from the Ancient Books of the Hindus. 3^ 



fource of confufion is the infinite variety of legends, which were invented 

 from time to time in Greece, Egypt, Italy, and India; and, .when all the 

 caufes of inconfiftency are confidered, we (hall no longer be furprifed to 

 fee the fame appellations given to very different deities, and the fame 

 deities appearing under different appellations. To give an example 

 m Saturn: the planet of that name is the Sani of India, who, fays 

 Diodorus, was confidered by the Chaldeans as the molt powerful of the 

 heavealy bodies next to the Sun; but his influence was thought baneful, 

 and incantations, with offerings of certain perfumes, were ufed to avert or 

 to mitigate it. When the name is applied to Chronus, the Father of 

 the Gods, it means Ca'la, or Time, a chara&er both of Maha'de'va 

 and of Brahma'; but, when he is called Cronus, he feems to be the 

 gigantick Crauncha of the Hindus; while the Saturn of Latum., and 

 of the Golden Age, appears to be quite a different perfon, and his title 

 was probably derived from Satyaverna, which implies an age of veracity 

 and righteoufnefs. Brahma v with a red complexion is worshipped, -fay 

 the Purdnas, in the dwip of Pujhcara, which I fuppofe to be a maritime 

 country at no great diftance from Egypt: he was there called the fir ft born 

 of nature, Lord of the Univerfe, and Father of Deities: and, the Mytho- 

 logy of Puflxara having pafTed into Greece, we find Cronus reprefented 

 in thofe characters, but mild and beneficent to the human race, with fome 

 features boi rowed from the older fyftem, which prevailed on the banks of 

 the Nile and the Ganges. I cannot help fufpecting, that the word Cdla 

 was the origin of Ccelus, or Coitus, as Ennius wrote it; and the Arhan 

 of the Jainas, who was a form of Maha'ca'la, misfit originally have 

 been the fame with Uranus: as to Rhea, there can be no doubt, that me 

 is the goddefs Ri, whom the Hindus call the Mother of the Gods;- but 

 fome fay, that ft \.o produced malignant bet, gs,; and Pliny tells us, that 



