﻿OF THE PEOPLE OF CEYLON". 415 



for five thousand years; after which, there will 

 be several changes in the present system ; long- 

 wars and a successive diminution in the lives of 

 men, till they are reduced so low as not to continue 

 beyond five years ; and every one will commit, 

 <kiring this short space of time, unheard crimes. A 

 terrible rain will sweep from the face of the earth all 

 except a small number of good people, who will re- 

 ceive timely notice of the evil, and wdl avoid it. All 

 the wicked, after being drowned, will be changed 

 into beasts, till at length ^Jaitui Boudiiou will 

 appear, and will establish a new order of things ; he 

 is now alive for the last time but one, and inhabits 

 one of the superior heavens. It is known that he 

 ^v'l\[ be born for the last time in the kingdom of Kce- 

 tinnati. His father will be Soubramane, his mo- 

 tber Brahme VETi-DiiVi, his wife Chaxdre 

 JMouKMi (moon face), and his son. Brahme War- 

 DEXE AIaitri, Mill bc 88 cubits in height, and be 

 always surrounded by 100,001) R((hafa?is, a species 

 of spirits not very remarkal)lj in tlie celestial hierar- 

 chy, though tolerably powerful. It will appear from 

 what I have said, that the present Mahakalpe wil,! 

 end in five thousand years, to commence from the 

 day that Boudhou became Nivani; that a kind of 

 Chaos will succeed, and will continue till the ap- 

 pearance of jMaitjji Boudhou. It is stated in 

 some of the bo(jks, that the Mahakalpe will end 

 with Maitri. For my part, I dare not decide a 

 question of so much importance, which might one 

 day give rise to wars, if the Priests of Bouohou dis- 

 puted ; but kickiiy their views are limited to re- 

 ceiving peaceably the alms of charitable persons, and 

 ^f covering their Idol every day with fresh flowers. 



THE HELLS. 



I have brought the reader to the end o? Kalpe ; 

 but it is not fair that he should arrive there without 

 iirst passing through the hells. Being in them, we 



shall 



