2yO - ON THE GODS OF GREECE, 



thors, was a title formerly conferred on the writers of 

 mifcellanies, or compilers of various tracts of religion or 

 fcience, the word being derived from a root fignifying 

 to mix. Being afked, where the country of Misr was, 

 " There are two (he anfwered) of that name ; one of 

 ** them in the wejl, under the dominion of Mufelmdns ; 

 u and another, which all the Sdjlras and Pur an as men- 

 u tion, in a mountainous region to the north of Ayd- 

 " dhyd." It is evident that by the firfl he meant Egypt ; 

 but what he meant by the fecondit is noteafy to ascer- 

 tain. A country, called Tiruhut, by our geographers, 

 appears in the maps between the north-eaftern frontier 

 of Audh and the mountains of Nepal; but whether that 

 was the Tirut mentioned to Father Marco by his friend 

 of Betty a I cannot decide. This only I know with cer- 

 tainty, that Mifra is an epithet of two Brdhmans in the 

 drama of Sacontald, which was written near a century 

 before the birth of Chrijl ; that fome of the greateft law- 

 yers, and two of the fineft dramatick poets, of India 

 have the fame title ; that we hear it frequently in court 

 added to the names of Hindu parties; and that none of 

 the Pandits, whom I have fince confulted, pretend to 

 know the true meaning of the word, as a proper name, 

 or to give any other explanation of it ; than that jt is a, 

 furname of Brahmans in the weft. 



On the account given to Colonel Kydby the old Raja 

 of CriJIinanagar," concerning traditions among the Hin- 

 * s dus, that fome Egyptians had fettled in this country," 

 I cannot rely; becaufe I am credibly informed by fome 

 of the Raja's own family, that he was not a man of folid 

 learning, though he poflefled curious books, and had 

 been attentive to the converfation of learned men : 

 befides, I know that his fon, and mod of his kinf- 

 men, have been dabblers in Perjian literature, and 

 believe them very likely, by confounding one feurce 

 of information with another, to puzzle themfelver, 

 and miflead thofe with whom they converfe. The 



worcj 



