CHRISTIAN RELIGION IN INDIA. 35 



ahd preached, indeed sublimely, but always in their 

 favour. He was pure and chaste in reality, but exhi- 

 bited evety appearance of libertinism; lastly, he was 

 benevoleut and tender, and yet fomented and con- 

 ducted a terrible war." The Vadus, his own tribe,, 

 and nation, were doomed to destruction for their sifts, 

 like the descendants of Yahuda or Yuda, which is 

 the true pronunciation of Juda. Tbey all fell, in ge- 

 neral, by mutual wounds, a iew excejjted, who lead 

 through Jambu-dicipa a miserable and w retched life. 

 There are some to be found in Gurjaraf : but they 

 are represented to me as poor and wretched. " This 

 motley story must induce an opinion,* tliat the spu- 

 rious gospels, which abounded in the first ages of 

 Christianity, had been brought to India, and the 

 wildest parts of them ingrafted upon the old fable of. 

 Crishna." Several learned missionaries are also of 

 that opinion, though they carry the comparison too 

 far. The real name of Crishna was Caneya, and 

 he was sur-named Crishna, or the black, on account 

 of his complexion. 



The Hindus, having once fixed the accomplish- 

 ment of these prophecies to a period greatly anterior 

 to the CJn^istian Era, every thing in their books was 

 either framed, or new modelled accordingly; and 

 particularly in the Puraiias, every one of which is 

 greatly posterior to our era : though many legends, 

 and the materials in general, certainly existed before, 

 in some other shape. Yet, as inconsistency and con- 

 tradiction are the concomitants of falshood and de- 

 ceit, it may be supposed, that some circumstances 

 and particulars, tending to remove the \ eil they have 

 attempted to throw over these events, may have 



* As. Res. vol. 1. p. 2, 3. 



D 2 



