from the Ancient Books of the Hindus. ^67 



that the divine legiflator borrowed any part of his work from the Egyptians,; 

 he was deeply verfed, no doubt, in all their learning, fuch as it was ; b.iAt bfc 

 wrote what he knew to be truth itfelf, independently of their tales, in whicji 

 truth was blended with, fables ; and their age was not fo remote from tiae 

 days of the Patriarch, but that every occurrence in his life might naturally 

 have been preferved by traditions from father to fon. 



We may now he aflured, that the old Hindus had a knowledge of Misr 

 and of the Nik; that the legends of Cepheus and Cassiopeia (to felect one 

 example out of many) were the fame with thofe of Cape'ya and Ca'sya- 

 pi v ; that Perseus and Andromeda were no other than Pa'rasic a and 

 Antarmada'; and that lord Bacon, whom, with all his faults (and griev- 

 ous faults they were), we may juflly call the great architect of the temple of 

 knowledge y concluded rightly, that the Mythology of the Greeks, which their 

 oldeft writers do not pretend to have invented, was no more than a light air, 

 which had pajfed from a more ancient people into the flutes of the Grecians, and 

 which they modulated into fuch defcants as beft fuited their fancies and the 

 {late of their new fettlements; but we mud ever attend to the diftin&ion 

 between evidence and conjctlure; and I am not yet fully fatisfied wiLh many 

 parts of Mr. Wilford's EfTay, which are founded on fo uncertain a bafts 

 as conjectural Etymology; though I readily admit, that his etymologies 

 are always ingenious, often plaufib-Je, and may hereafter, perhaps, be con- 

 firmed by hiftorical proof. Let me conclude thefe remarks with applying 

 to Him the words of the memorable writer, whom I have juft named, and 

 with exprefling an opinion, in which I have no doubt of your concurrence, 

 " That, with perfevering induftry, and with fcrupulous attention to genea- 

 «« logies, monuments, infcriptions, names and titles, derivations of words, 

 « traditions and archives, fragments of hiftory, and fcattered paffages from 



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