Parti 
r>s*/^^ the Benjans do live nearer to the Borders 
Baldam. q£ perfta aind Armmia, than the reft: of 
^-'^'^^'^^ the Indians \ there being alfo mention 
made of the Giants, Cm. 6. 4. and it is 
very probable, that the antient Pagans 
were not quite ignorant of the Hiftory of 
• the Deluge, which they afterwards ufhe- 
red into the W orld, under divers pecu- 
liar Deluges, as for inftance the Diluvi- 
um Ogygicum^ which happen'd in Attica^ 
and Deucalion's Deluge in TheJJaljf \ and the 
Prometheus of the antient Pagans, is by 
moft Criticks taken for the fame with 
Noah. 
But we come to the fourth Transfor- 
mation \ yet before we enter upon the 
Particulars thereof, we muft add fome- 
thing more relating to the third Tranf- 
formation. The Earth being refl:ored to 
its former Station, Viftnum upon an exaft 
view found it ibmething inclining to the 
South^ which Viftmm not being able to 
remedy, he addrelTed himfelf toacer- 
^ tain Saint of very low Stature, nam*d 
' J.2.C.19. j^^^i jigdjTta {Rogerim * calls him Agafiea) 
who having laid his holy Book upon that 
part inclining to the South, put it into a 
" jult Equilibrium, 
Fifinum walking with this ^^flV^^i near 
the Scafide, the Sea asked Vijlnum^ Who 
\ It was that walked with hifn? Viftnum re- 
■ ■ plied, Heh a Saint who is going to refiore 
the Earth to its true Ballance. Where- 
I upon the Sea, fcorning his low Stature 
i (he being not above the height of a joint 
\ of a Finger) wetted him with its Waves ; 
j. which Affront being highly relented by 
r .; ■'V Agaffiay hetookfomeof the Seawater in 
1 .. ' ; his hand, and beginning to drink, did not 
^ i '.- ' defift till he had drunk up the whole Sea : 
\ ■ '. '. . Dewetas and Rixiis feeing the Sea thus ex- 
^ . ■ . • haufted, interceded with Jgajfia'not to 
rob the World of fb lingular a Benefit, 
i = ■ and prevailed upon him fofar, that he pif- 
fed out again all the Water he had drun- 
ken before ; and this is the reafon their 
Philofophers alledg for the.Saltnefs of the 
i Sea. 
\ y^gajfl^ ^^^^^ having reftored the bal- 
! lance of the Earth, took his leave of 
5 f^iftnum^ vjho to prevent the like for the 
; fut\ire^ ordcv'd the Great Serpent to vi'md 
< herfelf about the feven Worlds and fe- 
■ venSeas^ and for more Securities fike, 
■ ■ appointed 8 Guardians to watch over it, 
■ called in the Malabar by the following 
Names : i. Indra the King of the Celeft:i- 
i al Spirits. 2. the God of Fire. 
3. Padur^ati King of the evil Spirits, 
4. Nirurdi King of the infernal Spirits. 
\ 5. Farunna the God of the Sea, 6. Marti 
Che God of the Winds. 7. Cubera the 
God of Riches, called otherwife Bajfi- 
ronnem. ^ 8. Ixananam ot Ixora himfelf*, 
hence it is that you fee frequently eight 
Stones placed at the Entrance of, and a- 
bout their Pagodes, 
The fourth Transformation into half a The fmth 
Lion and half a Man was occalloned thus : TransjK- 
During the firft Period of Time, a cer 
tain Gyant Hirrenkejfep (as the Benjans 
call him, bntthcMalabars Rcniacxen) hav- 
ing been forced to abfcond for 1 2 years 
on the account of Bramma^ afterwards 
made the following Requeft: to him : Mojl 
jPoft'Mt Bramma, grant me the Favour to 
make me a great Monarch upon Earthy and 
bejlow this further Bkjfmg upon we, that 
I may not he killed either by Day or by Night ^ 
either within or without my Houfc, cither by 
Heaven, Earthy Sun or Moon, by Thunder^ 
Lightning, Stars or Comets, neither by 
Clouds, Winds, Hail, Snow or Rains, or 
Birds, Beafls, Men, Devils, Fijhes or Wa- 
ter ; not by Serpents, Adders, Poifon, Sword, 
Arrows or any other Weapons. Bra m ma hav- 
ing granted the Gyant's requeft:, he foon 
made himfelf Mafl:er of the whole Earth, 
and overcome with Pride at his Succefs, 
iflued out a Mandate, that no body fhould 
be adored but himfelf, under the forfei- 
ture of the Lives of fuch as fliould con- 
travene it. Things continuing in this 
State for fome Years, the Brahmans be- 
gan to murmur, that they Ihould be ob- 
liged to adore any terreflrial Power, tho never 
fo great, to the prejudice of the celefiial Spi- 
rits; they refolved therefore to make 
their Supplications to Vtflnum, implo- 
ring him to deliver them from the OppreJJi- 
ons of this Tyrant, who gave them for an- 
fwer. That the Giant Jhould have fhortly a 
Son born, who fhould be their Deliverer, and 
till then they mufi have Patience. 
Within ro Months after Naeckfeu, the 
Giants V/ife, brought forth a Son named 
Prellade, who when he was five years old 
was put to a Schoolraafter ; being one 
time fent for by his Father, hisMafter 
inftrufted him how to pronounce his Fa- 
ther's Name in Ihort writing, which was 
Jrenia, but inftead thereof the Boy faid 
Ary, being the abbreviated Name of 
Ftfinum. The Mafl:er aftonilhed put his 
Hand upon his Mouth, bidding him to 
forbear, for fear of being the occafion 
of his own Death ; but the more he for- 
bid him, the more the Boy perGfted in 
faying Ary, Ary, inftead of Irenia. 
The Schoolmafter not knowing what 
to do, brought him to his Father, telling 
him, That hvs Son would not pronounce hh - 
Name, which he had taken fo much pains to 
mchhim The Father asking him the 
reafon-, 
