EASTERN HINDOOSTAN. 



weapon poffible, againft even the Emperor of Ceyhn himfelf ; 

 for on the left quarrel they forbid the iffuing of any from their 

 magazine, fo that he and his fubjeds muft inftantly fub- 

 mit. 



The kingdom o^ Madiera runs far inland to the north-eaft; Kingdom or 

 it formed the fouthern part of the Regnum Pandionis of Pto- 

 lemy, the Pandi Mandalam of the modern Indians. Its capital 

 was the Madura of Ptolemy, and was the royal refidence of the 

 antient monarchs. In later days it certainly was the fcene of 

 the moft impudent fraud that ever was made fubfervient to the 

 great purpofes of religion. Robert de Nobili, an Italian Jefuit, ^ religious 

 and, next to Xavier, a chi f apoftle of India, feated himftdf in j^^ju^'^ °^ * 

 this country, and obferving the deep veneration that the Li- 

 dians paid to the B''ahmins, as deibended from the gods, he 

 affumed their charatfter; he befmeared his face, and imitated 

 the moft auftere and painful mode of living prailifed by their 

 penitents, till he had perfuaded the credulous people that he 

 really was of that venerated order. By incredible pains he had 

 acquired a knowlege of the cuftoms, religion, and language of 

 Madura, fufficient for the purpofes of his defign. By this 

 ftratagem he gained over to Chrijiianity twelve Brahmins, and 

 by their influence engaged amazing numbers of people to liften 

 to his inftrudlions, and to receive his doctrine. To confirm 

 the truth of his chara6ter of Brahmin, he forged a deed on old 

 dirty parchment in the antient Indian letters, to prove that the 

 Brahmins of Ro?ne were of a far older date than thofe of India, 

 and defcended in a direcSf line from the god Brahma ; and when 

 the authenticity of his mufty old parchment was called in: 



•qu eft ion, 



