ITALY, AND INDIA. 273 



Soul, are infinitely removed from the ho^nefs and fubli- 

 mity of the doctrine which pious Chrifiians have deduc- 

 ed from texts in the Gofpel; though other Chri/iian^ 

 as pious, openly profefs their dilfent from them. Each 

 feet mult be jullihed by its own faith, and good inten- 

 tions. This only I mean to inculcate, that the tenet of 

 our Church cannot:, without profanenefs, be compared 

 with that of the Hindus, which has only an apparent 

 refemblance to it, but a very different meaning. 



One fingular faft, however, rauft not be fuffered to 

 pafs unnoticed. That the name of CriJJina, and the 

 general outline of his ftory, were long anterior to the 

 birth of our Saviour, and probably to the time of Homer, 

 we know very certainly; yet the celebrated poem en- 

 titled Bhagavat, which contains a prolix account of his 

 life, is filled with narratives of a molt extraordinary 

 kind, but ftrangely variegated and intermixed with 

 poetical decorations. The incarnate Deity of the Sanfcrit 

 romance was cradled, as it informs us, among herdjmen; 

 but it adds, that he was educated among them, and 

 palled his youth in playing with a party of milkmaids. 

 A tyrant, at the time of his birth, ordered all new-borrt 

 males to be flain; yet this wonderful babe was preferved 

 by biting the breait, inftead of fucking the poifoned 

 nipple, of a nurfe commiffioned to kill him. He per- 

 formed amazing, but ridiculous, miracles in his infancy, 

 and, at the age of feven years, held up a mountain on 

 the tip of his little finger. He faved multitudes, partly 

 by his arms, and partly by his miraculous powers. He 

 railed the dead, by defcending for that purpofe to the 

 loweft regions. He was the meekeft and belt-tempered 

 of beings, walhedthe feetof the Brahmans, and preached 

 very nobly, indeed, and fublimelv, but always in their 

 favor. He was pure and chatte in reality, but exhi- 

 bited an appearance of excelfive iibertinifm, and had 

 wives or miltreffes to) numerous to be counted. LaRly, 

 he was benevolent and tender, yet fomented and con- 

 dueled 



