But far beyond the bounds of Afric borne, 

 Thy honors flourish'd mid Thibetian snows, 



Thy flowers the Lamas* gilded shrine adorn, 

 And Brahmf and Buddha $ on thy flow'r repose. 



ing, entirely covered with the inscriptions of Greek and Roman travellers, who bore their attestation to its having sent forth such a sound on 

 the rising of the sun, (this arose probably from Egyptian priestcraft), appears opposite to page 1 4 o of his first volume; and he found the 

 height of the leg, " from the bottom of the foot to the top of the knee, to be about nineteen feet; from the bottom of the foot to the ankle 

 two feet six inches; to the top of the instep, four feet; the foot itself being five feet broad, and the leg four feet in depth." 



Stupendous as these mensurations must appear, even these appear comparatively small, when we consider what is related in Pliny con- 

 cermng the wonderful Sphynx ; for that writer affirms, that the head was no less than one hundred and two feet in circumference- that 

 the figure itself was sixty-two feet high from the belly to the crown of the head ; and that its entire length was 143 feet. This figure also had 

 its meaning. It related to the inundation, or overflowing of the Nile, which happened in the middle of the month Leo (the Lion) and 

 reached to the month Virgo (the Virgin). He who could discover the anigma was honoured by the priests, and this produced the fabulous 

 story among the Greeks, of CEdipus. 



If we look for the origin of our Architecture, we shall also find it to proceed from the Egyptian. Their pillars are our columns, taken from 

 their palms ; and our orders (the capitals) are its branches, which arise from the top; sometimes the Lotos, in forming even the column, appears- 

 and in ornamenting their walls and ceiling the Lotos has the principal share. However staggering, what is with us called the Rose, is the Lotos • 

 and our honeysuckle is the infant plantule of the Lotos arising from its matrix, or seed-vessel. Sonnini, p. 592 of his Travels, mistook this 

 representation in the temple of Dendera, " for that of a proliferous flower, which he could not account for." « The Egyptians " says Delile 

 Member of the Egyptian Institute, « not unfrequently represent the leaves of the Lotos of the same size as the flowers, although they are 

 much larger, and omit the marks of indentation ; but I once saw at Latopolis the Lotos represented with indented leaves. The seed-vessel of 

 the white and blue Lotos may be also distinguished in some of the Egyptian sculptures." 



In the < Memoirs de l'Academie des Inscriptions, et Belles Lettres, anno 3790/ he also mentions, « that Barthelemy describes a very 

 ancient Egyptian mosaic, representing the flowers, seed-vessel, and leaves of the Nelumbium, very correctly performed, of which a painting 

 has been made by Bartholi in exactly the same colours, as may be seen in the library of the Pantheon, where it is deposited." 



In the sculptures of the representations of religious ceremonies, the priests are seen holding in their hands the Nelumbium when approach 

 ing the Idol, as do their servants, who are usually represented behind, having the tail of a monkey, to shew, I suspect, degradation All 

 the Nymphaeas, as furnishing food, were equally held sacred. Vide our Notes on the Nyraphsea Ccerulea. 



* Lama is the sovereign pontiff, or rather God, of the Asiatic Tartars, inhabiting the country of Barantola. The lama is not only adored 

 by the inhabitants of the country, but also by the kings of Tartary, who send him rich presents, and go in pilgrimage to pay him adoration 

 calling him lama congiu t i. e. « God, the everlasting father of heaven." He is never to be seen but in a secret place of his palace amidst a 

 great number of lamps, sitting cross-legged upon a cushion, and adorned all over with gold and precious stones; where at a distance they 

 prostrate themselves before him, it not being lawful for any to kiss even his feet. He is called the great lama, or lama of lamas • that is 

 "God of Gods." The orthodox opinion is, that when the grand lama seems to die either of old age or infirmity, his soul in fact only 

 quits a crazy habitation to look for another younger or better ; and it is discovered again in the body of some child, by certain tokens known 

 only to the lamas or priests, in which order he always appears. 



A long account of the ceremonies attending the inauguration of the infant lama in Thibet, may be seen in the first volume of the 

 Asiatic Researches. 



f An account of Brahma is given in a note to the Canna Indica, and of his marriage with Main in our history of the Blue Lotos This 

 god is seated on the flat surface of the seed-vessel of the Nelumbium, in the same manner as Osiris is represented in Egyptian sculpture hold- 

 ing a whip in his hand, which denoted his driving the chariot of the sun. In other sculptures, where he is represented as the god of the sun 

 he drives twelve horses in hand, which are certainly meant for the twelve signs of the zodiac, which symbols the more refined Greeks have 

 lost in their more elegant representation of Phoebus. 



% One of the most remarkable innovators in the religion of the Brahmins was Buddha, who is generally supposed to be the Fo of the Chi- 

 nese, the Xaca of Japan, and the Odin of the north of Europe. His worship prevails in India beyond the Ganges. He is the ninth avatar or 

 appearance of Vishnoo upon earth, and this is supposed to have happened in 1027 before Christ. A religion very similar to this is that of 'the 

 Lamas of Thibet. 



In the " Asiatic Researches" is a translation of a Sanscrit inscription on a stone at the entrance of a temple at Boodha Gaya by Mr 

 Wilkins, as follows. « In the midst of a wild and dreadful forest, flourishing with trees of sweet-scented flowers, and abounding 'in fruits 

 and roots, infested with lions and tigers, destitute of human society, and frequented by the Moonees, resided Bood-dha, the Author of Hap- 

 piness, and a portion of Narayan. This Deity Haree, who is the Lord Hareesa, the possessor of all, appeared in this ocean of natural 

 Beings at the close of the Devapara, and beginning of the Kalee Yoog. He who is omnipresent, and everlastingly to be contemplated the 

 Supreme Being, the Eternal One, the Divinity worthy to be adored by the most praise- worthy of mankind, and who appeared here with a 

 portion of his divine nature. 



For once upon a time the illustrious Amara, renowned amongst men, coming here, discovered the place of the Supreme Being, Bood-dha 

 m the great forest. The wise Amara endeavoured to render the God Bood-dlia propitious by superior service ; and he remained in the forest 

 for the space of twelve years, feeding upon roots and fruits, and sleeping upon the bare earth; and he performed the vow of a Moonee and 

 was without transgression. He performed acts of severe mortification, for he was a man of infinite resolution, with a compassionate heart 

 One n.ght he had a vision, and heard a voice saying, « Name whatever boon thou wantest.' Amara having heard this, was astonished and 

 with due reverence he replied, < First, give me a visitation, and then grant me such a boon.' He had another dream in the same night and the 

 voice said, < How can there be any apparition in the Kalee Yoog? The same reward may be obtained from the sight of an image 'or from 

 the worship of an image, as may be derived from the immediate visitation of a deity.' Having heard this, he caused an image of the Supreme 

 Spirit Bood-dha to be made, and he worshipped it, according to the law, with perfumes, incenses, and the like; and he thus glorified the 



name 



