82 ORIGIjr AND DECLINE OF THE 



they have copies in Arabic, Pei^sian, and even in the 

 western languages of Africa, represent Christ, as 

 the most complete Tacshaca, that ever existed. He 

 \vas not only an excellent carpenter and statuary ; 

 but he was deeply skilled in the combination of all 

 sorts of colours. For this reason, the ingenious H. 

 Syke, who has given us a translation of the Gospel of 

 Christ's childhood,' from the ArabiCy and some frag- 

 ments of the original in Greek, says, that dyers in 

 Persia, consider Christ as their patron. It seems 

 indeed, that the greatest part of the Christians, m 

 Arabia and Persia, were handicraftmen : and that 

 they were accordingty called Peishe-caras, both be- 

 cause they were really so, and because they were 

 the followers of the great Tacshaca or Peishe-cdi^a^ 

 According to D'Herbelot, the disciples of Christ 

 were called in Persian and Arabic, Kassarins or Kas- 

 sdruns, and Havaryuns, that is to say, fullers and 

 bleachers : and the priests of the Christians of St. 

 Thomas are called Kassanars to this day, perhaps 

 for Kasscuntns. 



Mr. JoiNviLLr, in his account of Ceylon,* men- 

 tions the arrival of numerous families of these Peishe' 

 cdras, Peish-cars, into that island ; and declares, that 

 they were all artificers, and handicraftmen, as im- 

 plied by their name, which is truly of Persia?! origin ; 

 though used all over India, in the northern parts of 

 which, it is generally pronounced Peishe-Rdz. Ac- 

 cording to T. HvDE, the P arsis in India, are all arti- 

 ficers, and those in Kuman deal chiefly in woollens. 



There were formerly Br&hmens in India, says the 



As. Pwcs. Tol. vii, p. 433, 443, 



