promised as a saviour to come upon the earth and rescue his people 

 from the power of evil, his mission being to avenge his father's defeat 

 by the god of the underworld, after doing which he would ascend to 

 his father and become one with him for ever The Magi, or Mithraitic 

 priests of the "black art," or "hidden science of astrology," are thus 

 addressed in the " Zend-Avesta" : " You, my children, shall be first 

 honoured by that divine person who is to appear in the world ; a star 

 shall be before you to conduct you to the place of his nativity ; and 

 when you have found him, present to him your oblations and sacrifices, 

 for he is indeed your lord and an everlasting king," meaning that after 

 the constellation of the virgin came to the eastern line of the horizon, 

 as it did at twelve o'clock at midnight, between December 24th and 

 December 25th, in the period immediately following that in which the 

 words were written, the great star, Vindemiatrix, in the virgin's elbow, 

 would, on January 6th, begin to shine, pointing out to the astrologers, 

 or Magi, her exact situation, who would then know that the birth of the 

 god-light of the new revolution had taken place, and that by his re- 

 appearance he would declare himself to be the everlasting ruler of the 

 universe. Consequently, for centuries after this time the image of the 

 god-light Mithra was presented to the people for adoration every year 

 on December 25th, soon after midnight, in the shape of a newly-born 

 male child, brought from the recesses of the sacred grotto, or mystic 

 cave of Mithra. Another image, supposed to be the same deity fully 

 grown, was said to die, and was carried to the tomb after death by the 

 priests, who chanted solemn hymns and groaned. After pretending to 

 mourn for three days, the sacred torch, or emblem of new life, was 

 lighted, and the priests exclaimed, " Reassure yourselves, sacred bands 

 of initiated ; your god is restored to life ; his pains and sufferings pro- 

 cure your salvation." This took place at the vernal equinox, and the 

 people responded : " I salute you, new light ; I salute you, young bride- 

 groom and new light." 



Like the old Aryan scheme, this Mithra myth was derived from the 

 constellations, having reference to the decline of the year in autumn, 

 the defeat of the sun by the powers of darkness (or winter), and the re- 

 birth and ascension of that grand luminary in the spring of the year. 

 Mithra was "spiritual life contending with spiritual darkness, and through 

 his labours the kingdom of darkness will be lit with heaven's own light : 

 the eternal will receive all things back into his favour ; and the world 

 will be redeemed to God. The impure are to be purified, and the evil 

 made good, through the mediation of Mithras, the reconciler of Ormuzd 

 and Ahriman. Mithras is the good ; his name is Love. In relation to 

 the Eternal he is the source of grace; in relation to men he is the life- 

 giver and mediator. He brings the Word, as Brahma brings the Vedas 



