4S 1 The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book 1. 
fmall Diftance from Towns, where they eat and flept un- 
der the Trees upon the Ground, or die in Caves. As to 
their Drefs, Authors differ very widely ; It is generally 
faid, that they went naked, and were, from thence, called 
Gymnofophifts ; but this mull be underftood only when 
they were at home, that is, in their Groves : For, when 
they were employed in their public Functions, they wore 
a Turbant on their Heads, a Linen Garment on their Bodies, 
which was called the facred Robe ; had a Staff in their 
Right Hand, and a Ring upon one Finger. Some Au- 
thors, indeed, fpeak of very different Clothing : Hierocles 
mentions a Robe of that kind of Stone, which may be 
fpun into an incombultible Cloth a . Megajlhenes aflerts, 
that their Garments were made of the Barks of Trees b ; 
and, very probably, their Cuftoms, in this refped, might 
vary in different Ages. 
After they had fpent thirty-feven Years in their Mi- 
niftry, they were allowed to quit it, to live the Remainder 
of their Days at Eafe in the Towns, dreffed like other 
People ; might eat the Fiefh of wild Beads, and take as 
many Wives as they thought fit, in order to preferve the 
Race of the Bracbmans. Buf it was an effential Rule, to 
fuch as entered into the Matrimonial State, that they were 
not to reveal any of the Secrets of their Philofophy to 
their Wives ; and this for two Reafons : Firft, becaufe 
there was great Reafon to doubt, whether they would be 
difcreet enough to conceal what they were thus taught : 
And, fecondly, it was no lefs doubted, if they fhould, 
whether this Acceffion of Knowledge might not incline 
them to Pride and Difobedience. This is certainly a very 
plain and probable Account of the Marriages of the 
Bracbmans ; and we difcern therein the fame wife Precau- 
tion, the fame Regard to the particular Intereft of this 
Caff, and the fame Refpetff to the Good of the Whole, 
that is fo man if eft in the Provifions made for all other 
C Lifts of People, in virtue of the Indian Conftitution c . 
Notwithftanding they had quitted the Order, as we may 
call it, yet they were treated with the utmoft Refpeht, 
and enjoyed all the Privileges annexed to their Calf, as 
much as if they had Hill remained in their Groves, and 
continued to officiate as Priefts. That is to fay, they were 
exempted from all Duties, they were permitted to gather 
Herbs, Fruits, and Puls, where- ever they thought fit ; 
and were allowed Oil, for anointing their Bodies, at the 
public Expence : They were likewife made welcome at 
the 1 ables of the Great, where they gave their Advice, 
and difcourfed freely, on public Affairs : And it was com- 
monly out of the Number of thefe married Bracbmans , 
that the Senators d were chofen, in whom was veiled fo 
large a Snare of the Admmiftration. Thus, in every Sta- 
tion, they were attended with Reverence, and found 
themfelves particularly confidered both by their Princes 
and Fellow-Subjebls ; whole Interefts as they perfectly 
underftood, fo they conftantly purfued them and, by 
interpofing, when their Princes were inclined to arbitrary 
Meafures, they hindered the Violation of the Laws, and 
Retired the Happinefs of the People. 
Thus they paffed their Days, even to old Age, without 
any Danger of being negleded, or meeting with Con- 
tempt : 1 he Law fecured them from this, as an habitual 
1 emperance did from molt Difeales ; of which they were, 
generally fpeaking, fo much affiamed, from an Appre- 
henffon, that they would be looked upon, efpecially if of 
a long Continuance, as the Effeds of Excefs, that they, 
generally fpeaking, chofe to die rather than bear them. 
When the Inconveniences of old Age began to weigh 
them down, they had certainly recourfe to this violent 
Remedy ; and, having ordered a Pile of Wood to be 
erefted in fome public Place, they afeended it, dreffed in 
their beff Apparel, and with whatever Ornaments they 
poffeffed. There they fling certain Hymns, fetting forth 
•tne Vanity of human Life, wherein Men amufe themfelves 
with Dreams and Shadows, except the Few who are mind- 
ful of that heavenly Country, which their Souls are to in- 
habit", and then laid themfelves down upon their Faces, and 
remained there frill and quiet, without fo much as a 
Groan, till _ they were confumed to Allies % leaving ths ; 
Example of their Death to infpire their Countrymen "with - 
Coinage to adhere Head ily to the Principles which they j 
had taught them, in Ipite of any Checks or Misfortunes : 
tnat they might meet with. Thus living and dying, they » 
were always uftful to Society ; and, as their Dilciplme be- 
gan even before their Entrance into Life, fo it ended only ? 
with their laft Breath ; for they were wont to compare the ; 
Weaknefs and Infirmities of old Age ,to the imperfe<J| | 
Senfes of a Child while in the Womb, and their burnino- i 
themfelves . to their being brought forth a fecond time i 
to a new Life, filling that A6tion their Regeneration. 
6. We are now to fpeak of the fecond Sort of Brack- 
mans -> or of iuch as became fo by Elebtion, and who : 
were taken from different ClafTes, being fuch as defired 3 
to be admitted into the Order: For, as the Bracbmans \ 
profeffed themfelves Lovers of Wifdom, they thought t 
it neither juft nor reafonable to exclude thofe who were 
defirous of attaining, by voluntary Application, what t 
tney, by a regular Education, had acquired. Thefe, . 
as Megajlhenes reports, were called Germanians f ; but E 
they are' itiled Sarmanians by Clemens Alexandr inus . 
ne Manner in which they were admitted was thus : : 
d hey went to the Magiftrates of the City to which they • 
belonged, and, in the firft place, made a clear and 1 
diliinfit Difcovery of all their Effebls, which they deli- ■ 
vered up to them for the Maintenance of their Wives, , 
in cafe they had any ; and, if they had Children, they ■ 
were taken care of by the King. After this Step they : 
prefented themfelves to the Perfon who was at the Head I 
of this Body of Sages, , and defired to be admitted 1 
amongft them: Upon which they were ftri&ly examined, , 
as to the Sincerity and Steadinefs of their Refolution, , 
and the Defire they had to pafs the Remainder of their ; 
Days in the Study and Pradlice of Philofophy. An In- • 
quiry was next made into the Behaviour of their Ance- • 
ffors, in which they afeended as high as their great : 
Grandfathers ; and if they found, that any, within thefe : 
three Degrees, were juftly chargeable with Pride, Intern- ■ 
perance, or Covetoufnefs, fuch a Candidate was re- ■ 
jebled ; but if nothing of this fort appeared, then aa 5 
ftribt an Inquiry was made into his own Life and Con- - 
verfation ; and if he had a good Memory, had been al- - 
ways remarkable for Modefty, for a peaceable and hum- - 
ble Behaviour throughout his whole Life, and had never : 
given any Marks of a proud, revengeful, or luxurious i 
Diipofition, he was admitted h . 
Thefe differed from the Bracbmans in this, That they r 
inhabited moft of them between the Rivers Hyphafis and 1 
Ganges ; where they had Floufes and Temples not only neat : 
and convenient, but alfo handfomely adorned, at the King’s ; 
Expence. At a certain flour they were called to the ; 
Temple, by the Sound of a Bell, where they affifted at ; 
public Prayers ; and from whence they were not al- - 
lowed to ftir till the Bell rung again, to inform them, , 
that the Service was over for that Day. The King’s s 
Officers then gave each of them a Porringer of boiled l 
Rice, or fome fort of Food which was equivalent ; and this > 
they eat before they feparated. The Habits they wore ; 
were made of the Bark of Trees, or of coarfe Cotton j ; 
they paffed all their Days in the ftribteft Chaftity, and 1 
never drank any ftrong Liquor whatever. As they ftu- - 
died the Divinity, Philofophy, and Policy, of the Brack- - 
mans, they attained, in time, to a great Degree of 1 
Wifdom, and were confulted by their Kings ; and pre- 
fided with equal Honour at the Sacrifices that were made r 
by the People. In a Word, it appears that they were : 
received into a full Participation of all their Privileges, , 
except that of quitting the Order, and of Marrying; ; 
which there was the lefs Reafon they fhould enjoy, fince, , 
of their own Accord, they had quitted that State already. . 
It was of this kind ot Bracbmans that moft of the Stories s 
were told, that we find recorded in the Life of Apol- - 
lonius ; for, inftead of cultivating the high and fublime 2 
Sciences, they am u fed themfelves chiefly in acquiring 2 
natural Secrets ; which Science, in thofe Days, was Itiled i 
, 3 Codes apud Stephan . de Urhilus in B petyuavif. b Apud Strah. lil. xv. 
- Strabo, lib. xv. Diodor. Sieul. Plutarch, in Alexandra. f Apud Strab. ubi fupra. 
hb. xv. P orphyr. ds Abjlinentia , lib. xv. PhiMrat. lit. ii. c. 30. Apuleius in FloridP . 
c Strabo ubi fupra. d Id. Philpf.rat. Arrian, t. 
s Clem. Alexandr. Stromata } lib. i. h Strabo * >, 
Clem. Alexandr. 
4 Magic: 1 
