJ))JJ .-UOJ (JHS-U^-U -jJ<«-lO .>Wj^jiao^ .J-UJ) )-MJJ )^> .J-lUjJ<\Sj^O . H3^ .(J-UJJJ .j(tt -^■"jiire -Gy^-*" .^£jo^>j»^ -E-HL-O^ -iuw-u))^M ,jo1 - b _u ) ) yj .)w^)ajjjjjj^|jj .>Wft>Jjj oo^ -u 1 -U . j Jii . jx» ^ 3 _u ) ) _u . j >ji .->jjj_jjjj(v»jjjj< . ..JMj>JJjj(2_JiJJ .^gj-u^£j .Ji>>-M .^»W3J» •(/ifiAiMQ .fcsA>jj . — A'at me paoirydi thrisvdi khsafne dtars Ahurahe-Maz- ddo nmdnahe nmdnd pailim yd$aiti avanghe nmdnah paiti, u<;e hista aiwi varlra ydonghuyanguha frazacta c.nyanguha d di^mam ydcanguha aoi mam bara paiti mam raochaya aecmanam yaozhddtandm/ragndtaiibya zaq- taiibya ava me A'zis daevo-ddto pardit pairithn&m ansh- vam ava darenem qadyaiiti. A'at me bitydi thrisvdi khsafne dtars Aliurahe Mazddo vdctrem fsuiyantem yd- raid avanghe fsuye vdctrya uce-hista aiwi vactra yaonghu* * Vandidad lithographed, pp. 480, 481, 483. 224 SPECIMEN OF HONOURS CONFERRED ON FIRE. yanguha fra za^ta yiyanguha a atymam ydranguha aoi mam bara paiti mam raochaya aScmanam yaozhddtanam fracndtaeibya zaqtaeibya ava me A'zis daevoddto paroit. pairithnem anghvam ava darenem c.adhyaeiti. A'at me thritydi thrisvdi khsafne dtars Ahurahe-Mazddo c(raosem ashim ydqaiti avangld di craosahe asayehi huraodha dot mam kem-chit angheus aqtavato aeqmanam paiti baraiti yaozhddtanam fracndtaeibya za^taeibya ava me A'zis daevo- ddtoparaoit pairithnem anghvam ava darenem c(adhyeiti. . . Ahmdi dtars afrindt khsnuto adhbisto hakadhanghem fyc. " In this manner, at the beginning of my first third [i. e. watch] of the night, the fire of Hormazd thus requests the mas- ter of a house : < O master of the house, quickly arise ; put on fine clothes [the sacred dress], thoroughly wash your hands, seek for me the wood, bring it to me, make me brilliant, with pure wood, with thoroughly washed hands, because A'zis [Dew], the production of the devil from the beginning, wishes to put me out of the world.'* — In this manner, at the second third [watch] of the night, the fire of Hormazd thus requests the cultivator, the benefactor : — ' O cultivator, quickly arise, put on fine clothes, thoroughly wash your hands, seek for me the wood, bring it to me, make me brilliant with pure wood, with thoroughly washed hands, because A'zis, the production of the devil from the beginning, wishes to put me out of the world'. — At the third third [watch] of the night, the fire of Hormazd thus desires the assistance of the pure Sarosh : ' O pure and beautiful Sarosh, let some one bring to me some kind or other of my wood produced in the world, with clean washed hands, because A'zis, the production of the devil, wishes to put me out of the world.' The fire thus blesses him [who carries wood to it with pure hands.] ' Be thou happy, free from disease, and filled with good, &c.' " f * Or, as the dastura explain it, " to extinguish me by damp." t This passage, I have translated as literally from the Zand as intelli- gible idiom will allow. The Gujarati translation of Framji Aspandiarji is quite consistent in meaning with the closest rendering. Author's MS. vol. ii, pp. 286— 289 SPECIMEN OF HONOURS CONFERRED ON FIRE. 225 Here there is certainly no mention, direct or indirect, of the amshaspand Ardebchisht. Fire, and lire alone, is the speaker. It is fire which is afraid of extinction from damp, and the want of fuel. It is fire which calls for renewed aid at the different watches of the night. It [afire which asks that it may be made brilliant. It is fire which promises re- wards. It is fire which dispenses blessings. Nothing but fire is brought before our notice in the passage. Whether the language expressive of its desires for assistance is literal or figurative, I do not here inquire. I soy, however, that it conveys the meaning that fire is to be religiously served by the Parsis.* * In these remarks which were penned before the publication of Aspandiarp's Hddi-i- Gum-Kalidn, Aspandiarji will find an answer by an- ticipation to whatever worth notice he has alleged in the 45th and -kith pages of his work. Aspandiarji accuses me of omitting the translation of a sentence in the Vandidad occurring immediately before the blessing dispensed by fire. " It is the third sentence," he says, " which runs thus: lie who about the last watch of the night gets up, after having put on clean clothes, and the kusti, and having washed his hands, stirs the firo and puts fragrant combustible on it, and then offers his prayers, receives the good blessings from Ardebehisht, one of the Amshaspands, who pre- sides over fire." No such sentence, is to be found in this part of the Vandidad. Why, if it exists, did not Aspandiarji bring it forward, when professing to correct me? Aspandiarji thinks that he has discovered something similar to tho Pars! treatment of fire in the use of incense in the Jewish worship. He is entirely mistaken. The Jews used incense in their worship as sym- bolical of the acccptableness of the sacrifice to be presented by Christ, and of the prayers presented in faith in his name, but they never render- ed to it cither prayer or service. Why Aspandiarji has referred to the fact that the angel of the Lord [i. e. Christ] appeared to Moses in a flame of fire, he has not informed us, and I cannot guess, unless I suppose that it be to suggest to the mind of the reader, that it is the Lord who appears to the Parsis in the flame of their A'tishgahs. But such an idea is not only inconsistent with the utter want of any manifestation of the divine glory in these places, — as for example, was the case when the bush burned and was not consumed, and an audible voice proceeded from it, — but with Aspandiarji's notion that lire is merely a kibldh. With regard to John's vision of seven lamps of tire before the throne, to which Aspandiarji (p. 48) also refers, I would observe, that they 226 SPECIMEN OF HONOURS CONFERRED ON FIRE. A similar remark is applicable to the passage which I have given from Edal Darn in the paragraph which I have marked [5]. In the Zand there is not the slightest mention made of an amshdspand, as an object of worship. The translation of Edal Dam himself is inconsistent with his own interpre- tation ; for it is not an Amshaspand or archangel, that can, as he alleges, be " raised aloft, and is worthy of having a glorious, excellent, and brilliant place made."* His transla- tion, moreover, however much in accordance with the tradi- tional renderings of the Parsis, is decidedly erroneous. It should have run in the following form : — " Hormazd said to the exalted Zoroaster, in this manner, this best creation, (or this creation belonging to, or under the charge of, Ardebe- hishtf ) O exalted Zoroaster, the praiser, the chaunter, the in- voker, the reciter, the sacrificer, the delectifier, the great-extol- ler, [this] good, royal, splendid article, [or existence applied to fire] is the work of us the Amshaspands for the Izashne and the Niaish ?" The Zand words ctaotarecha zaotarecha zbdtarecha manthranacha yaqtarecha dfritarecha and aibi- zaratarecha, omitting the cha, — corresponding with the Sanskrit tT cha, — have all their Sanskrit equivalents of an almost literal accordance. Thus, we have in Sanskrit ^fcf stotri, a praiser ; £\tH^rU^U ^^L^^tl, or Translation of the Khurdah-Acastd, printed in Bombay in the year A. D. 1817, subjoining, when necessary, a few ex- planatory notices, and making a couple of references to the original Zand. The passages within parentheses, it will be observed, contain the paraphrastical explanations of the das- tur. One or two words I have myself introduced, marking them by " supplied parentheses." How derogatory the prayer is to the majesty and glory of God, the reader will perceive as he advances. * This word, omitting' the inseparable prefix, is evidently from the root 5j- jri, which, though not of frequent occurrence, is still to be met with in the Veda?, and in the sense given above. " Tanquam a radicc ^r deducts, inveniuntur, canere, laudarc, ^ft (jarate) Nigh. iii, 14, iv, 1. &c." See Westcrgaard's Radices Lingus Sanscrit©, p. 74, When criticizing the passage of the Ardebehisht Y act now before us, I may here mention, I have had an oppoitunily of personally consulting Mr. VVcstergaard. 228 BLASPHEMOUS WORSHIP OF FIRE " (\ commence) in the name of Yazdan, the wise Lord, created of himself,* the author of encrease. Let the glorious and resplendent A'tish Behram encrease. (If the Niaish be made near the A'daran the meaning of its pad is,^ Let the glorious and resplendent A'tish A' damn encrease ! \z hanid gundh ; pa patiti horn, f " O Hormazd, give to me a thoroughly perfect mind, (that is wholly a righteous desire), and health-of-body. And from the inflicter of wounds (Ahriman) me (keep free). O glo- rious, invisible Hormazd, I lay hold of Bahman (that is, a good disposition!) ; that good disposition impart to me. The merit which is very strong over the oppressive (Ahriman), is through the mastership of a good disposition; (and) the pleasur- able desire I experience and dispense, is from a good dispo- sition. And, O Hormazd, give me thy strength ; and over him who through a good disposition is an obedient pupil, give me the kingship and mastership. And make (my) habits, in mer- it and works of religion, glorious and perfect. (That is, make my habits righteous). O Hormazd, I Zoroaster, henceforth devote the liberality of my body and soul to Bahman Am- shaspand. (That is, I devote my body and soul). And I do the work of purity (so that Ardebehisht may become pleas- ed. <§>) And whatever word I shall speak (let me speak it in such a manner that it shall be worthy of being heard by Shahravar (that is acceptable to the king). And I delcctify Hormazd. " And I give worship, [namaz in Gujarati,] (to thee), O fire of Hormazd, who art the giver of righteousness, the glorious * This should be the " Lord Hormazd, " the words of the original Pahlivt, preceding the proper commencement of the Niaish, being i ju_j ) ^ . -a )J ji (f Ji ) V *V -" Moramazda-klmdai. f A reference to other prayers here introduced. \ An interpolation. § This clause, it will be observed, is a pure interpolation. It is not even explanatory of what precedes. ILLUSTRATED BY THE ATISII NIA1SH. 229 Izad. ( Fravdrdni.* ) Fire the Son of Hormazd, thee, O Fire the Son of Hormazd, and Fire the Son ofHormazd, very res- plendent, and profitable, created of Hormazd/j* the fire that is the (A'tish Faroba)%t thee ; and the Iranian splendour^ * This is a reference to a clause of the prayers of the gfhs or watches, to be here introduced. f The original of the passage beginning with this paragraph, properly speaking the commencement of the Nlafsh, is the following: — -)& • H?feH-u ) )QJ-U .£-UJ ]_J-"(* • -KD^-u^ju . ^ p . _U jj £ g J -))-u^ffl(3) -j^Vi? -^J(V5-" .m^^Jm^o •-" ^ H3 J_J -w £ -£-"0<2-^ -jj -VU-w *■ jJNM5Jj-u^A>jijjjj^ oi^ ^> ^^ rlH^ •H^f-UJ^-u, .jj)ioy .H3£)-u^-iU . .« » -u ^))wm — : M5 JVawuw re «/ffrs Mazdao-Ahurahi hudhudo, mazisfa yazata. Ashem \Y>- hfi (3). fravarano fraeactayecha. (Here in Gujarat! is the direction to recite these pieces). A'tkrd AhvraM-Mazd&o pidhnt, team Metres pttfkra Alnmifa'- Mazddo. A'thro Ahurahi-Mazddo putlira. Kliarenangho savanghd MaZr dadhatahi. The literal translation is this : — " Salutation to thee, O fire of the mul- tiscient Lord, the knower of good, the greatest Izad. (Ashem Vohu thrice. Let the Fravdrdne of the Geh be recited and also the Jrafagtayicha.) O Fire the Son of Hormazd, thee O Fire the Son of Hormazd,the fire the Son ofHormazd, the glorious ^'avangho made of Mazd (Hormazd), [I worship"]. Fire, it will be observed, is here called the greatest Izad (or "object of worship," as shown in page 129 of this work), the " Son of Hormazd ; " and " the glorious Cavanghd made ofHormazd." The words 'I worship,' I have marked as supplied ; but the verb yaznmaidt, exactly corresponding, is given as the governing verb of the nouns in the objective case in a sub- sequent part of i\\c X'udsh. In the Bunrieshne (Gujarati version page 331), it is said that the Qavangh is one of the five kinds of fire ; and that it is " al- ways increasing in the presence of Hormazd." The other great kinds of fire are there said to be Vdhi Parian, the Ona-zest, the Vazcst and the Spenest, or the Al'iah Bt hr&m. X Or A'darfrd. E lal Daru, in the appendix to his Translation of the Khurdah-Avasta, says, that it is a kind of fire " which presides over Das- turs, Mobeds, and watchmen, whose wisdom and glory i sdcrived from it." § Edal Daru says in his appendix to the Khurdah-Avasta, that is the glory of the Mazdayacni religion. 230 ATISH NIAISH. created of Ilormazd ; and the Kaianian splendour* created of Hormazd ; and Fire the Son of Ilormazd [the fire A'dar Gos- asp ;]f and [tire king] Kai-Khosru ; and the cave of Kai-Khos- ru, which is in the city of Adarbadagan ; and the mountain AsnuandJ created of Hormazd, and the cave called the Che- chast-^ ; and the Kaianian splendour created of Hormazd ; and the Son of Hormazd, the fire A'dar Burjin, and the mountain Rewand j| created by Hormazd, and the Kaianian splendour created by Hormazd; and Fire the Son of Hormazd, the Fire the glorious increaser, the mighty and resplendent Izad, and the Izad who is the giver of perfect health-of-body ; and Fire the Son of Hormazd, of all the fires and kings the chief, who is the Izad Nariosangh; — for delectifying all these fires, I perform the Izashne and the Niaish, and please (them), and make them conspicuous.1I Yathd ahu vairyo athd ratus ashctt aait hachd &c.**Through the Izashne and through, the Niaish, * Kaiani nur. This, says Edal Daru, in the appendix above referred to, "is one of the glories of God," which imparts wisdom, and art, and power in the Izashne, and gives judgment to judges and kings. f This Edal Darn says, is the fire which presides over heroes, which makes a noise in the presence of Hormazd, and which is the tire of thun- der. For his notions of fire, the dastur seems principally indebted to the Bundeshne. \ The mounta'n on which it is supposed that the fire Gosasp resides. § The cave, according to Edal Darn, in which Kai-Khosru was con- cealed, and which both in length and breadth was four parasangs. It would be well if the Parsis would send forth some of their own youngsters on a voyage of dicovery, as this large cave has entirely escaped the purblind eyes of the Firangis. Who knows but a deputation of zealous Zoroas- trians might yet successfully survey the cave Orvasl, said in the Bundesh- ne (Gujaratf translation p. 2<>0) to be 700 parasangs long ! The mountain on whizh the Atish-Burjin was said to be found. IT The nouns which the dastur through the whole of this paragraph has rendered as in the objective, are actually in the genitive, case ; and this last clause should be thus rendered, "Let there be the delectification, of &c. through the Ya<;na, the Vahma (Niaish)." The dastur's ver- sion, 1 allow, substantially conveys the sense. ** This mantra is here to be introduced in the recitement. ATISH NIAISH. 0>3 J and through the well-brought-thing (that is the sweet odour imposed), and right-brought-thing (that is through watchful at- tendance), and the help-brought (that is the service) rendered, I perform to thee the dfrin (that is praise.)* Thou art worthy of having the Izashne and the Niaish performed ; and be thou worthy of having the Izashne and the Niaish performed in the houses of men. And let the man who has always the iaam\ in his hand, and the bars ,m% in his hand, and the jivdm§ in his hand, and the hdvnim\\ gloriously worship thee ; and let that man be blessed. And let him place wood (upon thee,) and give (that is place ujvon thee) what yields sweet odours. And let him give (thee fat), and let him place bundles [of wood ?], (upon thee), and let him remain a youthful master, and a blessed master. Do thou (who) during the Der-mudati [the long time] the high, immortal, magnificent, weapon (who) with a good weapon makest (all) immortal (that is tilt thou makest the resurrection), remain burning in that house, and always remain burning in that house, and remain splendent * The Zand word here used is ^M,i^^AfnnAmi, equivalent to the Sanskrit 3^^ prindmi, I satisfy, delectify,or fulfil the desires of. f A stick, or wood, and particularly the three pieces of sandal wood and three pieces of frankincense, uhich are put aside, to pluce on the hre-stand, at the time of the recitation of the Izashne'. t The rods, 22 or 35 in number, of the pomegranate, or Horn, or Gaz (tamer.sk) tree, or of silver or brass, and which, tied together, the Mobed holds in Ins hands when reciting the Izashne and Vandidad, or mutterino- the bazhes. a § A mixture placed in a cup used in the Izashne, composed of one- tourth of goat's milk, and three-fourths of water. || A cup used in the Izashne for containing the juice of the Horn. In the BurhaVi-Katagh the Horn, which is found in Persia, is said to resem- ble the tamarisk. For an illustration of the instruments and vessels of the Izashne, see the accompanying lithograph. IT The Der-mvdat, or the Der-kkudti-zant&n, Edal Darn, in his appen- dix to the Khurdah-Avasta, makes the period of 12,000 years, which is now advancing, and at the termination of which the resurrection is to take place. 232 FT" ATISH NIAISH. in that house, and remain the increaser in that house. And give to me, O Fire the Son of Hormazd, speedy (that is quick) ease, and a speedy nourishment, and a speedy livelihood, and great ease, and a great nourishment, and a great livelihood. (That is, let not these things be lessened to us.) And (give to me) the wisdom of foresight, and (of wisdom) the increase, (which from one thing understands many things) ; and elo- quent speech ; and for my soul (heaven) ; and understanding (that may remain fixed), and the greatest intelligence (which is the intelligence acquired from listening) ; and lofty valour in the destruction of enemies, and besides (in the words of re- ligion and justice) bravery and strength, and power of foot ; and wakefulness, (so that I may sleep) in the third part of the day and night, and rise quickly at the [appointed] time ; and strength of arm ; and children renowned for their natu- ral understanding, who shall be ornaments of the city, and sit in the assemblies, and be beautiful, and righteous, and re- spectable, and givers of relief from difficulties, and rightly wise, who (that is my children) in the house, street, town, and country, may make me conspicuous. And, O Fire the Son of Hormazd, give to me what is necessary, — the everlasting high abode of the pure, filled with all splendour and ease [happiness ?], (that is the heaven on high), in which now (there is only life). And make me fit for the lordship, and an excellent devotee, (of the other world), and of (this world) an excellent righteous [person], with a right soul. O Cpita- ma Zoroaster, whosoever morning or evening cooks a pleas- urable and delightful meal, to him the Fire of Hormazd makes his address, and entertains the wish with every person of having sweet odours placed [upon it], and care being ex- ecuted, and the zcmdgoi [ceremonies] being done. And as a friend goes near a friend,, (and for that friend) takes some- thing, (and a friend looks upon the hand of a friend), so up- on all persons who go near any of (the fires), the fire casts a look. The fire is lame [i.e. without the power of motion], (but a hero it is called) ; I worship it the glorious fire, the powerful ATISH NIAISH. 233 hero. * If any person, with purity, having placed wood (up- on the fire), and having, with purity, bound the barsam, and having put fragrant wood, worship the fire, — then the fire of Hormazd thus blesses him, ' Remain thou happy, (and) without disease, (and) satisfied. And let thy great herds of small cattle, and the great posterity of thy children, in- crease. And whatever wish may be manifest in thy mind, if it be like the wish of Hormazd, and if it should be that thou shouldst live to the last night, then thou wilt remain alive with life, according to the wish of Hormazd. And who- soever, in the expectation of his own righteousness, places wood upon the fire, the fire thus blesses him [in the man- ner aforesaid ? ]. — Horamazda-khuddi, &c. as in the Khitr- shid Nidish, silently. Yathd ahu vairyo. (2).f — By means of the Izashne and Niaish, and of superior and strong power, I bless Fire the Son of Hormazd. Fire the Son of Hormazd, thee; O Fire the Son of Hormazd, thee ; O Fire the Son of Hormazd, and Fire the Son of Hormazd, very resplendent and profitable, created of Hormazd (the fire that is the A'tish Faroba,) thee ; and the Iranian splendour created of Hormazd ; and the Kai- anian splendour created of Hormazd ; and Fire the Son of Hormazd (the fire A'dar Gosasp) ; and (the king) Kai-Khos- ru ; and the cave of Kai-Khosru (which is dug in the city of A'darbadagan) ; and the mountain Asnuand created of Hor- mazd ; and the cave called Chechast ; and the Kaianian splen- dour created of Hormazd ; and the Son of Hormazd, the fire (A'dar-Burjin) ; and the mountain Re wand created by Hor- * I here give the dastur's Gujar&ti for this sentence : — The original Zand is : — — A'tarem spentem yazamaide takhmem hentem aralhistarnn. This literally means, " I worship-with-sacrifice the glorious fire, which is the powerful hero. " t In the recitation, the prayers here referred to are to be introduced. 17 234 COMMENT ON THE ATISH NIAISH. mazd ; and the Kaianian splendour created by Hormazd ; and Fire the Son of Hormazd, the fire the glorious encreaser, the mighty and resplendent Izad, and the Izad who is the giver of perfect health of body, and Fire the Son of Hormazd, of all the fires and kings, the chief, who is the Izad Nariosangh ; — (I bless all the fires).* Ashem Vohu (thrice). O Hormazd, as thy fire, the exalted Lord, is (well) pleased with the pure people, and is the Lord of bravery, and publicly advances the happiness of him who assists it (that is gives), — so the person who gives affliction to fire, it afflicts ; Hormazd, according to his will, visits him with resentment (that is punishes him). Ah- mdi-riqcha (as in the Khurshid Niaish). Kereba-mazda. Ashem Vohu (once). (On such a month, such a geh, ty-c.) Let there be increase of the high and resplendent fire Beh- rdm, the glorious fire ; or, of the A'tish A'daran,^ the glorious fire, and the A'daran ; which is the victorious master ; and of the fire Gosasp ; and of the fire Khurddd ; and of the fire Burjin-Meher ; and of the exalted fires, and the fires which are settled in the Dadgah (that is in the place formed accord- ing to religion). And let there be the increase of the glory and splendour of Mino-karko.% Ashem Vohu (once). " Such is a literal rendering of the chief dastur's translation of the A'tish Niaish, — a translation, which though evidently more founded on the traditional Pahlivi and Persian render- ings of the Parsis, than on a grammatical construction and philological investigation of the Zand, it must be admitted, substantially conveys the meaning of the original, with which throughout, for my own satisfaction, I have carefully com- pared it. I have another Gujarati translation before me, which I have also done into English ; but it it is not necessary for me to insert it in this place. It is that of the late learned Dastur Dasturan Framji Sohrabji of Nausari, contained in his * It will have been observed that the preceding adoration is a mere repetitition of what occurs in the commencement of the Niaish. t Literally, tho fire of fires. \ "This," according Edal Dam (Appendix to his Translation of the Khurdah-Avasta, p. 7G9), " is a splendour near Dadar Hormazd. " COMMENT ON THE ATISH NIAISH. 235 edition of the Khurdah-Avasta, published in 1818, and which is principally in use among the Kadimis of Bombay. As far as it exhibits fire as an object of worship among the Parsis, it agrees with that of Edal Daru. Many of my readers, I have no doubt, will be astounded at the blasphemous worship of fire, as set forth in the A'tish Niaish, which has now been brought to their notice. No translation which can legitimately be made of the Zand, can render this worship in the smallest degree less revolting to the understanding and reason of man. Throughout the whole of the Niaish, fire is praised and adored as the Son of Hor- mazd ; not simply because it is said to have been created by him, as some of the controversialists allege, — for every thing in the universe may in this sense, according to the views of the Parsis, be said to be the Son of Hormazd, — but because it is considered to be the manifestation of his greatest glory, — the essence or emanation of that glory itself. Here it is celebrated, not as under the control of an Amshaspand or Izad, but as itself the m^mJm^, .m^j^^m^ mazisla * yazata, the " greatest Izad," or object of worship. Here, it is addressed, as sentient, intelligent, and divine. Here, it is ad- dressed as differing in its kinds, and qualities, according to the mountains and combustibles in connexion with which it may be developed. Here, it is addressed as the " glorious au- thor of increase," and the " giver-of-perfect-health-of-bo- dy." Here it is represented as ambitious of " delectifica- tion," and craving in its desires for " wood," and " sweet- odours," and " fat." Here, it is set forth, as worthy of the most solemn services, laudations and supplications, of the Par- sis, — the Izashne, the Niaish, and the A'frin, and so forth ; and here it is set forth as reverenced, and worshipped, and adored. Here, it is viewed as dispensing " foresight," " wisdom," « strength," and " victory ;" as bestowing dis- tinguished " posterity," and abundance of flocks and herds ; and imparting happiness in this world, extending preserva- # The resemblance ofthis superlative to the Greek ^y^og will be noticed by the European scholar. 236 SHAHNAMAH ON THE DISCOVERY OF FIRfc. tion till the resurrection, and conferring eternal bliss. Those who serve it, according to its demands, are assuredly, in the grossest and strictest sense of the term, Fire-worshippers. I do not wonder that the intelligent descendants of the Medes and Persians in India, are beginning to revolt from this desig- nation ; and I look forward with joy to that day, when the " sacred fire" shall no longer blaze on their hearths, but to cook their victuals or aid them in their manufactures ; and when the fire-temples throughout Bombay and Surat, shall, by their own hands, nerved by the truth and Spirit of God, be levelled with the dust or converted into cotton godowns. Let them not, I even now beseech them, blind their eyes to the enormities of the Zand-Avasta. Let them not palliate their idolatry of nature,by alleging that they commence and end their services in the name of Hormazd ; for were he the true God, — as he is not, — it would only be a degradation of his honour and glory, to conduct idolatrous worship under the pre- tence of his countenance and authority. Let them never for a moment think of worshipping even the most glorious works of God, under the imagination, that their prayers and praises addressed to them, will recoil upon God himself. Let them remember that, as there is an infinite distance between the Creator and creature, there should not be the attributing to the creature of the smallest respect or reverence which be- longs to God. Not content with dealing out abundance of erroneous theology and philosojihy on the subject of fire, some of the controversialists have tried to bolster up their cause by a mass of absurd legendry. Edal Daru, makes a calm appeal to the Shahnamah, with reference to the alleged discovery of fire by Hoshang ; but he has considerably smoothed and rationalized the narrative contained in his authority. The following is what we actually find on the subject in the poet ofTus: — SHAHNAMAH ON THE DISCOVERY OF FIRE, 237 c!^ *;V \J*9\fl ^ d Wj &?*" ****** )d ^J*" f-j ' (*^^ -J15 \j^M>d JJ : ^i^^»/i k^Sx*" }d \&>j\ d*> I J:; Jo lc^ 5)' •U uXjuv ^jt -I ^JiwJ I j*<> I jo jj Jtjj ^£dj ,i^s ,Lo Juivi i_S j^f Jo Jo ^ Ci^X^, ^ •! i^sdj ^"f »— &W.J ^ (.j-*^ I ja ^iT Jo !yL j &J ^**> (jfijj Li ^tj | ^ Ua. ^JU .1 Jo l*&. <_? &jSJ$\ J°. ^ J^U( >:> !-?«*#' ^p' £***! ic^;-» && «y ^ ^io | c^y»l *j J*« I u-*.^ b« ,S U J J ,i . J * Li .jl^ * ^(i jl* s j*u ^1 jJ (/c w&Liyb- " One day the king of the world (Hoshang), passing by the side of a mountain attended by his followers, perceived at a distance a long creature, black-coloured and black-bo- died, and very quick in its march. Its two eyes resembled two fountains of blood. From the smoke of its mouth, the world was covered with black vapour. He observed it by his wis- dom and prudence. Having taken a stone in his hand, he went forward to combat it. With royal force, he hurled the stone at it. But the world-consuming serpent crept away from the king. The small stone struck against another stone. * Lumsdcn's edition of the Sh&hn&mab, vol. 22,23. 238 UNREASONABLENESS OF THE LEGEND OF SHAHNAMAH. and broke into pieces. Light issued from the two stones. The heart of the stone turned bright with light. The ser- pent was not killed, but from the blow of the stone the fire was produced. Since that time, whoever has struck iron against a stone has got light by it. Then the king before the Creator, uttered praises, and acknowledged him as the Creator, because he granted him the gift of this light ; and then at that place he made it his kiblah. And he said, this is a divine splendour, let it be worshipped, if ye would be wise. At night he kindled a fire like a mountain ; the Shah was with all his people round about it. That night he made a great feast and drank wine, and named it (the feast) Suddah. From Hoshang is the observance of the Saddah." A comparison of this rendering with the Dastur's version, will show, that if he had the Shahnamah really before him, he was actually ashamed of the legend which is there to be found.* I do not wonder at his feelings. However much that legend may minister to the amusement of the reader, it cannot be received as in any degree veritable. It is absurd to suppose that the method of obtaining fire by friction, was unknown till the days of Hoshang ; for the common business of life could not have been carried on without its discovery. The monstrous serpent darkening the world with the smoke of its vapour, and its concomitant circumstances, are evident- ly fabulous. Poets such as Firdausi, who indulged their fancy to an extreme degree, and who lived thousands of years after the time of the kings whom they celebrate, are not to be viewed as historical authorities. They are no more than writers of romance, and are spoken of as such by all Euro- pean scholars, who, however much they may be interested in their writings as works of taste and curiosity, lay little or no stress on their testimony as to the ages of antiquity. Sir William Ouseley rightly says, that " Firdausi relates the ad- * It is still more perverted by the author of the Nirang-Ha, (pp. 239 — 241. Heprofesses to quote the Shahnamah ; but it is plain, either that he has had not that work before him, or that he has deliberately per- verted its narrative. UNQUENCHABLE FIRES OF AZAR-BAIZAN EXPLAINED. 239 ventures of personages who never existed but in the poets imagination : and of others whose existence is dubious though not improbable."* General Vans Kennedy, of whose learn- ing the Parsis are well aware, and who is not disposed to undervalue the Persian accounts, says of them : — " The na- tive accounts of Persia (by Firdausi and others), can neither convey any satisfactory knowledge of its own history, nor in the slightest tend to illustrate that of any other nation. For they contain nothing but the names of the kings ; the notice of a very few events ; and a general character of each king, of which it is difficult to decide whether it has been collected from original materials, or is merely the composition of the Muhammadan historian. To erect systems on such a foun- dation, or to deduce any conclusion from such premises, must be considered inconsistent with every principle of sound reasoning."! Having said this much, and already alluded to the age of the Sharistan, which is even later than the Shahnamah, we need not comment on the passage about the discovery of fire by Hoshang, which Dosabhai quotes from that work. It is probably founded on what is in the Shahnamah, though in some respects it contradicts both it, and Edal Daru's account of the reputed miracle, and that in several particulars. I give a single example of this in- consistency. The Shahnamah says that Hoshang was " at- tended by his followers," and Edal Dani, that he was " with the sages of his court," when he discovered the monster ; while the Sharistan and Dosabhai say that he was " alone. "."f Edal Daru's reference to the legends respecting the A'tish- Burjin Meher, are similar in character to that which I have now noticed. In a subsequent part of this work, I shall show, that the account given by Edal Daru of Zoroaster's journey to heaven, of his doings there, of the articles which he is said to have brought from it, and in fact of all his reputed miracles, is totally unworthy of credit. In the meantime, I must ex- * Persian Miscellanies, p. 95. f Bombay Transactions, vol ii, p. 143. X TSlim-i- Zartusht, p. 161. 240 UNQUENCHABLE FIRES OF AZAR-BA1ZAN EXPLAINED. press my conviction, that even to many of the Parsis the le- gend respecting the A'tish-Burjin-Meher must appear to be altogether unworthy of the slightest credit. A few words, explanatory of what may have been its origin, may not be unacceptable. In A zarbaizdn, or Media, " the country of fire," and in other districts of Iran, there were several gaseous currents proceeding from crevices in the rocks, and openings in the ground, which were capable of ignition, and which supersti- tion, directed by priestly wiles, could easily represent as su- pernatural and miraculous. When it had done this, the people under its influence, would not scruple to receive any stories respecting the origin and effects of the actual phe- nomena which might be proposed for their credence. Of some of the fires, produced in the manner now referred to, I would solicit attention to the following curious account by Mr Jonas Hanway, an English traveller : — " This object of devotion to the Gabars" [their reputed < everlasting fire'] " lies about ten English miles north-east from' the city of Baku, on dry rocky land. There are several ancient temples built with stone, supposed to have been all dedicated to fire ; most of them are arched vaults, not above ten to fifteen feet high. Amongst others there is a little temple in which the Indians [or Parsis] now worship : near the altar, about three feet high, is a large hollow cane, from the end of which issues a blue flame in colour and gentleness not unlike a lamp that burns with spirits, but seemingly more pure. These Indians affirm, that this flame has continued ever since the flood ; and they believe it will last to the end of the world ; that if it was resisted, or suppressed in that place, it would rise in some other. There are generally forty or fifty of these poor devotees, who come on a pilgrimage from their own country, and subsist upon wild sallary, and a kind of Jerusalem artichokes, which are very good food, with other herbs and roots found a little to the northward A little way from the temple is a low clift of a rock, in which there is a horizontal gap, two feet from the ground, near six long, and about three feet broad, out of which issues a con- UNQUENCHABLE FIRES OF AZAR-BAIZAN EXPLAINED. 241 stant flame, of the colour and nature I have already describ- ed : when the wind blows, it rises sometimes eight feet high, but is much lower in still weather : they do not perceive that the flame makes any impression on the rock. This also the Indians worship, and say it cannot be resisted, but it will rise in some other place about twenty yards. On the back of this clift is a well cut in a rock about twelve or fourteen fa- thoms deep, with exceeding good water. The earth round the place, for about two miles, has this surprising property, that by taking up two or three inches of the surface, and applying a live coal, the part which is so uncovered immedi- ately takes fire, almost before the coal touches the earth : the flame makes the soil hot, but does not consume it, nor effect what is near it with any degree of heat. Any quanti- ty of this earth carried to another place does not produce this effect. Not long since eight horses were consumed by this fire being under a roof, where the surface of the ground was turned up, and by some accident took flame. If a cane or tube, even of paper, be set about two inches in the ground, confined and closed with earth below, and the top of it touched with a live coal, and blown upon, immediately a flame issues, without hurting either the cane or paper, pro- vided thev edges be covered with clay, and this method they use for light in their houses, which have only the earth for the floor : three or four of these lighted canes will boil water in a pot ; and thus they dress their victuals. The flame may be extinguished in the same manner as that of spirits of wine. The ground is dry and stony, and the more stony any parti- cular part is, the stronger, and clearer is the flame; it smells sulphurous like naptha, but not very offensive. Lime is burnt to great perfection by means of this phenomenon ; the flame communicating itself to any distance where the earth is un- covered to receive it. The stones must be laid one upon another and in three days the lime is completed. Near this place brimstone [bitumen ?] is dug and naptha springs are found."* These curious phenomena, — if we make due allow- * Hanway's Historical account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea, vol. 1, p. 203, 264. 242 UNQUENCHABLE FIRES OF AZAR-BA1ZAN EXPLAINED. ance for exaggeration consequent on the accounts which Mr Hanvvay received from the natives of the country, — are ex- plicable by referring to the ignition of the gas proceeding from the carbon and hydrogen, of which the mineral oil and mineral pitch, or bitumen, abounding in the locality, are principally composed.* Any Parsi who has studied chemis- try will admit this fact ; and he will also see how readily in an age of ignorance, these phenomena, and others of a like kind, could be misunderstood and misrepresented, and how, though they are merely natural, they would be supposed to be the result of a miraculous interposition of divine provi- dence.f If at any time he will put a little naphtha into a bason and ignite it, and then pour water into the bason, he will immediately see the flame rise, and increase with great brilliancy, exactly as the A'tish-Burjin-Meher is said to have done. This is because the naphtha being lighter than water, remains uppermost, and has its surface dis- turbed and increased by the addition of the water, which also, from the sudden application of the heat, parts with some of its hydrogen for consumption by the flame. If he will conduct a stream of gas from the naphtha through a small tube, and ignite it, it will burn like the " everlasting fire" fed by the streams of gas proceeding from the crevices near Baku. If he will pour a little naphtha upon a small quanti- ty of clay and ignite it, he may hand the clay from man to man, without injuring them by the heat. If he will throw bituminous earth into a fire, he will only increase the flame. With experiments of this kind, I have at a public lecture sat- isfied many of the natives of India, including Parsis, that the legends about the A'tish-Burjin-Meher, are merely per- versions of natural phenomena. If it be denied that this is * The constituent parts of naphtha are carbon 82.2 and hydrogen 14.8. The elastic mineral pitch, according to Henry, consists of carbon 52.25, hydrogen of 7.40, oxygen 40.10, nitrogen 0-15. — Jameson's Mi- neralogy (Encyclopaedia) p. 2t>0. t In the Burhan-f.katiagh, the Azar-Burjin-Miher temple is said to have been founded in Fars by Kaf-Khosru. SHAHNAMAH ON ATISH-BURJIN-MEHER. 243 their character, I should like to see the attempt made to prove that they are not absurdities. As to alleged voices proceeding from fire, I shall by and by have some questions to put about the authority on which the statement respect- ing them is made to rest; In the mean time I beg to refer the Parsfs to the Church History of Socrates, in which they will see a particular account of the manner in which their forefathers could manage such miracles. They will there find Maruthas, a Christian Bishop of Mesopotamia declaring to Yazdejard, that a voice which addressed him proceeded from a mobed concealed behind the altar, and the king ac- tually ascertaining the fact, and signally punishing the cul- prit and his fellow conspirators.* Edal Dam declares that the Shahnamah states that " Zo- roaster was a prophet from God," and that he brought from heaven the A'zar-Burjin-Meher, of which we have now been treating. The testimony of the Shahnamah, written about fifteen hundred years after Zoroaster is said to have lived, is of little use in a case of this kind. It so happens, how- ever, that it sets forth Zoroaster as an impostor, or the dupe of the devil. In proof of this assertion, I refer the reader to Firdausi's account of Zartusht as contained in the eighth chapter of this work. The legendary explanations of the worship and reverence of fire by the Parsfs to which I have now adverted, it must appear evident, are altogether unsatisfactory, and unworthy of credit. The preceding observations have, of necessity, particular- ly, though not exclusively, referred to fire, and light, and the heavenly bodies, and the genii who are supposed to preside over these works of God, the objects of worship and reverence to which the controversialists with whom I have called to con- tend, have especially directed their attention. They are ap- plicable, however, mutatis mutandis, to all the elements, and Izads and Amshaspands, which the Parsfs suppose to exist. Throughout every part of the Zand-Avasta, — whether doc- * Socratis Eccles. Hist. lib. vii. cap. 8. 244 ORIGIN OF THE WORSHIP OF THE trinal or liturgical, — water, earth, and air, and their most re- markable embodiments, are made the objects, not only of ad- miration and recognition, but of adoration and worship, in the very highest sense of the terms. Many proofs and il- lustrations of this assertion will be found in our next and sub- sequent chapters. Some ingenuous Parsis, especially those of them who have received a liberal education, I have no doubt, will now be in- clined to ask, How, if the worship of the heavenly host, and the elements of nature, cannot be defended, it ever came to be so generally practised in the ancient world. The reply is to be found in the indisposition of the depraved mind of man to engage in the contemplation and recognition of a spiritual God, to preserve the direct revelations which God must have originally given of himself to the human race, and to attend to the discoveries of his own character, and providence, and grace, which from time to time he has given to the world ; and to a proneness to confound the works of God with the Creator himself, and proximate and instrumental agencies with the first Great Cause, and to rest satisfied with objects of re- verence and adoration in some degree within the grasp of the human intellect, and suited, as was supposed, to its weak- ness, and corrupted tendencies. How the temptations to er- ror may have operated jointly and severally, it is not very dif- ficult to perceive. " The perplexity in which most writers" [on the origin of idolatry,] I have elsewhere observed, have involved themselves, is in a great measure to be attributed to their desire to give undue prominence to one particular theo- ry. There surely can be nothing unbecoming, however, in the absence of direct historical testimony, in the admission that its rise in the various countries of the world, may be sufficiently accounted for on various suppositions. Those which I consider the most entitled to attention in regard to the heavenly host, and the elements of nature, are the fol- lowing : — 1. ' " In the days of Enos the son of Seth,' says Maimo- nides, ' men fell into grievous errors, and even Enos himself partook of their infatuation. Their language was, that, since. God had placed on high the heavenly bodies, and used HEAVENLY HOST AND ELEMENTS. 245 them as his ministers, it was evidently his will, that they should receive from man the same veneration as the servants of a great prince, justly claim from the subject multitudes. Impressed with this notion, they began to build temples to to the stars, to sacrifice to them, and to worship them, in the vain expectation, that they should thus please the Crea- tor of all things. At first indeed, they did not suppose the stars to be the only deities, but adored in conjunction with them the Lord God Omnipotent. In process of time, how- ever, that great and venerable name Mas totally forgotten; and the whole human race retained no other religion, than the ' idolatrous worship of the host of heaven.'* < With this superstition,' says Mr. Faber, < the patriarch Ham seeing to have been tainted, and to have conveyed the knowledge of it to his own particular descendants.' " 2. " The typical reference to the heavenly bodies, and ele- ments, and the confusion which would afterwards follow it, has been adverted toby numerous writers. Lieut. Colonel Vans Kennedy supports the theory which is founded upon it with very considerable ingenuity. After stating that the funda- mental truths of religion must have been revealed to the pro- genitors of the human race, he remarks that, < If these postu- lata be once admitted, the origin of idolatry becomes immedi- ately obvious. For the impressions made on the minds of the first men by their immediate communication with God would become fainter in each succeeding generation ; and as the human mind is scarcely capable of devotion to an invisible and incomprehensible Being, their descendants would be na- turally led to adopt some sensible object, as the type of that one self-existent and eternal God whom their fathers had adored. But in this case, what other object could Nature pre- sent so typical of divine excellence and supremacy, as — ' The orb that with surpassing glory crown'd, Look'd from his sole dominion, like the God Of that new world, at whose sight all the stars Veil'd their diminish'd heads.' •I do not quote this passage as affording historical evidence, but as explanatory of a theory. 246 ORIGIN OF THE WORSHIP OF THE The sun, however, was not always visible, and the sacred fire obviously suggested itself as its adequate representative ; nor if idolatry originated in Asia or Egypt, could the inhabi- tants of these countries have long contemplated the serene and brilliant expanse of the heavens, without imagining that it al- so might be a God, and hence, 1 Aspice hoc sublime candens, quern invocant omnes Jovem.' "' The earth was the next object that impressed on the minds of men the idea of divine nature ; and the cause seems evi- dent from all nations having, on account of its fruitfulness, re- presented it under the female character. The deification of sensible objects having thus commenced, its extension to the other elements is easily conceivable ; and to evince that this was actually the first form of idolatry, there seems to be suffi- cient evidence.' " 3. " Perhaps, the opinion of some of the Christian Fathers, that when the knowledge of the divine glory and spirituality, which had been communicated by revelation, became obscure, men imagined the sun from his station in the heavens, and from his enlightening and vivifying powers, to be actually the Supreme God, and the other heavenly bodies inferior deities, is entitled to the highest respect. When the depravity of man is considered, the tendency to this corruption is at once per- ceived. It is probably that which is recognized by Job, vt hen he says, ' If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand : this also were an iniquity for-the-judge ; for T should have denied the God that is above. ' It is an indubitable fact that in many countries of the world the heavenly bodies are believed to be actually gods. " * 4. The preservation of the " sacred flame " of the altar, as it has been called, may have originated in the use of fire to con- sume the sacrifices which God commanded to be offered up by man and to be burnt before their view, to symbolize his * First Exposure ofllinduism, pp. 147 — 149. HEAVENLY HOSTS AND ELEMENTS. 247 displeasure against the commission of sin and to impress the worshippers with a deep sense of its demerit, and to prefigure the great sacrifice, which was in due time to be made by Christ for the sins of the world. It may at first have been preserv- ed simply for the sake of convenience, without any reference to its own supposed sacredness ; and the vain idea may have afterwards been entertained, that being employed in sacred services, it must itself be intrinsically sacred, and worthy of special regard and service. I here refer to a possible corrup- tion, not so much of Jewish, as of Patriarchal, worship. 5. " Fire was originally worshipped by the natives of Iran," says Professor Stuhr, " neither as the elemental power, which had given origin to the world, nor as the fire of the hearth, conveying the blessings of family life, nor even as the flame of the forge, including the idea of mechanical skill and fabrication. The fundamental idea appears to have been that of the luminous nature of fire, by which it overcomes the power of darkness and its bad spirits. The light, as it dissi- pates the terrors of night, and relieves the mind from the fear of the ghosts which it fancies reside in darkness, gives rest and comfort to the disquieted soul. This seems to be the original meaning in which fire was worshipped by the Iranians. So it was raised in their imagination to a type of what was good in itself .... In opposition to it, darkness became the repre- sentative of evil. " * There are certainly allusions in the Par- si scriptures as to the effects of light such as are here noticed. Observations of this kind, it would be by no means difficult to extend. What were the temptations to the sin of the worship of the elements and the heavenly hosts, intelligent Parsis them- selves may understand, by referring to what the writers a- gainst whom we contend, vainly set forth as apologies and defences. Temptations, however, they must see and remem- ber, form no vindication of error and transgression. They are not to be yielded to, but opposed. However apparent may be * The Iranian fire-worship, translated by the Rev. Mr. Weigle from the Religions-Systeme des Orients, in Oriental Christian Spectator for 1840, p. 417. *248 UNREASONABLENESS AND SINFULNESS OF WORSHIPPING the influences and effects of the elements ; whatever may be the usefulness of fire and light ; and however glorious and wonderful may be the sun, and the moon, and the stars, both in their appearance and movements ; however exalted may be the angels and archangels of God, both in their endow- ments and service, — they are merely the creatures of the Al- mighty, possessed of a derivative excellence, and not worthy of receiving the smallest portion of our worship, but fitted to call it directly forth inbehalf of Jehovah, the Lord of all. All that I have said to the Parsis on this subject, I most affectionately and solemnly beseech them to consider. When in expecta- tion of being heard, they address one of the elements, they speak to what may be present, but to what cannot listen, what has no intelligence, what has no life, and what can give them no reply. When they address an angel, they speak to one of whose presence they can have no assurance, who may be millions of miles distant from them when they call upon him ; with whom no communication can be maintained ; who may be engaged, and wholly occupied, with other concerns than those to which they may be directing his attention ; who ac- cording to their own notions may have several thousand per- sons all begging for his favour and assistance at the same moment ; who may be woiting to minister in some far distant world, according to the express commands of God ; and who may be thus altogether unable to render the least assistance. The calling on the name of the creature in supplication, it must consequently appear, is unreasonable, and in the highest degree derogatory to God, who alone has the knowledge, presence, goodness and power, required by the hearer and answerer of prayer. If figurative language is at any time to be used in worship, it must declarativcly enhance, and not detract from, the glory of God. A truly pious spirit, when led in the highest ecstacy of devotion, to employ such language, instead of pray- ing to the works of God, and looking to them for help, ivill call upon them to praise the Lord. " Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heav- ens : praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels : THE INANIMATE AND INTELLIGENT POWERS OF NATURE. '249 praise yc him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon : praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord : for he commanded., and they were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and ever : he hath made a decree which shall not pass. Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps : Fire, and hail ; snow, and vapours ; stormy wind fulfilling his word : Mountains, and all hills ; fruitful trees, and all cedars : Beasts, and all cattle ; creeping things, and flying fowl : Kings of the earth, and people ; princes, and all judges of the earth : Both young men, and maidens ; old men, and children : Let them praise the name of the Lord : for his name alone is excel- lent ; his glory is above the earth and heaven."* I'salai cxlviii :1 — 13« 13 CHAPTER V. THE GENERAL POLYTHEISM OF THE PA'RSI'S. Origin of the Polytheism of the Pdrsis — Attempt at classifying and enumerating the principal objects of their worship — Quotations in proof and illustration from the Zand- Avast A — Extract from the Vandiddd — Translation of the first HA of the Yapna, according to Jhirnouf — Neiv translation of the seventy-first Hd of the Yapia — Comment on the Polytheism of the Pdrsis — Jumbling together and confusion of the objects of worship — Illustration from a supposed con- gratulatory address to a Governor of Bombay — The same terms of respect, prayer, praise, supplication, etc. applied to all the different ob- jects of worship — Criticism on the meaning oftltese terms, as employed in the Zand writings, and used by the Pdrsis — The service of the in- ferior objects of worship occupies more space in the Zand-Avastd than that of the highest — Unsuccessful vindication af tlie Polytheism of the Pdrsis by the controversialists — Expostulation with the Pdrsis on the subject of their Polytheism — The instructions oj Christ relative to prayer recommended to their attention. One error respecting the nature of God, and the honour which is exclusively his due, is frequently the prolific parent of a multitude of errors of a similar character. As soon as men imagine that the Creator has little or no concern in the direct support and government of the works of his almighty power, and as soon as they permit any of these works, of whatever character they may be, to share in the reverence, love, praise, adoration, and service, which belong to himself as the uni- versal Lord, there is no end to the number, and there is scarcely any restriction as to the kind of the objects of their worship. This observation is strikingly applicable to the re- ligious degeneracy which appears among the Parsis. When they conceive of God as absorbed in his own being and un- mindful of the concerns of the universe, and introduce ima- ginary beings to act as the guardians and superintendents of ORIGIN OF THE POLYTHEISM OF THE PARSIS. 251 the different departments of nature, they do not hesitate to multiply these beings, according to their views of the extent of the number of the departments over which they are requir- ed to preside. When, forgetting the spirituality of God, they conceive the elements around them to be substantially his soul, his glory, and his power, they do not hesitate to recog- nize, as an object of worship, every object in which they appear to be particularly developed, or even embodied. In this way, they deify the whole of the material world, and the different agencies by which it is acted upon, giving their special regard to what appears in their own eyes the most brilliant and use- ful. And, in the sams manner, they deify the imaginary pro- totype and the intellect and soul of man, and the soul or life of the various sentient and intelligent creatures which they suppose to exist throughout the earth and the heavens, and, some of which, like the Brahmans, they conceive to have ex- isted long before they appeared in their present forms. The objects of their religious worship and reverence may conse- quently be said to be innumerable. It is no easy task even to classify them. When hastily making the attempt on a for- mer occasion, I wrote as follows : — " Among the objects of their worship, they recognize the seven Amshaspands (including Hormazd), to whom the seven first days of the month are sacred; a multitude of Izads, to the chief of whom, Depadar, A'dar, A'wa, Khurshid, Mohur,Tir, Gosh, Dcpmeher, Meher (Mithra), Sarosh, Rashne, Farvar- din, Behram, Ram, Govad, (Vad), Depdin, Din, Ashasang, A'stad, A'sman, Zamiad, Mahraspand, and Andiran, the re- maining days of the months are sacred, and to whom they as- cribe the presidence over various localities and pursuits ; the five Gehs and other divisions of Time with-Bounds ; Zarvana- Akarana, or Timc-without-Bounds; the five Elements of nature — fire, earth, water, air, and ether* ; the mighty Wind of Sa- pandar ; Anagar Roclmo, or Primitive Light ; the Sun, espe- fi.'illv nt its rising and setting ; the Moon, particularly when * The idea of worshipping ether, they seem to have got from the Hin- dus. Ft is specified in the Sanjan Shlokas; but it does not occur in the ancient writings of the Parsfs. 252 CLASSIFICATION OF THE OBJECTS OF PARSI WORSHIP. first visible, and when at its full ; the Stars, and particularly the Tashtar, and all the other heavenly bodies ; the sacred fires of Behram, and A'daran ; the Ocean, and the Rivers of the earth ; the exalted Mountains and wide-spreading Valleys; the whole World on which we dwell ; the trees, plants, and other Vegetables by which it is adorned, and especially the favorite Horn and its juice Perahom ; the Flocks and Herds, which are the children of Bahman, and particularly the sa- cred white bull, and all the irrational animals, terrestrial and aquatic ; the intelligent and brave companion of man, the Dog, the great protector from the assaults of devils, and which if it does not receive the first portion of food taken into the hand at every meal, will oppose the passage of departed souls over the bridge of Chinavad ; the bridge of Chinavad itself; the Resurrection ; the mystical word Hunavar,* by which Hormazd fought against Ahriman ; Zartusht, and the whole law of the Mazdayasnians imparted to Zartusht, and the holy Dasturs by whom it is recited ; departed Spirits, of whom forgiveness is entreated for injuries inflicted on them ; the Fa- ruhars, or prototypes, of these spirits, the Faruhar and body and throne of Hormazd himself, and all the Faruhars of all the imaginary celestial and terrestrial beings ; and, in short, the whole visible and invisible Creation attributed to Hor- mazd. Though they do not worslrp idols, the ' works of men's hands,' more determined and devoted polytheists than they are, the page of history does not reveal to us ; and were it not that they abhor what they conceive to be the evil Prin- ciple and his works, and seem, in this country at least, to have generally avoided the metaphysical subtleties by which many around us are bewildered, they might be set down as pantheists, both spiritual and material, mystical and prac- tical."! I formerly remarked that I did not lightly bring these charges against the Parsis ; and I am now prepared to establish every one of them, by an appeal to their own reputed sacred books. * The Bazh commencing with the words Yathu ahuvairyo. t Doctrine of Jehovah addressed to the P&rsis, pp.24 — 26. EXTKACT IN PROOF FROM VANDIDAD. 253 In doing this, I shall show both what are some of the injunc- tions respecting their polytheism, and what are some of the actual forms in which is practised. The following is from the nineteenth fargard of the Van- didad, where a great deal more matter of a similar kind is to be found : — • s^ . jj^j >3-"jjJ iJl •£•"* j_^-"^ -Vow-" .(Aijj)^ .ujiji) . (, y I _D jj J j -±J}J -^(f ' (* £ I H5 ^_J • £ 7> W > 5-° i# . jj ) ^5 oo > ^-»J ' -w_5 -ge)JJju.iOg£jj . f gjy » jj . _u ) .uj > i, JJ )-u_^ . s ^ . jj fey > jjj J J\j i J . jjjj^J (j{ '^%3 "^7J'')-0»-lO-u^-u^ .V^y-wtV -o>J3JJ . J0»UJ . H5 fcV JJ ^ JU <2_JJ ^ ■ H3 tV -» >H5 -^ &/ " . jj )^s jy > ,!, JJ > JJ) .i(>5 • JJ fcV > .\>(vijwL^ • J* ^ ^ >H3 > is-" ' JJ_5 •£$* ■ JJW)3-UJJJ jj| ■ H3 ftV H3 J >> ' >> . j)^ > ) .jjJylJJ .jj(\> wgy-U . V y -m e^ji ^f jj 4 -V^iiJi^ . jj )(v».io>k_u l^J •>$> ■ JJ W > 3-w J Jj ^Jf •£JiLJ_iJJ^ -VoW-w . b py-it .fu> ) ^ -u £ . H3 feV JJ ) > W-u - fc^-u >*o ■-" J-"^ •J07>-H3JJ»-")^ -jjyjj .(douj^jjj .aj(o(,u^jj^^gi£^>^>j . jjfo^jj^oojeii^-" ' JJ^--w .V^J^geJ-iJ •V'^iG . H5JJ>>)> .M?WaSm5>*o • JJ^(f P^f^Vj .ujj^o -J^P ) -^-°^J . jj ) (\> jjj > i> jj ) jj^ . jj^j > 3 jjjjJ^'jj - -io > ^ JJ J JJ_^ . P JJ -U V -11 jj .H5^ • (; g -O «!>. JU U . g -»£_J__5 "" (? -VoWJi _J.j(,JJj_J .JJ»JJJOJJ . gJJJ_jj'jJ^.'V^)0,J» '^loJJlJjj -W ->ftV .^y^jVjJ^1 JJ^i .>^>^DJJ^ -^gH^ O^fHSJJ { ^Jf .^g^JiJ .£g4JjJ»Hg^gL? .^jjjjjjjJ' .^£^JjjjW;)3jJjg^JJ^ .^g|H5JjJ -jjjJj .^g£_\)jj )>*yjj .^£jjj\ijj )Ai o^hsjjj^Jj/ .^jj|jjjjjj^ -»H?JJ ) .J^JJjy .JJ£^g)g^JJ^ .\>f(fJfeU«>J ) .JJJJ^AJjJ^j' .y^ii -JJJ^ .-»Ojj .Vn5 .V^^tf-^ •V)t'^^ O^H3Jj)_J £j| •^J-»J - » ) ^J . ^ >V jj (V5 JAJ (S,^. ^ . H5 feV JJ -"O J« fel/^ • J ^ H5 >>jJ_J ^ >> J . g JJJ J JJ ) .Kj^JHJJJlJJJ^ .V'JJ0> . J-O J V J J J-' i? .HjOUJfJilii^-U .^^VJJJJJJ -g^JJJ .V (W JJJ e_^ jj_J ^JJ^ .V^i-JJ^ .V^-^i? •J^H3J_Jj Jjf .i(fWii_\ii\.f^j y ^jj (f ■ V ) > tv jj . jj &-^ > ) .jjJylAj .jj^w 254 EXTRACT IN PROOF FROM THE VANDIDAD. ^4'at mraot Ahuro-Mazddo : Nizbyanguha tu Zarathustra vanguhim datndm mazdayayiim ; nizbyanguha tu Za- rathustra avdon amesa^pehti aoui hapto-karasvairim zam ; nizbyanguha tu Zarathustra thwdsahe khadhdtaheZaravdn- ahe-Akaranahe vayois uparo kairyehe ; nizbyanguha tu Zarathustra vdto takhmo Mazdidhdto c.penta qrira dugh- dha Ahuro-Mazddo ; nizbyanguhi tu Zarathustra frava- sis mana yat Ahurahe-Mazddo avdm yam mazistdmcha vahistamcha r(ratstd )icha khraozhdistdmcha kharathivist- dmcha hukereftamdmcha asdt aprm6temdmcha yenghe ur- vae mdthro <}pefito khato; nizbyanguha Zarathustra imat da- mi, yat Ahuro-Mazddo vdkhsem me a$ac.at Zui\dhustro nizbyemi Ahuro-Mazddo asava ddmi ddter, nizbyemi mithrem vaouru-gcoyoitim huzaenem kharenanguhcjem zayanam verethrvacstem zcy *ndn ; nizbyemi craose.n asim Ahuraodhem qnathis za^tya drizhimno kameredha paiti dae- vanam, nizbyemi mdthro cpento yo as kharendo, nizbyemi thwasahe khadhdtahe, Zaravdnahe-Akirunahe vayois uparo- kairyehe, nizbyemi vdto takhmo Mazdaddto cpenta yira dughdha Ahuro-Mazddo, nizbyemi vanguhim duendm Mdz- daya^nim ddtem vidoyum Zarathustra. — " Invoke, thou Zoroaster, the good law, the Mazdayacni- an. Invoke, thou Zoroaster, the mino [unseen] Amshaspands, who are over the seven keshvars [divisions] of the earth. In- voke, thou Zoroaster, the Thwasa Khadata [the heaven self- created], Zarvana-Akarana [Time-without-Bounds], Vayi [Izad] who is over the works above. Invoke, thou Zoroaster, the strong wind created by Mazda, Sapandar, the pure daugh- ter of Hormazd. Invoke, thou Zoroaster, the Faruhar of me who am Hormazd, which [Faruhar] is the greatest, the high- est, the best, the most powerful, the most splendid, and the best bodied, and the purest of all, whose [Hormazd's] soul is the word exalted by itself. Invoke, thou Zoroaster, the crea- ■ Lithographed Vandidad, pp. 50a-5U. TRANSLATION OF THE FIRST HA OF THE YACNA. 255 tion of me who am Hormazd. Let Zoroaster love what has now been uttered by me. I invoke [rejoined Zoroaster] Hor- mazd, who lias created the pure world. I invoke Mithra*, the protector of the earth, the good mover [charioteer?], the most splendid of movers, the strongest of movers. I invoke £raos, the pure, who in his hand holds a weapon over the heads of the devils. I invoke the exalted word, the very splendid word.f I invoke the Twasa Khadata, Zarvana- Akarana, Vayi who is over the works on high. I invoke the strong wind created by Mazda, Sapandar the pure daughter of Hormazd. I invoke the good law, the Mazdayagnian,J I invoke what is given against the devils, O Zoroaster." The following is an English rendering of the French trans- lation from the Zand, of the first Ha of the Yacna, the great- est liturgical work of the Parsis, by Monsieur E. Burnouf, whose elaborate researches connected with the Zand lan- guage, are well known to the Parsis themselves. The com- mentary of the learned Frenchman, on this prayer, in which his version is almost uniformly successfully vindicated, occupies a large volume, printed at the Royal Press of Paris in 1833 and 1835. I request the reader to cast his eye on the notes which I have subjoined as he passes along. 1. " I invoke, ^ and I celebrate || the Creator Ahura- * This is evidently one of the passages which prove that among the ancient Persians Mithra was sometimes represented as the sun. The Modern Parsfs understand by it Meher Izad, in contradistinction to Khur- beshid, the Sun. t In the Parsf traditional translations, this passage is always applied to Mabraspand Izad. Have they not been led into this error from their ing ashamed of the worship of inanimate objects ? 1 This is one of the many instances from which it appears that the law which Hormazd is represented in the Yam'idad as in the process ol giving to Zoroaster, had been already established, when the Vandidatl waa written. The framers of that work, though personating Hormazd and Zoroaster, were notable to preserve consistency. § j{-H3JJ-"e^o-»j»j/ nivaidhayimi in Zand. || j^Msoj-uJau^-wyj hank&rayimi in Zand. 256 TRANSLATION OF THE FIST HA Mazda, luminous, resplendent, very great and very good, ve- ry perfect, and very powerful, very intelligent and very beauti- ful, eminent in purity, who possesses the good science, the source of pleasure, him who has created us, who has formed us, who has nourished us, who is the most accomplished among intelligent beings. 2. I invoke and I celebrate Bahman (benevolence); Ar- debehisht, (the excellent purity); Shdhrivar, (the desirable king); Sapandomad, (her who is holy and meek), Khordad and Amerdad * (her who produces every thing, and her who gives life) ; the body of the Bull, and the soul of the Bull ;f the fire of Hormazd, the most swift of the holy immortals. 3. I invoke, I celebrate him, who is given in this world, given against the Daevas, the pure Zoroaster, the master of purity. 4. I invoke, I celebrate the parts of the day (genii.), the masters of purity, the pure Oshen (iishahina) ,% master of purity. 5. I invoke, I celebrate him, who is exalted and who pro- tects houses, the pure, master of purity. 6. I invoke, I celebrate Sarosh $ (£raosha), the holy, endowed with holiness, the victorious, who gives abundance to the world, Rashne (Racnu), the most just, and Ashtad (Arstcit), her who gives abundance to the world who gives good things to the world. 7. I invoke, I celebrate Havan (havani), || the pure, mas- ter of purity. 8. I invoke, I celebrate him, who gives fecundity, and who protects the villages, the pure, master of purity. 9. I invoke, I celebrate Mithra, who multiplies the pairs * The beings mentioned above are with Hormazd himself, those which form the S3ven Amshaspands. \ According to the mythology of the Bundc'shne, the elements of the different existing terrestrial objects were embodied in a Cull before their present developement. See Gujarat; translation of theJBundeshne p. 176. \ The first Geh or watch. § The hamkar, or companion of the first Geh. || The second Gdi. OF THE YACNA ACCORDING TO BURNOUF. 257 of oxen,* who lias a thousand cars, ten thousand eyes, denom- inated an Izad; [I invoke, I celebrate] Rdmashne Kharom (the pleasure of the palate) .f 10. I invoke, I celebrate Rapitan (rapithwina,% the mid- dle of the day), the pure master of purity. 11. 1 invoke, I celebrate him who extends propagation,^ and who protects the villages, the pure, master of purity. 12. I invoke, I celebrate Ardebehisht (the excellent pu- rity), and the fire of Ahuramazda. 13. I invoke, I celebrate Osiren (uzayeiren), \\ the lat- ter part of the day, the pure, master of purity. 14. I invoke, I celebrate him, ivho multiplies mankind,^ and who protects the provinces, the pure, master of purity. 15. I invoke, I celebrate the height, the divine summit, source of water, and the water given by Mazda. 16. I invoke, I celebrate Evesrutem (Aiwicruthram),** him who watches over life, the pure, master of purity. IT. I invoke, I celebrate him who multiplies the means of good livingj-f, and him who comes nearest to Zoroaster, the pure, master of purity. 18. I invoke, I celebrate the Faruhars of the saints and the females who have men for their protectors ; and the Ga- hanbdr favorable to houses; and the energy with a good con- stitution, and of an exalted size, and victory (Behrdm), given by Ahura ; and superiority the protectress.."];^: * Lord of the jungles, according to the dasturs. f The worshipper seems here to have an eye to his breakfast. % The third Geh. § Or, according to the dasturs, Fradadar-Fasu the hamkdr of the preceding Geh. || The fourth Geh. 1T Or according to the dasturs, Fradadar Vir, the hamkar of the fourth Gfh. ** The fifth G.h. •ff The Dasturs apply this to Fradadar Vfsp, the hamkar of the last Geh, which is considered particularly favourable for religious recitations. \\ This paragraph in most MSS. is followed by the repetition of the paragraphs 1, 5, and 6. 258 TRANSLATION OF THE FIRST HA 19. I invoke, I celebrate the parts of the month, masters of purity ; the new moon (the genius) pure, master of purity. 20. I invoke, I celebrate the full moon which makes every thing to grow, (the genius) pure, master of purity. 21. I invoke, I celebrate the Gahanbdrs,* masters of pu- rity, Mediozerem (mardhyoi zaramaya) the pure, master of purity. 22. I invoke, I celebrate, Mediosham (maidhyo shama), the pure, master of purity. 23. I invoke, I celebrate Patasham (paetishahya), the pure, master of purity. 24. I invoke, I celebrate Eiathrem (aydthrama), the time of fertilizing, and the unfolding of birds,f the pure, mas- ter of purity. 25. I invoke, I celebrate Mediareh (maidhydirya), the pure, master of purity. 26. I invoke, I celebrate the Hamaspethmedem (hamas- pathmaedhya), the pure, master of purity. 27. I invoke, I celebrate the years, (the genii) masters of purity. 28. I invoke, I celebrate all the masters who are masters of purity, and the thirty-three genii nearest to Havan, who are of an excellent purity, which Mazda has revealed and whom Zoroaster has proclaimed. 29. I invoke, I celebrate Ahura and Mithra, exalted, im- mortal, pure ; and the stars, the holy and heavenly creations; and the star Teshtar (Tistriya), luminous, resplendent; and the moon which watches over the germ of the Bull ; and the Sun, the sovereign, the rapid courser, the eye of Ahura-mazda; Mithra,% the chief of the provinces. 30. I invoke, I celebrate the genii, (Izads) of the day and of the month in which the Izashne may be recited. <§> * The six periods of creation, comprising together the lunar year, which are immediately afterwards enumerated. t This clause, I have slightly altered from Bumouf. ( This word is applied hy the dasturs to Mehcr Izad and not to the Sun. § This supplement is given in the MSS. in Gujarati. OF THE YACNA ACCORDING TO BURNOUF. 259 31. I thee celebrate, I thee invoke, O thou Fire, Son of Honnazd, with all the fires. 32. I invoke, I celebrate the pure [good] waters, and all the waters given by Mazda, and all the trees given by Mazda. 33. I invoke, I celebrate the excellent ivord, the pure, efficacious, given against the Devas, given through the inter- position of Zoroaster, the good law of the worshippers of Mazda. 34. I invoke, I celebrate the mountain, the depository of intelligence * given by Mazda, brilliant with purity and all the mountains brilliant with purity, completely brilliant, given by Mazda ; and the royal splendour given by Mazda, and the unborrowed splendour given by Mazda. 35. I invoke, I celebrate the excellent purity, the excel- lent knowledge, the excellent understanding, the excellent thought, the splendour, the good given by Mazda. 36. I invoke, I celebrate, the excellent, the perfect bless- ing, and the excellent man who is pure, and the thought of the wise man, the formidable, powerful, Izad. 37. I invoke, I celebrate both these places and these countries and the fields for cattle, and the houses and places where they watch the corn, and the waters, and the lands and the trees, and this earth and this heaven, and the pure ivind, the stars, the moon, and the sun, lights which are with- out a beginning, uncreated,! and all the creations of the pure and heavenly beings, and whomsoever are the pure genii, the masters of purity. 38. I invoke, I celebrate the exalted master, who is mas- ter of purity, the masters (who are) the days, the watches, the months, the epochs of the year (the Gahanbars), the * The dasturs make this to be the bill Hostdastar, said in the Bun- dcslinc to be in Seistan. fThe Zand here is worthy of particular notice by the reader. The lights mentioned are said to . £ ^ f -u o* -w £_^ *„. (, g$y 3m^\>m). £ m|j)m_uijj anaghrin&m raochangham khadhatansitn without-abegining, and self-given, or uncreated. The explanation of this language is to°be found in the belief of the Parsis that they are of the substance or essence of Hormazd. Their complete deification is thus set forth. '260 FIRST HA OF THE YACNA ACCORDING TO BURNOUF. years ('genii) who are the masters of purity, that which is here given, given against the Devas, the word of Zoroaster, the lord. 39. I invoke, I celebrate the awful, the powerful Faruhars of pure men, the Faruhars of men of the ancient law, the Fa- ruhars of modern men, my parents, the Faruhars of my soul.* 40, 41. I invoke, I celebrate all the masters of purity. I invoke, I celebrate all the Izads, both celestial and terres- trial, who distribute riches, who ought to be both adored and invoked by the purity which is excellent. 42. O thou who hast been given in this world, given a- gainst the Devas, Zoroaster, pure, master of purity, if I have offended thee, either in thought, or in word, or in action, whe- ther it be voluntarily or involuntarily, I address anew this praise in thy honour ; yes, I invoke thee, if I have come short before thee in this sacrifice and this invocation.! 43. O all you vastly great masters, pure masters of puri- ty ! If I have offended you either in thought, or in word, or in action, whether it be voluntarily or involuntarily, I address a- new this praise in your honour ; yes, I invoke you, if I have come short before you in this sacrifice and in this invocation. 44. Worshipper of Mazda, follower of Zoroaster, ene- my of the Devas, observer of the precepts of Ahura, let me address my homage to that which is here given, given against the Devas, to Zoroaster, pure, master of purity, for the sacrifice, for the invocation, for the prayer which renders fa- vorable, for the benediction. Let me address my homage to the masters (who are) the days, the watches &.c, for the be- nediction. That is to say, Let me address my homage to the masters who are the days, the watches, the months, the e- pochs of the year (Gahanbars), the years, for the sacrifice, for the invocation, for the prayer which renders favourable, for the benediction." ' Let Dosabhai and others observe that the soul, instead of being a Farubar, is represented as having a Faruhar. t This passage and what follows, the Parsfs, I should think, will allow, has not been composed by Zoroaster. TRANSLATION OF THE SEVENTY-FIRST HA OF THE YACNA. 261 The following is an original translation from the Zand of the seventy-first Ha of the Izashnc [numbered seventy-se- cond by Anquetil], made with the help of the Gujarat! ver- sion of Framji Aspandiarji, and an examination of the Sans- krit corresponding vocables, and other authorities. " The pure Farshostar asked the pure Zoroaster : Reply, O venerable Zoroaster. What is the [religious] duty toward the masters, and what is to be done at the Gathas?"* Thus spoke Zoroaster : — "I worship \yazamaide in Zand, drddhun, in Gujarati], Hormatd, the pure, master of purity. " I worship Zoroaster, the pure, master of purity. " I worship the pure Amshdspands. " I worship the Faruhar of the pure Zoroaster. " I worship the excellent, wonderful, exalted Faruhar s of the saints. " I worship publicly and privately the most exalted of the masters. " I worship the most active of the Tzads, the most worthy of the masters of purity, the most praise-worthy, the most per- vading, the delight of the master, the pure master of purity. " I worship Hormazd, the pure, master of purity. " I worship the whole body of Hormazd.-\ " And I worship all the Amshdspands. " And I worship all the masters of purity. " And I worship the whole Mdzdayacni religion. " And I worship all the dfsmanem (or andajah paiman).;| * The Gathas here alluded to, are probably the five days, after the ex- piration of the lunar year, which supplement the solar year, and are ob- served as a festival. -j'W^w -e-fLJ^J^G •hso'jj^w-" .-v^g^ -^e^-^y^ + Vigpem kerefs Ahurahi-Mazdao yazamaidi. The word kerefs hero is evidently equivalent to the Latin corpus, and its use seems favourable to the theory of the antiquity of the Zand language. Its application to Hor- mazd, being adverse to his omnipresence, is one of the tokens of his being only asecondary divinity among the Parsfs. t Anquetil du Perron supposes this to be the expression of the Law. 262 TRANSLATION OF THE SEVENTY-FIRST HA OF THE YACNA. " And I worship all the exalted manthra [ the language of the Avasta]. " And I worship all that is given against the devils [the VandidadJ. « And I worship all the long existences [the beings which are to exist during the present aion of 12,000 years ?] " And I worship all the pure celestial and terrestrial Izads. " And I worship all the excellent, wonderful, exalted Fa- ruhars of the saints. " I worship the whole pure creation given by Hormazd, that is pure given, pure created, pure by the law, that is to be extolled as pure. " I worship the whole five pure Gdthas, with the pure one among the pure. " I worship all the Izashne and Frditi, and Puititi, and Aibichareti.* " I worship all the hymns af the Izashne [or the Satut Yact, according to the dasturs]. " I worship all the ivords uttered by Hormazd, which destroy evil thought, which destroy evil speech, which destroy evil work ; which are of him [Hormazd] who prevents evil thought, who prevents evil speech, who prevents evil work ; which thoroughly cut of all evil thought, which thoroughly cut oft' all evil speech, which thoroughly cut oft* all evil work, like as fire consumes dried wood, purified, well-examined, wholly burning it. I worship all the words endowed with power, victory, glory, and strength. " I worship all i\\e fountains of water, flowing and station- ary. [?J " I worship all the trees, and the trunks, and lofty branches, and fruit. Mr. Westergaard has suggested to me that these words, heing coupled with the Yacna, probably refer to different liturgical formulae now lost. In the (Jujaratf translation of Framji Aspandifirji, they are rendered by '•' what is to be recited, and executed, and raised aloft." TRANSLATION OF THE SEVENTY-FIRST HA OF THE YA9NA. 263 " I worship the whole earth. " I vvorsliip the whole heaven. " I worship all the stars, the moon, and the sun. " 1 worship the primeval [or boundless] lights. " I worship all the animals, both aquatic and terrene, and that dwell in the wilderness, and changhranghachasach [?] " I worship all the girambdr of Honnazd, the good creation, the pure, which he [Hormazd] has created abundant and ex- cellent, and which is worthy of the Izashne, and of the Niaish, on account of the purity which is the best. •' I worship all the mountains, the purely pleasurable. " I worship all the caves given by Honnazd. " I worship all the fires. " I worship all the ivords of righteousness. " I worship all that in introducing, introduces [in worshi])J ; let them be to me for superintendence, support, and perfect preservation. "I invoke [^Hsju^j^jzhaycmi in Zand, 4&" padhun in Gu- jarati] and worship the G at has, the exalted, the mighty lords, the pure; let them be to me for protection, superintendence, support, and perfect preservation. " I invoke and worship my oivn soul ; [let it be to me] for protection, superintendence, support, and perfect preservation. " I worship Khurddd, the pure, the master of purity. " I invoke the divine revelation [Zand-Avasta], the pure, master of purity. "I worship Amarddd, the pure, master of purity. I worship the law of Honnazd, the pure, master of purity. " I worship the wonderful Haftanghdt* the pure, master of purity .f * This is a portion of the Izashne, (35th —40th Ha) which is commanded to be repeated by dying men, and by their friends on their behalf. The objects of reverence and worship which it sets forth, are mostly the same as those exhibited in the Ua which we now translate. t Here follows a paragraph, about the recital of the word at the mo- ment of death, and the passage of the bridge Chinavad. The meaning is very obscure in the original ; and I do not find that the commentaries of the Dasturs cast any light upon it. 264 TRANSLATION OF THE SEVENTY-FIRST HA OF THE YA9NA. " I worship the active and good-minded. The good-mind- ed and active, I worship, for the opposing of darkness, for the opposing of grief and vexation. " I worship health and soundness of body. I worship crea- tion, and encrease. " I worship all the words for removing diseases, and lazi- ness. " I worship the recurring Gdthas. I worship the Gdthas, the exalted, the glorious masters, the pure. " I worship the hymns of the Yacna, [or Satut Yact] . I worship the whole collection of the hymns of the Ya9na, which was given to the ancient world. " I worship my own soul. " I worship my own Faruhar. " I worship the righteous good delectifier. " I worship the righteous man [Dahman], the pure. " I worship the strong power of Ddmi [?], the Izad of ex- alted mind. " I worship these waters, and grounds, and trees. " I worship these places, and fields, and the folds of cattle in the wilderness, and the abodes, and the water-courses [?]. " I worship the lord of the fields, who isHormazd. " I worship Hormazd, of all masters the greatest. " I worship the days, the ivatches, the parts of the months, the Gahanbdrs, and the years. " I praise (ctaomi), invoke (zbayemi), extol (ufyemi) and worship (yazamaide), the good, wonderful, exalted Fa- ruhars of the pure, of the houses, streets, cities, provinces, devoted to Zoroaster.* " I worship thee fire, the Son of Hormazd, the pure, mas- ter ot purity. " I worship the reservoirs of waters. " I worship Nariosangh. " I worship the powerful Ddmi, [?] the lofty-minded Izad. " I worship departed souls. * The condition of the fire before which the Izashne is recited, is here to be looked at. COMMENT ON THE POLYTHEISM OF THE PARSIS. 265 " I worship the Faruhars of the saints, and the strong master, who is Honnazd, who is highest in purity, who is the most advanced in purity. " I worship the whole word of Zoroaster. " I worship all the good deeds which I have now done, or will ever do."* Hundreds of passages, similar to the three which I have now quoted, are to be found both in the liturgical and doctrinal works contained in the Zand-Avasta ; but it is not necessary for me to produce others of a like character. Let the atten- tion of the reader be directed to those which are now before him ; and I am certain that be he a Native, or a European, he will cordially assent to the statements which I have made res- pecting both the number and the nature of the objects of wor- ship recognized by the Parsis. There is no person, indeed, in the slightest degree acquainted with their religious tenets and practices, as they are thus set forth in the workj which they esteem sacred, but will readily admit that the Parsis are truly polytheists in the most rigid sense of the term. If any person should ask, What is the kind of worship ren- dered by the Parsis to all these deities, and deified objects, I would beg him again to look to these and similar passages for the reply. The more fully they are examined in the ori- ginal Zand, or in any of thePahlavi, Sanskrit, Persian, Guja- rati, French, or English translations, which have been, or can be made of them, the more clearly will they be seen to illus- trate and establish the following observations, to which I re- quest particular attention. 1. The objects of worship are jumbled and confounded together in such a manner as must lead to the degradation, — supposing them to be capable of it, — of those of them who possess the highest station and character, and the conse- quent exaltation of those who are of the lowest rank and in- fluence. The worshipper at one moment calls upon Honnazd, at the next, upon his own ghost ; at one moment on an archan- * This rccitatiou is followed by the muttering of various minor pieces. 19 266 CONFUSION or THE objects of worship. gel, at the next on a sturdy bull ; at one time on the brilli- ant sun, at the next on a blazing fire ; at one moment on a lofty and stupendous mountain, at the next on a darksome cave : at one moment on the ocean, at the next on a well or spring ; at one moment on Time-wit hout-Bounds, at the next on the passing hour ; at one moment on the greatest master of purity, at the next on every master of purity ; at one moment on the whole creation given by Ilormazd, at the next on the five pure Cathas; at one moment on the whole Vandi- dad, at the next on the Satut-Ya9t. If the great thus mention- ed have any understanding, they must view themselves re- proached, and if the mean have any modesty and shame, they must view themselves as wantonly and cruelly exposed, by the company in which they are placed. To give my Parsi friends a more distinct comprehension of ivhat I now wish to be impressed upon their minds, we shall suppose them to betake themselves to some respected Gov- ernor of Bombay, in order to express the regard which they cherish for his character and their gratitude for the favours which they have received from his administration, and thus to proceed with their loyal address : — Right Honorable Sir, — We invoke and celebrate thee, be- cause of thy justice, liberality, and bravery. We recognize thee as our good and gracious Governor. Thou are the bravest, and most intelligent of the intelligent of the Sahebs, who have reigned over us in this great country. We invoke and celebrate our own souls, and our own wealth, and our grandfathers' souls, and their wealth. We invoke the Commander-in-chief, the brave, master of bravery ; and the Superintendent of the Indian Navy, the exalt- ed genius who presides over the fires of furnaces and steam- ships ; and his hamkdr, Ardeshir Khurshidji, the clever and powerful. We invoke and celebrate lance-corporal Tom, the brave, the master of bravery. We invoke and celebrate the chandeliers of Parell-House, and the lamp of Arjun, the nayak of peons, the Kulaba lighthouse, and all the fires and lamps of Bombay. ILLUSTRATION FROM A SUPPOSED ADDRESS TO A OOVERNOR. 2G7 We invoke, celebrate," and reverence the Chief-Secre- tary to Government, and all the Secretaries, private and pub- lic, military and civil, the pure, the great, the benevolent, and the generous. We invoke and celebrate them. We invoke and celebrate Malabar Hill. We invoke, celebrate, and praise the Fort ditch. We celebrate and invoke thee, Right Honorable Sir. We invoke, celebrate and praise the Governors of Daman and Diva, the greatest masters of bravery. We celebrate, and invoke, and praise every European in India. We invoke, celebrate, and adore the Indian Ocean, and the China Seas. We reverence, and supplicate all the tanks and wells of Bombay. We invoke the whole Regulations of Government, and we invoke the Commander-in-chief's General Orders, and every other order. We invoke praise, supplicate and extol thy riding horses and thy carriage horses, thy dogs, and cows, and^'goats. We invoke thy fields and gardens, and we invoke all thy residencies. We invoke, praise, adore, and celebrate every person and thing that exists. O Governor of the governed, we praise, laud, and extol thee. Were the Mobeds to prepare an address of this kind, they could not get a single individual among their intelli- gent countrymen to adhibit to it his signature ; were it ready for delivery they would not and could not present it, from their consciousness that instead of its being the expression of peculiar regard, it is nothing else, from its order and asso- ciation, but ridiculous mockery ; were they toHput into the hands, or to read it in the presence, of the governor, they would infallibly be shown to the door. In reference to their dealings with their fellow-men, their proceedings arc charac- terized by propriety and prudence. Let them reflect and re- pent, and let the same attributes, in their highest degree, ap- pear in their professed communion with God. 268 INDISCRIMINATE TERMS OF PBAFSE AND PRATER-. 2. Not only are all distinctions among the different objects of worship referred to in the liturgical and doctrinal works- ©f the Parsis nearly, or altogether, levelled by their being jumbled and confounded together by the strangest and most unsuitable associations ; but the same result is brought about by the fact, that the different objects of worship, of whatever nature they may be, have actually applied to them, without the least distinction, the same terms expressive of respect, of worship, prayer, supplication, praise, invocation, glory, re- verence, adoration, celebration, exaltation, recognition, com- memoration, and benediction. This proposition is easily established. To every one ob- ject mentioned in the preceding extracts from the Vandidad, and Izashne, and in hundreds of other passages of a like na- ture are applied the following .Zand words and expressions, which, with a reference to proper authorities!, I shall endea- vour briefly, but faithfully y to explain. m5_jjjj^jj*o yazamaidd. This verb, I have rendered, I worship. In the Gujarati translation of the Vandidad and Izashne, etc. it is, as far as I have seen, uniformly rendered by ^nRlJg0^ Gr anRlH^U hi.1% words exactly of the same meaning.* By Nariasangh the Sanskrit translator of the Yacna, it is rendered 3JTCP^T, I worship. Edal Daru ren- ders it by drddhunch, which he softens by giving as its synonym bazurg kari jdnunch, " I esteem glorious." Do- sabhai also condescends to use for it arddhunch, the sense of which however, he endeavours to lower, by making it equi- valent to ydd kartmch, I remember ! "f The root of the verb, is evidently found in the Sanskrit I^T yaj to sacrifice. M. Burnouf considers the noun -»}■•*> -»rv> yacna, applied to- the Izashne, equivalent to the Sanskrit *ET yajna, sacrifice, and ^TITR^TF"? in Wilson's Sanskrit dictionary, is rendered, " worship, adoration, propitiation of the deities, e 8fl^-> ^T^T to finish, ^v aff." ^RT^^Tr, it may here be stated, is translated " worship " by Aspandiar- j( Framji. Had'i-i- Gum-Rohan, p. 151. f Talim-i-Zartusht p. 117. In this place, yazamaide is applied to Za- ravana-akarana, or Time-without-bounds. ^CRITICISM ON THE TERMS OF WORSHIP IN THE AVASTA. 269 lie renders it " sacrifice with prayers,"* which, it must be ad- mitted, is the highest kind of worship. There "can be no -doubt, that as far as etymology goes, the learned professor is correct. The reader will remember that Edal Daru quotes a passage from the Avasta according to which the Ardebehisht fire is represented as worthy of the yacna or Izashne.f Hun- dreds of other objects are thus honoured, in the use of the highest liturgical forms which the Parsis possess. o^h5jjji(s^h3jj»v)j nivaZdhayemi. This word, according to Bournouf,| I have rendered " I invoke." Nariasangh, the Sanskrit translator of the Izashne, makes it equivalent to MH1*U$ nimantraydmi, " I summon or invite ;" but he might have got a wwd nearer to it in etymology and meaning ln R3"^HT*T nivedaydmi ; " I inform entrust, address, " or " I present offerings to." Framji in his translation of the I- zashne uniformly renders it by £/«/«! h^-^i izan karunch, to which I do not object. With this verb almost all the ad- dressess in the first Ha, which we have quoted from the Izash- ne, and thousands of others of a like nature, commence. o£H5 jjIjou^^jjw hankdiryemi. This verb has been pro- perly rendered, I celebrate. Nariasangh makes it ^TT^PTTfa sampurnay ami, which in meaning is "close to what is given to it by Aspandiarji, " I pray thee with all supplication, "<§> or ^l^Ll^ ^ 'THl^t ^V/^Jat^U,!! drddhunch tcmxdm izashne- ma. It generally follows nivaedhayemi, and is applied with equal frequency, both to the highest and lowest objects of worship. o^bjj^A) c.tctomi, and 6 -»-"><>» -"c£aem in Pahlivi. Like the corresponding verb *cuP? staumi in Sanskrit, this word is ren- * Sacrifice avecprieres. Commentaire sur le Yacna, vol. i, p. 24. t See page 200 of this work. f Comment, sur le Ya^na, p. 121. § H&di-i-Gum-Rahan, p. 26, English version. || This is very near the rendering of Burnouf, " Iiljisni absolutam faci- f.i!!." Commentaire sur le Yacna p. 121. 270 CRITICISM ON THE TERMS OF WORSHIP IN THE AVASTA. dercd I praise. It is properly rendered H*°t I^J vakhdnun in the Gujarat! translation of the Izashne. It is applied to all the dependencies of Hormazd as well as himself. >(rw*iJZ_J^$ zbayemi. This word, corrupted into6JJfU_J zabdem in Pahlivi, I have rendered " I invoke." It is trans- lated H|> padhun in the Gujarat! version of the Izashne, in the seventy-second Ha of which, as will have been seen, it is applied, like that which here follows it, to the Faruhars. With the inseparable particle JJ ni prefixed, it occurs frequent- ly in the nineteenth fargard of the Vandidad.* M. Burnouf shows that, according to the usual transmutation of letters, it is the Sanskrit ^C^TTR", hvaydmi.-f j(rH3 jjtf ) ufyemi. I have rendered this word " I contem- plate." HlL^IL^ b*L potdnun karun, the Gujarat! translation of the dasturs, is not erroneous. In the Persian it is render- ed by khwdham. *(f ■"*]■? '»-"' dfrindmi, we have already observed, is equi- valent to the Sanskrit JTFITPI, prindmi " I delectify, or fulfil the desires of." It is particularly used in the worship of fire. H3JJM3JJJU (lye^e This is evidently a verb in the perfect middle, equivalent to the Sanskrit 3TFPT dytje, rendered by Westergaard "dcos colo."J Burnouf renders it by " I glori- fy ;"■§> and Bopp by " cclebro."| In the Persian translation, of the Zand-Avasta, it is rendered by khwdham, and in the Gujarat! by chdhun, " I love, or desire." It is applied in- discriminately to Creator and creature, throughout the prayers of the Parsls. -"G'O'-u.tf vahrna. This noun is uniformly rendered by ijSj Ui nidish by the Parsis. The word, which literally sig- nifies " praise," is applied by them by way of distinction to Sec extract, p.ix, 253 of this work. t Alphabet Zend, p. GO. t Radices Linguae Sanskrits, p. 116. § Commentaire sur lc Vacua, p. 10. || Vergleichende Grammatik, p. 155. Predominance ok worship of inferior objects. 271 live of their liturgical pieces, addressed particularly to the sun, Mcher, moon, fire, and water. In all of these prayers and addresses, as will be seen from that of fire, a translation of which we have inserted in full, the alleged works of Ilormazd, animate and inanimate, have a place as well as himself. V^ej nemo. This is the Sanskrit •W: namah. It is ren- dered by the equivalent word *R^K namaskdra, ;< salutation or reverence," by the Parsis ; and is indiscriminately applied to all their divinities. jjH\>jjj^oi, khsiiaothra. For this word the Parsis use the Persian ^ y^i ^ khushnuman, :> fulfilling the desires of," which has been introduced into Gujarat! by the Parsis. It is generally used in connexion with vahma above-mention- ed. j(v3ajo)A3 )& fraqacti. This noun is also principally used in connexion with vahma. It means celebration. It is from the Sanskrit root ST*T slums, "to celebrate," with the prefix H pra added. This list might be easily extended. It may now be sullici- ent to remark, however, that the terms of which we have giv- en specimens, and which we have said are indiscriminately ap- plied to all the Parsi divinities, are used to express not civil, but religious, respect and honour. They are employed in the most solemn forms of devotion which the Zoroastrians pos- sess ; and the use of them iu their actual connexions, leaves nothing pceuliar to be addressed to the only living and true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the supreme Sovereign and Governor, the supplier of all the wants of his creatures, and the only Saviour. •'}. Not only arc the different objects of woiship recogniz- ed by the ^sacred" books of the Parsis, unsuitably confounded together in these books, and the same terms of worship indiscri- minately applied to them : but the service of the inferior ob- jects OCCUpie8 more space in them than thai of the highest, I have already proved, that the authorities on which the Pars! religion is founded, represent Hormazd as a secondary divinity. But allowing, for the sake of argument, that he is 272 POLYTHEISM OF THE PARSIS INDEFENSIBLE. the primary deity of the Zoroastrians, I would ask, how it appears, that compared with that of his alleged animate and inanimate creatures, his service, in point of extent, occupies so often only an inferior place in the liturgical forms of the Parsis. In most of these professedly devotional pieces, his worship has only the twentieth, or thirtieth part of the space devoted to it that is assigned to that of the amshas- pands, izads, elements, and other objects which are address- ed. In some of the articles in fact, he his set aside, by a mere apocryphal address, or satdishne, at the beginning, and is not again once mentioned throughout. Let the Parsis consider the words which they utter when they pray, and they will be con- vinced that this is the case. Let them, respecting each sen- tence, ask themselves, To whom does it appertain ? and they will find that the general answer must be the "creature," and that too without any reference to the Creator! The mention of God's works, real or imaginary, which they will find in their books, is not that in which these works are indirectly re- ferred to as proofs and illustrations of the wisdom, power, goodness, and faithfulness of God. but that in which the 'works, are directly and expressly addressed, and praised, and suppli- cated. The charge of an extensive polytheism, which I have delibe- rately brought against the books of the Parsis, I now hold to be completely and irrefragably established. But before mak- ing this subject the matter of further remonstrance with the Parsis of Bombay, I shall introduce to the notice of the read- er all the explanations and attempted defences which I find in the controversial works to which I am replying, and which are but few, short, and insignificant. Respecting the Mdsdayacni religion Dosabhai thus em- phatically delivers himself: — " We ask the padre, is it impro- per to continue to remember (or recognize) the pure and ho- ly Mazdayacni religion, according to the declaration of God Almighty to the exalted Zoroaster. What! do you reckon it im- proper to remember your Christianity, and honour it? And do you not reckon any person an infidel, who says, I do not recog- nize Christianity ? Now, O gentle reader, inquire, and see POLYTHEISM OF THE PARSIS INDEFENSIBLE. 273 what is the weight of the padre's story."* If this advice be followed, I reply, the result will thus be stated: — " We do not find that the padre, or any other Christian is ever so dement- ed as to speak to Christianity, to address it in worship as having a personal embodiment, or even to suppose that it has any life or intelligence. The followers of Christianity think it enough to admit its authority on the sure evidence present- ed, to believe its doctrines, to follow its injunctions, and to praise God for it as a gift to man. They are not like the Parsis who invoke the Vandidad, and who give it personal reverence, and praise, and who address to it their supplica- tions, as if it could directly confer the blessings of which they stand in need." Aspandiarji says, " The object of the Van- didad in enjoining to invoke the Mazdaya9ni religion, by which is implied the pure worship of Ijdan, or the supreme being, is to wake (awaken ?) those who are the followers of it to the constant exercise of that piety which is inculcated in it." We have to learn how the calling on the name of a re- ligion will accomplish this object. It is by studying the con- tents of the books of religion, and making them the subjects of prayer, and the rule of faith and obedience, which if the books have been given by God, will enable a person to make progress in piety. It is not by speaking even to Christianity, that a man can become a Christian. It is curious to find As- pandiarji, who here admits the invocation of the Mazdayacni religion, afterwards thus delivering himself: — " ' I (replies Zo- roaster) invoke the pure law of the Mazdaya9nans given to Zo- roaster, and which removes the Devas.' But this is absolutely groundless." Will the words of the original, as given by his own father, satisfy him or will a more literal translation than the above suit him ? « I invoke the good Mazdayacnian religion, given against the devils, the Zoroastrian."f * Talim-i-Zartusht. p. ]35. f Vandidad, nineteenth fargard, authors MS. vol, ii, p. 232. In the lithographed Vandidad, p. 511. -oj .^^Mn^j^JMi^ .(^fw-uj .(rywoj-uj* .*(,K»ij^Jii — 274 POLYTHEISM OF THE PARSIS INDEFENSIBLE. Of the angels, the same author thus writes : — " What is there improper in the injunction of the Vandidad about the remembrance of the angels ? Do not you remember the an- gels, and honour the Holy Spirit, without thinking it impro- per?"* The reader ought to keep in mind what we have al- ready said on the worship of angels and archangels in the pre- ceding chapter ; and if he does this, he will readily admit the impropriety and sin of making them objects of worship, like the Parsis, who are not content simply to remember their ex- istence, and the service they may render, when commission- ed by God to execute his will, but who worship and serve them, as if every where they could hear their prayers and ren- der them assistance, and as if God, on whom they are ab- solutely dependent for their existence, endowments, and sup- port, could permit them to share in his own glory and honour. Christians may love the angels, as they love all holy beings ; and were they to receive a visit from these heavenly messen- gers in a visible form, they might show them becoming civil respect, as they do in the case of their fellow-men ; but most assuredly they would be violating the spirit, the precepts, and the examples of the Bible, as well as the dictates of reason, were they, for one moment, to recognize them as objects of divine homage. In the book of Psalms, which contains the great body of the inspired devotions of Christians, the angels themselves are called upon to worship God, instead of being worshipped by man. " Praise ye the Lord," says David, in his sublime poetical strain. " Praise ye the Lord from the heavens : praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts."f When a departed spirit appeared as an angel to John, and when that apostle, mistaking him for a divine person, was about to worship him. he received a decided rebuke. " When I had heard and seen," nizbyimi vanguhim dainam mdzdayapnim; nizbyitru datem vldoyiim, Za- i\:iliustrit : — ,c I worship tlic good religion the Mazdayacnf, I worship what-ia-given-against the devils, O Zoroaster." There is piobably some error here committed by the transcriber. Ddtem would seem to require some masculine noun, such as Zurathvslran, to agree with it." " Talino-i-Zartusht, p. 137. I Psalm, exlviii : !.-'. POLYTHEISM OF THE FARSIS INDEFENSIBLE. 'Z I o says the recorder of the revelation, " I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me. See thou do it not : for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book : worship God."* The highest created intelligences and powers in heavenly pla- ces, are as dependent upon God as the meanest worm which crawls in the dust ; and instead of claiming or receiving di- vine honours, they would, if permitted to address man, en- force the divine precept, proclaimed by Moses, and repeated by Christ, " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. "f The holy Spirit is worshipped by Christians, because, like Christ, — who is sometimes denomi- nated the "angel of the covenant," — and the Father, he is one of the divine persons of the glorious Trinity — of the three personal united agents forming the one Godhead.J * Revelation, xxii. 8, 9. f Rcut. \i. 13. Matth. iv. 10. I In my lecture on the Vandidad, 1 quoted the following passage from the nineteenth fargard, " Invoke, O Zoroaster, the amshuspand who gives abundance to the seven keshwars of the earth." The clause, as given by me, Aspandiarjf says " lias undergone some alteration ; for in the Vandi- dad, it is stated, that the amshaspands who arc the presiding genii over the seven planets, have ordained the establishment of the scicn keshwars of the earth." (Iladf-i-Gum-Rahan, p. 01) It would have been only fair for him, when professing to correct my translation, had ho produced the Zand words on which his criticism is founded. I here supply his lack of service. JYizbyanguha (ii Zarathuslra avaon amcsdcpcnli aoui hnplo karasvairim zam. The literal rendering of these words is simply, " Invoke, 0 Zoroaster, the minor amshaspands who are over the seven keshwars of the earth." From this, it must appear, that my former translation, which 1 made, as I intimated, principally on the authority of Anquctil du Perron, is much nearer the original thai, that of the mobed. Why has he said so little about the worship of the amshaspands, which was the principal to- pic to which I referred, when I quoted the passage? "To invoke these amshaspands means to bring to recollection," he says, "the innumerable advantages imparted by them to the earth, and thus be insensibly led to the worship of that Being who has created these amshaspands-. ;; (Iladi- UGum-Rahan, p. 01). According to thisgmode of reasoning, it would be proper to invoke Sir Jamshidji Jijibhai's peons, that you might bring to remembrance the innumerable advantages imparted by them to one of his country mansions, that you might " insensibly " be led to respect that 276 POLYTHEISM OF THE PARSIS INDEFENSIBLE. Of heaven Dosabhai, asks "What is there wrong in remem- bering heaven, which God has created."* As the reader will have observed, from the authorities which we have already produced in this chapter, there is more than the sim- ple " remembrance " of heaven practised by those, who use the sacred books of the Parsis ; and it is just because heaven, with all its glory, is merely the creation of God, that it is not to be worshipped as God. The munshi quotes a passage from Luke (Chapter xv. 21), in which he thinks the word "heaven" is used as a name of God. He is perhaps right in the opinion which he has formed. I say " perhaps, " because the words rendered, " I have sinned against heaven, " i\fxaprov tig tov ovpavov, may be translated literally, " I have sinned to hea- opulent knight, from whom they have received their appointment and employment ! Aspandiarji thus comments on another passage of the lecture on the Vandidad. "' I invoke the pure Sarosh, who strikes with extended arm the congregated Devas ' is not fully comprehended, though in the Vendi- dad it is only, that Sarosh raises his weapon to strike Daroj. Sarosh is here substituted for Reason, which, when duly exercised curbs the evil propensities of the mind of man. Sarosh is also the name of an angel. And if our friend be still inclined to his own understanding, I would only observe that the actions which are ascribed in the Bible to the angels, are in many respects more absurd and unreasonable, than those attri- buted to Sarosh. " What we find in the Vandidad are these words, *' JYizbyimi Qraosem asim akwaodhem cnathis zacUja drizhimno kameredha paiti dacvanam" The sense of this, I maintain, I have substantially given. The Mobed puts daruj, a word of like meaning for da£va, which he will see, is the last word in the sentence. It. is " over the head of the Daevas," that the weapon of Sarosh is to be held. The Gujarati translator of the Vandidad applies the word "Sarosh" to the alleged angel of that name ; but it is not with the conduct attributed to Sarosh, but with the conduct of the Zoroastrians to Sarosh, when they worship him, that I here find fault. I know of nothing " absurd and unreasonable" ascrib- ed to angels in the Bible. Respecting another of the Pars! Izads, Aspandiarji says, "There is no crime in invoking Marcspand, who is represented as a shining angel, when by invocation it is meant to praise and admire that great being who is the source of all light." It is a great crime, however, to praise any angel instead of God, or as God, as the Parsis do when they call upon their Izads. * Talini-i-Zartusbt, p. 1,15. POLYTHEISM GT THE PARSIS INDEFENSIBLE £77 ven," that is to the highest extent, or may be interpreted as in- timating that the sin of the prodigal was offensive to God ant* to all holy beings in heaven. If the word " heaven" be consid- ered a name given to God, because he is the supreme and only authority in that blessed region, where the effulgency of his glory is displayed, it must be clearly seen that it is used not in an absolute, but in a figurative sense, which can- not be mistaken any more than the use of the word " throne" of England or any other country, for the king or queen who may be entitled to sit upon it, and dispense judgment. When Dosabhai translates the words, " In them [the heavens] hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, " by ^ Wn H^tajHJt *ni illi% SH^l ni£i<^, or" God has built a divine temple for the sun, "* he is guilty of a gross perversion, from which af- ter all, he is unable to draw any inference in support of the worship of heaven. Aspandiarji is, if possible, more inconsi- derate and feeble in his attempt to vindicate his cause than his friend the munshi. In reference to a quotation of mine, — "Invoke, O Zoroaster, the heaven given-by-god," he says, " I have simply to state that such reading is not to be found in the Vandidad. The only direction given therein by Hormazd to Zoroaster is, 'Contemplate, O Zoroaster, the heaven, and thus bring to thy recollection the power and energy of mer who have sustained it without any support. ' "f My quota- tion, I maintain, is correct, though for " given-by-God," I now prefer " self-given" as a translation of khadata. I have referred to the original Zand, of which it is the translation in my sermon entitled " the Doctrine of Jehovah;" and I here repeat it as found in the nineteenth fargard of the Vandi- dad, — nizbyanguha tu Zarathustra thwdsahi khadhdtahe.% These * Ta-lim-i-Zartusht,p. 737. f Hadf-i-Gum-Rahan, p CO. English version. X Author's MS. vol ii, p. 229. 278 POLYTHEISM OF THE TARSTS INDEFENSIBLE. words arc thus rendered into Gujarati by Aspandiarji's father. Padh tu Zartusht asmdn khaddd* which means, Invoke (or worship) thou O Zoroaster, the heaven khaddd or self- existent heaven. I publicly challenge Aspandiarji to pro- duce from the Vandidad any passage in Zand corresponding with his alleged quotation. If I am not mistaken, he anticipat- ed something like the reply which I now give, for he adds to his critique the assertion, that " there is also an angel by name asmdn, who presides over the heaven, or sky, " evi- dently wishing to insinuate that the worship recommended, and which at first he wished to conceal, is only angelic wor- ship. I am the more confirmed in this opinion by the con- clusion of the notice which he takes of the matter. " If there is any impropriety, " he asks, " in invoking heaven, why should the Christians themselves resort to it in their pray- ers. " f The allegation which he here makes, I need scarce- ly observe, he leaves without proof. " Heaven is a term, " he goes on to say, " which is not unfrequently employed in the Bible as an emblematic (emblem) of God." Were " heaven " invoked, then, in the instances in which this is the case, it ought to be clearly seen that it is not the region of hea- ven, but its glorious occupant, even God himself, who is invok- ed. The two texts which he quotes from the New Testament are altogether inapplicable to his argument. " Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool. " ^ If we are not to swear by heaven or earth, far less are we to pray to them or to worship them. " Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth ; and the heavens are the works of thy hands." § Their creation by God is the very reason why they are not to be worshipped. The attention of the Mobcd, I request to the verses which follow. " They [the earth and heavens] shall perish, but thou [the Son of God] rcmaincst : and they shall wax old as doth a garment ; and as a vesture shall thou fold them up, and they shall be changed : but thou art the ■ Ibid. p. 229. f HacK-i-Gum Rahan, p. HO. E. V. I Malth v. 3 -1,35. § Ilcb. i. 10. POLYTHEISM OF THE PARSIS INDEFENSIBLE 279 same, and thy years shall not fail. " There is an essential, an infinite, distinction between God and his most glorious works here recognized, which ought never to be overlook- ed, and which ought to be viewed as discouraging and in- terdicting all idolatry.* Zarvdna-Akarana or Time-without- Bounds, we have seen from a former part of this work, Dosabhai generally in- terprets in an impersonal sense, — as equivalent to eternity, for which he pleads for nothing more than a " remem- brance, "f Unfortunately for his argument, however, he him- self, in another page, has quoted from the Zand-Avasta this sentence, — Zurvdnem akaranem yazamaide .%, The last word here used, as we have already shown, is expressive of the highest act of worship, which, as addressed to eternity, must be considered in the highest degree unreasonable and absurd. The defence which Dosabhai offers of the worship of Bad, the angel who is supposed to preside over the wind, and of Sapandarmad, or Sapandar, a female angel who is supposed # Aspandiarjf, in tlic context of the extracts which we have now pro- duced from his publication, charges Christianity with the encouragement of idolatry. "The God of the Christians, " he says (p. Gl)," is invested with tlic perfect shape of a human being, since lie has a throne to sit upon, and the earth is his footstool to lay his foot upon ; and his Son Jesus pits beside him at his right hand." The inference which he here makes is both incorrect and indecorous. The language employed by the sacred' writers, is evidently figurative, and used in condescension to the imper- fect conceptions of man. Heaven is described as God's throne, for his glory, and majesty, and grace arc there most conspicuously displayed. The earth is his footstool, as comparatively mean and remote, when viewed with reference to heaven. Christ is said to sit at God's right hand, because in his human nature, and in his exalted state, as ascended on high, he occupies the place of greatest honour and power. The refer- ences which the Mobcd makes to a « couch, " and " plate, " and " cup " are quite degrading, when compared with the scriptural ima^e of n "throne," the seat of sovereignty. I am not surprised that he here sneaks ofthe "innocent religion of the Hindus, "for his ow„ is so much allied to it in erroneous doctrine and practice, that the one cannot be blamed without the other being condemned. t Talim-i-Zartusht, p. 137. t Talim-i-Zartusiit,p. 117. 280 POLYTHEISM OF THE PARSIS INDEFENSIBLE. to preside over the earth, * is exactly similar to that which we have noticed in the preceding and other paragraphs, and is in a similar manner to be repelled. Aspandiarji thus delivers himself: — " The term Zamin, or earth, which in the Avasta language is in the feminine gender, in the same manner as the word moon in English, is here [in the Vandidad] supposed to be the daughter of Hormazd, whose production surely it is. To invoke her and the wind, no doubt, implies the contem- plation of the various benefits flowing from the earth to man, as also of those which belong to the wind or air. " f We have no wish to frown upon geographical, geological, or meteoro- gical inquiries, far less upon making the works of God, and their various phenomena, the objects of devout contempla- tion ; but we do object to praying either to the earth and winds, or to the angels who are said to preside over them. It is personal invocation and praise, in professedly solemn wor- ship, which the Mobed has to explain ; but which he never can explain, without departing from the right interpretation of his sacred books. In the sense in which, he says, the earth is called the " daughter of Hormazd, " every existing thing may be parabolically said to be the daughter, or son, of Hormazd, by those who conceive that every thing is his " pro- duction. " He ought to know, however, that according to the Vandidad the earth is the " daughter, " and fire the "son," of Hormazd, in a peculiar sense, being not simply alleged products of his will and power, but portions of his spirit and substance, as has been already set forth. Faruhar, as applied to God, Dosabhai wishes to be consid- ered equivalent to johar, or " essence. " % We have already shown that it means a prototype, and is applicable to Hor- mazd, only when he is considered as the creature of Zarvd- na-Akarana. The worship of Hormazd's faruhar, which is proved by the terms employed, the munshi vainly wishes to set forth merely as the " remembrance " of the divine essence. The essence of God, better metaphysicians than Dosabhai, * See Talim-i-Zartusht, pp. 137, 138. t Hadi-i-Gum-Rahan, p,Gl. J Talim-i-Zartusht,p. J38. POLYTHEISM OF TriE PARSIS INDEFENSIBLE. 281 hold to be entirely beyond the knowledge of man. On all the Faruhars, but that of Hormazd, the munshi is silent. He truly felt the unsatisfactory nature of his limited reference, for though the doctrine of the Trinity has no connexion with it, he cannot refrain from scoffing at it as equivalent to the doc- trine of Tritheism, an imputation, which the very meaning of the word Trinity, which he knows right well, altogether forbids. In connexion with the matters on which I have now com- mented, Dosabhai repeats what he conceives to be the claims of Hormazd to divine worship. I have already at length shown the place which he really occupies in the sacred books of the Parsis* ; and I need not trouble the reader with un- necessary repetition. Were I to admit, which I do not, that Hormazd is represented in the Zand-Avasta as the supreme God, all that I have said about the impropriety and sin of the recognition of the other objects of worship, which have been brought before the notice of the reader, would still have its unqualified and undiminished force and application. Aspan- diarji thinks that he has found a final and satisfactory vindica- tion of his sacred books in the following declaration. — " That the religion of the Parsis includes the worship of the only one God, may appear quite evident from the following quo- tation in the Avasta. " (Avasta). Ianghe hatdma dada iasne pete vangho maj~ da ahuro vethd ashdd hacha.f " (Meaning). In the same manner it may be command- ed, that in preference to the other Izads the great Dadar Hormazd alone should be worshipped and prayed (to), for he alone distributes the proper rewards. "J The Mobed has not told us whence he has taken the pas- sage. I beg to inform the reader, however, that it is among the Parsis as a mantra among the Hindus, and that it oc- curs at the conclusion of the fourth and other Has of the I- zashne, and is used frequently in their liturgical services. The * See Chapter ii. f Sic scribit Magus. J Hadi-i-Gum Italian, p. 62. 20 282 POLYTHEISM OF THE PARSIS INDEFEASIBLE. translation of the Zand given by Aspandiarji, is altogether incorrect. I defy him, and all the dasturs of India, to pro- duce a single word or clause here warranting the comparison of Hormazd with the other Izads. I do more than this. I main- tain that the passage, as is proved by the subjoined note,* • The passage, when exactly represented according to the Zand let- ters, and given in full (for Aspandiarji has omitted some words), is as follows : — YingM htittim dat ya^nepaiti vangho mazdao ahuro vaethd asa\ hacha ydonghsimchd t&gcha taogcM yazamaidhe. The translation of these words, if we may judge from the unsuccessful attempts which have been made, has long been felt to be a difficulty both by learned Asiatics and Europeans. The difficulty does not arise so much from inability to attach a specific meaning to each of the vocables em- ployed, for such a meaning is apparent, but from the awkwardness of the grammar and construction. 'The following is Nariosangh's Sanskrit rendering, or rather para- phrase : gkHrii: ttfwfs^Rf W%*3'- f^T %3K" ^PT *Rv PiP^ qVK>*»> .^^J-"^-"^ Airyanem-Vaejo, Qughdho, Mouritm, Bakhdhim, Nisdim, Haroyim, Vaekerentem, Urvam, Khnentem, Haraqaitim, Huetumefitem, Ragham, Chakhrem, Varenem, Hapta-Hen- du, Ranghaydo. It must be evident that there must be some difficulty in identifying the Zand names with those of places known to the moderns. The Parsis, however, as we have seen, have made the attempt ; and for this they are not to be blamed. As the above-mentioned places came from the hands of Hormazd, they were like heaven itself; but the murderous Ahriman interfered with their bliss, by creating various evils within their borders. Some of these evils are said to have been moral, and others, natural. Among those of the former kind, we find the works of burying and burning the dead, which are no doubt ascribed to the devil, because of the imagined sa- credness and purity of the earth and fire, to prescriptions for the purification of which a great part of the Vandidad is de- voted. Among those of the latter, we find the creation of winter, which is spoken of as ■ &£«• -u»j-V» >«-»_) daevo-du- tem, or " given of the devil," and the formation of numerous ants, flies, and lice, which are supposed to be essentially in- jurious to man. What kind of being, I would ask the Par- sis, is he who can alter the course of the seasons, in opposi- tion to the will of God, by whom it has been established in the exercise of his unerring wisdom and almighty power, \ WONDERFUL PROCEEDINGS OF JAMSHID. 295 and who, but God himself, can form and impart life even to the meanest insect ? Is there no sin in robbing the divine Being of his prerogative as the only Creator ? Is there no ab- surdity, for reasons which we have stated in a former chapter, in imagining the winter to be essentially an evil? Can no de- sign in the formation of the detested insects be discovered, without referring them to an imaginary Evil Principle ?* 2. The second fargard of the Vandidad introduces to our notice, the alleged intercourse of Vj-uwj-u))^ t? .V^n? Yimo Vivanghano f or Jamshid the son of Vivanghao, and his successful endeavours to promote agriculture and diffuse happiness in the districts of Iran. The accounts which are * Dosabhaf, (Talim-i Zartusht pp. 5G-59) with a view to shield the Vandidad from the charge of ascribing divine power to Ahriman, makes a reference to the fifth chapter of Mark, in which we have an account of the expulsion of two thousand devils from the man who lived among the tombs, their entrance into the herd of swine, and the destruction of those animals by their rushing into the sea. If he had shown that Christ was baffled by the devils, he would have got a parallel to that against which we object in the Vandidad. As the matter stands, he leaves us with a happy contrast, which the Parsf reader will not fail to make, to the dis- advantage of his sacred books. As to the assertion, borrowed by the mun3hi from Voltaire, that there were no swine kept in the country where the miracle i3 said to have been performed, the reply is easy. Though the Jews were forbidden to make the sow an article of food, they tolerated its existence for the consump- tion of refuse and impurities. The swine forming the herd, being in- tended for food, were probably suffered to be destroyed by Christ, be- cause the Jews ought not to have possessed them for this purpose. t This is given in the ninth Ha of the Izashne as — .VH)e» .'?-"»7>L> -V^Jns Yimo Hvanghald puthrd. In the same Ila, the name of the father, in the nominative case, is given as £-u»W,?-0»7,i' Vivanghao. A curious anology is thus revealed between Yinw of the Vandidad and qrr Yama of the Hindu Puranas, who is set forth as the son of h. \ Vandidad, is Pa-Zand. The Pa'ilavi is Jud-deva-ddd. Both these words have the same meaning ns Datcm-Vidoyum. I It is thus given hy Anquetil du Perron. " Que le Destour lc recite; que celui qui a peche le recite. S'il no prend pas sur lui (de fairc reciter le Vandidad), qu'on ne s'interessc pas a son sort : s'il est eloignc de don- ner, fee qui est present pour cela), qu'on ne lui donne rien (a manger) ; s'il ne charge pas (le Destour de cet office), qu'on ne prenne pas eoin de lui : il est ensuite ordonne au pur Destour de le punire trois fois. Si cet homme avotie le mal qu'il a fait, (cet aveu), ce repentir en sera l'expia- tion: mais s'il r/avoue pas le mal qu'il a fait, il aura lieu de s'en repentir jusqu'a la resurrection." Zand-.lvasta, vol i\,p. 302. The original is here somewhat obscure ; but let not Aspandiarjf grumble at Anquetil's transla- tion of the passage, till he can give us a better. DEFILED LAND. ,307 fire, water, trees, men, etc. The mother's first food is to be the ashes of the Atish Behram, with three, six, or nine cups of cow's urine.* We should like to know what the Medical Board of Bombay think of this prescription. I would advise the Par- sis to take their opinion of its merits, and of those with which it is associated in the Vandidad, before they again follow it. Hell, is to be the portion of those who may touch a wo- man's defiled clothes, till they are regularly purified. 6. The subjects treated of in the sixth fargard of the Van- didad, are somewhat similar to those to which the fifth re- lates. The cultivation of land upon which there has been the dead body of a man or dog, or the introduction to it of water, be- fore a year has expired from the time of its defilement, is to be held to be equivalent to the crime of the Tanafuri, and to be punished with two hundred stripes. I wonder if the Par- si farmers on the island of Sdshti attend to this ordinance. I should like to know also what they think of that which fol- lows it in the Vandidad ? <: Dadar, if it be the wish of the Mazdayacnas to prepare land, and to make rills to moisten it, that they may cast seed unto it, what ought the Mazdayacnas to do? It was thus replied, Let the Mazdayacnas see if there be upon it bones, hair, flesh, urine, fresh blood. If a Mazdayapna do not examine whether there is in the land, bones, hairs, flesh, urine, and fresh blood, what is their crime. It was thus replied, He will be guilty of the Tanafuri, in thoroughly punishing him with the two hundred, let him be thoroughly punished with two hundred leather cords of the skin of the horse." A substan- tially correct translation of this passage, which is now literally rendered from the Zand, I gave in ray lecture on the Vandi- dad.f I cannot deny my readers the gratification which they will derive from the persual of the whole of Aspandiarji's phi- losophical comment upon it. l: To these foregoing lines," * Framji Aspandiirji expoun li this to the effect, that the potion of cow's urine should be repeated for three, six, or nine nights, according to circumstances. t P. 2o\ 303 BONES, H1IK, NAILS. lie says, " it might thus bo replied. Whoever would cast a glance over the preceding paragraph, might be fully assured, that the absurdity, of which our friend accuses the Vandi- dad,— because it enjoins to preserve the brooks or rivulets which the Mazdayapnas might wish to make, from being mix- ed with bones, hairs, nails, skin, and newly shed blood, — is quite erroneous, as well as gratuitous. Some such provision must be made, when an aqueduct is constructed for the con- veyance of water to a town, or city, otherwise mixed with filth of the nature above described; the water of it might prove productive of numerous evils. Hair, nails, and skins, and such like other animal substances, have almost a poisonous effect on the system, if introduced into the stomach. It has therefore become quite obligatory upon the giver of the law to warn the Mazdvacnas who might wish to make brooks and rivulets, against their defilement. The Vandidad does not say, that the offender shall be struck two hundred times with the leathern cords of the skin of the horse, but with the horse ivhip itself. All of you are aware, that there are many cities and towns, which, from the aridity of their soil, and from their distance from the neighbouring stream or river, have aqueducts conveyed to them, which provide water for the people, and the public authorities who have charge for (of) them, keep a constant watch over the water that it may not be defiled by the populace. If we have such instances of public precaution against the defilement of water, what wrong is there in the Vandidad if it introduces a clause to the very effect? I wonder our friend the Padre should ever think of finding fault with this clause of the Vandidad, while he himself possesses such acute feeling on the subject of wholesome beverage, as to touch no other water but that which has previously undergone the process of distillation."* This is really amusing in no ordinary degree. There is not a single word in the original Zand about conveying wa- ter by aqueducts to towns or cities. The passage refers solely to the irrigation of lands for the purposes ofhusbund- * Hadi-i-Cuin-Raahn, p. 7J,72. ESCAPE OF MARROW FROM BON'F.S. 309 ry. An intelligent agriculturist will he inclined to consider the articles which arc to be so diligently sought for, as not in- different manure, and helps to vegetation ; and were he left to choose between "leather cords of the skin of the horse," and the " horse-whip itself,''* as the instruments of his punish- ment for leaving them unremoved, he would be at some loss to decide. The notice of my aqueous beverage, is entirely a fiction ; and I give Aspandiarji permission heartily to scourge its author, whenever he can lay hands upon him, with either of these weapons which he is able most effectually to apply. But we must return to the Vandidad. It next introduces to our notice in a very serious manner, the crime of allowing grease or marrow from the bone of a dead man or dog to make its escape. If the bone be of the size of the little finger to the first joint, 30 stripes are to be inflicted ; if of the size of the part extending to the first joint of the finger, between the little and the middle finger, 50 stripes arc due ; if it be of the size of the part of the large finger extending to the first joint, TO are due ; if it be as long as a finger, and as broad as a rib, 90 are due ; if it be of the length and breadth of two fin- gers, or of the length and breadth of two ribs, 200 stripes are due ; if it be of the length and breadth of the side or breast, 400 stripes are due ; if it be as large as the part of the head covered with hair, 600 stripes arc due; if it be of the size of a whole body of a dead dog or man, 1000 stripes arc due. I have no hesitation in saying that such dignified legislation as this is unparalleled. On one occasion I directed to it the at- tention of a descendant of the Modes and Persians residing in Bombay. " The word of God !" said he, "why, this is not even the word of man. It is the word of stupidity." The next subject with which the Vandidad lias to deal, is that of extracting a dead body from water. The person who discovers it, is to strip himself of his clothes, pull it out, and place it upon dry ground. The water is defiled in all direc- tions for six gams, (paces) round the spot where the dead * Aspandiarji, even in n trifling matter of this kind, is not able to pre- serve consistency. 310 DEFILEMENT OF WATER, POSSESSION* OF BODIES EY NACUS. body was lying ; that of a well is altogether defiled ; snow is defiled for three gams in all directions ; the water of the river for nine gams before, and six behind, and three be- neath. How impurities arc to be confined within these spa- ces, and how they are to extend throughout them, we are not informed. The defilement of the Horn tree is in some re- spects similar to that of water. Dead bodies are to be car- ried on a bier of iron, stone, or lead, to a high place, where they may be devoured by dogs or birds. If it be impossible to find a place where they may be so devoured, they are to be exposed on a bed to the sun, on a high situation. 7. We have not yet done with the dead bodies of men, and dogs. They form the principal topic of consideration in the seventh fargard. The Drukks, or devil Nacus, seems so have a wonderful predilection for them. He enters them from the north as a fly, the second watch after the breath is departed, taking pos- session, in the first instance, of the knees and hips, and with- out regard to the manner of their death, whether it be by a dog, a wolf, magic, disease, fear, men, violence, or want. He does not confine his furious visitations to the lifeless carcases; but he pollutes the assemblies in which a death occurs, in the way mentioned in a preceding fargard. The carpet on which a man or dog has died, must be care- fully purified. The parts of it which have been particularly defiled, must either be cut out or thoroughly washed. If it be of leather it is to have three ablutions of cow's urine, to be rubbed three times with ashes, washed three times with water, dried, and laid aside for three months. If it be of cot- ton, it is to have all these attentions doubled. Water is the great purifier, and it is a vast deal more than this : — .^jjjHjj-JO^x .-WW -f^fel/g^ . (r£|-«H JJ-J0i»< •■*uO' .£■"»' * Lithographed Vandid&d, p. '232. PRAISE OF WATEP, EATERS OF CORPSES, ETC. 311 — Aredvinam dpa qpitama Zuratlmstra, hd m2 dpo yao- zhdadhditi hd arsnam khsudhrdo hd khsathrandm gere- wam hd kshathranam paima: — The water named Are- duisur [literally the lofty], O (Qpitama Zoroaster, is the-giver- of-purity. It is the strength of young-men ; it [is] the foetus in women ; it [is] the milk of women."* This doctrine has no doubt originated in the deification of water. The dasturs themselves seem to be ashamed of it. for Framji Aspandiarji, in his Gujarati version, considerably disguises it.f The mat, even when purified, is not to be worn by pure men. It is to be reserved for women when they arc in a state of separation. The person who eats of a dead dog or dead man, can never be purified. Hell will undoubtedly be his portion."]: * The name by which this water is known among the Parsfs. t Author's MS. vol. i, p. 206. Anquetil (Zand-Avasta torn ii, p. 319) translates it thus : — "Elle sera purifit'e par l'eau Ardiousour ; cctte eau qui est a moi, 6 Sapetman Zoroaster, qui donne la semence au jeune homme, qui rende la femme feconde, et donne Ie lait a celle qui a recu le gcrme.'' The Parsfs have got such a horrid idea from their books of the water of the firmament, that after expressing it in Greek, I have felt compelled to withdraw what I had written from notice. I In my Lecture on the Vandidad, (p. 31), I referred to the injunctions on this and similar matters, as illustrative of the remark that "ceremo- nial impurity [according to the Vandidad], is more heinous than moral impurity." Dosabhaf, misapprehending or perverting my remark, repre- sents me (Talim-i-Zartusht pp. G9 — 79) as encouraging the use of dogs for food, and the practice of cannibalism ! !, It is only against the doctrine of the vnpardonableness, of the sin of dog-eating, and corpse-eating, when contrasted with the lenient treatment of other sins of even a deeper die, that my remark was pointed. I know well the injunctions of Moses (Deut. xiv.) forbidding the eating of any abominable thing, to which Dosabhaf di- rects my attention; and I most decidedly admit their propriety. I must de- clare, however, that Dosabhaf is guilty of worse than a logical blunder, when from the words of Christ, "Not that which gocth into the mouth de- fileth a man ; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defilcth a man," he deduces the inference which he makes (p. 60), that Christ has given the order "that man should remain unclean and eat corpses." In the passage to which the Munshi refers, there is no order whatever on the subject of bodily impurity, or eating and drinking. There is merely a comparison between bodily defilement and spiritual defilement, according ',i\2 PHYSICIANS PRACTICE AND FEES. Directions arc given for the purification of the wood, on which a corpse may have been carried, and of the grass on which a corpse may have been deposited. It is much easier, it is said, to purify dry wood and dry grass 'ian that which is moist, because in the latter the sacred juice is affected. With what has now attracted r »r notice, the priest, I sup- pose, has most to do. The physician, next comes on the stage. He must try his skill in the first instance among the worshippers of the devils ; and he must be successful in three attempts to cure them, before he can be warranted to prac- tise among the Mazdayapnas. If he neglect this rule, and in- jure a Mazdayacna. he must be considered as guilty of a capi- tal crime. Take care, O Hindus, of a Pars! doctor, when he first offers you his services, lest he be merely experi- menting upon your comparatively useless carcases. With re- gard to fees, a doctor is on the whole to be well treated, ex- cept perhaps by the priest, who has merely to give him his blessing.* The master of a house is to give the value of a small animal, such as a sheep or goat ; the master of a street, that of an animal such as a cow; the master of a city, that of a large animal ; the master of a province, that of four excellent horses. The price of the cure of the wife of a master of a house, is that of a milk-ass ; and of the son of the master of a street, who seems to be more valuable than his mother, — that of a large animal, such as a bull. For the cure of a large animal, the pr.'Ce of a middle-sized animal is to be given ; for that of a middlc-si/ed animal, that of a small animal, such as a goat ; for the cure of a goat, a supply of milk. It is to be hoped to which the former is represented as utterly insignificant when compar- ed with tlio latter. "Do not ye yet understand," added Christ, "that whatsoever entercth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught ? But those things which proceed out of the mouth, coaie forth from the h<>art, and they defile the man. Fur out of the heart pro- ceed evil thought^ murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false-witness, blasphemies. These arc the things which defile a man." Sec Matthew, chap. xv. * Framjf Aspandiaiji (Author's MS. Vol. i, p. 336,) says that its merit IS worth three thousand ordinary fe< CURES PERFORMED BY THE WORD. 313 that the doctors of Bombay will henceforth attend to this leg- islation when they make out their bills. Cures, we are In- formed, may be effected by the lancet, by drugs, and by the •**^$f mathra, or word! Those brought about according to the last mentioned method, are declared to be the most effectual. On the point now noticed, let us give a hearing to Aspan- diarji. " The secret of the fact which he (Dr Wilson) has introduced into his pamphlet," he says, " regarding the most powerful efficacy ascribed to the recitation of the Honover, in driving away evil passions, etc., does not seem to be fully comprehended by our learned friend. But before he entered upon the task of imposing a blame upon the Pars! religion, on account, as he imagines, of the absurdity of this circum- stance, he should have inquired as to the real signification of the term Honover. But since he has omitted this essential part of his work, I cannot help thinking it, in justice to the subject, as my duty, to supply the deficiency. Honover is the name of that Almighty Being who is the Lord of all things and the possessor of all power. The repetition of this Great Name is described in the Vandidad as being attended with pe- culiar power and efficacy in expelling the Ahriman, that is* ? the vicious propensity of the human heart. The manner in which this holy word is to be repeated, and the numerous ad- vantages flowing from such an act, have been described to (at) a considerable length in the Vandidad. What absurdi- ty is there in the repetition of the name of God Almighty ? It is the theme of almost all religions now prevalent among the various nations. By the repetition of the holy name of God, wonderful effects have been described in the religious books of the Hindus. Nor is the fact less adverted to, in the Bible itself, for Christ himself has assured his apostles that they might achieve a great many miraculous acts in his name, such as the expulsion of the devils etc. There remain there- fore no sufficient grounds for our friend to attack the Vandi- dad on this ground.'7* The Mobed is very solicitous, on all * HacH-i-Gum-Ralian, p. 73. 22 •314 DEFILED GROUND, AND ERASING DAKTIMAS. occasions, when lie cannot upset my arguments, or pervert my statements, to retreat behind " secrets," " mysteries,'' " parables," and what not ; but he is always wonderfully un- successful in explaining these occult sayings. In the present instance, he has dug a pit for himself, into which he must tumble head over heels. Hunavar is not the name of God, but of the word of Hormazd in general, or of the mathra, commencing with the words ycilhd ahd vairyo. It is not the " vicious propensity of the human heart," that is spoken of in the passage before us ; but it is such diseases as may be operated upon by the '-'lancet," and by " drugs," which arc mentioned along with the mathra, or word, which is declared to be the best remedy. The apostles of Christ performed no miracles by any enchantment following the mere repetition of the name of Christ. They wrought " in the name,"* or by the authority and power vouchsafed to them by the Saviour. The effects said to follow the performance of ndmochchdrana by the Hindus, the Mobed knows right well, can never be substantiated. Leaving the cure of man, the fargard before us proceeds again to treat of the cure of defiled ground. That on which a corpse has lain, must not be tilled for a year ; and that in which a corpse has been buried, must not be tilled till fifty years have expired. That on which a dakhma, or repository for the dead, has been constructed, is not to be tilled till all the bones have mingled with the dust. The work of digging up dakh- mas, when they are no longer required, is declared to be highly meritorious. He who accomplishes it, has the merit of him who performs the paitit, or penitential ceremony, or who is pure in thought, word, and action. The sun, moon, and stars, will be delighted with him, and he shall shine resplend- ent in the regions of bliss. I gave a translation of the pas- sage, according to Anquetil, in which these statements arc made in my lecture on the Vandidad, observing, that accord- ing to them, " ceremonies or works approaching to them are more excellent than good moral actions," and adding what * Acts iii. (>. ERASING DAKIIMAS. 315 follows : — " Moral distinctions, the perception of which is so important for the regulation of human conduct, are hereby entirely lost sight of. Morality is consequently essentially in- jured. When it is believed, that particular ceremonies arc more efficacious than general obedience, the motives to good conduct are sadly weakened, and the eternal claims of the di- vine Being are lamentably overlooked."* Aspandiarji has been greatly puzzled to find an answer to my remarks, and that which he has given will surely satisfy no intelligent Par- si. " In the foregoing passage," he says, " the purport is hidden in the usual mysticism of the Vandidad. What fault is there to be found with the Vandidad, if it denounces the practice of tilling and cultivating that portion of the ground which had previously been allotted to the reception of the dead bodies ? For the production of such ground is, no doubt, injurious to the health of the people. It is also a great mistake on the part of our friend to state that ' They who have destroyed great Dakhmas, where were the bodies of dead men, shall be as if they have made the Paitit of thought, of word, and of action,' for the Vandidad enjoins to disinter, and afterwards to expose to the sun those bodies only, which had previously been buried into [in] the ground ; the Dakh- mas, which are the sepulchres of the Parsis, are already constructed in such a manner as to be exposed to the perpet- ual sun ; and consequently it is not requisite to remove the dead bodies out of them in order to expose them to the ac- tion of the sun. The most reasonable interpretation that can be put upon this mysterious passage of the Vandidad would be, to suppose that by the word ' grave ' is meant the body of man, and corpse or dead bodies signify the evil passions. Now to disinter the dead bodies may imply the removal of evil thought from the heart, and to expose them to the sun, may signify to make the heart pure and enlightened by divine knowledge ; such a person alone is understood to possess the merit of being pure in thought, in word, and in action. Him the great Dadar Ilormazd will reward, and assign a place in * Lecture on Vandid&d, p. 33. 31G 7TRAST7TO DAKHMTtS, the ninth heaven, the habitation of the souls of holy men, This is the sole mystery of the passage. His other passages such as, — ' He shall have long life, and pure fire shall con- tribute to his preservation ;' ' He shall neither receive blows nor wounds ;' are devoid of any authority in the Vandidad. It is also no less a calumny thrown against the scriptures oi the Parsis when the Rev. gentleman solemnly declares, — 1 moral distinctions, the perception of which is so important for the regulation of human conduct, are hereby entirely lost sight of,' — as if our friend means to insinuate that the Van- didad Sade enjoins aTI sorts of evil practices, such as theft, adultery, telling falsehood, the unjust and forcible appropria- tion of the properties of others, and such like other deeds, quite repugnant to the principles of morality. This unfound- ed charge of padre Wilson, is therefore quite gratuitous."* — It is not necessary to say much in reply to these lucubrations. The word which the Mobed renders "grave" is dakhma -"(ri.-u_j | in the original Zand, as he will see by turning up his Vandidad; and although dead bodies arc for sometime expos- ed to the light of the sun on the margin of the dakhma, it is a fact that the bones and other relics, after the flesh has been torn from them by the vultures, are thrown into the central pit. The disinterment to which, I am sure, the Vandidad al- ludes, is that of these bones ; but even if we take it in the more limited sense of a single grave proposed by the Mobed, it will only give intensity to my charge against the Vandidad, that it prefers an external act to penitence and inward right- eousness, and promises eternal happiness as its result. The sentences which the Mobed says arc " devoid of any author- ity in the Vandidad, " arc not essential to my argument. If he will again inspect that volume, and look at the Zand, instead of his father Framji Aspandiarji's comments upon it, he will sec substantially a warrant for them, and understand * The English version here given by Aspandiarji somewhat differs, as is not unfrcquently the case, with his Gaijar&tf work. As the former, however, may be supposed to have his latest thoughts on the matters in dispute, I prefer it for quotation. Il&di-i-CJum-Rahan, pp.79, BO . f Lithographed Vandidad, p. 243. iKKMA'l URL U1KTI1S. 317 Wv Anquetil, from whom I extracted them, has introduced them. The idea of interpreting the word " grave" as " the body of man," " corpse and dead bodies" as the « evil pas- sions," and the " disinterring the dead bodies," the "removal of evil thoughts from the heart," is so absurd, that the priest has been compelled to give it as merely suppositive. " Grave may mean," etc. he says ;but I ask, what does it mean? All that precedes it in the Vandidad, shows that it is neither more nor less than a repository of the dead, for digging up which salva- tion must be the consequence. If men arc thus easily to get rid of their sins, there is certainly encouragement given in the Vandidad to transgression. Docs the Mobcd not understand the difference betwen " weakening the motives to good con- duct," and "enjoining all sorts of evil practices r" That I am correct in taking the passages now referred to in their literal sense, and in repelling AspandiaijVs parabolical interpretation, will further appear from what immediately follows in the fargard before us. « Where", says Zoroaster, " are the male devils and the female devils ; where are they that come together and rush together ; where are the devils that come in crowds of fifty ; of more than fifty — a hundred; of more than a hundred — a thousand ; of more than a thou- sand—ten thousand; of more than ten thousand — an innu- merable multitude ? It was thus replied, They are in the dakhmas, O cpitami Zoroaster, which are in the lofty pla- ces, in which ttiey place dead men. In that place are the male devils and the female devils." This must decide the point, as well as evince the absurdity of a post mortem dia- bolical possession. More nonsense of the same kind will be found in the context. The fargard ends with a repetition of the law about prema- ture births, and other matters mentioned in the fifth fargard. The mother is to have two hundred stripes, if disliking3 the cow's urine and ashes, she commits a certain offence in re- ference to her food. Cattle eating of the corpse of a dog or man, are impure for a year. What a silly dictum ! Whoever heard of ruminant cattle with the ravenous propensities of the carnivorous ? 318 MANAGEMENT OF FUNERALS. 8. The eighth fargard continues the legislation respect- ing impurities. The house in which a man or dog has died, is to be puri- fied by incense and certain sweet-smelling odours. It will cer- tainly not be the worse for the use of them even in profusion. The body is to be taken to the dakhma, about the construe- tion of which particular directions are given as in a preced- ing fargard. The hair and body of the nar^akas, or bearer of the dead, is to be purified by the urine of cows, etc. The body is to be conveyed to the dakhma by some other way than that on which cattle, man, woman, or fire, the Son of Hormazd, or the pure barsam, are passing. In such a place as Bombay, the observance of this precept must be extremely difficult. A certain yellow dog, is to pass the road three times. He is to have "four eyes,"* and white ears. He must move along the road three times; and he will thus drive away the daruj Napus to the north. If such a dog be not found, an Athrava, or priest, must first move along the road, " repeating the victorious word, Yathd ahu vairyo, etc." A feast is to follow on the fourth day after the interment. No more cloth or leather than is necessary must be used in en- veloping a corpse, on the penalty of 400, 600, and 1000 stripes, according to the quantity employed-! Adultery is to be punished with 800 stripes, and rape is unpardonable till the resurrection. The performance of the paitit near a priest and the practice of the rites of the unal- terable Mazdayapni faith, are recommended. The devils are multiplied on the commission of another crime, which I need not mention. There is no defilement in touching a dead body thorough- ly dried ; but impurity is contracted by touching one that is fresh. The person to whom it attaches must perform various ablutions. He must first wash from his hands to his shoulders. * Two of these, as \vc have already mentioned, are explained by the Daatnrs to be merely spots above the eyes. t In common with Anqncti), I think the Zand forbids the use of a covering altogether. But 1 here give the Dastuis their own view of the -passage. EXPULSION OF THE DEVIL NACUS. ,'310 When tlie good water lias reached the crown of the head, the Drukhs [fiend j Nacus betakes himself to the back of the head. When it had reached the back of the head, the devil Nacus betakes himself to the mouth ; when it has reached the mouth, the devil Na9us betakes himself to the right car ; when it has reached the right ear, the devil Nacus retires to the left car. By a pursuit of this nature, tediously and par- ticularly detailed, the devil is expelled from the toes in the form of a fly, and betakes himself to hell. We have referred to the passage in our third chapter ; and we here only advert to it in passing.* There is no difficulty in translating the original, and the narrative, as remarked by Richardson, is quite inconsistent with common sense. " It can easily be solved," says Aspandiarjf, whose sentiments are somewhat similar to those of Dosabhai already noticed, " by reflecting upon what I have already observed, that Ahriman, or the Dews, or Daruj Nesosh are not real beings that might be sup- posed to have any independent corporeal existence, but are the personifications of the various evil passions which inhere in the breast of man. It is therefore enjoined in the Vandi- dad to subdue our passions gradually by the purification of our hearts, for it is quite out of the power of a human being to effect their subjugation at once. The washing of the body, which is enjoined in the Vandidad, means, strictly speaking, not only the external washing of the body, but also * This passage, so absurd in reference to its ceremonial and theolo- gical revelations, is not without interest in a philological point of view. The Zand words for the different members of the body, when reduced to the'r pure form, nre easily cognizable in the cognate languages. Thus we have for V-t^-uw -V|jK5-u ) dtuh&na gaoso, tho Sanskrit gf^uj- dakshina right, and the Persian ,>£^ gos/i ear ; for .ujjV*)' huija, the S. ^tjj- savi/a left ; for jj^jj^ kasha, tho S. ^y kaksha, arm-pit ; for J j (D -o jj y parst !, the S. rpx prishtha, the back; for jji_u.>^-jo^ fttana the S. ^r^j stoma, the breast; for jj^ju.Dg'lga peregdva, the S. <$% pargva, the side; fb-i jjeuj )jj rraoni, the S. jj^uj front, the loins: for j^iiJJO' S. the fjppq sakthi, tho thigh; for > ^fa zhamt, the S. ^rpr jdnu and Greek yovv the knee, for -u<^> j£-^J zanglui, ankle, the S. -Jqr janghd, k 320 PUNISHMENT OF THOSE WHO BURN THE DEAD. the internal purification of the heart. The fire of rage, and the flame of anguish, require to be extinguished by the water of patience. The prohibition which the Vandidad makes in regard to the touching of the dead body, is no doubt, worthy of attention ; nothing can be more impure and shocking than the sight of a body from which the pure soul has taken its flight. The frequent contact with corpses is also attended with other contagious evils. The Vandidad is not therefore reprehensible on that account." This solution is such as cannot for one moment prove satisfactory, unless it be admit- ted, that diabolical possession follows the accidental or de- liberate touching of a corpse, and that the simple application of water effects its destruction, which is more absurd than the difficulty it is intended to remove. The ceremony prescrib- ed in the Vandidad, is not said to be symbolical, but to be intrinsically operative. It has primarily to do with the bo- dies and not with the souls of men. This Aspandiaiji him- self cannot deny, for he is forced to speak of the actual de- filement of the outward man which accrues to him who comes in contact with the dead. To the removal of this defilement, I allow, water will be altogether effectual, if rightly applied. The Vandidad, however, tells us that it frightens away the devil Naqus. The Mazdaya9na, who may observe any person cooking or burning a corpse, is to destroy them, and seize their prop- erty. The fire must be put into a hole at a certain dis- tance from the place where it was found, and there fed with wood, and removed, successively to a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth, hole, where it is to be fed with odoriferous wood, and other substances, by which 1000 devils, 200 magicians, and a host of Paris,* will be de- stroyed, and by which, as the fire of Hormazd, it will be duly purified. The person who will then take this fire to the dadgah, (or fire-temple,) will have as much merit after death, as if he carried ten thousand other fires. The person who takes to the dadgah the fire in which excre- * Fuinca, female devils, very attractive in their person*. DEFILED FIRE, CORPSES, THE BARASHNOM. 321 ment has been burned, shall have the merit of him who carries 500 other fires. He who takes the fire found in ovens in which bread has been baked, shall have the merit of him who car- ries 400 fires. He who carries the fire of a potter, shall have the merit of him who is in the habit of carrying other fires. Great merit is in this way obtained by those who carry the fire found by a traveller, or that of a goldsmith, silversmith, ironsmith, steelsmith, coppersmith, that of the desert, of watchmen, shepherds, cowherds, and that which is near a dddgdh. Fire, it appears, is thus viewed as sacred, and must not be allowed solitarily to expire. A person living in the jungle, who may be defiled by a dead body, must either purify himself by ablutions of cow's urine, or betake himself to the towns for the assistance of the priests. If a man sullied by a corpse enter into water upon a road, his expiation must be 400 stripes. If he come in contact with fire, or pure trees, he is to have the same punishment. 9. The ninth fargard is principally occupied with a long, tedious, and absurd account of the ceremony of the pu- rification denominated the Barashnom, to be performed by, and in behalf of, a person who may have been defiled by touching the dead. It informs us how the stones are to be dug out and arranged, and how they should be 54 feet dis- tant from pure water, fire, man, and the barsam ; how by ablutions with water and cow's urine the devil Nacus is to be driven from the crown of the head to the toe, fighting every inch of the journey, exactly as narrated in the preced- ing fargard ; how the repetition of the mathras will stop the devils of Mazanderan and other places ; how the person in the course of being purified must be kept separate from the Mazdayacnas, for a certain number of nights, and for the same time from dirlerent purities, as fire, water, etc ; how lie is to receive a blessing from the priest, worth 4000 treas- ures ; how he is to get presents of camels, horses, cows, goats, and so forth, from other members of the community ; and how he is to get heaven as a reward after death. I am certain that no intelligent Parsi can peruse this part of the 322 FRIGHTENING OF THE DEVIL, BY THE WORD. Vandidad, without most clearly perceiving the extreme folly which it indicates on the part of its composer. 10. The tenth fargard of the Vandidad informs us what tvord must be repeated twice, thrice, and four times, at the different gathas, in order that Ahriman and various inferior devils, may be expelled from houses, cities, provinces, and from men and women defiled by touching the dead. If the devils be frightened by mere sound, the Parsis certainly need not be afraid of them. The fargard, in conclusion, alludes to the choice of a place for the performance of the Barashnom, particularly described in the ninth fargard. 1 1 . The eleventh fargard does not much differ from the tenth. It informs us how houses, fire, water, trees, cattle, earth, man, woman, the stars, the moon, and the sun, and all the luminaries, may be purified and hallowed by pronouncing the word. It shows us how fire, water, and the earth, are to be directly addressed in worship, and how a great variety of devils may be exterminated by the repetition of the word. 12. The twelfth, like the other fargards of the Vandidad, exists in the Zand language. It is not, however, as far as I am aware, to be found in the Pahlavi.* This is probably the reason why it has not been translated by Framji Aspan- diarji into Gujarati. The analysis which is given of it by Kaikobad, is more incorrect than that of the other fargards, a circumstance which favours the conclusion that the know- ledge of the Zand possessed by the Mobeds is now extremely faint. It is occupied by a description of ceremonies that are to be performed in behalf of the dead, and injunctions about the purifications of the places, clothes, and other articles which have been defiled by lifeless bodies. When a father and mother die, a son, or daughter, must on their behalf perform ^|-"(-w^_J -^£V-X3jH thristem dih- manam, thirty dahmans, or religious services addressed to the Izad Dahman, which are " equal to sixty Tanafurs," or • AnqueUl (Zend-Avastii, vol. ii, ]>. 371) says " cc fargard nc sc trouve dans aucun Vundidiul Zend-Pehlvi." SERVICES FOR THE DEAD. 'S'2'3 which procure a remission to this amount of the guilt con- tracted by the deceased, or the specific merit of the service, if guilt has not to be atoned for.* Thirty dahmans are prescribed for a deceased child ; thirty, for a brother or sister ; six, one of which is to be offered each month after the death, for the master or mistress of a house ; for a grand- father or grand-mother, twenty-live dahmans ; for a son or daughter, thirty dahmans ; for a grandson or grand-daughter, twenty-five dahmans ; for a cousin, twenty dahmans ; for a great-grand-father, fifteen dahmans ; for a great-grand child, ten dahmans; for a great-great-grand child, five dah- mans. It will be observed, that a specific merit, in every instance accrues to the departed from the prayers which are presented on his behalf. The custom of praying for the dead among the Parsis, is freely admitted by the controversialists to whom I reply. Aspandiarji thus expresses himself on the sub- ject. " It is not in the twelfth fargard of the Vendidad, as padre Wilson states, that the directions for offering prayers for the dead are given. It is of little or no consequence in what fargard the order is prescribed. Whatever our learn- ed opponent may say, as to the efficacy of offering prayer for the dead, in relieving the sinners from their just punish- ment, yet I cannot help believing that the prayers addressed to God in behalf of the deceased, for their relief, are not with- out an effect in procuring them the remission of their sins. The practice of offering prayers for the dead is observed by all nations ; even the Christian clergymen are observed to preach sermons and to make prayers for the dead. Among the Roman Catholics it is, we hear, a common practice to engage priests to say masses and to perform some funeral ceremonies in their churches for the sake of the deceased."! * Dahrnan is the angel, who is supposed to receive departed spirits from the hands of Sarosh, the imaginary guardian of the just, and to con- duct them to the regions of bliss. One of the prayers denominated Afrigana is called by his name. The temporal punishment of the Tatia- fur, as we have seen, is 200 stripes. What its post mortem punishment is said to be, I do not exactly know. f Hadi-i-Gum-Rahan, p. 90. 324 SERVICES FOR THE DEAD. The Mobcd, it will be seen, says nothing about the reasona- bleness of prayers for the dead. No Christian, who follows the Bible, ever observes the practice. That divine^word thus emphatically speaks of the future state : " He that is unjust, let him be unjust still ; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still ; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still ; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.''* It is in the twelfth fargard, we see, that prayers are pre- scribed for the dead ; and I suspect that it is because there is not a Gujarat! translation of this fargard, and be- cause Aspandiarji does not understand the original, that he has ventured to deny this fact. This, however, is indeed of little consequence. What merits our particular atten- tion, is the circumstance admitted by him that the Parsis do offer up their supplications for their deceased friends. " Prayers and religious services for the dead," I have former- ly said to the Parsis, " I must pronounce unavailing. The doctrine that the deceased may be either relieved from their just punishments, or advanced in their bliss, by the conduct of those who survive them, is directly opposed to the fact that men cannot satisfy the claims of the divine justice for themselves as individuals, far less procure a stock of merit which can be available for any of their fellow-creatures. It is calculated to foster daring and dangerous presumption in the minds of tli2 living, inasmuch as it affords them the hope that all that is necessary for their spiritual welfare, may be accomplished after they have been removed from this earthly scene ; and it thus conduces to lead them to delay repentance, and to confirm them in their sinful courses."! To this subject, I shall again advert, when, in the next chap- ter, we come to consider the means of salvation prescribed in the Pars! scriptures. Directions are given in this fargard for the purification of the places in which the relatives, mentioned above, have died. The cleaning of them is required, not only for the sake of man, but for that of fire, water, and trees ! It is to be ac- * Revelation, xx. J 1. f Doctrine of Jehovah, p. 56. CHARACTER OF THE DOG. 325 complished not merely by ablution, but by three repetitions of the word and other ceremonies. The fargard concludes with cautions against the two- footed devil Ashmog. 13. We have much in the preceding fargards about dead dogs. The thirteenth is devoted principally to the living members of the canine race. It is that which has furnished the principal material of the most pungent satire, addressed by Sir William Jones to Anquetil du Perron. I shall not offend, I hopc,the feelings, of the lovers of truth among the Parsis by giving the following translation from the French of a passage contained in a letter by the learned judge.* " They [the Vandidad, Izashne, and Vispard] contain no- thing which corresponds with the character of a philosopher, and of a legislator. Wo shall cite only the description of the dog ; and if, after this absurd rapsody, the most intelligible, and the most important part ot the book> the reader wish to read it entirely, he is indeed a bold spirit. See then how Zo- roaster speaks through his excellent interpreter. " The dog has eight qualities : he is like an Athorne (a priest), he is like a soldier, he is like a labourer, the source of wealth, he is like a bird, he is like a robber, he is like a ivild beast, he is like a woman of a bad life, he is like a young person.^ Is not this a beautiful group ! But we must have the details : Oh ! we shall have then really the sublime. List, " As the Athorne, the dog eats whatever he finds ; as the Athorne, he is benevolent and happy ; as the Athorne, he is content with every thing ; as the Athorne, he puts to a dis- tance those who approach him. lie is like the Athorne. See what a geometrical precision is formally observed. There is only a little want of common sense in the demonstration, but that is well compensated for by the fine and elegant man- * Sir William Jones addressed Anquetil du Perron in the French language, because it was that in which the translation of the Zand- Avasta appeared. ■j- The passages given in Italics in this translation, are extracts from the Vandidad. \ 326 CHARACTER OF THE DOO. ner in which Zoroaster has satirized the priests : and these words, he cats ivhat he finds, are very emphatic. We must henceforth remember, that long before our day, it has been consistent with a polite style most liberally to bestow the ti- tle of a dog. " The dog advances as a soldier. He attacks pure cattle, when conducting them like a soldier ; he roves be/ore and behind places like a soldier : he is like a soldier. There are many warriors who would not find such a comparison flatter- ing. . . . " The dog is active, watchful during the time of sleep, like a labourer th-i source of wealth ; he roves before and be- hind places, like a labourer the source of wealth : he roves behind and before places, like a labourer, the source of wealth. He is like a labourer. Before, behind, behind, be- fore. A graceful and emphatic repetition. ", Like a bird the dog is gay ; he approaches man like a bird, he nourishes himself with ivhat he can take like a bird. he is like a bird. " In the same way it can be proved that the dog resem- bles all the animals of Button's Natural History. The mon- key nourishes himself with what he can take, the cat likewise, the squirrel likewise ; and all the animals likewise. Therefore, the dog resembles all the animals. Oh ! What a fine thing is the Persian logic ! If he who gives us it so eloquently would keep a school, and impregnate the surrounding atmosphere, what an easy tone would not be substituted for the Roman and Greek pedantry ! " The dog ivorks in the dark, like a robber ; he is expos- ed to hunger like a robber. He often receives some injury like a robber ; he is like a robber. The poor dog is about to be lost in parallels, but notwithstanding the good inten- tion of Zoroaster, in his favour, what has he gained ? « The dog acts in the dark like a wild beast. His strength is during the night, like a wild beast : sometimes he has nothing to cat, like a ivild beast ; frequently lie re- ceives something bad, like a wild beast ; he is like a wild beast, M«'\v and agreeable turnings, at every moment ! CHARACTER OF TTIE POf! VANniTAPAK. 327 Don't laugh reader: respect antiquity; admire nil that belongs to Zoroaster. " The dog is content like a woman of bad life ; he van ders in the streets like a woman of bad life : nourishes him- self with what he can find, like a woman of bad life ; he is as a woman of bad life. The philosopher wished to prove that he was acquainted with all conditions ! What matter, that it was at the expense of the dog and of icason ? But patience ! let us have the last comparison, at least as just as the others. " The dog sleeps a great deal like a young person ; he is lively, and always in action like a young person ; he has a long tongue like a young person ; he runs in advance like a young person. Such are the two chief dogs which I have caused to move in places, to wit, the dog Pesoschoroioi, and the dog T'eschtroun. " Hormazd, great Ilormazd, origin of all good among the Guebres, if thou hast dictated this dog of a description to Zo- roaster, I give thee no yescht ; thou art but a foolish genius ; perhaps, with the ' colour of lillies and roses,' but certainly without brain. " You see, Sir, how the evil encreases ; we will in our turn end with these exclamations : will you like better this dilem- ma ? Either Zoroaster had not common sense, or he did not write the book which you attribute to him ; if he had not com- mon sense, he ought to have been left in the throng, and in obscurity ; if he did not write the book, it was impudent to publish it in his name."* This we suspect, will be considered by many of our readers a sufficient notice of the twelfth fargard ; but. as in the case of its neighbours, we must tako a regular, though brief, view of its general contents. The ftirgard opens with the following passage : — * Sir William Jones' Works, vol. x. pp. 433 — 437. 32S TREATMENT OF DOGS. .(dji^^jj .jpj.»|rlaji .^j •^rg^-utb>_) .Vw3-wNJJ»tbj_) ••«»•«' Kat tat ddmi r^pento mainyava aUangham ddmanam yoi henti spentahi mainyeus ddma ddtem vi^pem paiti usdong- hem dhu vakhsdt hazanghraja angro mainyeus paiti ja- ^aiti ? A' at mraot Ahuro-Mazdao cpdnem sizhdarem ur- viqarem yim vanghdparem yim maskydka ava duzhvachang- ho duzhakem nam aojaiti aetat tat ddma spehto mainya- va aetangham ddmanam yoi hefiti spehtahe mainyeus dd- ma ddtem viqpem paiti usaonghem dhii vakhsdt hazanghra- ja angro mainyeus paiti jaqaiti : — * — "What is that, in the creation, O exalted Spirit, — the creation of him who is the exalted spirit, the creation, which during the whole of the early Ushen [watch] making a noise [or crying dhii], in a thousand ways, assaults the wicked spirit [ Ahriman]? f Hormazd replied that it is the sharp small-head- ed dog Vanghapar to which men speaking evil, give a bad name : — it is this very [dog] which in the creation belonging to the exalted Spirit, — the work of him who is the exalted Spirit, which during the whole of the early Ushen, crying aloud, in a thousand ways, assaults Ahriman." According to this doctrine, dogs defend not only from the thief and robber, but * Lithographed Vandid&d pp. 403, 404. f This word is derived from Agro or Jbnghro-Mainyhis which literal- ly means, The wicked Spirit Sec Burnouf, p. 90 &c. The Parsis, gene- rally render it by the Murderous Invisible (being). The Persian mnw which they render by " invisible," it is evident, is derived from the Zand mainyu (noun mano) corresponding with the Sanskrit manas, the mind. MURDERER OF A WATER-DOG. 329 from the prince of darkness himself! Valuable protectors, in- deed, are they of the human race ! Why should we wonder that there should be a Hormazdian legislation for their pro- tection ? A person who may strike this dog Vanghapar, is to afflict his soul for nine generations ! He is one of those who will not pass the bridge of Chinavad. His punishment from men is to be a thousand stripes. Other dogs are mentioned, which assault inferior devils, and for striking of which pun- ishments are also prescribed. The striking of the dog JVa- mshumn is a capital offence. Giving bad food to dogs, is equivalent to giving bad food to the masters of houses, and is to be punished by from 200 to 50 stripes. They should be fed with fresh meat, or fat, and milk. Mad dogs are to be tied up, and kept in confinement. It is a capital offence to kill them. Let this be kept in mind by all the police sepoys of Bombay and the police magistrates also. A mad dog bit- ing a man or beast, is to have his right car cut off; for the sec- ond otfence, he is to lose his left ear ; for the third, his right foot ; for the fourth, his left foot ; for the fifth his tail ! The beautiful and sublime description of the dog, quoted by Sir William Jones, follows. The fargard concludes with a very impure description of the breeding of water dogs. 14. The fourteenth fargard continues the praises of the canine race. A person who strikes a water-dog, is to be treated to 10,000 stripes. He must, by way of atonement, carry 10,000 bun- dles of dry, and the same quantity of soft wood, to the fire of Ilormazd. He must furnish 10,000 barsams, 10,000 zors of pure Horn and its juice. He must kill 10,000 rep- tiles that creep on their bellies,* and 10,000 reptiles of • Though in these injunctions there is great absurdity, and though the question must occur, How could a sufficient Dumber of reptiles be procur- ed, U is probable that they have a reference to a country, in which noxious animals were very abundant. " Our stay in Mazenderan," says Sir Al- exander Barnes, (Travels into Bokhara, vol. iii, p. 108) was soon to close. It is a disagreeable country. It is a land of snakes and frocrS; but the snakes are not venomous, being of ihe water-species. They are to be sce« twisting and turning everywhere, and about the thickness of a good 23 .'330 FEEDING DOOSj IMPURITIES, TREATMENT OF WOMEN. the form of a dog, 10,000 turtles, 10,000 land frogs, 10,000 water frogs, 10.000 ants which drag the grain, and 10,000 stinging ants, 10,000 blood-suckers, 10,000 stinging flies. He must take out 10,000 impure stones from the ground. The fire of the twice-seven kinds (the A'tish-Beh- ram) is to be honoured by him. lie is to present to the priest the instruments of his craft, a knife, the gostddn, the paddn, a whip for killing vermin, the merkinddn, the havanim, the tasto, the horn, and the barsam. He is to present to the sol- dier the instruments of his craft. He is to present gifts to the agriculturist. He is to present a field and a virgin of fifteen years of age, tuilh golden ornaments, fourteen goats, fourteen whelps, etc. etc. to pure men or priests. If he make not these atonements, he must go to the abode of the devils. On this nonsense, I forbear to comment. 15. The fifteenth fargard of the Vandidad commences with the notice of certain crimes which are declared to be -u<«-'o^-»j>>_^)f-u .-u^^j-uy-" apaitita anuzvarsta, incapable of being undone by the penitential services, or of being par- doned. The first of them is following out ones' own inclination- in reference to religion, and giving even a very little praise to- another faith. The second is feeding the dogs Pasushurun, or Veshurun, with hard bones, or too hot food. If the bones stick in their teeth, or throats, and if with the hot food their gums and tongue be burnt, and if they die, the offender has com- mited a capital (nnrgzam) offence. The third is the kill- ing of a dog great with young, or the pursuit or frightening of her by noise, so as to make her fall into a ditch, well, or water, or sewer, to her injury, which is also a capital crime. The fourth is having connexion with a woman, when she should be in a state of separation, which is also a capital crime. The fifth is having connexion with a woman in advanced pregnancy, which is also a capital crime. Several laws relative to abortions and illegitimate children, are next laid down. One specimen of them we have given in sized whip. Almost -ii every pace your horse disturbs some frogs, winch scramble in vain for concealment even in a country of bushes and shrubs-" CUTTING HAIK, l'ARING THE NAILS, ETC. 331 •our first chapter. I am greatly mistaken if any intelligent Parsi layman can peruse tltem without reproaching the mem- ory of their author ; and I shall say nothing more respecting them. / Handa est rernm el verborum obsacnilas. The birth of clogs, and their accommodation, and guardi- anship, are then treated of at considerable length. 16. The sixteenth fargard is occupied with the treatment •of a woman in her separation. The place of her retirement must be dry, fifteen paces from fire, water, and the barsam, and three from pure men ; and she must not look upon fire. The persons who convey food to her, must remain three paces distant from her. Her meals must be taken to her in vessels of iron, lead, or other cheap metals. If her infant be taken to her, there must be an instant ablution. She must keep at a distance for three, four, five, six, seven, oight,or nine days, as circumstances may require. Her illness is directly declar- ed to be the work of the devils, and to be removed by perform- ing the Izashne and Niaish. Three stones arc to placed for her, on two of which she has to wash herself with cow's urine, and on the third she has to perform her ablutions with water. She must then set upon the destruction of vermin, to the number of two hundred. If a man approach a woman in a state of separation, he is guilty of the Tanafur, and is to be treated to 200 stripes. If she come into contact with others, she is to receive 30, 50, 70, 90 stripes, according to the repetition of her offence. If she will not take care of herself, destruction will be her por- tion. 17. The seventeenth fargard of the Vandidad, I formerly introduced into my lecture, according to the translation of Anquctil du Perron. It ran as follows: " Hormazd replied, Behold, O pure Zoroaster ! When in the world which exists by my power, men arrange the hair of the head, pull out bad hairs, or cut them oil' entirely, or when they cut the nails without observing the prescribed ceremo- nies ; — by these two criminal actions, the Dews come upon the earth, by these two criminal actions air produced the 352 CUTTING HAIR, PARING NATLS, ETC. Kharfestars, which men call lice, which go into men, and which run upon their clothes. " O Zoroaster ! when in the world which exists by my pow- er, you pull out the hair or cut it aH off, carry it to the dis- tance of ten gams from men, twenty from pure fire, thirty from water, and thirty from the united Barsam. You must take a hard stone from the uncultivated ground, as large as a veteshto, hard as an almond ; you must put it into a hole or pit, leaving the hairs under it, and pronouncing the victorious word, O Zoroaster ! Now, O holy Hormazd, cause trees to spring up abundantly in this place. You must trace round the stone, or mark out, three, six, or nine honovers. (It is the desire of Hormazd etc. etc.) " You must in like manner take another stone of the length of a little finger, which must be placed at the side nearest to Hormazd. You must lay the nails under it, pronouncing the victorious word, O Zoroaster ! I invoke thee with purity. Trace round the stone three or nine Keishaswith a steel knife, reciting three, six, or nine honovers, and saying, bird Asho- sliest, I address my prayer to thee. I invoke thee. I adore thee. Those who address this bird Ashoshest shall be assist- ed against the Dews of Mazenderan with the lance, the poig- nard, the bow, the arrow, the pike, and the sling fitted for stones. " If this bird be not invoked, and addressed, all these wea- pons will become the prey of the devils of Mazenderan, viz. the lancet, the poignard, etc., with which the Dews of Mazen- dran can be opposed. The offenders are worthy of hell ; they become the possession of the Daruj, without a chief; they re- ceive no assistance from Serosh ; they are impure, and are guilty of the Tanafur." And what are the explanations furnished by the learned dasturs of this trilling and absurd legislation ? My quota- tion, says Aspandiarjf, betrays " the want of sufficient know- ledge" of " the mysterious religion of the PdrHs." It is a pity that he has not made the attempt to unfold the secrets and to remove my ignorance. He says that in my translation, I have, in many places, " misrepresented the facts." Rut FUNERAL OF THE REFUSE. 333 why has he not put them to rights ? I have carefully perus- ed the passage in the original, and I find that a more literal version, or even the Gujarati translation in the hands of the Parsis, will not render it a whit more consistent either with common taste, or common sense. I deny that it is said in it, as Aspandiarji alleges, that if the hair be not kept clean, it will be infested with kharfastars ; though a child knows that such will be the result of neglect. I deny that its scope is merely what Aspandiarji declares it to be : — " Thou shalt keep thy hair clean and comb it ; the refuse and the nails which are cut, thou shalt throw aside at some dis- tance from the well or any reservoir of the water. If thou wouldst not take proper precaution for the throwing of the hair or the cut nails, the Dews might crowd there ; meaning they will produce stench and animalcule quite offensive in their nature to the health."* But even though I were to admit, that this is something like the sense of the passage, I would ask, Where is the necessity, or propriety, of making a regular funeral of such trifles as a few cuttings of hair and parings of nails, and reading prayers, or repeating hunavars over the precious relics, as mentioned in the text, and consti- tuting the neglect of these ceremonies a serious offence ? It is now upwards of twenty years since the Parsis have had their attention directed to this nonsense ; for Mr. W. Erskine in his excellent essay " On the Sacred Books and Religion of the Parsis," says, " Prayers and minute observances, are en- joined on cutting the hair and the nails, the omission of which is a capital offence. "f It is not merely on such a slight occa- sion as this that solemnities arc to be resorted to by the Parsis. •"UlSl^ 7$ £l, 77. t Bombay Transactions, vol. ii, p. 323. 334 EQUIPMENT OF A PRIEST, DEVASTATIONS OF THE DEVIL. which is constantly in their hands,* or by referring to similar services which they arc taught to consider incumbent. 18. The eighteenth fargard of the Vandidad opens by bringing before our notice, some of the distinctive characteris- tics of an dthrava,^ or priest. He must wear the paddn, or mouth-cover, of two fingers-breadth, have an instrument for killing khaj'fastars, be attentive to study during the night, and maintain the brilliancy of the sacred fire, and relieve the distressed. The agent who spreads death abroad is then introduced. The present dasturs suppose, that it is the person who does not conform to the institutes of the Mazdayacni faith, who does not wear the kusti for three years, who does not observe the Izashne of water, etc. Anquetil, with more regard to the original, supposes it to apply to the Devil, the author of the evil law, who would not wear the aiwydongham, or kusti, at the gahanbars, or epochs of creation, and submit to any of the other ordinances of Hormazd. The learned Frenchman is correct in his opinion. The agent referred to, there can be no doubt, is denominated •ut\_J1»-*QJ,asvagha, or Ashmog, the Wicked Lord,.! an(l ne is said to Possess certain attri- butes, which do not belong to a man, however depraved, and is described as J^^-"»-^i ■^^■"HLkhato-zavanti, " il vit par lui mrme,"$which makes him self-produced, and consequent- ly Ahriman himself.|| « Sec Khurdah-Avasta, of Framjf Sohrabjf pp. 488 — 491. f Zand. The name commonly used by the Pirsis is Athonic. \ From ftsa lord, and agha wicked. § It is somewhat singular to find Anquetil giving this the correct ren- dering in his text, and adding in his note, n Ces paroles Ichcto ztonentt, peuvent encore se rendre de cette maniere : i7 vit par (la puissance) de Diru (Zend-Avasta, torn, ii, p. 403). His mistake has arisen from his viewing khato us equivalent to the Persian Kknda, Lord, while it means khud, self, or belonging to one's self. "^j£ H.L'H^tl^L is lll° Gujara- ti rendering of the dasturs. || This, I would here remark, forms another proof of the correctness of )**> -V^U mcregho Parodars, said to be vulgarly and improperly called ■** -»»» -« 5 W -u 9 , A"a//r- katdg, next comes before us. He is said to be the powerful assistant of £raos, or Sarosh ; and, flapping his wings and crowing aloud, he awakes men from their sleep at the Ushen geh, or watch. It is of great importance to attend to his admonitions, for Bushyansta, or Bushyasp, the devil of sloth, is toward morning much inclined to assault men, and should be destroyed by prayer. Fire is then represented as begging for fuel at the first, sec- ond, and third watches, and promising the greatest blessings to its votaries. We have extracted the passage in full in our fourth chapter. The bird Parodars is a second time brought before us ; and it is expressly mentioned, that the person who gives it good food, will be glorified in the mansions of the blest ! This way to happiness seems plain and short enough. Whether it is equally sure, is another question. A conversation between Sarosh, and the Darukhs, (Has- bem), his rival, follows. In my lecture on the Vandidad, I have declared it to be so impure that it cannot be quoted ; and most certain am I, that I should not be excused were I to introduce its substance into these pages. Aspandiarji gives me no credit for withholding it ; but even he has not ventured to drag it into light. The fargard concludes by prescribing certain atonements to the man who has intercourse with a woman in certain cir- cumstances. He must present to fire 1,000 goats, the fat of 1,000 other animals, 1,000 bundles of dry and pure wood, and other odoriferous substances, 1,000 barsams, 1 ,000 zors of horn. He must kill 1,000 reptiles which move on their bellies, and 2.000 other reptiles, 1,000 or 2,000 water frogs, 1000 ants, and 2,000 gnats. He must erect 30 bridges. And, after all, he must submit to the infliction of 1,000 stripes. Will some of the dasturs show us the practicability of these atonements, ing to the standards of tlie Parsis, Alniman is eoetaneou-; « ith Hormazd, or created independently of tlie Good Principle. 336 HOW ZOROASTER ENCOUNTERED THE DEVIL. particularly in India ? It is said that if they be performed, heaven will be obtained, and if they be neglected, hell will be the portion of the offender. 19. The nineteenth fargard tells us first of the perils to which Zoroaster, when he had left the earth on his mission, was exposed from the assaults of the murderous Ahriman and his host, who come from the north. As the Buiti-datvo, he ran upon the reputed prophet, who immediately repeated the ahunavar, Yathd ahn v airy 6, etc. and made obeisance to the river Vehedaiti. Ahriman anticipates the destruction of Aka- Manangho, or Akuman ;* and beseeches Zoroaster, the Son of Pourushac.pa, or Porusasp, not to destroy his creation, but to forsake the Mazdayapni religion. Zoroaster is relentless, and says that he will not abandon it, for the sake either of his soul or body. The devil asks by what means his kingdom is to be destroyed, and he is informed that it is to be by the -«f •*»-»•*> *>» havana, the j^-"o-"

-»<& haoma, and the word, which he declares has been — dathat cpeiito-lWainyetis, dathat Zarvdnahi-Akaranahe, which means, " given by the exalted Spirit [Ilormazd], given by Zarvana-Akarana." We have already alluded to this pas- sage as proving, that Zarvana-Akarana is viewed by the Van- didad, as a personal agent, and not, as Dosabhai would have it, as mere Eternity. Zoroaster is then represented as asking Ilormazd, how Ah- riman can be vanquished, and the impurities which proceed from him can be removed. The reply, bringing various ob- jects of worship to his notice, and commanding him to invoke them, I have inserted in the fifth chapter of this work. Zoroaster then asks how the Izashne for Ilormazd and his creation is to be performed. He is directed to pronounce the word near the growing tree [from which the barsam is pro- cured]. It is ordered that he should take hold of the barsam * The rival of the Arask&pand B&hman. HOW T"> PERFORM TI1F. IZASTINF, PURIFICATIONS. 337 yazemano Ahurem-Mazdam, yazemano amcse-rpenta hao- maccha zdiris, and " worsliipping Ilormazd, worshipping the Amshaspands, and the golden coloured horn." To this passage, I referred in my lecture on the Vandidad, as proving that the Parsis recognize multifarious objects of wor- ship. Can the reader imagine how Aspandiarji has met my statement ? lie says that the words which I have now quot- ed arc " not to be found in the Vandidad."* lie will find them, and the statement with which I introduce them, I beg to inform him, in the 5 12th page of the lithographed edition of that work ; but he will not find what he says is there : — " Having performed the ceremonies called Barsam and IIom,f thou shalt worship me abstaining from all worldly enjoy- ment."! W\\\ my respected opponent excuse a joke ? The sooner he asks our mutual friend Mulla Rustamjf to apply to his back a couple of hundred stripes, by way of inculcating up- on himself a little more regard to accuracy, so much the better. Honest Parsis, I doubt not, will mark his error, whether it be that of knowledge or ignorance. They will also see that as far as the passage which I have quoted goes, it connects the subordinate Amshaspands and the humble horn, as objects of reverence with the exalted Ilormazd, and that consequently if Hormazd were God, this would be nothing short of blas- phemy. Directions follow for the purification of a defiled person. He must copiously wash himself with cow's urine and water, and repeat a great many ahunavars, and so forth. Zoroaster then proceeds to ask Ilormazd whether there will be a resurrection of pure men and pure women, and also of the darvats, or darvands, the accursed, and the worshippers * Hadi-i-Gum-Ralian, p. G3. t Ibid. t Barsam id a tree, or its splittings, and Horn also a tree, or its juice and not a"cercmonv." 24 338 THE RESURRECTION, DOOM OF WAFT. of devils ; and he receives a reply in the affirmative.* He then asks when men are to receive the fruit of their works ; and he is informed that it will be about the dawn of the morn- ning following the third night [after death], when the splend- ent Mithra and the brilliant light begin to rise on the moun- tains. The devifV-M3£ i^Jji? yizareso, or Vizars, at that time having bound the souls of the worshippers of the devils, conveys them away. By the ^f-^-^_J -V»^-"^ .^J»j»o pat ham Zarvo-ddtanam "paths given by Time," proceed both the pure, and the accursed. The pure man,when he reaches the G ^ v £ J £ e> ■*»■"» J •> i» Chinvap-peretum, bridge of Chinavad, de- sires the fruit of his merit acquired in this world. There his righteousness, powerful and beautiful, is present with him. He has the protection of the dog [formerly fed by him], that of his children, [who are praying for him], and various other blessings. The darvand goes into darkness. The pure man proceeds by the way of the lofty -^^-"^^fj •(,%1-»& Haram-berezaitimf, or Alborz. He passes the bridge of Chinavad, and arrives in the mansions of the Izads. The jp/-"^ '$&■» Ahu-mano,X or Bahman rises from his golden throne, and asks the holy soul, How hast thou come from the world of death, to that in which there is no evil. The pure soul becomes happy, and receives a golden throne, prepared by Hormazd, and the Amshaspands, in •(tt\-u>(/\ •*> '-"^ Ga- ro nmdnem,§ " that high place," the abode of Hormazd, and the abode of the Amshaspands, and of the other pure Spirits. * If we interpret tlio Zand aright, Zoroaster himself is to be the in- strument of the resurrection. He asks w^-KS^-myhiikhsdiu', "Shall I raise"? And he receives as a reply the order -"W>?JJ-"o2y-uo' hakhs- anguha, " Raise thou," etc. t Literally "the high mountain." The ZandJJ'-uO' liara resembles the Hebrew vi har. From the references which are made to the rising of the sun behind this mountain, it appears to have been to the eastward of the 6cene of the Vandidad. J Literally, lordly intelligence. § From these words have been derived Garothman, the name of the highest heaven. RESURRECTION, DOOM OF MAN, POLYTHEISM, JAMS HID. 339 After the departure of a pure man, the devil in hell know- ing only evil is afraid of his flavour. The pure man is with him, — Nariosangh is with him, who is called the friend of Hormazd. Some of this information, if we divest it of its personal references, is consistent with those ideas of a retribution of good and evil, which arc universally prevalent among mankind. It forms the whole amount of the revelation which the Parsis profess to have in their possession respect- ing the future state ; and its poverty must be apparent to the Parsis themselves, who have sought to supplement it by nu- merous traditions. The resurrection here spoken of, according to the notions of most of their community, is a resurrection not to judgment, which has long preceded it, and takes place at death, but to a deliverance from all suffering. Toward the conclusion of the fargard, Zoroaster is com- manded to engage in religious ceremonies, and he expressly invokes most of the objects to which our attention has been directed in other parts of this work. He also receives the or- der to feed the fire with dry and odoriferous substances, to do obeisance to Sarosh, and so forth ; and this being done, va- rious devils are seen to be filled with consternation. 20. The twentieth fargard, is devoted to the praise of Jamshid (according to the interpretations of the Parsis), who is said to have removed disease, death, war, fever, head- aches, evil, evil-doers, envy, falsehood, wickedness, and the impurity of Ahriman. Hormazd says of himself that he has created hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of trees with healing properties, and particularly the (fSlS^S^^^gao- kerenem, or gokard, from which the Horn is procured. He repeats what he has said, in the commencement of the Van- didad, about the felicity of Jamshid's reign. The information given is in the language of gross exaggeration. It is worse than what we find in the romance of Firdausi, when he sino-s the praises of this king. 21. The twenty-first fargard opens with the following sa- lutation, .-u^go^^ .H9V£^6^£j Neme^e-te gaorpenta u Salutation to the exalted Bull," or Taurus, and with y 540 WORSHIP AND INFLUENCE OF THE EXALTED BULL. reference to some of its exalted qualities, and the power of its urine to remove the devil Ashmog. Rain is attributed to the influence of the Bull, and it is represented as effectual to the removal of death and disease, by the abundance which it produces. By the influence of the Bull, the sun, moon, and stars shed their light upon the world from the lofty Alborz.* The bull is declared to be the preserver of Gorothman, the highest heaven. The reference in this part of the Vandidad is probably to some imaginary effect of one of the constella- tions associated with the Bull. The passage, however, is so obscure that I shall not attempt to explain its meaning. The rain produced by the bull is declared to be effectual in removing isire, aghuiri, aghara, ughra, disease, death, pain, fever, headache, the cause of headache, evil, the doer of evil, malice, envy, and other evils, including the magic of the Paris and the works of the devil ! Aspandiarji admits that this doctrine is in the Vandidad, isire, he says, means " sor- row" ; aghuiri, " indifference ;" aghara " regret ; " and ughra, " oppression or tyranny." In affixing these mean- ings to these words, he seems wiser than some preceding com- mentators, who have not ventured to give them any particu- lar signification ;f but he ought to have endeavoured to elicit some sense at least from the whole passage, as most people will be prone to characterize it as downright nonsense. " Hor- mazd," he says, " has communicated all the benefits which flow from rain." Will Aspandiarji explain to those who are dull of understanding, how the evils enumerated arc removed by it ? Will he, in particular, show to us how " the rain pre- vents fornication, and magic, which means all sorts of fraud and deceit," as he declares it docs, according to the doctrine of the text of the Vandidad. We have rather a large quantity * Aspandiarji lias found it more convenient to deny that such a doctrine is to be found in t lie twenty-first fargard, than to explain its meaning, or evince its reasonableness. It is there stated, however, in express terms. Sec lithographed Vandidad, pp. 53G, 537. t They are perhaps connected with the Sanskrit fq\ nsha, spite 5 siqjnr agfcoro, terrible ; -qjg agha, Bin ; and sq- ugra, wrathful. HORMAZD AND ABBIMAN, MISSION OF ZOROASTER. 341 of it on Mahabalcshwar, where I write this chapter; but I do not find that wickedness is less abundant here than in the parched plains of the Dakhan. But its effects, perhaps, are different in the country of Iran, from which his ancestors have come. 22. In the commencement of the twenty-second fargard, Hormazd speaks of himself as the (, vy) *y 3 ^ U. jj which, though plural, is rendered by the Parsfs as simply "God," when applied to Hormazd, and which in all the Persian dictionaries is given as equivalent to Khudd, or Lord," is exactly analogous. Perhaps the editor of the Rahnama-i-Zartusht is aware that in differ- ent languages the semi-vowels /, m, n, and r, are frequently interchange- able ; and perhaps, with the aid of the Baron de Sacy, Professor Rask, and other European orientalists, he may be able to see in his own Pahlavi oj^P>xj .Inhuina (instead of ,'llhuma) something very near to, if not identical with, the Hebrew Elohim, which, written without the vowel points, is simply *Vlhim. To all this, I have merely to add, that the doctrine of a plurality of persons, the Father. Son, and Holy Ghost,-in the one Godhead, is ac- tually that of the Bible ; and that with reference to this distinction the word Elohim may have originally come into use. :{.",(» PRIMITIVE STATE OF MAN. den of Eden, to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely cat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not cat of it : for in the day that thou eat- est thereof thou shalt surely die. And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone ; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air ; and brought them unto Adam to sec what he would call them ; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field ; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept : and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had tak- en from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife ; and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."* Man, it will appear from this narrative, was formed in a manner which corresponded with the preparation which was made for his creation as particularly detailed in the opening of the book of Genesis. While his bodily frame, like that of the lower animals which preceded him, was composed of the ma- terial substance around him, his soul was immediately called into being by the breath of the divine power. Vitality, and sensation, and instinct, were not the only properties which were conferred upon it ; but it was endowed with those moral properties which correspond with the image of God himself, and which, as wc learn from Paul's Epistles, consist in "know- ledge," and " righteousness and true holiness."! The origi- • Genesis, i. 26 — 31, and ii. 7 — i>, 15 — 25. t Col. lii. 10 ; EphcB. iv. 24. Kalam Kas (Nirang-Hfi, p. 162.) repro PRIMITIVE STATE OF MAN. -Jo 1 nal state of man, therefore, was in the highest degree exalted. lie possessed a nature with the most excellent constitution and qualities, and which had do moral blemish, and no moral de- fect. IJis soul was illuminated with the light of heaven. He was qualified and inclined to hold communion with God, to contemplate the divine workmanship and providence with an intense and lightly regulated devotion, and to acquiesce in the divine will, lie possessed the perfection of purity; and lie responded in every respect to the divine law. His desires, affections, and passions were alike free from sin, and rightly regulated by reason, and by the direct intimations made by the Godhead itself. He was a stranger to all doubts, and fears, and misgivings. He enjoyed that holy felicity which only spotless souls can know and appreciate, and with which they only can sympathize. He stood before his Maker, as his noblest work in this world. He was the lord of its crea- tures. He had "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth. and over every creeping thing that crecpeth upon the earth." His nature was immortal ; and every circumstance connected with it, stamped it as possessed of infinite value. The divine goodness which was thus manifested in the creation of man, was signally displayed in the provision which was made for him. God actually " blessed him." ami thus pledged his divine wisdom, power, and faithfulness in his be- half, and gave him reason to expect the bestowment of every thing which was good and needful. He provided a residence for him so glorious, that it is ever referred to as emblematical of heaven itself — of that place where God especially displays scnts Moses as attributing to Cod a corporeal shape, when he says that "God created man in his own image." He will sec, from the passages here referred to, that the bible speaks only of a moral image of God, The power of (Jod to manifest himself in any form which he may choose, I may here remark, in reply to objections which I have seen elsewhere stated, is freely admitted by Christians. What they deny is, that a form essentially belongs to the divine nature, and that any form should be worshipped. 352 PROBATION OF MAN. iiis glory. Eastward in Eden, — the land of delight, — he planted a garden, decorated it with every thing which was pleasant to the sight, and filled it with every thing which could gratify the taste, and prove useful for food. In this lovely spot, he appointed him to labour without toil, and to enjoy consummate happiness. In his divine beneficence, he furnished him with a help meet for him, who was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, who was thus most strikingly recom- mended to his affection and regard, and who was to live with him as his most endeared companion and friend. They were commanded to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it, and to exercise that dominion over the lower animals to which their pre-eminence, and the design of their creation entitled them ; and they were informed that there were given to them every herb bearing seed, which was upon the face of all the earth, and every tree which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, tint they might be to them for meat. They could, in these circumstances, have no wants which could remain unsupplied. The cup of their bliss was filled too verflowing. They had infinite occasion to praise the Lord for his goodness, and his unmeasured benefi- cence. The object for which man was created, endowed, and bles- ed, was undoubtedly the display of the glory of God. The manifestation of the divine excellence, the complacency and delight which God has in his works, and the enjoyment of himself by the creature, must be considered as the end which God has in view in all his actings. In disposing of man for these objects, it pleased God, in the exercise of his infinite wisdom and sovereign pleasure, to place him in circumstances of peculiar moral probation. He had a perfect right to act in this manner } for it is essential to the nature of the creature, unless it be directly restrained by God, that it should be changeable and fallible ; and in the arrangements which he made for the accomplishment of his purposes, we perceive grounds for our highest admiration and praise. He did not alter in the slightest degree the nature which he had original- PROBATION OF MAN. 353 ly conferred on our progenitors ; he did not deprive that na- ture of any of the enjoyments which he had provided for it ; and he did not place it under any restrictions which in the slightest degree could be injurious. lie granted our first pa- rents every thing which their hearts could desire ; and he merely interdicted them from eating of the fruit of a single tree which grew in the midst of the garden. He did not de- prive them of their free-will and personal agency. He warn- ed them against disobedience, by declaring, in the most express terms, that in the day they should eat of the forbidden fruit, they should surely die. In all these arrangements, we perceive the divine wisdom and goodness. We perceive the display of these attributes even in the peculiar trial to which Adam was subject. It was such as his circumstan- ces permitted ; and was calculated to mark the unspotted ho- liness of God, and to allow an illustration of the dreadful na- ture of sin. The more insignificant in itself we consider the article interdicted to be, so much the more do we lessen the temptation to touch it, and shut up Adam to obedience ; and so much the more do we mark that justice which will not suf- fer with impunity the violation of the least of the divine com- mandments. Surely, it might have been expected, we are led to say, that Adam, amidst all the scenes of happiness in which he was placed, and all the abundance with which he was surrounded, would have continued to honour and respect his Creator and bountiful Benefactor, who demanded of him a perpetual test of perfect homage, and humble submission, by requiring him to forbear to eat of the fruit of a particular tree. Man, then, it will be kept in mind, was placed by a holy, and wise, and just providence, in circumstances of rightful moral probation ; and, in the nature of things, he was responsi- ble for the consequences. The information necessary to guide him was communicated to him ; and warnings which were calculated to deter him from transgression, were not withheld. The most urgent motives to obedience were before his view. 26 354 PROBATION OF MAN. Let us now take a brief view of the narrative given by Moses of his procedure in the situation in which he appeared. The record of his temptation and fall, is given with great plainness and simplicity by that sacred writer ;* and it is throughout highly instructive. I trust that not a few of my Parsi readers wili see and acknowledge that this is its character. For their sake, as I proceed, I shall, draw a few of the inferences to which it plainly points. Our attention is directed in the first instance, to the " serpent," and of it it is said, that it was "more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made." We may perhaps conclude from this notice, that the pristine en- dowments of this animal were very considerable ; and we may infer from other passages of the divine word, that these en- dowments were under more than their natural direction, even under the direction of " that old Serpent, called the Devil, and Satan which deceiveth the whole world. "f This enemy of the human race, we know to have been originally an exalted angel of light. He kept not, however, his first estate, but volun- tarily sinned against God, and brought upon himself eternal degradation and misery. Instead of remaining an obedient ser- vant of God, he became a rebel, and like a " roaring lion seek- ing whom he may devour." He had no doubt assumed the form of the serpent, because of the facilities which it afforded for the accomplishment of his purposes. Perhaps, he chose it on account of its attractiveness, or because he thought that when disguised under it he would least excite suspicion, or because he thought that it would otherwise aid him in giving a colour- ing to his intended lies. The traditions of most ancient nations accord wonderfully with the statements of Moses respecting it. The Parsis themselves frequently speak of Ahriman under the figure of a reptile. It was consistent with God's plan of the probation of our first parents, to grant to the serpent the natural permission of access to them. Satan, through the whole of the interview which he had with them, displayed in an eminent degree the # See Genesis, Chnp. iii. f Rcv> xii. 9. FALL OF MAN. 355 cunning which is attributed to him in sacred writ. He directs himself to the woman, naturally the weakest and the most pliable of the two ; and he accosts her in a state of solitude, in which she could not enjoy the counsels, and direction, and assistance, of her husband. lie docs not undisguisedly reveal his foul and base intentions ; but he proceeds to the work of delusion in the most reserved and artful manner. From the abrupt way in which the first question respecting the forbid- den tree is recorded, it is probable that it was preceded by others of a less suspicious nature. Even it is framed so as not to betray the purposes of the tempter. Information seems all that is desired, though the mode in which that in- formation is requested is calculated to awaken a silent murmur against the divine sovereignty as displayed in interdicting the forbidden tree. When the terms of the divine prohibition are stated by Eve, the serpent questions only the sense in which they were understood, and falsely holds out certain al- leged advantages of disobedience. '; Ye shall not surely die," was his language, " for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." His own conversational powers, he perhaps attributed to the unknown virtues of the fruit to which he directed attention. By the falsehood which he practised, he awakened sinful desires; and he appears to have allowed them to take their course, satisfied that they would issue in the accomplishment of his malignant purposes. In the whole pro- ceeding, he manifested that diabolical skill, which, with so much success, he has continued to exercise against our race. The deceitfulness of the serpent, however, great though it was, was no excuse for the conduct of Eve. The will of God had been made known to her in the most unequivocal terms ; and the prohibition which was given, was sanctioned in the most awful manner, by the threatening of certain death. It was her duty to remain at a proper distance from that tree which she was interdicted even from touching. The first at- tempt of the serpent to inject doubts into her mind about the divine equity and goodness, ought to have been repulsed with the most determined holy indignation which she was capable 356 FALL OF MAN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. of exercising. The first perception of falsehood on the part of the serpent, should have ended their communications, and led her to forsake his presence. Instead of repelling his in- sinuations, however, she allows them to penetrate her soul. Instead of departing from her adversary, she continues to hold with him fellowship and communion. Instead of cast- ing herself on the divine protection, she encreases her own temptations. She gazes at the fruit ; she admires it as " good for food," as " pleasant to the eyes," and as promising know- ledge ; she wishes to be possessed of it ; she takes it into her hands ; she eats of it ; and she gives it unto her husband, and he does eat ! She thus practised the grossest and most de- termined disobedience. She sinned against the divine good- ness, exhibited in her creation, her mental and moral en- dowments, and the rich provision which was made for her ; and she thus manifested the vilest ingratitude. She sinned against the best interests of herself and of those who might be connected with her, and thus manifested the greatest fol- ly. Her husband recklessly partook of her sin, even without going through all the stages of her temptation ; and he was thus involved in all its guilt, even with aggravations. We are able to form only very inadequate views of his demerit. Such was the manner in which sin was introduced into the world. We are now called upon to observe its workings and consequences. These are of the most lamentable kind, and correspond, of necessity, in every particular, with the divine threatening. Adam and Eve, on the day in which they ate of the forbidden fruit, died spiritually, and became liable to temporal and eternal death. Their spiritual death is that which first merits our attention. For an illustration of it, we shall confine ourselves to the narrative of Moses. We have already alluded to the image of God which was conferred on our first parents, to the holy exercises in which they engaged, and to the consummate happiness in which they rejoiced. Their moral nature was completely changed by their transgression. The first notice of their depravity represents them as under the influence of shame. " The eyes of them both were opened, FALL OF MAN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 357 and they knew that they were naked: and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." The sweet satisfaction which they formerly had with their moral and natural condi- tion is now at an end. They are no longer conscious of in- nocence and loveliness. Their acquisition of the knowledge of evil, was attended with their loss of the knowledge of good. The blast of the Lord has passed over the trees of his own planting; and they are no longer verdant and fruitful. Our first parents arc conscious of their loss, and the efforts which they make to remedy it, have a success so partial that it only serves to exhibit their weakness and wretchedness. They are, in an important sense, " wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Ignorance and fear, and an aversion to that which is good, are congeuite with their shame. " They heard the voice of the Lord God walking (or proceeding) in the garden in the cool of the day." But instead of welcoming that voice, and rejoicing in Him whose manifest presence it intimated, they are filled with dread, forget the divine omnipresence, and vainly endeavour to hide themselves from God among the trees of the garden. They are called from their lurking places; and Adam confesses his terrors. "I heard thy voice in the garden," say she to the Lord God, " and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." Can any thing be more humiliating than this declaration, and can any thing speak more emphatically as to the change which Adam had now undergone ? The intelligent creature hath ceased to delight in the Creator, and to desire his communion. Poor, base, and sinful man, imagines God, who searcheth the heart and trieth the reins of the children of men, to be like himself in the extent of his knowledge, and God, who filleth heaven and earth, to be like him in the extent of his presence. The fear which he evinced was suited to his circumstances as an offender ; but it loudly testified as to his fall, and the ex- tent of his degradation. It proceeded from the consciousness that he had offended God, and that he had not yet reaped the the full effects of his transgressions. The direct practice of sin was superadded to all the shame. 358 FALL OF MAN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. ignorance, terror and aversion to good,, which our first pa- rents exhibited. They were not ashamed of sin, but asham- ed of themselves on account of the state in which sin had placed them. They were not afraid of sin, but afraid of its punishment. They manifest no holy aversion to sin, and no holy contrition on account of sin. In vain we look for a frank and honest confession of their guilt. They prostrate not themselves in the dust before God. God's presence and inspection do not prevent them from sinning ; and their ex- perience of its woful consequences does not deter them. Adam exerts all his ingenuity to shift the blame upon God, by attributing it to the arrangement of his own providence. " The man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Eve practised a similar evasion : — " The woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." We need no stronger proof of the moral death of our first parents, than that which is to be found in the circumstances to which we have now alluded. We have seen the con- sciousness of innocence leave them ; the eyes of their under- standing settle in darkness ; degradation stamp itself on the powers of their mind; God cease to be the supreme good of their soul; and a proneness to sin, in circumstances of the greatest aggravation, brought into play. And we have seen in them the symptoms of that moral disease which is still committing its ravages among our race. On contemplating these fearful exhibitions, and the pristine glory and happiness of those who make them, we may well exclaim, " Hear, O heavens, and give car, O earth ; The gold has became dim, and the exceeding fine gold is changed ; The crown has fallen from off their heads ; God made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions." Let none of us imagine, that we should have acted otherwise than our first parents did. They bore our nature in its best estate, and yet they fell. Let us also vindicate in our thoughts the holiness of the divine be- ing. It was displayed in the original endowment of man. It was displayed in the covenant which was made with him, and which must be considered to have involved the beslowment FALL OF MAN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 359 of life in case of obedience, as well as the infliction of death in case of disobedience. It was displayed in the moral death, which we have already seen following the transgression, and the temporal and eternal death, which we shall now notice. The threatening of God involved temporal death, includ- ing all the evils of this life, which are connected with it, or which lead to it. How this death was inflicted upon Adam, it is not difficult for us to understand. There is an intimate connexion between the spiritual and mental and animal constitution of man. A depravity cf the spiritual constitution, such as we have already noticed, could not but exercise its malignant influence upon the mental con- stitution, and lead to such a darkening of the understanding as we have seen exhibited by Adam in his vain attempts to flee and hide himself from the presence and scrutiny of his God. In like manner, a depravity of the spiritual and men- tal constitution must have been detrimental to his animal and corporeal frame. It is proverbially true, that the ailments of the mind and spirit soon appear in the ailments of the body; anil that they arc frequently even more destructive to its gen- eral health and welfare, than those which are immediately seated in itself. " The spirit of a man," says Solomon, "will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?" " The issues of life," he informs us, " are out of the heart." " A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance : but by sor- row of the heart the spirit is broken."* A great part of his writings is occupied in shewing how folly and sin lead to tem- poral evils ; and the general, nay, the universal, experience of mankind inculcates the lessons which iie teaches. This ex- perience instructs not merely in the case of individuals, but in the case of communitico even of national extent. We are, in the view of these circumstances, led, when reasoning by analogy, to infer that our first parents must have greatly suf- fered in their bodily interests in consequence of their moral and intellectual depravity. We are not, however, left to the resources of this reasoning alone. The sacred historian di- * Proverbs xviii. 14 ; iv. 23 ; xv. 13. 360 FALL OF MAN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. rectly informs us that not only such a consequence followed ; but that direct misery, and the incipiency of death, were in- flicted upon them in consequence of their transgression. The judgment and sentence of the offended majesty of heaven announce the penal arrangements. Even in the doom of the serpent which beguiled our first parents, they must have read the displeasure which they had incurred, and the woes which they had generated for them- selves. "The Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above ev- ery beast of the field : upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life : and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Though Adam and Eve attempted to shift the guilt of their transgression from themselves, they yet laboured under the consciousness of its reality ; and on the announcement of the curse of the serpent, their forebodings must have been of a direful nature. Even with the curse itself, they have an inti- mate connexion. Their enemy who had sought their destruc- tion, and who had artfully deceived them, is still to continue opposed to them. They are to encounter his enmity and ha- tred, strengthened by the success which he had experienced in his malignant designs, and exasperated by the additional curse and punishment, which, in the exercise of his wickedness, he had brought upon himself. They might with reason, then, anticipate the misery of a continued struggle. They are in fact instructed that a great deliverer is needed by them ; and that even when He should appear to bruise the head of the serpent, his own heel was to be bruised. Their fearful anticipations are directly confirmed by the doom pronounced against themselves. "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow, and thy conception : in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children ; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Sorrow is declared to be her portion and her possession ; and this sor- row, instead of being diminished, is to be greatly encreased. It is to be called forth not merely during the ordinary provi- FALL OF MAN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 361 deuces of her existence hero below ; hut is to be exercised in the peculiar situation in which she stands with regard to her family. Great are to be her sufferings in connexion with her children. Her husband is to rule over her, not as an unfallen, but as a sinful and depraved, being. Her subjection, conse- quently, while under God it is a duty, cannot but he frequent- ly attended with what is painful and trying. The curse rests on the man as well as on the woman. "Unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree which I com- manded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it : cursed is the ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life: thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground ; for out of it wast thou taken : for dust thou art. and unto dust shalt thou return." There have not been wanting those who have spoken of the curse which was pronounced upon the earth as positively a blessing to Adam : and who have consequently attempted to polliate his depravity, and to make light of his misery. The curse of the earth, however, is positively declared to have been for Adam's sake, or on Ad- am's account, and to have originated in his sin. It must there- fore, as far as Adam is concerned, be considered penal. The fact that benefits do result from it in the providence of God, does not affect this conclusion; for it is the glory of the work- ing of God, that he brings good out of evil. The fact speaks volumes as to the actual depravity and demerit of Adam, that the welfare of his condition required a change on the face of that earth, which God had pronounced to be " very good '* in its primitive state ; that it required to be cultivated with ex- hausting labour and toil; that thorns and thistles were to be its most natural produce : and thai the herb ofthe field, which actually with ditficutly was to be procured for the sustenance of man. was to be eaten in sorrow all tin days of his life. The curse of the ground, on man- account, is indicative ofthe intrinsic holiness of God, of his perfect hatred of sin and his determination to punish it. Should any person be sceptical 21 362 FALL OF MAN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. on this subject, let him ask his brethren, who agreeably to the circumstances of their lot, are called to earn their bread by the sweat of their brow, and they will tell him, that neces- sity alone forces them to make the exertions which they ac- tually do, and that a bettering of their condition would beat- tended with a change of their pursuits. No discoursing on the miseries of unemployed leisure on the one hand, nor the trials of the exercise of intellect and power on the other, — which trials I may remark in passing, also testify to the depravity and misery of man, — would prevent the formation of the de- sire for independence on their manual labour for their own sustenance. Adam, whose every prospect in the garden of Eden in his pristine state, and whose every act in its cultiva- tion, must have been attended with enjoyment, must have viewed that curse by which he was subjected to toil as very great. We cannot even sympathize with what his feelings must have been. lie had the sense of loss, as well as the sense of an actually degraded condition. The misery of Adam to which we allude, has a limit ; but that limit is nothing else than death. Not only docs the en- joyment of life pass away ; but the possession of it is also transient. He who was created as the chief of God's works below, and to exercise dominion over God's creatures, must return to the ground from which he was taken. That frame which was fearfully and wonderfully made, and which was the tenement of that spirit which was breathed into it by God, and which was fashioned after the divine image, must crum- ble into dust and be mingled with its kindred ashes. The death which was threatened must be literally endured. The fatal poison was swallowed along with the forbidden fruit ; and it will be sure in its operations. It will flow in the veins, obstructing and destroying the functions of the body ; and weakened by its agency, the tabernacle shall at last fall, and become its prey, even to dissolution or consumption. That nature which was immortal before it was taken, instantane- ously becomes mortal ; and in this sense, as well as in that referring to the intellectual and moral nature of man to which we have already alluded, it may be said that Adam, in the FALL OF MAN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 363 day he ate of the forbidden fruit surely died. Voltaire ought to have admitted the fact ; and Dosabhai, and all like-minded with himself, ought carefully to mark it, and see the folly of the cavils of which they have approved. It is altogether un- philosophical on their part, to compare the destiny of a ration- al and responsible creature, with that of unsentient plants and irrational animals. The appointed time which was to be spent in the world by our first parents, was not to be passed in the garden of Eden. They had forfeited the enjoyment of it as a place of happi- ness, and they are required to forfeit it even as a place of re- sidence. Adam denominates his wife Eve, or Havdh, as the mother of all living. God makes them coats of skin, — in the death of the first owners of which they probably saw both what they were to expect in their last hours, and a symbol of the sacrifice of the seed of the woman, — and he clothes them. The tree of life, which during their obedience existed as a sacra- mental pledge of their security, is no longer to be within their reach. That they might have no appeal to the fidelity of that God who had declared that while they ate of it they should live, they are sent from their blissful abode to till the ground. They are driven out, and they are debarred from returning. They are now left to the full endurance of their temporal mis- ery, with those mitigations which might originate in the sov- ereign grace which had been made known to them, or might afterwards be revealed to them. The liability of our first parents to what has been called eternal death, now comes to be noticed. On this awful sub- ject, it is not necessary to say much. It must be apparent from all which we read of Adam's state, that all his intrinsic efforts to remove the curse which he had brought upon him- self by his transgressions must be altogether hopeless. He does not receive from God the least hint that he has a reme- dy in his own possession. The possession of such a remedy would place him morally independent of God, and warrant him to insult the divine majesty, by declaring that he could not only commit sin when he listed, but free himself from its con- sequences when he listed : that he could proceed not onlv in 364 RKPLY TO VOLTAIRE. opposition to the divine threatenings, but remove the divine curse. His moral depravity, then, which we have seen to be great, must, as far as he is concerned, continue ; and continu- ing it must influence the life. Under its action, he will continue to dislike communion with God and seek to avoid it; he will fail to recognize the glory of God, and acknowledge his own guilt ; he will indulge carnal pride ; and he will des- pise his own best interests, and sin according to the circum- stances in which he may be placed. Evil, predominating in him will gather strength by its exercise ; and, however much it may be modified, it will mingle with all his thoughts and words and actions. Attaching as it does to the soul, it will continue its fearful operations even after the body is dissolv- ed, — for a future state is to be expected by Adam from the very fact that the temporal death is limited to the destruction of his body, — and in a spiritual state corresponding with that of the devil and his angels, it will so destroy, and so excite the dis- pleasure and call forth the punishment of God, that he on whom it hath settled, may be said to be eternally dying. The an- nihilation of the soul cannot for one moment be expected. It is nowhere revealed in the Bible; and it is the dictate of rea- son, that the sinner must suffer as long as he stands on his own ground. His annihilation would be nothing else than a relief of him from suffering. God's law, as far as its subjects are intrinsically concerned, must either appear glorious in the obedience of the intelligent creature, or glorious in the penal suffering of the transgressor. The wicked, as we are ex- pressly informed, must go away into everlasting punishment. The fire with which they will be burned is unquenchable; and the smoke of their torment will ascend up forever and ever. We have now briefly considered the account which is given in Genesis of the fall of man, and its dreadful consequences as connected with those who were its immediate subjects. Let the reader compare our remarks upon it with those of Voltaire, which Dosabhai has introduced into his work, and he will be persuaded that the sophistical scoffer of Ferney has entirely misrepresented that sacred narrative. How fee- ble and inapt his wit is on the subject, we may sec from the REPLY TO VOLTAIRE. 365 following specimen. " The punishment of Adam was never, in any way, introduced into the Jewish law. Adam was no more a Jew than he was a Persian or Chaldean" ! The pun- ishment of Adam, it is sufficient for us to know, is recorded in the Jewish Scriptures. Nothing can be more reckless, than the assertion, that, " The first chapters of Genesis (at what- ever period they were composed), were regarded by all the learned Jews as an allegory, and even as a fable not a little dangerous, since that book was forbidden to be read by any before they had attained the age of twenty-one." The whole narrative of the fall, we have seen to be most profitable and instructive. In the inspired writings, which form the standard of the faith of Jews and Christians, not a single sentence can be found, giving the remotest countenance to the insinuation of an allegory, while much of a directly contrary nature, as will be evident from quotations about to be made, can be pro- duced. Even the Jewish writers, such as Philo, who erro- neously teach that the narrative of Moses is somewhat allego- rical, admit the reality of the fall,* the subject which Voltaire professes principally to discuss. The great majority of learn- ed Jews since his day attach to the account in Genesis a liter- al sense.f But it is not so much with their interpretation as with the meaning which it naturally bears, and which is indi- cated in other parts of the sacred oracles, with which we have to deal. Voltaire has found it inconvenient to tell us when, where, and by whom, the restriction as to the perusal of Genesis was made. The use of this most interesting, and invaluable book has from time immemorial been jjener- al in the Jewish community. In its twelve par ashioth or great-* ♦ See the ElJirHTIKA SYrrPAMMATA of Philo, pp. 31—69. f In this majority, I include Josephus, fur though he says tiiat Moses writes "philosophically" in his early chapters, he speaks of the serpent as having had originally /'><(, which lie would not have done, had he, like Philo, considered it a figure for /jSorij, or voluptuousness. (Siee Jose- phua, Antiquities ofllu Jars, rhut, if he could render himself free from vice, why should his soul, thus purified from evil, be inadmissible into heaven ? If man is made unfit for the blessings of heaven, these seems then to be no necessity whatever of the celestial errands which the angels had from time to time brought to the holy personage." So, after all, man has an " evil nature." It is necessary, it must be kept in mind, not only that he should be rendered free from vice, but that he should be rendered free from guilt. It is because of his own inability to accomplish these deliverances for himself, that the intervention of heav- en's messengers, and of the Son of God, by whose merits alone he can be saved, is rendered necessary. " According to the " Rev. gentleman's doctrine," adds Aspandiarji, " Moses, David, and several other personages, must be reckoned in the class of the sinful." He is perfectly correct in this inference. The Bible speaks both of their sinful nature, and of its sinful manifestations, and as- cribes their salvation entirely to the divine mercy. Kalam Kas ( Nireeng- Hd, pp. 10, Jl), objects to this sacred volume on this very account. "Will both he and his brother controversialist receive a word of explanation on the subject ? The faithfulness of the Christian Scriptures has been frequently ap- pealed to as a proof of their credibility and inspiration. They are impar- tial in their accounts, both of nations and individuals. T hey conceal not, and they flatter not. They represent human nature as it actually is, btjtJj in its best and worst estates. They exhibit examples of goodness for our encouragement and imitation ; and they record examples of evil, that we may avoid it, and be taught watchfulness and humility. They show us the sincerity of repentance, as well as the atrociousness of guilt. Their object is not to exalt man, but to glorify God. It is only because Ka- lam Kas overlooks their character in this respect that he finds fault with them for bringing before our notice the sins of Lot, Jacob's sons, David, Solomon, and others. Had they approved of the transgressions of these distinguished men, they might have been objected to ; but as they uni- formly condemn them, tneir truthfulness and holiness must be respected. The mention which they make of sin is not in a single instance that of palliation, but of marked disapprobation. We find no parallel to it in any of the false systems of religion. Muhammad, it is well known, claims in the Koran, the authority of God for his most marked transgres- sions, and denounces the most fearful judgments against any one who would venture to apply the principles of moral right to the estimate of OPINIONS OF THE HINDUS. 369 The very Hindus, who have the most indistinct notions of guilt which can he imagined, express sentiments similar to these. They tell us that in every "human mind from the be- ginning, there are the six great enemies, Wf lust, ^iT^T wrath, 5SftT avarice, flT? delusion, *T2T pride, JT^JT malice. The Brah- mans, in their daily ritual Sanskrit prayers, acknowledge that they are conceived in sin, and are altogether sinful. " I am sin," say they, " I commit sin, my spirit is sinful, I am conceived in sin." The propagation of moral evil, thus admitted and confess- ed, though it may not be proved by natural analogies, may nevertheless be illustrated by them. i: Like produces like," is an established axiom. <: Men do not gather figs of thorns ; nor of a bramble-bush gather they grapes ; for every tree is known by its own fruit." " A muddy stream cannot send forth pure waters." qq\ srW4r irrrr, w rnrr $w q^n, ww wu cp-rr ^FqT, w fra cRrr^t * his conduct. The writers of the. Hindu shastras relate innumerable transgressions of tlie heroes of their stories — of the very gods them- selves, but in no instance do they describe them as sinful. On the con- trary, they expressly declare that this is not their character. For the objects of their veneration, they claim the prerogative of listing wrong, and acting as they list, without challenge. The Parsis, we have seen, as- cribe to Jamshid freedom from all sin ; and they attribute to Zoroaster the holiness of God himself, Edal Dam tells us that Hormazd gave him the title Aahavm or .Iso, one of the three great names expressive of di ■ vine purity, which he is said to claim for himself. — See M&ujaz&t-i-Zar- tvsht, pp. 61 j 621 But Aspandiarji reminds us that the scripture says that Zachariaa and his wife were "both righteous before God, walking in [ill the command- ments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." lie requires to be in- formed that this is not said of them in a natural, but in a renewed, state: not positively, but comparatively. lam happy to find him disposed to go as far as Aristotle and Seneca in the admission ot the depravity of human nature. lie has thus got considerably beyond the Vandidad. * This Sanskrit proverb is in the mouth of all tiic natives of India. 28 370 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE DEPRAVITY OF MAtf. " As is the country so is the speech ; as is the prince, so is the people ; as is the mother, so is the daughter ; as is the seed, so is the shoot." There are many maxims of a similar nature, current in every country, all pointing to the analogy to which I have referred. That man, along with depravity, inherits the curse from his first parents, there cannot be the smallest doubt. The effects of the fall upon Adam are visible among all his child- ren. It is the universal experience, that " man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upwards." Men either live by the " sweat of their brow," or by the laborious and exhausting exercise of their intellect. Disappointments and trials, beyond number, everywhere present themselves to the anxious desid- erants of happiness. Pain, and disease, and death are every- where committing their fearful ravages. The infant of a span long, and the man of hoary hairs, are alike the unhappy sub- jects on whom they operate, and whom they destroy. Infidels themselves seem to have been astonished at their operation. " Who can without horror," says even Voltaire, " consider the whole earth as the victim of destruction ? It abounds in wonders ; it abounds also in victims. In man, there is more wretchedness than in all the other animals put together. He spends the transient moment of his existence in diffusing the miseries which he suffers; in cutting the throats of his fellow- creatures for pay ; in cheating and being cheated ; in robbing and being robbed ; in serving that he may command ; and in repenting of all that he does. The bulk of mankind are noth- ing more than a crowd of wretches, equally criminal and unfortunate ; and the globe contains rather carcases than men. I tremble upon a review of this dreadful picture, to find that it contains a complaint against providence, and I wish that I had never been born."* This passage, though written in a daringly impious spirit, contains much truth. As Scripture and fact alike shew, that we inherit depravity and misery from our first parents, we arc naturally led to in- quire into the arrangements of which this is the consequence. * Voltaire's Gospel of tho day. CONNECTION OF ADAM WITH HIS POSTERITY. 371 Our inquiries are undoubtedly to some degree satisfied by a passage in the fifth chapter of Paul's epistle to the Romans. " Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law, sin was in the world : but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come : but not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead ; much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift : for the judgment was by one man to condemnation ; but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one ; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) There- fore as by the oftenCe of one [or by one's offence] judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the right- eousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justifi- cation of life. For as by one man's disobedience, many were made [or judicially constituted, according to the strict sense of the Greek,] sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." In this passage, and in 1 Cor. xv, 22, " As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive," a comparison is made between Christ and Adam ; and it teaches that several striking analogies exist between them. Those of them which are most intimately connected with our subject, are the three following. 1. Sin and death come from Adam ; and righteousness and life come from Christ. 2. All that were in Adam were judicially constituted sinners and condemned with him ; ami all that are in Christ are judi- cially constituted righteous and justified with him. 3. In the disobedience of Adam, sin and death originate ; in the obedience of Christ, righteousness and life originate. It is a fair inference from these analogies, that there was a represen- tation of mankind in Adam, in the same manner, that there 372 CONNECTION OF ADAM WITH HIS POSTERITY. is a representation of the chosen of God in Christ ; and that the posterity of Adam were interested with himself in his obedience or disobedience, and their respective consequences. This inference is set forth in the Catechism most extensively used in my native country, in the following terms : " The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity, all mankind sinned in him and fell with him in his first transgression."* Those who admit that sin and death rest on Adam's posterity, directly or indirectly, in conse- quence of Adam's fall, and refuse to recognize the existence of a representation in Adam, in consequence of its unreason- ableness, certainly strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. They admit the greater difficulty, and refuse to admit what is in some degree an explanation of it, and what seems to be clearly taught on the subject in the Holy Scriptures-! They are not warranted, like Voltaire, to charge those who hold the doctrine of original sin, with the folly of asserting that " God formed all the successive generations of mankind, to deliver them over to eternal tortures, under the prStext of their original ancestor having ate a particular fruit in a garden." God's primary end in the creation of man, was that he might glo- rify and enjoy him ; and if the conduct of man, or the gene- ral relations of man, under the probation to which he was subjected, require him to be visited with the wrath of God, * Assembly's Shorter Catechism. f That a covenant was made with Adam for himself and bis posterity, I may remark, is the doctrine of the most pious and learned Protestants. That it was made with Adam, for himself, there can be no doubt. All the promises and threatenings addressed to him in the garden of Eden, con- tained the assurance that the divine treatment of him would be regulat- ed by his own conduct. As a holy being, he could not but acquiesce in them, when proposed by his Creator. The existence of a covenant with Adam is expressly mentioned in Hosea vi, 7. " Like men (or like Adam, as the words diso should be translated) they have broken the cove- nant." The passages which I have quoted from Romans and Corinthians, shew that his posterity wore connected with him. The reasons of the fact, we may not comprehend ; but reason warrants no inference contra- ry to the fact. Revelation is in no degree answerable for the mysteries which remain. CONNECTION OF ADAM WITH HIS POSTERITY. 373 who can complain against the divine justice? Voltaire refu- ses to admit the equity of the imputation of Adam's sin. But is he or any other man so well informed by the light of na- ture of all the circumstances of the case, as to declare an un- hesitating judgment of the kind which he has expressed ? In reference to the objection as expressed by writers of a similar stamp to Voltaire, a respectable divine emphatically remarks: " But it is said, be it [Adam's sin] ever so heinous, why must we be charged with it ? Here again, if we consider that union, which, in Scripture, is ever supposed to connect the first pa- rent and the whole human race, it should first be inquired, are you competent to decide upon this union ? Know you its real nature and its properties ? Till you do, there lies not so much as a presumption against the Almighty's dealings that result from it. Every one must know that men have not this knowledge. The objector knows this very well, and though some may think his conclusions well founded, and perfectly consistent with the union in question, all such con- clusions are of no more real weight in the eye of right reason, than the imagination of an infant on the construction of a ship can be."* Out of Voltaire's own mouth, I condemn his sneers. He concludes his article, on original sin with his wonted inconsistency, by saying, " What, my good fiiends, ought to be said on the subject ? Nothing. Accordingly, I do not give any explanation of the difficulty, I say not a single word"f No, considerate philosopher, it was enough for your purpose, to shut your eyes to the numerous passages in the Sacred Scriptures in which the doctrine of the original deprav- ity of man is clearly presented, and to present the interpreta- tions made of them by the Jews, and by the ancient and mod- ern Christians, and to deal out the misunderstandings and misrepresentations of heretical Christians, in the lack of cour- age, on your own part, openly to commit yourself on a point on which the common observation of men arc decidedly op- ' (iibbon's Account of Christianity considered, by the Rev. Joseph Milner, pp. 20,21. t Quoted in Talim-i-Zartiislif, p. 197. 374 CONNECTION OF ADAM WITH HIS POSTERITY. posed to your speculations.* He can find no enlightened ad- * The Parsfs will bear in mind, that immediately after the days of the apostles of Christ, the inspired teachers of Christianity, many of the minis- ters and members of the professedly Christian Church, became corrupted both in their doctrines and practice, and this because of their neglect of the testimony of God. Even in reference to the views of the Christians of the ages immediately following the apostles, Voltaire is altogether wrong, when he confidently says," We admit that St. Augustine was the first who brought this strange notion of original sin into credit." There is a palpable absurdity, indeed, essentially, involved in his statement. " Pela- gius, in the beginning of the fifth century," says a late able writer, "opposed the doctrine of original sin ; and Augustine, the supposed inventor of it, who is thought to have been born on the same day with Pelagius, wrote against him. According to the above supposition, Pelagius must have held the doctrine of the church, and St. Augustine must have been a single solitary heretic. But if Pelagius held the doctrine of the church, how came it that the terrors of excommunication made him flee from country to country ? And how came it that, at last, he and his pupil Ce- lestius actually were excommunicated, and that all the bishops were de- prived, who refused to subscribe the condemnation of the pelagian here- sy? Now on the supposition that the doctrine of original sin were an invention of Angustine, the reverse of all this must have taken place " Irena-us, the disciple of Polycarp, who was the disciple of St. John, and who suffered matyrdom in the year 203, says, ' What we lost in Adam, tiiat is, a being after the image of God, this we recovered by Christ.' And in another place, he calls the effect of the Spirit of God on the soul, a ' return to the ancient nature of man.' " Vossius shows that original sin was no new device of Augustine ;but ' a doctrine, in which the church of God, in every period, had been unani- mous.' • Who', says Vincentius Lirinensis, 'who before the profane Pela- gius, ever presumed to say, that there is such a power in free will, as to supersede the assistance of the grace of God.' '•It will not be disputed, that a name is never invented till there be first a corresponding idea, suggesting the necessity of being distinctly marked. This being admitted, we have satisfactory evidence, that from the times of the apostles to the present day, the Christian Church has al- ways considered original sin, to be an essential doctrine of the gospel. It is mentioned onward from Ignatius, a disciple of the apostle John, (and whom some suppose to have seen Christ,) through every succeeding age of the church. 'Here,' says one [Prideaux], 'the fathers agree with us, so that this doctrine of original sin is called by Ignatius the ancient ini- quity ; by Justin Murtyr, the death derived from Mam ; by Cyprian, the an- cient infection of death ; the orisrin of sin, by Hilary ; nnd original sin, by Itufinus." — Cormack on Original Sin, pp. 117 — 120. So much for the alleged novelty of the doctrine of original sin in the CONNECTION OF ADAM WITH HIS POSTERITY. 375 vocate of the doctrine of original sin attempting to explain the exact mode of its transmission from generation to genera- tion, and his different suppositions consequently do not apply to the case as stated by those to whose views he is hostile. It is remarkable, that amongst his hypotheses as to the formation of the human soul, he avoids any reference to that of its hav- ing any connexion with, or derivation from, the first man, which he must have known those whom he opposes most com- monly bring forward. Dosabhai, it will appear from the preceding remarks, com- mitted a great error, when he introduced Voltaire into his days of Augustine. It is here clearly proved that it was taught in the Christian church from the very days of the apostles, as it had been for- merly taught in the Jewish church. As far as the individual opinions of Clement and Origen of Alexandria are concerned, Voltaire is partly cor- rect. I say only parity, for in the works of these writers, I see very many passages which seem to imply, if not express, their belief in the original depravity of man, as he now appears in the world. Thus, for exam- ple, Clement says " To sin is to all innate and cojiimon,— VuyvTov xu) xoivdv. (Paed. iii. 12). Origen, in his comment on the Romans, suppo- ses sin to attach itself to the soul before birth, to be dormant during infan- cy, but sure to develope itself in mature years. Notwithstanding°the in- fluence of these great names at Alexandria, more orthodox doctrines than those they entertained, were not unknown in that famous school. Didy- mus, A. D. 340—395, for instance, says, " Original Sin is inherent in us ; that sin in which all are by succession from Adam." "We are all born in' sin." " The first image was lost." — See an interesting paper " On the Catechetical School, or Theological Seminary at Alexandria in Egypt," by Prof. Emerson of America in the Biblical Repository, 1834. This is a sufficient reply to what Voltaire says, and what Dosabhai adopts, on the origin of the doctrine of original sin. The Parsf munshi will here allow me to propose two plain queries to himself:— 1. Do not you, contradicting both yourself and the Vandidad, admit the doctrine of original sin, when you resolve the Pars* doctrine of the evil Principle into a parabolical representation of ■ the evil dispositions of man" ? 2. Since, like Voltaire, you maintain that the doctrine of original sin is not contained in the Bible, why do you make that sacred volume re- sponsible for it ? I await your reply ; and in the mean time I beg to direct the Pars! read- er to your glaring inconsistency. They will be able without any hint to distinguish between fair argument, and the wilful perversions, and silly sneers, which you have thought right to adopt. 376 EFFECTS OF THE PARS! DENTAL OF ORIGINAL SIN. pages. He has been unable to injure Christianity by what lie has done, and he has left the general observation of man, and of the people of his own tribe in particular, to testify a- gainst the doctrine of the Vandidad, that man is first noticed by us in a state of original righteousness. It is not necessary for me to retract a single sentence which I have written on the subject in any of my former publications. The evil effects of the erroneous doctrine of the Vandidad, I have frequently witnessed. That dictum, I have found thus expanded and illustrated : — " From the day that his parents bring him from a world replete with light, into this even surpassing it in splen- dor, a mortal keeps his heart as pure as crystal, yea purer, until the season that he becomes acquainted with the habits of the world "* I have heard a learned dastur declare that it is the general belief of his tribe, that a person does not be- come a responsible moral agent till such time as he is invest- ted with the kusti, or imaginary sacred girdle, and that all slight transgressions which he may previously have committed, are to be visited upon his parents. In an article on the follow- ers of Zoroaster in the Colonial Magazine, June 1841, written by a Parsi, there is the following statement : — " The Parsis in accordance to commands in their sacred books, wear a white garment and a girdle round their waist, composed of seventy [seventy-two] threads, but not larger than a lady's stay-lace. These they wear as insignia of their religion. Children, after the age of seven, are made to wear it, and they are then considered as confirmed in the faith of Zoroaster ; but their parents are held responsible for their moral and re- ligious observances until they arrive at the age often, when they are to be responsible for themselves. Should children be taken away from this world before they arrive at the age of ten, they are considered innocent and unthinking — inca- pable of doing any intentional harm or injury, and that they die happy, free from the temptation and misery of this world, and are received into heaven, to enjoy eternal happiness : such * Harkarah and Vartaman, 1832. INDICATIONS OF ORIGINAL SIN. 377 is the firm belief of the Parsi."* But arc facts, which should regulate every theory, consistent with the opinions which have now been expressed ? Is any man really able to blind himself to the early developement of depravity in every member of the human family who falls under his observa- tion ? Can any person be insensible to the original disorder of the human affections, to the manifestations of discontent, peevishness, anger, fretfulness, strife, contention, envy, jeal- ousy, waywardness, and disobedience, which are made in the days of infancy, and long before evil example can lead to imitation ? Do we not perceive in the first determina- tions of the human will, the choice of what is evil, and a strong aversion to what is good ? Can we overlook the prone- ness which is evinced, at the very dawn of intellect, to prefer that which is sensual to that which is spiritual ? Can we fail to notice the original alienation of the soul from its Maker, and its innate disinclination to learn the ways of God, and to enter on the paths of righteousness, which parental advice and re- monstrance, and authority, however faithfully and diligently plied, find it so difficult to subdue? Do we not see the facility with which an evil example is comprehended and fol- lowed, while that of an opposite character is unperceived, or disregarded ? On reflecting even on our own early history and experience, is the justness of the confession of the Psal- mist, already quoted, not thrust on our attention, — " Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me ?" In the view of what has now been said, we are at perfect * I am glad to find Aspandiarjf alive to the error which is involved in this opinion. "But I am disposed to believe," he says, (Hadi-i-Gum-Raluui, p. G7,)"nodastur who may possess some (any) degree of common sense would entertain such vain ideas ; for, if they ever happen to be founded on any authority, however little, from the Parsi scripture, people may (will) be sure to avail themselves of it as the best reason to refrain themselves from putting on the kusti ; for this might render them unanswerable, as our friend alleges, for any wicked acts they may commit during the time." The " degree of authority" in the Parsi scripture, I have already al- luded to. I leave Aspandiarjf, who denies the authority, to settle accounts with Dosabhai who defends it. 29 378 PARSI INDIFFERENCE ABOUT A RIGHT WAY OF SALVATION. liberty to charge the " sacred" writings of the Parsis with giv- ing representations of human nature, in its first developements, utterly opposed to facts which are daily and hourly witnessed. We are also compelled to declare that these writings take only a very partial view of the claims of God on the affections, and reverence, and gratitude, and service of his rational creatures, and of the workings of that disease of depravity under which our whole species labours. They do not exhibit the divine ho- liness as it is manifested in giving a law which is holy, just, and good in all its requisitions, and which extends these re- quisitions to the thoughts and intents of the heart. In none of them do we find the high, but reasonable, demand, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself."* They are more occupied with bodily cleanliness than spiritual purity ; with the avoid- ance of the defilement which occurs from contact with corp- ses, than that which occurs from contact with sin ; with the protection of the elements of nature, than the maintenance and declaration of the honour and glory of God ; with un- meaning, and foolish, and absurd ceremony, than enlightened # Luke x. 27. In the Pars! writings there are frequent references to hvarsta, humuta, hiiJdtt, "good work, good thought, good speech," as the words are to be translated. With reference to this circumstance, the Abbe Foucher (Memoires de Litteratnro, torn, xxxix, p. 793), adopting the in- terpretation of Anquetil, pur de pcnsiv, pur de parole, et pur d'artion, says, " Ce pn'cepte est repete" a toutes les pages, nans que l'auteur cssaie ja- mais d'en donner aucun developpement ; et des lors e'est une putrilite qui ne fait plus d'impression. It'faudroit done expliqucr ce qui forme la purete de pens£e, de parole, et d'action, et e'est ce que les livres Zends ne font point. Nous disons aux enfans qu'il faut etre docile. Ce pre- cepte bien approfondi, renferme tous les devoirs et toutes les vertus; mais si on leur rc'petoit toujours la meme maxime lorsqu'ils avancent en age, sans leur donner d'autres instructions, ils se moqueroient de leurs instituteurs, et ils auroient raison." But there is more than the charge of using the expressions quoted a- bove in a cant sense, and without definition and amplification, as stated by the worthy Abbe, to be brought against the Parsf writings. They com- monly represent the worshipper as proudly declaring that he possesses- the character alluded to, instead of humbly begging for its communication to him by God. PARSI INDIFFERENCE ABOUT A RIGHT WAY OF SALVATION. *J~ if and rational, and solemn devotion ; with the disposal of tlie body, which must infallibly become the prey of corruption, than the final destiny of the soul, which will live throughout the endless ages of eternity. Setting forth an imperfect and erroneous law, they lead those who repose their faith in them to form imperfect views of their transgressions and the guilt which they contract and accumulate. They discover not the sin which mingles itself even in the best thoughts, and words, and actions of men. In none of them do we find the hum- ble, but truthful, acknowledgements and declarations which pervade the sacred page: — " Every imagination of the thought of man's heart is only evil continually."* " Man is abomina- ble and drinketh up iniquity like water."f " The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek after God. They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. "J "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way."§ ''The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wick- ed."! " Out of the heart of man proceed evil thoughts, a- dulterics, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wicked- ness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, fool- ishness."11 "The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."** It is not their object to humble man in the sight of his offend- ed Maker, and so to declare the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be held guilty before God. In these circumstances, we cannot suppose that the Piirsi writings will be effectual to convince men of their trespasses, to show them their guilt and demerit, and to awake within the heart the anxious inquiry, "What must I do to be saved." " They that be whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick ;" and they who arc left to imagine them- selves to be no great sinners in the sight of God, will not with * Genesis, vi. .">. t Job, jcv. 16. ( Psalm, xiv. 2, 3. § Isaiah, liii. . 80. t Hebrews x. I - 10. 1 Sec Chap, \i, p 323 INTERCESSION OF FRIENDS. 389 tender feelings excited in cases of bereavement, there would be no deficiency of such services whenever they were con- ceived to be efficacious. The prospect of them as a final re- sort, however, would be most injurious to the living, who in the hour of trial and temptation would stifle the voice of conscience, and dismiss the apprehension of a fearful doom, in the belief, or expectation, that their friends would free them from the righteous indignation and judgement of God after their removal from the body. That God will remit his claims on the dead, for the sake of the entreaties of the living, is not to be expected. The living do not satisfy the demands of God upon themselves ; and far less can they procure a stock of merit available for others. These simple remarks, I am well aware, militate against more religious systems than that of the Parsis. Now, what is left for me to do, in the view of the princi- ples and facts to which I have now adverted in connexion with the means of salvation prescribed in the Pars! scrip- tures, and resorted to by the Parsi people ? Shall I coun- tenance the delusion which is entertained respecting them, and say, Peace, peace, when there is no peace ? To act in this manner were to sacrifice truth at the shrine of a false liberal- ity, and to substitute for the essence and spirit of charity, its veriest semblance. The fear of God, and the love of men, — even of those against whom I thus contend in argument, compel me to say, and to proclaim, that the means of salva- tion on which the Parsis rely, will be found unavailing be- fore the tribunal of the most High. This is not my solitary judgment. It is that of the whole of enlightened and or- thodox Christendom, guided by the word of God. It is of the most solemn character which can be imagined ; and I pray that its grounds may be duly pondered and considered. But is the door of hope entirely to be closed against the Parsis, and all other tribes of men, because neither their own religious services, nor repentance, nor obedience, nor penances, nor the intercession of their friends, are available to avert their doom ? No; blessed be God, there arc still glad tidings to be announced, glad tidings in which there is no delusion, 390 THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. glad tidings proceeding from the throne of God himself, glad tidings which bring " glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and good will to man." There is the Gospel of Jesus to be proclaimed, which offers pardon to the guilty, sanctifi- cation to the impure, and eternal happiness to the miserable, on terms which are not merely compatible with the holiness and justice of God, and the authority of that law in which they are embodied, but which bring to him an inconceivably great revenue of honour and praise ; and which demands the admiration of all intelligent creatures, and the cordial and affectionate reception of those to whom it is addressed, as " the wisdom and the power of God unto salvation." And what is the Gospel of Christ, possessed of this high character ? As announced by himself, its substance is this : — " God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life :"* Observe what is here said respect- ing the origin of the plan of human redemption. It devolved on God, and on God alone, to provide a way of salvation : for it is against his righteous character, and his law, and his authority, and his government, that sin is directed. He only can extend forgiveness; and if he withhold it, none else can interfere and none else can dispense it. He determined, how- ever, to magnify his mercy in the salvation of a portion of the human race ; and he devised a suitable plan for the accom- plishment of his purposes, without the violation of any of the essential principles of his moral administration. The right- eousness of fallen man, with all its imperfections and impuri- ties, he could not accept. The righteousness of the angels and archangels in heaven, who have never known sin, he could not transfer from themselves, from whom it is demanded to its furthest extent on their own account. Sin he could not lightly deal with, so as to leave the impression, either a- mong the inhabitants of earth below or heaven above, that it is only a trifle, or of little account in the jurisprudence of the Most High. The authority of that law which interdicts all transgression, he could not lower ; and its dreadful sane- John, iii. J<:. THE OOSPF.L OF CHRIST. 391 tions he could not keep in abeyance. An object in the ap- pointment of whom, his mercy, his sovereign mercy, to the human race, should be conspicuously displayed, and in the treatment of whom his unspotted holiness and unswerving justice should be most signally manifested, was needed by God, and was found by God. To that infinitely glorious Be- ing, who participates in the unity of his own nature, who stands to him in the relation of an only-begotten Son, as eternally existing in himself, and as being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and the object of his greatest love, he proposed that he should become the surety, and substitute, and ransom, and Redeemer of fallen man ; and that for the accomplishment of this grand and in- finitely important object, he should leave the bosom of the Father, assume the nature of man, become subject to, and honour the law, instruct the world, endure unspeakable suf- ferings in behalf of those whom he should save, and present his unspotted soul as a sacrifice for the redemption of. those who were to be constituted the monuments of the divine mercy. " The counsel of peace was between them both." That love to the perishing which led the Father to propose to the Son that he should appear in their behalf, led the Son voluntarily and cheerfully to undertake their cause. " Lo, I come," he said, " in the volume of the book it is written of me ; I de- light to do thy will, O God."* The purposes of the divine grace were announced to man, as soon as sin entered into the world ; and the mode of their accomplishment, through the sufferings and death of the Saviour, was prefigured and ex- hibited by the ceremonial sacrifices and burnt-offerings which were prescribed by God himself to our progenitors and their descendants. Many prophets and righteous men saw the day of Christ afar oft"; and they rejoiced in the prospect of its ap- proach, and prophesied and sang of its unspeakable glories. The " fulness of time" at length arrived ; and God was mind- ful of his promises. He "sent forth his Son, made of a wo- man, made under the law, to redeem them that were under * Psalm, xl. 7,v8. :19L2 THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. the law, that \vc might receive the adoption of sons."* " The Desire of all nations," and " the Consolation of Israel" ap- peared. " The Word" who "was in the beginning with God," and " who was God," "was made flesh," or became incarnate, and " dwelt amongst us ;" and those who witnessed this Word have left the testimony, " We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."f The humanity of Christ was holy in its origin ; and it was pre- served by him from all personal evil, for he continued holy, harmless, undefilcd, and separated from sinners. When he had sufficiently explained the objects of his mission to the world, and done many mighty and gracious works, in order to make known his own character, and that of his Father by whom he was sent, he came forth to endure the death, and all its unspeakable agonies, through which he was to make an atonement for the sins of his people. He surrendered him- self into the hands of sinners ; and by them he was nailed to, and suspended on, what was reckoned the " accursed tree." In the visitations of the wrath of God, however, his sufferings principally consisted ; and these visitations were inconceiva- bly great. It was under them, that he exclaimed " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me !" and he shrunk not from them till he could say, " It is finished." They were not laid upon him on his own account, but for the sake of those whom he had covenanted to save. They were not for sin committed by himself, for in this sense he knew no sin, but for sin imputed. " He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities : the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed."! " He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."§ The evil of sin, which he voluntarily allowed his Father to lay to his account, was awfully displayed at the hour of his crucifixion. In all that he did, and in all that he endured, there was infinite merit, for he was a divine Saviour, whose services and suffer- * Galatians, iv. 4, 5. | John, i. 14. ] [saiahj liii. r>. § 2 Corinth, v. 21. THE GOSPEL OV CHRIST. 393 ings possessed an infinitely intrinsic value, and on them there rested no legal claim, except that which is to be found in his own voluntary promises and engagements. The merit which he purchased and procured, had men, guilty, undeserving men, as its intended recipients ; and it is this merit which is offer- ed to, and pressed on the acceptance of men, in the Gospel. To every anxious soul, which makes the inquiry, " What must I do to be saved," the reply is given, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." To those who renounce all confidence in themselves, and exercise faith in his name, and trust in his perfect righteousness, he extends a free and a full pardon of every transgression, and gives a free and a full remission of every demand. He delivers all who take rcfilge in his grace from their liability to hell, and from the eternal punishment which they have merited, and which is the portion of those who continue impenitent and unbeliev- ing. When ihcy lay hold of his righteousness by faith, he views them as righteous in his sight, receives them into his favour, adopts them into his family, and appoints them to eternal glory in the regions of bliss. God's moral glory, it must be seen, is upheld, nay illustriously displayed, amidst all these transactions, in which justice is satisfied, as well as mer- cy magnified. When he pardons sin for the sake of Christ, he acquits the creditor only because the surety has imple- mented the demand. When he passes by iniquity, trans- gression, and sin, it is not without a reference to that over- whelming display of the tremendous consequences of trans- gression, which was continued throughout the whole humi- liation of Christ, but was most remarkable at its termination ID his death, when the afflictions of the substitute were un- speakably great. He proclaims to the universe, that since he spared not his own Son when he stood in the room of sin- ners, he will not spare sinners when they stand on their own footing. He unfolds and follows out a scheme of redemp- tion at once so glorious, and awful, and tremendous in the way in which it has been executed, that it must appear to be his ultimatum, such as may not be repeated, if it fail to estab- lish righteousness throughout the unmeasured Fastness of his 31 394 THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. creation. At the same time that he imparts judicial right- eousness to the believer, he commences the work of impart- ing personal righteousness, or holiness. When he frees men from the penal consequences of sin, he also frees them from its- power and pollution. For the begetting of that simple faith in, and reliance on, Christ, to which he calls men, he is ready to give his Holy Spirit, the third personal subsistence in the Godhead, to them who ask for him. This heavenly teacher, and guide, and renovator, works powerfully within them. Through the word of God, which is quick and powerful, sharp- er than any two-edged sword, and which is a discemer of the thoughts and intents of the heart, he convinces them of their depravity, guilt, and misery, leads them anxiously to cry for salvation, discovers to them the grace, and power, and suitableness of Christ, renews their wills, enables them to close in with the offers of redemption, fills them with peace and joy in believing, directs them to Christian obedience, upholds them in the discharge of their duties, cleanses them from all their corruptions, and in due time prepares them for the inheritance of the saints in light. Under his influence, and looking to that Saviour whose loveliness and suitable- ness he discovers, and viewing themselves as heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, they rejoice, — even amidst all their needful trials, with " joy unspeakable and full of glo- ry." They sing the triumphant song, " Who can lay any thing to the charge of God's elect ? It is God that justi- fied. Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall sep- arate us from the love of Christ ? Shall tribulation, or dis- tress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."* * Roman?, viii. 35 — 39. THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. 395 These are the glad tidings, which by the authority of God's word itself, I announce to the Parsis, Hindus, Musalmans, and merely nominal professors of the true faith, in India. To all, I affectionately say, " This is a faithful saying, and wor- thy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." While I call upon them to forsake those van- ities which cannot profit, I entreat them to receive the truth of God, and the righteousness of the Son of God from heaven. If they will indeed turn unto the Lord, they will be blessed in time and throughout eternity. To all of them I say, " Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die." All of tliem I point to Christ, from whose mouth proceed the gracious words, "Him that cometh unto me, I will in nowise cast out;" " Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" CHAPTER VIII. THE ALLEGED PROPHETICAL MISSION OF ZOROASTER DIS- PROVED, AND THE IMPUGNMENT OF THE EXTERNAL AUTHORITY OF THE BOOKS WHICH THE PARSIS RECKON THE STANDARD OF THEIR FAITH AND PRACTICE. Recapitulation of the internal evidence establishing the fact that the Zand-Avastd has no claim to be considered a divine revelation — State- ment of the question as to the Authenticity, Genuineness, and Credihi- litu of the Zand-Avastd — Shirking of this question by the controver- sialists— Antiquity of the Zand language admitted — Failure of the Pdrsis to establish the prophetic Mission of Zoroaster — Notices and reviews of all the authorities to which they have appealed on this sub- ject : — The Zinat-at-Taivdrikh — The Dabistan — The Shdristdn — The Dasdtir — TheDin-Kard — The Burhdn-i-Kdtagh — The Shdh- numah — The Zartusht-Namah — The Rauzat-as-Sajd — The IVajar- Kard — The Ardai-Virdf-Numah — The Shdyistah Ndshdyistah — The Changhraghdrli-Kdinuh — The Jdmdsp-Ndmah — Argument for the divine Mission of Christ, and the divine authority of the Chris- tian Scriptures — Concluding address to the Pdrsis. The attentive reader of the preceding chapters will rea- dily preceive, and admit, that a divine confirmation of the books esteemed sacred by the Parsfs is not to be expected. God is a God of perfect truth, wisdom, and righteousness ; and it is absolutely impossible that he can extend his sanction to that which is either erroneous or absurd. The writers of the Vandidad, and liturgical works which have passed before our notice, have neither his glory in their own view, nor do they exhibit it to the view of others. These works are nei- ther holy nor good ; and they are unworthy of God to give, and of man to receive as his gift. From beginning to end, they are characterized by the ignorance, and error, and even the ZAND-AVASTA NOT A DIVINE UKVELATION. 397 depravity of man. The testimony which they give regard- ing the divine nature, either falls short of, or contradicts, the testimony which God gives of himself in his own works ; and they cannot be viewed with respect even as setting forth a rational system of Natural Theology. They represent the Lord of the Creation as a derivative being, while it must be admitted, that " the invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead." They circumscribe the divine power by an imaginary Evil Principle, who is said to create and destroy, not only without the di- vine permission, but of his own innate and underived energy. They distribute the work of providence among numerous Izads and Amshaspands, who are believed to preside over the different departments of nature ; and they permit these ima- ginary beings to share in, and almost to engross, the honours of the Godhead. They confound ihe works of God with the nature of God, and treat the lifeless elements and their most conspicuous combinations as if they were sentient, intelli- gent, and divine. They contain a code of moral conduct, and religious ceremony, frivolous and absurd in a remarkable de- gree. They prescribe unsuitable plans of salvation, and de- ceive the soul with fallacious hopes and expectations. The numerous illustrations and proofs which we have given of these and similar propositions, must annihilate, in every con- siderate mind, the belief, or expectation, that any evidence can be adduced to support the theory of their possessing divine authority. Knowing, however, the exceeding proneness of the mind of man to embrace error, notwithstanding its repugnance both to enlightened reason, and natural conscience; and knowing the actual devotcdncss of the Parsis to serious error connected with the subject to which I now refer, I have more than once challenged them to adduce, for examination and discussion, whatever evidence they may conceive themselves to be in pos- session of to support the alleged prophetic mission of Zoro- aster, and the claims of the Zand-Avasta, attributed to him, to be received as a divine revelation ; and I have done this in 398 QUESTION AS TO THE AUTHENTICITY, the plainest and most unequivocal terms. Thus, for example, in my lecture on the Vandidad, I have written as follows : — "It is ascribed to Zoroaster, who is said to have flourished in the reign of Gushtasp, the son of Lohorasp, or Darius Hy- staspes, about 500 years before Christ ;* but there is no proof * Darius Hystaspes ascended the Persian throne about 521 years be- fore Christ. The testimonies of the ancients respecting the epoch of Zoroaster, the Parsfs are probably aware, are very conflicting. The most important of them, as far as I can find them in books to which I have access in this place, are the following. "We have heard of one man Zoroaster," says Pliny, in his work on Natural History, " that he laughed the same day he was born; and that his skull so palpitated that it repelled the hand placed upon it, a presage of his future wisdom" (lib. vii). "Zoroaster consider- ed it the best time to sow, when the sun had passed twelve parts of Scorpio, and the moon was in Taurus" (lib. xii). " Without doubt it [the magic art] originated in Persia with Zoroaster, as it is agreed a- mongst authors; but whether this was one individual, or another indivi- dual at a later period, is not sufficiently evident. Eudoxus who wished it to be reckoned the most distinguished and useful amongst the kinds of wisdom, delivers that this Zoroastres lived G,000 years before the death of Plato [which took place 384 years before Christ]. So, also, Aristotle. Hermippus, who has written most diligently concerning the whole of this art, and who has expounded the two millions of verses written by Zoro- aster, and made indices to his volumes, delivers that Azonaces the teach- er, by whom it was established, assuredly existed 5,000 years before the Trojan war There is another magical party originating from Mo3es, Jamne, and Jotape the Jews, but many thousand years after Zo- roaster" (lib. xxx). Pliny also mentions another Zoroaster Proconessius who lived a little before Xerxes. Justin, who lived in the first century of the Christian era, and who abridged the celebrated historical work of Trogos Pompeius, born A. C. 4G, says (lib. i. cap. 1), that Zoroaster was the contemporary of Ninus king of the Assyrians, by whom he was con- quered, and that he was a '; king of the Bactrians, who is said first to have invented magical arts, and the elements (principia) of the world, and to have most diligently beheld the motions of the stars." The notice of Zo- roaster given by Plutarch, I have already given (see p. 124 of this work). lie makes Zoroaster to have lived 500 (or according to some MSS. 5,000) years before the Trojan war, to which the dates of 1184, and 904 years before Christ have been assigned by chronologists. Apuleius, of the first century after Christ (lib. ii), states that Pythagoras was taken pri- soner by Camby6cs, "and carried into Egypt, where he was instructed by the Magi, and particularly by Zoroaster himself; but the more genrral opinion is that he went to Egypt voluntarily to study the Egyptian GENUINENESS, AND CREDIBILITY OF ZAND-AVASTA. 399 even of its existence long after his day, far less of the allega- tion, that it was written by him. While it professes to report the result of an interview of Zoroaster with Hormazd, it speaks of the great Zoroaster as having existed before the time sciences and from thence set out to consult tlie Chaldeans and Btah- mans." (Mirkhond translate'! by Shea p. 277). Apuleius, also men- tions (lib. xv.) a Zoroaster after the rei^n of Cambyses. (Bryant's .My- thology, vol. ii. p. 111.) Diogenes Laertius, about the middle of the se- cond century after Christ, in his Lives of the Philosophers, writes, "Hermodorus, the Platonist in his book concerning Discipline, reckons 5,000 years from the Magi, (whose chief, it is handed down to memory, was Zoroaster the Persian) to the destruction of Troy ; but Xanthus of Lydia reckons GOO years to the invasion of Xerxes" (Proccm. seg. 3). He adds, "Aristotle says in his book on Magic, and Dinon in his fifth book on Histories, that Zoroaster, according to the interpretation of his name, was a star-worshipper. . . Hermodorus says the same" (Procem. seg. 8.) Clemens of Alexandria (A D. 192J in his Strom, v. p. 255. (ed, Sylburg), says, "Plato, in the tenth book of his Republic, mentions, a cer- tain Eris.son of Armenias, of the family of Pamphylas. This person is Zoroastres; for Zoroastres himself writes thus: this Zoroastres, son of Ar- menius of the family of Pamphylas, has composed. Killed in battle I learned it in hades from the Gods. Plato mentions also that Zoroaster on the twelfth day after his death, when he was placed on the pile, did revive." In another place (p. 44) Clemens also mentions Zoroaster the Mode, and that Pythagoras has proved the Magus Zoroaster to have been a Persian (p. P31). Syncellus, in his Chronicon (p. 107) quotes Ce- phalgias attributing the same date to Zoroastres as to Semiramis (Bry- ant's Mythology vol ii. p. 11].) Arnobius refers to "Zoroastres the Bactrian,"and to "Zoroastres Armenius, the grandson of Zostrianus (Bry- ant's Ancient Mythology, vol. ii. p. 111). Porphyry (de anlr. Nymph.) says, that Zoroaster first consecrated caverns to Mithras, the creator and father of all things. Ammianus Marcellinus, a Latin writer of the fourth century, (Hist. lib. xxiii), states, that " The Bactrian Zoroas- ter, in remote ages, made many additions to the religion of the Macrj which additions were derived from the mysteries of the Chaldeans; and after him Hystaspes, a most sage monarch, the father of Darius. This prince, in pursuit of knowledge, having penetrated into the remote parts ofiVorthern (Superior) India, reached a secluded place amidst forests the calm retreats of which were inhabited by Biahmansof the most ex- alted order: being counselled by them, he directed his utmost attention to learning the principles of the motions of the universe and the stars, al- so the pure form of worship. A part of what he had thus acquired, he inculcated on the minds of the Magi ; which they handed down to their posterity, in conjunction with the science of foretelling future events." Mosea of Chorenp, an Armenian of the fifth century, indentifies Zoroas- 400 QUESTION AS TO THE AUTHENTICITY, at which this interview took place. Near the commencement of the second fargard, or section, Hormazd is represented as saying, ' Jamshid, ruler of people and of flocks, O holy Zo- roaster, is the first man who has consulted Hormazd as you do now, O Zoroaster. I have clearly revealed to him the law of God, and of Zoroaster.' Near the commencement of the nineteenth fargard, Hormazd observes to the person tcr with Zerovan and describes him as tiie Magian, the king of the Bactrians (Winston's Translation, p. 16). Agathias, of the sixth century, (lib. ii) has the following passage: — " When Zoroadus, or Zarades (fur a double appellation is given to him) first flourished and established laws, it is not clearly manifest. The Persians of this age, however, simply say, that he lived under Hystaspes, but so much without additional information, that it is very doubtful, and cannot be certainly known, whether he was the father of Darius, or some other Hystaspes. But in whatever age lie flourished, he was the chief leader of those of the Magian sect ; and bav- in"- changed the first sacred ritual, he introduced certain confused and op- posite opinions." Stiidas (1087 A. D.) in his Lexicon, has the following sentences: "Zoroastrcs Mado-Persian, excelling all others in his knowledge of Astronomy. He was the first of those called by the name of Magi. He lived 500 years before the Trojan war. He is said to have written about nature, four books; about precious stones, one book; astrological prophe- cies, five books. Zoroastres, an astronomer during the reign of Ninus the Assyrian king. He prayed to be destroyed by the heavenly fire, advising at the same time the Assyrians to preserve his ashes, lest they should lose the supremacy. They preserve it this very day. Zoromasdrcs, a Chaldean philosopher, wrote about mathematical and physical mat- ters." It is not my business to reconcile these authorities. In fact, the attempt, though frequently made, is altogether hopeless. They seem to intimate, either that the epoch of Zoroaster is more remote than the time assigned to it by the Parsis, or that there have been several Zoroa'us: £«h™' I L/un Dahyaush Dahyawa. '104 THE ZAND LANGUAGK. Singular. Plural. p C Zand Dakhyeus Dakhyunam. ( Cun Dahayush Dahyunam. p. C Zand Dakhyubo.* Daghubyo. ( Cun Dahyuwa Dayushuvva. . ( Zand Dakhyum Dagh vo. I Cun Dahyaum Dahyawa. " I must refer to my detailed observations in the memoir for a multitude of similar cases of coincidence, which are am- ply sufficient to demonstrate the affinity between the two languages ; and to establish as incontrovertible, that the dia- lect in which are composed the Vandidad, Vispered, Izashne, &c. is merely a modification of the true and vernacular tongue, which was used in Persia in the ages of Cyrus and Da- rius above twelve centuries anterior to the period of the In- dian emigration of the Parsis. " I may also observe that there are several dialects spoken in Persia at the present day, both among the Curdish moun- taineers, and by the Gabars of Yezd, Kirman and Seistan, which in a number of their terms for external objects closely approximate to the language of the Zand-Avasta, and that I really believe there is scarcely a single radical of any impor- tance in any of the Pars! sacred books which, under some mo- dification or other, may not be traced to a correspondent term in some living dialect of Persia. " Passing over, therefore, the difficulty, I may almost say the impossibility, of fabricating a copious, grammatical and richly developed language like that of the Zand-Avasta: these established points of affinity which it possesses with the true native dialects, are certainly sufficient to authenticate the genuineness of the writings as imported from Persia. At what period anterior to that event the precepts of Zoroaster may have been collected and embodied in the language which they now exhibit, it does not enter into my present object to discuss. I am merely desirous, on the grounds which I have * There is probably a misprint here for Dakhyave or Dangve. The cuneiform form of the dative plural given above, has an anomalous ap- pearance. TBI ZAND LANGUAGE. 405 mentioned, to record my conviction, that the Parsi writings were imported from Persia in their present state during the seventh century of Christ, and are thus entitled to the same degree of consideration among the Parsis of the present day, which they enjoyed among their ancestors at the period of their expatriation. II. C. Rawlinson." Bomray : Feb. 2d. 1840 From the conclusion respecting the Zand language at which Major Rawlinson lias here arrived, I am not, on the whole, disposed to dissent. A vocabulary of all the words found in the Cuneiform inscriptions, prepared from Grotefend, Lassen, and Burnouf, by my friend Mr. Weigle of the German Mission of Mangalur, and a few grammatical fragments collect- ed by myself, are now before me. These inscriptions are not in the Zand language, though in many words which have been al- ready pointed out, and in others, the coincidence of which is apparent to all, they resemble the Zand in their themes and a few of their grammatical inflexions. But what is the infer- ence to be derived from these facts? If, as alleged by Ma- jor Rawlinson, the vernacular language of Cyrus and Darius be only the "parent" of the Zand, then the Parsi writings cannot be the genuine works of Zoroaster, even supposing him to have appeared at the latest date mentioned in connexion with his name, and that universally set forth by the Parsis, during the reign of Darius Hystaspes. The interval between Cyrus and this latter prince, does not afford a space of time sufficient for the difference in the languages, or dialects, whichever term may be preferred. To these inferences, I am certain, Major Rawlinson himself will not object. h\ fact, it is an awkward matter for the Parsis, that they have brought him into the witness-box. In his admirable paper on the Atropatenian Ecbatana, he makes the following declara- tions:— " Since in the numerous Cuneiform inscriptions of Per- sia, chiefly of a religious nature, which exhibit at the present day the imperishable records of the times of Darius and Xer- xes, no trace of the name or character of the prophet Zoroas- ter is to be found : it is obvious that he either could not have lived in the age which is usually assigned to him, or that wt 106 THE ZAND LANGUAGE. must have most erroneous notions of the influence that he ex- ercised upon the national religion of the country. . . . During the reign of the Arsacidan dynasty in Persia, we know that the religion of Zoroaster gradually fell into disuse; that an idol- atrous worship partially usurped its place ; that the genuine writings of the prophet were corrupted, or, perhaps, altogether lost; and that the holy fire languished in obscurity on the de- secrated altars of the Magi. . . . The fire-worship, however, was at length restored with greater splendour and respect than it had ever previously enjoyed. The priesthood formed a new religious code, which they unblushingly ascribed to Zo- roaster; and Ardeshir Babegan undertook the re-establish- ment of all the great Pyroea of the kingdom."* Speaking of the correspondence of the ruins at the Takht-i-Suliman, with the description of Jamshid's palace in the Vandidad, he adds, "Indeed, I can only account for the extraordinary accu- racy of the description, by supposing the Vandidad to have been written in the reign of Ardeshir Babegan by Magian priests; who were familiar with the localities, and who had re- ceived traditional accounts of the real ancient foundation of the city by the Median king, Dejoces."f Whether or not the Parsi priests in India, from their tra- ditional reminiscences of the ancient languages, could have fabricated some of the Zand writings, I shall not positively asseit. There is a poverty in the expression of some of these writings, particularly of the minor liturgical pieces, which shows that their authors had no ready command of the lan- guage in which they wrote. There is an approach to Gujarati idiom, in some instances, and to a Gujarati corruption of Sanskrit, which at one time awakened considerable suspi- cions in my mind. Viewing the matter of the Zand language, however, in its general aspect, I have no hesitation in declar- ing, that none of the exiled and depressed Parsi priests in In- dia can be supposed to have had the ability to invent that language, with its extensive and minute grammatical forms, * Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, vol. x, p. 84. t Ibid. p. 131 ZOROASTER NO PROPHET. 407 and with its abundant and regular analogies to the Sanskrit, Persian, Pahlavi, Greek, Latin, and Germanic languages, as so distinctly evinced by Boppaud Burnouf. and evident to the general student, and to write of a state of society altogether different from that in which they themselves were placed, a;.d in many respects dissimilar to that to which the legends of the Shah-namah and other similar works, to which they at- tach some importance, refer. Into the mere literary question of the origin and antiquity of ihc Zand language, however, I am not inclined further to look at present. What I wish the Parsis with whom I am at present engaged in discussion, to bear in mind, is, that they have not brought forward the slight- est reasons for impugning my original statement, that " there is no proof of its [the Vandidad's] existence long after his [Zo- roaster's] day, far less of its being written by him." They have referred to no ancient works, in which either it, or any other of the writings contained in the Zand-Avasta, is either quoted or described. The authenticity and genuineness of the Chris- tian Scriptures we clearly establish by an appeal to a series, of writers beginning with the present day, and extending even to the time of the apostles of Christ, who make innumerable references to them, and produce from them many distinct passages ; but the authenticity and genuineness of the Parsi scriptures cannot be established by any such authorities. Thousands of links in the chain are wanting. For hun- dreds of years, it altogether vanishes. The force of these re- marks will be more distinctly understood by my Parsi friends as we advance. But supposing we were to admit that the Zand-Avasta is the genuine production of Zoroaster, it must be clearly seen that it remains to be proved that Zoroaster was a messenger from Cod, and that his work is possessed of divine authority. The Parsis think that both Zoroaster and the book have the seal of miracles; but, as has been seen, they have been expressly and directly challenged to bring forward the proof. " There is no history," I have observed, " which can associate the re- ported miracles of Zoroaster with the book ; and there is not the slightest evidence that these miracles ever took place. 408 USELESSNESS OF THE PARSI AUTHORITIES. Dosabhai says that there is such evidence ; and, without ad- ducing it, he says that it is to be found in the following works: — 1. The Zinat-at-Taivdrikh, written in Persia during the time of Hatim Kadar Fattah All Shah Kajar. 2. The Dabistdn. 3. The Shdristdn. 4. The Dasdtir. 5. The Din-hard, in Pahlavi, to be found till the present time in the hands of our Dasturs. 6. The Burhdn-i-Kdtagh. 7. The Shdh-Ndmah. 8. The Zartusht-Ndmah:'* Edal Daru re- fers, in the course of his work, to most of these books, and he gives at length the substance of the last mentioned, which is reckoned by the Parsis the fullest, the most explicit, and the most important. Kalam Kas also quotes several passages from the Zartusht-Namah. Aspandiarji follows in the train of Dosabhai, enumerating the exact authors he mentions, and adding : — "If the padre be still not satisfied with the num- ber, I beg he would refer to the following others, viz, Rozat- as-Safa, Habib-al-Assair, Sharah Ilikayat-al-Nur, Zore- Pastan, and the Pahlavi book called Shikun Gomani. Besides these many other authors have adverted to the miraculous deeds of Zoroaster."f Some of the works mentioned, are by Parsis; some, by the Sipasi Sufis; and some, by Musalmans. They are here referred to without any classification either as to time or authorship. 1 shall notice, however, the most important of them in the order in which they are here set forth. The very mention by Dosabhai of the date of the Zi- nat-at-Ttiwdrikh, ought to have shown to him the absurdity of his bringing forward this work. Fattah A'li-Shah came to the throne in the year of Christ 1797 ; and the work consequen- ly is not fifty years old. Is it to it that Dosabhai refers me for a reply to the questions, " Who saw the miracles ? Who gave testimony respecting them? Who examined the wit- nesses ? Who recorded the evidence ? Who can prove that it is uncorrupted ?" Dosabhai knew that the reign of Fattah A'li-Shah might appear as ancient to some of his readers as * T61iin-i-Zartusht, p. 34. ) Iladf-i-Gum-Riilifin, p. 17. THE Z1NAT-AT-TAWARIKH. THE DABISTAtf. 409 lhat of any of the Kaikobadian Dynasty ; and hence, I can- not but suspect, his play on their ignorance. The Zinat-at-Ta- warikh mentions some of the legends current among the Par- sis ; but it remains to be proved that its author, a Musalman, attaches any credit to those connected with Zoroaster. The early part of his history is a mere abridgement of the Shah- namah of Firdausi, to which we shall immcdiatly advert. 2. The Dubisidn. The author of this work, to quote the words of Mulla Firuz, the most learned Parsi of his day, "seems to have flourished in the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jehan,"* and consequently little more than a couple of centuries ago. It is the most wretched collection of extravagant fables, fic- tions, and falsehoods which I have ever perused, and of this fact the whole world will soon be able to judge, as an English translation of the work, by the late Mr. Shea and Captain Troyer, is about to be published by the Oriental Translation Fund. Its accou.it of the alleged Mahabadian dynasty, on ac- count of which, on a cursory examination, Sir William Jones appears to have attached some importance to its traditions or inventions, is quite irreconcilable with the mytluns of the Vandidad, and the traditions of Firdausi, and the most absurd which can be imagined. It ascribes to the early Iranian sove- reigns many of the opinions of the Hindus. The fourteen Mahabads are neither more nor less than the fourteen Pla- nus of the Shastras. It recognizes the Hindu kalpas. It makes the ancient Iranians supporters of the doctrine of the transmi- gration of souls, which is quite opposed to the Parsi religion. It declares that they divided the population into four classes, cor- responding with the distinctions of Brahman, Kshattriya,Vaish- ya, and Shudra. If speaks of the Dabistan as a revelation to Mahabad himself. It represents Mahabad as succeeded by thirteen prophets and kings, some of whom, it says, reigned millions of years. It tells us that the devils have originated in the use of animal food. It declares that t lie sacred books of Zoroaster are outwardly opposed to the religion of Maha- bad, but not inwardly. It speaks of the Hindu form of wor- * Preface to the Dasand during these nine nights, — after each third night, — on the fourth day, and on the seventh day, and on the tenth day, they cleanse their body with pure nir- ang and water, and when after the completion of the nine nights, on the tenth day, preserving their souls in a good in- tention, they read the Izashne for six days according to the laws of religion, — then there is a consecrated white bull call- ed by us tvarsio, which has not like others been castrated, and which is not shameless and diseased, which they keep healthy and in readiness for some time. Afterwards, those two careful Mobeds, having cleansed and consecrated and dried according to the laws of religion, two brazen pots, collect together into the first the urine of the white bullock, and into the other the ava or pure water, and keep the mouth of the vessels cover- ed. Afterwards, these two Mobeds, having taken them to the place for performing the Izashne, the half of the night having passed, they commence the recitation of the Vandidad, Izashne, and Visparad. At the dawn, when these two Mobeds cease from the consecration of the nirang, they tie the mouth of the vessels with a clean cloth, and keep them separately in a pure place. Afterward, if we keep this pure urine and pure water in a bottle or in a clean vessel for the space of ten years, then they will remain as they are without smell, and without injury , while if a Jud-din were to keep the same urine in a vessel, it would be injured in ten or fifteen days, and an evil odour would proceed from it, and if water were kept for many days, then insects would be produced in it. Wherefore, observe with the eye of wisdom, that as water in ten or twelve days becomes bad, so the urine and water THE ARDAI-VIRAF-NAMAH. 435 from the blessing of the ceremonies of our religion, are not in- jured for the space of ten years, but remain in their original state. Wherefore, it ought to be certainly known, that all this goodness is owing to our holy Zand-Avasta. It ought to be known that this circumstance is mentioned in the first book of the Wajar-Kard."* And it ought also to be known, and is known, that all this is downright nonsense. My Parsi read- ers, I dare say, are now satisfied with the Wajar-Kard. I call upon Edal Darii to prove that it was written in the days of Gushtasp ; and I call upon him to translate the whole of it for the perusal of his countrymen. The appeal, which he has made to it is indeed worthy of the cause which it is intend- ed to support. 11. To the Ardai-Virdf-JVdmah, Aspandiarji has made a reference also very unfortunate. "It can never be de- nied," he says, " that the Vandidad made its appearance immediately after the death of Zoroaster, f and that the same book has been transmitted down to our days. If it had not then been in existence, what other authority was possess- ed by Ardai-bin-Viraf, and other wise men in the days of Ardeshir Babagan,| and also by several other kings and das- turs both about and subsequent to the days of Nausherawan, for the propagation of their religion, an act in which Mazdak was slain." Now, be it observed, it was the very want of au- thorities on the Zoroastrian faith, which was the alleged cause of Ardai-Viraf's reputed miracles and visions. To make good * Maujazat-i-Zartusht, pp. 79—82. t This in the Gujarati copy of Aspandiarj'is book is 4 £1^1^ 15 khasathr- emchdi 16 ahurdi 17 d 18 yim 19 dareghubyo 20 . f J&n£sp-N4mah, Author's- MS. p, 13. \ Ibid. p. 10. ARGUMENT FOR THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST. 447 ascertained. Every impartial Parsi, even, must arrive at the decisions which I have already intimated, — that it has not been proved that Zoroaster is the author of the Zand-avasta, — that there is no authoritative document which can be ap- pealed to which associates the reported miracles of Zoroaster, or his disciples, with the book, — that there is no evidence that Zoroaster ever uttered a single prophecy, or performed a single miracle. He will also see and admit, that the legends about Zoroaster and his followers, which are now current a- mong the Parsis, are a mere tissue of comparatively modern fables and fictions. And, for the reasons we have brought forward in the preceding chapters, he will acknowledge, that the Vandidad, and the liturgical works in the Zand language, are productions so wretched as to have really no claim to a philosophical, much less to a divine, origin. As far as the exposure of error is concerned, then, I have now brought my task, for the present, nearly to a close. While I have sought to weaken and destroy the confidence of my Parsi friends in the gross delusions which they have received by tradition from their fathers, I have directed their attention to the truth of God, as we have proceeded. This truth I a- gain press on their attention ; and I rejoice to think, that it is within the reach of all. It is recorded in the Bible, compris- ed in the Old and New Testaments, the grand topic of which is the mission and death of the Incarnate Son of God for the redemption and salvation of the world, and the divine author- ity of which is established by proofs both numerous and ir- refragable. On the principal subject of its revelation, and on some of the evidence that the apostles of Christ did not follow cunningly devised fables, when they made known the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, I must be permitted to say a few words, before I conclude. The existence before the days of Christ of the books com- prised in the Old Testament, is indisputable. Josephus, who was almost a contemporary of Christ, admits their reception by the Jews, and declares the care with which they were guarded, and the sacred esteem in which they were held, by that peo- ple. " For we have not," he says, " an innumerable multitude 448 THE DIVINE MISSION OP CHRIST AND THE of books among us, disagreeing from and contradicting one another [as the Greeks have], but only twenty-two books, which contain the records of all the past times, which are justly believed to be divine. And of them five belong to Mo- ses, which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind till his death. This interval of time was little short of three thousand years. But as to the time from the death of Moses till the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, who reign- ed after Xerxes, the prophets who Were after Moses wrote down what was done in their times in thirteen books. The remaining four books contain hymns to God, and precepts for the conduct of human life. It is true, our history hath been written since Artaxerxes very particularly, but hath not been esteemed of like authority witli the former by our forefathers, because there hath not been an exact succession of prophets since that time : and how firmly we have given credit to these books of our own nation is evident by what we do ; for dur- ing so many ages as have already passed, no one hath been so bold as either to add any thing to them, to take any thing from them, or to make any change in them ; but it is become natural to all Jews, immediately and from their very birth, to esteem these books to contain divine doctrines, and to persist in them, and, if occasion be, willingly to die for them. For it is no new thing for our captives, many of them in number, and frequently in time, to be seen to endure racks and deaths of all kinds upon the theatres, that they may not be oblig- ed to say one word against our laws and the records that con- tain them."* About fifty years before the time of Christ, were written the Targums, or Interpretations, of Onkelos, of the books of Moses ; and of Jonathan ben Uzziel, of the prophets from Joshua to Ezekiel. In the book of Ecclesiasticus, written about 232 years before Christ, there is a brief abstract of Jew- ish history, evidently founded on the Bible ; Isaiah is spoken of as " the prophet who was great and faithful in his vision;" the " prophecy of Jeremiah" is alluded to ; Ezekiel is spoken of as having " seen the glorious vision which was shewed * Josephus against Apion, book, i. par. 8. DIVINF. AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCIUPTITRFS. 449 him ;" the twelve minor prophets are referred to ; many sen- tences are expressed in language similar to that used by So- lomon, to whom " songs, and proverbs, and parables, and inter- pretations" are ascribed ; Samuel is spoken of as a prophet be- loved of God's heart; and the " Law and the Prophets" are de- clared to be extant.* About 280 years before Christ, a Greek version of the whole collection of books was commenced at Alexandria in Egypt, in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, and ultimately concluded not much posterior to his day. They were at that time celebrated as containing the authoritative records and laws of the Jewish people ; and regularly read and expounded in the synagogues. The Hebrew language ceased to be spoken in its purity, after the return of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon, an event which occurred near- ly five hundred years before the time of Christ, and those of them which are written in that language in its purity and simplicity, must have been composed before that era. The five books of Moses, which have both external and inter- nal evidence that they possess the highest antiquity, were re- ceived as a divine law by the Samaritans, who were at enmi- ty with the Jews, most, probably from the days of Jeroboam, about 970 years before Christ. The scenes and events which are said to have been witnessed by Moses, are described with a particularity and liveliness, which show that the writer had a personal familiarity with the subjects of his narrative. The existence of these books, is clearly indicated in all the Jewish writings which were posterior to them. The books of the Old Testament, then, were not called into existence either by Christ, or his apostles. They were received as divine by the Jewish nation long before he appeared in the world. On examining these books, we find many passages which refer to a great personage who was to be the Saviour of the world. This personage was revealed to our first parents as the seed of the woman who should bruise the head of the serpent,! or the devil, by whom they were first tempted to the * Ecclesiasticus, prologue, and chapters, xlvii — I. f Genesis, in. 15. 38 450 THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THE commission of transgression. The sacrifice of animals was appointed as typical of his blessed work, when he should pre- sent himself as a sacrifice for the sins of his people. To A- braham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom he appeared as Jehovah, it was declared, that as pertaining to the flesh he should be of their seed ; and that in him all " families of the earth should be blessed." According to the laws and ordinances commu- nicated by him to Moses, the tabernacle and temple services of the Jews were regulated so as to prefigure the nature and economy of his work, and the blessings of his salvation. "He died [typically] in every sacrifice ; he ascended in every cloud of incense ; his name was in every jubilee shout ; his majesty in the avvfulness of the holy of Holies."* Moses direct- ly represented him as a prophet who should reveal the will of God, and a prince whose laws should be obeyed under the most awful sanctions. " The Lord your God." said he, " will raise up unto thee a prophet, from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me ; unto him ye shall hearken and it shall come to pass, that whosever will not hearken un- to my words, which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."f Many prophets and righteous men wrote of his coming advent, the circumstances of his birth, his work as an instructor, the miracles which he should perform, the suffer- ings and death which he should endure, the blessings of par- don and sanctification which he should purchase, his resurrec- tion from the grave, his ascension to heaven, and the estab- lishment of his kingdom upon earth. They characterized him as the " Lord-our-Righteousness ;"J and on his surety- ship they rested their hopes of acceptance before God. The predictions which they delivered respecting him are to be found particularly in the Psalms and the books of the Prophets. The Jews who do not yet believe in Christianity are a- mong the faithful keepers of these books ; and they admit that the passages to which I refer are to be found in them. As- pandiarji is entirely mistaken when he speaks of these pas- * Melville's Sermons, vol. ii, p. 54. fDeut. xviii. 15, 1!'. \ Jpremiali, xxxiii. 16. DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 451 sages " as interlocations introduced into tlie Old Testament by the Christian priests."* The Jews themselves will most indignantly repel his insinuation. Though they unreasonably deny that the prophecies have yet been fulfilled, they most readily admit their existence, and regulate by them their own hopes and expectations. We now pass on to the books of the New Testament. They profess to have been written by the disciples of Christ a short time after his ascension to heaven. That they have actually ex- isted since the first age of Christianity, we have the most satis- factory proofs. Innumerable quotations and references are made to them as authorities, by a series of authors belonging to different nations, and of different creeds, and extending to the very age at which they are said to have appeared.f They were attacked by the early adversaries of Christianity as con- taining the accounts on which the religion is founded ; and their genuineness, as the works of the immediate disciples of Christ, was universally admitted. Let us glance at the in- formation which we receive from them respecting the per- son who set himself forth as the Messiah promised unto the fathers. When we have thus looked at the information which they deliver, we shall be prepared to appreciate the evidence which they bear, the tests to which they have been, and may now be, subjected. Christ, they inform us, had become the " desire of all na- tions;" and his advent was eagerly expected, especially by the people of the Lord. To prepare the way for this event, God had providentially effected the greatest changes in human so- ciety, and the governments of the nations of the earth. The empires of the East, —of Assyria, Babylon and Persia,— and of Greece, had arisen, run their course, and perished. Rome had become the mistress of the world ; and in the strength of the power which was given to her, she maintained * Hadi-i-Gum-Rahan, p. 15. t On these and similar matters, the P arsis will find ample and most satisfactory information, in a work deservedly celehraled in the Chris- tian community, entitled, The Credibility of the Gospel History, by Nathaniel Lardner, D. D. 452 THE DIVINK MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THE universal peace in her vast dominions, extending throughout the greater part of Europe, the north of Africa, the Lesser Asia, and the countries between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates. Preparation was thus made to procure attention to Christianity, and to grant facilities for its promulgation. The spirit of prophetic discernment which had been extinct for about four centuries previous, was again given to the Church. The great and mighty angel Gabriel who stands in the presence of God, was sent to speak unto Zacharias, a Jewish priest officiating at Jerusalem, and to shew him glad tidings. He announced the approaching birth of a son, John the Baptist, who endowed with the power and spirit of Elias, a distinguished prophet of antiquity, should announce the immediate approach of the Messiah, and preach repent- ance in the view of the nearness of his reign, — in the wilder- ness of Judah, lift up the voice, " Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a high way for our God, — " come for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, — and, with fidelity and humility, deliver the testimony, " He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me," " whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to unloose."* Simeon, and Anna, remarkable saints, prophesied, and, along with o- thers, waited for the " Consolation of Israel." The archangel Gabriel was a second time commissioned to leave the abode of God's glorious presence, and to travel to this lower world, destined to be the theatre of the most won- derful events which the universe has been called to witness. He bends his flight to Nazareth, a city of Galilee, in the land of Israel ; and to a virgin named Mary, of royal descent, but espoused to an humble carpenter, he reveals his message. " Hail thou that art highly favoured, blessed art thou among women," was his salutation. " Behold thou shalt conceive in in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord shall give unto him the throne of his father David ; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for • John i. 15, 27. DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES 453 ever ; and of his kingdom there shall be no end," was his an- nouncement. " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee," was the ex- planation which her anxious enquiries received. " Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; Be it unto me according to thy word," was the response of her faith and love. Well might she break forth, as she actually did after the interview with her cousin, the mother of John the Baptist, in the song, " My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden : for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done me great things and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shew- ed strength with his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath rilled the hungry with good things ; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel in remem- brance of his mercy ; as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever."* In this her devotion, we have nothing but dignity, humility, gratitude, and praise, becoming the unspeakable mercy which was to be revealed to the human race. The " fulness of time," speedily arrived. "The days were accomplished that Mary should be delivered; and she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn.f" It was the will of God that his Son should * See the second Chapter of Luke. t Lake ii. 7. Aspandiarji (Iladi i-Gum-Rahan p. 14), asks, "Would God permit his own child to be thrown into a manger?" Joseph and Mary, the narrative informs us, "laid" the child in a manger; and we are left to admire the wonderful condescension of God, not only in dwelling with man, — becoming manifest in the flesh, — but appearing in the world in the lowest condition. Moral glory often shines most conspicu- ously through worldly humiliation. "How wondrous it is to suppose," adds Aspandiarji, " that there was no room in the inn for the little babe, while the parents could slay m it." He here makes a false interpretation of the sacred narrative. 454 THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THE appear in this lowly state ; and it was the will of his Son to enter into it. "Though he was rich yet for your sakes he be- came poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."* His humiliation, however, was not unattended with unequivo- cal intimations of his divine greatness. A wondrous star arose in the heavens, to mark the birth of Jesus, and to guide the wise men of a distant land to his abode, that they might do him re- verence.f In the plains of Bethlehem, the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds watching their flock by night ; " and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold I bring you good things of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, the Saviour who is Christ the Lord. . . . And sud- denly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to god in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men. "J Their song em- braced the great objects of the Incarnation. That event, the greatest in creation's history, shall redound throughout the endless ages of eternity to the praise of Jehovah, and the pro- motion of the best interests of man.<§> * 2 Cor. uii. 9. t Matthew, ii. 1—10- J Luke, ii. 9— 1-1. § The association of the divine glory with the birth of Christ, as relat- ed in the Gospels, lias attracted the attention of some of the Parsi con- troversialists. Aspondiarji, after quoting the narratives of both Matthew and Luke, says, that they "do not agree with each other in all essen- tial points."* A single point of disagreement, however, he does not point out. He only accuses Luke of observing "silence" with regard to some of the matters mentioned by Matthew. For this silence, there may have been the best of reasons ; and it is the combined testimony of witnesses, which it is usual to regard, when they are free of contradiction. It is not •necessary that every thing mentioned in one Gospel, should be repeated in another; particularly when it was designed that all the Gospels should be together in the hands of Christians. Aspandiaiji complains that more particulars are not mentioned about the appearance of the star; but it was obviously the object of the Evangelist to direct special attention to Christ, and not to the star, if the stnr pointed to Christ, he continues, there was no room to the wise men to " inquire of the inhabitants of Ja- I laili-i-Guni-Ralian. p. 12. DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 455 The moral beauty and excellency of Christ, while he so- journed in the world, was infinitely great, every way worthy of the supreme divinity, and spotless humanity, which were united in his person. His bodily and mental powers as man, were developed according to the usual course of divine prov- idence. " The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled rusalem, about the place where this new-born king of Israel was kept." If they had minutely regarded the pointing of the star, iheir inquiries might perhaps have been unnecessary ; but arriving in the neighbour- hood of the place to which it did point, it was most natural for them to inquire of those whom they met, if such a birth was known to have occur- red below as that which was indicated above. "If the miracle of the star had actually taken place, as is asserted in the Bible, all the Israelites would have placed their full confidence at that very moment in the divine nature of Christ ; and the lives of thousands of children might have been spared." The miracle might not have been understood by all the Israelites ; and, as was frequently the case with them in more ancient times, they might have had no great readiness to yield to the claims of truth. With regard to the massacre ofthe children, I beg to direct his attention to an explana- tion which I have already given to the Hindus. '-In regard to the murder ofthe Beihlehemitish children, it must be observed, that Christ was not the guilty cause of this murder, but the innocent occasion of it. It was not he who sinned, but Herod the king who sinned. He neither en- couraged that wicked tyrant to commit murder, nor excused him after he had accomplished his atrocious purposes. It is in the highest degree ab- surd to blame Christ for not preventing the murder, because it must ap- pear to every one who will reflect with any degree of attention on the course of God's providence in this world, that while God testifies against sin, and punishes it, he yet permits it to exist. For the permission, on the part of God, ofthe murder ofthe infants, blame can no more be attached to him, than for the permission of murder in our own day. He is the sov- ereign of life ; and he can remove it whenever it may seem fit to his sov- ereign pleasure. He had no doubt the best of reasons for pcrmittinir Her- od to destroy the children. Considering the temptations to which they might have been exposed, and the trials to which they might have beeii subjected had they lived, he may have wished to remove them from an evil world, and introduce them into a state of happy existence in another world. He may have wished to punish their parents by their bereave- ment, for the >ins which they had committed, and for their ingratitude for the mercies which they had received. The infants, moreover, had been conceived in sin, and brought forth in iniquity, and possessed a de- praved nature."— See Second Exposure of Hinduism, pp. 106, 107. To the observations in the same work (pp. 1 1 -I — 1 1(!) on the star which in- dicated the birth of Christ, I direct the attention ofthe Parefa. 45G THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THE with wisdom ; and the grace of God was upon him."* Every candid reader of the Gospels of his disciples, must admit, that by the simple narrative of his actings among the children of men, they exhibit him as possessed of every grace and every virtue. There was no act performed by him, and no circum- stance connected with him, as he is represented by these simple writers, which was inconsistent with his lofty character, his holy nature, and the grand object for which he had been sent into the world. During his infancy, or when he was only twelve years of age, he attracted the attention of the principal doctors of Je- rusalem, and so discoursed with them that those who heard him were " astonished. "f His entrance upon his public min- istry, however, was delayed till he was about thirty years of age. It was marked by the utmost propriety, and the meek- est condescension. Though he had no sins to confess, no re- pentance to avow, and no forgiveness to implore, he never- theless,— with a view to fulfil all righteousness, and to mark his entire consecration to his heavenly work, and to have a typical representation to himself of the salvation of those whom he had come to accomplish, — solicited, and obtained, baptism from his forerunner John, who had confessed that he was unworthy to stoop down and unloose the latchet of his shoes. X He was shortly afterwards called to encounter the assaults of Satan, the enemy of holiness. $ These assaults were not of a physical, but amoral, kind; and their object was not to impart to him casual external pollution, but to lead him to the actual commission of personal sin. They found in him no corruption, however, which could be excited or inflamed, and they could impart to him no depravity, or de- filement. The incarnate Son of God held himself at the dis- posal of his Father ; and in every respect he proved obedient to the divine will. As man he was willing to suffer, and he * Luke ii. 40. t Luke ii. 47. $ Matthew, iii. 13 — 17. Luke Hi, 21. See Matthew iv. 1 — 11. Luke iv. 1—13. DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 457 actually suffered according to the infirmities of the nature which he had assumed. Though he had been long a hunger- ed in the wilderness, he trusted in the providence of God, and refused to satisfy his wants, on the suggestion of Satan, by converting, as he could have done, the stones into bread. While he knew that he enjoyed the divine protection and support, he would not wantonly expose himself to danger, or tempt the Lord God, and needlessly and heedlessly cast him- self from the pinnacle of the temple, to obtain a miraculous preservation. Though he was in a lowly state, having come not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many, he was undazzled by the splendour and power of the world, when it was presented to his view. All the temptations to impiety, impatience, dis- contentment, vanity, and ambition, which were addressed to him, were ineffectual. Even to contrast the moral dignity which he thus displayed, with the position in which the Par- si legends have placed Zoroaster, would be a degradation. " The Sun of Righteousness" had now arisen on the dark- ened world with "healing under his wings ;" and he proved himself emphatically the "light of the world." Christ com- menced his work as the preacher of righteousness in the midst of the "great congregation ;" and surely never man spake as he spake. The simple fishermen of Galilee, whom he called to be his apostles, — that in them the power and truth of God might be manifested, — were so attracted by his personal demeanour and gracious invitations, that they left all and followed him.* Thousands crowded around him to listen to the words which proceeded out of his mouth.f They assembled together from all the different provinces of the land of Israel; and, frequently labouring under hunger and want, they continued to hang upon his lips. His popularity was thus great ; but it was neither begotten nor cherished by any compromise or flattery. Most faithfully did he declare the message of God ! He showed no partiality with regard to his instructions ; but he addressed them to all classes of the * Matthew, iv. 18—22. f Matthew, iv. 25. 39 458 THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THE community with whom he came into contact, to high and low, rich and poor, young and old, learned and unlearned He did not embrace merely occasional and regularly return- ing opportunities of delivering them ; hut he daily and hour- ly continued in his work, and advanced it in season and out of season. Wherever 1 he objects of his ministry presented themselves, he was prepared to fulfil it with regard to them. The temple, the synagogue, and the private apartment ; the narrow street, and the public high-way ; the open plain, and the lofty mount ; the garden, and the wilderness ; the bank of the river, and the margin of the sea, were equally consecrat- ed and hallowed by the heavenly teacher. His aspect, his voice, and his action, manifested his sincerity, earnestness and love. He viewed the people around him in the light of eter- nity ; and he never trifled with their immortal interests. His doctrines were in the highest degree important. They re- ferred to the character, and will, and providence, and grace, of God, and the salvation of man, and all their solemn and important relations. He made known the divine law in all its extent ; and he exhibited it with all its sanctions. He ex- posed and rebuked sin as arising in the heart ; and he re- vealed it in all its forms, with all its danger and odiousness. He warned impenitent and careless sinners to flee from the wrath to come ; and he exhibited himself as the Lamb of God, — the sacrifice appointed by God, — who taketh away the sin of the world ; as the good Shepherd who giveth his life for the sheep, and as the only Saviour and Redeemer. The song of the angelic host at his birth, " Glory to god in THE HIGHEST, ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TO MEN, Was the very substance and burden of his own ministry. With inimi- table simplicity and grace, he made known his connexion with his Father, and declared that " God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosover believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."* Nothing could be more affecting than the references which he made to his heavenly origin, to his appointed sufferings, and to the in- * John iii. 16. DIVINE AUTHORITY OK THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 459 appreciable blessings which were to flow through him to the human race. He conveyed, with infinite love, the overtures of mercy and of peace to those whose nature he bore ; and he appeared with the charter of salvation in his hands and ready to seal it with his blood. How unspeakably gracious were his invitations, and how tender and overpowering his entreaties ! "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me," lie an- nounced, " because he hath anointed me to preach the Gos- pel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."* All were astonished at the words, which proceeded out of his mouth; and well they might, for they were alike the words of truth, of wisdom, of right- eousness, and of mercy. Christ's doctrines clearly showed that he was a teacher come from God; but in order to strengthen this impression, to awaken still further attention, to manifest his power as the incarnate Son of God, to display the divine glory, and to reveal his own character, he publicly wrought a great number of indubi- table miracles, — works surpassing the power of man, sur- passing the power of the creature, as involving the control, or suspension, of the powers and laws of nature. When occasion required his interference, he multiplied the means of human support and comfort, changing water into wine, and feeding several thousand individuals with the extended products of a few loaves and fishes. He dealt with the bodily frame of man according to his will, removing imperfections, weakness- es, and distempers, — when he instantaneously gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, and sound- ness to the lame, — and when he purified lepers, cast out de- vils, restored paralytics, stopped bloody issues, renovated withered hands, allayed fevers, and cured dropsies, infirmi- ties, and a great multitude of diseases. He proved his su- premacy over the spirit of man, recalling the departed soul to its earthly tenement, and raising the dead, and restoring them • Luke iv. 18, 1!'. 460 THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THK to their joyful friends and associates. He arrested the course of vegetation by his word, — when lie doomed a fig-tree, and it immediately withered. He controlled the elements of nature, restrained the winds, changed the storm into a calm, and walked upon the sea. All these, and all his other miracles, were of a benevolent, and instructive, and useful, and sober, and important nature; and they were performed in the most interesting circumstances. There was no ostentation, or tri- fling, or amusement, connected with any of them ; and the power of God was manifested in every one of them. They were generally accompanied with the communication of spiri- tual blessings to those who were the objects of them ; and with benefit to those who beheld them. They were accom- plished within the reach of the observation of friend and foe. They were such as men could judge of by their senses, and respecting which, as matters of fact, they could make no mistake. They were not evanescent but permanent in their effects. The enemies of Christ themselves admitted their occurrence, ascribing them to the devil, whose power, every reflecting person must see, they greatly transcend.* # Connected with some of the miracles of Christ, the P£rsf contro- versialists have brought forward very frivolous objections. To those of them which I have not already noticed, I shall here briefly advert. "Perhaps Christ," says Aspandiarjf, (Hadf-i-Gum-Rahan, p. 18) "was acquainted with the practice of medicine, which may have enabled him to cure the blind and the lame." The cures were not gradual but instanta- Ileous,immediately following the volition ofChrist, or his word, or his touch, or some application, which, in itself, did not form an adequate natural in- strumentality. The cure of the blind man, noticed by Aspandiarji, was performed through sucli an application as is here alluded to. But there was still room for a miraculous cause and effect. Aspandiarji's supposi- tions are entirely gratuitous. Aspandiarji says that Christ's riding into Jersualem on an ass has been " dignified to (by) the title of a miracle." Here he is guilty of a gross misrepresentation. " All this was done," it is stated by Matthew (Chap. xxi. 4 — 5), "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying; Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." These words Aspandiarjf has found it convenient to omit in his quotation. Christ's refusal to give the Pharisees a "sign from heaven," originat- ed in their neglect of the signs already given, and the great sign of his DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 461 Tfie Saviour who was thus distinguished in his public min- istry, was no less glorious in the private walks of life and the abodes of domestic friendship ; and blessed were those who enjoyed his society and his special regard. All his inter- course with them was calculated to promote their improve- ment. It was marked by the deepest sensibility and tender- ness, and by true and unaffected sympathy. His attach- ments were founded in love ; and they knew no capricious change. His presence communicated spiritual joy ; and the hearts of those who beheld him glowed with delight. On the ground of the circumstances to which we have now adverted, we must admit that in his moral character and public and private labours, Christ enjoyed a distinction far surpassing that of the children of men. Our personal admi- ration of him must be greatly enhanced, however, when we advert to the situation in which he was placed during the course of his ministry. " He came unto his own, and his own received him not."* The scenes which were presented to his view were frequently of the most melancholy and repulsive kind. He observed wonder ; but this wonder did not settle down in holy impression. He heard the shout of praise ; but he also heard the sound of the scoffer, and experienced the bitter reproach of the profane. He was followed ; but he was also forsaken and perscuted. His love was repaid by enmity ; and the movements of his compassion were met by rising from t!ie dead, which remained to be given. Compare Matthew xvi. 1—4, with Mark viii. 11 — 12. Cliribt wrought miracles sufficient to con- vince the candid observer. He refused to meet the demands of the ob- stinate scoffer. Aspandiarjf, p. 23, writes of the feeding of the hungry with bread and fish, &c, as " ridiculous." In this estimate of the gracious miracle, he will get few to agree with him. The Parsfs are not sincere in objecting to the miraculous production of wine by Christ; for they know, that wine, of a right quality, when not abused, proves a blessing. It was for the sake of the moral instruction to be conveyed by the blast- ing of the fig-tree that it was cursed by Christ. Christ was man, it must be remembered, by those who object to his seeking figs, aa well as God. * John i. 11. 462 THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THE the repulse.? of exasperated pride. Many of his disciples, of- fended on account of the strict and uncomprising nature of his doctrines, went back ami walked no more with him. The foulest accusations were wickedly brought against him ; his purposes and pursuits misrepresented ; and his doc- trines abused. He lived in circumstances of the deepest pov- erty. " The foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests ; but the Son of man had not where to lay his head."* He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs ; and his life was eagerly desired and sought after, by those whom lie came to save. Notwithstand- ing all this opposition and unjust and cruel treatment, he con- tinued, undeterred, and even unrestrained, in his great work. His fortitude never iorsook him in the most appalling cir- cumstances; his patience never failed him; his faithfulness was never moved, and his love was never diminished. He never abandoned the conflict, grew weary in well-doing, relax- ed his exertions, or diminished his instructions. The wonder of wonders still remains. Christ is exhibited to us, not merely as possessed of a super-excellent personal character ; as speaking with an authority and power such as that with which never man spake ; as sealing his doctrines by great, numerous, and unequivocal miracles; and as persecuted by those whom he sought to bless by his ministry ; but he is revealed to us as the voluntary substitute of his people in the endurance of the curse merited by their sins, as visited with the rage of man, — infuriated by Satan, — and above all, by the wrath of God unspeakably, inconceivably, great. He allows him- self, of his own free will, and moved by the infinity of his love to man, and his fidelity to that covenant into which he had en- tered with his father in behalf of his people, — circumstances which form the explanation of all that humiliation against which the Parsis complain, — to be apprehended, to be falsely accused, to be treated with indignity and cruelty, and to be unjustly condemned. He endured the " contradiction of sinners against himself;" and he breathes forgiveness towards ' Matthew, viii.20. DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 4<>3 iiis enemies. He is nailed to the cross ; and though able to descend from it, and to free himself from the hands of his ad- versaries, he willingly endured those sufferings and death through which the atonement for the sins of his people was to be effected. He experienced the hidings of his Father's countenance ; and during the time that they continued, he exclaimed in the anguish of his soul "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me." When he had " finished transgres- sion and made an end of sin," he " bowed his head and gave up the ghost, saying, " Father into thy hands, I commit my spirit." His love to man was stronger than death ; and " for the joy" of the salvation of his people, which was •• set before him, he endured the cross, and despised its shame." God himself gave the most solemn and awful testimony to the im- portance of the unparalleled transaction in which he was en- gaged. "The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst." " When the centurion," who attend- ed the crucifixion, " saw what was done, he glorified God," saying, " Certainly this was a righteous man." " Truly this was the Son of God." And all the people that came togeth- er to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts and returned." The reality of Christ's death was certified to those who were instrumental in effect- ing it. Though they saw that he was dead, they pierced his side with a spear. They observed the interment of his body in the new tomb, allotted to it by Joseph of Arimathca. " Pi- late," the Roman governor, "said unto them, ye have a watch, go your way, make it as sure as you can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."* Christ thus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and entered the silent grave; and with this event his voluntary humiliation was completed. On the third day after his cru- cifixion, agreeably to his own prophetical declaration, lie * For an account of the last sufferings and death of Christ, sec the conclusion of tlie Gospels. The ohject of these sufferings and death, is more particularly stated in the apostolical epistles. What is greatly to be desired of the Parsis, is a perusal nftho whole New Testament. 464 THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THE burst the bonds of death asunder, and rose again for our jus- tification. The soldiers who were appointed to watch his se- pulchre, declared that while they were asleep, his disciples came and stole away his body ; but their conspiracy with the authorities to propagate this falsehood was manifested to all by the fact that they were allowed to escape death, the wont- ed punishment, under the Roman government, of such a neg- lect of duty as that which they laid to their own charge. To the apostles whom Christ had chosen, '•' he shewed himself a- live after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." In the view of his disciples, he as- cended to heaven, and " a cloud received him out of their sight." His followers soon enjoyed the most marvellous proofs of his exaltation at the right hand of God, to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins. They were miraculous- ly endowed by the Holy Ghost, enabled to speak in various tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance, and so declared the word of God, that thousands in Jerusalem, who must have been acquainted with the truth or falsehood of all that was averred respecting the public transactions of Christ, believed in his name, ranked themselves amongst his followers, and publicly professed their attachment to his cause, notwithstand- ing all the opposition and persecution which could be brought against them. "They'' also " went forth and preached every- where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following."* At present, I merely ask the Parsis to admit that in the New Testament, there are accounts of Christ corresponding with the statements which I have now made ; and no person who will peruse the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, will hesitate to grant this my request. To the following plain and legitimate inferences, I request attention. 1. The character of Christ, as described in the New Tes- tament, is such as is evidently real, and not supposititious. The account of the life of Christ, from its commencement to its • Sec the Arts of the Apostles for particulars as to their movements. DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 465 conclusion, is so minute, full, and circumstantial, in its re- ferences to times, places, persons, and events, both public, and private, and so consistent with all that is known of the situa- tion of the people and country of the Jews, that it cannot be imagined to be the product of fiction even the most ingenious and laborious. It is evidently the plain, simple, straight-for- ward, sober, unvarnished, narrative of truth. 2. The character of Christ is filtogether, and in all its par- ticulars, so wonderful and glorious, in the descriptions which are given of it, and the practical and manifest devclopements which are made of it, that it could not have been originally set forth by the apostles of Christ, or any other writers, with- out their enjoying supernatural assistance. Every natural and spiritual excellence centres within that character; and the more it is contemplated, the more must it be seen to demand both admiration and praise. It is such as has been unexam- pled in the world, for it is revealed in connexion both with the nature of God and the nature of man, united in one per- son ; and the conception of it, and the description of it, par- ticularly in all the incidents of the ministry of Christ, his doc- trines, miracles, sufferings, and resurrection, are alike beyond the unaided power of the most philosophical and accomplish- ed, and particularly of the humble companions of Christ. " We know what description of men," says Aspandiarjf, "were the apostles of Christ. They were mere fishermen or peasants."* Surely, if this were the case, we must admit that God was on their side, when we perceive that the record with which they have furnished us, surpasses the endeavours of the greatest sages and philosophers who have yet appeared. 3. The apostles and disciples of Christ were both com- petent and tried and trust-worthy witnesses of all the facts connected with his life, which they have set forth in their wrilings. There was not, says Aspandiarji, " a single man of letters among them," " on whose word we might fairly rely."f I have yet to learn that a man of letters is necessary to give a faithful testimony. All who have eyes to see, and ears to hear, and hands to handle, and tongues to speak, and the un- * lladt-i-Gum-Ralian, p. 21. f Ibid. 40 466 THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THE derstanding of the lowest rational men, can give a creditable testimony respecting palpable occurrences. The less talent and ingenuity, and learning, and power, they may have, the less likely is it that they will be able successfully to combine together for the propagation of falsehood. The apostles of Christ come undauntedly forward as honest men to treat " of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach ; " and in parti- cular to charge the authorities and people of Jerusalem with having " killed the Prince of Fife, whom God had raised from the dead, whereof" they were " witnesses." They give a clear and satisfactory account of reputed events, with which they must have known thousands upon thousands were fami- liar. They repeat their testimony before Jews and1 Gentiles, their countrymen and strangers ; before irritated and inquisi- tive, governors and law-officers ; and before interested priests and philosophers. In consequence of the opinions which they held, and sought to propagate, they change their habits of life and official pursuits, encounter the most serious difficul- ties, and expose themselves to the greatest trials and dangers. They continue unmoved by promises, and unawed by threat- enings. They travel through many provinces and countries, encountering the greatest perils. They are tortured ; but they accept not deliverance. They submit to death ; and the last act of their lives, is the expression of reliance on the risen and exalted Saviour. They give, in short, the most abundant and satisfactory confirmations to their testimony. 4. It was utterly impossible for the apostles of Christ to obtain credit to their statements respecting his life, had not well-known facts corresponded with these statements. The people of Jersusalem and of all the different provinces of Ju- dea, must have known whether or not the actions of Christ corresponded with the descriptions which are given of them ; whether or not he performed the miracles attributed to him ; whether or not he had actually risen from the dead. Christ was not unobserved by his countrymen, and what was done by him, was not done in a corner, or before a few interested par- tisans. He had attracted the attention of a hostile govern- ment, a hostile people, and a hostile priesthood ; and his ac- DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 467 tions, as well as the reports given of them by his disciples and the multitude, were most diligently scrutinized. There was no inducement for the inhabitants of the land to favour a system of deception. They had every thing of a temporal kind to lose, and nothing to gain, by professing their attach- ment to the Christian cause ; and nothing but the overwhelm- ing force of truth could have induced them to yield to the claims of Jesus as the Messiah. Even those, who in spite of ail the demonstrations of truth and grace which were made to them, continued unbelieving and impenitent, admitted the performance of the miracles of Christ, ascribing them to the devil, whose power, — as they involve a control of the laws of nature established by God, — we must admit they surpass. 5. A comparison of the New Testament accounts of Christ, which we have seen to be veritable, with the Old Testament accounts of the Messiah, which we have shown to exist long before his day, reveals a most extensive, and striking fulfil- ment of prophecy, — a miracle of knowledge, the foretelling of future events, which could be foreseen and declared only by God himself. How powerful this argument is for the divine origin of the Christian Scriptures, Aspandiarji himself would appear to perceive, for he attempts to assail its very foundations. In reference to the prophecies of the Old Tes- tament, he says, as we have already seen, that "the Jews man- tain that they are but intcrlocations newly introduced into the Old Testament by the Christian priests, and it is on this ac- count that the parties are so conflicting enemies of one anoth- er !"* The Jews, he will find on inquiry, neither have made, nor do make, any such allegation. They strenuously maintain the purity and integrity of the text of the Old Testament Scriptures, which it is admitted on all hands, they have most sedulously and successfully guarded. The application of the prophecies to Christ, they deny ; and it is just this manifest application to which we Christians point in all our reasonings against their unbelief. How direct and conclusive it is in all its parts, we call upon both Jew and Gentile to mark. For the sake of my Parsi readers, whom, as well as others, it most * Hadf-i-Gum-Rah5n, p. 1,5. 468 THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THE intimately concerns, I insert, in the appendix (G), a brief summary of its most important particulars. A due attention to the subject will discover not only a body of evidence for the divine authority of Christianity, but an explanation of the nature and genius of Christianity itself. It may be proper to remark in passing, that it forms only a portion of the evi- dence of Christianity derived from prophecy. There are nu- merous unequivocal predictions in the Bible respecting coun- tries, cities, nations, families, churches, individuals, and events, and trains of events, which it can most clearly be shown have been already fulfilled, and are now fulfilling.* 6. The scheme of salvation propounded by the prophets of old, and by Christ and his apostles, is so glorious, that it must be admitted that it transcends all human device. I re- quest the reader to recall to his remembrance what I have said on this subject in the preceding chapter, and incidental- ly throughout this work. It brings, as we have seen, glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, and good will to men. It is emphatically the wisdom and the power of God unto salvation, sustaining as it does the authority and majesty of the divine law, and securing the deliverance and everlasting welfare of man. If we inquire for a demonstration of the love of God, it reveals its infinity, by showing us that God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that who- soever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlast- ing life. It we seek for a vindication of the holiness and jus- tice of God, it shows us in the sufferings inflicted on Christ, and voluntarily endured by him, as the substitute of man, a display of the exceeding evil of sin, and its direful conse- quences, the most overwhelming. If we ask for a manifesta- tion of the mercy and goodness of God, it shows it to us in his sparing the guilty who take refuge in his grace as made known, in promoting their regeneration and sanctification, restoring to * Let the PSrsfs attentively peruse the admirable work on this sub- ject of the Rev. Dr. Keith, entitled, "Evidence of the Truth of the Chris- tian Religion, derived from the literal Fulfilment of Prophecy ; particu- larly as illustrated by the History of the Jews, and by the Discoveries of recent Travellers. DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 469 them the image of God, and making them blessed in the full enjoyment and uninterrupted praise and service of God throughout the endless ages of eternity. When the Parsis see the exceeding breadth and the reasonableness, in all its de- mands, of the law of God ; when they see how far they have positively offended and dishonoured God, by their disobedience and rebellion, and how far they have fallen short of the claims which he has to their reverence and affection and obedience, by their forgetfulness and ingratitude ; and when they see the danger of their circumstances, and their exposure to the awful and righteous indignation of their Creator and Preserver, then they will contemplate the Gospel scheme with interest and admiration, and joyfully betake themselves to that Saviour, able and willing to save unto the uttermost, whom it reveals. The whole of the system of faith to which they have hitherto been devoted, they will perceive and acknowledge to be but a compound of vanities and lies, and things which do not and cannot profit. 7. The general doctrines and precepts of Christ, as re- corded in the New Testament, are unexampled for their puri- ty, suitableness, dignity, importance, and sublimity, such as well became Him who is said to have spoken as never man spake. They exhibit the glory of God, in all the natural and moral perfections and attributes of his character ; in the uni- versality, righteousness, and goodness of his providence, as it embraces every being and event existing and occurring throughout eternity ; in the majesty, and holiness of his law, interdicting all sin of heart, speech, and behaviour, and re- quiring perfect and constant conformity to the divine will ; and in the infinity of his grace, exercised in harmony with that justice, which is the immovable foundation of his government. They are divinely suited to all the circumstances of man, as the creature of time, and the aspirant after immortal bliss. They meet all the capacities of his nature as a rational and spiritu- al being, and all his necessities as a sinner seeking for the re- moval of his condemnation, and the restoration of his soul to the image of God. They are never adverse to an enlighten- ed Natural Theology ; while they far transcend its highest discoveries. Their wondrous adaptations, and exalted revela- 470 THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHIUST, AND THE tions, are marked by the knowledge and wisdom of God him- self. The discourses of the sages and philosophers of antiquity, are seen to be the merest vanity, when beheld in their light. 8. The actual effects of Christianity in the woild, when- ever it is received in its purity and simplicity, demonstrate its divine origin. Wherever it is unknown and unacknow- ledged, there is ignorance, superstition, cruelty, oppression, and immorality. Where it exercises its benignant sway, there is knowledge, faith, benevolence, liberty, and righteousness. It ameliorates and exalts the condition of individuals, families, and communities. The nations of the earth have sunk or ris- en in moral dignity, and even in solid and substantial power, according as they have imbibed its principles and respected its precepts, and institutions. It has proved the parent and nurse of intellectual culture, and moral refinement, throughout the world. It has supported and upheld its disciples amidst all the sufferings and trials of humanity; and it has given them, by its hopes and joys, a victory, a glorious victory, over death and the grave. It is almost degrading to contrast it, — not to speak of comparing it, — in these respects, with the Parsi religion, a religion of which its own votaries are now ashamed, and which is a mere compound of foolish speculation, out- rageous legendry, and frivolous, puerile, and degrading cer- emony. But I must conclude. Such is the copiousness of the evi- dence of the divine authority of the Christian faith, that, from the contracted limits by which I am now restricted, I feel that 1 have failed to afford my readers anything more than a mere glimpse of some of its more prominent, and con- spicuous points. Many of them, however, know that on more than one occasion, I have made the attempt in this place to secure their attention to a lengthened statement of its details, continued weekly for many months. To those who wish to examine the subject in all its parts, the missionaries of Bombay are ever ready to lend their assistance. I refer in- quirers to the books, a list, of which I add to this work,* which will more than abundantly satisfy every candid mind. T See Appendix, H. DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE C HRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 471 Their successful refutation by the Parsis of India, or the infi- dels of Europe, I have no hesitation in declaring to be an ab- solute impossibility. Let not the attempt be made to accom- plish it, without much serious consideration, lest those con- nected with it should expose themselves to confusion and shame. In taking leave of my native readers, I beg to assure them that it is the desire of promoting their best interests. — the wel- fare of their own immortal souls in time and eternity, — which has been the animating principle of the endeavour which I have now made to expose the errors into which they have lallen from the vain traditions received from their fathers, and to set forth and defend the truth of God. It is Christian love, let me tell them, in language which I have already used at a meeting of natives, — including some of the most enlighten- ed members of their community, — which is also the ani- mating principle of the patrons and supporters of the different Christian Missions which have been established throughout the world. This sacred principle, breathing the most fervent desires for the welfare of India, inhabits the breasts and ani- mates the exertions of hundreds of our countrymen scattered throughout the length and breadth of this land, and of hun- dreds,— indeed I may say, millions, — sojourning in the more highly favoured land of Britain, and other countries of Europe. Some of the blessings which this love offers to you, you can understand, and even appreciate. You attach a high value to the knowledge of literature, science, and philosophy, which we seek to diffuse. You delight to have unfolded to your view, and submitted to your inspection, the mysteries of of nature, so multifarious and glorious ; the essays and pro- ductions of human genius and learning; the records of the history of our race connected with the different countries of the world ; and the application of art to the promotion of the economic well-being of man. lint you do not yet fully un- derstand and appreciate the magnitude of the other blessings of which we seek to put you in possession, and which are of of infinite, eternal, consequence ; those blessings which have respect to God. our responsibility to his law, our access to his 472 THE DIVINE MISSION OF CHRIST, AND THE grace, and our own final destiny. Would that you were ac- quainted with their true nature, and could place upon them their true value, and were disposed to give us credit for that benevolence, in the exercise of which we offer them to you and press them on your acceptance ! With reference to this last matter, I would bespeak from you all a moment's consid- eration, by putting to you a very plain and intelligible case. Suppose a dreadful disease to exist in this country, and to commit its ravages among all classes of society, high and low, rich and poor, young and old, arresting them in their enjoy- ments and occupations, and consigning them to a fearful and untimely grave ; suppose that in the providence of God, we were to discover a remedy, an unfailing specific, for this dis- ease ; and suppose that we were to come forward to declare our discovery to you, and our readiness to explain its efficacy, and to give you the advantage of its application, — would you not, in these circumstances, give us your anxious attention, and deliberately consider the claims which we might advance, and earnestly desire to see them established ? And would you not, on the other hand, visit us with your most decided dis- approbation, were we to conceal from you our discovery, or withhold from you its advantages? Now, what, let me ask, is the state of the case with regard to the moral situation in which we find you to be placed ? We see that, like our- selves, you are sinners, the workers of iniquity, and those who have withheld from God the love, and reverence, and service, which arc his due ; and that consequently his displeasure rests upon you, and that if his divine justice be alone that attribute with which you have to deal, you must be doomed to unspeak- able suffering, to an eternal dying, to a perpetual residence in that place where God has forgotten to be gracious, and where his mercy is clean gone forever. We believe that you imperiously need salvation ; and we believe that we know where salvation is to be found. We have heard with our ears, and have received the report into our souls, that " God so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son, that who- soever believcth in him should not perish, but have everlast- ing life." We believe that an actual incarnation of the God- DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. 473 head has occurred for the salvation of man, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, when he graciously stood in the room of sinners, allowed the demonstration of the evil of sin, and the exhibition of its punishment, to alight on his own de- voted head, and thus gave satisfaction to the offended justice of his Father. We have experienced the preciousness of his grace ; and, in his holy Gospel, we find him saying to our- selves, and to all, " Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out," and commanding his disciples to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. We have found the Gos- pel of Christ efficacious for the regeneration and salvation of man in all the diversity of circumstances in which he can be placed. We have seen its powerful workings among your- selves, and others of your countrymen. We offer it to you, and we press it on your acceptance. Our desire to discharge our duty, and to promote your salvation, urges us to the course which we pursue. Will you respect our motives, and avail yourselves of the unspeakably precious blessings which we hold forth ? The wonder, my friends, is not that we do some- thing on your behalf, not that we do that which is consider- able in the eyes of our fellows ; but that we do not feel con- strained to devote all our energies, and all our faculties, and all our influence to the sacred work in which we are engau- ed, that we arc not constrained by the mercies of God to present ourselves, on your behalf, a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto Gorl, through Jesus Christ! What we do imperfectly accomplish, I beseech you, do not ye despise. Consider, I entreat you, the testimony of which we are the bearers. Christianity comes before you recommended by the judgment, as well as offered by the benevolence, of Britain, of Europe, and of America. Imagine not that its high and exclusive claims, and self-denying demands, have been accept- ed without inquiry, — without the most careful and profound investigation. Those mighty minds, which have penetrated the innermost recesses of their own being ; which have ana- lyzed the most secret springs of human thought and feeling and action ; which have so sagaciously philosophized on the changes of societv, and the advancement and decline of the 41 474 DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES. nations of the earth ; which have surveyed the whole face of the world on which we dwell, and the countless diversities of beings which inhabit its wide domains ; which have dived into the recesses of the deep, and explored the caverns of the earth ; and which have measured and weighed the masses of the worlds which roll in the heaven above, and observed and developed the laws which regulate their mighty movements, — those great minds, I say, which have engaged in all this re- search, and achieved all these wonders, have not vainly and inconsiderately surrendered their faith to the religion of the Bible. No ; they have considered and weighed its claims, be- fore they have pronounced their judgment. Its authority has been established in their view by irrefragable evidence. They acknowledge it to be the source of all the hopes of salvation which they are permitted to cherish, and of all that national greatness and majesty which you yourselves cannot but ad- mire. The Bible, in the providence of God, comes before you with their united, their strong, recommendation ; and it be- comes you seriously to entertain the question of its divine ori- gin, to see whether or not it is fitted to allay the fears of your conscience, to satisfy your desires for happiness, and to con- fer upon you all the spiritual blessings of which you stand in need. There is such a thing as heavenly truth, and there is such an agent as the Spirit of truth ; and it becomes you to consider what homage and obedience you are prepared to render to them, while they address your fears and hopes, and offer to direct you to an abundant supply of all your necessi- ties. There is such an hour as death, and such a transaction as judgment ; and it becomes you to think of your prepa- ration to encounter their solemnities, and to meet your doom. I could not resist this opportunity of giving you one word of affectionate warning, of inviting you to look to Him, who now says to you, " Turn you at my reproof ; behold, I will pour out my Spirit upon you, I will make known my words unto you ;" but who may afterwards address to you the sentence of condemnation, for mercies despised, and privileges abused, and deliverance rejected, and declare to you the loss, the eternal loss, of your own souls. APPENDIX. APPENDIX. A— TRANSLATION OF THE ZARTUSHT-NA'MAH • BV B. B. BASTWICK, ESCfc. Invocation, In all thy actions secret or displayed, Be it first thy care to seek thy Maker's aid. Through Him alone each work attains its end, And things opposed in just concordance blend. Omniscient Maker and Support of all, Creator, Ruler of this earthly ball! Lord of the seven skies and earths, for thee, Are spread the highest heavens, thy canopy, O God of wisdom, Lord of life, thy hand, Lit up the starry hosts, heaven's glittering band. Bright sun and moon, and Nahid f queen of night, Tir and Kaiwan, Bahram, and Ormazd's light. All giving Lord! Creator, wise and just, How great thy bounties on the sons of dust ! Reason and knowledge are thy gifts — to know The evil from the good and weal from woe. Let reason be his guide, and man shall gain, In each estate, a sure escape from pain. For those who strive to learn the faith of heaven, Be first their thoughts to God's existence given. And let them know this truth,— that God is one, Exists nought like Him, He is God alone. From man his Maker asks humility, Of prayer the accents and the suppliant's knee. Seek ye the truth ? from me the truth receive, And thus instructed listen and believe. Beginning of the Book. I saw a book in Khiisrau's royal hall, Writ in the Pahlavf, for so they call * For a brief review oftheZartusht-N'amah. See pp. 417 — 427, of this work. t Nahid is the planet Venus ; Tfr is Mercury ; Bahram, Mars ; Kaiwin, Saturn ; Ormazd, Jupiter. 478 APPENDIX. That ancient tongue — the great arch-priest of fire, Had placed it there — chief of the learned choir. Within the book in varied tale were told The deeds of ancient kings aDd heroes old. There too the Zandavasta's sacred line, Was traced, holy Zartusht's book divine ; And there the story of his wondrous birth, And all that marked the sage's stay on earth. Time-worn the volume and the mystic page, Was veiled in doubt, and dim with mists of age. Said, then, the priest, " This sacred volume see ! By this in heaven's pure faith instructed be." Then to my listening ear a part he read, And strong emotion through his bosom spread. " Learning," he cried, "herein would much avail, For mark this long-forgotten lore — this tale Of whom none knows the source — this ancient creed May perish, since but few this page can read. 'Tis best that you this tale in verse should dress, And in fair Persia's tongue its words express, With wisdom ornament this faith divine, Renew its canvas in your living line. If thus the faith you celebrate, of thee A fair memorial shall established be. And thus renewed from thee, all men shall learn, The faith of old — to it for guidance turn. All will acknowledge that to us is given, The purest faith and truest road to Heaven. List to my words, for I too, — late have come, Among my fellowmen — not here my home. Bound on my waist the sacred belt, behold. I too the sacred volumes can unfold. Then hearken, for on thee no loved one smiles, Nor wife, or child, from wisdom's path beguiles." He said, and as his counsel sage I heard, My heart was guided by the old man's word. "My name," I said, "will live to future years, And hope of Heaven's reward the labour cheers. May God for this, the All-wise, Almighty Sire, Release my soul from dread of penal fire." Home I returned, and pleasing visions 6teep My eyes in soft forgetfulness and sleep. I dreamed a Darwish stood beside my bed; And, "sleepest thou idly ?" thus the phantom said. "Awake, bethink thee of thy vow, nor pause, Till Zartusht sees renewed his sacred laws : THE Z4.RTUSHT-NAMAH. 479 'Tis thine to ghdden thus the prophet's soul, And reach thyself intact the heavenly gaol. His intercession shall avail thee best, Before thy God — on him securely rest." Scared by the vision, sleep my eyelids flies, I wake and bursting tear-drops fill my eyes. All night, revolving in my anxious mind Those thoughts, I lay, nor rest nor slumber find. Soon as the sun from out his turret high, Cast the first links of gold adown the skv, To Kai-Khtisrau my sire's most honoured ear, The strange rc'ation of my dream \ bear. (Know ye who would my place of birth inquire, 'Twas Kujapdr* the city of my sire. The house of Kuja is an ancient came, The children now, not first, approved to fame). " Beware," lie said, "no vain resistance raise, He pleases Heaven who at once obeys. No worldly cares disturb thy tranquil mind, In this behest thy only labour find." Thus when I heard his answer, I prepared To execute my task and back repaired To the old priest who first aroused my zeal. "Begin," I cried, "the work, for now I Fee] My heart with ardor rilled."— Thus then began The history of the past that ancient man. Talc of the old Priest. When earth beneath the weight ofevil groaned, No teacher, guide, or chief her children owned. Reckless of God, they felt no righteous awe, And cast aside the dictates of his law. 1 he fiend accursed his banner wide unfurl'd, And shook his pinions joyous o'er the world. Exulting laughed haughty Ahriman, And marked creation struggling in his chain. "Twas in that dark despairing hour, that God, To helpless man his saving mercy shewed. To save that rebel race his prophet rose, Salvation's portal opened to his foes. From the unconqnered race of Feridfin, From royal sires arose the inspired son. As shoots the tender offspring of the vine, " Literally, ' Where-town' ! The writer seems to have been unwilling to mention the real place of his abode. 480 APPENDIX. So sprung Zartuslit from the prophet line. (Save God alone none knows or good or ill. Learn this ye wise — ye children of his will.) From Feriiidti descended Petarasp The wise and good , his son was named Pdrshasp. B;>rn of his loins the great Zaiatusht came, To free the imprisoned world from sin and shame. A sapling he of that same noble race, Lords of bright lineage, dignity and ^race. They called him Z irtusht, and his mother's name Was the cha&te Daghdii, fair, unspotted dame. Said then the priest, "now hear the legend true, When Daghdd pregnant of her Zartuslit grew, Five slow revolving moons had passed ; again The sixth pale moon was hastening to her wane. Dream of the Mother of Zartuslit. She dreamed she wondering marked in heaven's ckar skies A cloud like to an eagle's pinion rise. So thick a gloom its gathering shadow spread, The sun is veiled, the day grows dark and dread. And from that cloud no rain, but, strange to tell, Lions and tigers, wolves and dragons fell, J he crocodile and panther of the waste, All that is horrible, misshapen, vast, The writhing ssrpent and the bird obscene, All thing3 detested that the eye has seen, Or fancy feigned, and still with gathering storm, Fast falls each savage shape, and grisly form. Sudden from forth that phantom train appears, One who 'Jian all a ghastlier semblance weurs. On Daghdd rushing, in her tender side The direful monster tore an opening wide, An I thence the infant Zartuslit in his grasp Dragged forth to light— death seemed in every gasp, But on their prey ere yet those jaws could close, Loud threatening shouts as those of men arose. And in that hour of seeming misery While hap'ess Daghdii strove for aid to cry, "Wail not," her infant said, " for not from th< 96 Shull harm approach me or destruction seize. God is my guardian and protection. He From every evil thing shall keep me free ; Then dread not, though you view assembled here, These monsters grim and loathsome forms of feara." Cheered with these words, the mother calms her care, THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 481 When lo! a hill descends from upper air, And from its side, beams forth refulgent light, Dispels the clouds and breaks the gloom of night. Then comes a hurrying blast, before whose breadth Fast fly those grim aspects and shapes of death. When nearer came that holy light, was seen An angel form, a youth of heavenly mien. Fair as the morn, a shepherd youth he seems, And Jamshid's lustrous glory round him beams. In his right hand he holds a dazzling wand, Hell shrinks aghast before the vengeful brand. His left supports the oracles of heaven, The written word for man's instruction given, These when they see, back quail the demon crew, And hid in air, are lost to human view. Three shapes alone of all the monster train, A wolf, a lion, and a pard remain. The youth advancing in their savage gaze, Rears his bright wand and darts its dazzling blaze. Vainly before his steps the fiends retire, And wrapped in fierce consuming flames expire. The infant Zartushf, rescued from the tomb, Again is sheltered in his mother's womb. Her wound is healed, by mercy from above, And Hell's fierce rage is foiled by heavenly love. To DaghJfi, then, the heavenly stripling said; — "Arise, nor let thy heart grow faint with dread, Comfort thee, for from thee a child shall spring, On whom shall rest the favour of heaven's king. The world beholds the glad event with joy, And future ages hail the promised boy. A prophet of the truth his pen shall trace To a lost world the mysteries of grace. Glad earth rejoices at his coming feet, The wolf and land; in peace and union meet. Then let no anxious cares thy breast alarm; Whom God protects is safe from every harm." Thus spake the youth, and vanished from her sight, And with him fled the vision of the night. Daghdd is left alone, and busy thought Recalls the dreams with strange forebodings fraught. A neighbouring snge there was, well skilled to read The circling stars and tell the fates decreed. Nor of less worth, to him fair Daghdti speaks Her fears, and pity and instruction seeks. And asks what destiny prepares? and how The sure event of future years to know ? 42 48-2 APPENDIX. Said then the man of age, — "but few I ween Such dream, such marvels of the night have seen. First be thy infant born, ere I relate To thy glad ear the oracles of fate. All that thy heart desires thy child shall give ; Through him to distant lands thy name shall live. His glory shall o'ershadow earth — his foes Shall quail before him and in vain oppose. Go, then, and when triree days are past, return, And the bright tidings of the future learn." He said and Daghdu seeks her home — her breast Is filled with care, nor food nor needful rest She takes, till fail three suns and the fourth day Casts o'er the earth its joy-inspiring ray. Again the seer she seeks; glad smiled the sage, And rising thoughts his labouring mind engage. With quadrant viewing, then, he marks with care What signs and changes in the sun appear, And next the stars observing he discerns The horoscope, and slow surveys by turns Bahrain and Nahid, Tfr, and Kaiwan old, Each planet circling in its path of geld. He sees the moment of conjunction bright With fortunes fair and joy's unfading light, And thus he speaks ; "1 view a destiny Of hope sublime and wondrous augury, Know, that thy son, great, virtuous and wise, High o'er his sires in glory's path shall rise." Interpretation of the dream.1* "This night that thou hast seen this dream, and beheld this suffering and woe, thou wert five months gone with child and twenty days and three. When thou art delivered of that holy thing, he shall grow up in righteousness and mercy ; his name sha'd be the glorious Zaratusht ; all his actions shall be fulfilled in goodness. Every faith and sect oppos- ed to him shall be brought lo'.v, through the excellence of his fortune. At the first they shall struggle with him for the mastery, and shall en- deavour much against him. Thou shalt experience much evil from the tyranny of the wicked, as thou didst dream of sustaining from the wild beasts. At the end thou shalt be prosperous and happy, and shalt re- joice in this child which is yet unborn. And what thou sawest in the It was the intention of my friend to have translated the whole of the Zartusht-Namah into verse. Its gross absurdity, however, and the almost total want in it of poetical conception forced him at this stage to resort to plain prose. — W. THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 483 latter part of thy dream, for that let thy spirit be raised above the sixth heaven : the bright branch thou sawest which brought the gladness, is the glory of God manifested against the oppiessors, which shall keep back from thy child every evil thing. And that writing which the youth held in his hand, with that he shall sow the seed of righteousness. That is the token of the prophethood, with which the wicked and the fiends shall be blinded. His name shall be perpetual in the world, and all his desire shall be accomplished. The three beasts which remained and were destroyed by that flaming brand, are three fijes, the deadliest and worst. They shall endeavour but shall not succeed ; and at the last they shall he overthrown. He shall separate the truth and the right way from vanity. The bright sun is not hid by particles of dust, and those only shall doubt of thy son who are void of faith and understand- ing. In those days shall arise a king who shall make known the true faith; he shall aid in celebrating the faith of Zartusht, and shall estab- lish it in the sight of all. Blessed is the tree that God shall cause to bear such fruit; you shall be blessed in this unblemished pearl, and by this holy child shall rise above the stars. Paradise shall reward those who obey him; the soul? of his enemies shall descend to Hell ; would that I might live to behold his clay — my life and all I possess should be his sacrifice." When DaghdCi heard these precious words, she said, " O Prophet of wisdom ! How knowest thou that this was my fifth month ? " The seer replied, " let the days be reckoned, thou shalt know that I have spoken right; thy computation is by the stars' ordination, and thus it is written with dates of the past. Behold what God will bring to thee by thy son; the world shall be filled with his praise, and the righteous shall rejoice in him." When DaghdCi heard the interpretation of her dream, she prepared to return to her home. She told the prediction to PCirshasp, the son of Petarasp. When the ninth month arrived the chaste matron prepared all things for the event. The Miracles which attended the birth of Zartusht. When the time of his birth drew near, his relations were filled with lamentation. His mother called for the wise women and also for those who were dear to her, in order that they might minister to her, and might support her in her travail. The women who were her neighbours, and men evil-enchanters, surrounded the door of her house, and were, you would say, her watchers. When the moon breathed light on the world, the holy Zartusht was born. As he left the womb he laughed ; the house was enlightened by that laughter; his fatl er was astonished at him, at his laughter and beauty and loveliness. He said in his heart, "This is the glory of God." Save this child, every infant born into the world has wept- They named the child Zartusht ; great and small heard thereof; the word of the seer was fulfilled, as he had foretold the birth of the child. The women were envious of his laughter, and of the brightness of his destiny ; they remained covetous of him, since the like 484 APPENDIX. of him had not been seen; they said, " We know not how tins will be, or what will be the event." Child like this, 6aw they never; in beauty the world could shew no equal to him : the city was filled with the news of the beauty and laughter of the infant; all who were unclean and evil were stung to the heart at that laughter. In those days were many magicians who filled every place with their art; among them was spread anxiety ; their souls were consumed as a torch; they said, "This is a ca- lamity to us, we must remove this child from the world." Miracle 11. Escape of Zartusht from Duransamn. There was a king in those days ; his name was DCiransarun ; he was the chief of the magicians, and an alien from God. He discovered the birth of Zartusht ; he knew that when Zartusht appeared, the art of ma- gic would be lost and forgotten, and that he would establish a pure faith, and would bring to disgrace all magicians. The pure would receive their faith from him, his glory would reach the sun ; the evil he would utterly destroy, and would reveal the pure faith. When the Shah heard of his birth, his face became pale as hay. Instantly he mounted his steed, and departed to the house cf Pdrshasp. He came to the bed of the child, and behold a face like the early spring, beaming with the glory of God. The Shah disoerned the mystery revealed in him ; at sight of him the Sh^h grew pale. He said, *' Take him f;om the cradle/' They raised the child, and the wicked king drew forth a dagger of brightness ; he thought to dissever the child, that his heart might be relieved from fear and bodings. In that moment he was struck with anguish; you would say it was the agony of death. The hands of the Shah were dried up by the command of God the merciful. When the Shah was disappointed of his hopes, that instant he withdrew from the bed of the chi'd, since God, he saw, protected the infant and defended his life from every evil thing. All the magicians were sad and faint of heart ; they were troubled and became like grass. They obeyed the order of the Shah and departed. They were cut to the soul for the anguish of the king; when dismay fell among them, they bore off the infant Zartusht from his father. Miracle 111. Escape of Zartusht from the Fire. They conveyed the child to the desert, and raised a vast heap of tim- ber ; they made it like Lajaward, with while naphtha and yellow brim- stone. They quickly kindled one immense fire and cast Zartusht therein. By the command of God the cherisher, no evil reached Zartusht. That blazing fire became as water. In it Zartusht fell asleep. When that thing was done in the desert by those evil men, they departed. They carried the glad tidings to Ddransarlin, and told him their enemy had perished. "We kindled a fierce flame, we burned Zartusht therein." When his mother heard thereof, she wandered forth for grief for her loss, like a maniac ; she reached the desert and the place where the fire of the magicians was kindled ; she saw in the flames the figure of her THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 485 clulii, and her breast rejoiced at the sight of her offsprings Pearls were scattered by bin) in liis prophethood, like the slurry light of Nahfd and Mushtarf. Instantly she snatched him to her bosom, and kissed bis eye- brows and his forehead two hundred times, thence she bore him secretly to her house. Such was this event in the world. Thus says the Priest of priests 5 "The world was never free from evil doers, but God the Protec- tor gives victory to the pure and good ; the Author of righteousness will protect the right; it ia therefore best that you follow the right way." Miracle IV, Escape of Zartusht from the feet ofllie Oxen. Short time elapsed when the miracles of Zartusht became known. The fire had had no effect upon him, and his mother bore him home free of pain and hurt. Again the magicians, fiends and Paris display, d their fierceness and bad intention; again they consulted and devised, in order to contrive a way to put him to death. They secretly carried forth Zar- tusht by order of that Shah the leader of the aliens. They placed him in the narrow way, where the oxen were accustomed to pa^s ; thoy threw down that unweaned babe in that narrow way, hopeless and forlorn, that when the oxen came by that way they might trample on him and destroy him. When the herd began to move, one advanced before the rest, mightier than the rest in strength and size, like him who presides among an assembly of men. It came forward to the beautiful child, like a mother seeking her offspring; it protected the child between its forefeet with care in the name of God. It was not possible for the rest of the herd to pass on it, or to trample the child under their feet. When one endeav- oured to pass that way it stooped down its ears and shielded the child; until they all had passed, it moved not from the place. Then it resought the herd as the hawk its prey. The mother of Zartusht was filled with frenzy ; every where she thought 10 behold her child. When she heard the story of the oxen, she hasted till she reached the spot. Thence she rais- ed up the beloved babe, and returned with thanks to her home: she call- ed down a little curse with wailing and tears on that evil people of wrong doers. — " May the great God do even so to them as they would have done to the child had be not saved it ; may they not find a hearing before God, and may their hopes fail in this world and the next." Miracle V. Escape of Zartusht from the feet of Horses. And when that news reached the wicked Ddransarun, that Zartusht had escaped the feet of the bulls and not a hair of his body had been in- jured, this news stung him to the heart, and he prepared another device. He sought for a narrow way, where wild horses used to pass. He or- dered them to carry forth Zartusht, and cast him without food in that pe- rilous way, that when the horses passed that way they might trample on his body. When the Shah gave this order they obeyed, but were dis- appointed in their hopes. They threw him where the herd used to pass ; 486 APPENDIX. they left him there friendless and destitute. In that terrible place, the heart of the mighty, through the burning heat, waxed afraid. When the wild horses began to enter the defile, n single mare advanced before the rest. By the command of God the cherisher, it came and stood by the pillow of the babe ; it stood forward in defence of the noble child. The horses were unable to bite it. You would say that was the queen of mares, which both sheltered the child and befriended it. Again when the mother of Zartusht heard the news, she wandered everywhere as one distracted. She at length drew near her child, and her heart was afflict- ed at his danger. Many thanksgivings gave she to God, that her infant had met no harm from the horses. Again she bore him to her house; day and night her heart trembled on account of him ; but while God was his Protector, what could Dews or Paris do to harm him ? If a hundred thou- sand accursed Dews came to work you ill, if they hear from you the name of God, they will one and all take to flight. Such is the name of the holy God ; from it destruction shall reach the wicked. Miracle VI. Escapes of Zartusht from the Wolves. When the wicked king Diiransarun saw no success from the wild bulls and horses, he perceived that God protected the child and was unable to discover any expedient. Again he set about contriving, and hardened his heart like steel. Then he ordered that search should be made for a place the abode of wolves, a place where the wolves harboured, that there they might seize and destroy their young, and then place there the in- fant Zartusht, and see if their cause of anxiety would thus be removed, that when the savage wolves descended from the mountains, they would find their young ones slain and be seized with fury ; then certainly, they would tear Zartusht in pieces, and when hungry would devour his body. They carried out .Zartusht as the evil Shah directed. They slew the young wolves, and cast them there, and hastened back from the place. See now the providence of God, and always select the path of righteous- ness. When the old wolves came to the spot, they saw a painful sight — all their young slain. They beheld a single infant weeping there ; and at once they rushed upon him, they prepared to tear him in pieces, and satiate their fury for the loss of their young. The holy Zartusht by the will of God, in that danger moved nor head nor foot. He placed not his hand on the foremost wolf, yet in that instant its mouth was closed. And the life of Zartusht was uninjured. The other wolves became tame, the fury of the savage wolves was calmed. Behold when the leader's heart waxes faint, the army trembles with fear. It was the will of God that the pack of wolves should become friendly, and injure not the child ; they sat down besides his pillow, and forgot their resentment for the loss of their young. Such is the power of God, that he makes the savage wolf feel pity ; therefore it is right that at all limes, you should cause your lips to utter his name. When the jaws of the wolf were closed, and it had taken it« watch near the child's pillow, two cows descended from the mountain THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. -H7 and came to that wonder of the ago ; they placed their teats rilled wilh milk without deceit or evil purpose in his mouth. Who till that moment had seen the cow and the wolf together, and the jaws of the wolf closed from doing harm ? The breath of the wolf will be with that of the cow, if it be the merciful will of God. God was merciful lo that holy child ; his body sustained no hurt from the wolves. By turns the cows gave him milk, until eventide was passed. When the bright sun lit up its crown of light, and the tree of ivory rose up from the wave,* the mother of Zar- tusht was weeping for her child, and was hastening through the deserts and mountains ; she was crying out and making search, and endeavouring to find the road to her child ; she knew not herself where her beloved one was, nor did any one shew her the right path. When she saw that wolf on the summit of the mountain, fearless she hastened towards it. She imagined the wolf had torn her child and had rent his limbs. When she found her child, that chaste mother threw herself before God on her knees. She said, " O God, giver of mercies, thou gnvest me this dear eon, thou savedsthim from the wild beasts and evil men. I testify that thou art one ; neither in this world, nor in the next, is any like thee ; it behoveth all things to praise thee, both the visible and invisible wcrld. She then took up her child. She wondered at the circumstance of the cow and wolf which she had seen near her child. The news became known to the magicians, that the lamb had escaped from the wolves, that Zartusht was brought back in safety and gladness from that peril. Again they assembled together and prepared every art and contrivance. They said, " This our danger is lengthened out, we see no remedy for this ; it is better for us to look into this matter, and obtain some fruit of our labour." There was a chief of the magicians, whose name was Bar- tarush ; he was a powerful wizard, and he said to the magicians, "Why raise you this outcry ? I know respecting Zartusht, since I have examined regarding him with diligence, that he will not be destroyed by our coun- sels, since God protects him from every evil. The glory of God has been revealed in him ; we shall not find a key to this closed door. Bahman took him before God, and acquainted him with the secrets of the two worlds, of the prophets of the God of the world. He alone is the guide of the world : — the world shall receive its laws from him ; his faith shall be established among men; there shall be a righteous king who shall render him good assistance ; — he shall break every enchantment, and shall destroy every work of the Dews." Then the father of Zar- * We must confess our inability to follow the poet through these heights and depths. The words in the original are — <•_ (•_ v V ^_ y y ' *■* J " yJ J •> " when the splendent sun lifted up his crown, and there appeared the ivory from the fountain of ebony." Query. Does not Zartusht Behram here im- prove upon the Muhammadan idea of the sun rising from a fountain of black mud » — W. 488 APPENDIX. tusht asked liim to tell him that which he knew. " What good, or ill, 6ee you in his destiny ? What have his stars in store for him? What meant that laughter at his birth ? Tell it, whether betokening evil or good." Bartartish gave him this answer:— "Be thou wary of heart and discerning ; your child shall be the leader of the world, since his equal has never appeared. All the propitious powers of heaven watch over him; all goodness is present with him; he shall guide all people in righteousness according to the will of God the cherisher. fie shall make known the Zandavasta ; he shall spread his name through the wide world; he shall drive out the wicked from the world; enchant- ment shall not remain, nor the doers thereof. The Shah Gushtasp shall receive the faith from him, he shall bless him in the joy of his heart." When the father heard these things of him he rejoiced thereat in his heart. There was an old man in those days, wise, pure, and intelli- gent; his name was Barzinkartis. He came in the early morn to the house of Pfirshasp, and said to him, " O holy man, I must bring up Zar- tusht with affection, like the sun in heaven. I shall esteem him as a be- loved son, I shall keep him from evil as a flower. Take me to that dear son, and entrust his valued person to me." The father accordingly gave him to his care, and rested for a while from conversing with him. Zar- tusht attained his seventh year; the glorious God protected him; no hot wind breathed on him from the devices of the Dews, working magic. Miracle VII. In the seventh year of Zartusht. When his seventh year was fulfilled, God arranged all his affairs. Bar- tartish and Dtiransartin at that time went to him together, to work magic arts upon him and afflict and disgrace his soul. They made many magic rites tiiere, but none of them succeeded. They increased fear and caused dread; the hearts of people were rent in twain, the heart of Zirt'jsht quail- ed not, and he was not moved thereat ; from that house men fled away, and became like dead men from fear. His clear soul in his body knew that he was protected from that magic. The great God was his protec- tion, from the terrible devices of the magicians. When the evil enchan- ters saw, that their arts availed them not, they left the house disappoint- ed, and their hearts were filled with blood from that woe. Miracle VIII. During the sickness of Zartusht. After this Zartusht became sick; the heaits of his friends were filled with grief; the filthy magicians heard thereof that sickness had fallen upon him. Bartarush, the chief of enchanters, secretly contrived a de- vice : — He collected drugs from all quarters, and mixed therewith the vi- lest abomination. He brought thereof to the Shah and desired to kill Zartusht therewith; he told him to take that medicine, that he might be freed from pain and sickness. By the command of the glorious God the holy Zartusht knew the fraud — that it was a drug destructive of life, which should not be given to God's creatures. Ho took the medicine THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 489 from that infidel wizard, and poured it instantly on the ground. He said to liim, — " Vile sorcerer ! tliy drugs are not efficacious with me ; this medicine thou hast brought, thou hast mixed with filthy water. Practise nil thy magic arts, they are of no force with me. If you should put on other apparel, what will it avail before one who knows the heart ? And should you clothe yourself differently, I should know thee, O thou full of deceit ! God has shewn me how to recognize thee — that God who rules the universe, who gives subsistence and life and takes them back at his will." Again, when the evil magicians were grieved on account of Zar- tusht, although they contrived many things they returned disappointed in all. Every tiling was magic in those days, and nothing was done with- out the magic art. The fiends impure consorted with the magicians. They walked and sat with them on the earth. They gained all their ma- gic from the fiends, and knew not God, the King of kings. They wor- shipped the unclean devil, as the pure God is now worshipped. Even Prtrshasp, in those days, walked in the way that was known to all. One day several of those magicians who were the chief in that assembly, — BdrantarCish and DCtransardn, — whoever was chief in stratagem and de- ceit, all he took to his own house and made a splendid banquet. He had collected stores of dainties, and expended much labour on that feast. Af- ter they had finished eating, Purshrsp made an assembly at that enter- tainment. He then said to BurantaiCish, "You are of all most skilled in ma- gic; make you a good and becoming device, that we may be delighted and exalted. You know magic best this day, since you arc chief of the sor- cerers of the world." When Zartusht heard what his father said, he said, " Speak not improperly, have you nothing to do with magic or sorcery How long will you wander in the evil way ? If you follow any way but that of righteousness, in the end you will convey yourself to hell ; and if your heart is turned to any but God, certainly your place shall be in hell. Follow in that way which God your creator has made manifest to all peo- ple. From the deceits of magic you remain in ignorance, and are neglect- ful of your duty to the God of the world. The end of magic is hell, and all that is gained by it is lamentation." Then Bartarush said to Zartusht, — " Why speak you vain words, and why are you not silent ? What are you before me, or your father, that you always speak in this manner ? And know you not my power, that you thus reveal my secrets to all the mighty on the face of the earth. No one should venture to speak thus in my presence. This is what you require, that in this city I should bring your name to disgrace, and make you abased before all people, and spread falsehoods regarding you among all. You have taken away all the lustre of my power and have brought ruin into my affairs. May your name be forgotten among all people, and may your end he disappointed of every hope." Zartusht said to him,— " You vile one ! your falsehoods will not injure me ; if you speak falsely of me, your estimation among men will be lessened, but in every thing I say to you, I will use nothing but truth. By my arguments, I will break your head and hand*, and will overthrow you 43 490 APPENDIX. with this hand of mine. I will place you on the ass of impotency, and, however much you contend, you shall be compelled to fly by the order of God, the giver of all things. I will overthrow your power by my argu- ments, I will cause your destruction, I will break and humble your body." All the magicians were awe-struck at him, at his manner, and his words. When Bfirantardsh heard his words, yuu would say his reason and senses had left him. He went to his own house. That night through grief he was sick with fever, he lay afflicted with that illness, and also his children and wife ; when the holy Zartusht was fifteen years old, he rested not a moment from fear and dread. The doings of Zarlusht in his youth. Day and night before the giver of justice, he bowed down his head to the ground ; his heart was not in this world ; his body from fear of God was in pain and affliction ; he did much good in the world, both in the eight of all and secretly. Every where that there was any poor man who obtruded not his wants, till he was called for, he sent for him and treated him kindly and gave him every thing. Whenever there was any person afflicted, he sympathized with that affliction; he gave him clothes, and cared for him' and arranged all his affairs. He held the World in no ps- timation, neither regarded silver or gold, except in the worship and men- tion of God. His body was not employed at any time ; he spread a good name through the world among both great and small. He whose habits and customs are such as these, be assured that he is pure and truly re- ligious. Every one whose heart is in the fear of God, will be saved from hell. When Zartusht attained his thirtieth year, lie was relieved from danger and his works bare fruit. Departure of Zarlusht to Iran. His heart was directed to Iran. He left his place in company with some others. Of those, some who were his relations, accompanied h>m in this journey. When with his companions he reached the sea, no ship ■was to be found. Then Zartusht, desirous of a vessel, remained there like one in grief. He wished to return back from thence. He could not take the women by that road, for he was jealous of the men. Inasmuch as it behoved not to take women into the water, it was not right for wo- men to be naked especially in sight of a strange company. He wept to the Almighty God, and prayed for a passage across that sea. Since he prayed with truth and devotion, he was accepted by the holy God. Passage oj Zarlusht across the Sea. Zartusht arose and entered the water, and ordered the people to make haste. They all hastened to enter that sea, and removed not their clothes from their limbs. As a vessel moves with the stream, so moved they in the water of the sea; you would say a bridge had been formed there and that Zartusht crossed quickly thereon. The whole month of Sipandar- THE ZAKTUSHT-NAMAH. 491 mad, they went on till the day which is called AnirSn.* On that day the holy Zartnsht reached the confines of Iran. There was a feast there in those days; the mighty of that clime in countless numbers, had come to that festal place, and were met together in joy and mirth. Zartnsht desir- ed to join that feast- Night came and extinguished the lights of the world ; he slept alone that dark night by the way side, but understand- ing was the companion of his soul. What Zarlusht saiv in a dream. He dreamed he saw, that from the east a countless army was collect- ed ; and they came upon him in the way he was going, and drew near him with hostile purpose. They encompassed him on every side, and^stop- ped his passage in all directions- When Zartnsht locked that way anoth- er army became visible. They came up from the direction of the south, all warlike and fierce men ; they joined swords together, the eastern army fled. Since God shewed him this dream, attend to the interpretation thereof. Interpretation of the dream of Zarlusht. The exposition of the dream is on this wise, — for so the interpreter expounded it, — that Zartnsht should go before God, and should hear all 6ecrets from him. His heart should be informed of the faith, and should learn the mysteries of the true religion : and on his return from God, from that bright place to this dark world, he should make manifest the true faith and clear the rose-tree of truth from thorns. When the Dews and magicians should hear thereof, they would gird up their loins to do him battle, and would draw near him, preparing fight, seeking the battle like lions, and Mediomah having heard thereof would be converted to the true faith, (though grief bo ordained in this world) with willing soul and cheer- fulness, and would receive from hirn the true faith, and learn the ordinan- ces of religion. And after that he would read the Zandavcsla with a loud voice to those fiends and magicians. The fierce fiends would fly and all the accursed magicians. When he had heard the exposition of his dream and had come to that banquet, his heart was glad at that festivity, and joy returned as to its source. After some time, pleased and joyous, he de- parted from that feast which resembled paradise. The Passage of Zartnsht by the water of Duett. When he had returned from that feast, he caino near waters, when half the month of Ardebehisht had passed, and the earth become like paradise. On the day you call Dep-Meher, when the sun showed his face, on that day he reached the waters, a deep sea without bottom. The name of it in the Vasta is Daetf, and never has its depth been fathomed. It is a tradition among men, that the waters of this sea are divided in four. The holy Zartnsht entered the waters, and his heart was not afraid. The " The last day of the month.— W. 492 APPENDIX. first stream reached the middle of his leg, the second flowed above his knee, the third reached his waist, and the fourth came up to his neck. Be not astonished at whatever I tell you as having been done by God the cherisher. Explanation of the above. There are nine thousand proofs of the above, that the true faith will be four times renewed. First Zartusht Asfuntaman without doubt introduced the true faith ; next Hqshldar accepts the faith ; and then the prophet Mali Hushf dar ; the fourth the good Sasanish. I shall purify the earth, like paradise. The glorious God shewed him a passage over the waters, as I have said. His body was cleansed by that water, and was not afflict- ed or fatigued by it. Like gold cleansed by the fire, so value is increas- ed by purifying. His head and his body he washed, and his head was clean, for his loins were girded to obey the will of God. The coining to Zartusht of the Amshaspand Bahman, ivho conveys him to God. Then came to the holy Zartusht on that same day Bahman, by the or- der of God. Refulgent from afar, like the sun and clothed in raiment of light, he said to Zartusht; " Name the thing which you desire in this world ? What is your wish ?" Zartusht said to him, " O good spirit, I seek nothing but God's pleasure ; all wishes are directed to his will, since both worlds are his. My heart seeks nought but truth ; my soul follows not after vanity. If I fulfil the commands of God, I accomplish all the desires of my heart. But I think, O holy spirit, that you are my guide in the right way." Wh n the angel Bahman heard his words, he spoke to him suitably, and said, "Arise and appear before God, and hear from him all you desire." Immediately Zartusht stood on his feet. When Bahman shewed him the path, he said to Zartusht, "Close thine eyes an instant, and proceed swiftly." You would say a bird bore him from that place, and took him before God. When Zartusht opened his eyes, he found himself in heaven. First he looked on an assembly, so bright that he saw his shadow in their light. Between him and that assembly was a space of twenty-four steps. Hear and attend ! There was another body of pure light and heavenly spirits attended it. Many angels in that in- stant came to him and one by one were joyed to see him. Each asked of ZJartusht, and pointed with his fingers. He went into the presence of the holy God, with glad heart, but trembling body. When he came into the divine presence, he performed the fitting worship. And after he had glo- rified God, he began to inquire certain things. Zartusht inquires of God. He asked first ; — " Who of God's creatures on earth is best ?" God gave him this answer ; — that God who was and is, — " He of all men is best who is true of heart, also he who is really generous — by whose cha- THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 493 rity the hearts of all are made glad — who inclines not save to the way of truth, and turns not his eyes upon vanity ; also he who is merciful on all tilings in the world, on fire, water,* and animals, whether sheep, cows or assos. Whose heart ohtains a portion of their gratitude, he shall escape from hell forever. Whatever thing is useful to you, if you afflict it, you displease God. And every one who in the world inflicts pain and vexes God's creatures, such a one has transgressed his statutes. Tell these words to that people. Hell shall be his perpetual abode who steps aside from this law." The second question asked of God. Again, Zartusht inquired of God, the supporter of the just. "Of the an- gels, who is most devout and most approved by God?" He asked to know their names and appearance, and that he might hear their discourses — also to know of the wicked Ahfiman,f who would never consent to good- ness, also regarding the good and bad deeds done in the world, what is ordained regarding them at the end, and other things of a fleeting nature that always appear under a new shape, and other secret things he had stored up : — All these he laid before God. God's answer to Zartusht. Thus he found answer from his God, the answer of the questions he had put; — " My desire is to exhibit goodness, the seeking of evil is the act of Aiiriman ; I am not pleased with any worker of evil ; I have no fore- knowledge of evil acts; I desire not grief, nor trouble, nor pain, nor injury, that it should happen to the inhabitants of earth. Think not that evil arises except from Ahriman and from the accursed and impure fiends. The same evil beings are the tribe of Ahriman, their recompense is hell. Behold the folly of those who speak falsely of me and testify that I work evil ; I will give up their souls and bodies to hell who ascribe evil unto me." Then in all the sublime sciences, both from the beginning and from the end, in all these severally, God made Zartusht wise, from Adam to the last resurrection, from the first creation of the world to the destruc- tion of all things at the end. He acquainted him with the revolution of the heavens, and with the good and bad influence of the stars, with the Hauris also of paradise whose spirits are formed of pure light, also with the forms and stature of the Angels, adorned like lofty cypress trees, also with the Hauris of light, created by God, of whom he has given 113 hope. All of them are exactly alike, for so God the Creator made them, walking gracefully like cypress trees in the beautiful paradise of the Jins. He showed him also the face of Ahriman the evil one, revealed to him in the dark and narrow pit of hell, and also the recompense awarded to each person according to their deeds. When Ahriman beheld him from his " Here, it will be observed, the elements are represented as sentient. — W. t Here Ahriman is represented as the active Principle of evil. — VV. 494 APPENDIX. abode he raised a cry from the pit of hell and said to Zartusht, "from this pure faith be separated, and cast it away from thee — that in this world you may gain your desire ; therefore consider in this your own interest." The signs shown to Zartusht. When Zartusht the wise and pure in faith was made thus informed of the things which pertain to God, returning from thence, as he cast down his eyes, he saw a mountain burning with Are. The order was giv- en that the wise Zartusht should pass through that flaming fire. Through that heap of fire, lof'y as n mountain, he passed and his body felt no harm, and after that, by the order of God, behold what happened to him and give ear. Again they melted down vast quantities of brass, and with the lava made his breast like silver. A hair of his hody was not lost, nor was his delicate body injured. Again they opened his belly, and dragged forth the inside. Again they returned it to its place and it became as before, by the order of God. Whoso is protected by God, iron in his hand is like wax. Why should he fear fire or water, if his guardian is the holy God ? Then God said to Zartusht, — " With regard to that mountain of fire you passed, and the belly you saw torn, from which flowed a stream of blood, with reference to that, tell all men, that you are their shepherd and they are your flock. Siy, that whoever com?s not to the true faith, but seeks the way of error, by the order of the evil Ahriman, his blood shall be thus poured forth. His body shall burn,* and shall not enter pa- radise, his soul shall net rejoice therein. When his heart is turned from the pure faith, his body shall be destroyed. And that brass which was three times melted and which poured on thy breast became like ice, no injury came on thee therefrom, not a hair was lost on thy body. One tribe shall turn from the faith, by the order of the deceitful Ahriman. Afterwards when the true faith throughout the world shall be diffused and the Dews dispersed, then to fight against them, a high priest shall gird up his loins. Men's hearts shall be in doubt, then this molten brass shall be a miracle to point out their leader. Azirbad Marasfand shall come, and shall over- throw all their devices; he shall p Mir over himself that molten brass, yet no harm shall reach his body. When men shall behold his deeds, doubt and hesitation shall be removed from their hearts. They shall draw back from crooked paths, and all shall learn the right way. Another interrogation regarding the praise of God. Again Zartusht inquired from the Creator, the knower of mysteries, re- garding those who worship and priests and Mobeds of wakeful hearts. "Whoever worships before thee, what shall he say, and wherewithal shall he praise thee ? When any desire to celebrate thy praise what form of worship shall they observe ? To what Kiblah is it right to turn ? An- swer once more thus thy servant." ■ Query ; _ Will not the pure fire thus be defiled ?— W. THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 495 Answer of God to Zartusht. God, the giver of subsistence who alone is without wants, thus answer- ed Zartusht: — "Inform the people of the world, that so they may see things, both hidden and revealed. Whatever is bright and full oflight,let them know that that is the brightness of my glory.* They will not err in their worship of me, if they turn their faces to that which is bright. If they observe my commandments, Ahriman shall fly from them ; nothing in the world is better than light, both among small and great. Of light we crea- ated angels and paradise, afterwards hell was formed from darkness. Wherever you may be in the two worlds you will find no place void of my light. Then God taught the Zandavasta to Zartusht — a sublime work* Wherever pure light is produced there it is not proper to bring darkness. God said to Zartusht, " Go and before Shah Gusht&sp read this book, that he may come into the faith. Exhort him to goodness, that he may know me, and that none may imnnte injustice to me. Day and night, I am bountiful and gracious. From God is whatever you behold in creation. Keep all my counsel and repeat it word by word to Shah Gushtasp. In- form all the Moheds regarding me, that they may cast aside the way of Ahriman. Inform also, all the people of the world, that Dews and ma- gicians may fly from them." When all this converse with God was end- ed, the good Zartusht remained astonished. He multiplied the praises of God, and magnified his bounties. Return of Zartusht from Yazdan and the coming of the Amshaspandlohim, and the trust committed to Zartusht, and the words spoken to him by the Jlmshaspand Bahman. When Zartusht had returned from before Yazdan the God, with the wish of his heart accomplished, the Angel Bahman came to his dwelling, that angel namely who presides over sheep. He said to him, — u Behold all these sheep I commit to your care, wherever the flocks may be. Tell all the Mobeds and learned priests (Rads) to acquaint every man of un- derstanding to take great care of sheep, that they may be useful in the world. Let no one kill a calf, or a sheep which is a lamb, nor any sheep that is young ; for it will be useful in the world. He will not be accepta- ble to God who shall thus kill any animal, nor is it right to kill them idly. Tell this commandment, which is a stiict one, aright. You must take good care of animals, and thence reap benefit. You have heard from me th?se words of advice, for I am the guardian of sheep. All the sheep that are in the world, I have received from God the merciful f As I have spoken, do yoo receive, and tell these words to old and young. Take care " Here light and the essence of God are confounded together. — W. t Query : — May not Bahman be running after his sheep, when the Par- eis are Draying to him. — W. 496 APPENDIX. you give them net over to the evil, and think not this commandment a small matter. I have told you all my desire, now do you know theiest." Then Zirtusht received these words from the angel who exerts himself in favor of sheep. Coming- of the Angel Jlrdebih;sht and his discourse regarding fire- temples. The noble angel Ardebihisht came forward, as the4former angel with- drew. He said to Zartusht ; — "O holy one, accepted of God the bene- ficent! take my message to the Shah Gushtasp ; say, ' O king of earth and majesty, I have committed to thy care every fire-temple, that you may gain renown on earth. Command that they be carefully preserved, and proper support be granted for them, that none venture to extinguish their fires with light water or heavy earth. Command that the Mobeds and priests and the erbuds, pure and clean of h< art, gird up th -ir K.ins and be diligent and worship at every fire-temple. That they build fire- tcmples in every city, and increase the rites of the Sadah.* When they have erected the abodes of fire-worship, 1st them bequeath vast posses- sions for their support- And until their acts hear fruit abundantly, let them not consider this my injunction fulfilled, since that light is from the light of God, ivhich makes it so resplendent in your view. What see you in the world better than this, which is ready to fulfil the desires of all. Whoever has uncontrolable want, is in want of its aid— both old and young. All it asks of men is wood, it asks neither more nor less. Its body is power- ful like wood- Every moment it becomes younger. Its body feais neith- er death nor old age, if you place wood around it. If you pour perfumes on it which are really sweet, it will instantly give forth a pleasing odour. If you give it bad smelling things, it gives forth a bad smell ; you will at once discover the difference. It removes from you the pain of cold. It lights up your darkness. Tiiereibre, since its merits am so great, it is ri«'ht that you should Know it3 value. As God has committed it to my care, so 1 commit it to you, O chief of men ! Whoever despises in his heart this my counsel, his body shall be seized in hell. Whoever fulfils my ordinance, shall find acceptance with God. When the holy Zartusht received from Ardebihisht these words, the angel departed from him. Coming of the Angel Shahriwnr and ivhat he says regarding the iveapons of war. He saw the Anjel Shahriwnr come forward with his mind full of coun- sel. He said, " O wise and holy one! you who spend day and night in praising, since you have descended to earth from high heaven, bear a message from me to men. Tell every one who possesses arms, swords, javelin, mace, or spear, to keep its edge ksen and always free from 6taio, * This is a festival in honor of the killing of a Dragon by king Hoahang. It is celebrated by the kindling of many fires. — -E. THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 497 that when his enemy is before him he may tear his flesh therewith, caus- ing pain. His object will be attained by his weapons, and in battle they will resemble the sun. Let him keep them at his own abode, let liim not entrust them to his enemy, nor give them to his foe, for they will effect many things. Tell the peoplo of earth this message — the whole of it from beginning to end."* Coming of the Angel Asfandarmad and her \ instruction regarding the Earth. When the former angel had finished his discourse, AsfandSrmad came forward. When she had surveyed Zartusht well, she blessed him and his family. She said to him ; — " O holy man ; hear a message from me. Such is the command of God, — that the face of the earth be kept clean from blood and filth and carrion. It is not right that the earth be defiled with these. Wherever there is no cultivation, do not direct flowing wa- ter thereon. Let filth and that which is impure, be conveyed to a place by which men do not pass. When the earth is brought under cultivation, men derive countless benefits therefrom. He is the best of kings who encourages the cultivation of the soil." When lie heard this advice of good meaning, he found it wholesome and advantageous. Coming of the Angel Khurdad and his directions regarding the care oj Hater. When Zartusht had turned his face, the Angel Kb or did advanced be- fore him. He said to Zartusht, " O holy one ; I commit to your care 6treams of water, both the water of canals and that of rivers, which de- scend fiom above and spring from below, and the rivulet which flows in the plain; also the canals and waters, which irrigate fields and gardens. Say to the people of earth that their bodies are strengthened and nourished by water. Animal life exists thereby, and earth and fruits are freshened therefrom. Keep carrion apart therefrom. Do not trifle in this business; pollute not water with blood or filthiness, that God may be pleased with thee. If your reason is willingly polluted by yourself, your pain in both worlds shall be increased. Every eatable thing which is defiled, pleas- ure and wholesomeness is removed therefrom, every one cooks his food with water, and when thirsty, drinks thereof. When the way thereof is clean, there is no danger in the passage. Keep pure such an incompara- ble blessing above all, since such is the command of God." Coming oj the Angel Amarddd anil his direction regarding Vege- tation. When Khfinlud had finished his discourse, instantly Amardad advanc- ed. He spoke regarding vegetable existence to Zartusht. "The holy * Are these counsels worthy of a supernatural revelation.' — W. t This Amshaspand is a female. 44 496 APPENDIX. and undefiled, it is not right to destroy it uselessly, or to remove it with- out a purpose, for men and animals are gladdened thereby. God is its protector." He then gave every sort of advice to Zartusht, regarding religion and justice. "Order," he said, "the Mobeds, that they travel in the world. They will thus diffuse the faith among men, in doin* which they will reveal truth. Let them exert subtilty in every way that they may be able to give an answer to all men. When religion and justice be- come known, no injustice will be left in the world. Let them know the Vasta and praise God and extol the God of creation. Let them keep fast their girdle in holiness, that your good name may remain on ear'h. Let every one bind his waist with the sacred girdle, since the Kustf is the sign of the pure faith. Let them be diligent, that the four elements be kept pure and free from blemish, the light air and flowing water, bright fire, and heavy earth, the animal body of these four elements was compos- ed by the will of God. It is good that they be kept pure and be consid- ered as the blessings of God." When Zartusht had heard all the mys- teries of God he returned back, glad of heart. Return of Zartusht to this earth and his battle with the Dews. Having obtained his desire from the bounty of God, he returned to earth rejoicing. All the magicians heard thereof, they hastened to fight with Zartusht. With them were all the impure fiends — an army dread- ful and without number. When they beheld the wise Zartusht, they bit the finger of astonishment. Then the leaders of the accursed magi- cians and the princes of the impure fiends said to Zartusht, — " O noble Sir, keep concealed the Zandavasta, for we approve not of your device, nor the dazzling show of your contrivance. If you know and are acquaint- ed with us, you will not strive to practise magic on magicians." When from those wicked ones, the holy Zartushtheard these words, hisheart wa filled with laughter. Then he recited one passage of the Zandavasta and raised his voice aloud. When the Dews heard his words they all fled from the battle; they all hid themselves under the earth ; all the magi- cians were afraid and dispirited. A part of them died on that very spot, and a part were dejected and cast down by the power of God the Protec- tor. He vanquished those Dews and magicians. He whom Yazdan pro- tects and aids will be fortunate all his days. In every thing put your trust in God, for you will find no better guide than Him. If you place your reliance on God you may break your own neck without harm. Zartusht visits Balkh and the court of the Shah Gushtasp. When the holy and pure Zartusht had won the victory over the army of Ahriman — had overthrown all the magicians and cast down the impure fiends, he took his way towards Balkh to the court of Shf.h Gushtasp. He arrived there in a fortunate moment, and reposed for a while at his own dwelling. First, however, he praised God exceedingly and then took his way to the Shah. He came with stately step to the palace, and cast his eyes TIIE ZARTU«HT-NAMAH. 499 on the king of earth. First he beheld two rows of Princes, standing on their feet, with girded loins, the great men of Iran and of every clime — every where that there was a chief or leader. You would say, that in that palace appeared the splendor of Venus and the moon and sun ; and that from their brightness, two ranks were formed ; all the wise men dig- nified with honor and rank. There were two ranks of men in that palace surrounding the throne of Shah Gushtasp. The rank of each was mark- ed according to the degree of his wisdom. All were humbled before him — the king of kings — of noble attributes — but those who excelled in wisdom, were ranked nearest the Shah. The Shall was seated on a throne of ivory. On his head was a brilliant crown. The holy Zartusht came forward and called down a blessing on the Shah. When Gushtasp heard his words, he was in some degree aware of his dignity ; he asked him of his health and received him honorably, and desired to place him with the wise men. They first brought forward a chair and placed it before him between the two ranks, and said to Zartusht, — " Sit thereon, and bring forth the minute wisdom, you possess." When Zartusht took hisseat be- fore those two ranks, he brought forth the rich pearl from its shell. Suc- cessfully none could argue with him. Each was cast down when he questioned him. They began to contend with each other, but Zartusht won the victory and succeeded. The Contest of Zartusht ivith Ike wise men of Shah Gushtasp. — The first day. One man from the right hand of the Shah contended with Zartusht and sought to vanquish him. He and the one who first contended threw away their shield, and were compelled to yield the victory to Zartusht. Then another succeeded them, and unfolded the secrets of ancient learning. He 6aid much, but found not success. At last he was defeated. Zartusht followed the order of their sitting, and called on each for a display of their learning. Every one who exalted his neck was disappointed and cast away his shield. Three others and a fourth retired. From the fifth he carried off, as you might say, his senses. When all the assembly were reduced to silence, they gave precedence to Zartusht. Gushtasp cast his eyes upon him and was astonished at his discourse. In this man- ner, from thirty persons who sat on the right, he carried off the palm, and succeeded. In the same way from thirty on the left he bore off the palm ond left them silent. All the wise men were astonished and their hearts were secretly cast down. Each devoured his own grief. When they were ashamed in the contest, the king of kings called forward Zartusht and seated him beside him. He asked him many questions relative to an- cient learning and former history. He found all his answers right. The king of kings was mightily delighted. The monarch gave him a house of strength near his own palace. All the philosophers were cut to the heart and were ashamed before the king of kings. They went away until the morning, when they would return to the king of kings. They 500 APPENDIX. said to each other, — "If thou art a faithful man, thou will contend and disgrace Zartusht. They knew not regarding him, that God supported him in all things. They went home and slept not at all that night but were each engaged in preparation. Zartusht the pure of heart and holy, went to his house from the assembly. Much thanksgiving he made to God that he had enabled him to vanquish his foes. The Contest of Zartusht with the icise men of Shah Gushtasp. — Day the second. The next day, when the azure vault drew forth its sharp sword from the scabbard, the wise men came to the throne of the Shah and formed their ranks according to custom. The holy Zartusbt came forth, sent from God as a guide. They contended with one another, but at the last Zartusht was victorious. When the contest of the wise was over, they were cut to the heart. Through grief and 1 egret every one said ; — "What voice is thi3 !" Each was certain that this was the power of God. Zartusht was like a lion of the forest that leaps from ambush on the herd. The wise men, like the herd, were filled with fear. Zartusht was like the male lion, he drew forth his tongue like a sharp sword, and raised commotion in that assembly ; and to the wisdom which that man of God expounded, he brought forward a hundred proofs. The king of kings exalted the rank of Zartusht and brought him near himself. He asked him regarding his name and race — of his city, and family, and descent. Zartusht told him his name and family — the city of his birth, and his fa- mily, and parentage. He told the Shah, that, "on the morrow, which was the day of Hormazd, as soon as the lamp of day was kindled, — he should order the captains of his host to assemble together at his palace; also, that the wise men should be collected and should learn to abandon their hopes of exaltation. In the same way as the others contended with me, and strove with me for the mastery in learning, in like manner will I an- swer them all in every kind of wisdom. I will reply to them aright. Af- ter that I will speak of my own pretensions, and will convey to you the message entrusted to me." When Gushtasp Shah heard these words, he surveyed Zartusht well. He ordered that at the dawn of morning, every one should be present at the palace. On that condition the holy Zartusht departed, and came forth to his own dwelling. Much thanksgiving he made to God before whom mysteries are revealed. All night he placed not his head on his pillow, but remained stedfastly praising God. And in another direction, the wise men of Shah Gushtasp went away dispirited and downcast. Their tongues were full of murmuring and strife. Their souls full of fire and contention, that a strange man had come among them and had in suchwisc overthrown them. Their honour before the Sh&h was lost, and sucli a reproach was cast upon them. It was not right that Zartusht should thus impair their credit and cast their reputation in the dust. Two divisions of them were refuted and confused, and had at once Fallen from their dignity. " Tomorrow." tlmv said. " when Zartusht ar- THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 501 rives, his place will be near our own. Therefore it behoves us, witb one tongue and one mind, to seat ourselves before the Shah of the world. We will refute all his words and will break down his prosperity." With this agreement, each sought his home, and from anxiety remained sleep- less. Contest of Zarlusht with the ivise men of Gusldusp Shah. — The third day. The third day, as soon as the sun appeared, that king of the lights of heaven, Gushtasp Shah came forth from his palace ; and every one who possessed place or learning, the wise men, came to the palace, nil of one mind and full cf envy. The captains of the host drew nigh and formed their ranks before the Shah. The blessed Zartusht came forward in the palace of the king of kings, lie gave an answer to the wise men of the Shah. In the hour of contest he gave them full measure. Though for a short time they struggled, at last, disappointed they yielded their posi- tion. Again, they buckled on their armour ; again Zartusht broke it in pieces, and its fastenings. Again, they framed various devices ; but they were compelled to abandon their post. Zartusht claims the office of Prophet. What avails injustice, for when right is not on one's side, he, who pos. 6esses right, will overcome his enemies. When not one of the wise men remained who could utter a word before Zartusht, he took his seat next the Shah, above all the rest in dignity and rank. He said to Gushtasp, " O master of the world ! I am a prophet sent from God to thee — that God before whom the seven skies and earth are held in perfect obedience. He created the heavenly bodies in the manner you see, and as men be- hold. The God who gave life and gives our daily support and who con- fers benefits on his creatures. The God who has given thee the lands — the throne and crown of the whole world. Who brought thee forth from non-existence and by whose command you have reached this dignity, that your sway is over all people, and the princes of the earth obey thee." Zartusht recites the Zandavastd before Shah Gushtdsp. Thus he spoke and drew forth from his robe the Zandavaslain the pre- sence of the noble king, and said to him, — " God has given me this and has sent me to his creatures. Know that according to this should be your acts, for it is the commandment of God the cherishcr. Its name is tlio Vasta and Zand. Learn its statutes and walk therein. It" your desire is towards its lavs, your abode shall be in the paradise of heaven. But if you turn away from its commandments, you shall bring down your crown- ed head to the dust. Your God will be displeased with you, and will overthrow your prosperous condition. At the last you shall descend into hell, if you hear not the counsel of the Almighty. Act in nothing by the 502 APPENDIX. instigation of the Dews, but hereafter lend attention to my words." To him replied Gushttisp, king of the world, " What proof have you of this ? At once produce it. If your proof appears conclusive, it will be right for me to act accordingly. We will acquaint the world with your ordinances, and will keep back the hand of oppression from you." Zar- tusht replied, " My proof is sufficient, it is the commandment I have brought. God said to me, O free from necessity ! This shall be thy warrant to the proud king. After the manifestation of this book, you shall not see one accursed fiend on the face of the earth. By means of this book which I have brought all fiends and magicians shall be banished from the earth. If you learn well the Zandavasta, you will require no argu- ment and advice from me. This book is sufficient argument and advice, which I have brought thee thus openly. By this learn the secrets of the two worlds. Behold in it the revolution of the stars. Discover by it the door of truth and turn not your head to wrong. You know that, like this, in the world no one has spoken things concealed and known." That holy Shah said to Zartusht, — " Read some of this Zandavasta to me." Zartusht read to him one entire chapter, and explained to him its mean- ing. When Gushtasp heard the Zandavasta he was not at first pleased therewith. He approved it not, and he was excusable therein, since he was far from that holiness. See ye not the child without understanding? Jewels are valueless before him. When he grows up and becomes wise he learns that which before he despised. In the same way, the ignorant man values not the wisdom which is delivered by learned men. One day when the Shah had become acquainted with that knowledge, and was de- sirous of those words, the affair of Zartusht was then esteemed by the Shah, that he did not value him in his court, the Shah praised him — the Shah of the world and of majesty ! He said to Zartusht, "The claim you have advanced is right; but it cannot be decided hastily nor until 1 exa- mine it well, and revolve every thing connected with it. 1 will read the Zand for some days. 1 will know of its contents whether they be good. First of all, I will read what you advance, and see whether it agrees with reason. I will not take up this affair inconsiderately. I will accept it when I have seen well into it. You, according to your custom, each morn- ing attend my palace and be content of heart. You are at liberty to come, whenever you please. Whatever you desire make it known." Zartusht 6aid, "The king is right, let him do what his heart desires. If you wish to consider the proof for a while, I consent until you accept my message." He spoke and rose from his place and retired to the house appointed by the Shah. The wise men of Gushtasp went forth. Their hearts were filled with grief and dismay. They remained astonished at the success of Zartusht ; they bit their lips and fingers with their teeth ; they yielded not to his endeavours or to those of the Shah presiding over the world. When they saw the proof of his prophethood, they gave up in despair the arts of magic. THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 503 The devices of the wise men against Zartusht. When they heard the words of Zartusht, they hastened to plot his death. They formed every sort of contrivance and consulted variously thereon. When they had agreed with each other in the stratagem to be employed, and had fixed on a contrivance, they resolved to convey secretly to his house tilings which should involve his life in danger. And by which they might disgrace him, and that would give them a reason for clamour. The holy Zartusht was ignorant of the arts of that wicked and impure tribe. When he left his house and came to Shah Gushtasp, he gave the key of his apartment to the porter of the Shah. The wise men learnt thereof and went to the porter of the Shah ; they gave a bribe to that traitor, who de- livered the key to them secretly. The wise men made secret search for all that is most impure in the world, such a3 blood and filth and things impure, and the divided heads of a cat and a dog, also the bones of carri- on, and much they were, at that moment, able to find. They carried these things to the liouse of Zartusht. When they had thus arranged a plot against him, they placed them on his pillow and in his robes, and execut- ed this fraud against him. Again they made fast the door, and gave back the key to the porter. They returned it and charged him straitly never to reveal this matter. The clamour raised by tlie wise men against Zartusht, who is cast into prison. Thence they went to the Shah ; they drew near to his throne. Zartusht was sitting with the Shall Gushtasp, and they were examining the Zand- avasta. The Shah was amazed at the writing thereof; in reality he ap- proved not thereof. The wise men said, " O prince, vex not thy delicate body, for this Zandavasta is nought but magic. You know not, O king, who this man is. This magician intends in any way he can, to bring thee under his power. He has softened you by his magic art, and has in- flamed your soul with his words. All night he practises sorcery, and en- deavours to destroy your fame. When he shall succeed in bringing you under his po'ver, he will spread wickedness in the earth. You are the Shah, and we are your servants, we are the foremost of your subjects. Be not proud of the words of this man, and display not the power of magic through the world. Be not, as far as you are able, his supporter, for you are not acquainted with his secret, tomorrow you will repent thereof. Pain and grief will increase in your heart. The world is governed by your justice, and from thy endeavours has received peace. At the word of this impure person, cast not the world into trouble and disorder. We have said what we know to be true ; as to the rest, you are the Shah and t'is thine to command." When Gushtasp heard their words, he bethought him of the affair. He ordered that search should be made in the house of Zartusht for whatever might be discovered there, — that they should bring it before the Shah and that it should be well examined. Zartusht knew not of his danger, and therefore felt no anxiety. He said his key 504 APPENDIX. was with the porter. They went and brought that, which they found in his apartment, whatever there was found of food, or whatever apparel, or carpet, there was. The robes and books and apparel, they brought be- fore the king of the world. The false speaking of the tvise men before the Shah and the casting of Zartasht into prison. When they had turned those things over, the heads of the cat and dog were found. The nails, and the hair, and the bones, which had dropped from the bodies of the dead. They placed them together before the Shah, and Gushtasp examined them. The king of kings was wroth thereat, he called forward his wise men. He shewed them those things, and his re- gard for them was mightily increased. lie bit his finger with his teeth, and he uttered abuse against Zartusht. He said, " O sorcerer ! O wick- ed magician, evil in act and thought, and vile in purpose ! what is this vile carrion of thine ? This thy action is not void of magic. These are clearly the instruments of sorcery. Thou hast not the pure fear of God." Zartusht was amazed at the circumstance ; his two eyes were blinded at the carrion. He said to Gushtasp, "O great king ! I know nothing of this affair. I brought it not, nor ordered it, and I have not engaged in it at all." He sent for the porter of the king, that perhaps he might inform the Shah of the matter. Gushtasp sent and inquired of him saying, — " Tell me truly of this matter. Who has gone into his house ?" The keeper of the gate gave him this answer, — "Who could go into the house of Zartusht ? The wind could not pass by that way !" When the keeper of the gate 6poke thus, the anger of the Shah increased mightily. He said to Zar- tusht, ''Vile dog! You are worthy of the javelin and of impalement- Do you behold the doom which is before you * You are now among the dis- graced. No one will have brought such things from heaven, and conceal- ed them in his bed and garments." That instant he cast from him the Zandavast^ and ordered Zartusht into confinement. He commanded that they should bear him to prison and should no more listen to his words, since he was none but a chief of sorcerers, who desired to overturn the world. At once, at the order of the Shah, they carried forth Zartusht to prison. They gave order that the keeper of the prison should carry him his daily pittance. A keeper was appointed over him, lest he should sud- denly escape. Three days and nights, that holy man abode there and the keeper brought him his food. One loaf and one vessel of water the keeper brought, him for his ablutions. Zartusht remained seven days in that doleful state in prison, but he abode in holiness. History of the black Horse. I have heard of the relater of traditions, that Gushtasp, the just Shah, possessed among his steeds one that was called the Black Horse. He prized that steed above all. When he sat thereon, his heart was lifted THE Z\RTUSHT-NAMAH. 505 up. In the plain, that stood was like a moving mountain.* In 6peed, il equalled the breeze. Its elephant-like body beneath the saddle resem- bled a bride in its graceful motion. It raised its crest like a lion when it rushes forward on its prey. When it leaped forth to the tace, you would have thought it moved like the wind. When Shah Girshtasp went out to battle, he always mounted his black steed. Moon and sun, when they beheld that steed, shed good fortune on the Shah. Whoever went forth to battle on its back, returned back prosperous. It happened that one day in the morning, when the bright sun breathed forth light, when the master of the horse surveyed the steeds, he examined the feet of the black horse. At last he became full of grief and became motionless with sorrow, for the four feet of the horse entered his belly. The master of the horse was filled with fear; he came running to the throne of the Shah and told him what had befallen the black steed. The king of earth was displeased thereat, he said this is a wondrous thing! The Miracle shewn by Zartusht. The Shall sent for his wise men, and seated them beside him, in ordei that they might seek a remedy for the horse, and examine into the mys- tery, and say whence arose this matter, and what would be the result ol' these wonders. All of them assembled together ami discussed the good end bad appearance of the case, — "This thing has never befallen any one, that we should derive counsel in it from experience. Each of them argued differently, ar.d repeated many magic spells. They devised every kind of counsel, but could not discover a remedy. When the Shah saw they were impotent in this matter, although they were wise and crafty from affliction, he ate nothing that day, but continually bethought him of his steed. AH his host, from the grief of their prince, remained lament- ing on the ground. From (he crowds of men that pressed to the palace, you could not have inserted there the point of a needle. The city was in commotion the whole day. At last, night came, and the sun veiled his face. In the prison, the innocent Zartusht remained the entire day, until evening, lie ate nothing and knew not the calamity which had befallen Shah Gushtasp ; he knew not, that, from the grief of the king, every one was bereft of his senses. In the evening, the keeper came to him, and brought his food. Zartusht said. " What has happened that you have this day forgotten me ?" He told him the tale of the black horse and the manner in which it was lying in the stable. All its limbs had entered its- belly, and the Shah remained grieving thereat- The whole day we have been afflicted, nor has any drank water, or eaten bread. Winn Zartusht beard his story, he was pleased at heart and glad of countenance. He said "O keeper! if you are desirous of honor, tomorrow approach the Shah and say, that if Zartusht is brought out of his dungeon, he will bring out. the limbs of the steed. I le will remove this grief from your * What a wonderful brute ! 45 506 APPENDIX. mind, and will restore to ita former state the steed. When yon leave this (said Zartusht to the keeper) at early morn, repeat all I have told you to the Shall." The next day when the glittering sun put on his crown of twisted rubies, and adorned with light the face of earth, so that door and terrace was clad in gold, the noble keeper came' in haste,- and told what he had heard, to the king, thnt " Zartusht speaks in this wise and will wash the Shah's heart from grief. Me says, let me behold the horse, I will bring forth its limbs." The Shah instantly ordered the keeper to bring him from his place of confinement. The keeper returned to Zartusht will! the tidings that the king of the world had removed his bonds. Zartusht went from the prison to a bath, and washed his head, and beard and body and feet; and thence he came to the king. They were two roses in a garden of cucumbers. He knew not what reception he shonld meet with from the king, and marvelled much thereat in his heart. You would have said, his reception was honorable ; for the Shah called a blessing on him with an affable countenance. Then Zartusht, in favor of the king, invok- ed countless blessings. The king of kings seated him there, and ti Id him the story of the steed. He asked him his opinion thereof. " How- will the limbs of the horse be freed ? Before me you have raised a high claim, but have not established the truth of it. If you are in truth a pro- phet, bring back the steed to health. Zartusht said, "O fortunate Shah ! I think not this a contemptible thing. Whenever you shall perform four things according to compact with successful endeavour, — having made the compact without subterfuge and having fulfilled it without duplicity* — then shall be displayed to you the steed's two fore-feet and two hind- feet, all four of them." The Shah said to Zartusht, " Tell me what are the four things ? For I will make a compact with you and a promise which I will never break." Zartusht said, — " I will tell the Shah each of the four things beside the horse." They went to the stable and ail the army followed them. The reception of the four promises and the confirmation of what Zartusht had said. When Zartusht saw the horse, he was astonished, and bit his lip with his teeth. He said to Gushtasp, " O wise king ! hear one of the four con- ditions." At the command of the Shah he spake, " Believe really in your heart the truth, that I certainly am a prophet sent from our Creator, — that God who formed your body and placed your sold therein. The mo- ment that your heart is right, instantly your desire will be accomplished. And if your tongue and heart are at variance, all my labor will be unpro- fitable." The king of kings accepted the word, and promised that he would never draw back from religion and justice. " I am content to ac- cept this condition from thee. As you direct, so will I obey." The first Prayer and Miracle of the Prophet Zartusht. Then Zartusht prayed unto God, and wept before him mightily, when THE ZAUTUSHT-NAMAH. 507 he licanl the words of the Shah aiul saw the whole world spectators of the scene. After lamentation to Coil, he praised him and placed his hand on the horse. The right fore-leg- of the horse came out, since the word of the Sliali was true. The king of kings rejoiced thereat, and his heart was rilled with gratitude. All the host of the Shah were glad, and that grief was at once removed from them. They heaped praises on the man of Cod. And every one joined in extolling him. The situation of Zartusht became prosperous. Such was the commotion, that you would have said •it was the day of the resurrection. The second condition and coming down of the second leg* When one of the four conditions was fulfilled, Zartusht said, " O fam- ous king, give the injunction to Asfandiar, the glorious hero and patron of the age, that he conclude an agreement with me in your presence, to the effect that he will support the true religion. That he will gird up his loins for the faith of heaven, and will not turn hack therefrom. Whoever shews himself the enemy of God, he will destroy his life and body." The hero Asfandiar came before his sire, and accepted from Zartusht the la- bour imposed on him. He gave him his hand in assurance and swore to him on oatlr, — to be the friend and support of Zartusht with heart and hand, with sword and speech. Whoever should disobey him, he would remove his soul from his body. When in the presence of the Shah, the hero Asfandiar and Zartusht had thus concluded a compact, Zartusht pray- ed again and besought God. The right hind-leg of the steed came out by the commandment of God. All the religious men who feared God, re- peated the praises of Zartusht. When one fore-leg and one hind-leg had come out, they congratulated the Shah much. The third condition and descent of the third kg. Again Zartusht said, "O incomparable Shah, worthy of dominion and the throne ! It is necessary that you direct some one to accompany me to your palace,— that your royal consort may hear my words and become acquainted with the faith." The king of kings commanded an attendant who conveyed him into the retired apartments, and thence conveyed him to the women's room which were opened to him in the name of God. Zar- tusht said to the mother of Asfandiar, "O ornament of the crown and throne ! God has preferred you before all women, and has given you every blessing since you were found deserving. lie gave you a husband such as is the king, and such a son as Asfandiar. In this world all thy wishes have been fulfilled, and thy condition in the next world will be blessed. God the Creator has sent me to the Shah, and has pointed out every path to me. Know that I will purify the world of wickedness by the command of God. I will make manifest the true faith ; I will display the statutes of holiness. Now that the king of kings and Asfandiar have embraced the faith with their whole hearts, they have accepted fully my arguments, my commandments have been received. It now behoves you, 508 APPENDIX. 0 queen of women ! to believe implicitly on me. Let your clear lieart accept the trueTaith, since good moral3 follow tlie faith." The chaste queen returned himfanswer, " Your word I have accepted. I will not (urn back from the command of God. And I will hereafter walk only in the way'.of righteousness. I have heard of all your actions, and have not received your words lightly." When Zartusht heard this answer, he praised the princess exceedingly. lie then rose and left the apartment and returned to the black horse. Again he prayed, and lamented vehe- mently, before the Almighty Creator of the world. Oct came the left leg ; and the king of kings was turned from his trouble and sorrow. Tlie fourth condition and descent of the fourth leg, and disgrace of the ivise men. Again the holy Zartusht said to Gushtasp, " 0 sovereign Shah ! It is now necessary that the keeper of your gate should come before me. By your order, you must inflict punishment on him, that he disclose who en- tered my apartment, and who conveyed this calumny to your ear, by which 1 fell into disgrace. If he will speak the truth, all will be well ; but, if he lies, your steed is remediless." Then came forward the keeper of the gate of the Shah in that assembly, by order of the Shah. He said, "Tell me the truth, and what was that deceitful fraud ? Who went into the apartment of the man of God? Who was it who brought this affliction on him ? Who has ventured to do such things? Who conveyed the carrion into his chamber? If you speak the truth you escape pain, if you adhere scrupulously to what is true. Otherwise this instant thy head from its trunk I will slrike off", before this assembly." The Shah gave him such a fright that he trembled like a willow trembling in the wind. When the keeper of the gate heard the words of the Shah, he saw no remedy but to speak the truth. He fell on his face, and cried for mercy. When it was granted, he stood up. He said, " The affair was on this wise. The thing was done by the pitiless wise men. They corrupted me and gave me a bribe, and engaged me in their undertaking. I have not extenuated their case, although they were high in your confidence. For now that I have received a pardon from the Shah, what should I fear, even if I am in bad repute with them." When the king of kings heard his words, he believed in the faith of Zartusht. He ordered that the wise men should be carried forth and impaled alive. Zarlusht returned thanks to God publicly and in his own heart. Again he repeated another prayer which he had learn- ed from God. The horse drew forth its fourth leg, and leaped up like a lion ! When the four legs of the horse were restored, and the Shah was freed from that grief, the wise king stood on his feet, near Zartusht the high priest. He kissed often his eysbrows and head. So did also the hero of the age, Asfandiar. All praised Zartusht thereat, and offered him congratulation. After this the Shah exalted Zartusht. He led him to his throne and seated him by himself. He begged pardon for the pain ho had caused. He accepted Zartusht, whose fortunes thus prospered. He THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAlf. 509 restored to him his property. The heart of Zartnsht rejoiced thereat ; he knew that God had done this, — who was his guide of infinite power. Truth alone is pleasing to him ; falsehood is not acceptable to him. He does as he will, for He is king. No one can ask him the reason of his actions. He raises one from below the ground to the starry host of heav- en. Him who possesses an infinite army and has reached the seventh heaven — him he casts down from thence ; his head and neck and back he casts down. Then no one is able to deliver him, since he is King and we are his slaves. Whatever he does is just and right ; ycu ought to re- joice therein. Calling for additional proof from Zartnsht. When Zartusht had thus gained the Shah, his dignity and rank were exalted. The Shah received all his statutes and transgressed not the promise he had made ; he gave ear to the counsel of Zartusht ; he heard with attention all his words. One day when the sun arose and heaven and earth were bright therewith, Zartusht went forth in the morning, and the countenances of the envious grew pale. He asked the Shah after various matters and considered divers expedients. When one hour of the day was passed he engaged in various consultations. The king of the earth, Gushtasp, said to him "O Prophet of the woild, observer of truth! I have four wishes to prefer to God, and the demonstration of your power lies therein. Ask thou of God the bountiful, that ha may give me herein the victory by your intercession ; the difficult will become easy and there will be seen a proof of the true faith." Zartusht said, " Tell them all four that I may know them openly. These four de- sires of thine are easy. I will ask them of God." The Shah said to him, "O man of power, listen to my words. Of these four requests which I make to you, and of these four wishes which I seek, one is that I should know what will be my final doom ; the second, that my body should become such that I shall not have cause to fear my enemies, and no weapon shall be able to injure it in the hour of battle, since when I make known the faith, I shall be compelled to many battles; the third is, that I should know every thing good and evil, concealed and manifest, that I should be informed of all that will happen, every thing that will befall in the world ; the fourth, that to the day of resurrection my soul shall not leave my body." When Zartusht heard the word of the Shah, he sai<', " O sovereign king, F will make these four requests from Him to whom all is easy. J3ut it is necessary that, of those four requests you should seek one for yourself,and leave the other three for other people, that I may ask them of God. He will however grant them all, since lie alone is God." The king of kings said, " I consent hereto and desire to see paradise that I may know my place therein, and what shall be my condition." Zartusht accepted this request, and consented to ask of God to shew him paradise. When the sun was relieved by the stars and the earth changed its colour, Zartusht went thence to his house and com- 510 APPENDIX. mencod the praise of God. He desired of God the giver of wishes, the petition which the Shah had made, lie praised God and retired to sleep, when God showed him all his desire. Stonj of the coming of Azar Khiirddd and Azar Kasha sp, and the Amsha- spands Bahman and Ardebihisht, to the Shah Gnshtdsp. When the lamp which lights up the world was kindled, and the face of day was disclosed from the east, the king of kings took his seat on a throne of gold, a crown being on his head of gold and jewels. Zartusht came before the Shah ; he offered praise and went into the court. When the tribunal of the Shah had sat a short time, the keeper of the gate came in with haste. He said, "At the door, are four hoi semen, arm- ed as from the battle. Each resembles a moving mountain clothed in mail, and their horses buckled with steel. Horsemen like these, saw I never — with the glory of God and the weapons of war. Through fear of them, I fled ; with difficulty I escaped into the palace." The king of kings said, " What may this be !" He said to Zartusht, " What means this! He had scarcely finished the word, when four horsemen came in, clothed in green, and in full armour, raising their spears before the king. Terrible and dreadful were they in pomp and majesty — like four moun- tains they advanced to the throne. One was Bahman and another Ardebi- hisht, sent by God from paradise. And with them Azar Klnirdad and Azar Kashasp, each of them mounted on a steed. They said to Gushtasp, " O Prince, we four are messengers to you. God says, ' Have you care of Zartusht ; support and do notdesent him. Since you have received from him the true faith and, from his commandment, the law of the statutes. Remember all his words, and keep your soul from the breath of hell. Never afflict Zartusht, and cast not your own body in peril. Since you have received from Zartusht the wish of your heart, turn not the rein from his government. Since it is I who I have sent Zartusht, and have given the world to be subject to him." When the Shah observed their words, from dread he fell down from his throne. His understanding left his body, and his senses deserted his heart. He became dumb, and his eyes and ears became void. When his senses returned to him a little, he cried, "Have mercy, O God of mercies! I am the least of all thy servants ; my loins are girded to observe thy commandments." When they heard his answer, in one moment the horsemen departed like an arrow from a bow. All the host of the Shall collected, and formed ranks round his bed ; his body shook with fear like a willow ; he Avondered at that matter and remained astonished. When Gushtasp rose from his seat, he went before Zartusht to beg his intercession. He said, " Your com- mandment is on my life ; thy life is to me like the command of God. My body, life and possessions are thy sacrifice, by the command of God, the Lord of Majesty." Zartusht said, " Fear not, since your affairs are pros- perous. I have asked your desire of God, you shall see presently how I have managed it." THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAII. 511 Zarlusht performs the Damn and shews four more Miracles, and the Shdh (lushtusp aces his place in Paradise. Zarlusht prepared to perform tlie Damn. Since ho was about to prove tlie faith by miracles, they placed four things within — wine, and per- fumes, and milk, and a pomegranate. Then he read prayers to them from the Zandavasta, — the noble Prophet Zartusht. After that prayer ho told the Shah to drink wine. After drinking, the Shah suddenly slept fn the sleep, he saw the heaven of God ; his soul saw all these blessings obviously. He saw his own place in paradise ; Ik1 saw the mansions of the good and blessed ; he saw therein the rank of every one. Moreover, lie saw many wonders. Pie gave Bashiitan the milk for his share; he ate and forgot death. He gave the perfumes of that feast to Jamasp ; im- mediately he knew all knowledge. He knew every thing that was in the future — all that would happen till the day of the resurrection. After that he gave to Asfandiar of that feast one grain of a pomegranate, lie ate and his body waxed like stone ; no wound could be inflicted upon him. From this learn the meaning of the saying that Asfandiar was brazen- bodied. After that the king of kings awoke and recovered his senses from that dream of forgetfulness ; he nibbed his face on the earth and paid thanksgivings to God. Me said, "O God, guide of my path, hear those my prayers in this world and the next ; thou art worthy to be king, since thou art without equal, and thy sovereignty never declines." The king of kings called Zartusht forward, and told him all that he had seen. He told all people to receive from him the true faith, and the statutes of righteousness. When Zartusht was seated on a lofty throne, the Shah desired of him the Zandavasta. He said to him, "Repeat to me the whole of it, since it is free of doubt or of error." Zartusht was pleased thereat, and he instantly opened the volume; after he had commenced in the name of God, he read the beginning of the Zand. To Gushtasp, the noble Zartusht read some chapters of that volume. When the Dews beheld his actions, they remained astonished thereat. They fled from the rehearsal of the Zand ; they all concealed themselves under the earth.* He then ordered that the Mobads and the Herbads, pure of heart, should advance. He spoke regarding the fire-tempies in the pre- sence of the Shah of the mighty ; — that they should see that their works brought fourth fruit every where without hinderancc ; that they should c- rect towers in all places, and that to each a Herbad should be appoint- ed ; — that they should kindle a fire in each tower and erect a lofty seat therein. He gave them much silver and gold that they should bequeath much property for its support, and should regard the tire-temples with reverence. The man who worships God will rejoice at the escape from dangers from the Dews. * Dosabhai, what think you of these Dews? — W. 512 APPENDIX. Zartusht admonishes the Shah regarding all holiness. First regarding the name of the great God and the chief guide, he commenced to speak. That God who created the world and makes the end of the wicked destruction, the creator of the lofty heavens, the kind- ler of the stars which give light, — his eternal reign finds no decay, since he is king and the giver of benefits. Thus spoke Zartusht from the vo- lume to Gustasp the king of the earth, "If you believe truly in the exis- tence of God, your abode will be in the paradise of heaven." He told him that " the wicked Ahriman is the enemy of God the Creator. He turns back the hearts of men from the right way, and thus continually se- duces them aside, that he may convey them down to hell, whereat he re- joices greatly. When he beholds the bodies of men in torment, he openly rejoices in hell. He scoffs at them and says, — O void of un- derstanding, why did you foolishly commit evil actions. Now that you have turned from the holy God you have bought for yourself the terrors of hell. God had compassion on his creatures and said to me, — 'Zartusht hear thou my message, and since thou goest to them as a prophet, take care that thou dost not treat this office lightly. Tell the people of the world strictly, that they turn back from the way of crookedness. Who- ever turns his heart from evil, his place will always be in Paradise.' Ev- ery one who is iniquitous, in spite of his wickedness, desires thee O God! He approves not his own iniquity; he guides others to the right way. The Lord of the world sent me to thee, O lion-like Shah! He said to me, 'Go and tell my servants, let them not turn away their faces from my commandments. Let them receive my faith and the right way, then the paradise of heaven will be their reward. Whoever disobeys my statutes shall be a companion of Ahriman in hell. And to the orders also of Zartusht the holy, give ear and listen submissively. He alone has not valued, or esteemed, the world, since he knew that the world passes away. He has neither son nor relation, but has embraced the way of salvation. What is the Shah or servant before him ? He regards not their circumstances in any wise. Thirdly, he never declared to men that in the resurrection he would intercede for them. I do not desire your crimes but I lessen your grief and pain. He said, — "Your hopes must rest on your actions; reap the harvest you have sown. Whoever has sown righteousness in this world, his reward also shall be paradise. And if you have acted iniquitously, Ahriman shall receive you in hell." Zar- tusht told every one near him the same, saying neither more nor less — that whosoever commits crime, his rewards shall be in hell. In the fifth place, he said to the wise and to the Mobeds of enlightened hearts, — " Who in the world has spoken words like these, both regarding things concealed and known ? You would say he resembled pure water truly, for in him was neither excess nor defect. If you can bring any parallel to this, then my words are entirely vain. But if no parallel to this can be brought, then let them look on these words with humility ; let them know certainly that this is the word of God and not the word of impure Dews. THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 513 since the Dews would not speak tlius of themselves, nor would they utter the praises of God. Sixthly, Whoever has come as a prophet to bring mankind to the faith, has never told what was within the earth or what will occur hereafter. Zartusht alone has acquired this glory, since, in the Zandavasta, he has narrated these things ; he has told whatever will take place in the world, good or evil, concealed or known, from the time that God created the world till the day of the resurrection. Zartusht has declared all things ; he has told every thing in the Zandavast6, and the time and manner of its occurrence — of the king's remarkable pro- priety or justice he has recited the history, as you could wish — all their names have been mentioned by him — their words and actions, just or unjust, he has marked the signs of them good or bad, so that an under- standing man will recognize them. Seventhly, Be assured that the prophet never flattered the powerful or warlike ; whoever was, in his heart and faith, truly with him, his end never failed in affection for him. Such was the holy Zartusht who was permitted to offer his praise near God. He was wont to say to pious men — O ye faithful, whoever acts righteously shall reap a good reward. Eighthly, thus said Zartusht, — O people of earth, ye who commit sin shall abide perpetually in Hell. The soul of each shall be recompensed in the proportion of the sin he has committed ; they shall confess that they are sinners and acknowledge themselves to be the creatures of Cod. Zartusht also said, "Whatever ye desire not yourselves, do it not to another. Whoever has committed sin in the world, is subject to the retribution thereof." Since I consider his words a proof of the truth ofhis mission, I have recited them to you from the beginning: I have repeated one chapter, attend well thereto and con- sider carefully what has been said. A Recital of the Praise of God. In the name of the God of the seven heavens, the powerful and the merciful towards his creatures, the God of beneficence and truth, who will not be pleased with my iniquity. Who always was and is! To him alone the hearts of the wise are turned ; to him belong empire and sovereignty ; to him alone is it right to pay homage. Why gird up your loins to obey him, who in weakness resembles thyself? Fix your heart on God in both worlds and ask pardon of him, O ye wise ! Whatsoever ye may say contrary to this, be assured that your words are without foundation; he is our God and we are his creatures, abject, weak, and helpless. How shall a God such as he is, be praised by the words of such creatures as we are ; know this in what ye undertake, and call on the name of God for help. Begin with the name of God, and then com- mence your history; see what manner of belief Zartusht obtained when he inquired ofhis Creator. Compare the manner of his relation with that of other narrators. If I obtain any strength at all, I shall obtain my desire from the composition of this storv. My hope from the God of 46 514 APPENDIX. mercy is tills, that ho will have compassion on this weak body, that he will grant me my life by his grace, and will save my soul from Hell.* Zartusht asks Immortality of Goa\ Hear attentively this noble story, from the relation of God the cherish- er. I have written the story in the Persian language, that it might be easy for your perusal. Thus said Zartusht, the pure in heart, at the time of inquiring of God, at the season when with the angel Bahman he ascended towards high heaven, — " Close the door of death to me, and let the hearts of the wicked be bound, that the faithful may rejoice and may not remember the crooked path." To him said God the cherisher, "O thou who hast embraced the faith, the skilful, I will close the door of death for thee, but you will a second time ask death of me." Zartusht was silent in his request. Then he prayed to his God ; God the Crea- tor gave him something which resembled honey. He said to Zartusht, " Drink one drop of this, and tell me what you behold. When the man of holiness drank thereof he saw the world and every thing in it. As one who slumbers and beholds in sleep, he saw good and evil without con- cealment ; he saw the blood and brains of the bodies of men, and the good and evil thoughts of every one. The words and actions of all were be- held by that good and virtuous person. He saw the number of flocks of sheep — their fleece and every circumstance regarding them. The leaves and roots of trees and of grass were beheld by that undaunted and fortu- nate person. He saw them exactly as they were by the order of God, neither more nor less. Again he beheld paradise and also hell, dark and frightful, lie who believed thus, thought that he beheld these things in a dream. When he recovered his senses by the order cf the God of the two worlds, God said to him, "O faithful servant, tell me what you have beheld." That man of holiness replied, " O thou who hast spread out the heavens and the earth. I have beheld many rich men their souls being in hell and torment, since thy were not thankful for the blessings of God, and were supplicants of Ahriman. I beheld many persons rich in silver and gold, who were day and night in the service of God, and were pleased with all they received and never rested from the praises of God. Their souls were in the paradise of heaven. I saw them in the place of the blest. I saw many rich persons who were afflict- ed, as being childless. When I beheld their abode in hell, my heart was sorry for them. I saw many persons of the common people who were happy in their children ; when I behold their souls in paradise, my heart was glad at their happiness. I saw a tree on which were seven branches whose shades extended every where. One branch was of gold and one of silver, the third was of costly pearl ; the fourth was entirely of brass ; the fifth of lead, the sixth branch was of hard steel, and the seventh * It is difficult to see the connection of this paragraph with the story. It seems like the preface to some other book. — W. THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 515 was of mixed iron." God said to Zartusht, "O man of wisdom and un- derstanding ! The tree which you saw with seven branches and which overshadowed the world is this, there shall be seven times astir in the world by the good and bad revolution of the heavens. That golden branch which you beheld is yourself my messenger. My faith and mes- sage you have received, which you will deliver to the people of the world. That branch of silver is the Shah of the earth, who will receive from you the right faith. The skin of the impure Dews will be broken, and they will be compelled to hide under the earlh. When they behold their own bo- dies destitute of strength, they will conceal their evil actions. When Ahriman beholds the condition of his army, he shall utter cries of fury . According to the faith, men shall give due sanctity to (or take due care of) water, fire, earth and air. The copper branch you saw is the king of the Ashkanians. Whoever at that time owns not the faith, that holy tribe will abhor him. They will not remain long after this, but will be dispersed in wretchedness throughout the world. The branch which had the appearance of brass, represents the prosperous reign of that king whose name is Ardesher, the son of Sasan. Listen to my relation. He shall adorn the world and shall free the righteous from pain. He shall renovate the true faith, and shall renew its statutes. Every one shall accept from him the right faith. Since by him the proof of the faith shall be established, all people shall behold his wonders. They shall pour on his breast melted brass, but no injury shall reach his body, since he shall derive strength from me. The fifth branch you beheld of lead is the king named Bahrain. His name shall be known as Bahrain, and his peo- ple shall rejoice at his reign. He shall he prosperous and happy. The world shall be well governed by him. When the people of the earth shall rejoice, Ahriman shall be grieved thereat; he shall remain in hell in grief and pain, and shall weep in deep tones of sorrow. The sixth branch of steel, O man of wisdom, which you saw ornamenting the tree, that is the time of Nosherwan, by whose justice youth will be restored to the earth. In hi3 reign the wicked Mazdak shall appear, but there shall be no danger from him. He shall be a heretic from the true faith, and shall be acquainted with every kind of deceit. But when he begins to oppress the faithful, while they fly from him fate shall seize him. Leave the wicked to his evil doing, since the evil he does shall return upon him. The seventh branch you saw is of mixed iron. During that time, fly from the world. Many shall be converted to you during the sea>on, but the aspect of the world shall be changed. That man of malice will be a monarch, who shall cast down the true faith to the earth. The Dar- wishes shall wear black garments ; the honor of the world shall be lost. Whoever lives in the time of that king, his end shall be evil. One vir- tue shall not be possessed by that generation, nought but malice and sedition and strife and evil. They shall be dealers in deceit and hypocri- sy ; and fraud and bitterness shall be in their hearts, but honey on their tongues. They shall not respect the bread and salt they have eaten, nor shall thoy honor their old men. And those whose hearts shall have ac- 516 APPENDIX. cepted the faith, shall he afflicted by their enemies. Neither wisdom nor prudence shall he seen among them, nor shall reliance be placed on their words. Those who are faithful shall have no power or strength, nor shall the good be reverenced or respected. Whoever is pure in principle and faith, they shall cast down his name to the ground. Who- ever is certainly wickedly disposed, whose tongue is filled with lying and deceit, all his affairs shall succeed and he shall prosper and the world shall be thrown into commotion. The face of the wurld shall be cover- ed with impunity, nor shall they keep their food separate from it. All kinds of food shall they eat in common, and no one shall be aware of any distinction. They shall have no statutes or Herbads or instruc- tors, nor shall these have any authority with them. Wherever they go, they shall fail of their object. You shall find nothing on earth, save covetousness and impotence and anger and strife ; they shall choose the path to hell, and none shall answer according to the faith. Whoever is well affected to the faith, his affairs shall fall into indigence. They shall be shameless and without modesty, and day and night confusion shall prevail. Thus shall the faith become weak, and true believers wax few in number. The prayers of evd men shall be listened to since their condition shall be of indigence. The worship of the fire-temples shall be neglected. A hundred fires shall he reduced to one. Neither wood nor perfumes shall be supplied to them, and the enemies of the faith shall oppose. None shall sympathize or care for them, nor shall any leader for those dispersed persons be found. That sect of impure persons shall bring much riches from out of the earth. The high priests who dwell in Iran shall acknowledge their sway. This sect shall take in marriage many well-born daughters of the true faith. All the sons of the freemen and priests shall remain afflicted in the service of the wicked, day and night. They shall toil in their service — in the service of those unjust and evil persons. Since they will be faithless and void of mercy — they will not fear to break their promises. In the country of Iran a king shall fall from the hands of the mighty into the power of the wicked. They shall at once work out iniquity and shall know nought save oppression. Whoever is guilt- less and true of heart, they shall believe his words to be deceitful ; then, whoever is worse than his fellows , his affairs shall prosper more and more. They shall bear witness falsely ; that from that falsehood, advantage may accrue to them. They shall have no shame for such crimes, nor shall they have any honesty or faith. When the Hazarahs shall appear, * the appearance of the world shall be changed. Many clouds shall appear in the sky but rain shall not descend. From the in- tense heat and bitter cold many a tree shall lose leaves and branches. The waters of the rivulets shall fail; all things shall become difficult; * This word hazarah is of doubtful meaning. Tlic passage is very ob- scure. The word may allude to the thousands of believers. — E. THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 517 from the scarcity of rain on the earth, the channels of the rivers shall he disclosed, flocks and herds shall decrease in number, and the stature of mankind shall dwindle; the strength of men shall wax weak and inferior, the speed of the horse and the strength of his rider shall grow less, the cow shall lose its valuable qualities. Whoever has bound on the Kustf shall be in fear and shall flee away. The pain and hardships which he will undergo, will make him desire death. They shall forget their prayers to God and their habits shall become opposed thereto. They shall neither recognize the JVauroz * nor the Mehcrgrin] nor feast nor en- tertainment, nor the Farwardagdn.\ Whoever asks a question of the High Priest shall find no wisdom in the answer. Of what has been or- dained for the departed soul, every one will be ashamed, and withdraw disappointed. Many a man of the true faith, and of holy mind, shall then go over to the opposite religion — many noble men and many hono- rable men shall wander destitute through the world ! From poverty, and pain, and dishonor, the hearts of men shall be afllicied and their hands shortened. From the men of that evil generation, you shall not see one in a hundred possessed of understanding. Sifandarmad (the angel of the earth) shall open his mouth and shall cast forth secret treasures. The Turks of Baykand,§ and of Khattan|| and of Chin shall lead their armies into Persia. When the princes shall lose throne and fortune, their slaves shall possess the crown and empire. '1 hey shall collect much wealth and riches, but they shall scatter it on the ground. They shall be guilty of evil actions, but they shall feel no shame for what they do. From hard- ships, and difficulty, and pain, and weakness, men shall be ready to meet death and pain. Then thus spake God to Zartnsht the prophet of the age,— "Tell these things to Mobeds and Rads, and desire them to repeat the same to the wise. Let each know his own advantage and let them not take up iniquity. When they behold misery on the earth, then will be rejoicing and happiness in heaven. If your body is afflicted with pain, yoursoul from that pain shall find a rich reward. If you indulge your body in luxury, your soul shall therefrom fall into fire. In truth, know this mystery, that according to thy state of mind so will thou suf- fer or enjoy. From good, thou wilt find a good result, and none ever * Literally the "new day," the first day of the year, which, with the five which follow, is observed as a festival, now most regarded at its close. — W. 1 A festival in honour of Meher (Mithra) which commences on Meher the 15th day of the month Meher, and is observed for six days, the last as, in the former case, being the greatest. — W. t The five last days of the year, to be observed as holidays. — W. § Name of a city, built by Jamshid. || Name of a district in Chinese Tartary. A Muhammadan pilgrim lately created a great sensation among the Parsis of Bombay by asserting that a co- lony of Gabars exists in this region. — W. 518 APPENDIX. reaped honor from evil actions." Again Zartusht inquired of God tlie holy and free from infirmity. "In that evil time — that season of danger — what calamity will befall the faith from evil men? Whoever has the Wasta in his mind, or the Kustf bound on his waist, how shall such a one mingle with the people of that generation, his soul being in misery and his body in torment ? How shall they pray, privately as directed, or how shall they read the Zandavasta ?" — Thus the Creator of the world gave answer to Zartusht the good and holy, — "Great affliction shall be- fall true believers in that evil and disturbed season. He who shall pray then aright, may be accounted twelve phoenixes. A man who prays shall then be as rare as one who observes the whole law at another time; for one word of the Vasta and Zand in that time, shall be equal to the Vandid and Hadokht.* Again, when the Hazarahs make head, pain and grief shall be multiplied without end. From the hardships which the bodies of the faithful shall endure they shall resemble iron. Such afflic- tion and pain has never been experienced, not even in the days of Zohak and Afrasiab, for even in those days the believers of the Zand were more numerous, and more abundant in wealth and blessings. Then, when the Hazarahs shall grow powerful, none of the faithful shall remain. From every side they shall press towards Iran and shall desolate it beneath the feet of their camels. And when they shall turn back to the moun- tains, they shall carry off both religion and empire. The affairs of those evil people shall grow desperate, and they shall wander, destitute of house and food. Thus will it be a mingled scene of good and bad, of prosperity and the reverse. The state of the world shall not remain one, like the wind which is now good and now injurious." Zartusht inquires the third tune of God, respecting the latter times- Zartusht asked three things farther of Hormazd, the Creator and Lord. "After these troublous times, will there be any believers in the true faith? Shall these statutes and laws be restored? Will any one support the true faith? When will the wearers of dark garments be discomfited? And how will the impure fiend be cast down ? When life is thus shortened, and toil increased, how will their affairs be conducted? How will their object be accomplished ? And how will virtue succeed ? O Creator and merciful God ! inform thy creatures of this, for my soul is disquieted on ac- count (of the people of those times), my heart is burnt up from pain and affliction." God the cherieher said to him,"0 faithful man, be not sorrow- ful ! For no one remains perpetually in woe, nor does any one suffer in both worlds; whoever has been afflicted in this world shall liken ise be pardoned in paradise. And as to what you have inquired respecting those times, whether any one will seek the true faith, — When the mark of blackness comes upon the world, the restoration of the faith shall be pre- pared in another way. All the desire of the angry Dews shall be fulfilled The Vandidfid, and Hadokht, two of the Nusks of the Avast*. THE ZARTUSHT-NAMATI. 519 by the merciless Turk of narrow eight. At tliat time an army shall come from Rum, of evil thoughts, and acts impure and ill-omened, with red garments and their horse trappings of red, their actions resembling those of impure Dews. When the season for their appearance in the world shall arrive, various signs shall be manifested. The land of KhCirSsan, from wet and heat, shall become dark and gloomy as the gloom of might. The world shall grow dark with tempests, and the brightness of water shall be obscured. Many earthquakes shall happen, and ill-omened birds be seen. Every cily and land shall be made desolate; desire and want shall wax 6trong upon people ; trouble and pain and woe shall increase in that time. Ilormazd gathers strength and casts down Nahfd ; the Turk and the men of RCim shall meet and shall join battle, like the wind Sanitim. At the same time shall come the tribe of Arabs, raising" strife and battle and vio- lence. From each tribe men shall be slain in every land ; the slain shall be in heaps. From the mingling tints of the blood shed, the world shall be red, yellow, and violet. The whole land of Iran shall be desolate from the armies of Turks, and Arabs, and Hindtfs. All the fire-temples shall be removed thence to the mountains in those troublous times. They shall remove them with difficulty from their places; but they shall bring them into the hill country. They shall bring A'zar Gushtasp with care to the faithful, in the land of Knnnan. The spoiler shall fall on the land of Iran. Flight and dispersion to another country ! They shall hide in caves and hollows ofmountains, and no outlet to the mountains shall remain. The father shall have no thought for his sop, from the pain and affliction which shall befall himself." Then said Zartusht of enlightened heart, after he had wept before God, — " Since the life of this people is shortened, let them not finally fall into misery and torment — let them not, in the end, choose evil, nor fill up the catalogue of their crimes." " From the short- ness of their lives there is no fear, since death and life are but the same.''* Again Zartusht said, — "O holy God ! how will their destruction ensue? When their period has elapsed, what sign of evil will they first discover ? What will be the termination of their history and how will their prosper- ity be destroyed."! God returned the following answer to Zartusht, the prophet of the age, " A black sign shall come forth from Khdiasan when the period of empire shall arrive ; when Hushidar is born, this is the pe- riod. I have told you when he is thirty years old and has wisdom, he shall choose the faith and way of the faithful. There shall be a Shah in Hin- dustan and Chin, of the seed of the \ Kaian in that evil time. lie shall have a son of becoming worth ; the name of thntson shall he Bahrain. His title shall be Hamawand, by parentage and race of the kings of the * This appears to be the answer of God to the first question put by Zar- tusht— E. t This second question of Zartusht seems to refer to the enemies of the faith, as the former did to the remnant of believers. — E. t The second Persian dynasty. 520 APPENDIX. world, fliey shall call his tribe Shahpur; he shall win much honor and delight in the world. The sign of the period of his coming shall be the falling of stars from heaven. His father shall die of old age in the month of Aban and the day of Bad. And when twenty-one years shall have ex- pired, he shall assemble a vast army. He shall invade every quarter of the globe, and shall win his desire of his enemies. He shall lead his armies to Balkh and Bokhara, and shall survey the world on every side. He shall lead a countless host from Hindustan and Chin, that noble king shall lead them against I'ran. He shall lead them forth in glittering array. The faithful shall rejoice at the sight of him. And then, when Hormazd is in the ascendant and has brought beneath him Nahid, then you shall see a man of the true faith gird up his loins from the hill country. From the countries of Khurasan and Seistan, he shall lead a wondrous and count- less army. It shall gleam with triple color?, and shall go forth to the suc- cour of 1'ran. The army of the impure leader shall many of them be cast down and slain in the battle from the ships of Dawal* and from RCun and Farang, from the dark-clothed devils, the bicolor wolves. Then shall be three fierce battles in I'ran, and many famous men shall be killed. All Fais of Shiraz shall be filled with woe. Grief and mourning shall take the place of joy. Then shall the noble Shah come thither and shall join battle with the foes of I'ran ; he shall read the heavens and shall draw out his enemy from the lowest depth. By the will of God the cherisher, he shall destroy those evil people. Such shall be the events of those times, and thousands of women shall wander forth; they shall wander through the bazars and sireets. From the want of husbands, they shall seek men ; wherever they behold a man, they shall remain gazing on him with won- der. From desire they shall approach him, and shall seek a remedy of their pain. When their period shall truly arrive it shall resemble a tree full of leaves, and fruit on which at night a cold wind blows. Its leaves and fruit shall fall down. I will send tidings to Kangadas. I will send a good angel to Baahtitan.f He shall gird up his loins for the Shah, and the faith, and he shall come to the land of I'ran. Bashutan shall come at my bidding and shallcleanse the world from those who speak against me. With him shall come thrice fifty heroes, and they shall perform the whole Yasht to God. Ahriman shall desire battle, and the strife loving Dews. From Ahriman a countless host shall approach Bashtitan, breathing fury. When they heard the Hadokht from the Zandavasta, from those Mobeds nnd Rads — the Dews shall fly from I'ran, they shall be dispersed and afflicted. Then shall come that Shah of fortunate name, called by all people, Bahrain. He shall take the throne, and the imperial crown, and shall free the world from those aliens from God. The Mobed of MobeJs 1 know not if this word be a proper name or merely the name signify- ing rich. — E. 1 The brother of Asfandiar, who. as before mentioned, was gifted with immortality. — E. THE ZARTUSHT-NAMAH. 521 sliiill sit with him in presence of the wise, and tlie learned priests. He shall quickly restore the fire-temples and shall gather those which were long dispersed. They shall place him like a Shah on his throne, and the savage wolf shall resemble a cow. He shall remove the wicked from the earth, and shall sit down with the wise according to his desire. Bashu- tan shall heap countless praises on that country, people, and king. He shall go to his own principality and palaces when he finds all things obe- dient to him. Such, O my son, is the history of the world ; that, in the world no one has cause to fear. Neither good nor evil endure perpetu- ally, nor remain fixed unchangeably'" I have made this good relation according to the words of Mobeds, the chief of true believers. Who can relate good tales like milk and wine to you except Katis Kai ? When you see this writing, my story, give me the applause due to me. When you rc;ul the whole history of Zartusht in your heart repeat perfect praise. Every heart in which dwells love for him, the face of that man shall be bright as the sun. Praise be to God the cherisher, that I am acquainted with Zartusht and the faith. I am not a heretic or a demon, nor are my principles or habits such as these. What could I have done, O man of wisdom! had I been born of a wicked father, if I had been brought into the world as a heretic and had pros- trated myself before I'blis ; if I bad abode in hell till the resurrection, and the juggling fiends had accomplished their wish through me. I am unable to utter the praises of God whe made me acquainted with wisdom and the faith. Thanks to God the cherisher, that 1 was able to complete this memorial ; he gave me aid and brought me success. I have written this history ; from me be hundreds of blessings on that noble child of hea- ven, and may his holiness be perfected from the Creator, God the Al- mighty. Praise and prayer to Zartusht the prophet of the faithful — more numerous than the sands, or leaves of trees.* May my blessings rest on that auspicious person. I have written this admirable history, by the ad- vice of the wise and prudent person, the excellent and faithful Kads Kai, whose father was Kai-Khosrau and whose city is Rai. A thousand bless- ings on Zartusht from me, and on Noshirvan ! By the will and command of God, I have written this history of His people, in order that when the faithful read it they may pronounce blessings on me. Whoever blesses Anusharowan, (Zoroaster) may his fortune always prosper. A thousand blessings upon him whoever blesses our Anusharawan. Praise be upon that noble person who desires to intercede forme with God. It was the six hundred, and forty-seventh year of Yazdrjard, the month of Ab6n. which is tUc month of (?), I commenced the work on the day of A'zar. On the feast of Aban I was intoxicated; I finished it on the night of Khur, on this day I completed it.f I ask praise and prayer from the reader, I also " This expression is little less then blasphemy. — E. t The days of A'zar, A'ban, and Khtir, are the ninth, tenth, and eleventh of the month. During one of those the author of the Zartusht- N&mah. ac- 47 522 APPENDIX. ask pardon of God. Heaven be the abode of the soul of Anusharawan, which Hoshah Rawan sends from his heart. If you should not know my name, if you will hear or read this story, you will find that my name is Zartusht Bahram bin Pazdawam, a history of both of them, since I have related this history of them. I have interpreted it aright. I have repeat- ed many blessings and praise, solhat no one will compose similar. The end of the Zartusht-Namah, [the copying of] which was complet- ed on the day of Arshasang, in the month of A'zar, in the year of Izad, 1005 of the prince Yazdejard. The writer of this history and I that am of God, and of the faith of Zar- tusht the Mazdayasnan, the son of a Herbad — the IJerbad Barzu Bin Ka- wam-ud-Dm, bin Kaikobad, bin Hormazdiar, bearing the title of Sanj&- nan, worshipper of fire and of Bahram. Whoever reads let him ap- plaud \ B. — COMMENT ON THE ANTI-CONVERSION MEMORIAL." The duty devolves upon us of laying before our readers, an extraordi- nary document, lately presented by some of the natives to the Governor in Council of this place. Though it has been disguised by European su- pervision,— not that we are happy to say, connected with the honorable bar of our Supreme Court— its features are too marked to escape obser- vation, and its demands are too astounding, and directly opposed to the principles of eternal right, to meet with the slightest compliance. We have no wrathful feeling towards its originators ; but we do regret to see them follow a course, which in our calmest judgment, appears to us to be directed by intolerance and injustice, opposed to the interests of truth, in- jurious to their fellow-men, destructive of the salutary influence which it is desirable they should exercise in the native community, and calculat- ed to impair the respect which is accorded to them by their European friends. We have for months pursued a most conciliatory course towards them, under unexampled provocation ; and it is a regard to oor own legi- timate defence, and the cause of Christian philanthropy, in the eyes of those whose information is limited, which now compels us publicly to ex- cording to his own confession, was " intoxicated." He had consequently only two days left for the composition of the poem, a work of about 3200 lines ! — W. * The origin and fate of the document here commented upon, 1 have ex- plained in the opening chapter of this work. In making extracts from the critique upon it, which, after insertion in a Bombay periodical, 1 laid before Government for its information, 1 select merely those passages which bear upon statements made by Dosabhai, and some of the other Parsi contro- versialists. The complete comment, as well as the Memorial to which it refers, may be seen in the Oriental Christian Spectator. January, 1840. COMMENT ON THE ANTI-CONVERSION MEMORIAL. 523 amine their complaints, and to discuss the merits of the petition which they have addressed to the authorities. While we do this, we are more anxious to awaken their consciences, than to arouse their anger 5 and more desirous to see them brought to an acknowledgement of their er- rors, and an amendment of their ways, than to inflict upon them the slightest injury We regret that in our remarks, we cannot altogether be guided by the sequence of the paragraphs of the petition, which are remarkably confused in their order, and declamatory in composition. We shall not overlook, however, any of the topics to which it adverts. 1. The account which the petitioners give of the feelings entertained in the native community relative to the subject of their address, is most erroneous. The "alarm and distrust" of which they speak, has been far from being general, and where it does exist, it has arisen principally from the refusal of the people to re-echo the cry of persecution raise:] by the illiberal and tyrannical lew, rather than from any sense of injury in- flicted on the many by the friends of the Christian cause. Of the correct- ness of what we now aver, every candid person in Bombay, who has eyes to see and ears to hear, must be well aware. Little stress is to be laid on what the petitioners state in support of their averment, that on the oc- casion of the conversion of the Parsi youth "several hundred boys, Hin- doos, Mahommedans, and Parsees were immediately withdrawn from the Mission Schools." The number of pupils removed from the General As- sembly's Institution, was exactly 234; and they were rather driven away than withdrawn. Many of their parents and guardians have respectfully apologized for the step which the rage and threats of their superiors com- pelled them to take ; and not a few have restored their wards to the en- joyment of the privilege of Christian and general instruction, which they formerly enjoyed. The loss sustained by the seminary has already been repaired to the amount of 85 scholars: and it now contains 135 pupils, while there is the reasonable prospect of a gradual increase.* What is worthy of particular notice, is, that the attendance at the vernacular schools of the General Assembly's Mission, which are under the same superintendence as the English Institution, has considerably encreased since the prosecution of Dr. Wilson in the Supereme Court, and this notwithstanding that several warnings and remonstrances were printed and circulated throughout the city, in which it was declared that " doubt- less calamities happened to the Ilinuti religion from the sword of the Musalmans, but greater calamities than these will occur from the books and schools of the Padres," and in which the promise was given that schools in abundance should be erected in which the native religions should be taught. Were more liberal funds at the disposal of the Mis- sionaries, for the support of teachers, there would be no limit to the scholars. The people know that the Missionaries deal with them fairly The hope here expressed has long ere this been realized. 524 APPENDIX. and honestly, und not a few of them consider them to be iheir best friends. Dr. Wilson was hailed by many of them, in different parts of the city, be- cause the decision of the Court was in favour of religious liberty ; and his ministrations, and those of his fellow-labourers of all denominations, how- ever cordially they may be hated by the petitioners, are not less highly valued by the community at this moment than they have ever been since their commencement. It is notorious that the demand for bibles and tracts has lately encreased both in Bomhay, and other towns of the Pres- idency ; and that the natives continue to come forward to profess their faith in Christ, and to solicit admission into the Christian church. Of these facts, the petitioners seem to be well aware. What is "the pic- ture of misery,'' in their view, they say more truthfully than elegantly, to the Governor in Council, is in " daily progress before you, and one which will have no end, unless you in your goodness step forward to obtain re- lief." 2. "To the great cry of late years, Educate the Natives," say the peti- tioners, " we have responded with heart and hand, little dreaming that under the cloak of education, the work of conversion was insidiously to be carried on." " Missionary schools," they add, " are now extending themselves in all directions, having for their ostensible object the educa- tion of the natives, but for their real object the conversion of the native youth, whom the poor and the ignorant may commit to their charge." What their "dreams" may have been we cannot, of course, divine ; but most certainly, the principal complainants, when they were in the Su- preme Court in May last completely failed to establish the truth of what they now aver. "That defendant," said the Judge, " if not by advertise- ments, yet by the course of public examination, and many other things conclusively proved to-day, is cleared from the imputation of clandestine proceedings, is most clear ; but 1 think, to use Mr. Advocate General's words, that the respectable Parsee gentlemen have been sleeping* over the intimations given." According to their own account, their country- men are not yet awake. If they are really still in their slumbers, we be- lieve that something more than missionary reports, speeches, and sermons, which are full of professions respecting endeavours to lead the natives to embrace Christianity, — and more than conversions through the instrumen- tality of missionaries, — and more than the intimations of the editors of native newspapers, and the thundering warnings of Panchayats, are ne- cessary to arouse them. We suppose that when they do become awake, some of them may be more formidable to our opponents than when they were in an attitude of repose. The following are extracts from a note by an educated native of respectability, which was brought to us by three pupils who were this day received under our own charge. "I am very glad to embrace the opportunity to place my nephew, and two other boys un- * The Italics are our own. COMMENT ON THE ANTI-CONVERSION MEMORIAL. 525 tier your most fostering Christian care and tuition ; so that you will be pleased to issue special instructions for their being admitted in the As- sembly's Institution Pray let the youthful mind have only &s much knowledge of English as will enable it to comprehend every word of the Word, in comparison with which every scientific acquirement is as insignificant as the child's whims. I leave these forlorn souls to you in the most earnest hope the Infinite Goodness will be most graciously pleased to regenerate them, and guide them in the narrotv passage. By and bye, 1 diall also place under your religious instruction, which I feel assured is the only efficient remedy to mitigate, if not to heal, the poor afflicted hearts." We have other documents in our possession not less precise and definite than that from which we now quote. 3. The petitioners have ventured to say, that they have " but too great reason for believing that temporal rewards have been held forth as in- ducements, and that even the passions of these young children have been tampered with to effect the end in view" [conversion]. We defy one and all of them to the proof. A fouler and more disgraceful libel than that of which they are here guilty was never penned. 4. The accusation brought against the Missionaries at Nasik, of "re- viling in most unmeasured terms all that the natives hold dear and most sacred in their religion and observances," is one which from our distance from the scene of their operations, we cannot rebut from our personal knowledge. It is one, however, to which, from our acquaintance with the high Christian character of our brethren at that place, we cannot at- tach the slightest weight. Conviction, it is admitted by them, as by ev- ery other Missionary in the country, must be the result of a consistent announcement of the truth and legitimate reasoning, accompanied by the divine blessing, and not of violent reproach, and unmeaning invective. They all acknowledge that " the wrath of man worketh not the right- eousness of God." That no redress would be afforded to persons who might have their feelings wantonly injured in the manner alleged by the petitioners, is most untrue. The Bombay Regulations make ample pro- vision for the punishment of religious insults; and this we are persuaded most of the petitioners know right well. Among their number there are individuals who should have been ashamed to complain, who were not only the quondam patrons of the Gujarati Age of Reason, but its ac- tive translators, and who, in the native newspapers, have nearly exhaust- ed, within these few months, the vocabulary of abuse, in their raillery against Christianity and its professors. 5. That divisions and ruptures in families may follow conversions, we cannot and do not deny. It is with reference to them, and those which occur in larger communities, that our blessed Lord himself said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth : I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her 526 APPENDIX. mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be these of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me ; and he that lovelh son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Christiani- ty, however, though it ivny be the occasion of these separations and va- riance.-, is most certainly not their cause. It fills the breast of those who embrace it with love to man, as well as love to God. It is its holiness and purity which stirs up the enmity of the carnal mind, and which begets a spirit of persecution in those who resist its claim?. Its converts lose none of their affection for their kindred according to the flesh ; but the love of Christ, the sovereign principle of their mind, compels them to forego their friendship when it cannot be retained without their denying the Lord who bought them, and without their abandoning his holy worship, lu leaving all for Christ's sake, in these circumstances, they evince the pu- rity of their principles, — the power of that grace which is vouchsafed to them by the Holy Spirit. In a moral point of view, they stand infinitely higher than those, who restrained by the fear of man, suppress the work- ings of their consciences, conceal their actual belief, and pursue the course of hypocrites and deceivers. In the instances in which they find their ci vil and religious liberty, and their personal safety, respected in their fa- milies, they forsake them not ; and it is only the actual or threatened vio- lence of their relatives, or the experience of restraints, or the harsh and cruel discipline of caste, and its sinful demands, which constitutes them aliens in a social point of view, — in a religious point, they must be a- liens, — from the communities with which they were formerly connected, and which forces them to seek for shelter and protection among their Christian brethren from the West. They abandon not the civil right to the custody of their own offspring during the years of infancy and child- hood; and though their children may sometimes be surreptitiously remov- ed from them, they fail not to leclaim them when opportunities offer, and hesitate not most faithfully and tenderly to discharge the parental duties. When their partners are willing to stay with them after their conversion, they still cleave to them, for the institute of the Christian faith on this subject is most precise: — "If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleas- ed to dwell with her, let her not leave him." Christianity is not answer- able for any separations which take place. It is only the intolerance pre- valent in the land, which cuts asunder the ties of nature ; and the uncon- verted natives on this account ought to remember that they have the re- medy in their own hands. If they will agree to treat their converted friends with kindness, they may have much of their society, and as, in some cases which are before our view, find them dearer to themselves than ever. Instances are known to us in which after a few years the most violent opposition has subsided into cordial support ; and in which those who at one time have been persecutors, have become the humble disciples of those whom they sought to injure. COMMENT ON THE ANTI-CONVERSION MEMORIAL. 527 Tlie conduct of the Pars! youth, to whom the petitioners refer, in con- nexion with the divisions in i';i milieu to which we have now alluded, his from first to last appeared to us to be of the most exemplary character. When it is pouitrayed by the pen of truth, it will rail forth on their be- half the highest admiration, or rather induce the exalted praise of God for the abundant grace conferred upon them in the hour of trial and tempta- tion. Necessity alone, not merely supposed, but most fully proved, to exist, in the highest court of this Presidency, compelled them to leave their homes, and to solicit protection from the missionaries. 1 ne attempt which is made to bring home the charge of untruthfulness against the younger of them, Dhunjeebhoy Nowrojee, in reference to one of his pa- rents, as far as those who know the real state of the case, as some of the petitioners do, is most disgraceful. It was not as alleged with the view of "defeating the endeavours of his family to obtain through the aid of the Supreme Court possession of his person," that he characterized his father's widow " Sobhoy," as only his step-mother ; for the nature of So- bhoy's relation to him, as every lawyer knows, had nothing to do with the question of his personal liberty which was tried before the Court; but it was with the view of merely correcting en passant what he considered to be the error of his opponent. His own explanation of the matter, in his second affidavit, is simple and natural: — " Dhunjeebhoy Nowrojee of Bombay, Christian inhabitant, makethoalh and saith, that this information about his family has been principally derived from his uncle Heerjeebhoy Dadabhoy mentioned in this deponent's former affidavit in this matter, and from his other relatives, and that up to this present month, the said Heer- jeebhoy Dadabhoy has uniformly stated to this deponent, that the name of the mother of this deponent was Manickbhoy, and that the said Manick- bhoy was not such a troublesome woman as Sobhoy mentioned in this de- ponent's affidavit, as this deponent's step-mother. And this deponent saith, that when this deponent resided at A row near to Broach, he was informed by his oldest paternal uncle Hormusjee Dadabhoy, mentioned in this deponent's former affidavit, in this matter, that the name of his, this deponent's mother, was Manickbhoy." Dr. Wilson swore that he had no personal knowledge of the parentage of the young man ; but that long previous to his special inquiries on the subject of Christianity, he heard him speak of himself as having no mother alive. Mr. Campbell's reasoning on the matter in the Court was most appropriate. " We say all our information had been gathered from Heerjeebhoy himself. We also give the subject of former conversations with Heerjeebhoy about Sobhoy, and unless you believe tl'.at Dhunjeebhoy has invented all this, it is im- posible to believe Heerjeebhoy. Dr. Wilson affirms on oath, that he had always been informed by Dhunjeebhoy that Sobhoy was not his mother. Dunjeebhoy does not now come forward to make this statement for the first time." Here the matter stood in the Supreme Court. Since the trial, we have obtained a variety of positive evidence that Dhunjeebhoy was correct, and which we are prepared to adduce, should the Parsfs a- 528 APPENDIX. (Tain bring the matter into any tribunal competent to examine it. We mention a simple fact. Sobhoy, when asked by Mr. Warden of the Ci- vil Service, late one of the Magistrates of Police, if Dhunjeebhoy was reallv her pel ka beta, (her own son), was silent, at the very moment too at which, at the instigation of some Parsis, she had applied to Mr- War- den to get a new writ of habeas corpus on her own behalf! But enough of this matter for the present. Let some of the Parsis be cautious about their affidavits, and let them remember that those which we printed in June last, have long ere this had the verdict of the public pronounced upon them. G. In order to impede as far as possible, the work of the conversion of the natives of India, and to awaken sympathy on their own behalf, the pe- titioners strive to blacken the character of the native Christians. The al- leged examples of depravity to which they specially refer, are those, it is remarkable, with which Protestant Missionaries have no connexion, the native Christians of Salsette, Goa, Travancore, and elsewheie, and whom we are under no particular obligations to defend. It so happens, however, that the character of those Christians, though not so high as those which are really the greatest eye-sore in the view of the petition- ers, will stand an honorable comparison with that of their heathen and Muhammadan neighbours. The authorities at Tanna have been long accustoned to speak, on the whole, in a favourable manner of the Chris- tian population placed under their charge. The native Christians at Goa conduct themselves better, to say the least, than their European masters. The Christians in Travancore and Cochin were declared by Mr. Baber, in his examination before a Committee of Parliament, to be "the bsst subjects the Travancore and Cochin Rajahs have." "They are," he ad- ded, "the most industrious, moral, and obedient, and many of them, I be- lieve, opulent." Messrs Conner and Ward, the Company's surveyors, in the official report which we quoted in our October number, say of them: — "Partially at least free from the prevarications that characterize the in airs, they have an infinitely franker deportment, and seem capable of a more lasting attachment than they. If they have less capacity, their greater integrity might argue the possession of superior virtues. Peace- able and valuable subjects they return obedience for toleration and protection." Though individual nominal Christians, in India, as in every country of the world, may be found to equal, or even exceed some of the heathen in their depravity, it is because they break through greater re- straints, and have their sin characterized by greater aggravations. This is quite in accordance with the analogy of nature; for "the richest soil breeds the rankest weeds." Christianity itself is holy in its motives, ho- ly in its precepts, holy in its examples, and holy in its sanctions ; and to the degree in which its "lorious truths are taught and received by faith, it is the parent of morality. It is pure Christianity, which the Mission- aries, against whom the petitioners complain, seek to propagate in India. 7. In one part of the document on which we comment, the petition- COMMENT ON TIIF. ANTI-CONVERSION MEMORIAL 529 eis make a great show of liberality. " If attempts to make converts," say they, " were confined to men of full age and understanding, whilst we might deplore, we could not complain of, the labours of the Mission- aries, and if any of our adult population capable of sound reflection em- braced the Christian faith, we could only lament their infatuation and pray, that, their desertion from their own religion might be forgiven to them." We were scarcely prepared for this advance of profession, as only a few months have intervened between the present hour, and that in which some of the principal petitioners put themselves to the trouble of swear- ing- in the Supreme Court, " that it is an universal and inflexible rule of domestic government among Parsfs, that the father has until his death, the entire control of his male-children of whatever age, and of their male descendants." Now that it is before us, we are sorry to be com- pelled by the petitioners themselves to give it to the winds. In the se- cond prayer with which they conclude their memorial, and to which we shall again advert, they entreat that adult converts may be grievously persecuted, robbed of their wives anJ children, fined in a reasonable sum for their maintenance even when they are deprived of them, and forfeit all right and title to inherit the family or ancestorial property of their parents! This is "only lamenting the infatuation of," and "pray- ing for forgiveness" for converts with a vengeance !! 8. The tone and expressions of the petitioners would lead a stranger to believe that the late Parsi converts to Christianity were mere children in the proper sense of the term, ami incompetent to form any judgment on the subject of religion. This is not, however, a true statement of the case. The parties who prosecuted Dr. Wilson in May last, failed to prove that the younger was then below the age of sixteen years and a half. The elder is now in his twentieth year, and was himself a parent upwards of two years ago. " As to their education, and competency to judge for themselves in matters of religion," it was remarked by Dr. Wilson on a former occasion, " the Parsis have not the slightest right to com- plain. It is long since they were both constituted disciples of Zoroaster on their own responsibility and according to the forms of the Pars! faith. As far as their knowledge of the essential principles of Christianity is con- cerned, I believe that they would gain admittance into the stiictest com- munion in Europe. The younger of them is not inferior in point of general education to any of the Parsi gentlemen who bear Her Majesty's com- mission of the Peace. Should any of them doubt the correctness of my statement on this subject, I shall be happy to submit the matter to the judg- ment of any umpires who may be equitably selected by both parties, and who will permit a public examination to In conducted, before judgment is pronounced." This challenge has not yet been accepted. It should si- lence those to whom it was addressed." While we distinctly mention the facts of the case connected with the case of the Parsf converts, and we do not object, on civil grounds, to hea- then parents having the guardianship of their children during absolute 48 530 APPENDIX. non-age, we would not be understood as insinuating, that we should not in any case rejoice to see faith in Christ exhibited in the earliest years of life. The claims of God for the heart of man, are not morally suspend- ed while responsibility exists, lie c;:n espouse to himself the affections of a child with the first dawnings of discernment and reflection. "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." Let the natives around us rest satisfied by attempts to regulate the creeds of their offspring by moral suasion, and let them remember the account which they themselves must render to God for all the instruction which they impart to them. 9. We are not called upon to defend the proceedings either of the Supreme Court or the Government of Bombay, but for the sake of the pe- titioners, and the natives whom they seek to inflame, we shall say a few words respecting their complaints against these Honorable bodies. The Parsfs suffered no detriment to their cause from the application to it of English law, for the Hindti law, the only other system of jurisprudence by which it could have been tried, would have found Dhunjeebhoy Now- rojee to have been "of age," on the completion of his sixteenth year. When they venture to say, "that the judge never gave one moment's con- sideration to the circumstances of the case," they use language which by some may be interpreted as a punishable contempt of Court. The question before the judge was simply one in which the interest of natives were concerned ; and the youth, in whose behalf the writ of Habeas Corpus was issued, was left to choose his own abode. Parliament has not sanctioned the recommendation of the report of the Select Commit- tee, quoted by the petitioners ; and on questions of absolute right, native and Europeans must of necessity stand on the same footing, while equi- ty is allowed to rule in our legislation. Nothing indecorous occurred on the part of the defendant during the whole legal proceedings. The assistance of the Government was neither asked nor received by him on that occasion ; and in calling out the troops, it acted solely in its capaci- ty of supreme conservator of the peace. It is the heightof presump- tion in any body of men, however respectable they may be, to seek to supplant it in the exercise of this function. Those who denominate themselves "the most respectable persons of all castes," saw the mob at the Court, on the first day of the hearing of the case, and they did not cause it to disperse. Where was the assurance to be found, except in their own declaration, that they were either willing or able to disperse it, should it have collected on the second day ? The proclamation which was circulated among the Parsis had not a single signature attached to it; and though it forbad all Zoroastrians to attend the Court with the ex- ception of those connected with the prosecution, a considerable number were present in spite of it, while many had congregated in a neighbour- ing street. However offensive the arms of the soldiers might be to the pride of a few, they inspired a salutary fear in the minds of many; and COMMENT ON THE ANTI-CONVERSION MEMORIAL. 531 the display of them was more merciful than their concealment, which might have encouraged a disturbance, similar to that which formerly oc- curred, and which might ultimately have led to a loss of life. Nothing can be more absurd than the complaint of the petitioners that the mem- ber.-; of the Government gave their "good wishes" to the missionaries, during the late trial ; for " good wishes1' for the righteous spread of Christianity, essentially exist in all its disciples who are worthy of the name. Of these "good wishes," no expression was made, and no ex- pression was sought. Dr. Wilfon had no support, but in the reasonable- ness of his cause, and the law of the realm. The prosecuting I 'arsis, and some of their friends, were the only parties who communicated with Go- vernment during the pending of the tried. How improper their conduct was in this matter will appear from the following document 13. We now find ourselves at the prayer of the memorial ; but as there is not the slightest reason to believe, that it can for one moment be entertained, we shall not extend our observations. Nothing can be more absurd than to call for the passing of laws for impeding the conversion of the natives to our holy faith. (1). There is no such impression cither in the European or native community, as will beget or foster the belief, that, on the part of the missionaries, any thing of an improper character was done in the "case which recently happened." It would not be difficult for us to procure an expression of sympathy cf an entirely opposite character. Missionary schools in the interior are everywhere acceptable to the people, who avail themselves of their advantages, else they could not exist. There are thousands of parents, who are perfectly willing that their children should receive Christian instruction, but who would hesitate to give any "sanc- tion in writing" in reference to this subject, from the apprehension that in consequence they might be persecuted nearly to death by tyrannical Panchayats, and the heroes of caste. It is sufficient that they themselves send their children to the schools, or willingly permit them to attend. The IlindCi Rishis, have fixed the age at which a youth arrives at his majority at sixteen years ;* and these far-seeing sages, did they still retain their olden spirit, if they again visited the world, would propose at least the banishment of the petitioners for imagining the propriety of a more ox- tended age. Muhammad would not be more indulgent to the folks of his " We could adduce many Sanskrit distichs iu which fifteen fears is given as the date at which a youth arrives at bis majority. '• The distinction may be thus recapitulated," says Colebrooke, in his digest of Hindu Law ; " a minor (bala) is iu early infancy to the end of his fourth year, and called kumara ; in law he is an infant to the end oi bis seventh rear, and in this period of his life is called shishya ; he is called a boy (pogenda) from Ins fifth to the end of his ninth year ; and his adolescence as kisora continues from the tenth to the end of the fifteenth year." Sir Thomas Strange thinks that the weight of authority is in favour of a majority at the completion of the sixteenth year. 532 APPENDIX. family. Even in England, personal liberty is secure for a youth at four- teen, though he does not obtain control over his property till he is twen- ty-one ; and the precocity of the human constitution in India must never be overlooked. (2.) The insolence and injustice which call upon Christian men to pass an act legally to deprive converts to their own faith of their wives and children, — to bind them to support them when in a state of alienation from their authority, — and to deprive them of "all right and title to inhe- rit family, or ancestorial property," except what may be bequeathed by will, are unparalleled. From the display which has been made of them, we learn how little disposed some persons are calmly to reason and re- flect on any question connected with the economy of public Government, and how weak the native religions are in themselves when called to con- flict with Christianity. Some of the petitioners, we are happy to state, are startled at the infatuation which has led them to commit themselves in a case so evidently connected with the natural and inalienable rights of their fellow-creatures. Most of them, we have learnt, dread the publi- cation of their names. (3.) We object not to the multiplication of Government schools throughout the length and breadth of the land, though we wish them con- ducted on somewhat different principles from those of the Native Educa- tion Society, and established, in the first instance, in those places in which they are most needed. Even their own working may not be ex- actly what the petitioners expect. The sooner they make up their minds to a solemn consideration of the claims of the Bible, eo much the better. Their best friends are those who tell them the whole truth on this sub- ject. Upwards of five years ago, we expressed ourselves as follows: — "There is great inconsistency in tiie practice of the principal supporters of the educational institutions from which Christianity is excluded. They refrain, they say, from interfering with the religious belief of the natives and yet they deliberately teach the elements of Geography and Astrono- my, which will inevitably prove its destruction. They will not present to the scholar any system of truth on which the soul may repose, by which it may be delivered from sin, and by which it may be prepared for the du- ties of life, and the services of heaven ; but they will congratulate them- selves, like the 'General Committee of Public Instruction in Bengal' [a strictly Government body], 'when an impatience of Hinddism, and a dis. regard of its ceremonies, are openly avowed by many young men of re- spectable birth and talents, and entertained by many more, who outwardly conform to the practices of their countrymen.'* The eyes of the principal natives, we trust, will soon be open to their best interests. The ques- tion, they should perceive, is not, whether religion shall be destroyed by education, but whether for it they are to receive any substitute." 14. Had it been our object to indulge in personalities, and to direct the scorn and mockery of the public, against the individuals who have ri- ' Report for 1832. MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS. 533 sen up against us, we could have now shown that, with regard to some of them, we are not destitute of the opportunity. A more hallowed purpose, however, has guided our endeavours; and we trust that our opponents will see that we have acted merely in defence of ourselves, and the cause of truth and holiness. In taking leave of them, we beg again to disclaim the slightest wish on our part to be accessory to their injury, and to express the hope, and the prayer, that the day may not be far distant, when they will give us the fuile6t credit for the sincerity of the profes- sion which we now make. We supplicate for their welfare in time and eternity ; and for the promotion of it we are ready, through divine grace, to perform any amount of lahour, and to undergo any amount of suffering which may be required at our hand. We wish not to be execrated even by the few last men of the passing generation ; but should this be our lot, we shall be content humbly to seek the approbation of that God whom we desire to serve in the Gospel of his Son, and to indulge the hope, founded on his own infallible word, that his cause will soon triumph, in spite of the errors of its friends, and the opposition of its enemies. Many will still run to and fro, and knowledge will be encrsased. Christ has been lifted up, and he will draw all men unto him. Men shall be blessed in him : all nations shall call him blessed. As the writer of this article, has no objection to assume the personal responsibility which it involves, he subscribes his name. Jo h.n Wilson. Bombay, January, 1840. C — MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS ON CERTAIN PASSAGES OF THE PA'RSI' CONTROVERSIALISTS. At p. 105 of this work, I have intimated, that it was my intention to notice under this head any parts of the publications of my opponents, de- serving of the least attention, which might not come in my way in the course of argument which I might be called to pursue in consistency with the plan which I had laid down for my guidance. Such passages, I now find, are few in number, and of no great significance. I. Turning to the Talim-i-Zartusht, and adverting to matters in the order observed by Dosabhai, I make the following notes. 1. I have already produced many of the passages of Scripture in which the divine Sonship and the divine nature of Christ are set forth. Christ was the Son of Mary, because of her he was born according to the flesh; he was the son of Joseph, as born and residing in his family, and "sup- posed " by those unacquainted with the miraculous conception of his mo- ther, to be of his parentage ; and he was the Son of David, as descended, in his human nature, from that monarch, and the appointed and rightful, king of his people. The apparent discrepancies in the genealogies of 534 APPENDIX. Matthew and Luke, are perfectly explicable on the supposition that they represent the descent of Christ by different lines, according to the public registers of which they are probably extracts. The actual father of Jo- seph, as stated by Matthew, was Jacob. Heli is mentioned by Luke as also his father, — according to the reckoning of the Jews, who did not al- low the names of females to stand in their genealogical tables, — because he was the father of Mary his wife, and because he may have adopted him as his son. The number of forty-two generations referred to by Matthew will be complete, if we read with many MSS, "Josias begat Ja- kim, and Jakim begat Jechonias." There is scarcely a commentary on the Bible in which Dosabhai will not find his objections from the gene- alogies satisfactorily solved. 2. Circumcision was a suitable sign, or seal, of the covenant of grace before the shedding of the atoning blood of Christ ; but not being necessa- ry as an ordinance, it was permitted to be laid aside, by the same autho- rity by which it was enjoined. The "reasons of the baptism of Christ, which is disti ictly testified to in the New Testament, I have already in- cidentally mentioned in connexion with the notice taken of Christ's en- trance on his public ministry. 3. Dosabhafs sneers at the miraculous conception of the Virgin Mary, will be seen to be uncalled for, when the explanation of the angel (Luke ii. 35) is adverted to : — " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee." There is here nothing in- consistent with the spirituality of God. 4. When Christ said, "Why callest thou me good ? There is none good but one that is God," he did not disclaim hia divinity, but called upon the person whohad addressed him to reflect on the meaning of his own words. 5. Dosabhai accuses certain "Christians" of the practice of idolatry. Those who are guilty of this sin, are not Bible Christians ; and I shall be thankful to see Dosabhai successful in aiding us in convincing them of their error. Idolatrous Christians are not a beam in our eye, while we neither learn nor observe their ways. G. Christians either do observe, or ought to observe, the first day of the week as holy to God, because it is expressly said in the New Testa- ment to be the "Lord's Day," and was observed as such by the apostles and early disciples of Christ. Dosabhai is clearly beyond his depth when he adverts to the Sabbath. 7. I am glad to find Dosabhai condemn that faith which is without works. It is verily an insincere faith, a lifeless faith. " Faith," says the apostle James, (ii. 26), " is dead without works." 8. There is a passage in Josephus (Antiq. xviii, 33) relative to Christ to this effect:— "At this time lived Jesus, a wise man ; if indeed it be proper to call him a man. For he was a doer of wonderful works, a teach- er of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ. MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS. 535 And when Pilate at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not for- sake him ; for he appeared to them alive again the third day ; as the di- vine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him- And even to the present day the class of persons who were called Christians from him, have not becomeextinct." Dosahhai must have better authority than that of Voltaire for holding "thata/J men of true learning are now agreed" that this passage " has been inter- polated." The passage is found in all the ancient MSS. which have been consulted ; and it is quoted, or referred to, by many ancient writers from the time of Eusebius, about A. D. 3*24. If Dosahhai will examine a tract by Bretschneider, a German author, — a translation of which I shall be hap- py to show to him in the Biblical Repository (vol. iv), — or the appendix to Winston's Translation of Josephns, he will probably admit that much more can be said in favour of the passage than he is at all aware of. In the superabundance of proof of the divine mission of Christ, however, we can easily dispense with it without any injury to our cause. If Josephus really said nothing respecting Christ, we must see in his silence an ad- mission of the excellence of the character of Christ. "Josephus," says a late able writer on the Evidences of Christianity,* "was born about four years after the crucifixion of Christ, of a noble and priestly family, and brought up in Jerusalem, where even in boyhood he was celebrated for his knowledge of the law. lie fully acquainted him- self with the principles of the Jewish sects, and became a Pharisee. In his twenty-sixth year (about the seventh year of Nero), he made a voyage to Rome, where he was well received at court.f During his years of stu- dy and inquiry, the Christian sect must undeniably have excited much at- tention in Judaea, and he was in the very focus of all those parties and traditions by which the character of its founder and his followers would be aspersed. In his first visit to Rome the growth of Christianity there must have been an object of notice, for it was only three years before that violent persecution by Nero, which Tacitus records. J After the destruc- tion of Jerusalem, Josephus accompanied Titus to Rome, received from Vespasian a court-residence and a pension, and was afterwards in favour with the emperors Titus and Domitian, and with the empress Domitia.§ In this abode at Rome, if not sooner, he must have heard of the cruel and extraordinary punishments inflicted on the Christians by Nero a few years before; and must have been acquainted with the existing persecu- tion under Domitian. His Jewish Antiquities, or History of the Jews down to the twelfth year of Nero, was finished in the reign of Domitian, and that of the Jewish war in the reign of Vespasian. || We cannot there- * John Sheppard, Esquire. f These particulars we learn from his Life, written by himself; and see Lar. iii. 488—9. t Ibid. 611. § Ibid. 490. || Lar. iii. p. 491. 536 APPENDIX. fore explain the silence of Josephus with regard to Christ and his religion by supposing that he overlooked it, or deemed it too inconsiderable to be noticed. It had excited the strongest feelings, and occasioned the strong- est measures, not only in Judaea, but through great part of the Roman em- pire. Even Tucitus and Suetonius, who were much less qualified, less called on, and less interested, to treat of its origin and character, and wrote much more concisely, a few years after him both thought it important enough to bo expressly named. But it becomes still less reasonable to ascribe the silence of Josephus to neglect, when we observe that in his Antiquities he treats particularly of the Jewish sects ; and that he moreover distinctly treats of the seditious impostors who arose in Judaea from the time of Augustus. Six of these leaders, and the issue of their respective enterprises, are severally named by him.* He also re- lates the preaching and death of John the Baptist, but not referring to him as the forerunner of the Christ.f Yet all these leaders of parties had failed. They had had no followers except in Judaea, and these had been soon dispersed ; while the sect formed by Jesus had spread through the provinces, and even through the metropolis. "The silence, then, of this historian (if he was silent) concerning Christ, cannot but have bee ri purposed and deliberate. To what motive can we as- cribe it but to this, — that he believed the character of Jesus and his a- postles to be excellent, and their pretensions, in some sense, genuine; that he had on the one hand too much of honesty, of modesty, or of con- viction, to state the contrary, and become the propagator of atrocious ca- lumnies ; but on the other hand, too much of a national, and at t lie same time of a courtly and interested spirit, to attest openly what would be so unwelcome both to the Jewish and Roman people, and to his imperial pa- trons ? To a similar kind of feelings Augustine has expressly attributed the silence of Seneca. It is not credible that Josephus, so favoured by, and dependent on a heathen and persecuting court, if he could have al- leged any thing without utter violence to his honour and conscience, against the founders of the ' new superstition,' or even have brought him- self to insi7iuate immorality, deceit, sedition, or imposture, would have o- mitted to do so. Is it not manifest that every such assertion or intima- tion would have had the highest value and the warmest welcome both in the minds of Jew and Gentile, as coming from a person of note, brought upon the very spot where Christianity originated ? If he did write the passage which is doubted of, it may be jnslly 'called 'a noble testimony,' not only for its explicitness as to the characterand claims of Christ and his disciples, but as indicating fearless disinterested honesty in a pen- sioner at Rome. If he did not write it, but observed silence, this kind of testimony, though less noble, is in a measure creditable to him ; and is * The particulars are given in B. Pr. pp. 173 — 4, quoted in Appendix x. to Lardner's life, prefixed to his works, vol. i. p. xlvii. t Lar. iii. p. 534—6. MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS. 537 equally conclusive as to the fact that there was no evil which could be truly and without deep criminality alleged concerning Christ and his companions."* The munshi, with Voltaire, is unable to account for the silence of Jo- sephus respecting the star which intimated the birth of Christ, the mur- der of the Bethlehemitish children, the darkness which accompanied ihe crucifixion, and the resurrection of Christ. These phenomena and events, remarkable though they were, did not fall within the scope of his his- tory, in the same way that the origin of the Christian community, embrac- ing multitudes of Jews and Gentiles throughout the Roman world, may be supposed to have done. While he was not a follower of Jesus, he would be shy in adverting to the circumstances which established his claims to be esteemed the Messiah, even though he could speak of him as called the Christ, or even actually indolently believe that he was the Christ. 9. The wise men were in the east v. hen they saw the star which ap- peared on the occasion of the birth of Christ ; but it does not follow that they must have got to the west of it as they proceeded to Jerusalem. All Dosabhai's objjetions I have long ago anticipated. "On the supposition that a meteor, or any luminous body of a like nature, appeared to the wise men who came from the east to sec Christ, no difficulty is p.xperienc- cd in the consideration of the narrative which is given in the New Tes- tament. On the supposition that a new fixed star appeared in the heavens to the Magi, at the time at which the Messiah was born, it is not difficult to see, that when they discovered that the star went before them, they merely ascertained that they had not arrived at its precise zenith point in the heavens, till ' they came to the house where the young child was.' The use of figurative language, according to which the star is viewed a9 moving, is popularly correct, and is similar to what we employ when we speak of the sun rising and setting. The birth of Christ, the Saviour of men, was such a grand event that it might well be signalized by the crea- tion of a new star. In its appearance, — supposing it no longer to exist, — there is nothing inconsistent with the power of God, and nothing even in- consistent with the experience of astronomers. ' Several new stars,' says Mr. Harlow, one of the Professors of Mathematics at the Royal .Mi- litary Academy at Woolwich, ' have appeared for a time, and then van- ished ; some that are given in the ancient catalogues, are no longer to be found ; while others are constantly and distinctly visible, which have not been described by the ancients ; some stars like beta in the whale, have gradually increased in brilliancy ; others like delta in the great beat, have been constantly diminishing in brightness ; and a great number sustain a periodical variation in their brilliancy. The new star which was seen by Tycho in 1572, in the constellation Cassiopeia, sufl'ered very remarkable changes. On a sudden it became so brilliant that it surpass- * Sheppard on the Evidences of Christianity, vol. i. pp. 107 — 100. 49 538 APPENDIX. ed in brightness even Venus and Mercury, and was visible on the meri- dian in the day time. Its light then began to diminish, till it disappeared about sixteen months after it had been observed. The new star which appeared in 1G03 (1604.) in the constellation Serpentarius, exhibited si- milar phenomena, and disappeared after being visible for some months.'*" 10- Dosabai objects to the expression, " the heavens were opened " (Matthew, iii.lG); but how could he better describe the appearance of the firmament on the occasion of the descent of the Spirit like a dove. It is not said in the New Testament, that none saw this miracle but Christ. The reality of a miracle, however, does not depend on its publicity ; though when miracles are designed to be signs, publicity is to be desired. The voice which said "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," is declared by Matthew, a better authority than Dosabhai, to have proceeded "from heaven." 11. The feeding of the five thousand with the five loaves and two fishes, is represented in the Gospels as miraculous ; and hence there is no room for an objection as to its possibility, on the ground of power to effect it. Neither is there room for objection to the miracle on the ground of impropriety. To the question, "Who saw the miracle," I reply, "The multitudes who were present on the occasion of its performance." Ac- counts of the miracle were published by the evangelists shortly after it oc- curred; and had these accounts been false, there would have been found many to disprove them. Will Dosabhai direct my attention to any credi- table account of Zoroaster's reputed miracles, which he can prove to have been published by his immediate disciples, and which he can show were tested aright at the time of their publication? Azar Kaiwan's reputed miracles are recorded in the Dabistan, a work pregnant with absurdities ; and they were neither more nor less than the tricks and deceptions of a juggler and impostor. 12. The laws and institutes of Moses prefigured Christ, and the predic- tions of the prophets foretold Christ. The appearance of Christ was conse- quently their "fulfilment." A ptefigurement is not needed after an ac- complishment; and hence the ceremonial precepts of the law are not now viewed as obligatory. They are perused by us for historical purposes, and for the doctrinal and practical information which they convey. 13. Dosabhai expresses his astonishment that God should have had any intercourse with Solomon after his idolatrous declension. The Lord, however, did not countenance Solomon in his sinful and pernicious ways. "The Lord," it is said, " was angry with Solomon" (II Kings xi. 9), and * Mathematical Dictionary. For an account of" temporary stars," see al- so Sir John F. W. Her schtlVs Treatise on Astronomy, pp. 383-384. This is a work, which, being written in a popular style, and illustrating the mecha- nism of the heavenly bodies by an appeal to familiar analogies, may be cir- culated with great advantage among the native youth acquainted with the English language. — See Second Exposure of Hinduism, pp. 115 — '116. MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS. 539 threatened to rend tlie kingdom from liis posterity on the ground of his de- fection. It was unjust, says Dosabhai, t<> prolong the kingdom for David's sake ; and to take it from Solomon's son for Solomon's sake. But is it not generally the case that particular persons occupy their thrones on ac- count of their descent ? And was it not a gracious, and not an unjust, act on the part of Cod, to defer the effects of a merited forfeiture even for a single generation? Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, could not equitably demand from God the continuance of that sovereignty which his father deserved to lose, and which hy his own deeds he showed himself so un- worthy to retain. 14. Christ, says Dosabhai, "cursed and blasted the fig-tree, for not having borne figs when it was not the fig season." The tree referred to had "/ecrt'es" (Mark xi. l'-l), which it is well known follow the fruit on fig- trees ; and according to this indication it was to he expected that fruit should have been found upon it, whatever may have been the season of the year with regard to fig trees in general. "The time of fiffa was not yet,"is a clause probably intimating the reason why Christ went to this tree, which he saw " afar off." It is not to he connected with the blasting of the tree, which had a reference to its vain display. Instead of objecting to the miracle because there was something "allegorical'1 in its applica- tion, Dosabhai should have discovered its propriety in this very circum- stance. The display of leaves without fruit, was emblematic of fair pro- fessions, without a corresponding- faith, and love, and obedience. Mark emphatically says, that the disciples " heard" the doom of the tree ; and they could scarcely fail to make of it a suitable improvement. 15. There is no where ground for the inference that the "guests were already too much heated," when Christ changed the wtter into wine for their use. 16. Dosabhai (p. 110) speaks of "Christians" receiving Christ, who are nevertheless guilty of murder, adultery, theft, and so forth. Their receiving of Christ, he may learn from this circumstance, is not that of the heart, and such as is acceptable to God, and will be attended with salva- tion. 17. Though what is called the Apostle's Creed contains nothing but apostolical truth, it is not generally believed to have been composed by the apostles. The creed of the Abbe" de St. Pierre, which Dosabhai translates (p. 140) for the information of his countrymen, is very defec- tive. 18. Dosabhai says, that the ceremonies enjoined in the first chapters of Leviticus are more ridiculous than those contained in the Vandidad. In what respects they are ridiculous, however, he has not told us. The di- rections there given for the burnt-offerings are minute and specific, for the guidance of the priesthood ; but they suggest nothing offensive to reason, or unbecoming a right symbolical interpretation. 19. It is not simply because the Pars! religion attaches ceremonial impurity to the touching of a dead body, or any other thing that has 540 APPENDIX. been defiled that I condemn it ; but because it dwells more on this cere- monial impurity, than on moral impurity. II. On Edal Darti's work, no further remarks appear to be here called for. 1 1 T. A considerable number of the questions and remarks of Kalam Kas, find an answer in what has now been said in reply to Dosabhcif. I add, for his consideration, the following notanda. 1. He complains (p. 13) of the circumstance that the New Testament was not written by Christ, but by his apostles. This, however, he ought to see, does not militate against, the position that the New Testament is the word of God, while we claim for the apostles divine inspiration. Had Christ been an impostor, he would probably have himself written, or caused to be wiitten, something in support of his own claims. 2. There are some men who are harmlessly possessed of riches, and there are others who are injuriously possessed by riches. It is of those who are " rich" in the latter sense, that it is said, that it is " impossible" for them to enter into heaven. Not till a man's heart is detached from the world by God can he be saved. 3. Christ prophesied not, says Kalam Kas, before those who smote him. And why should he ? They who treated him so cruelly and un- justly, and who were blind to all the evidence of his divine mission, de- served no additional signs from heaven. Christ was ready to suffer for men, because for this very purpose he had come into the world. 4. Kalam Kas says, that my attacks on the Parsf religion are like smiting the Parsis on the cheek, while I should meekly give my cheek to them to be smitten. When he proves that I injure the Parsis, — whose benefit I seek, — by attacking their religion, and when a suitable occa- sion of showing my meekness by giving my cheek to be smitten occurs, it may not be turned away. 5. The following remarks explain the statement of the Bible that God rested on the seventh day from all his work. "In the world around us, we perceive the works of God, and we constantly acknowledge them to be his, even though they are not completed at once, but carried on by degrees. We allow that trees flourish, and that men grow, by the di- vine power, while we perceive that they do not attain to their full sta- ture and perfection at the first moment at which God begins to act upon them. We see, in fact, a progression in every work throughout the uni- verse with which we are acquainted ; and we constantly refer it to the sovereign will of God. We can even discern in it the proofs of supreme wisdom. God acts in order that he may display his own glory ; and he acts in such manner as is suitable to the nature of the intelligent beings who are called to witness that glory, and in such a manner as is calcu- lated to shew the importance of his work, and toencourge reflection upon it. Before he commenced the work of forming the world, he had called into being numerous exalted angels, who could watch its progress, re- joice over its manifestations, and praise him on its accomplishment. He MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS. 541 created the world particularly for the sake of man ; and it is evident, that we, on reflecting on the display of his power connected with it, can sur- vey it with more interest, than we could do, wore we merely informed, that God accomplished his work in the twinkling of an eye. We cannot imagine for a moment that it was a want of power which led God to em- ploy six days in the work of creation. We have in the narrative of Mo- ses itself, the most striking illustrations of the divine omnipotence. We find God saying 4 Let there be light, and there was light ;' and in every in- stance commanding and all things standing fast. When we read that God rested (row his work on the seventh day, we only learn that he ceased from his work, and that he was in that state which we denominate rest, when contrasted with his previous engagement. Tin1 Hebrew word for rest denotes mere cessation from work, or those feelings which are expe- rienced when work is completed, without any reference to the feelings of the agent as wearied. God, without doubt, after the completion of his glorious work, must have viewed it, as he actually did, as 'very good,' and manifested in connexion with it divine complacency. That he was tired is an inference which is not warranted by any of the statements in Genesis." 6. Mistakes in calculations about the date of the birth of Christ have nothing to do with the religion of Christ. 7. Some kinds of impurity arc removed by washing, and some by melting. The human heait is so impure tnat it requires an agency like that of Jire, even of the Holy Spirit himself, to cleanse it. Kalam Kas may now, if he choose, understand what is meant by Christ baptizing with the Holy Spirit, as with fire. IV- And now for a few words to Aspandiarji. 1. In his introduction he diaws a presumption in favour of Zoroastrian- ism from the fact that it was not expressly condemned by Christ. How ut- terly opposed to the Christian Scriptures that system is, will appear from the whole of this work. It was the command of Christ to his disciples that they should " Go and teach (or disciple) all nations." The countries over which the faith of Zoroaster prevailed, were thus included in those to be converted. 2. In the following passage which I transcribe verbatim from Aspan- diarji (p. 8), we have a mysterious comment on a mysterious text. "The Padre in alluding to the 19th fargard [of the Vandidad] obsej-ves, that ' Zoroaster was stronger than Ahriman, author of the evil law ; he struck the people given by this dew, &c.' It must be borne in mind, that this is one of those mysterious passages which distinguish the writings of Zoroas- ter, but its insertion in this place argues the intention of the Padre to in- sinuate to his readers, how could Ahriman, who is represented as being the most irreconcilable enemy and rival of Hormazd or God, be superior to Zoroaster in power and strength ; and if so he could neither disturb the good works of God, much less undo them. But I have observed that this is one of those mysteries or enignuts ascribed to Zoroaster, who on ac- 54"2 APPENDIX. count of his mysterious sayings, is also denominated Pegumbare Simbari, that is to say a mysterious prophet." 3. The following (p. 16) ia a curious specimen of logic. ".The asser- tion regarding the earthquake is also ;i forged work of the priests, for if tl, in had been a real tact, the houses of the persons who were concerned in the murder of Christ might have been swallowed up in the earth." Ac- cording to this, accounts of earthquakes must be esteemed fabulous, when they allow murderers to escape destruction. 4. When it is said in Romans i. 28, that " even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient," it is not said, as As- pandiarjf affirms, that God " inspired them with such bad and sinful thoughts, that they might be urged the more to commit various enormi- ties." It is said only, that God left them to the influence of their own depravities, to reap the fruit of their own evil doings. 5. The Parables of Christ, when rightly viewed, by those to whom they were addressed, were found to illustrate, and not to obscure divine truth. 6. Of the mantras addressed to fire, Aspandiarji will find a specimen in the A'tish-Nfafsh. D. — ESNIK ON ZARVA'NA-AKARANA AND THE TWO PRIN- CIPLES. TRANSLATED FROM THE ARMENIAN BY AVIET AC ANOOR, ESQ,.* It is said that before there was any thing existing either in the heavens or the earth, or any other creation that is in the heavens or in the earth, there was one by name Zerwan, which signifies fortune or glory. He of- fered sacrifice for a thousand years that a son, Ormizd, might be born un- to him, who should create the heavens and earth and all that are in them; and after offering sacrifice for a thousand years he began to reflect, say- ing " Is the sacrifice that I make of any benefit ?" And shall I get the son Ormizd, or do I toil in vain ? And whilst he spoke thus, Ormizd and Arliiman were conceived in the womb of their mother — < Ormizd through the sacrifice, and Arhiman through the doubt. Then Zerwan having discovered this, said, " There are two sons conceived, whichever will come to me first, I shall make him king." And Ormizd perceiving his father's intention, revealed it to Arhiman saying, " Our father Zerwan has resolved, that whichever of us shall first go to him, he will make him * To my excellent friend Mr. Aganur, 1 am indebted for a translation of the whole article of Esnik on the Parsi Religion. Though some of it is irrelevant to the present notions of the Zoroastrians, it is not without inter- est in a historical point of view. The portion which I here insert refers to legends which are known to the Parsis only in an obscure form. They bear some resemblance, it will be observed, to those of the I'lma-i-Islam. ESNJK ON THE TWO PRINCIPLES. 543 king." On hearing- this, Arliiman pierced the womb, and came out and stood before his father. Zerwan on seeing him, knew not who he was, and asked him, "Who art tliou ?" And he replied, "I am tliy son." Zarwan told him, " My son is odoriferous and of light, and thou art of darkness and of disagreeable scent." And whilst they were talking thus together, Ormizd, having been born in due time, bright and odoriferous, came and stood before Zerwan. On seeing him Zenvan knew that it was his son Ormizd, for \\ horn he offered the sacrifice, aad taking the sceptre which he held in his hand and that with which he offered the sacrifice, he gave them to Ormizd, and said, "Hitherto I have offered sacrifice for thee, henceforward thou shouldst offer for me." And when Zenvan had given the sceptre to Ormizd and blessed him, Arliiman, presenting himself before Zenvan, said unto him, "Didst thou not vow that which- ever of my two sons should first come tome, I shall make him king!'" And Zerwan, in order not to break the vow, said to Arhitnan, "O thou false and wicked ono, let the sovereignty of nine thousand years be given to thee, and Ormizd be placed king over thee ; and alter nine thousand years Ormizd shall, leign and do whatsoever he shall choose." Then began Ormizd and Arliiman to make creations; and all that Ormizd made was good and right, and what Arliiman did was evil and wrong. IT. To such incredulous and delirious-like sayings patched together by the fancy of the ignorant, there would have been no necessity of mak- ing any reply at all, for it is sufficient for their own ignorance to re- proach them out of their own words, which contest with, and are contra- ry to, each other. Yet since the priests of their religion thus appear estimable to their followers, and having put a rope round their necks drag them into a gulph, it is necessary to answer them, and to prove that they say nothing more than Man! (whom they flayed) had said. For he spoke of two origins, of good and of evil, and that, not by con- ception and birth, but self-existing, and contrary to each other; and they (the Parsis) say the same, by the desire of Zerwan, by conception and birth. And if it is the same religion which both hold, wherefore do the Magi hate the Zandiks, * unless they differ from each other in conduct, although in appearance and not in reality ? But in their faith they are both the same; the former of lengthened roll and the latter the same ; they are worshippers of the sun, and these servants to the same ; — the former consider all inanimate objects as animate, and the latter regard the same in the same manner. But since Mani pretended to show a conduct superior to theirs, that is, that he was entirely free from all lustful desires, and not only superior to theirs but to that of all other religions, he was exposed to the irritation of maidens and was flayed to death. Hence it is evident that by conduct alone they are separate ; for the former are pretenders and the latter de- bauchees and open lechers ; but in faith they are one and the same. * Perhaps the followers of Mani. — A. 544 APPENDIX. III. Now leaving the former, we would ask the latter, whether Zerwau, who is said to have existed before every thing, was a perfect being or an imperfect one. If they say he was perfect, it should be asked, of whom could a perfect bein^ stand in need when asking for a son, that should come and create the heavens and the earth ; for if he were perfect, he would have created them himself. But if he was imperfect, it is evident that there was one above him who could consummate his imperfections ; and if there was one above him, he ought to have created the heavens and the earth and all tliat are in them, in urder to manifest his goodness and power, and to have bestowed a son on Zerwan for the purpose of making the heavens and the earth and all that are in them. But they affirm that the sacrifice was made to the glory. We would ask, whether glory was conferred on him by any one, or that because be was etemai, he was glorified. If the glory was bestowed on him by some one, it should be admitted that there was one above him more pow- erful and glorious, whose glory came to him. But if there was no one above hirn, the offering of the sacrifice tor a thousand years, was of no avail ; for glory is not a personal being, but only so named from the good fortune of some one, as from the misfortunes of any one is derived the name of misery; both of which are the effects of chance and not proofs of personality. Moreover, if the sun and the moon had not been in existence, where- by the hours and the day, the months and the years, are fixed, whence was the thousand years known; for there were not luminaries which could regulate the number of days, months and years ; but it is evident that their vain talk is full of ignorance. Furthermore, if the heavens and the earth and all that are in them had not been in existence, where did he make the sacrifice and in what man- ner. When there was no earth and plant whatever the produce thereof, whence did he get the sceptre which he held in his hand, or what did he offer up as a sacrifice ; for animals had not then been created. And what is still more foolish, for a thousand years he offered sacrifice and after the thousand years he began to doubt, saying, whether I shall get the son Ormizd or not, and whether or not do I toil in vain ? Hence, it is proved that Zerwan was weak and dependent and without wisdom ; and is the cause of evil and not Arhiman ; for if he had not doubted, as they say he did, there would not have been Arhiman, whom they proclaim as the cause of all evils; but he (Zerwan) distrusted, which (statement) is incredible and full of disorder. For out of one spring two rivers can never flow, the one sweet and the other bitter ; neither can one tree produce two fruits, one sweet and the other disagreeable. Now if they think Zerwan sweet, they should not attribute to him Arhiman, the bitter fruit ;but if they consider him bitter, it is not just to impute to him the sweet fruit Ormizd. And well do the divine words suit them, which say, " Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt ; for the tree is known by its fruit." ESNIK ON THE TWO PRINCIPLES. 545 Ami if all creations are firm in tlieir regular bounds, and never step beyond the limits assigned to them, how much more Zerwan, if lie were eternal and sought meaDS of making creations, whether personally, or through his son (as they say), should have shown order, and not disorder and confusion. For it is never known of cows having brought forth asses; and asses, oxen; nor wolves, ewes; neither en es, foxes ; nor lionesses, horses; nor horses, serpents; but there is only one breed which men have contrived against the order of nature, and that is to pro- duce mules out of horses and asses, and ihey are fruitless and barren for they were not the creation of God but the contrivance of men. Now if Zerwan was an ox, how did he give birth to the scorpion Arbiman ; and if he was a wolf, how did he bring forth the lamb Ormizd : — is this not a foolish production of the human mind? For Zerwan himself was a man, a brave one at the time of the Titani- ans; and as it is customary with the Greeks and Ariks • and the heathen nations in general, to number the brave among the gods, the inventor of the Farsi religion observed that since men number him among the gods, lie should also attribute the creation of the heavens and of the earth and of all things unto li tin. And this is known to be the case from tbe fact that in a human manner he patches their faith, and by the conception and birth con- joins the same. For at first, he proclaims the birth of two creations, those of good and of evil from the same father, and then by maternal and sisterly exposure he introduces the creations of the luminaries. And that on no other account but that of sensuality and concupiscence. For observing the Ari people to have been addicted to women, according to his loose conduct, he invented laws to him (Zerwan) ; for when they hear of their gods having meditated unworthy connections, they follow their example, and pursue, without scruple, the same disorderly life ; from which the divine laws are very remote. For it is not tit that God should have a son by marriage but by eternity, as mind produces reasoning, aspring the river, and lire the heat, and the sun the light. And not, as they pretend, that he longed that a son should be born unto him whose name should be Ormizd. Alas ! for their ignorance ; before there had been a son, he named him * Ari in the Armenian langaage signifies brave. The word Arik is in the plural number and is said to be the name of a people in the Bast who were good archers and great warriors. They were also called Ariakank or Am- bostakak. and by Other nations Kusty Khurasan or Ciishank. Their coun- try therefore is called Arik, also the country <>t* Kushan, which is a large province of Asia Major, and has for its boundaries, on the north S<\thia,on tbe west the Caspian sea and the country of Mars, and on the south Per- sia, and extends along from the Caspian sea to the frontiers of Hindus- tan. Formerly this was a great and famous kingdom, but it is now under Persia, and the greatest part of it is called Khorasan. — A. 546 APPENDIX. who was not conceived and born. To all children names are given after their birth; how did he give him the name Ormizd before he was born, unless he believed firmly that he should get a son ? And if he believed, wherefore did he doubt, and by doubting become the cause of the birth of Arhiman whereby evil has entered into the world? Eut the won- der is that the one could scarcely come by the sacrifice of a thousand years, and the other did so instantly by the doubt. Besides, he who perceived that there were two sons in the womb, why did he not discover that the one was good and the other evil? And if he did so, but did not destroy the evil one, he is the cause of evil. But if he did not discover it, how is it possible that he could know the other one ? And if he did not discover them, did he not do so when he beheld him obscene and of nauseous scent? But since he knew and saw and made the obscene one king, he is the cause of evil inasmuch as he did not destroy the evil, but on the contrary, gave him even the sovereignty of nine thousand years. And over whom did he appoint him king but over the good creations of Ormizd, in order to torment them, by mixing with them his evil creations? Moreover, they say that he appointed Ormizd king over him. If Ormizd be his king, how would he give up his good creation to be tormented ? If the father did not spare the creation of his son, inas- much as he delivered it up to the evil one, yet how could the son refrain from sparing his own? Is it from weakness, (that he did so) or from malevolence ? If from weakness he does not restrain, then he neither reigns now ; nor can he conquer, as they say he will, in the end. But if it is from malevolence, it is proved that not only the father, who made the evil one reign, is the cause of the evil, but also the son who became an accomplice with the father and enoourager of the evil one. Moreover, if he gave the sovereignty to his sons, to the one for nine thousand years and to the other for eternity, what is he himself to be reckoned ? For whilst there was nothing in existence, he was conse- quently a being of nothing, for he was not even the creator of any thing. And when his sons were born they became creators, one of good works and the other of evil ones, and they were kings, one temporarily and the other for eternity, and nothing wau left to Zerwan either of creation or of sovereignty. That he is not creator, it is evident from the fact that he created nothing ; and not a king, for over what cuuld he have reign- ed ! It is, therefore, evident that there never was Zerwan, nor can he be. For a being is either a creator or creation. Now since he is neither a creator nor a creation, he never was, nor is, nor can be a God. IV. But when Zerwan, they say, resolved thus in his mind, that the one of my two sons who shall first come to me, I shall make him king, Ormizd discovered his design and revealed it to Arhiman. If Ormizd discovered the intention of the father, why did he not disco- ver the intention of his malignant brother, viz. that he would pierce the womb and come out, and, preceding him, receive the sovereignty, which ESNIK ON THE TWO PRINCIPLES. 547 was to prove to him and his creations atrocious ; for at Hie very beginning lie (Arhiman) having taken the start of him, would weaken him, and then cause nine thousand years to be regretful and contritious on account of his corrupting and deviating from the good creation. Moreover, how could lie, who knew already his son Ormizd to have been light and odoriferous in the womb, not perceive the other son to have been of bad odour and of darkness? Is it not evident, that truth is not related by them, but fictitious tales ? And that which is least of all credible, is, that the one could hardly come by the sacrifice of a thousand years, and the other did so instantly by the doubt. And if Arhiman was conceived by the doubt, he should not have called him his son ; for if he were his son, he should have been like him ; had he been good, he should have been good, if evil, he should have been evil. Was Zerwan, the father, indeed, good and evil at the same time ; and out of his good vein he got his good son, and from his e- vil vein, he got the evil son ? And if it had not been so, he would not have, in that case, called the evil his son ; nor would he have given him the sovereignty. But on the contrary, if he were good, he would have destroyed the evil one and given the sovereignty to the good one, where- by he would have become renowned, and not have caused the feelings of his good son, Ormizd, to be hurt. But it is plain from these facts, that Zerwan was neither the father of gods, nor the disposer of kingdoms. V. Further, they pretend that he gave the sceptics which he held in his hand to his son, Ormizd, and said, "Hitherto I have been offering sacrifice for thee, henceforward thou shouldst do so forme." Now, if he offered sacrifice on his own account, that a son should be born to him, on what account did Ormizd do the same for him? Was it that he had any apprehension from any quarters, and that on that account he enjoined Ormizd to make the sacrifice for him ? Was it possible that he, of whom he had asked the son, should, on granting the son, take him away as tribute ? If such had been his fears, the sceptres could have been of no avail. And on presenting the sceptres he did not say, that you should offer sacrifice to me ; because he showed that thore was one to whom he offered sacrifice for his son ; and enjoined his son to offer sacrifice to the same, for himself. And if there was one above him and his son, to whom they both offer- ed sacrifice, he should have been looked upon as their origin, and the cre- ator of all and not Zerwan, as the cause of Ormizd and Arhiman, and these again as the creators of the good and of the evil. lie who was greater than Zerwan, gave him a son creator above him; but he could not himself create the heavens and the earth and all that are in them, (as we have before observed) and thereby manifest his power and goodness. Or,if he had any apprehensions from his son Arihman, and therefore he gave the sceptres to Ormizd, that by offering therewith sacrifice to the higher one, he should be free from apprehension, then there ought to have been some one to whom he made the sacrifice. And if there were some 548 APPENDIX. one to whom it was lawful to make the sacrifice, then Zerwan was nol eternal; but derived from some one. It is necessary, therefore, to in- quire from whom did he rise, and to whom it was he offered the sacrifice, and who that was to whom he enjoined his son to oiler sacrifice for him- self. For it is impossible for any one to begin his own existence, unless he receives it from another; and God alone can make what he pleases, out of nothing'. Now, then, who was it thut made Zerwan, unless it was God, to whom he offered the sacrifice, and who gave him such a son as should make the heavens and the earth and all that are in them? But the wonder is, that he did not create them himself; and yet he can give the son of Zerwan the power of creating them. But there was no one, they say, to whom Zerwan offered sacrifice; if so, then neither was Zerwan ; and it is very ridiculous to say, that he that did not exist, offered sacrifice to him that did not exist, on account of him who had no existence also. VI. Further, if Zerwan was fortune, as they pretend he was, then he was, indeed, the fortune of some one ; and who was it, forsooth, whose fortune he was ? For, fortune is not a thing personal, but merely the is- sue of prosperity ; ns for example, from justice the just is named, and from courage the brave ; in the same manner from prosperity is named, the for- tunate. Now if Zerwan were fortune, he was not a personal being; whence it is evident that there never was Zerwan. And if, as they pretend, Ahriman was conceived through the doubt, he (Zerwan) should have doubted sooner, and immediately got a son, instead of suffering for a thousand years and offering sacrifice that a son might be born. But he obtained both evil and good, and the evil was of its own nature and not from the birth ; for it was not possible for the same womb to receive in itself at the same time the maker of the evil and the crea- tor of the good. For if it were evil, it should only have sheltered the evil ; and if good, the good. Because good and evil could not have been united together, even as wolves and lambs are not born of the same womb. And they give the good part, such as the oxen, the sheep and other useful (animals) to Ormizd, and the evil, such as the wolves, wild beasts, and destructive vermin to Ahriman. But they know not that as the hurtful cannot abide with ihe harmless, so it was not possible for the good to have been conceived in the same womb with the evil, since, for example, it is not possible to bring fire and water together, lest the great- er side should prove destructive to its neighbour. In the same manner it is not possible for the good and the evil to combine together, else cither the former would destroy the latter, ov the latter would destroy the former.* Further, why did not the offspring1 that was of the sacrifice, vanquish the one that was of the doubt, and become an obstacle to him? Instead of this, these two personal enemies reclined together peaceably and quietly in the same womb. Also, if the father perceived two sons in the * Here we have omitted two sentences. — VV. ESNIK ON THE TWO PRINCIPLES. 549 womb, the one good and the other evil, he should not have promised the sovereignty in so confused a manner, but assigned it to him alone for whom he made the sacrifice. But in fact, Ormizd was imperfect until he was born, and how did the imperfect discover the intention of his father ? For he who can discover the design of any one, is above him. Therefore Ormizd is superior to his father and more powerful and wiser than he. For whilst he was in the womb, he discovered the intention of his father, and when he left it, he was able to make the heavens and the earth, which the father was unable to m-.ike. Now he who was so much more powerful and wiser than the father, is proved to be more contemptible than he ; for he was deceived by the wicked one, inasmuch as he revealed the intention of the father to him, to whom he should have borne an implacable enmity and not an intimate friendship. Moreover, if it were necessary to pierce the womb and come out of it, he who knew the intention of the father should have done so himself. For ho ought to have gone to him first, and received the sovereignty, in- stead of Ahriman, who neither knew the intention of the father, nor was fit for the sovereignty. But if he pierced the womb, he killed, perchance, the mother besides: — and it is necessary to inquire, whether, in fact, they had a mother. But whence is it evident that there was a mother, especially since they even affirm, that before there ever was any thing, whether the heaven or the earth, Zerwan was alone? And it is deserving of great ridicule, if he is said to be both father and mother, and the sower and the receiver. And what is worse, when Ahriman pierced, they say, the womb and came and stood before the father, the latter did not know him. Now why was he at a loss to know him; for there had boon no one any where whilst he was alone? Was it not, therefore, clear that he who came to him, must have been one of his sons. He is, therefore, proved to be worse than the evil (Ahriman), for the latter knew him, but he did not know the laiter. And he disowned the son, saying that my son is odoriferous and light* and thou art of darkness and of bad smell. And how was he not his son who had been conceived along with the good son in the same womb ? And he disowned him saying that thou art not my son, and acknowledge the other, that he was his son. Now if he disowned the evil, he should not have granted him the conception ; but, on the contrary, he ought to have avoided the wicked and destroyed him, and not only him but Or- mizd also, who had revealed his secret. VII. But the other thing is still more absurd, which they say, that he also gave him the sceptres for the purpose of making sacrifice for him, as if the virtue was not either in Ormizd or in the sacrifice, but in the rods. For if he were confident of being heard, it was superfluous to have the rods in his hand ; and if he was unworthy, not even the rods could have been sufficient to make the unworthy deserving the sacrifice may, to hold 550 APPENDIX. sceptres and offer sacrifice are deeds of men and not of God ! But if ho (Ormizd) were God and could make the heavens and the earth, what need had he of the sceptre and of the sacrifice for saving his father from ap- prehension. He who could make the heavens and the earth without the aceptres, could not repose confidence in the father, without them. It is therefore plain, that the father also was unwise and weak and looked on another for protection; and the son was likewise weak and unwise ; for as lie could not give birth to the son without sacrifice, so the son was una- ble, without holding the rods in his hands, to free him from apprehension. VIII. Nay, they both are the cause of the vexation occasioned by the evil one (Ahriman) in his harrassing the good* creations of Ormizd, who is said to have made all that was good, as well as the just and pious men, and Ahriman evil creations and the devils. Now, if the devils were the works of the evil (Ahriman) and they them- selves evil by nature, not even one of them could ever comprehend a good deed, nay not Ahriman himself. But we are toid that that which is the most excellent in the creation, was discovered by Ahriman. When he saw, they say, that Ormizd msde a gocd creation, but could not make the light, he (Ahriman) consulted with the devils, and said, what credit * In the Hormazd Yast, Hormazd is expressly called the "Creator of Good." The publisher of the Rahnama-i-Zartusht, with a view to convince me, as he supposes, cf the Supreme Divinity of Hormazd, has sent me a translation, roughly made by one of his friends, of part of the Hormazd Yast, in which one of the names of Hormazd, said to be mentioned by himself, is rendered by him " Creator, in my good sense and wisdom, of every good thing that is well known in the world for its purity." This rendering shows how careful,even in the present day, are the Parsis not to attribute to Hormazd the creation of animals and objects believed to be impure. Its author seems to imagine that it would he troublesome to Hormazd ac- tually to know all things, for after mentioning that he is "Omniscient," he adds, " That is All-knowing, or possesses as much knowledge as is necessary for knowing all things." Afterwards, however, without limi- tation, he speaks of Hormazd, as the " Creator of all things (i. e. the uni- verse)," and as the " Beholder of all things," and "Omniscient." The fact is that many of the Parsis know not what to make of Hormazd, to escape the reproach which their sacred books suggest. Yet in the repetitionof his name, would appear to be their safety from " the dangers and injuries of evil genii, wicked men, sorcerers, fairies, tyrants, blind men, who are misled and regard the perfections of the Almighty with an evil eye, persons who do not believe in the pure faith (and in the revela- tion), daring high-way men, instigators of quarrels (i. e. cheats or knaves misinterpreters of the Avasta), ravenous quadrupeds, such as tigers or wolves, numerous armies of enemies, persons who keep offensive instru- ments and banners, and sharp instruments, and persons who carry with them weapons of destruction." (Translation of the Hormazd Yast forward- ed to me by Pestanji Manakji). — W. TRANSLATION OF THE S1FAT-I-SIKOZAII. 551 is it to Ormizd to have so many fine creations, whilst they are all in dark- ness, for the could not make the light. Now, if he had been wise he would have gone to his mother, and the sun would have been born a son to him, and known his sister, and he would beget the moon : at the same time he enjoined that no one should reveal the secret. Put this having come to the knowledge of the devil Mahnii, he immediately repairs to Ormizd and discovers the secret to him. What ignorance and absurd stupidity ! He who could find the way of creating the heavens and the earth and all things, could not discover the slender means of certain in- ventions, on which they not only represent Ormizd as unwise and igno- rant, but Ahriman as the inventor of good works. As they further allege that Ahriman said, that I am not unable to make good works, but I am unwilling; and to prove which, be created the peacock. It is seen therefore, that he is evil by will and not by nature. Now, what is there more magnificent than light, which Ahriman found means of inventing,* and what more beautiful than the peacock which he created in order to show its beauty ? Whereby it is clear, that if Ahri- man were evil by nature he would neither have been the inventor of the light nor the maker of any beautiful creations. Also, if the devils had been wicked by nature, it was impossible for Mahmi to have been the revealer of the means of creating the light; to whom (Mahmi) the priests of that religion to this day offer sacrifice three times in the year; wherefore they are reproachfully condemned as worshippers of the devil; and, the devils are not wicked by nature but. by will. And worshippers if they offer sacrifice to the devil, with what face did they persecute the of the devil ! It is clearly seen, therefore, that all that is said by them is fabulous, and idle stories. E.— TRANSLATION OF THE SIFAT-I-SIROZAH OF THE PARSlS.t BY JOHN WILSON, D.D. In the third volume of Anquetil du Perron's translation of the Zand- Jlvasta, there are versions of two small liturgical works of the Parsfs, en- titled by him the "Lesser Si-roz6"\ and the "Greater Sirozi." There is, another Sirozi [of a very different kind], however, possessed by the Par-Is which he does not translate. It treats of the qualities of the thirty days of the month, as auspicious or inauspicious. Though its intimations are absurd in the highest degree, it exercises great influence over the whole body of Zoroaslrians. It is so much regarded by them, that there isscarce- * This idea is foreign to the Parsi faith. — i W. t This article, to which reference is made in the 126th page of this work is reprinted from the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, No. VIII. t From si thirty, and rox day. 552 APPENDIX. ly a family without a copy, and there are few individuals who have not its precepts written on the tablet of their hearts. On this account, as well as because of the brief information which it gives respecting the Amshdspands and Izads, to whom the days of the month are sacred, it is not unworthy of the attention of Europeans. It exists in the Persian language ; but there are several Gnjarati versions, which are generally used.* The transla- tion which I give is very literal, and is formed from a collation of these versions, and a careful comparison with the original. I have added a few explanatory notes. The only general remark which I would make on the Precepts of Fate which this Sirozah contains, is, that its framers seem to have made such a distribution of good and evil throughout the month, and its different days, as is calculated to render those who credit it, neither much elated, nor much cast down, on account of any of its por- tions. Blessings and curses are made to go hand in hand during the whole journey of the moon. The following is a list of the names of Celestial Beings who preside over the days of the month, as given in the Paklavi Furhang: I jj^puuj 2 |£,pu| 3 | (vs jo jj l ^ pj 4 | pll ^-10 5 /£ule)ju Anhuma, Vahnman, Antavahisht, Shatnavin, Sapandomad, Glijolpu "i^^i^jj 8 | | | qa_u I I g) _» >o 9|IIqa_u lOjjjj^, Khundad, Amandad, Dini pavan Atun, Atun, Avdn, II V 12-»-u£ 13^ 14-oj^ lSiii^Mg J>0j 10 |||^ Khur, Mafia, Tir, Gosh, Dini pavan Mdtun, Malun, 17 ^,r>J3 18 II-o^ 191^)0^ 20^^)1, 21^, Sarush, Rashan, Farvardin, Varakr&m, Ram, 22 |^ jj | 23 | ^ | ) 6 JH3? 24 | m 25 ^)Mf 26 | _o ro -jo jj Jf'dd, Dini pavan Din, Din, .ltd, Ashtdd, 27 |yu£-o_ij 28|pj£ ? 30^')_,>w| .Ismdn, Zamidd, Mdnsaraspand, Anirdn. I, Let it be known to all that the first day of the month of the Behe- din, is that of the good Ilormazd. This day is reckoned auspicious for all good undertakings, especially such as commencing new buildings, sending children to school (for the first time), and commencing the cultivation of a field or garden. It is auspicious for all kinds of consultation, for selling and for buying, for uniting together, and for marrying ; for dressing in new clotbes, and for cutting nails. Shaving, going to the bath, and perjury, on this day, meet with instantaneous punishment from God. If a person be taken ill, he will soon be restored to health. The day is well adapted for * I am indebted to Manackji, Kharshedji, M.K.A.S., for aiding me in procuring some of the copies which I have used. t The Pahlavi letters arc not given in the Journal of the Asiatic Society. TRANSLATION OF THE SIFAT-I-SIROZAH. 553 a short journey. If a person may have mislaid any thing, lie will recover it. Should a child be born, it becomes very fortunate, and enjoys long life. Dreaming is attended with good ; and the dream ought not to be revealed to any person, till its result be known. The signification of a dream will be manifest, and not occult. What hns now been stated accords with expe- rience, through the divine power. We have not divine authority for our statements. 2. The second day is that of Bahman, the angel who presides over the increase of mankind, and protects horses and goats. It is a fortunate dayi and well suited to sensual indulgences, to the performance of marriage ceremonies, to the drinking of wine,* to putting on new clothes, to scrap- ing nails, to forming new hopes, to contracting friendly alliances, and to giving instruction. Taking medicine and riding on horseback are on this day detrimental. It is fortunate for visiting a king, and for holding con- sultations. The child born this day is of a comely figure, but is possessed of neither good talents nor sense. The illness of a person who is attacked this day, will be long in duration, though he may recover. If any thing be lost or missing, it will be found. Should a tree be planted, it will wither, or its fruit will not be good. Events dreamt of, will occur in four days, but the hopes which may be cherished will be disappointed. 3. The third day is that of Ardebehisht, the angel who is the rninrdian of fire.t This day is inauspicious ; we should desist on it from doing any work. Fire must be worshipped. Nothing else must be done, lest its issue should prove unfortunate. It is to be maintained that whoever shall work this day, will repent it at the end. The day is certainly not good for sell- ing and buying. The child born this day will be miserable, stupid, and deceitful, during a long life. Good reports are neither to be approved nor credited. The visions of dreams will not he realized. Should a person fall ill, his life is in danger. If any thing be lost, it will never be recover- ed, unless by a special interposition of Providence. 4. The fourth day is that of Sharivar, the angel who presides over hills and mountains, and over mines, gold, and silver. This is a good day ; and it is suitable fur diversion, for marriage-ceremonies, and for contracts. It is auspicious for erecting buildings, for cultivating land, for selling, buy- ing and laying new foundations, for going to the court of a magistrate, for treating an enemy with hatred, for going to the court of a king, and form- ing hopes, and for purchasing a horse. But proceeding to a foreign coun- try, putting on new clothes, and going to a bath, are forbidden. The child born this day becomes very virtuous, and speaks but little ; and on any person exacting obedience from it, he will be respected. The person who gets indisposed on this day will speedily recover. The visions of dreams will be speedily realized. An article lost or missing will soon be found. 1 here will be truth in reports heard. 5. 'I he fifth day of the month is that of Sipandarmad, the protector of • On jlie clay of Bahman, as likewise on three • thcr days afterwards mentioned, the Par- sis eat no flesh. They are not forbidden, however, the use of flesh. + This is one of the four days of the month on which the more " devout" of the PArsis re. pair to the fire-temples. 51 554 APPENDIX. animated beings. This day is unfortunate; and consequently we must re- train from doing any work. Prayers may be made in private; and, by all means, we musl keep ourselves quiet. The day, however, is well adapted to commencing the perusal of a book. On this day we may sail across a river,* and make the earth joyful. Nothing else ought to be done. If a person happen to fall ill this day. he will not soon recover, and if he does not improve within rive days, he will probably die. The child born will be for- tunate and courageous. The visions of dreams will have a speedy realiza- tion. Things which are missing or mislaid, will never be recovered. Re- ports heard on this day will prove insignificant, or be afterwards contra- dicted. 6. The sixth day of the month is that of Khurdad, the angel who pre- sides over water and vegetation. It is a fortunate day and auspicious for sowing seeds, and planting trees, for drinking wine, and openino- veins; for setting out on a long journey, and marrying. But no new hope should be entertained. The day is suitable for shaving, for scrapino- nails, and for going to a bath. The child born this day will prove of bad character and qualities. Those who fall sick will soon be restored. The visions of dreams will be realized before the close of a day. Whatever may be lost or mis- laid, will never be recovered. Humours will not be contradicted, but prove true. 7. The seventh day of the month is that of the Amshaspand (archano-el) Amardad, who presides over trees and grass. This is not a good day ; and during it no work should be performed. But the worshipping God (by of- ferings) and praying to him publicly, and any thing of a like nature may be done. Great men must not be visited this day. The child born will either speedily die, or if it live, will prove a bad one. The day is auspicious for forming unions, for learning science, and casting a malicious look at an enemy. The person taken ill will be in danger of his life ; and the good or bad result of a dream will be known within twenty days. Any thino- lost or mislaid will not be recovered. Rumours will not prove false. t 8. The eighth day is denominated from Depadar Izad. It is a lucky day. Selling and buying, laying new foundations, dressing in new clothes, and bathing, and drinking wine, are proper. It is also good for eating and drinking, and marrying, when music is laid aside. It is good in like man- ner for travelling. But planting young trees, and commencing new works are forbidden. No war or negotiations ought to be made this day. The child that is born will prove honest, and expert in reading and writing and other kinds of learning. He will be the instrument of good to others. If a person be taken ill this day, he will probably soon recover; but if lie con- tinue ill for twenty days, he will certainly die. Should any thing be lost or mislaid, it will be found. The visions of dreams will be realized within ten days. The intelligence which may be heard, will be partly false, and partly true. • Or take a short voyr.ge. , t The preceding seven days are sacred, it will be observed, to the seven Amsh&spandB, viz, llormazd, Bahmau, Ardcbehisht, Sharivar, Sipanddrmad, Khurdad, and Amardad. The days which follow are sacred to the Izads. TRANSLATION OF THE SIFAT-I-SIKOZAH. o5b 9. The ninth day ol the month is denominated from A'dar, the angel who presides over fire.* This day is inaospiciouS and anlocky. There should be cessation from labour during its continuance. The ch,ld born this day will be dishonest and mischievous, cowardly and guilty of manslaughter, and of a malevolent disposition. If any thing be mislaid or lost, it will not be found. Should any person get ill, he will continue indisposed for a long time. The visions of dreams will be realized within a fortnight The in- telligence received this day will prove false. 10 The tenth day of the month is denominated from A'wan Izad,1 who presides over water. The day is lucky, and may be used for all good works. Commencing cultivation, laying the foundations of buildings, purchasing cattle,| putting on new clothes, cutting out new clothes, and discharging debts are proper. Should a person start on a journey this day, he w.ll get possessed of immense property and wealth. But the day is not good for fiVhtino- battles, or holding negotiations; for deposing money, bath.ng, scraping nails, and sitting in water. The child born this day w.ll be weal- thy and prove a blessing to its parents ; and it will enjoy long l.fe. If any thino- be mislaid or lost this day, it will be recovered. Should any person o-et unwell, he will either recover within eighteen days, or w.ll d.e after That time. The visions of dreams will be realized within ten days. The news heard will prove true. 11. The eleventh day is that of Khfirshid, the angel who pres.des over the sun. This day is auspicious, and proper for all good works. What- ever work is required may be performed ; but marriage, sensual pleasures, and setting out on a journey, are to be avoided. Should any person pray to God, he will obtain his desires. The child born this day, w.ll be pos- sessed of good talents, and will become learned, and enjoy many comforts. He who steals anv thing this day, will soon be punished. He who falls sick, will soon recover. If any thing be lost or mislaid, it will be found again. The news heard will prove true. 12. The twelfth day of the month, is that of the angel Maha,§ who takes care of cattle. This is an excellent day. All sorts of amusement, and diversion, and enjoyment, visits to ministers, and consultations with them, and the maltreatment of enemies, are lawful. The visions of dreams will be realized within three days. This day is favourable for the cultiva- tion of land, and the prosecution of learning. But it is not good for deposit- ing money, and for killing and eating cattle. || Should any one wish to re- commence a work which was discontinued, he should twice pray and prac- tise o-enuflexion ; and after his morning prayer is finished, the sun, the illuminator of the universe, must be invoked. But the prayer should be offered from the terrace of a house or from the summit of a mountain ; the prayer is then immediately granted. The child born this day becomes very enterprising and fortunate. Should the public send any person on * On this day the fire temples are frequented. t Or Aban. t Or quadrupeds. § Or M;ih. tl This day is on the same foolingwilh regard to animal food as thai of Bahnian, already no- ticed. Mr. Erskine, 1 may here remark, is not strictly correct, when he says that the Parsis have no fasts. 556 APPENDIX. deputation, the day will prove luck}'. If a person fall sick, he will soon recover his health, though he may suffer great distress. What is lost wil] be recovered. The visions of dreams will be immediately realized. The news heard will prove true. 13. The thirteenth day of the month is that of Tir, the angel who pre. sides over clouds and rain. This day is inauspicious ; no work ought to be performed during its continuance ; but it is suitable for worship, prayer, and sacrifice. Should any one form new desires, they will be successful. Should any one contract a friendship or effect a reconciliation, he will be injured. There ought to be no shaving, or scraping of nails. It is not pro- bable that a birth will occur this day; but should a child be born, it will prove wicked and debauched. If any one becomes unwell this day, he will recover. Jf one be attacked with fever, he will be better within twenty- eight days. Articles lost will not be again found. Dreams will be realized within forty days, and news will prove false. 14. The fourteenth day is that of Gosh, the angel who presides over animals.* This is a good day, and suitable for selling and buying, for con- ferring benedictions, opening veins, dressing in new suits, taking medicine, and making the earth flourishing, for sport and amusement, for giving in marriage, and for making private negotiation. The child that is born will be a poet and an astronomer, and fortunate and wealthy. Should any thing be lost or mislaid this day, it will be recovered. If a person fall sick, he will soon be restored. The visions of dreams will be realized within twenty days. The news heard will prove true. 15. The fifteenth day of the month is called Depmeher, the lzad who presides over all the languages of the world. These languages are seventy- two in number, as known to the glorious God, and to ourselves. This is an auspicious day, and is suitable for all kinds of good undertakings. This day should be devoted to charity and prayer. Reconciliation may be made with friends; estates may be purchased ; baths may be attended ; heads may be shaved ; children may be sent to school ; and hopes may be entertained. But none should set out on a journey, or deposit any article with others. The child born this day, will be universally beloved, and expert in the use of bows and arrows. His death will occur in the first, month of a year. The visions of dreams will be realized the same day. Should any one pray twice this day, and supplicate for any thing, he will readily obtain it. He who is ill will soon get well. If a person be imprisoned, it will be long be- fore he will be set free. He will be frightened. Evil deeds should be re- frained from. News will prove true. 1G The sixteenth day is that of Meher lzad (Mithra), the angel who re- sides with the sun and presides over the blossoming of trees. It is a lucky day. Selling and buying, planting trees, and cultivating fields, purchasing land, giving entertainments, travelling, opposing an enemy, indulging in amusement, drinking wine, entertaining new hopes, and, in a word, all pure works, are on this day auspicious. But shaving, going to a bath, anointing the body, sensual enjoyments, and putting on a new jamah, 1 are prohibited, * Hence no flesh is eaten on this day. t The upper vest, as distinguished from the Sadar, or perhaps, a complete suit. TRANSLATION OF THE SIFAT-I-S1ROZAH. OOl lest great evils should accrue. The child hum this day will become a noto- rious liar, and daring blasphemer. Marriage ia on tins day auspicious. If any one become unwell, he will be restored within five days. If any thing be lost or mislaid, it will be recovered The visions of dreams will be real- ized before the close of the day. The news heard will mostly be true. 17. The seventeenth day is that of Serosh, the angel who presides over learning." This is an inauspicious day ; all work should be laid aside. Worshipping, praying, entertaining hopes, visiting kings and great men, and returning home from a foreign country, are good. The child born will enjoy long life, and become a drunkard and debauchee. Should any one contract aV.endship this day, the friend will prove a foe. Should any one be attacked with illness, or fever, he will not live, but at the end of seven- teen days he will die. If any one be committed to prison, he will either come out within ten days, or meet death. All the visions of dreams will prove false. If any thing be lost or mislaid, it will be recovered. The news heard will prove true. 18. The eighteenth day of the month is that of Rashne, the angel who presides over truth and righteousness, t It is an auspicious day. For re- creation and amusement, for selling and purchasing, for aspiring at some- thing new, and for taking medicine, for bathing, and for shaving the head, it is particularly suitable; but for scraping and cutting nails, putting on new clothes, drawing blood, or drinking wine, it is unsuitable. Should any per- son take medicine on this day, he will experience a speedy cure, and con- tinue well for a year. The child born this day will become a good man, and be endowed with a calm and modest disposition. Should any person get unwell, he will soon recover. The visions of dreams will be fulfilled within sixteen days. If any thing be lost or mislaid, it will be recovered. The news heard will prove true. 10. The nineteenth day is that of Farvardin, the angel who presides over Paradise,i and over the souls of men. This day is very auspicious. A journey may be commenced, deposits may be made. Illum'n. 1823, and consecrated by Dastur Edalji Darabji Kustamji Sanjaua. 5. Surat. The second temple was erected by Pestanji Kalabhai Wakil, and consecrated by Dastur Sohorabji Jamshedji, the famous Zand scholar, in Samvat 1S80, or a. d. 1823. 558 APPENDIX. Blood may be drawn; all kinds of bargains ore auspicious. But Uie foun- dations of buildings OUghl not to be laid, lest they should soon be injured. .Now clothes .should not be put on, and nails should not be cut. The child linrn will be of a beautiful form, and excellent disposition. If a person fall ill, he will long suller, hut he will eventually he restored. The visions of dreams will he realized in eight da3's. The things lost or mislaid will he recovered. News will prove false. 20. The twentieth day is that of Behrani,* the angel who presides over travellers. It is a good day , worship ought to be performed, and alms dis- pensed. Consultation may be held with an enemy. Good things may be desired. Should a person start on a journey, he will acquire considerable wealth, and will return in safety. New clothes should not be put on, and no marriage or amusement should take place. The child born will prove a poet and an astrologer. The visions of dreams will he realized within leu days. If any thing be lost, it will he recovered ; and if a person elopes with any article, he will he seized and punished. News heard will prove true. If a person gets unwell, he will be in danger of his life. All this is agreeable to our experience, as God knows. 21. The twenty-first day is that of Ram,! the angel who presides over destiny.] This is a good day. Worship maybe performed, hopes entertain- ed, blood drawn, and cattle purchased ; but shaving, bathing, and cutting nails, are forbidden. The child born will be miserable and ill-looking. If a person get unwell, his life will be in danger. The visions of dreams will prove delusive. Whatever may be stolen or mislaid will be recovered. News heard will prove false. 22. The twenty-second day of the month is that of Guvad (Vad),§ the angel who presides over the winds. It is a good day. The purchase and ornamenting of cattle are proper. Work should be deliberately done this day ; for if it be rashly done, the issue will be bad. Should any person start on ajourney, he will encounter many difficulties, hut at the end he will ac complish his objects. News heard will prove true. The child born will he circumspect. In the first stage of life he will experience misery, but in the last he will possess riches. If any person get unwell, he will soon he re. stored. The visions of dreams will be realized. If any thing be lost or mis- laid, it will be recovered. 23. The twenty-third day of the month is that of Dep-Din, who is God himself. This is an inauspicious day. All works should he suspended; but God should be worshipped and adored. Selling and purchasing, dress- ing in new clothes, starling on a journey, taking amusement, and marrying 0. Miirnliai (Bombay). The second temple, which is re frequeuted than an) in Bombay, was erected by Wadlaji Shot Hormazdj I BehmanJI, la Samvat 1867, or a. d. ism, and con aecrateil by Dastur EdaJ Darn Sanjina, the highprlesl of the Sbehersahis, the larger of the wo sects Into which the Kablaafa controversy has divided the i'arsis of India. ' Tin- temple "i Behre.ni i» much frequented on this day. I .No animal food is used nil this da\ . J Kismat, incorrectly written Khatwet, in some copies, | Oi Bad. TRANSLATION OF TllF. S1F AT-I-SIUOZ All . 559 are proper. A person guilty of perjury to-day, will be immediate!} punish f'd and disgraced by God. If a child be born it will enjoy long life. A per- son who may get unwell will arrive ;ii the point <>i death, yel God will eventually restore Ins health. Whatever may be dreaml of, ought to be kept seeret. If any thing be lost or mislaid, it will be recovered, Reports heard will prove true, ms God k n« > w s 24. Tlie twenty-fourth day "i the month is thai of Din, the angePwho presides over the Mazdayasnan religion. It is an auspicious day, and suit- able for approving works. During it amusements, marriages, and the lay ing the foundation of new bouses, are proper; nootherkind of work should be done. The child born will be a blessing to its parents, and become pos- sessed ofgreal property. Should any person be taken ill. he will soon be restored. The visum ol dreams will he realized before the close ofthe day. Should any person run away he will get into difficulties, and will speedily return. Reports heard will prove (rue. as God knows. 25. The twenty-fifth day ofthe month is that. ofAshasang, the angel who presides over religious mendicants. It is an inauspicious day, and during its continuance all works should be laid aside. I5ut hopes may be entertained, because they will soon be fulfilled. The child born will suffer illness and pain, or will meet with a violent death. Jt'a man tall ill, it will go hard with him. The visions of dreams will he had, and their issue un- pleasant. They will he realized within live days. The news heard will prove false. 26. The twenty-sixth day is that of Ash tad, the angel who presides over the seeds of the earth. This is a good day, and proper for all good works. New works may be commenced this day, buildings may he begun, wine may be drunk, journeys may he entered upon, and there may he Belling and buying. The child born will live in poverty, though called to labour hard. The person who becomes unwell will soon he restored. Whatever may In- lost, or missing, will be recovered before the day close. The visions "i dreams will be realized within ten days. News heard will prove tree. Wed dings which take place to-day, will end in future divorces. 27. The twenty-seventh day is that oi A 'sman, the angel who presides over heaven. It is an excellent day, and is suitable for work. It is suita- ble for despatching a messenger or a letter, for drinking wine, for putting on new clothes, for shaving, for forming new desires, for marrying, and foi forming connexions. But it is inauspicious for drawing blood. The child horn will prove correct in morals, and fortunate. Whoever may he taken ill will soon be restored. Whatever may be lost or stolen, will seen here covered. The visions of dreams will he realized within ten days .New-. heard will prove false. 28. The twenty-eighth day ol the month is that of Zamiad, the angel who presides over fruit-hearing trees. This is an indifferent day. All work should be desisted from. A journey is not good No deposit should be made- Few children will he horn this day : and such as are horn, will speedily die. The visions of dreams will soon he realized. Should a person elope, he will be apprehended. Should a person he taken ill. he will speedily recover. News heard will prove false. '-".">. The twenty-ninth day ofthe month is that of Maharaspnnd. the antrol 560 APPENDIX. who presides over paradise. It is a good day, and suitable for labour. Set- tin* ** *** b00k of Moses, xxu J8 to have been necessarily connected with Abraham for of this patriarch it is said, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the' ear h be blessed " The deliverer, according to the same authority 2, 4 .was necessanly connected with Isaac, because the promise was ad- dressed to him .exactly in the same words, «In thy seed shall all the na- h^ty ttirS e9Sed-" T"e deliV6rer aCCOrdi"= <° t,ie »- - thonty xxv„, 14, was connected with Jacob, for with regard to him it ,s.,kew,se said '.In thee and in thy seed shall all the f^ilies of the earth be blessed." That Christ was a descendant of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, ,t cannot, and will not be denied. ' RadlTn1 ITT fr0m '^ reP^ t0 HSji Muhammad Hashim, entitled Radd^.Dm Musalmam, published in Hindustani and Persian. 564 APPENDIX. When Jacob was dying, he thus addressed his son Judali, "The scep- tre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Sliilch come, and unto him shall the gathering of the peop'e be." The word Shiloh is equivalent to Messiah ; and it was just when the tribe or country of Judah was about to lose its civil power, that Christ appear- ed, and introduced that Spiritual Kingdom which will continue forever. Moses, in his fifth bcok, xviii. 15 — 20, gives the following important prophecy : — "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall heark- en ; according to all that thou desirest of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day ofthe assembly saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more that I die not. And the Lord said unto me they have well spoken that which they have 6poken. I will raise them up a prophet, from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth ; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that who- soever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet who shall presume to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die." The words of Moses clearly point to the Israelites, as the people from whom the great prophet was to spring. " The Lord thy God," he says, II will raise up unto thee a prophet/rom the midst of thee, of thy brethren." The speciality of his language sets the matter at rest. The Apostle Peter, in Acts, iii. 22, and Stephen the first Martyr of Christ, in Acts vii. 37, apply the prophecy to Christ.. . . Christ was a prophet like unto Moses, as is evident from his intimacy with his Father, the doctrines which he taught, the miracles which he performed, the prophecies he delivered, the change which he introduced in the dispensation ofthe covenant of grace, and other circumstances. He was in fact a prophet greater than Moses. We have numerous prophecies connected with the Messiah, in the Psalms of David, and the writings of the Prophets. I shall select some of the most important of them, which refer to his Divine Dignity ; his hu- man descent; the circumstances of his birth ; the places of his residence; the condition of his life ; the nature of his work ; the extent of his suffer- ings ; his resurrection from the grave ; his ascension into her.ven : the consequences of his advent ; and the danger of neglecting his Salvation; I shall subjoin to them an account of their fulfilment as stated in the New Testament, and certified by history. 1. The divine dignity of the Messiah is alluded to in the following passages, in some of which it is certified that he should be both God and Man. Prophecies. "Thy throne O God, Fulfilment. "God who at sundry is forever and ever ; the sceptre of times and in divers manners spake thy kingdom is a right sceptre: in time past unto the fathers by the PROPHECIES RESPECTING CHRIST WITH THEIR FULFILMENT. 565 Thou lovest righteousness, and hat- prophets, hath in these last days est wickedness, therefore God, thy spoken unto us by his Son, whom he God, hath anointed thee with the hath appointed heir of all things, by oil of gladness above thy fellowa." whom also he made the worlds. ... Psalms, xlv. 6,1. "I will declare For unto which of the angels said the decree; the Lord hath said unto he at any time, Thou art my Son,t.his me, Thou art my Son, this day day have I I u* gotten thee? And a- have I bep-otten thee." Psalm ii. gain I will be to him a Father and 7. "Then thou spakest in vision to he will be to me a son? And again, thy holy one, andsaidst, I have laid when he bringeth the first begotten help upon one that is mighty : I have into the world, he saith, And let exalted one chosen out of the peo- all the angels of God worship him. pie. I will make him my first born And of the angels he saith, who higher than the kings of the earth." maketh his angels spirits,and his mi- Psalms, lxxxix. 18. "Unto us a child nisters a flame of fii e. But unto the is born, unto us a Son is given, and Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is the government shall be upon his for ever and ever, a sceptre of right- shoulder ; and his name shall be eousness is the sceptre of thy king- called Wonderful, Counseller, The dom, &,c. Hebrews, i. 1 — 9. "They mighty God, The everlasting Fa- shall call his name Emmanuel, which ther, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah, being interpreted is, God with us." ix. 6. Mat til. i. 23. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the g'ory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John, i. 14. Whose [the Israelites] are the fathers, and of whom as con- cerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever, A- men." Romans, ix. 5. II. The human descf.nt of Christ, as connected ivith the Jews, and the families of Jesse and David, is distinctly marked in the following passagts. Prophecies. "And there shall come Fulfilment. "Jesse begat David forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, the king. The bo, k of the gene- and a branch shall grow ontofhis ration of Jesus Christ, the Son of roots. And the spirit of the Lord David. Mai the w, i. 6, 1. "The shall rest upon him. And he shall Lord God shall give to him the set up an ensign for the nations, and throne of his Father David.' Luke, shall assemble the outcasts of Isra- i. 32. el." Isaiah, xi. 1, 2, 12. "My cove- nant will I not break, nor alter the thing which is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness 566 APPENDIX. that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me." Psalm, lxxxix. 34— 3G. III. Several circumstances connected toith the birth of the Messiah are mentioned. I. The Messiah icas to be born of a virgin. Prophecies. "Behold a virgin Fulfilment. "Now the birth of shall conceive, and bear a son, and Jesus Christ was on this wise: shall his call name Emmanuel." When as his mother Mary was es- Isaiah vii, 14. " The Lord hath poused to Joseph, before they came created a new thing in the earth, a together she was found with child woman shall compass a man. Jere- of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph miah, xxxi. 22. her husband being a just man, and not willing to make her a public ex- ample, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife : for that which is conceived of her is of the Holy Ghost, and she shall bring forth a son, and thou sbalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew, i. 21. See also the first chapter of Luke. tj. The Messiah teas lo be bom at bethlehem. Prophecy. "But thou Beth- Fulfilment. " Jesus was born in lehera Ephratah, though thou be Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of tittle among the thousands of Ju- Herod the King." Matthew, ii. 1. dah, yet out of thee shall he come Read to the twelfth verse, forth unto mp, that is to be ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth have been from of old from everlasting." Mioan, v. 2. 3. The Messiah was to come before the destruction of the second temple of Jerusalem, and at a time when there should be a general ex- pectation of him. Prophecy. "And I will shake all Fulfilment. When Christ was nations, and the desire of all nations born, wise men from the East, as shall come, and I will fill this house stated in the second chapter of [the second temple]witbglory,saith Matthew, came to inquire about the Lord of hosts." Haggai, ii. 7. him. He often preached in the tern- PROPHECIES RESPECTING CHRIST WITH THEIR FULFILMENT. 567 pie of Jerusalem, as appears from many passages of the gospels ; ani it was destroyed about forty years after his death- 4. The Messiah was lo be preceded bu a messenger who should prepare the people for his advent, and preach in the wilderness. Prophecies. "Behold I will send Fulfilment. "There was a man my messenger, and he shall prepare sent from God whose name was the way before me : and the Lord John. The same came for a witness whom ye seek shall suddenly come to bear witness of the light, that all to his temple." Malaclii, iii, 1. "The men through him might believe, voice of him that crieth in the wild- And this is the record of John, when erness, Prepare ye the way of the the Jews sent Priests and Levites Lord, make straight in the desert a from Jerusalem to ask him, who art highway for our God." Isaiah xl, 3. thou? lie said I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah. John, i. 19, 23. IV. Several of the places which the Messiah was lo visit, or in which he ivas to reside, are mentioned. 1. EGYPT. Prophecy. "I loved him and call- Fulfilment. "He (Joseph) arose ed my Son out of Egypt." Ilosea, and took the young child, and his i. 1, mother by night, and departed in- to Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod ; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egvpt have 1 called my son," Matth. iC'u, 15. 2. zebulon and naphta.lt, and other places o/galilee. Prophecy. "The people [of Zebu- Fulfilment. " When Jesus had Ion and Naphtali and Galilee] that heard that John was cast into pris- walked in darkness have seen a on, he departed into Galilee, and great liUUu !,il Powerful as .Ifrasiab. 582 APPENDIX. the throne of his ancestors. JEschylus, who flourished but an hundred years after this event, rightly attributes the recovery of the empire to this prince, whom he calls a Mede, in his Tragedy of the Persians : " The first Leader of the army, says he, was a Mede ; the next, his son, com- pleted (or rather promoted) this work, for wisdom guided his mind : the third was Cyrus, a fortunate man." It is evident that these three kings are Kai Kobad *, Kai Kaus, and Kai Kosru or Khosru ; whom the Greeks call Cyaxeres, Darius the Mede, and Cyrus. The first syllable of Cyaxeres is apparently the Kai of the Persians, which signifies a Great King, and was prefixed to the names of those three princes, whence the whole race were named Kaianians. The ancients tell us, that Ctjaxeres slew the Scythian chiefs at a feast, to which he had invited them ; but the Easterns are silent on this head, and it seems more probable, that the Tartars were compelled by force to repass the Oxus ; our authors make them retire beyond Cholcos and Poeria, confounding, as usual, the Orien- tal with the N'orlhern Scythians. Kai Kobad made several wise regula- tions in his kingdom, and ordered the public roads to be divided intoyar- sangs or spaces of about four miles. KAI KAUS f (B. C. 600.) is called by our writers Dariasthe Mede,and it may here be observed, that Dara, or the Sovereign, was rather an epi- thet than a proper name of the Persian Kings; so that the Daricks, or pieces of money, which were known at Athens, might have been coined by any Peisian Monarch, and have born that name without the least im- propriety. We must also remember, that the Asiatic princes had several different names or titles, which circumstance has been the source of great confusion in our histories of the East. The Persian writers mention no- thing of the Lydian war; they only say, that Kai Kaus carried his arms into the Lower Asia, and was very success/id in his entcrprize. The Tu- ranians, led by another Afrasiab, invaded Persia a third time, and laid waste the province of Media. Siavash, son of Kai Kaus, being unjust- ly accused by Suddbd, his father's concubine, of an attempt to violate her, went over to Afrasiab, who received him with open arms, and gave hinj his daughter in marriage. This princess was called Firenkis by the Per- sians, and Mandane by the Greeks, who had a singular fondness for soft and melodious names, and neglected truth itself for a pleasing sound. A few months after her nuptials, Siavash, who deserved a longer life, was killed by a brother of Afrasiab, and the princess, of whom Khosru was soon after born, was obliged to fly with her- infant- The young Khos- ru was, some years after, seen by a Persian general, who guessed by his features that he was the son of Siavash, and, his conjecture being confirm- ed by the Princess his mother, he brought them both into Persia, where Kai Kaus embraced his grandson with the highest joy imaginable, and, after a short interval, resigned his throne to him. HISTORICAL LEGENDS OF PERSIA. 583 KAI KHOSRU*, or CYRUS, (B. C. 568.) whom the Persians consi- der almost as a demi-god, determined to avenge the death of his father, and to deliver his kingdom from the tyranny of AJrasidb. He, therefore, assembled all his forces and gave battle to the usurper, who, on the other side, was supported by the kings of Khutai and India: but the valour of Cyrus, and of his general Rustam, prevailed against the united powers of so many sovereigns, and Afrasiab lost his life in the mountains of Media. This war is celebrated in a noble poem, by the illustrious Fir- dausi, who may well be called the Homer of Persia. LOHORA'SP f (B. C. 530) was placed on the throne before the death of Cyrus, who lived some years after his resignation. One would think at first, that he was the Cambyses of the Greeks ; but nothing can be more different than the characters of Cambyses and of Lohordsp, the first being described as a cruel tyrant, the second as a virtuous and amiable prince. He had a general named Gudarz\, who, according to the Oriental wri- ters, pushed his conquests very far into the west. GUSHTA'SP§, (B. C. 500) whom the Greeks call Darius, the son of Hystaspes, transferred the seat of empire from Balkh in Khorasan to Is- takhar, for which reason he was better known to the European than Loho- rasp, who led a retired life in the most eastern province of his kingdom. In his reign Zardusht or Zaralusht, whom we know by the name of Zo- roaster, is said to have published his moral work, which inculcated the doctrine of two principles, and recommended the worship of the good prin- ciple under the allegory of Light, which he opposed to the bad, whose emblem was Darkness. The king was much inclined to this doctrine, and raised a number of temples to the Sun, the fountain of Light ; which the people, as usual, conceiving in a gross and literal sense, began to adore, the effect instead of the cause, and the figure instead of the arche- type : the priests took the hint, and the Sun or Mithra, became really to them, as our alchymists absurdly consider it, a powerful elixir, which transformed their base metals into gold. The chief of Zaratushl's schol- ars was JdmdspW, who is said to have published a strange work upon As- trology. ARDESHIR,^ or BAHAMAjY, surnamed Dirazdast**, or The Long- handed, (B. C. 464.) is no doubt, the Artaxerxes of the Greeks who called him Makrokheir, a name literally translated from the Persian, and im- plying only a very extensive power. HOMAl\\, a name which signifies The Bird of Paradise, was the § U— ' "^ || In Persian U^*«Ula. if ;i**' «^;' Jirdeshir signifies in Persian a strong lion. 584 APPENDIX. daughter of Ardeshir, and sat on tlie throne during the infancy of her son Darab. She raised a sumptuous palace in the city of Jstakhar, some pil- lars of which remain to this day ; she built also a city called Samram, whence the learned M. d1 Herbelot supposes her to be Semiramis; but our chronologers place the reign of that princess three hundred years earlier. DA'RA'B, or DA'RA*, whom the Greeks cs.]\ The Bastard, succeeded to Homai (B. C. 424.) Here the Persian histories begin to be full of ab- surd fables, for we may suppose that the records of these times were lost or neglected during the Grecian wars. The Eastern writers tell a story of Ddrab, which has quite the air of a romance; " that he was ex- posed by his mother, like the Hebrew Lawgiver, on a river, which by its rapid current carried him to the habitation of a dyer who knew him to be a child of high birth by the trinkets, which adorned his cradle; that he was educated by this honest man, who sent him to the wars, where he distinguished himself in fighting against the Greeks ; that, being introduced to the queen as a brave youth, she knew him by the jewels which he wore, and which his reputed father had restored to him." So far we may indulge these writers in the lib- erty of embellishing their Chronicles with lively tales ; but we cannot so easily excuse them, when they make Alexander, the son of Z)a'ra'6,and tell us of a daughter of Philip, whom the king of Persia married, but sent back to Macedon after his nuptials, because he found her less agreeable than he supposed her to be. These are stories, which would be unwor- thy of The Thousand and one Days. There seems in this place to be a chasm of many years in the annals of the Persians ; for they say nothing of Ardeshir, son of Da'ra', by Pari- zddah. or Parysatis\, whose brother Cyrus led the Greeks to Babylon in that memorable expedition which Xenophon so elegantly relates ; nor of the third Ardeshir, whom our historians call Ochus; nor of J) 'rogns, whose true name it has not been in my power to discover. Now if we suppose, as we reasonably may, that these three kings reigned about twenty-one years each, we shall bring the reign of Da r a' the younger to the year 337 before Christ, which will agree tolerably well with the chronologers both of Asia and Europe. DA'RA' the younger is better known to us, than to the natives of Persia ; we may, however, be deceived in his character, for we represent him as a mild and benevolent prince, while they assert that he was severe, cruel, and implacable. The Persians cannot comprehend the motives that induc- ed Alexander to invade the dominions of Dara ; and they assign a number of ridiculous reasons for it, which are too absurd to be related : in many points, however, they agree with our historians. The success of Alexan- I *«3^"(^V born of an Angel, or Fairy. HISTORICAL LEGENDS OF PERSIA. 585 do; and the battle ofArbel *, or Mela, are too well known to need any further description. Vara was assassinated about three hundred and thir- ty years before our epoch, and the monarchy of the Kaianians was trans- ferred to the Greeks. How Jong the Greeks were able to hold the Persian empire in their own hands, or whether they ever intended to exclude the princes of Per- sia from all share in the government, are points not easy to be settled with any certainty ; but, if we suppose that the fifteen kings of the Ashkanians, who reigned before the birth of Christ, sat on the throne twenty years each one with another, we shall place the rise of that family three hun- dred years before our epoch; which calculation will not seem much amiss, if we believe, what the Persians assure us, that the successors of Alexander reserved for themselves only Irak or Parlhia and Persia, proper- ly so called, but resigned the more Eastern provinces to the princes of the royal family; while the descendants of Seleucus reigned in Syria. The founder of this race was Ashak or Arslfrk,] whom the Greeks call Arsa- ccs: his successors, who were styled Kings of Part/tin by our historians, reigned till about two hundred years after Christ, and are famous for no- thing but their wars against the Romans, in which they were always va- liant, and often successful. The last prince of the Ashkanians, or Par- thians, was Ardavdn \ known to us by the name of Artahanus, against whom Ardeshir revolted, and transferred the empire to the Sassaniais. The Sassanian Family. ARDESHIR BABEGAN^, A. D. 202. whom our writers call Arfa- tares, was the son of Sassan, a man originally in a low station of life, but descended from a son of Ardeshir the Long-handed, who was disinherited in favour of Homai. lie was surnamed Babegdn from Bvbcg his grand- father, who was a Persian prince of eminent rank, and was so pleased with the amiable qualities of Sassan, his shepherd, that he gave him his daughter in marriage. Ardeshir was bold and warlike, yet a wise and learned prince, and is said to have composed two excellent books, the first, a Kdrndmah\\, or a Commentary of his life and actions ; the second, a moral work, of which JVaushirvan (he Gnat, some ages after, published a second edition. These were employments truly worthy of great Princes ; but the Kings of Europe have not written many Kamdmahs, nor given many lessons of morality. SHAPUR*H, son of Ardeshir, whom we call Sapores, built many cities in Persia, and rebuilt that of JK'ishdpur**, which the Macedonians had de- • In Persian J^J Lat. 35c Long, 77° 20'. U £ftl 1 Jijdjl J&kj^tJ " 55 596 APPENDIX. stroyed. This Prince was very successful in his wars against the Roman emperors: lie reduced all Syria and Cilicia, and took Valerian prisoner, but was checked in his career by the more fortunate arms of Odenalus. In his reign Mdni , a Painter, having learned by the conversation of some Christians, that the Redeemer had promised to send a Comforter after him, formed the wild design of passing for the Paraclete; and, as no opini- ons are so absurd, which many will not embrace, he soon drew together a multitude of proselytes. Skdpw was enraged at this impostuie, and wished to punish the author of it ; but Mani found means to escape, and fled into Eastern Tartary, as far as the borders of China, having first told his followers, that he was going to heaven, and promised to meet them in a certain grot, at the end of the year. In his retreat he amused him- self with painting a number of strange figures and views, which, at the year's end, he showed to his disciples, as a work given to him by angels: he was a very ingenious artist, and had a lively fancy, so that his pictures which were finely coloured, easily persuaded the credulous multitude, in the infancy of the art in Asia, that they were really divine ; they were bound together, in a book called Artang\, which is often alluded to by the Persian poets, one of whom, addressing himself to a great painter, says, The point of thy pencil draws a line over the leaves of Jlrlang, that is effaces them J. Mani, by a whimsical mixture, blended in his doctrine the Metempsychosis of Brahma and Vishnu §, and the two Principles of Zaratusht, together with several tenets of the Gospel ; yet this motley religion, ridiculous as it may seem, was followed even by bishops and pa- triarchs. Our writers call the professors of this sect Manicheans, but they should, by analogy, be called Martians. The impostor was put to death in the reign of Baharum, grandson ofShapur: had he been, like Muham- mad, a successful warrior, instead of an obscure artist, his religion would, perhaps, have been spread over all Asia; for it was the miraculous privilege of the true faith alone, to make its way, in defiance of persecu- tion, by the force of its indisputable truth, and the sanctity of its precepts. HORMAZD\\, or Hormizdas, as our historians call him, had the ad- vantage of a graceful person, and an agreeable air ; but he was neither active nor warlike. He was much addicted to study, and strongly inclin- ed to favour Mani, whom his son, as it was said above, afterwards de- stroyed. JL III. IRAM,^ son of Hormazd, after the death of Mani, led a peaceful and studious life. He was sumamed The Beneficent, and used to say, that Good-nature and Benevolence could not be defined separately, because May were the aggregate of all Viitues. His adopted son, who succeeded * V^^° * ll&jJ or •*-&/)' § t^J-! and >*A' II &j*p ^ f^ HISTORICAL LEGENDS OF PERSIA. 5S7 him, paid liltlc regard to tliis maxim, and bis violence procured him the name of Khahf, or The Unjust* ; but it is said that lie changed his tem- per and conduct upon the remonstrances of his nobles. There was nothing memorable in the reign of his successor JVwsj'f, whom we call N'araea : Hormazd II. his son, was a just and magnificent prince ; he raised a Court of Judicature in his metropolis, in which he sometimes presided in person ; and he built, it is thought, the city of Hormaz in Carmania, the name of which was afterwards given to the is- land in the Persian Gulf, which our travellers call Ormus. SHAPUR, whom the Arabians name DHU LACTAF\, or The Round- Shouldered, was taken prisoner by the Greek Emperor, and, during his captivity, many of his finest provinces were laid waste; but having recovered his liberty by the help of the Emperor's mistress, he returned to Azarbaijdn, where he made himself known to his people, and soon af- ter totally defeated the Greeks: in memory of this action he built the ci- ty of Kazvin§, which, for its singular beauty, was also named Jamalabad.\\ His grandson Bahrain had but a short reign, which was disturbed by fre- quent rebellions. It was usual for the Persian kings to give their sons some considerable government with the title of Shah ; that of Carmania was allotted to Bahrain, who assumed, in consequence of it, the surname of Karmanshalrt, which our writers have corrupted into Carmasat. The reign of his son Yazdejard had nothing in it, that deserves to be related. BAHRAM the Fourth**, or the sixth, (A. D.351,) as some authors reck- on him, was educated in Arabia, and had some difficulty to recover the throne of Persia, which the nobles of his father's court had, in his ab- sence, given to a prince named Kasri. His favourite prey was a beast called Gur, which seems to be the Onagros, or, Wild Ass; and it is said that he was killed in a chase. The word Gur, which signifies a tomb, as well as a wild ass, gave occasion to a pun of some Persian wit, which circulated after Bahrain's death : See, says he, how Balaam, who chased the GCir, or wild ass all his life, ivas at length chased and taken by Gur, or the tomb. The successor of Bahrain was Yazdejard II. a wise and resolute prince, whose soldiers were so fond ofhim, that they gave him the surname of Sipahdost, or, Beloved by the army. He left his throne to his younger son Iformuz, surnamed Firzdnahtf, or, The Prudent ; but that prince was de- throned, in less than a year, by his elder brother Pino. ^ fc^JtP " ^' J^" The Region of Beavtv. IF sUoLji ' >J J fit H j\jf 588 APPENDIX. • FIR UZ*, having deposed his brother by the help of Khosnavaz, a king of the Indoscythians, soon forgot his obligation to him, and turned his arms against his protector ; but lie was constantly defeated by that prince, and was at last obliged to conclude a dishonourable peace. The people whom the Greeks call Indoscythians, and the Persians Haiatelis, inhabited the mountains between Kandahar and India, and were, perhaps, nearly the same with the Afghans, who ruined the Persian monarchy in the present age (i. e. last century). Belash and Cobad succeeded Firuz ; the second of them was the father of Nanshervan the Great, before whom Jamasp, or, as we call him, Zamas- pes, reigned one year. JVAUSHE R JfAJY\, better known in Europe by the name of Cosrocs, reigned till near the close of the sixth century ; he was a prince of eminent virtues, fortunate in war, and illustrious in peace. KHOSRU PARVIZ \ was a magnificent and amiable monarch : he fought against the Greek emperors with great success, but was at length defeated by Heraclius. He is said to have married a daughter of the Emperor Maurice, named Irene : the Persians call this princess Shirin, or Sweet, and the pi ogress of her love for Parviz furnished Nezami, and other poets, with the subject of an entertaining romance; they tell us that a certain statuary, named Farhad, was in love with the same lady, and pierced through the heart of a large mountain, either to gratify his mistress, or to employ his melancholy hours. There is an elegant coup- let of Jami on this celebrated beauty and her lovers : When Shirin, says he, opened her lips, that shed siveetness around, she stole the heart of Parviz, and the soul q/Farhad. J l*u£.< y , ,S Jij ,j , Jut. t_^J Parviz, if we believe the Easterns, was a lover of music, and a patron of those who professed that art. After the death of Parviz, A. D. 623, the empire began to decline : the five Princes, and the two Queens who succeeded to Shiruich, or Siroes,as they iverc eminent neither in peace nor in war, are not worthy of a place in history. The Arabs, under the command of Omar, were perpetually making in- roads upon the Persian empire, and finally overthrew it by the defeat of YAZDEJARD§, who was killed in the middle of the seventh century ; and by his death the famliy of Snssan became extinct. || || The subsequent history of the Zoroastrians may be briefly told. Such of them as did not succumb to the Miihaiinnadan religion, arc said to have HISTORICAL I.EOENDS OF PERSIA. 589 retreated to the deserts, or the mountains of Khorasan. Several scores of years after this retreat, a considerable emigration of the Parsis took place. Those who preferred exile to slavery proceeded, in the first instance, to the island of Hormuz, where they remained fifteen years. The island of Diva was subsequently their resting-place, and abode for nineteen years. They landed at Sanjan in Gujarat, in the circumstances mentioned in other parts of this work, about A. D. 717. The settlement of the Parsis at Sanjan, is said to have remained in a con- solidated state for about tbree hundred years, at the expiry of which it sent forth some colonists to Khambhayat, Baroch, Akaleshwar, Variao, Nausari, and other places to the northward. Its history is a complete blank, from this date, till the attempt made against the part of the country in which it is si- tuated, by Sultan Mahmud BegatZa about the year 1507, when it greatly aided the IlindG prince in his defence, and consequently suffered much from the troops of the Muhammadans. At this time, the sacred fire was car- ried into the jungles of Wasanda, and when the danger was past, it was re- moved to Nausari, at the expense of two opulent Zoroastrians. The Parsis in Western India now amount to about 50,000 souls. Of these, according to a census made about five years ago, 20,184 are resident in Bombay. In the collectoratc of the Northern Konkan there are 1451. There are about 200 in Daman. About fifteen years ago, 10,507 dwelt in the town of Surat; but the number there is now understood to be very considerably reduced. Most of the remainder, are to be found in the north- ern, and southern parts of the Surat collectoratc, and particular!}' in Ba- roch, * and its neighbourhood, and Balsar and Nausari. There are some in the Ahmadabad collectoratc, and a few families at most of the different military stations, both in the Company's territories in the Bombay Presi- dency, and in those of the native princes. A few adventurers are more widely scattered. Though not a numerous body, the Parsis of India have great influence wherever they reside. The Parsis of Persia are to be found chiefly at Karman and Yazd. Their numbers there may be stated at from ten to twenty thousand. W. • The l'arsi population of Baroch, amounted, in 1834, to 20C3, according to a table pre- sented to mo bv Mr. Kirkland, 590 ArPENDIX. J. -.COMPARISON OF TIIE ZAND, WITH THE PERSIAN, PAHUVI, DEVA-NAGARI AND GUJARATI, ALPHABETS. Gujarat! Nagarf an Persian Pahlivf Roman Zand ) 1 01 a a c i j J t lS «? l 7> t u >or > §1 ^ } 1 u ? * e £ ^ g <<* =4 ^ ^ <2-v ch i» * As an initial this sound seldom occurs in Persian or Arabic. It is exemplified in *i beh or bah good. t Exemplified in^-*-** «5 dokhtar, daughter. X Sound somewhat modified. COMPARISON OF THE ALPHABETS. 591 Gujarat! Nagarf Persian Pahlivi Roman Zand v/ 5T £ t? j K J J z J * zh & Ql &T n Jg n cT CJ p t 54 t c^ t 3 *i *T ii»t th & s 2T ^ .5 or y § d _J H *r St dh e-x i IT r 6 m & *T s^ .5 y init. n? "-cz *T ^n y med. JO ^ *T ; ^ r ) ii* J3J sk 5-H5 a* ai, ^ hu" or khtf. INDEX. 56 INDEX. A'ban, 129. Abercrombie's Inaug. Address, 96. Abortions, 330. Abulfeda, 128. Abydos, 185. Adam's connection with his poste- rity, 371, 375. Adar (Izad) 129,251 ; 9th day, 555. Adar (see Atish and Fire). Adar-Burjin-Meher, 203, 205, 233, 234, 239, 242. Adarbad Mahrespand, 13. Adar Gosasp, 230, 233. Afrasiab, 205, 581. Afrinami, 231; explained, 270. Afsmancm, 261. Agathias de Rebus Justin. 148,192. Aganoor, Aviett. Esq., 16, 542. Ahriman, wars with Hormazd, 48 ; poisons the sea, 48 ; birth of, ac- cording to Esnik, 126 ; Satanas ofSharistan, 127; doctrine of Hormazd and Ahriman, 144 — 147; Dosabhaf on, 150, and refuted, 153; creations of, 154, — 156; comes from the north 164 ; Zo- toaster's interview with, 166; representations ofSharistan, 167; and Bundeshnc, 169; reprobation of the Parsis account of, 170, sqq. devastations and creations of, 294 ; derivation of the name, 328 ; creator of evil, 168, 341. Ahuro-Mazdao, (see Hormazd), ex- plained, 110. Ahuinano sec Bahman. Ahunawar, (Hunowar) 122, 133. Ahunavad Gatha, its glory, 433. Ahura, 258. Aibichareti, 262. Aivishruthrem Gah, 115, 257. Airyana-Vaejo, 154, 294. Airyamana, 341. Akuman, archdevil, 169, 336. Alborz, 338. Aleppo, 157. Alexander the Great, 168, 190. Altars, 184. Amardad, amshaspand, 129, 169, 198, 256, 263, 497 ; 7th day, 554. Amesha-Spenta, 129. Amestris, 188. Ammianus Marcellinus, 399. Amsh&spands, invisible, 106; invok- ed, 1 18 ; not to be worshipped, 216 — 219, 256; Zand for, 129; worshipped,261; enumerated, 169. Anagar Rochao, 251. Andar, 169. Andajah paiman, 261. Angels, See Izad and Amshaspand; not to be worshipped, 216, 219, 274 ; worship of, 179—249. Animals worshipped, 252, 263. Anfran Izad, 129, 251 ; 30th day, 560. Anti-conversion Memorial,90; com- ment on, 522. sqq. Anquetil du Perron, his Translation of the Zend-Avasta, 27, 41,51, 132, 135, 275, 282, 297, 301, 306, 311, 312, 322, 334, 378, 417, 4:33, 551, character of, 68; referred to, 112, 120; on Time with Bounds and Time-without-Bounds, 121; on Farohar, 130,132; on Bun- dahash, 135 ; on Dr. Hyde, 190. 596 INDEX. Ants, 155. Apis, 188. Apollo, 188. Apostles of Christ, 59. Apuleius, 398. Aradhan, 123. Araspes, 145. Araxe, 51. Ardai-Viraf-Namah, 68, 158, 163, 386, 435. Aretnanius, (Ahriman) 124, 146, 147. Archangels, 169; not to be wor- shipped, 215, 226. Arch-devils, 169. Ardebehisht(amshaspand) 129, 169, 198, 202, 203. 207, 208, 217, 222, 225, 226, 256, 257, 496, 510; third day, 553. Ardebehist-Yast, 201, 226. Ardebil, a city, 429. ArdeshirBabegan, 120, 404, 435, 436, 515, 585. Ardeshir dirazdast, 583. Areks, a people, 545. Arian race, 125. Aristotle, 115, 147, 367, 398. Arnobius 399. Asfandiar, (Xerxes) 507. Asfantaman-Anushe-rawfin, 48. Ashasang, or Arshasang (Tzad), 129, 251; 25th day, 559. Ashem Vohtf, 199. Ashkanian family 515. Ashkanim, 445. Ashmogh (devil), 160,325, 334. Ashoshest bird, 332. Ashtad (Izad), 129, 251, 256; 26th day, 559. Asman (Izad), 129, 251 ; 27th day, 559. Asnuand mountain, 233. Aso, (ashya, zand), 110. Asoi, 199, 298. Aspandermad, 298, 497 ; see Sapan- darmad. Aspandiarjf Kamdinji, 36, 209 210. Aspandiarjf Framji,70,94, 114,128, 129, 155, 156, 159, 174, 209, 225, 281, 282, 293, 295,J302, 305, 309, 313, 332, 337, 340,^368, 369, 377, 380,382, 402, 408, 427, 435, 453, 454, 460, 465, 467, 541. sqq. Asparam, 445. Ass, Khare Talata, 48. Asto-Govad, 158. Atarem Vohu Farianem, 200, 022. Atars,209. Athrava, 209, 334. Athwyo, 400. Atish Behram, 228, 252,330; its six temples, 557. A daran, 228,234,252. Faroba, 229, 233. Niaish, 207; Translation of with comment, 227, 235. Gah, see Fire Temple. Parast, 195. Atkinson's Shanamah, 416* Atonement, 302, 335. Avasta (Pers.j, Apastak (Peh.) 41 • loss of, 64, 130, 167, 201 ; con- tents of, 13—15. Augustine's Confessions, 173. Awa-Izad, 217, 251,298. Awa-Niaish, 207. Awan-Yast, preface to, in Gujara- tf, 50 ; referred to, 51. Awan Izad, 10th day, 555. A'yeje explained, 270. Azarbad Mahrasfand, 494. Azar-baizan, unquenchable fires of, explained, 240. Azar-Kaiwan, 167, 221, 538; his descent, 410. Azar-Khurdad 510. Azar Kashasp, 510. Azar Gushtasp, 519. Aziz Dew, 224. Azonaces, 398. B. Bagh, 444. Bughanyast, 445. INDEX. 597 Bahist-mantrah, 444. Bahman (amshaspand), 129, 169, 199, 228, 252, 256, 338, 492, 495, 510; 2nd day, 553. Parsi friend of Sir Wil- liam Jones, 119. Son of Asfandiar, 111. Dirazdast, 583. Baj for meals, 198. Bakhdhf, (Balkh), 155, 294. Baku, 240. Bapu Mazda, 89. Barash, 445. Barlow, 537. Bareshnom, 302, 321, 322. Barsam, 298, 330, 337. Barzinkartis, 488. Bashut&n, 511. Baykand, 517. Bayle's Dictionary, 125. Behdfu, 113. Behram Fire. SeeAtisIi Behram. (Izad) 119, 129, 210, 251, 257, 477 ; 20th day, 558. Farhad, 221, 41.1. (Vararanes), 148. name of kings, 515, 580. Bengal Code, 92. Bessel, professor, 218. Bible, the Standard of faith, 55 ; circulated among the Parsfs, 62; attacks on repelled, 74, 5 33 ; on the origin of evil, 176. Births untimely, 306 ; premature, 317. Bombay Literary Society, Trans- actions of, 131,139, 168, 239, 333, 410, 445. Bones, 308 ; escape of marrow from bones, 309. Bokhara, 155. Bopp's Fr. Verglebhende Gram- matik, GS, 270, 405. Bretschneider, 535. Britain, Conversion of, 31. Buiti-daevo, 336. Bull, 252, 256, 258, worship and influence of the exalted bull, 340. Bundahash(Peh.), Bundeshne(Guj.), absurdities of, 37, 46, — 50 ; date of, 50; referred to, 51 ; on the ex- istence of Hormazd in Time, on Zarvana Akarana or Zarwan A- karana, 135; demonology of, 168; translation of, 200, 256. Bdrantardsh, 489. Burhan-i-katagh, 111 112, 121, 195, 208, 231, 242, 414. Burjin-Meher. See Atish. Burnouf's Commentaire sur l'Yaf- na, 68, 110, 131, 146, 158, 255, 269, 270, 282, 328, 405 ; Journ. Asiat. 129, 268. Burnes, Sir Alexander, 329. Busiasp, Dew, 160,335. C. Cambyses, 188. Campbell, Mr., 89. Caspian Sea, 48. Catechism of Sorabji Mobed Da- rabjf, 114. Caves, worshipped, 2G3. Celsus, 195. Chaberin, (orkhaberin), 195. Chakhrem, 294. Chalmers' Astronomical Discour- ses, 216. Changhraghach Namah, 445. Changhranghachasach, 263. Charity, 382. Chechast cave, or lake, 233. Children, illegitimate, 330. Chin, 517. Chinavad bridge, 118, 133, 252, 263 338. Chosroes, 192. Christ, Sonship of, 53, 56, 533; Divi- nity of, 53, 56 ; Divine mission of, 447; circumcision of, 534; miraculously conceived, 534 ; ob- jections to the Gospel of, solved, 534 — 542 ; righteousness of, 58 ; on the cross, 59 ; prophecies re- 598 INDEX. specting, 60, 563 — 576 ; form of prayer taught by, 285. Christianity, a Parsi's objections to the propagation of, 34 — 37, early spread of, in Persia, 42. Christian scriptures, divine author- ity of, 449. Chrysost. ad pop. Antioch., 193. Churigarians, 35. Clemens Alexandrinus, 193,399. Colebrooke, H. T. 531. Colonial Magazine, 165. Collett, G. S. 89. Confucius, 101. Conversion, of the Parsis, motives to seek the, 44 ; anticipated, 43; must be that of the heart, 44; the work of God, 74; of two Parsis, 48. Cormack on Original Sin, 368, 374. Corpses,eaters of, how to be punish- ed, 311, 317; person defiled by it. how purified, 321. Cow worshipped, 212. Creation of Hormazd worshipped, 252,262. Creation by Hormazd of 16 holy localities, 293; creation by Ahri- man, 294. Creuzer, 131, 138. Crimes how punished, 300; incapa- ble of being pardoned, 330. Ctesias, 190. Cudworth's Intellectual System, 125. Cultivation of the soil, 300. Cughdho or Shurik, 155 ; vide S. Cures performed by the. word, 313. Cyrus, 145, 184, 190. D. Dabiatfin, 151, 166, 167,409. Dadar, (Datara in Zand), name of God, 109, 11! I. Dadgah (tiro-temple), 320. Daeti, water of, l!'l . Dafa-al-Hazl, quoted, Dagbdhd the mother of Zartusht, 480, 599, sqq. Dahman,the pure, worshipped, 267; religious service addressed to the Izad Dahman, 323. Dakhmas 299 ; erasing them, 314, 315. Damascus, 125, 147. Dami Izad, 264. Darab, 197,584. Darius, 187, 190. Hystaspes, 188,190,204,398. Dartin, 40. Daruj na9us, 299. Darwands, 169, 338. Darukhs, 335. Dasatir, 167, 411. Dastur, meaning of the title, 28. Days worshipped, 264. Dead not buried, 192; disposal of them, 299, 303, 309, punishment of them that burn the dead, 329; services for the dead, 323. Depadar Izad, 8th day, 554. Depdin, 23rd day, 558- Depmeher Izad, 15th day, 556. Depravity of man, scriptural ac- count of, 366 ; opinions of the Greeks,and Romans on,367; opi- nions of the Hindus, 369 ; illustra- tions of the depravity of man, 370. Der-mudat, 231. Devils, drown men, 49, 158; with horns and tails, 159 ; various, 160; male and female, 160; provin- cial, etc. 163; of Mazandaran; 164; people the abode of evil, 165; frightening of the devil by the word, 322; devastation the of devil 334; how encountered by Zoroaster, 336. Dew, meaning of, 150. Dhanjibhai Nauroji 84,88, 99, 206, 527. Din-Hadfs,50. Din (Izad) 121>, 251; 24th day, 559. Din-Kard 412. INDEX. 599 Diogenis Laertii Vit. Phil. 147, 193, 399. Discussion, advantages of, 30. Discussions, review of the author's, with the Parsfs, 25—105. Divinity of Christ, 53. Divine mission of Christ, 447. Divine authority of the Christian scriptures 449. Dir Dew, 1G0. Doctrine of Jehovah, (Sermon), 42, sqq. Dogs, fight with devils, 49, 252; not to be slain, 183 ; worshipped, 252; character of dogs, 325; treatment,328, 443; murderer of a water-dog, 329 ; feeding dog?, 330; birth of dogs, 331. Doom of man, 338. Dosabhai Sorabji,42, 85, 87, 89, 94, 99, 111, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 128, 130, 131, 132, 150, 155, 15G, 158, 164, 174, 206, 208, 214, 221, 260, 272, 276, 277, 285, 295, 305, 311, 319, 367, 375, 383, 402, 406, 412, 446, 511, 522, 533, sqq. Dualism, 141, 149, 171. Duwazdah-hamast, 444. Duasarwajd, 445. Durdnsartin, 164, 484, sqq. Druids, 208. Drukhs (Darukhs), 310. E. Earth, worshipped, 190, 263,264, 280; the daughter of God, 207; what matters please and dis- please her, 298. Eastwick,E.B.16, 77, 210, 416, 417. Edalji Darabji (translator ofBun- dahash), 47, 50, 557. Edal Daru, 94; on the Godhead, 106—108, 112,121, 129, 164, 168, 197, 198,202, 203, 209, 214, 221, 227, 229, 231, 234, 236, 239, 268, 296, 369, 412, 417, 431, 435, 444, 445, 540, 558. Edoninns, nine ways of, 186. Egypt, flight into, 75; priests of, 208. Eiathrem, 258. Elements and Heavenly Bodies, worship of, 179 — 249 ; origin of worship of, 244, 252 ; action of, 219; composition and number of, 220 ; Edal Daru's opinions of, 198. EIiwbus, 27, 125, 126, 193. Elphinstone's History of India, 170, 346. Emerson, Prof, on the catechetical school, 375. Enfield's Hist, of Philosophy, 138. Enos, 24 1. Erskine, W. 130, 131, 139, 167, 168, 333,410,411,445,555. Esnik, 126, 194; on Zarvana Akara- na, 542. Esman, 298. Essai, Johannes, 86, 89. Evil, origin of, 144, 176. Eubulus, 147. Eudemus, 125. Eudoxus, 1 17, 398. Existences, the long, 262- F. Fall of man and its consequences, 356, sqq. Faber, Rev. G. S. 245. Fairy, 320. Fardunji Marazbanjf, 114, 151. Farhang Jahangirf, 195, 444. Faridun, 173, 202, 400, 413, 580. Farohar, Fravashi in Zand, 130 ; of pure men, 260, 261,268; of Zoroaster, 261, 264; of Ilormazd, 132; worshipped, 252,267; invok- ed, 25 1, 257,280; opinions on, 131. Farwardin (Izad). 129, 251 ; 19th day, 557. Farwardagan, 517. Farzial-i-Zartusht, 160. Fattah Ali Shah, 408. 600 INDEX, Fever departs at the guitar, 49. Fields for cattle invoked, 259, 264. Firdausi, 173, 196, 202, 238, 339, 400, 415. Fire kills not, 158 ; a superinten- dent, 200; the glory of God, 204, 208; the son of God, 207; a name of God, 209; "God's vir- tue ", 213 ; not the glory of God, 214 ; not a superintendent 222;Fire,worshipped by the Par- sis, 182, 186, 190, 192, 193, 194, 203,210,212, 213,263; not to be worshipped, 213,249 ; cravings of, 224 ; honours conferred on, 224—236 ; the son of Hormazd, 236, 259, 264; Fire of Hormazd, 256, 257; kinds of, 229; the greatest Izad, 220 ; the glorious encreaser, etc, 234; attributes of, 235; impurities of, 303; defiled fire, 321. Fire-Burjin-Meher, 203, 205. Fire-temples, 199,202 ; destruction of anticipated, 234; ofAtish Beh- ram, where, 557. Firmament, 190. Flame, 215. Flocks worshipped, 252. Foucher, Abbe, 137, 139, 170, 345, 378. Fraiti, 262. Fraca9ti, explained, 271. Fradadar-Faae, a hamkar, 257. Fiadadar Vir, a hamkar, 257. Fradadar Visp, a hamkar, 257. Friimji Aspandiarji's Gujarati Ver- sion ofVandidad, etc. 68, 224, 261, 262, 269, 278, 282, 298, 301, 307,311,316,322. Framji Bahmanji, 87. Framji Sohrabji's Translation of Khurdah-Avasta, 234, 334. FravasM, 130 ; Zand for Farohar, which see. Free Masonry, 207. Funerals, management of, 318. G. Gabars, 1 19, 195, 402. Gahambars, invoked, 257, 258; wor- shipped, 267. Gahs, explained, 115, 251, 264; worshipped, 262, 263. Gale's Court of the gentiles, 293. Ganamino (Ahriman), 49. Garothman,the highest heaven,338. Garshasp, 581. Gases, 219. Gaultier, Abbe, 101. General Assembly's Institution, in Bombay founded, 83. Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 101, 137, 181, J 94, 344. Girambar of Hormazd, 263. Godhead, Pars! notions of,l06 — 143. Gold, 100,000 aqueducts of, 49. Gostdan, 330. Gosh (Izad), 129, 251 ; 14th day, 556. Gospel of Christ, 390—395. Govad Izad, 198, 252. Ground denied, 314. Guigniats, Translation of Creuzer, 131, 138, 139. Gujarat, arrival of Parsis in, 36, 165, 210. Gujarati, specimen of in Zand, 51. Gulistan 195. Gusht&sp (Darius Hystaspes), 190, 204, sqq. 498, 583. Guvad, (Izad) 129. vide Vad. Gyndes, 184. H. Habeas Corpus, prosecution of the author on a writ of, 88. Habib Khan, 416. Hadi-i-Gum-Rahan 111, 110 112, 128,130, 153—155,209,225,268, 269, 275, 277, 278, 280, 281, 293, 296, 302, 301, 306, 313, 316, 322, 333, 337, 368, 377, 382, 387, 402, 408,451,453,460,465. INDEX. 601 Hadokht, 445, 518. Hadrian Reland, 196. Haetumant, 294. Hafiz Abrtf, 430. Haftan Yast Ha of Yacna, 51. Haftanghat, 263. Hair, 308 ; catting-, 332 ; how to be disposed of, 333. Haji Muhammad Hashim, author's discussions with referred to, 33 ; author of Dafa-al-Hazl, 35. Hamaspethmedem, 258. Hamistan, behist, 440. Hammer de, 139. Hankairyemi, explained, 269. Hanway's Historical Account of the British Trade, 240. Haoma, 400; vide Horn. Hapta-hendu, 294. Haraqaiti, 294. Haroyu, (Hah'tb), 156,294. Harkarah and Vartaman, Gujaratf newspaper, 47, 52, etc, ; 376. Haughton's Manu, 138. Hashem, darukhs, 335. Havan Gah, 115, 256. Havnim, 231,330. Has of the Ya9na, 165. Hazarah, 516. Health worshipped, 264. Heaven, worship of, 253, 276. Heavenly Host, origin of the wor- ship of, 244 ; worship of, 252. Hdiopolis, 208. Hetherington's Fulness of Time, 145. Herbad, meaning of title, 28. Hermodorus, 399. Herodotus on the Parsis, 181 — 189. Herschell, Sir John, 538. Hesam Dew, 160. Holy Spirit, 275. Horn, 231,252, 330, 33? ; how pro- cured, 339. Homai, 583. Horace, 367. 57 Hormazd (Guj. Pers.), Ahuro-Maz- dao (Zand), reputed interview of, with Zoroaster, 40 ; a derivative being, 109, 143; Vormist of Eli- sasus, 125; birth of, according to Esnik, 126 ; Hormtiz, 127; Dosa- bhai on, 150; and refuted, 155,1.56, 159; chief of the Suras, 210; mentioned as worshipped after fire, 210; fights with Ahrirnan, 252; has a Faruhar, 132, 252, 254; invoked and celebrated, 255 ; worshipped, 261 ; worship- ped less than inferior objects, 271 ; creator of good, 341 ; first day of the month, 552. Hormazd Yast, 110, 113, 550. Hormazdji Pestanji 87, 88, 89. Horses, 181; black horse of Gust£sp, 430. Hoshang, 197, 236, 202, 579. Hostdastar. 259. Howard, Mr., 89. Hunavar (see Ahunavar), 114, 252 314. Hurmuz (Hormazd), 111. Hutchinson, F., 89. Htishidar, 492. Hyde de Vet. Rel. Pers. 125, 126, 190, 194, 195,417. I. I'lma-i-Islam, character of,and quot- ed, 135, 341; translated, 560, eqq. Incense, 225. India, Parsis of, 35. Indifference about tbe way of sal- vation, 378. Inquiry, religious, 38, 95. Institution, Foundation of General Assembly's, 83. Intercession of friends for the dead, 388. I raj, 580. Iran and Daniran, 125. Iran-Vejo, 154, 155. Isaiah, 145. 60% INDEX. Izad (angel), invisible, 106 ; name of God, and Hormazd, 128 ; Ya- jata in Zand, 29 ; worship of, 260, 261 ; not to be worshipped, 216, 219. Izads, of the days, 251. Izashne, see Yacna. Jabulistan, 205. Jade Rana, 129, 210. Jahangir, 221. Jamasp, 204, 511. Jamasp-Namah, 445. Jaraf-Jamshid, newspaper, 69, 72. Jamshid, (Kmo Zand) 48, 114, 202, 212, 413, 517, 579; wonderful pro- ceedings of, 295; identity with Hindti god Yama, 295; his praises, 339. Jarik, (archdevil), 169. Jarshat, 445. Jins, 164. Jivan, 298. John, (apostle), 225. Jones, Sir William, on the charac- ter of the Zandavasta, 64, 325, 344 ; on the Dabistan, 409. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews* 365, 448, 534. Journal of Royal Asiatic Society, 35, 128. Journal Asiatique, 129. Jud-din, 94. Jupiter, 147, 184, 190, 191. , (planet) 111. Justin, 398. K. Ka'ba, 207. Kaber, 196. Kabisah, (or intercalation), contro- versy, 35. Kadfm Tarikh Parshfoni Kasar, 36, 209, 210. Kahrkata9, 335. Kai Kaus, 581. Kai-Khosru, 145, 168, 190, I9fJr 202, 233, 383. Kaiwan, 477. KaianiNur, 230. Kai Kobad 582. Kaiomars, 48; vide Kayomars. Kalam-kas, 10, 195, 350, 368, 408, 540. sqq. Kangada, 520. Kardah, 166. Karman, 519. Karmanik Kar, or Karmani fishr 48, 51. Kardsman, heaven, 561. Kashasrub, 445. Kawasji Manocherjf 296. Kayomars, 48, 561, 578. Keith, on Prophecy, 468. Kennedy, General Vans, 239, 245, 345. Keresaspo, 400. Keshvar, 254. Khadata, 114. Khasam Dew, 160. Khashat, 445. Khattan,517. Khavis, 164. Khare-talata, 51. Kharfastars, 156, 299. Khnenta, 294. Khosru Parviz, 588. Khuda, 121, 203. Khuda-parastan, 108. Khur (Izad), 207, 208. Khurdah-Avasta,115, 119, 231, 333; said to be arranged by Adarbad Mahrespand, 120, 121, 198 y translation by Edal Daru, 227, 229; of Framj? Sohrabjf, 234, 334 ; its contents, 13. Khurdad (amshas, and) 129, 169, 207, 256, 263,497; (fire), 234 y 6th day, 554. Khurshid (Izad), 129, 198, 217, 251? 11th day, 555. Khurshid Niafsb, 134, 207, 233. 234. YKDEX. 608 Hhsnaothra, explained, 271. Kustasp, 581. Kiblah, 189, 198, 201, 203, 206, 207, 209. Kissah-i-Sanjan, 36; date of, 210; quoted, 211. Kitab-i-AviAah din, 413, 432. Kleuker, 137. Konkan, 104. Kujapur, 479. Kustf, 164,212,225; neglect of wearing, 441. Kusti-bandnf, letter from, 27. L. Lajaward, 484. Lamps before the throne, 225. Land.gifts of, 300; defiled land, 307, 314. Larkins, J. P., 89. Lardner, Nath-, 451, 536. Law of Hormazd worshipped, 263. Leonidas, 187. Lepan's Life of Voltaire, 101. Light, the work of God, 214 ; the primeval light, worship of, 263. Lindley's Introduction to Botany, 174. Lohorasp, 205, 583. Lord's discovery of the Banyans and Parsis,2ia Lumsden's edition of the Shahna- mah, 237. M. Magh, 195. Magi, 183, 186, 187, 188, 190, 192, 208. Mali, (Izad), 129 ; 12th day, 555. Mali Bokhtar (Izad), 207, 219. Mali Hushfdar, 492. Mali Niafsh, 207. Mali pia behisht, 440. Mahiaii, signature of, 75- Mahraspand (Izad), 129, 251, 255, 311; 29th day, 559. Mai mon idee, 244. Malcolm's Persia. 138. Mani, 543. Manakjf Kharsedji,_552. Manakjf Pestonji, 119. Man, alleged purity of, at his birth; 348; primitive state of, 349; pro- bation of, 354 ; fall, 357; depravi- ty, 366 ; opinions on man's depra- vity of the Greeks and Romnns, 367 ; opinions of the Hindds, 369; illustration of the], depravity of, 370. Manes, 137. Manicheans, 137, 586. Manuchahar, 580. Maruthas, 243. Marriage, 212. Mastesen, (Mazdayacna), 125. Mathra, (word) 162, 167, 313. Manjazat-i-Zartusht,8, 94, 106, 129, 164, 165, 166, 169, 196, 203, 204, 206,368,412,417,431,433. Mawandad, author of Dinkard, 413. Mazandran, 48, 164. Mazdaya9iiian law invoked, 254; worshipped, 261, 271; rites of the M. faith, 381. Mazdayacna, meaning of, 112; Ma- stesens, 125. Mazdak, 435, 515. Medes, 128. Media, 189, 240. Mediomah, son of Arasp, 431. Mediosham Gahambar, 258. Mediozerem Gahambar, 258. Mehergan,517. Meher, (Izad), 129, 251, 258, 298 ; 16th day, 555. Melville's Sermons, 450. Memoire de Litterature, 346, 378. Memoires de l'Acad. des InscripL 139, 140, 146, 171. Merkindan, 330. Mihrnerseh, 125. Milman, H. U. 137. Milner's Church History, 174, 373, Minerva, 187. Mino Amshaspand, 254. 604 INDEX. Mirkhond's History ofthe Ancient Kings of Persia, 131, 399. Missiaiiary labour, encouragements to, 39. Missionaries, 28, 42; charges a- o-ainst them at Nasik, 525. Mitchell, Rev. James, 86. Mitchell, Rev. J. M., 89. Mithras, 124, 182, 190,206, 251, 255, 256, 338. Mobed, meaning ofthe title, 23,188; Mobed of Parsis addresses Jade Rana, 212. Mohor Izad, 198,217, 251. Months, parts of, invoked, 258 ; Izads presiding over the days, 533, sqq. Moon, worshipped by the Parsls, 182, 187, 190, 212, 251, 258,263; has Mahbokhtar its president, 207 ; worshipped, 264; new moon and full mooD invoked, 258. Moral evil, origin, of, 175. Moses, 207, 225. Moses, of Chorene, 128, 399. Mosheim, 190. Mountains worshipped, 252,. 259, 263. Moura, 294. Mulla Firuz, 36, 47, 150, 168, 221, 409, 557. Mulla Rustamjf, 337. Murphy, R. X., 89. Musalmans esteem Parsis fire-wor- shippers, 194, 197; persecute the Parsls, 212. Mylitta, 182. N. N.-»9us, (Nashush, Nesosch), a de- vil, 157, 160—103, 306 ; posses- sion of bodies by him, 310; expul- sion of, 319. Nadar, 444. Naevatar, (devil), 158. NaMd, 477. Nagotana, 104. Nails, 308 ; paring of, 332 ; how io be disposed of, 333. Nam-Sitafshne, 115, 119, 130,271, Names of God, (101), referred to, 209. Naphtha, 240, 242. Nariosangh (Izad), 234, 264,341. translator of Ya9na, 268, 269, 282. Nariman Hoshang Rawayat, 444. Nauroz Goosequill, 33,52. Nauroz, 517. Naurozji Mobed Darabjf, 33, 89. Nausari, fire-temple at, 557. Naushervan, 588. Nemo, explained, 271. Nereids 187. Nesbit, Rev.R., 86, S9. Neumann's Translation of History ofVartan. See Vartan. New Testament, 60. Niaram, 445. Niaishes, 202, 207,210, 231. NiazDew, 160. Nikaid (arch-devil), 169. Ninus, king ofthe Assyrians, 398. Nirang, or consecrated urine, 166. Nirangdfn, 341, 434. Nirang-Ha, 10, 195, 238, 350, 368, 408. Nisai, 294. Nivaedbayemi, explained, 269. Norris, 411. Noxious animals come from hell through holes in the earth, 49; to be slain, 183. Numa, 101. Ntisks, 123; of Avasta, 444, 563. Nuzar, 587. O. Oaths, 100. Ocean worshipped, 252. Offerings, 186. Old Testament, 60. Oracles, Persian, 124. Origen, contra Celsum, 195. INDEX. 605 Original Sin, 368 ; Pars! denial of, 370 ; indications of, 377. Oriental Christian Spectator, 27, 38,43, 105. Ormisd. See Hormazd. Ormazd, the planet Jupiter, 477. Oromazes, (Hormazd), 124, 146, 147. Oshen,Gah> 115,256. Ovid, Fast., 192. Ouseley's Travels, 136, 195; Per- sian Miscellanies, 238. Oziran, Gab, 115, 157. P. Pad an 330. Padrnuj Dew, 160. Pahlivf, 119. Pajam, 444. Paititi, 262. Paityarem (Ahriman), 155. Pand Namah of Mulla Firuz, 114. Panchayat, Parsf, 71, 89. Panthea, 145. Paourusasp, father of Zartusht, 400. Parastish,197,203. Parodars, bird, 335. Pars! Religion, study of, 26. Parsf writings, destruction of, 63- without authority, 64. Parsfs, conversion of, anticipated, 43; infidelity a.mong, 43; attend- ance of, at General Assembly's Insritution, 83; conversion of two, S4;discussion and publications by, 9-1; exhorted to religious inquiry, 95; irrelevant matter in their con- troversial publications, 99; are they Deists, 10i); remonstrated with on their notions of Zarvana- Akarana and Hormazd, 170; po- lytheism of, 180; fire worship of, see fire-worship ; arrival in In- dia, 210 ; kind of worship, 265; supposed address to the Gover- nor, 266; denial of Original Sin, 376; indifference about the right way of ialvation, 378; remarks on the Pars! controversialists, 533; view of the religion from Ilma-i-Islam ; 560. Pas Dew, 197. Patasham, 258. Payne, W. H., 85, 89. Pazand, 200. Peacemakers and Peacebreakers, 77. Penances, 387. Perahom, 252. Peroz-s (Firuz), 192. Persepolis, 165. Persecution by Parsfs, 193. Persia, Parsfs of, 35. Pestanji Manakj), 550. Philo, 365. Photius, 127. Physician's practice and fees, 312. Physical evil, 176. Pinkerton's Voyages and Travels, 190. Peshab, 303. Plato, 307. Pletho, 125. Pliny's, Nat. Hist. 192, 398. Plutarchus (de Iside et Osiride), 124, 146, 398. Pocock. Spec. 128. Poli Synopsis Criticorum, 365. Polytheism of the Parsfs, 180, 339; origin of, 251; extent of, 251 271, indefensible, 27-2 — 284. Pope's Ardai-Viraf-Namah, 162, 411. Porphyry, 399. Portuguese, 36. Powers of Nature, unreasonable- ness of the worship of, 249. Praise, 186. Prayer, instructions of Christ on, 285 — 290. Prideaux, 64. Priest, equipment of, 334. Principles, doctrine of Two, 144, sqq, 252 ; reprobation of, 170. 606 INDKX. Probation of man, 352—354. Prophecies respecting Christ and their fulfilment, 563, sqq. Proclus, 124. Procopius, de Bello Pers., 192. Protestants, 35, 52. Providence of God, 216. Psellus, 124, 125. Punishment of untruthfulness and violence, 301. Purity, waters of, 258, 259, 261 ; of man at his birth, 304, 348. Purification of defiled persons, 337. Pythagoras, 398. Q. Qadfmis, 35, 47. Quintus Curtius, 191. R. Rab-al-Arbab, 111. Raddi-i-dfn Musalm&nf, 563. Ragha,294. Ram(Izad), 129, 251; 21st day, 558. Rahnama-i-Zartosht, 18, 348,431, 550. Ramashne kharom, 257. Ramaz, 151. Ra»ghayao, (Khorasan), 156, 294. Rapithwin Gah, 115,257. Rasak Dew, 160. Rasamfs, 35, 106, 164. Rashne Rast(Izad), 129,251, 256; 18th day, 557. Ratushtai, 445. Rawlinson, H. C. 402. Rauzat-as Sala, 427. Repentance, 32; of God, 73, 383. Resurrection, 252, 337. Rewand, mountain, 233. Richardson's Dictionary, 111, 160, 175, 319, 344. Rivers, worshipped, See Gyndes, Strymon, 252. Rollin, 64. Romer, John, 35,413. Rosen, Fr. 129. Rustain, 205, 580. S. Sacrifices, 183. Saddah, Festival, 203, 238. Sadi, 195. Saddar, quoted and referred to, 49, 386. Sadra, 164; neglect of wearing, 441. Safand, 445. Safar-darun, 50. Saiamak, 202. Salvation, means of, 32, 45 ; Parsi indifference about, 378; unsuit- ablcness of their means of, 380. Sallust, the Cynic, 367. Sal-i-Qadim, 35. Salm, 580. Sam, 400. Samachar, Gujarat! newspaper, correspondence in, 27 — 32. Sanjan, 113; Shlokas, 129, 165, 210, 251. Sanskrit, resemblance of, to Zand, 68, 226. Sapandar, 254. See Sapandarmad. Sapandarmad, (female amshas- pand),129, 169, 198,251,279, 517, See Aspandarmad; 5th day, 553. Sarosh Baj, 49. Saros, or Serosh (Izad), 129, 164, 203, 251, 255, 256, 276, 335; 17th day, 557; Sarosh, pure wor- shipper, 224. Sarva, 138. Sarvam Akaranam, 137, 139. Sashtf, 307. Sasan, 411;Sasanish 492. Satanas, 127, 138, 147,456 Satudgar, 444. Satnd Ya9t, 262, 264, 444. Saval, 169. Schaaf, opus Aramceum, 365. Schlegel, Fr. 137, 139. Sea, 192, 156, how became salt, 49. Sects among Christians, 55. 61. INDEX. 007 Seistan, 259. Seneca, 367. Serpent, seen by Hoshang, 202, 23G. Sesostris, 187. Sextus Empiricus, 192. Shahanshalri, 3!. Shaharsai and Shaharsaiyan, 36. Shahnamah, 173, 196, 202, 205, 208, 236, 243, 415. Shahrfwar (amshaspand) 129, 169, 256, 497; 4 th day, 553. Shapur, 121, 193, 385. Shaist Nashaist, 432,444. Shaitan, 167. Sharistani, 127. Sharistan, 167, 200, £203, 208, 221, 239,411. Shea, 131, 409, 431. Sheppard, John, Esq., 535. Shurik, 155. Siavash 582. Sifat-i-Sirozab, 128, translation of, 551, sqq. Sikandar Rumf, 63. Sfrozah or Seroze, 113, 128, 134, 551. Sfpasi Sufis, 166, 169. Smith, T., 86. Socratis Eccles. Hist. 193, 243. Solirabji Mobed Darabjf, 114. Sonship of Christ, 53. Soul, worshipped, 263, 264; depart- ed souls worshipped, 264. Sozomeni Hist. Eccles. 193. Spitama, 201. Spirits, worshipped, 252. Staoma, explained, 269. Stars, worshipped, 252, 263, paral- lax of, 2J8. Stevenson, Rev. Dr. 89. Stuhr's Religions of the East, 139, 247, 297. Strab.), Geograph., 191. Strymon, 186. Cughdho, 155, 394. Suidas, 400. Sun, worshipped by the Parsls, 182, 187, 190, 192, 194, 200, 206, 210, 258, 263; has Khtir as pre- sident, 207, 212, 251, 277. Surat, fire-temples of, 557. Symbols, 208. Syncellus, 399. Synepius, 124. Tacitus, 535. Tahmurs, 579. Talim-i-Zartusht,27, 111, 121,131, 132, 153, 15S, 160, 202,203, 206, 239, 268, 274, 276, 279, 280, 295, 305,311,367,373,383,408, 446 533. Talmud, 196. Tamponet, Dr., 285, 287. Tan a fur, 301,307, 322. Tarik, (archdevil), 169. Taukh Bina Gitf, 427. Tarikh Maajem, 427. Tashtar Tfr, Izad, 48, 49, 129, 198, 251. Tashtar, (Star), 252, 258. Tasto 330. Taylor's Herodotus, 181. Temples, 184. Theodorus Mopsuestiensis, 127, 147. Theopompus, 124, 146, 147. Thetis, 187. Thomson, Dr. A., 85. Thor, 31. Thornbury, Capt. N. H., 89. Thrayetyaono, 400. Thunder, how caused, 49. Tliwasa Khadata, '2.")4. Tiger encountered, 104. Time, good and evil Demon from, 125 ; The Creator, see Zarvana- Akarana. Time-with-Bounds, 251. Time-without-Bounds. See Zar- vana-Akarana. 608 INDEX. Tir, 477; see Tartar; 13th day, 555. Trees, worshipped, 252, 259, 262, 267. Trinity, 100, 275. Trogus Pompeius, 192, 398. Troyer, Capt , 409. Tur, 580. U. Udhwada, fire-temple, 557. Ufyemi, explained, 270. Umar, Klialif, 63. Urania, 182. Urva, 294 Urvakhsyo, 400. Ushahan Gah, 115, 257. V. Vad, Izad, 251 ; 22nd day, 558. Vaekerenta, 294. Vahma, explained, 270. Valleys, 252. Vandidad quoted, 132, 133, 157, 160, 164, 209, 223, 253, 273, 275, 276, 277, 402, 445, 518, ; cha- racter of, 342, 346, 433 ; invoked, 260; worshipped, 261; analysis of, 291; content.'' of, 13; not vindicated by attacks on the Bi- ble, 72; extravagant praise of, 305. Vandidad, Dr. Wilson's Lectures on, 68, 311, 315; 72; extracts from, 113, 149, 208. Vanghapar, dog, 329. Var or Varefsva, built by Jamshid. 297. Varenem, 294. Vartan, History of, 27, 43, 125, 126, 193,219.' Vayi, 255. Vedas, 123. Vegetation, worshipped, 252. Veherod, iriver, 155. Vidhya-Sagar, 220. Virashue\ 114. Viruddhibhaktf, 185. Vispard, 13. Vistaspa, 445. Vivanghao, (Vivasvan), 295, 400. Voltaire, 101, 285, 368, 537 ; reply to him on Original Sin, 364. Voorokeshe, 51. Vormist. See Hormazd. W. Wajarkard, 431. WarunDew, 160. VVarsio, a consecrated white bull, 434. Wase'-panchas-dawarg fish, 51. Watches, invoked 259 ; worship- ped, 264. Water, drowns not, 158; presided over by Khurdad, (?)207; impuri- ties of, 303; defilement of, 310; praise of, 310; worshipped by the Paisfs, 182, 190, 192, 212, 259, 2G2, 267. Weigle, Rev. Mr., 139, 247, 298. Westergaard, 12 ; Radices Linguee Sanscrit®, 227, 270. Winston's Translation ofMoses of Chorene, 128, 400. Wilson's, H. H. Sanskrit Diction- ary, 226, 268. Wilson, Dr. John, 29, 62, 85 ; his Raddi-i-Dfn-Musalmanf, 33; Doc- trine of Jehovah addressed to the Parsfs, 43, 87, 131, 142, 165 175; Lecture on Vandidad 68, 401 ; First Exposure of Hinduism, 246; Second Exposure, 455. Wind, worshipped by the Parsis, lb2, 187, 190. Wind of Sapandar, 251, 254. Winter, given by the Devil, 155. 156. Women, dress of, 212; in their cour- ses, 213; 330. Woodhouselee'8 Universal Histo- ry, 138. INDEX. 609 World, worshipped, 252. Word, the pure, 259, 2G2; wor- shipped, 283; cures performed by it, 313. Worship of Pa>sfs, confusion of ob- jects of, 265; terms used in, 268— 27J ; disproportion in regard to the objects worshipped, 262, 2G4 ; how to perform it, 337. Yast, 13, (Ardebehisht) 201. YathS ahfi vairyo, 233, 252. Yazata, 129. See Izad. Yazamaide,122,134; explained, 268. Yazdejard, 193, 243, 558. Yazdan, 228. Yazdan-Parast, 106, 167, 212. Years, genii of, 258 ; worshipped, 234. Yenghe hatam, 282. Yimo (Yama) 295, 400. See Jam- shid. Z. Zalzar, 580. Zaman, 121. Zamiad (Izad) 129, 251 ; 28th day, 559. Zand-Avasta, 13, 27, 120, 121,283; not a divine revelation, 397; ques- tion as to its authenticity, genu- ineness, and credibility, 398, 401, twenty-one Nusks, 444. Zand language, antiquity of, 402, taught by God to Zoroaster, 495. Zand studies, 12. Zartusht Behram, 75, 77, 417, 4l5. Zartusht Asfantaman, 492. Zartusht-Namah, 75, 76 ; date of, 77 ; referred to, 166, 204, 213 ; analysed, 417 ; translated in Ap- pendix A. 477. Contents of— In- vocation, beginning, 477; tale of the old priest, 479 ; dieam of the mother of Zartusht,480; interpre- tation, 482; eight miracles of Z. at his birth, 483 ; Z. escapes from Dtiransarun and fire, 484 ; from the feet of oxen and horses, 485; from wolves, 486 ; in his seventh year and during his sickness, 488; doings of Z. in his youth; de- parture to Iran ; passage across the sea, 490; his dream and its . interpretation, passage of the wa- ter of Daeti, 491; coming of Bah- man, who conveys Z. to God 492; questions asked of God, 492; God's answer, 493 ; signs shown to Z. , 494; another interroga- tion regarding the praise of God, 494; answer of God, 495; re- turn from Yazdan, and coming of the Amshaspands to Z., and their trust committed to him, 495 ; re- turn of Z. to the earth and battle wit!) the Dens, 498 ; Z. visits Balkh and the court of Shah Gus- tasp, 498; contest with the wise men, the first day, 499 ; the se- cond day, 508; the third day, 501 ; Z. claims the office of prophetand recites the Zand-Avasta before the Shah, 501 ; devices of the wise men against Z. 503; Z. cast into prison, 503 ; history of the black horse, 504; miracle shown by Z. 505 ; reception of the four promises and the confirmation of what Z. had said, 506 ; first pray- er and miracle, 506 ; second con- dition and coming down of the se- cond leg, and third leg,507;des- centof tlie fourth leg, and displace of the wise men, 508 ; calling for additional proofs from Z. 509; coming of Azar Khurdad and others to the Shah, 510; Zartusht performstheDardn and shews four miracles and the Shah Gustasp sees his place in paradise, 511 ; Z. admonishes the Shah regard- ing all holiness, 512 ; recital of the praise of God, 513 ; Z. asks immortality of God, 544 ; Z. in- 610 INDEX. quires respecting the latter times, 518. Zaruam, 147. Zarvana-Akarana, relations of, and Hormazd, 106, 143; defined, 109; interpreted by Dosabhai, 121; Zaruan of ElisEeus, 125; Zeruan of Esnik, 126; Zasrades, 127; Ze- rovanus, 128 ; has no Farohar, 132; mentioned in Vandidad, 132 — 134 ; in Khurshfd Niafsh, 134 ; Sirozah, 134 ; Nirang Dast Sho, ibid; opinions of European scholars on, 137 ; invoked, 254, 279 ; E-:nik on, 542. Zasrades, 127. Zaw, 587. Zbayemi, explained, 270- Zere-parankard, sea, 48, 51, 303, 305. Zerovanus, 128. Zervan, 127, see Zarvana-Akarana. Zervanitse, 127. Zfnat-al-Tawarikh, 408. Zohak, 580. Zoroaster, Zaratushtra(Zand),Zar- tusht, ZaratCisht, Zardusht, etc. (Pers.), name of, 34 ; mission of, not proved,40; miracles question- ed, 65 ; mentioned by Plutarch, 124 ; a speaker of parables, 151 ; conversation with Hormazd, 201, 202, 225, 277; said to receive the Adar Burjin Meher, 203, 205; addressed by Ardebehist, 204 ; worshipped, 252, 261 ; invoked 256, 260; his Faruhar, 261, 264 ; how encountered the devil, 336; mission, 341, 396 ; testimonies of the ancients respecting his age, 398; son of Paourusasp, 400, 4 18, 488; and of Daghdhu 480; no pro- phet, 405 ; history of his life from the Zartusht-Namah, 418, sqq. Zoroastrian, A., 70. Zoroastrian Oracles, 125. *J* The author of this work is extremely sorry, that, owing to his depart- ure from India, at the time of its appearance, he has been unable to repe- ruse it with a view to the preparation of a table of errata. He hopes, how- ever, that no serious inconvenience will arise from this omission. The work, it must be borne in mind, has been put in type by natives possessed of an extremely limited acquaintance with English, and who have conse- quently greatly multiplied the demands of editorial labour. The Zand » r, it will be observed, is sometimes, erroneously rendered by u. I. GRAHAM, 1'HINTER. PUBLISHED BY THE SAME AUTHOR I. The DOCTRINE of JEHOVAH addressed to the PA'RSI'S. A Sermon preached on the occasion of the Baptism of two Youths of that Trihe, May, 1839. Second Edition. Price one Rupee. "The occasion was one which has riveted the attention of Christians throughout India. It will have as powerful an effect in Europe. And Dr. Wilson's elaborate Discourse is every thing that could be wished, to sat- isfy the curiosity, to deepen the sympathy, and to sanctify the whole im- pression, which the reception of the first fruits of the Parsis into the fel- lowship of the Christian Church, cannot fail to create. Our readers will find it equally worthy of regard as an exhibition of divine truth, and a con- tribution to literature from a little known, but highly interesting field. As a composition, it is every way worthy of Dr Wilson's reputation. The style is pure and vigorous, and the tone calm, persuasive, and benevo- lent."— Friend of India, Serampore, 19th September, 1839. " Speaking of the Sermon generally, we feel no hesitation in pronounc- ing it one of the best, if not the most eminent production, which we have either known or heard of as having issued from the Ecclesiastical press in India. It is richly stored and embellished with the illustration of histori- cal research, and pours out a glorious light of profound theology, and pure evangelical doctrine over every part of the subject. The temperate tone, and benevolent manner in which the most irresistible arguments are brought to bear against the doctrines and faith of the Zoroastrians, are, moreover, well calculated to conciliate and convince the most inveterate and superstitious. Religious and sectarian controversialists, have always been accused of acrimony and virulence, and of making a desperate use of all the weapons of satire and obloquy ; but here, where there is ample room and incitement to discharge all the shafts of ridicule and invective, we be- hold nothing at work but an active spirit of benignity. Every stroke is dealt with a feeling of sympathy and commiseration, and the head of the prostrate foe is supported on the knees of his conqueror." — Bombay Gazette, 23d August, 1839. " As regards the historical part, so clearly and concisely are all the lead- ing facts connected with the exode of the Parsis from the land of their forefathers, their settlement in this country, the peculiar opinions they held, and customs observed, set forth, and commented on, that the stranger to the history and doctrines of this sect finds himself at once in possession of of nearly all that is desirable to know; and, at the same time, he readily sees, that within this small compass is combined a larger share of informa- tion, than is probably possessed by any member of the very sect whereof it treats, even the most learned." — Bombay Courier, 24lh August, 1839. " This discourse is able, eloborate, eloquent, and places the sublime truthb of Christianity in such powerful contrast with the wild speculations of the Zoroastrian creed, that could the intelligent members of the Parsi tribe be induced calmly and dispassionately to weigh its arguments, there could be little room to doubt that their convictions must impel them to abandon the notions of their forefathers." Asiatic Journal. August, 1840. " This discourse is full of profound research, and its application to the case in hand, is managed with great power.' Presbyterian Kcvieic, Janua- ry, 1840. II. A MEMOIR of MRS MARGARET WILSON, including ex- tracts from her letters and journals. Third edition. Price, sir rupees, in cloth. III. An EXPOSURE of the HINDU' RELIGION, in reply to Mora Bhatta Dandekar: with a translation of the Bhatta's Tract. Price three rupees, boards. IV. EXPOSURE of the HINDU' RELIGION in Marathi. Price one rupee, bound. V. 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Fourth Edition. Price, two annas, or ten rupees per hundred. XV. LETTER to the JAINA PRIESTS of Palita"na, in Gujarati. Second Edition. Price, two annas, or ten rupees per hundred. XIV. THE NATURE of GOD, and the CHARACTER of TRUE WORSHIPPERS, in Marathf, Sixth edition. Price two annas, or ten rupees per hundred. HISTORICAL TRACTS, in Marathf. By MRS WILSON. Second Edition. Price, one rupee and a half, bound. 1 1012 01056 7016 Date Ehie t&e-"***f*w:ttm -*^* — *•* - - ^^^(IWJJiUJH .«—«*w*« ?5jj«i mm**— eS >**"* I ^ t' ''■www^iwj^i Sim f) II Ml i MiniuiUJiiiimuiiiJjii'iii ijjii hi:>:>w"