﻿58 THE SiXTH DISCOURSE: 



same sort, the characters are too complex, and the va- 

 riations of them too numerous, to admit an opinion 

 that they couli be symbols of articulate sounds ; for 

 even the Nagari system, which has more distinct let- 

 ters than any known alphabet, consists only of forty- 

 nine simple characters, two of which are mere substi- 

 tutions, and four of little use in Sanscrit, or in any 

 other language ; while the more complicated figures, 

 exhibited by Niebuhr, must be as numerous at least 

 as the Chinese keys, which are the signs of ideas only, 

 and some of which resemble the old Persian letters 

 at Istakhr. The Danish traveller was convinced from 

 his own observation that they were written from the 

 left hand, like all the characters used by Hindu na- 

 tions ; but I must leave this dark subject, which I 

 cannot illuminate, with a remark formerly made by 

 myself, that the square Chaldaic letters, a few of which 

 are found on the Persian ruins, appear to have been 

 originally the same with the De-vanagari before the 

 latter weie enclosed, as we now see them, in angular 

 frames. 



II. The primeval religion of Iran, if we rely on the 

 authorities adduced by Mohsani Fani, was that which 

 Newton calls the oldest (and it may be justly called 

 the noblest) of all religions : " A firm belief that one 

 «< Supreme God made the world by his power, and 

 " continually governed it by his providence ; a pious 

 '* fear, love, and adoration of him ; a due reverence 

 " for parents and aged persons ; a fraternal affection 

 " for the whole human species, and a compassionate 

 " tenderness even for the brute creation." A system 

 of devotion so pure and sublime could hardly, among 

 mortals, be of long duration ; and we learn from the 

 Dabistan, that the popular worship of the Iranians 

 under Hushang, was purely Sal>ian; a word of which 

 I cannot offer any certain etymology, but which has 

 been deduced by grammarians from Saba, an host^ 



