258 ON THE GOD6 OF GREECE, 



omit, that the father of Ilanumat was the God of Win?, 

 named Pavan, one of the eight Genii; and, as Pan im- 

 proved the pipe by adding fix reeds, and "played ex- 

 " quifitely on the cithern a few moments after his birth," 

 fo one of the four fyftems of Indian muiick bears the 

 name of Hanumat, or Hanumdn in the nominative, as 

 its inventor, and is now in general eftimation. 



The war of Lanca is dramatically reprefented at the 

 feitival of Rama, on the ninth day of the new moon of 

 Chaitra; and the drama concludes (fays Holwel, who 

 had often feen it) with an exhibition of the fire-ordeal, 

 by which the victor's wife Slid gave proof of her con- 

 nubial fidelity. " The dialogue (he add.s) is taken from 

 w one of the eighteen holy books," meaning, I fuppofe, 

 the Pur an as ; but the Hindus have a great number of 

 regular dramas, at leaft two thoufand years old, and 

 among them are feveral very fine ones on the ftory of 

 Ran, a. The firft poet of the Hindus was the great 

 Vdlmic, and his Rdmdyan is an Epick Poem on the 

 fame fubject, which, in unity of action, magnificence 

 of imagery, and elegance of ftyle, far furpaffes the 

 learned and elaborate work of Nonnus, entitled Diony- 

 Jiaca, half of which, or twenty- four books, I perufed 

 with great eagernefs when I was very young, and fhould 

 have travelled to the conclufion of it, if other purfuits 

 had not engaged me. I fhall never have leifure to com- 

 pare the Dionyfiacks with the Rdmdyan, but am confi- 

 dent, that an accurate comparifon of the two poems 

 would prove Dionyfos and Rama to have been the fame 

 perfon; and I incline to think that he was Rdma, the 

 fon of Cvjli, who might have eftablifhed the firft regular 

 government in this part of Afia. I had almoft forgot- 

 ten, that Meros is faid by the Greeks to have been a 

 mountain of India, on which their Dionyfos was born ; 

 and that Mem, though it generally means the north 

 pole in the Indian geography, is alfo a mountain near 

 2 the 



