THE HUMAN SPECIES. 389 



Arab, or Cushite invention, converted to Kali, is evi- 

 dent, by the similarity of Moloch in Syria with both ; 

 and by the retreat of Mahades, another form of the 

 same, to the mountains of Kylas, when in danger fro7,i 

 the assaults of Ravan, is shown that his worship was 

 not then admitted in southern India. 



Notwithstanding the repeated contradictions and 

 dualisms of all the Indian mythological compositions, 

 there are to be found shadowy pictures of historical 

 events in the great Sanscrit poems still extant; for 

 although even the oldest were written many ages after 

 the transactions to which they refer, probably by men 

 who had no circumstantial traditions and were more 

 imbued with the marvellous and imaginative to form 

 mythological themes, according to poetical formulae, 

 than to draw up historical documents ; still there are 

 casual glimpses of facts, fixing certain geographical 

 data, and a general current of events, which reveals 

 many truths, though the dates, the persons, and cir- 

 cumstances may be nearly all fabulous. Among the 

 Sanscrit poems, beside the Puranas, there are the Ma- 

 habarata and the Ramayana, particularly available .to 

 form approximate notions on the earliest history of 



his war ox, and the almost Ethiopian Caffres of Africa 

 mounted on them, to a recent period. It is probable, that 

 Hannibal derived from his Ethiop Numidian companions, 

 the celebrated stratagem, when, by means of oxen, with 

 combustibles burning on their horns, he puzzled the Ro- . 

 mans, and extricated himself from a difficult position. It 

 may be remarked, that the Black Muhishan is opposed to 

 Durga, a divinity of the invading mountaineers. 



