J 



10 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book III. 



origin of the fciences, calls him Biita. In what countiy he takes 

 that name, he does not tell us ; but, he fays, that he is the fame 

 with the Fo-boo of China, and with the God of the Japanefe, of the 

 Ifland of Ceylon, and of Siam*. The Japanefe pronounce his name 

 Biidiia^ as M. de Guignes tells us f . The Chinefe tranflate his name, 

 and call him, as I have faid, Fo-hoo, which, in their language, fignifies 

 what is very pure. Of thefe two words they ufe but the firft, and call 

 him Fo ; and by that name his religion is well known all over the 

 eaft. It is, as M. de Guignes informs us in the treatife above quot- 

 ed if, not only the moil: antient religion of India, but it is the reli- 

 gion of China, Japan, Thibet, and a great part of Tartary, and al- 

 fo of fome of the eaftern iflands, fuch as Ceylon. He was known 

 to be the God of India, in the days of Clemens of Alexandria, who 

 mentions him under the name of Boota: And St Jerom alfo fpeaks 

 of him, and calls him Budda\. 



Thus, I think, it is proved, that the Egyptian religion, and with 

 it no doubt civility and arts, were carned*tiot only to India; but 

 from thence were propagated all over the eaft. 



That the Egyptian religion went to Japan, Sir William Jones has 

 given us a moft convincing proof, which Kem.pfer furnilhes him, 

 who, as he tells us, refided long in Japan, and had a familiar in- 

 tercourfe with the principal inhabitants of the country §. He fays, 

 that the Eg}^tian idolatry has prevailed in Japan from the earlieft 

 ages : And, among the idols worfhipped there, is a goddefs with 

 many arms, reprefenting the powers of nature, in Egypt called Ifis^ 

 and in India Ifani or Ifi. And this image, f\ys our author, as it is 



exhibited 



* Vol. I. p. 123. and 124. 



I Vol. 40. of the Memoirs of the French Academy, p. 197. 

 X Page 197- 



II La Croze, torn. 2. p. 319. — 320. 



$ See Sir AVilliam Jones's Afi.itic Refearches, vol. 2. p. 379. 



