from the Ancient Books of the Hindus. 441 



Vrifhna, he performed a rigorous penance for many years, during which he 

 barely fupported life with water and dry leaves. At length Maha'de'v^ 

 appeared to him, allured him that his offence was forgiven, and gave him 

 leave, on his humble requeit, to fix his abode on the banks of the .holy river 



Ca/i, reftoring him to his loft: facerdotal clafs, and promifing an inoreafe of 

 virtue and divine irradiation. From the character, in which the God revealed 

 :himfelf, he was afterwards named Aghahe'sa, or Lord of bim, who for- 

 Jakes Jin ; and "the .ftation of A'lava'li was called Aghahefa-ffkan\. or 



Aghah'efam. 



Now we find the outline of a fimilar tale in the ancient Roman hiitory j 

 and one would think that the Hindu writers wifhed to fupply what was defi- 

 cient in it. The old deities of Rome were chiefly rural, fuch as the Fauns, 

 the Syhans, and others who prefided over orchards and gardens, like the fage 

 A'lava'la : the Sanfcrit word a/a 3 which is lengthened to dlavdla, when 

 the trench is carried quite round the tree, feems to be the root of «W, a vi- 

 neyard or an orchard, &m in the fame fenfe, «W gardens, and A«£& a gar- 

 dener or hufbandman, We read of Vertumna with child by Apollo, 

 the daughter of Fa u.n us by Hercules, and thofe of Numitor and Tar- 

 chetius by fome unknown Gods, or at leaft in . a fupsrnatural manner 5 

 which may be the fame ftory differently told : the king of the Ml'ecUhas 

 would, no doubt, have faved the honour of his family by pretending that his 

 daughter had received the careffes of a rural divinity. 



The origin of Rome is very uncertain; but it appears to have. been at 

 firft a place of wormip raifcd by the Pelafgi under the command of a- 'leader, 

 who, like many others, was named Hercules: by erecting other edifices 

 round it, they made it the capital of their new weftern fettlemcnts ; and it 



Hhh 



