Temples of India. 65 



dane constitution, then immediately, that same number conveyed 

 the idea of, and typified them. The next step was the still further 

 materialising into tangibility, or of the eye, or of the hand, these 

 numerical types or symbols. This was at first simply done by merely 

 the necessary number of scores, marks, glyphs, or erections — either 

 separately, or combined in figures. Soon however it was remarked 

 that some individuals of the animal creation seemed happily by some 

 idiosyncratic peculiarity ; some striking conformation, habit, or 

 instinct ; some singularity in the mode of living or moving, &c. to 

 convey the idea of some mental or metaphysical peculiarity, or 

 quality ; they then became the representation or symbol ; the step 

 from this to the worst species of Fetichism, the worship of living 

 animals or their representations, was easy and natural. After this 

 may be said to have followed worship evincing a still more debased 

 and brutal state of mind, outraging all the ideas of nature, sense 

 and truth, and that was the adoration of those many-armed, many- 

 limbed, many-headed and many-bodied monstrosities. It was things 

 of this type that the Bengal Soldiery recognised in their march over 

 the plains of Egypt. The sketch that I have given above is exactly 

 the progress that Boodhism has made in India, her most antient 

 partiality was in a reverence for certain numbers ; her earlier sym- 

 bols were numerical marks and scores ; her later types were animals ; 

 and the decadence of her purity was the worship of the beast. As 

 an instance, how animals were used as symbols, I will state that 

 in the eye of a Boodhist the Elephant typifies the man who is con- 

 versant with the esoteric dogmas of his craft, as much on account of 

 the sagacious gravity of that animal, as from the circumstance 

 that in crossing a river it sinks deeply into the stream ; aptly 

 representing, then, the man who has waded deep through the 

 stream of spiritual knowledge and of reason, and who, calm and col- 

 lected, whilst by superior sanctity and wisdom he avoids the 

 sorrows and evils entailed by sin, can likewise turn his attention 

 to the salvation of his fellow- creatures. The Horse, again, sinks 

 deep into the stream, though not so much so as the Elephant, 

 and is therefore chosen to represent the second grade. Whilst the 

 light, timorous Hare, fleeing headlong from danger, floats like down 

 upon the waters, and, making but little impression on their bosom, 



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