244 ON THE ®°DS OF GREECE, 



Indian philofophers ; but, as they give fo particular an 

 account of the general deluge, and of the creation, it 

 can never be admitted that their whole fyftem arofe 

 from traditions concerning the flood only, and muft 

 appear indubitable, that their doctrine is in part bor- 

 rowed from the opening of Birdsit, or Genejis, than 

 which a fublimer paffage, from the fir It word to the laft, 

 never flowed, or will flow, from any human pen : " hi 

 " the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

 U — And the earth was void and wade, and darknefs 

 M was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God 

 u moved upon the face of the waters : and God faid, 

 " Let light be — and Light was." The fublimity of 

 this paffage is confiderably diminifhed by the Indian 

 paraphrafe of it, with which Menu, the fon of Brahma, 

 begins his addrefs to the fages, who confulted him on 

 the formation of the univerfe. " This world (fays he) 

 " was all darknefs, undifcernible, undiltinguilhable, al- 

 " together as in profound fleep : till the felf-exiftent in- 

 u viiible God, making it manifeft with five elements, 

 " and other glorious forms, perfectly difpelled the gloom. 

 " He, defiring to raife up various creatures by an cma- 

 " nation from his own glory, fir ft created the waters, 

 " and imprefled them with a power of motion : by 

 " that power was produced a golden egg, blazing like 

 " a thoufand funs, in which was born Brahma, felf- 

 " exifting, the great parent of all rational beings. The 

 " waters are called ndrd, fince they are the offspring 

 <; of Nera, or Ifwara ; and thence was N dray ana 

 " named, becaufe his firft ayana, or moving, was on 

 " them. 



" That which is, the invifible caufe, eternal, felf- 

 " exifting, but unperceived, becoming mafculine from 

 " neuter, is celebrated among all creatures by the name 

 " of Brahma. That God, having dwelled in the Egg, 

 " through revolving years, Himfelf meditating on him- 

 " felf, divided it into two equal parts ; and from thofe 



" halves 



