SACRED ISLES TX THE VEST, &C. 321 



round column: in Tibet tliis column is said to be 

 square; some of tlie followers of Jixa comuare it 

 to a dram, that is to say, they give it the shn:)e 

 of a barrel. This idea, however exrra\ ag-ant and 

 absuid, prevailed once in the West, as we have 

 seen before. 



VIIL The rivers flowing from M6 -u are four in 

 number: there are four also in scj p ine; and we 

 read, m the Edda, of four prima?vai rivers of milk 

 flowing from the teats of the cow Audhumbla. In 

 all these accounts, these rivers are only branches 

 of an origiual one, called Swargaiiga, or Mandd- 

 chii, in the Punhias : in the Edda all rivers derive 

 their origin from that q^Wq^ liver gdmer ; but in 

 scripture it has no name. 



It rises from under the feet of Vishnu, at the 

 polar star, and, passing through the circle of the 

 moon, it fiills upon the summit of Mert(, where it 

 divides into four streams, flowing toward the four 

 cardinal points. According to Ge?ie,sis, this river 

 went forth, watering the garden of Eden, and of 

 course winding through it; from thence ir was 

 parted, aud became into four heads. The Paurd- 

 tiics use the same expression, but in a literal sense; 

 and suppose that these four branches pass actually 

 through four rocks, car\ed into the^ shape of -bur 

 heads of various animals. The Ganges, running 

 towards the South, passes through a cow's hci.d ; 

 hence India is called the country of the CW, its 

 inhabitants are descended, according to some, from 

 a cow, whence they are styled Gau-vansas, they 

 were originally Go-pdlas, or simply Paliis, or shep- 

 herds. To the West is a horse's head, from which 

 flows the chacs/iic or c.vus : aud the. inhabitants of 

 the countries bordering on it, are of course yi/iY/*, 

 or Tiirano-amas, horses or rather horsemen, Ac- 



VoL. VIII. Y 



