312 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book III. 



communication, in antient times, with the Greeks and Italians, nor 

 ever at any time borrowed religion, cuftoms, and manners, from 

 them, we muft fuppofe, that they got thefe, as well as other things,, 

 from Egypt. 



As to arts and fciences. Sir William, in the paflage above quoted, 

 fays, that the Bramins and a learned fe£t in India, that he calls Serma- 

 nes^ difpute in the Forms of Logic; and the Jefuit, father Pons, tells us, 

 that they ftudy logic very much, and examine moft accurately the dif- 

 ferent Figures and Moods of the Syllogifm : And Sir William adds, 



* That they difcourfe on the vanity of human enjoyments, and the 

 ' immortality of the foul, her emanation from the eternal mind, her 

 ' debafement, wanderings, and final union with her fource.' Then he 

 mentions, ' the fix philofophlcal fchools, whofe principles are ex- 

 ' plained in the Darfaua Sajlra, which,' he fays, * comprife all the 



* metaphyfics of the old academy, the Stoa, the Lycaeum : Nor is 



* it poffible to read the Vedanta, or the many fine compofitions in 

 ' illuftration of it, without believing, that Pythagoras and Plato de- 

 ' rived their fublime theories from the fame fountain with the fages 

 ' of India '*.' And, as to arts, he fays, that they have numerous 

 works upon Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric, Mufic, all which, he adds, 

 are excellent and acceffible f. Now, 1 fay, that it is impoffible, that 

 a nation, in the ftate in which the Indians were, when the Egyp- 

 tians came among them if, could have invented thofe fciences and 

 arts, but muft have got them from the Egyptians together with their 

 religion and their polity; and as fciences and arts never can be in- 

 vented without a language of art, if 1 fliall fucceed in proving, as I 

 hope I fhall, that the Indians got even their language from Egypt, 

 this, I think, will be demonftration, that the Indians got all their 



arts 



* Ibid. p. 425. 

 ^ Ibid. p. 429. 

 \ See Page 306. of this vol. 



