45^ The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book I. 
“ thofe which are more difficult and complex. The laft, 
46 which is efteemed the Perfection of all Sciences, is filled 
44 Veddata , or Vendata ; which is, as much as to fay, the 
44 Clofe, or the Sum of all Things. This is a kind of 
“ metaphyfical Theology, which the Brachmans receive 
“ not with a Spirit of Inquiry, but with profound and im- 
44 plicit Siibmiffion, as a kind of Divine Doctrine, which 
“ is, in its Nature, fuperior to all Examination or Dif- 
64 pute. Thus, thefe Men fuffer their Wifdom to be 
“ bounded by that of their Anceftors, which, as they de- 
“ fire not to tranfcend, it is very probable they do not 
44 equal . 35 
io. I have treated this Subject more largely, becaufe I 
find many Things omitted by very great Men, who have 
undertaken to give us Accounts of the Brachmans , their 
Learning, Manners, and the particular Turn of their Philc- 
fophy. The celebrated Bayle has vouchfafed them Two 
Articles in his Dictionary, but feems in both to have aimed 
more at expofing the Contradictions of fuch ancient W riters 
as have mentioned thefe Philofophers, than to give his 
Readers any diftincft and methodical Account of them from 
jcvhat he had himfelf read a . In one of his Articles indeed 
lie tells us, that the Book, written by Palladius on this Sub- 
ject, deferves to be confulted ; and in his Notes informs 
us, that this Author was publifhed from a Manufcript in 
the Royal Library, by Sir Edward Byjhe , Clarencie,ux King 
at Arms , and furmihes us with fome Remarks on the 
Editions of the Book, or rather on the Change of the 
Title Pages ; for there never was but one Edition, which 
I have read with a great deal of Care ; and am from thence 
enabled to give the Reader fome Lights, beyond what he 
can receive from Mr. Bayle. 
The Editor of that Book colIeCled every thing that had 
been written upon this Subject, of which he compofed a 
very curious Mifcellany, addreffed to the Earl of Clarendon , 
then Lord High Chancellor of England. The Treatife of 
Palladius of the Indian Nations, and of the Brachmans , was 
indeed never publifhed before ; yet it contains very little, 
if any thing, new upon the; SubjeCt, fince the Difcourfe of 
St. Ambrofe , of the Manners of the Brachmans , which is 
addreffed to one Palladius , and had been long before pub- 
lifhed in Latin, contains the Subftance of what is related by 
the other in Greek ; but the Letters of Dindimis or Dan- 
damis , which are added to thefe Two Pieces, are abfolutely 
new, and never were publifhed but by Sir Edward Bijhe ; 
for which Reafon I thought the Subftance of them would 
be acceptable to the Reader, and therefore I inferted it in a 
former Sedition. 
Strabo b mentions the Application of Alexander to this 
Phiiofopher, and fo does Plutarch c •, but both Ambrofe 
and Palladius gives us a large Account of a Conference 
that Monarch had with this Brachman , which they received 
from the Indians themfelves ; which is the more probable, 
fince it is certain they had formerly Books upon this Sub- 
je£l, which, very probably, contained the very fame Ac- 
counts that are preferred to us in thefe : They are much 
more curious, and will afford the inquifitive Reader far 
greater Satisfaction, than any thing that I know of, that 
has been written of this kind ; and therefore I wonder, 
that fo judicious and fo learned a Man as Mr. Bayle did not 
rather chufe to give us fome Quotations from thefe fcarce 
and valuable Pieces, than from Books that were in every 
body’s Hands, and had been fo often quoted before. 
The Bounds preferred to this Work, and the many 
Things that are to be treated of in this fingle Chapter, 
will not allow me to infert the Whole of either of thefe 
Pieces : But, after having given fuch a Character of them, 
the Reader, perhaps, would not excufe me, if I ftiouid clofe 
this Sedtion, without putting it in his Power to judge for 
himfelf, by adding a Specimen from a Book, which, fo 
great a Man has told us, ought to be confulted by whoever 
pretends to write upon this Subject. I will therefore fubjoin 
the Difcourfe between Alexander and the Indian Phiiofo- 
pher d ; which, I think, will be fufficient to fatisfy his Cu- 
riofity, and difeharge me effectually of this Part of my 
Task. 
8 See the Articles Brachmans and Gymnofopbijls, b Strabo, lib. 
<de BragmambuS) p. 25. S. Ambrojtus ds Moribus Brachnansrum , p. 70. 
11. “ When Alexander had heard, from the Report of 
“ Oneficritus , whom- he had fent to him, that neither Pro- 
44 ruffes nor Threats would induce Dindamis to come to 
44 him, he was the more defirous of feeing one, who, tho 9 
44 naked and old, was able to overcome the Conqueror of 
44 fo many Nations. He went, therefore, with a few of 
44 his Friends, to the Wood where the Phiiofopher was ; 
44 and when he drew near it, alight eg from his Horfe, lay- 
44 ing afide his Crown, and every thing that had f an Ap- 
44 pearance of Pomp or Shew, he went alone to the old 
44 Brachman, and fat himfelf down at his Feet. God jfave 
44 you, Dindamis , faid he: I am come to you, becaufe you 
44 refufed to come to me. And to what Purpofe do you 
44 come? faid he : What is there in our Solitudes that you 
44 can defire to carry away ? What you want, we have not *, 
44 and what we have, is not neceffary to you. We honour 
44 God, love Man, negledt Gold, and contemn Death : 
44 You, on the other hand, fear Death, honour Gold, hate. 
44 Man, and contemn God. Teach us, replied A^xander, 
44 fome of your Wifdom : They fay, that you are full of 
44 Divinity ; and that you often .confer with God himfelf : 
44 Now, I would willingly know in what you excel the 
44 Greeks ; in what you are better ; in what wifer than 
44 other Men. And I, returned Dindamis, would willingly 
44 beftow on you, what I have received from God, but 
44 that I know, your Bofom affords not Room for fuch a 
44 Gift : Thy Mind is filled with vaft Defires, and infatiable 
44 Avarice, and a diabolical Thirfc of Empire ; all which 
44 fight againft me, who would endeavour to extract them 
44 from your Breaft. You are defirous of going to the 
44 Ocean, and after that would conquer fome other Part 
44 of the World, to fatisfy thole Defires which would affiicl 
44 you with Sadnefs when you had no more to conquer, 
44 How then is it poffible I fhould content you? who, if 
44 all the World were fubjedted to your Service, would 
44 not even then be at Reft. You are made much Ids 
44 than the World ; and yet you would conquer all, and 
44 obtain whatever Mankind poffefs, but, after all, you 
44 could have no more than you fee me lying on, or I fee 
44 you fit upon. The Cafe would be exadtly the fame, if 
44 we fhould remove from hence; for you and I would 
44 then be ftill equal in our Poffeffions. I defire only to 
44 ufe the Elements of Air, Water, and Earth, as other 
44 Men ufe them ; and therefore whatever I have, I juftiy 
44 poffefs ; for if you were poffeffed of all the Rivers in 
44 the World, you could only drink Water from them as 
44 I do. If you will but learn Wifdom of me, you will 
44 want nothing ; for he has all who defires no more than 
44 he has. For it is Defire that is the Mother of Poverty; 
c - which, without knowing the proper Remedy, you feek 
44 to cure ; for whoever leeks to poffefs all Things, will 
44 never find what he feeks ; and, meeting with no Reft in 
44 what he poffeffes, but expecting it from what is yet to 
44 be poffeffed, he ftill excruciates himfelf more and more* 
44 You will have the greateft Wealth poffible, and enjoy it 
44 with the utmoft Pleaffure, if you would live thus with 
44 me ; for, if you could tafte the Wifdom I teach you, 
c4 you would poffefs all the Riches I have. The Heavens 
44 ferve me for a Canopy, the Earth is my Bed ; I drink 
44 out of the River, and the Field here fupplies me with 
44 Food ; I do not eat other Animals like a Lion, neither 
44 do the Remains of other Animals confume in me, and 
44 fo make my Body their Sepulchre ; but I feed naturally 
44 upon Fruits, as on the Milk my Mother gave me. 
44 But you are defirous of knowing what it is I poffefs, 
44 more than other Men, and how far I am wifer. I live, 
44 as you fee, agreeable to the Manner in which I was cre- 
44 ated : I live as I came from my Mother’s Womb, 
44 naked, without Riches, and without Care. I know 
44 what God has done, and I know what will be done by 
44 him. You, on the other hand, are amazed at the Pre- 
44 didtion of Things to come, becaufe you underftand not 
44 the Works of God, which he ffieweth you every Hour ; 
44 fuch as Famine, Plagues, Wafs, Droughts, Rains and 
44 fruitful Seafons ; all which I know how, whence, an 
44 to what End they come : Which Knowledge is com- 
,y. 6 In Alexandra, 4 Palladius de Gentibus Indies, & 
2 54 municated 
