ITALY, AND INDIA. £4* 



work of Supreme Goodnefs was left a moment to itfelf, 

 imagine that the Deity is ever prefent to his work, and 

 constantly fupports a Series of perceptions, which, in 

 one fenfe, they call illufory ; though they cannot but 

 admit the reality of all created forms, as far as the hap- 

 pinefs of creatures can be affected by them. When 

 they confiderthe Divine Power exerted in creating, or 

 in giving existence to that which cxifted not before, they 

 call the Deity Brahma in the mafculine gender alfo; 

 and when they view him in the light of Dejlroyer, or 

 rather Changer of forms, they give him a thoufand 

 names, of which Siva, Ifa, or Ijwara, Rudra, Hara, 

 Sambhu, and Mahddeva, or Mahefa, are the mod com- 

 mon. The firft operations of thefe three Powers are 

 varioufly defcribed in the different Pui dn'as by a num- 

 ber of allegories, and from them we may deduce the 

 Ionian Philofophy of primeval water, the doctrine of the 

 Mundane Egg, and the veneration paid to the Nymphce, 

 or Lotos, which was anciently revered in Egvpt, as it is 

 at prefent in Hindujldn, Tibet, and Nepal. The Ti.be- 

 tians are faid to embellifh their temples and altars with 

 it: and a native of Nepal made proftrations before it 

 on entering my ftudy, where the fine plant and beauti. 

 ful flowers lay for examination. Mr. Hohoel, in ex- 

 plaining his firft plate, fuppofes Brahma to be floating 

 on a leaf of betel in the miclft of the abyfs; but it was 

 manifeftly intended by a bad painter for a lotos leaf, or 

 for that of the Indian fig-tree; nor is the fpecies of 

 pepper, known in Bengal by the name of Tdmbula, and 

 on the Coaft of Malabar by that of betel, held facred, 

 as he afferts, -by the Hindu's, or neceffarily cultivated 

 Under the infpeclion of Brdhmans ; though, as the vines 

 are tender, all the plantations of them are carefully fe- 

 cured, and ought to be cultivated-by a particular tribe 

 of Sudras, who are thence called Tavibulis. 



That water was the primitive element, and firft work 

 of the Creative Power, is the uniform opinion of the 



Indian 



