PERCIVAL’S ACCOUNT OF CEYLON. 
whethe? the stricter or the Jess binding one 
js performed, the parties pass the night at 
the bride’s house; and in the morning the 
usband brings her home, accompanied by 
her friends, who carry with them provisions 
for another feast.” 
When a divorce takes place, and both 
men and women often marry and di- 
yorce several times before they can fix 
on a partner for life, the woman carries 
with her the portion she brought, in or- 
der to make her as good a match for 
her next husband, ‘ Owing to the early 
intercourse cf the women with the other 
sex, for they are in general even regu- 
larly married at twelve, they soon lose 
the appearance of youth, and get old 
* and haggard in their looks immediately 
after they pass twenty.” — 
In Ceylon every man is his own phy- 
sician: a plaster of herbs or cow-dung 
- is the panacea; leprosy is common; and 
the cow-pox was not introduced at 
the time Mr. Percival’s account was 
composed. The language of the Cey- 
lonese is peculiar to the island. Mr. P. 
thinks it allied to the Maldivian, which 
race they resemble in shape, complexion, 
and habit. To read and write are no 
ordinary accomplishments among the 
natives of Ceylon; a sect of /earnedmen, 
- called gawies, are retained by the king of 
Candia to execute all the writings of 
‘state, and those whieh respect religious 
affairs. For writing they usually em- 
ploy the leaves of the talipot-tree, which 
are smooth, and cut into long slips; on 
these they engrave, as it were, the Ara- 
bic characters, by means of a fine pointed 
steel pencil, like abodkin. Palm leaves 
are sometimes employed, and a sort of 
_ paper is made from the bark of a tree. 
‘ he progress of the Ceylonese in the 
other arts of life, is proportionate to their 
literature; their agriculture is in the 
_ .rudest state; and perhaps there is no 
ih "si of India, says Mr. P. where the 
_ dands are cultivated with more negli- 
4 ippee Mr. P. gives reasons for be- 
lieving that the arts were better under- 
stood among them formerly than they 
are at present. 
_ The religion of the Ceylonese is 
loomy and superstitious to the very 
a degree; their whole conduct is 
regulated by omens; and if an astrologer 
declares that a child is born to mistor- 
tunes, the parents frequently anticipate 
its future evils by destoying it! Mr. 
Percival considers “ the excess of trem- 
bling superstition, which unhinggs the 
43 
minds of the Ceylonese,” as attributable 
to their climate: the noise of the thun- 
der is terrible, and the. effects of the 
lightning dreadful; they consider these 
frequent storms as a judgment from 
Heaven, and a proof that their island is 
abandoned to the dominion of devils, 
This explanation derives plausibility 
from the prevalence of similar appre 
hensions among the Malabars and In- 
dians, who are subject to thunder storms 
of equal violence. ‘The priests profit by 
these superstitious fears,encourage them, 
and of course impede the progress of 
civilization. 
The Ceylonese are rigid predestina- 
rians; they believe in the immortality 
of the soul, and the resurrection of the 
body; that the souls of the just are ad- 
mitted into the rank of gods, whilst 
those of the wicked, particularly tyrants 
and impious priests, are supposed tq 
pass into wild beasts and reptiles. 
They worship. the ene Supreme Being 
as the creator and ruler of heaven and 
earth, but they have a number of subor- 
dinate deities, good and evil. 
«« The next in dignity to him is their god 
Buddou, the saviour of souls. This idea of 
a saviour seems in some degree to pervade 
every religion in the world, although tainted 
by 4 variety of diflerent superstitions which. 
are joined to it; and what is remarkable, 
the expectations formed from the interference 
of this saviour are in almost every religion 
nearly the same. Buddou, according to the 
most gener:] tradition, was originally the 
spirit of a good mar, who was again sent to 
revisit the earth ; and after having performed 
a prodigious number of virtuous actions, and 
been transformed intoa hundred and ninety- 
nine different shapes, reascended into hea- 
ven, anti is still employed in procuring the 
pardon of his worshippers.” 
Ceylon is universally believed to have 
been the residence of Adam, the seat of 
Paradise, and on the summit of a moun- 
tain called Hamalleel, is the print of a- 
man’s foot. Onthis spot Adam is sup- 
posed to have taken his farewell view of 
Paradise, and have crossed over to the 
continent of India, which was at that 
time joined tothe island; but no sconer 
had he passed what is to this day called 
Adam’s-bridge, than the sea closed be- 
hind him, and cut off all hopes of re 
turn. ‘The origin of these traditions, 
says Mr. Percival, 1 do not pretend to 
trace, but their connection with scrip- 
tural history is very evident; and they 
afford a new instance how universally 
the opinions with respect to the origin 
