ON THE HINDUS. 429 



We are told by the Grecian writers, that the Indians 

 were the wifeft of nations; and in moral wifdom they 

 were certainly eminent. Their Nzii Saflra, or Syflem 

 of Ethicks, is yet preferved; and the Fables of Vijhnu- 

 ferman, whom we ridiculoufly call Pilpay, are the molt 

 beautiful, if not the raoft ancient, collection of apo- 

 logues in the world. They were firfl tranflated from 

 the Sanfcrit, in the Jixth century, by the order of Bu~ 

 zerchumihr, or Bright as the Sim, the chief phyfician, 

 and afterwards Veztr, of the great AnHJhirevdn, and are 

 extant under various names in more than twenty lan- 

 guages; but their original title is Hitopadefa, or Ami- 

 cable InJlruBicn : and, as the very exiltence of JEfop, 

 whom the Arabs believe to have been an Abyffnuan, 

 appears rather doubtful, I am not dihnclined to iuppofe 

 that the firft moral fables which appeared in Europe 

 were of Indian or Ethiopian origin. 



The Hindus are faid to have boafted of three inven- 

 tions, all of which, indeed, are admirable; the method 

 of inftructing by Apologues ; the decimal Scale, adopted 

 now by all civilized nations; and the game of Chefs, 

 on which they have fome curious treatifes : but if their 

 numerous works on Grammar, Logick, Rhetorick, Mu- 

 fick, all which are extant and acceihble, were explained 

 in fome language generally known, it would be found, 

 that they had yet higher pretenfions to the praife of a 

 fertile and inventive genius. Their lighter poems are 

 lively and elegant ; their epick, magnificent and fub- 

 lime in the higheit degree. Their Purdna's comprife a 

 feries of mythological Hiftories, in blank verfe, from 

 the Creation to the fuppofed incarnation of Buddha : 

 and their Vedas, as far as we can judge from that com- 

 pendium of them which is called V panifliat, abound 

 with noble fpeculations in metaphyhcks, and fine dif- 

 courfes on the being and attributes of God. Their molt 

 ancient medical book, entitled Chereca, is believed to be 



the 



