OF^THE ASIATICS. I7I 



the same subject. You will not, however, expect 

 that, in such a discourse as I am now delivering, [ 

 should expatiate on the diversity of Indian philoso- 

 phical schools, on the several founders of them, on 

 the doctrines which they respectively taught, or on 

 their many disciples, who dissented from their in- 

 structors in some particular points. On the present 

 occasion, it will be sufficient to say, that the oldest 

 head of a sect, whose entire work is preserved, was 

 (according to some authors) Capila \ not the divine 

 personage, a reputed grandson of Brahma', to whom 

 Cri/shna compares himself in the Giii - y but a sage 

 of his name, who invented the Sanchya, or Numeral 

 philosophy, which Cri'shna himself appears to im- 

 pugn in his conversation with Art una ; and which, 

 as far as I can collect it from a few original texts, 

 resembled in part the metaphysics of Pythagoras, 

 and in part the theology of Zeno. His doctrines 

 were enforced and illustrated, with some additions, 

 by the venerable Patanjali, who has also left us a 

 fine comment on the grammatical rules of Pa'nini, 

 which arc more obscure, without a gloss, than the 

 darkest oracle ; and here, by the way, let me add, 

 that I refer to metaphysics the curious and important 

 science of universal grammar, on which many sub- 

 til disquisitions may be found interspersed in the 

 particular grammars of the ancient Hindus, and in 

 those of the more modern Arabs, The next founder, 

 I believe, of a philosophical school was Go'tama; 

 if, indeed, he was not the most ancient of all ; for 

 his wife Ahalya' was, according to Indian legends, 



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