THE HINDU RELIGIOlSr. 59 



those vices by animals whose propensities are ana- 

 logous to thcni ; and by the allegorical slaughter of 

 them before the altar of the Deity, to denote the 

 sacrifice required. To the uninformed multitude 

 such an hieioglyphic would seem to prescribe the 

 actual sacrifice of the animal. The emblematical 

 apparatus of Ca'l and Ca'li' would confirm them 

 in the error; and when once the idea was admitted, 

 that the blood of animals was acceptable to the 

 Deity, fanaticism would soon demand human vic- 

 tims. Humiliation and presents appease earthly 

 princes; but the divinity of fanaticism w^as sup- 

 posed to require more costly offerings, and the se- 

 verest mortifications which inventive zeal could 

 suggest; a false pride, and vain ambition of dis- 

 playing superior sanctity, excited an emulation 

 amongst the deluded zealots, which steeled the heart 

 against pain, and supported the sufferers under all 

 their self-infiicted torments. This artificial insensi- 

 bility acquired the reputation of inspired fortitude; 

 and the admiration of ignorant multitudes repaid 

 the tanatic for his voluntary tortures. 



Such were the disorders which arose out of the 

 worship of emblematical Deities. 



The doctrines of the Saivas seem to have extended 

 themselves over the greatest portion of mankind; 

 they spread amongst remote nations, who were ig- 

 norant of the origin and meaning of the rites they 

 adopted; and this ignorance may be considered as 

 the cause of the mixture and confusion of images 

 and ideas which cliaracterised the mythology of 

 the ancient Greeks and Romans. 



In fict, foreign nations could only copy the out- 

 ward signs and ceiemonies: the}^ could not be ad- 

 mitted beyond the threshold of the temple: the 

 adijtum was impenetrable to them. Ca'l and Qa'lv 



