254 ON THE RELIGION AND 



" the dcfcendants of the Biavwia, fome are called 

 " Burmas^ ibme CuJJays, fome Peguefe, .and Ibnic 

 " Siammefe. He alio alleges, that, according to a 

 *' perfon's lot of good or evil deeds, he is born either 

 " a Burma, or a Siammefe^ or a FAiroptan. It fome- 

 " times alfo happens, that he who was at fird born 

 " of an ignoble family, fliall afterwards be born of an 

 ^' illuftrious race: but this not from his original lot 

 "of nativity, btit from fome accidental good works. 

 " For diverfity of names the fame author thus ac- 

 " counts. It may fo happen, fays he, that the fame 

 *> perfon, according to the different aclions he may 

 " have performed, may be confidered in different 

 " points of view, and thus obtain different appella- 

 " tions: and this- he confirms by the example of Go- 

 " DAMA, who, according to his various attributes and 

 " excellencies, is called by various names. 



" The fame author inquires, by what power and 

 " caufe the various kinds of trees and herbs have 

 *' appeared in the world ? lie fuppofes them to have 

 *• arifen from the feeds of the antecedent world con- 

 " tained in that rain by which the new earth was 

 " reproduced. The fame however he does not ven- 

 *• ture to affirm of the mines of gold, lilver, and 

 '• precious flones, which he alleges have not from 

 '* the beginning exilfed in the world, but have origi- 

 *' nated from the virtues of good men. Thus when 

 '• jufl and upright princes reign on earth, and when 

 " many men are celebrated for fantlity and virtue, 

 " ilien the tree Padeza appears; from the heavens 

 " fhowers of gold and precious flones defcend ; in 

 " the bowels of the earth many mines of gold and 

 " filver arc difcovered ; the lea alfo throws up on its 

 " fhqres various kinds of riches, and whatever is 

 " fown comes to pcrfedion. On the contrary, when 

 " unjufl kings have reigned, or when men have neg- 

 " ledcd the laws, not only have new riches remained 

 " undifcovercd, but all the old wealth has difappearcd; 

 " the mines of gold and filver have been exhaufted; 



and 



