ON MIRACLES. 



57 



These, it will be observed, are strictly no miracles. 

 They were not the work of Buddha. Though they are 

 referred to the agency of the popular Indian gods* of the 

 time ; yet if we divest the agents of their alleged divine 

 character, there is nothing wonderful in an illumination, 

 which, perhaps, did not exceed the light produced by a 

 single gas light of the present day. 



Miracle No. 4. On the fifth day the Jatila Chief 

 reflected that, Gotama being such a wonderful person, it 

 would never do to have him at the grand Sacrifice, which 

 was to take place on the following day ; since the people, 

 who would then assemble, might treat him with greater 

 veneration than they did himself. Gotama, perceiving 

 what passed in the Jatila Chief's mind left TTruvela, and 

 spent the sixth day in the Himaleya. When he returned on 

 the seventh day Kassapa inquired from his friend where he 

 had been, adding that he had kept some cakes for him. 

 Gotama replied that divining his thoughts he had left the 

 place. 



Again we see nothing in this story, which leads us to 

 doubt its historical accuracy, if we except the mode in 

 which it is related. A shrewd observer like Gotama, 

 without any power of divination, might have seen a hund- 

 red circumstances whence to suspect the uneasinesss 

 which the Jatila Chief felt at his presence, That he there- 

 fore left the place not to interrupt the arrangements of the 

 next day's ceremony is indeed very probable; and it is still 

 more probable that he stated the fact afterwards when 

 questioned — a fact which consisted of a simple suspicion, 



* The popular gods of India— the objects of a constant and exclu- 

 sive worshyp of the times. 



