from the Ancient Books of the Hindus. ^q? 



fice in it, called the palace of Memnon ; that it was famed alfo for a well, 

 or pool of water, with winding fteps all round it, that the ftrudure and 

 workmanmip of the refervoir were very fmgular, the ftones ufed in it of an 

 aftonlfhing magnitude, and the fculpture on them excellent, (a) Herodotus 

 infills, that the names of the Dioscuri were unknown to the Egyptians ; 

 but, fince it is positively afTerted in the Purdnas, that they were venerated on 

 ■the banks of the Nile, they muft have been revered, I prefume, in Egypt 

 under other names: indeed, Harpocrates and HalItomenion, the 

 twin-fons of Osiris and Isis, greatly refemble the Dioscuri of the Gre- 

 cian Mythologifts. 



VII. Before we enter upon the next legend, I muft premife, that i'da, 

 pronounced ira, is the root of a Sanfcrit verb Signifying praife, and fynony- 

 mous with ila, which oftener occurs in the Veda : the Rigve'da begins with 

 the phrafe Agnimik', or I Jing praife to Fire. Vishnu then had two war- 

 ders of his ethereal palace, named Jaya and Vijaya, who carried the pride 

 of office to fuch a length, that they infulted the feven Maharjliis, who had 

 come, with San Ac a at their head, to prefent their adorations ; but the offended 

 RiJJjis pronounced an imprecation en the infolent warders, condemning them 

 to be ddhoyoniy or born below, and to pafs through three mortal forms before 

 they could be re-admitted to the divine prefence.: in confequence of this exe- 

 cration, they frrft appeared on earth asHiRANYA'csHAjbr Golden-eyed -, and 

 'HtR ! A'NYAC ; ASipu, or Clad in gold j fecondly, as Ra'Vana and Cumjsha- 

 carna, and, laftly, as C ansa, and Sls'upa'la. 

 ■ ' . - 



In their firll appearance they were the twin-fons of Gas yap a and Dit.i: 

 'before their birth, the body of their mother blazed like the fun, and the IV- 



-' ' i'i .i i ' i ■ ■' : ■ ' i ■ ■ -^ 'fl — m i... i , i „ M 



[aj Strabo. ' B. 9. p. 434, 438. 

 B b b 



