EXCURSIONS OF AN EVOLUTIONIST 



the northwestern confines of Hindustan, in the 

 fifteenth country created by Ahura-Mazda, the 

 legend here informs us that Anramainyus de* 

 vised " untimely evils and unbearable heat ; " 

 and thereupon we are abruptly transported, in 

 the sixteenth region, to the cool neighbourhood 

 of the Caspian Sea, perhaps the country of the 

 Medes. 



Now, however difficult it may be to accept 

 such an account as properly historical, the course 

 of migration here indicated is so thoroughly in 

 accordance with all that we know of the relations 

 between the peoples of the Persian Empire and 

 the dominant race of Hindus in India that it is 

 hard not to grant to it some traditionary value. 

 It would appear, at least, that when the Vendi- 

 dad was composed the worshippers of Ahura- 

 Mazda must have believed that their ancestors 

 came from somewhere beyond the Oxus, and 

 travelled in the direction of Hindustan, until 

 something occurred which turned them west- 

 ward again. This would seem to be the only 

 sound meaning that can be extracted from the 

 legend. But this is in wonderful accordance 

 with the results of modern critical inquiry. 

 From a minute survey of the languages and 

 legends of this whole region, it has been well 

 established that the dominant race in ancient 

 Persia and in ancient India was one and the 

 same ; that it approached India from the north- 

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