892 
The Idolatry of 
Part II. 
CHAP. XIL 
Gf the Creation, Quality and Divifion of the World^ according to the Opinion 
of the Learned Heathens. 
THE Benjans and Malahars confti- 
tute God the Creator of the Uni- 
verfe, for they frequently give God the 
Title of Creator of Heaven and Earth. 
We told you in the preceding Chapter, 
that they attribute the Creation of the 
World to Bramma-^ w hereunto we will 
now add, that they fay, the Power of 
creating the World was communicated 
to him by Viftnum. They believe with 
Epicunu and Metrodoriu, more than one 
World, of which before ; befides which 
T Seas, they make feven great Seas. i. The 
Water-Sea. 1. The Milk-Sea. 3. The 
Cream-Sea. 4, The Butter-Sea. 5. The 
Salt-Sea. 6. The Sugar-Sea. 7. The 
Wine-Sea. The Paradife they place in 
the Water-Sea-, the Priefls and Jogyes be- 
long to the Milk- Sea •, the Voluptuous in 
the Cream-Sea ; the Fortunate and Blefled 
In the Butter-Sea; the Merciful in the 
Salt-Sea j thofe who are Liberal in giving 
Alms in the Sugar-Sea, and thofe that 
live in great Plenty in the Wine- Sea. 
Notwithftanding this general Opinion, 
tlie Brahmans maintain, that the World 
was produc'd from an Egg of which 
opinion it feems were alfo the antient 
Egyptians, the Thebeans, Orpheus, Plato, 
and the Perjians. 
The Malahars look for the Origin of 
all things in the Privy Member of their 
God, which being too large, he could 
not enjoy his Wife Cbatti, wherefore he 
was forced to cut it into 18 pieces, 
which turn'd into divers forts of Arms ; 
but the Blood which ifTued thence pro- 
duc'd the Sun, Moon, and Stars and 
forae few drops falling upon the ground, 
the Rofes, and other forts of Flowers : 
But all living Creatures, both rational 
and irrational, were brought forth by 
Ixora''s cohabiting with Chatti. 
The Brahmans further are infeded with 
a ridiculous Opinion^ that the World is 
not round but flat •, and that confequent- 
ly the Terreftrial Globe is not enclos'd 
in, or furrounded by the Air, but limit 
its Extent by the Horizon that is obvious 
to our fight ', for they maintain, that the 
Heavens are the uppermoft half^ and 
t 
the Earth the lowermofl: of the Egg- 
fhell •, whence it is that they confider the 
Heavens as immovable, and the Motion 
of the Sun, Moon and Stars (unto 
whom they attribute peculiar Souls ) to 
be like the Fifhes at Sea in the day from 
Eall to Weft, and in the night from 
the Weft ( not below but along the edg 
of the Horizon) to the North, and 
fo again to the Eaft. If^ you objeft 
that according to their Suppofition, the 
Sun muft never ceafe to ftine: They 
anfwer, that to the North there is a vaft 
ridg of Mountains rall'd Mahameru or 
Meroumoi behina vvftrch the Sun, Moon 
and Stars withdraw from our fight. They 
add, that the World refts upon an Ox, 
who when he has a mind to eafe him- 
felf, he throws the World hom one of 
his Horns to the other, which occafions 
what we call Earthquakes. 
They are alfo grofly miftaken in the 
Computation of the Extent of the Earth, 
which the Brahmans lay, is from North 
to South 100000 Joxenas; whereas it is 
beyond all doubt, that the whole Cir- 
cumference of the Globe amounts to no 
more than 5400 Ccrm. Miles, reckoning 
1 5 of ihefe Miles to a Degree, of which 
there are 360. 1 hey alfo conftitute no 
lefs than five Elements, adding the Hea- 
vens to the reft ; in which point they 
follow the footfteps of ^rijiotle, who calls 
the Heavens the firft Element. Thefe 
five Elements both the Brahmans and Ben- 
jans reverence like Gods, becaufe, fay 
they, they enter into the Compofition of 
every thing upon Earth ; whence they 
allot every one of them his peculiar 
Wahanam, or Horfe. They have alfo 
invented no lefs than feven Padallas^ as 
they call them, or fubterranean places 
(not unlike the Purgatory and Limbm 
Patrum of our Modern luman Catho- 
licks ) which inferior Worlds are known 
among them by thefe following Names, 
Adela, Bidela, Sudela, Taladelam, Scdelam, 
Mahadelam and Padelam ; and are inha- 
bited by Men who receive no other Light 
but what certain Serpents carrying very 
bright Stones on their Heads afford them. 
Ridiculous 
Opinion of 
the Brah- 
mans con- 
ceriung the 
Figure of 
the World, 
As alfo cm' 
cernin^ its 
Magn'h 
tude. 
C H A P, 
