400 ON THE TRIAL 



the goods which had been ftolen ; but, as amerce- 

 ments in fuch cafes are not ufual in the courts of judi- 

 cature at Benares, the mulct was remitted, and the 

 prifoner difcharged. 



The record of this conviction was tranfmitted to 

 Calcutta in the year of the Mejjiah 1783; and in the 

 month of April, 1784, the Governor-General, Imddiid- 

 daiilah Jelddet Jang Behdder, having feen the preced- 

 ing account of trials by ordeal, put many queftions 

 concerning the meaning of Sanfcrit words, and the cafes 

 here reported ; to which he received refpeftful answers. 

 He firft defired to know the precife meaning of homa y 

 and was informed that it meant the oblations made to 

 pleafe the deities, and comprifed a variety of things. 

 Thus in the agni ho'ma, they throw into the fire feveral 

 forts of wood and grafs, as palds wood, chadira wood, 

 ratla chandan,ov red fandal, pippal-wood I [ami, and cii/Jia 

 grafs, together with fome forts of grain, fruit, and other 

 ingredients, as black fefamum, barley, rice, fugar cane, 

 clarified butter, almonds, dates, and gvgal, or bdellium. 

 To hks next queftion, " how many fpecies of homa there 

 cs were," it was anfwered, that different fpecies were 

 adopted on different occafions : but that, in the ordeals 

 by hot iron, and hot oil, the fame fort of oblation was 

 ufed. When he defired to know the meaning of the 

 word mentra, he was refpeclfuliy told, that in the 

 language of the Pandits there were three fuch words, 

 mentra, y antra, and iantra ; that ihejirjl meant a paf- 

 fage from one of the Vidas, in which the names of 

 certain deities occurred ; the fecond, a fcheme of 

 figures, which they write with a belief that their wifhes 

 will be accomplished by it; and the third, a medical 

 preparation, by the ufe of which all injuries may be 

 avoided ; for they are faid to rub it on their hands, 

 and afterwards to touch red-hot iro.n without being 

 burned. He then afked how much barley, moiflened 

 with curds, was put into the hands of the accufed per- 

 fon; and the anfwer was, nine grains. 



His 



