VrCRAMADTTYA AND SALIVAHAMA. 217 



This name was probably given to him, in his in- 

 fancy, by ScYTHiANUS, who was conversant with 

 the notions of the Hindus. Having met with a 

 strong opposition, from tlie priesthood in Persia^ he 

 was obhged to conceal himself in the house of a 

 widow; wliere, falling from his hed, he broke his 

 neck, and died. His w ritino's fell into the hands of 

 an adopted son of tlie widow, who became a convert 

 to his opinions. Cfdrp:nus and Sufdas say, that 

 he was by birth a Brahmeii : a good musician, and 

 an excellent painter. He maintained that he was 

 the Paraclete, and Christ; and the ignorant 

 among the Christians, with his disciples, insisted 

 that he was Budda or Budd'ha, himscU", regene- 

 rated ; and lie was afterwards regenerated, in the 

 same manner with the Lamas, in the person of his 

 disciple Buddas-Addas, or Ada-^Janes, who, 

 after many narrow escapes, was put to a most cruel 

 death, by the king of Persia. His followers, being 

 alarmed, left the country; and many, according to 

 D'Herbelot, retired to India. This is confirmed 

 by the testimony of one of IIenaudot's Mohamme- 

 dan travellers, who went to Ctylon., in tli€ ninth 

 century; and says, that in that island there were 

 many «/ea'5, tiwd Afanic/ieans or TluinoTians : for thus 

 they were called in Persia. Peter the Sicilian, who 

 lived in the ninth century, says, that a little before 

 his time, a certain Sergius asserted, that Trciiicus, 

 the disciple of Paul the apostle, had been regene- 

 rated in him ; that he was the Paraclete, and a 

 bright star descended from heaven. He boasted 

 that-he had preached the Gospel in various countries, 

 and particularly to the inhabitants o^ Laudikeia, near 

 the country of the Cynachoritce^ in the East. The 

 Gangetic provinces were known, at that time, in 

 Persia, under the name of the country of Canacor, 

 its metropolis : and Laodikeia is probably Lhahe-dac^ 

 or Lhah-dac as suspected by Father Cassiano. 

 This Sekgius, a Mauickeany appeared in the character 



