488 ON THfi ve'das, 



But a native of India, who should retort the 

 charge, and argue from a few instances, that the 

 whole literature of Europe, which is held ancient, 

 consists of modern forgeries, would be justly cen- 

 sured for his presumption. 



We must not then indiscriminately condemn 

 the whole literature of India. Even Father Har- 

 DouiN, when he advanced a similar paradox re- 

 specting the works of ancient writers, excepted 

 some compositions of Cicero, Virgil, Horace, 

 and Pliny. 



It is necessary in this country, as every where 

 else, to be guarded against literary impositions. 

 But doubt and suspicion should not be carried 

 to an extreme length. Some fabricated works, 

 some interpolated passages, will be detected by 

 the sagacity of critics in the progress of researches 

 into the learning of the east : but the greatest part 

 of the books, received by the learned among the 

 Hindus, will assuredly be found genuine. I do 

 not doubt that the Vedas, of which an account 

 has been here given, will appear to be of this 

 description, 



In pronouncing them to be genuine, I mean to 

 say, that they are the same compositions, which, 

 under the same title of Veda, have been revered 

 by Hindus for hundreds, if not thousands, of 

 years. I think it probable, that they were com- 

 piled by Dwa'pa'yana, the person who is said to 

 have collected them, and who is thence surnamed 

 Vydsa, or the compiler. I can perceive no diffi- 

 culty in admitting, that those passages, which are 

 now ascribed to human authors, either as the 

 Rishis, or as the reciters of the text, were attri- 

 buted to the same persons so long ago as when 



