Chap. II. of the East Indie s. 44 J 
be mvento thefe Relations. - The Greeks themfelves were Indies the following Information : Bacchus, when he had 
fo addided to Idolatry, that they had no other Idea of fettled a Principality in the Neighbourhood of Nyjfa •> de- 
Relimon, than as it confided in the Worllup of a Multi- volved the Government upon Sparthembras , his Friend,, 
tude of Divinities ; and, therefore, in their Reports of the who reigned fifty-two Years, and left the Crown to his 
Indians , they attributed the Ceremonies they favv praftifed Son Budyas , who ruled twenty Years, and was fucceeded 
to Principles like their own. But it is very plain, even by Crudevas , his Son; and fo, in a continued Defcent 
from the Writings of their bed Authors, that at the time from Father to Son, except where a King died without 
Alexander the Great invaded this Country, the Indians had Iffue, and, in that Cafe, a new Prince was eleded ; the 
not the life of Images ; and even Apollonius confeffes, Succeffion in this Order came to the famous Sandracottus^ 
that the Reprefentation of the Sun was the only one he who was the hundred and fifty-third Succeffor of Bacchus c . 
faw. It is likewife very certain, that thefe People made a But befides this great Monarch, who had a confiderable 
great Secret of their religious Opinions ; which was another Territory, and Abundance of tributary Princes, every 
Caufe why the Greeks had recourfe to their own Inventions, Tribe of Indians had its particular Prince, who was at 
which were very fertile ; and, by this means, reprefented once King and Pried within his own Dominions, according 
the Sentiments of the Indians , as conformable to their to the antierit Cudom of mod Countries ; from whence it 
own. The Brachmans , however, who were, for the mod came, that the Hebrews ufed the fame Word to fignify 
part, their Prieds, and, as we fhall fee hereafter, were both Prince and Pried. The Indian Monarchs were far 
in that refped, in fame fort, fuperior to their Kings, dif- from having abfolute Power, or from living in a State of 
claimed all thefe fuperditious Notions , and either worlhip- Luxury and Eafe : Of the contrary, they were obliged to 
ped in the open Air, turning their Faces to the Ead, with- hear every Day the Caufes that were brought before them, 
out any regard to the Sun, or other heavenly Bodies, or in and to give Audience to fuch of their Subjeds as had any 
Temples that had neither Images, nor Ornaments of any thing to fay to them : Nor were they allowed, by their 
kind. They likewife profeffed their Belief in One God, Laws, to go into the Bath, or even to dine, before all thefe 
the Author of all Things, the Creator and Sovereign of Suitors were anfwered. In Matters of great Confequence 3 
the Univerle, and the Father of Spirits ; conformable to they could not ad without die Advice of their Council % 
which, when Oneficritus , in the Name of Alexander the and, in Points of Religion, they received the Inftrudions 
Great, threatened Dindamis with Death if he did not im- of the Brachmans with implicit Obedience; fo that, in 
mediately rife, and go and wait upon that Prince, he told' all refpeds, they were circumfcribed, and had it not in 
him, imilmg, that the King’s putting him to Death would their Power to violate the Condituticn d . This was very 
i do him ro hurt at all : For, faid he, when this Head is probably the Reafon, that thefe fmali Principalities, which 
divided from this Body, they will return to the Earth from had neither great Power, nor much Wealth, to fupport 
i whence they came ; and the Spirit, now included in them, them, fubfided for fo many Ages. It is, however, to be 
: to Him, by whofe Power it was included ; for the Body, obferved, that to prevent the People from being over- 
: faid he, is the Cloathing of the Soul, and has no more to born by the Torrent of a fudden Invafion, there was al- 
1 do with the Man than his Garments a . ways a fupreme Monarch over a certain Country, who 
It is true, that, fince thefe early Times, the Indians have could draw together the Forces of all thefe fubordiriate 
deviated much into Idolatry ; but it is no lefs true, that Chiefs on any public Occafion that required it : And thus 
i the Brachmans , who are the wifer and better Sort, have al- it was that the numerous Armies were raifed, which in the 
i ways profeffed a different Opinion ; and, upon certain Oc- foregoing Hiftory have been mentioned ; and, in this 
cafions, have ventured to declare, in Confidence, that they refped, the antient Conftitution of India was very like the 
did not believe in Idols ; but that they confidered them as Gothic Form of Government, and came very near the 
iymbolical Reprefentations, which were neceffary to fix Conftitution in this Ifland, before it was invaded by the 
the Attention, and to exercife the Piety, of the common Romans. 
! People, who were not able to comprehend, or were not The Reception which Apollonius met with from the 
I fit to be trufted with, the Secrets of their Religion. This King of ‘Taxilis , affords us a very agreeable Picture of 
is all we know, and indeed all that can be known, of the the Court of an Indian Monarch. When the Philofopher 
Religion of the antient Indians , except that the very arrived there, he found the Palace a large and convenient 
! Burning of themfelves proceeded from a Principle of Re- Structure, but, in every refped, perfectly plain ; fo that, 
I ligion, and from the FI opes of avoiding, by that kind of if he had not been informed, that it was the Royal Dwel- 
! Death, the being tranfmigrated into any Animal ; upon ling, he would have taken it for the Houfe of lome con- 
1 which Principle, Women, to this Day, bum themfelves fiderable Citizen. He found there neither Guards nor At- 
1 with their Husbands Bodies, in hopes that their Souls tendants : There were only a few Slaves at the Gate, 
i fhall again enter the World with thole of their Husbands and three or four Perfons of an ordinary Rank, who de- 
: in an happy Condition, and in an human State, that is, fired to fpeak with the King. Apollonius entered with 
1 without paffing through Plants or Beafts b . them into the Royal Apartments, where he found every 
2. As to the Government of the Country, it was, ge- Thing plain and neat, difpofed, however, info excellent 
i nerally {peaking, monarchical, though there were fome Re- an Order, that they ftruck him with much greater Awe 
; pubiics amongft them : But the Cutheans had a very fingu- and Reverence, than the lofty and fumptuous Palace of the 
far Cuftom ; for, amongft them, their Kings were cholen King of Babylon , which he had vilited before. The Ap- 
| purely on the Score of Beauty ; and, therefore, when pearance of the Monarch, whofe Name was Phraortes , or 
their Children were but two Months old, they were examined Phraotes , was in every refped fuitable to the Modefty of 
by proper judges, who, if they found them perfect in all his Palace ; a noble and majeftic Prefence was the foie 
: their Limbs, well made, and likely to prove handfome, Mark of Dignity he bore, and he was attended by a very 
: they buffered them to live, otherwife they put them to Death ; {lender Retinue ; fo that Apollonius , recolleding what he 
and it is in virtue of this Precaution, that they were con- had heard of the Brachmans , and of their Difciples, con- 
fidered as the handfomeft People in the World. It is eluded that the Princes of India were, alfo, a kind of 
worthy of Obfervation, that the Cuftom of Women burn- Sages ; and, therefore, he addreffed him by his Interpre- 
mg themfelves with their Husbands was firft introduced ter in thefe Words : It appears to me, Sir, that Philofo 
here ; which was occafioned by their frequently deferring phy is your fupreme Delight, and the 1 Rule of your Ac 
them for the lake of younger Men ; and, where this could tions : Permit me, therefore, to have the Honour of 
not eafily be done, removing them out of their Way by congratulating you thereupon. What you fay is true, re- 
Poifon. In all the other Countries of the Indies the Crown plied the King ; and I am extremely glad, that your Send- 
was hereditary, and the eldeft Son conftantly fucceeded his ments agree with mine. Is it the Laws of your Country, 
Father without any Difficulty or Difpute : But, as to the continued Apollonius , or is it your Majefty’s particular 
regular Hiftory of thefe Principalities, there are none that Tafte, that removes from your Court all that Magnificence 
huve been preferved, if we except that of the Indian and Pomp, that are ufually found in the Dwellinp's of 
Bacchus , concerning which Megafthenes received in the Princes ? It is both the Law, replied the Prince, and my 
A? n hrofiu 3 de Mot thus Brachmanorum , p. 70. b Fryer* s Travels into India, p. To I. c Strabo, lib . xv. p. 60,9. Diodor. Sicul. 
kb, xvil. -C Curt. lib. IX. Arrian, de Expedite Alexand. lib*. ix. et de Indie . c. 8, 9. 4 Philoji, lib . iii. c. 10, 
4 
own 
