^^4 , ..TE.:::/ ^ISSAJ ON THl :; 



'legend, brought. -to light by me from some rare arid obscure book^ 

 "There is hardly a learned Pandit, who has not either read it himself, or 

 who is not at least acquainted with the subje^„ It is acknowledged all 

 over //?Jz^, though JSon3e^yhat humiliating to the rest of the brdhmenical 

 tribes, who endeavour to soften it as much as possible. This legend, be- 

 sides, is confirmed by foreign evidence ; being noticed by several ancient 

 authors in the west. The most clear and explicit on this subjedl Is Evhe» 

 MERUs, a very ancient author, cited by Diodorus the Sicilian^ Lactan- 

 Tius and EusEBius. He wrote a sacred history, which was translated into 

 Latinhy Ennius, who lived in the third century before Christ^ There^ 

 he says, that in the country of Panchcea^ -which! shall show hereafter to be 

 India, there were priests, who asserted that they came originally from 

 Cr^^^; from which place they were brought into Panchcea by Jupiter^ 

 whilst he lived among men. The same author says, according to Lactan« 

 TIUS, that Jupiter went from Creta into Panchcea^ with a large body of 

 Cretans y to wage war against the Titans,mhom. he defeated, and delivered 

 his parents from their confinement. Crtshna, who is here the Cr^^j^i 

 Jupiter, was not, properly speaking, a native of /«^/a, but came from the 

 JVliite Island or Creta. Nonnus, in his Dionysiacs^ <^^ says, that the 

 Rhadamanes went from Crete to India , in the time of Minos, in order to 

 assist Bacchus in his wars ; that they built ships for him,, which they 

 navigated themselves. ■ , • ., ; 



There we see not only a sacerdotal tribe, but also many followers 

 of inferior classes, who were forced to leave their native country, and 

 passing through Arabia settled at last in India. 



This Jupiter is the Vishnu of the Hindus, and he lived among men 



(i) NoNNi Dionjs. lib. SC*. p. 528 and 529. lib. S9% p. 548. 



