P -V f.' — •>••••>. " y 
Chap. II. through feveral Countries of the I N D LE Si %6f 
God’s Vicegerent, has diftributed the Adminiftrationof the 
Univerfe among eight Lieutenants, the chief of whom 
they ftile Deiwendra, and fay he commands ail the reft of 
the Governors, who govern eight diftind Worlds, fuch 
as ours are, all which they are of Opinion fwim upon the 
Surface of the Water like fo many Eggs. 
They fay farther, that there have been divers W orlds 
before that which is now in being, and others will be after 
it •, though, they tell us, that the World we live in, is 
to continue a Million of Ages, fince that in the Year 
1693, there were no more than 4739 Years of the fourth 
Age of the World elapfed * and that the firft Age had 
lafted 17290 Years. That in the firft age of the World 
all Men were juft and good to fuch a Degree, that 
the Devil, who was then created, had no Power to injure 
them *, that in the next following Age, the fourth Part of 
Mankind became depraved 5 that in the third there was an 
equal Mixture of good and bad ; and that in this laft Age 
of the World, the Number of the good amount only to one 
fourth of the whole. But let this fuffice concerning the The- 
ology of thefe Pagans we will only add, here, that the Bra- 
mans have by their Aufterity of Life and Abftinence, gained 
a great Afcendant over the Pagans , who look upon their Ex- 
peditions of the Myfteries of their Religion as fo many fa- 
cred Oracles ; for which Reafon alfo, generally, they entruft 
them with the Education cf their Children. They are 
diftinguifhed from the other Banjans by a peculiar kind of 
Linnen Coiffure ; befides that, they never cut their Hair, and 
wear three Strings of Packthread next their Skins coming 
from their Shoulders crofs their Breaft to the Waift ; and 
and as this is the Badge of their Order, fo they never lay 
it afide ; They believe the Immortality of the Soul, and 
its Tranfmigration from the Bodies of Men into thofe of 
Beafts, before they can be capable of the Enjoyment of 
the Bleffings of the other World ; for which Reafon it is 
that the Banjans will not allow the killing of any living 
Creatures, even down to the Infefts ; and they are fo care- 
ful in this Point, that they will not keep any Fire, or 
lighted Candles in the Night-time, for fear the Flies ftiould 
burn themfelves ; and when they do at other Times, they 
make it in Pits under Ground. Their charitable Inclina- 
tions to all living Creatures are fo great, that they redeem 
fuch Birds as are catched by the Mohammedans , to be killed ; 
nay, they have certain Hofpitals appointed for tick and 
wounded Birds. 
Among the Malabar s thefe Bramans are in fuch Vene- 
ration, that they have the Firft-fruits of all the Brides, 
and by the richer Sort are invited to perform this Talk 
with very confiderable Prefents *, nay, there is fcarce any 
body of Note there, when he is to be abfent from Elome 
for any Time, but recommends his Family, efpecially his 
Wife, to the Care of a Braman , to fupply his Place. 
The Banjans are accounted to have thirty-eight princi- 
pal Cafts among 0 them, not to fpeak here of the leffer 
ones, which are not to be numbered ; they have four ge- 
neral Sedls, under which all the reft are included, viz. 
thofe of Courawathy Samar achy Bifnow , and Goegay. Thofe 
.of the firft Sed are very precife in the Prefervafion of 
living Creatures, for which reafon their Bramans have their 
Mouths covered with a Piece of Calicoe, for fear any In- 
fed fhould get into and perifti in their Mouths ; they for 
the fame reafon fweep their Rooms continually, and will 
not fit down before they have looked, for fear of fitting 
upon them *, neither do they keep any Fire or Candle in 
their Houfes. They are diftinguifhed from the others by 
z white Staff they carry in their Hands, and walk always 
bare-headed and bare-footed. Their Cloathing is only a 
Piece of Calicoe coming down from the Waift to the 
Knee, the upper Part of their Bodies being covered only 
with a woollen Cloth. They don’t believe an infinite Be- 
ing as the reft do, but attribute the Events of all Things 
to Chance, and know of no other good Deeds but Fad- 
ing and Giving of Alms. In Confequence of this Opi- 
nion, they acknowledge in the Sun, Moon, Stars, the 
Earth, In all Creatures, nay, in Trees, and in Metals, and all 
vifible Things, the inherent Caufes of their Production. 
They allow two Suns, and as many Moons, which they 
fay relieve each other alternately every Day. They be- 
lieve nothing of Heaven, or any Manfion of the Bleffed, 
tho’ at the fame Titnfe, they acknowledge the Imifiofta- 
lity of the Soul, and its Tranfmigration, which they Lay, 
does, after the Separation from the firft Body, go in- 
to another* either of Man or Beaft, according to the Be- 
haviour of the Deceafed in this World ; they fay it always 
makes, Choice of a Female that it may return into the 
World, though in another Body. Their Temples are all 
four-fquare, with flat Roofs open to the Eaft-fide, under 
which are the Chapels of their Pagods, or Idols, raifed ten 
Feet from the Ground, in the Form of a Pyramid, with Stairs 
leading up to them* on which you fee certain Figures of 
Wood, Stone, or Paper, reprefen ting fome Perfons among 
them who have rendered themfelves famous by their ex- 
traordinary good Fortune. The chiefeft Time of their 
Devotion is in Auguft, when they mortify themfelves, efpe- 
cially by Abftinence fo fuch a Degree as would pafs for fa- 
bulous, were it not that even their profeffed Enemies in the 
Indies have unanimoufly bornTeftimony to the Truth of it, 
that fome have been known for the Space of fifteen or twenty- 
one Days, nay, fome for a Month, orfixWfjjeks, not to take 
any other Nouriffiment than Water mix’d with the Shaving 
of a certain bitter Wood. In this Month they have their 
general Affemblies in their Temples, whither they refort 
•to. hear the Bramany who fits in the Center of them, and 
reads certain Legends of the Lives of their Saints. Im- 
mediately after they come into the Temple they put thefr 
Offerings of Money into a copper Bafon, placed there foF 
that Purpofe, in return of which' the Braman beftows up- 
on them the yellow Mark, either on their Foreheads, or 
Cloaths : Whilft they are hearkening to the Braman they 
are entertained with Mufick. 
If any aged Perfon dies, , they burn the Carcafs, but 
Children which die before they come to three Years of Age 
are buried. Their Wives are not obliged to burn them- 
felves with their deceafed Hufbands, but muft live in per- 
petual Vvtidowhood, and there is none belonging to this 
Se6t, but what is capable of being received into Prieft- 
hood, to reach which he has no more to do, than to change 
his Habit, vow Chaftity, and follow the fame Aufterity of 
Life preferibed to their Order. Women are not even ex- 
cluded from this Function, but they muft be above twenty 
Years of Age, whereas Males may come in at feven, eight, 
or nine Years of Age *, nay, if either of the married Cou- 
ple embraces Priefthood, the other is engaged to Celibacy 
for Life. Some of them make a Vow of Qiaftity in Mar- 
riage, but this is not fo well kept as made. This Setif is 
an Abomination to the other Banjansy to fuch a Degree, 
that they will not eat, drink, or converfe with them : 
Nay, if they happen to touch them, they are obliged to 
a very ftriCt Pennance. , 
The fecond Sort among the Banjans , which confifts for 
the moft Part in Lockfmichs, Farriers, Carpenters, Tay- 
lors, and moft other forts of handicraft Men, as alfo fome 
Soldiers, Officers, and Clerks, have fcarce any thing in com- 
mon with the firft, except that they allow not the killing 
and eating of any living Creature, believing for the reft, 
that the Univerfe owes its Origin to a firft Caufe, which 
alfo preferves it by certain and unchangeable Rules. They 
give the Name of Permifeer to this fupreme ruling, and 
affirm, that it governs the World by three Deputies ; the 
firft they call Bramay and attribute to him the Manage- 
ment of Souls, according to the Direction of Permifeer , 
in order to their Tranfmigration into the Body of Men, 
or Beafts. The fecond named Buffum^ is appointed to 
inftrudt the World in their Duty to God, and manages the 
Wheat, Herbs, and Pulfe, in the Fields and Gardens. 
The third called Mais , is the chief Manager of the Dead, 
being Permifeer ’s Secretary, who after having taking an 
Account of the good and bad Actions of the Deceafed, 
makes a report of it to his Matter, who, according to 
every one’s Deferts, fends the Soul into the Bodies of cer- 
tain Beafts, where they muft do more or lefs Pennance, 
before they can be purified from their Sins. In this kind 
they look upon the Cow as one of the beft, having fome 
thing divine in it above all the reft. They burn the dead 
Bodies of their Friends, except thofe of their Children 
under three Years of Age, whom they bury near fome Ri- 
ver, or Brook, none of the Indian Women accompany- 
ing their Hufbands with fo much Chearfulnefs in their 
laft 
