302 ON THE RELIGION AND 



•word China fignifies a Chine fe*.^* Setting afide the 

 difficulties attending the proof of this, of which he has 

 by no means given a compleat folution, I would afk, 

 if it is not to be highly fufpetted, that the Brahmens, 

 like all other bigotted and ignorant fe6ls, wifh to exalt 

 themfelves by making all nations inferior to their own ? 

 I have before obferved, that the laws of Menu in ufe 

 among the Burmas are very different from thofe tranf- 

 lated by Sir W. JoNEst. The Burma code is cer- 

 tainly more than fix hundred years old, as it was 

 introduced from Ceylon at leaft fo long ago; but it 

 would be very difficult to fliow, in a country where 

 there are no annals, that the inftitutes of Menu have 

 exifted in their prefent form for the half of fuch a 

 period. The Burma copy makes no mention of this 

 ftate of degradation. Were it afcertained, that the 

 GoTAMA mentioned in the Vedas'^ was the fame with 

 GoDAMA of the Rahans, it would be evident that the 

 Chinefe could not have abandoned the ordinances of 

 the Vedas : for at the time of Godama, the Chinefe 

 were a civilized people, with nearly the fame laws 

 which they at prefent enjoy, and the Vedas of confe- 

 quence would be of later date than their inftitutions. 

 It is however alleged, that there have been more than 

 one Godama or Bouddha : but whether this opinion 

 be well founded, or whether the Godama mentioned 

 in the Vedas^ be the inftitutor of the Burma religion, 

 or whether he lived earlier or later than that legifiator, 

 1 do not pretend to afcertain. 



A FEW more particulars remain to be mentioned re- 

 lating to the learning of the Burmas. 



The Burmas have among them many hiftories, con- 

 taining an account of the lives and actions performed 

 by the different families of their princes. Thefe hif- 

 tories 



* Afiatick Refearches, II, 369. f Page 292 of this Volume. 



X Sir William Jon Es,Mn the /(,4flticA Refearches, IV, 170. 



