ITALY, AND INDIA. 263 



Surya is believed to have defcended frequently from 

 his car in a human fliape, and to have left a race on 

 earth, who are equally renowned in the Indian (lories 

 with the Heliadai of Greece. It is very lingular, that 

 his two fons, called Afioinau, or Afwinicumdrau, in the 

 dual, fliould be confidered as twin-brothers, and paint- 

 ed like Cajlor and Pollux ; but they have each the cha- 

 racter of JLfculapius among the Gods, and are believed 

 to have been born of a nymph, who, in the form of a 

 mare, was impregnated with fun-beams. I fufpect the 

 whole fable of Cafyapa and his progeny to be aftrono- 

 mical, and cannot but imagine, that the Greek name 

 Caffiopeia has a relation to it. 



Another great Indian family are called the Children of 

 the Moon, or Chandra; who is a male Deity, and con- 

 fequently not to be compared with Artemis, or Diana; 

 nor have I yet found a parallel in India for the Goddefs 

 of the Chafe, who feems to have been the daughter of 

 an European fancy, and very naturally created by the 

 invention of Bucolick and Georgick poets; yet fince the 

 Moon is a. form of Ifwara, the God of Nature, accord- 

 ing to the verfe of Cdliddfa, and fince Ifdni has been 

 fhown to be his confort, ox power, we may confider her, 

 in one of her characters, as Luna; efpecially as we 

 (hall foon be convinced that, in the (hades below, (he 

 correfponds with the Hecate of Europe. 



The wormip of Solar or Veftal Fire maybe afcribed, 

 like that of Ofiris and IJis, to thefecond fource of My- 

 thology, or an enthufiaftick admiration of Nature's won- 

 derful powers; and it feems, as far as I can yet under- 

 ftand the Vidas, to be the principal worfhip recom- 

 mended in them. We have feen, that Mahadha him- 

 felf is perfonated by Fire; but fubordinate to him is 

 ihe GudAgni 3 often called Pavaca 7 or the Purifier, who 



anfwers 



