258 OBSERVATIONS ON 



and the judgment in the infernal regions ; and other 

 similar notions. These things are said of the Brach- 

 mants' 



Strabo notices likewise another order of people, 

 opposed to the Brachmanes, and called FramncE: he 

 characterises them as ' contentious cavillers, who ri- 

 diculed the Brae hmanes for their study of physiology 

 and astronomy *. 



Philostratus, in the life of ApolloNius, speaks 

 of the Brachmanes as worshipping the sun. * By 

 day they pray to the sun respecting the seasons, 

 which he governs, that he would send them in due 

 time; and that India might thrive : and, in the even- 

 ing, they intreat the solar ray not to be impatient of 

 night, and to remain as conducted from them t»' 



Pliny and Solinus J also describe the Gymnoso- 

 phists contemplating the sun: and Hierocles, as 

 cited by Stephanus of Byzantium^, expressly de- 

 clares the Brachmanes to be particularly devoted to 

 the sun. 



This worship, which distinguishes the orthodox 

 Hindus J does not seem to have been at any time prac- 

 tised by the rival sects of Jina and Budd'ha. 



PoRPHYRius, treating of a class of religious men, 

 among the Indians^ whom the Greeks were accus- 



* ^»Xoao^(<K Ts Tor? Beap^f*ai7ni avTtota^SvTat Tie»yi.vaq loXTmovi; luaj xce* 

 l^tyx-Tix-ovq. y.. T. X. lib. 15. 



■f Mw yijAifa)/ [A.IV »ii» ij^toy i/imipluv u^uy. x. t. X. lib. 3. Cap. 4a 



X Pliny, lib. 7. c. 2. Soliii. 1. 52. 



§ To BfCi^.dnuv (ptXdv uvaouv (ftAoo-o^wy, xa» 6io7<; (piXuv, r;}^u oi lACtXiJ-ft 



uu^»)rt*)[A.myt Step, de Urbibus, ad vocem BrachmaQes. 



