45"o The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book L 
As he grew up, he pafTed gradually from the Care of 
die Mailer to another, all watching attentively, not only 
over his Progrefs in Learning, but more efpecially, 
in regard to the Probity of his Manners ; and, in the 
mean time, the greateft Care was taken, that neither 
the Abilities of hrs Mind, or the Strength of his Body, 
fhpuld be weakened by too great Tendernefs or Indulgence. 
If, as he grew up to Years of Difcretion, it appeared 
that he wanted Talents for acquiring their Knowledge, or a 
Conftitution capable of undergoing the Hardihips of that 
Life which thefe Philofophers led, he was not conftrained 
to purfue their Courfe of Life, but allowed to follow 
any other. But, on the contrary, if he was affiduous in his 
Studies, and exaCt in the Performance of what was direct- 
ed by his Superiors, he was initiated into their Myfteries, 
and brought up to all the Learning of the SeCt. Their 
Schools were kept in a little Grove, at a Diftance from the 
Town to which they belonged, where there was a Throne 
of Ebony placed for the Superior, from whence he deliver- 
ed his Lectures ; and this with fuch an Air of Gravity, as 
made fo deep an Impreffion on the Minds of his Auditors, 
as that they never prefumed to fpeak, or fo much as to 
fpit, during the time of his Difcourfe. If, thro’ any Acci- 
dent, they did either, they were turned out of the School 
for that Day, as rude and intemperate Perfons a . . 
To fay the Truth, the Subjects of thefe LeCtures were 
of fo exalted a Nature, and were delivered with fuch Se- 
rioufnefs and Dignity, that they naturally commanded a 
moll profound Reverence, efpecially from fuch as from 
their tender Years were filled with the higheft RefpeCl for 
their InftruCtors, and taught to conceive juft Notions of 
the Confequences of what was thus delivered to them. In 
thefe LeCtures, they infilled chiefly on the Principles of 
natural Religion, the Immortality of the Soul, and the 
Duties of Men towards each other, and to their Creator. 
They explained the Advantages that arofe from a ftridt 
Morality, and took Pains to fhew, that a Life of Hard- 
ihips, in which a Man was continually expofed to what 
■the World thought the greateft Evils, fuch as Abftinence 
from Meat and Drink, a perpetual Solitude, and the bear- 
ing the Intemperance of the Air, and the Inclemency of 
the Seafons, was, notwithftanding, preferable to any other 
Courfe, inafmuch as it led to the Poffeffion of true Wif- 
dom, the obtaining a perfedl Command over their Paf- 
ftons, and the Enjoyment of Health ; together with an 
undifturbed Peace of Mind : They likewife fet forth the 
Perfections of the Supreme Being, the Wifdom and Good- 
nefs of Providence, the admirable Harmony of the Uni- 
verfe, the Pofition of Man in the Scale of Beings, the End 
of his 'Creation, the Dignity of his Nature, and the Means 
of exalting it to the higheft Degree of Perfedtion \ 
It is a riling well known to thofe who have ftudied 
Mankind, that it is not fo much for want of Lights, as for 
want of Will to follow thofe Lights, that People fall into 
dangerous Errors, and grofs Vices. Amongft the Brach- 
mans this was rendered almoft impradticable ; for, being 
obliged daily, to attend feveral Hours to the wife Dif- 
courfes of their Chief, their having conftantly before their 
Eyes fo many Examples of rigid Virtue, and the Re- 
proaches to which they were expofed, if they, at any time, 
failed in their Duty, kept them equally firm in their Prin- 
ciples and Pradtice. We may add to this ; the Ambition of 
fuftaining the Rank of their Call, which was the firft in 
the State, and to which the higheft Honours were paid by 
the People, muft have contributed not a little, to keep up 
their Spirits, and to encourage them in the Purfuit of thofe 
Studies which were attended with fo high a Reward. 
,2. As to their Exercifes, they fpent a great Part of the 
Day and Night in Prayer, in finging Hyins to the Deity, 
in making Vows for the Profperity of their Prince and 
People, and for procuring the Biefiing of Heaven upon all 
their Endeavours. When they were not thus occupied, 
they retired to their Cells, where they meditated on the 
great Troths of Philofophy, amufed themfelves with Expe- 
riments, or difcourfed with fuch of their Friends as came 
to fee them : But if, at any time, they were fen Able, that 
they exceeded in this, by talking too much, too freely, or 
upon improper Subjects, they impofed a voluntary Pe- 
nance upon themfelves, which, confiding in an abfolute Si- 
lence, for a certain Space of Time, made a fufficient Atone-" 
ment for their former Indifcretion c . 
It is inconceivable to what Heights of Science this kind 
of Life conduced them ; for their Spirits being continually 
adlive, their Heads perfectly clear, and their Hearts full 
of that Confidence which is the Refult of Innocence, they 
confidered themfelves, and were confidered by others, as 
a Race of People fuperior to common Men. In fome Ip- 
ftances, this led them to a fort of Behaviour, which looked 
like Pride-, for they never vifited any : And when their 
Friends came to fee them, they conftantly entertained them 
with moral or philofophical Difcourfes, kited to the Capa- 
cities of their Hearers ; and meddled very little, if at all, 
with the common Concerns of Life, defpifing alike the 
Pleafures which other Men fought, and the Difficulties of 
which they complained. They are, on this Account, 
charged with Haughtinefs, Self-conceit, and Vanity, by 
fome of the Antients, and by moft of the Moderns ft 
But whoever attentively confiders the Neceftity there is, of 
keeping exalted Ideas of a future State conftantly in View, 
in order to lead fuch a Life here, as thefe Men did, which, 
at the fame time that it was fo honourable for themfelves, 
was likewife of fo great Confequence to Society, they will 
plainly fee, that nothing but fuch a Frame of Spirit as the 
Brachmans are faid to have poffeffed, could have enabled 
them to have gone through fo fatiguing a Courfe of Life, 
with Satisfaction to themfelves, and to the Benefit of their 
Countrymen. 
In a Word, the Abatement of their Pride, as it is called, 
muft have been attended with an Abatement of their Vir- 
tue ; of which we have an Example in Calanus , who, being 
once prevailed upon to vifit Alexander the Great, and to 
converfe with the Grecians , came foon after to have fuch a 
Complaifance for them, as to quit his Country, and follow 
that Monarch into Berfia ; for which he was derided and 
defpifed by his Brethren % as a Renegade ; and with Rea- 
fon, unlefs we can imagine, that the Manners and Morals 
of the Brachmans , at that time equally free from all Super- 
ftition and Impurity, were not fuperior to thofe of the Ma- 
cedonians. , who were vifibly the moft ambitious, the moft 
unjuft, and thecruelleft People upon the Earth ; who thought 
they were to lord it over all other Nations, and that the 
Victories of their Princes were to ferve no other End, than 
filling their Pockets, and gratifying their Paffions. I fay, 
unlefs we can prefer fuch a ConduCt, to the peaceable, 
modeft, and quiet Behaviour of the Indians , we muft al- 
low his Brethren to have been in the right, and Calanus in t 
the wrong: And confequently, we muft confefs, that this ; 
Appearance of Pride in the Brachmans was really no more, , 
than the Reflexion of too bright a Virtue, which vulgar : 
Eyes are not able to bear. 
3. They were as venerable in their public Characters, as ; 
unblameable in their private Lives ; and it was the Purity r 
of the latter, that recommended them to the former ; for : 
the Indians , in the earlieft Ages, were throughly perfuaded, , 
that SanClity of Manners was the Quality moft requifite in 1 
Priefts. The Brachmans aCted, every- where, throughout : 
the Indies , in this Capacity ; fo that whenever Sacrifices s 
were made to the Gods, either to deprecate their Wrath, or r 
by way of Thankfgiving for their Favours, the Brachmans s 
conftantly officiated : It was on fuch Occafions that they 1 
made foiemn Sermons to the People, in which they'.’ 
ufually inculcated three Things : The firft was. Reverence 9. 
to the Divine Being, from whom they received all Things, ,| 
who was alone capable of granting them what they wifhed, 
and of defending them from what they feared, and to d 
whom they were accountable for the Ufe they made of the e 
Benefits he bellowed upon them. The fecond was, Obe- - 1 
dience to the Laws, and a hearty Concern for the Welfare 4 
of the Society. The third regarded the Love of Liberty, 
and the Obligations they were under to facrifice their own n 
* Strabo, lib. XV. 
Philo fir at. lib. iii. 
Bajlis DiCtiouary» 
Arrian, in Indicis . Plutarch, in Alexandra. b Apukius in Floridis , lib. ii. Clem. Alexandr. Stromat lib. iii. i 
« Strabo, lib. xv. Arrian . in Indicis. Apukius. _ d Lucian, de Morte Peregrins. See the Article of them IB i 
® See the Difcourfe between Alexander and Dindamis , at the Cloie of this Section. _ 
particular is 
