A P P E N D 1 Xo ^ vii; 



ixals, to coni'fy Wbicx to il.e dry lands of Peifia, and to work cat Ms CaU 

 vatien by purfuing cll tht labors of agriculture. We iray quote from the 

 Zenifavefta a wife zcA benevolent maxim, which compcr.fates for aian/ 

 an abfurdity : " Ht who fjws the ground with care and diligence, cc- 

 " quires a greater ftock of religious merit, than he could gain by the re- 

 ** petition of ten thocfand prayers."— In the fpring of every year a fefli- 

 val was celebrated, cenined to renrefent the primitive equality, and the 

 prefent conn"e^ion, of mankind. The (lately kin^s cf PerTia, excb^.nging 

 their vain porr.p for more genuine greatr.eft, freely mingled with the hum- 

 bJefl but moft ufeful of their fubje^s. On that day the hufbandrnen wxr:; 

 admitted without di{lir.<^ion, to the table of the king and his fatr:?ps 

 [or nobility,] The monarch accepted their petitions, inquired into their 

 grievances, and converfed wiih them on the moft equal terms. *' From 

 ^joTir ichors was hs accuPiOrred to fav, (and to fay with truth If not wish 



* fincezity) from your labors KA:e receive our fubfiftenre : jon derive your 



♦ tranquillity from our 'vigilance : fince therefore we are mutually iieceffa- 



• ty to each other, Itt us live together in concord and lover." Such a 

 feflival rnuft indecvl have degenerated, in a wealthy and defpotic empire, 

 icjto a theatrical reprtfentation ; but it was at leaft a comedy well worthy 

 erf a royal audience, and which might fometimes ift^print a falutary leffon 

 on the mind of a young prince. (See the Hiftory of the Decline a-nd Kail 

 cf the Rnmpn Empire, chap. 8.) 



TheGuebres;^ in P^ifia (relates Sir Jchn Chardin) are all cultivator?, 

 or artificers, cr fullers, ^or workers in leather, I never faw one among 

 them who Hved without doing fomsthing, nor yet any one of ihem who 

 applied to the liberal arts or to commerce. Their great profeflion is 

 agriculture ; including in this term, p^ardening and vineyards, as well as 

 ti!l2ge. They coiilider agriculture not only as an agreeable and inno- 

 cent profeffion, but «s meritorious and no'ole. They even believe it the 

 firft of vocations ; and one which both the fovereign God and the inferior 

 gods (as they phrafe it] hold mod in confideration, and moft reward. 

 This creed (ior it has become fuch^ peculiarly inclines them to culiiva- 

 tion .; their priefts teaching them, that though the mn!t virtuous of all 

 afts is thst of having a family; yet that the next is to cultivate lands 

 which would o;hcrv; ife be negleCled, or to plant a tree ufcful for bearing 

 fruit or for other purpofee. — I have an hundred times refle«fled on ihis 

 fuhjf6}, when I have ccnicmplaccd on one fide the dryuefs and prcfent 

 barrennefs of Perfi;*, wiih its f:2nty population and llender productions, 

 compared with the imn enfc fize cf this country ; and on the other hand, 

 have recclkded what is f^id in antient hiftory of its numbers, fertility, 



p.nd 



f Honx) clojely does this corrcffcnd iviih Kliyoggs difcourfe to Prince 

 Louis Eugftie of IVirttJnhtrg^! iSce /. 1 1 6 — H 7. E, 



\ l^he Gucbres are the ivor/Jjippers of fire orofth^ftt?:^ 17: Tr.oJer?: limes : 

 fhe name being gi'ven to them by the Mohammedans^ in reproach, Thefg 

 vuorjhippers are nonv very feto in number. They are defcendants ofihs 

 M^^if or/oU(.-^j::rs rf Zorr^jter. jnj} ^r-i'iofied fr-Qrt Mr, G^bbf'T, E. 



