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Him I wish to adore with my good mind, 
Him who gives us fortune and misfortune according to 
his will, 
He knows with his true and good mind, 
And gives to this world freedom from defects and im- 
mortality ; ” 
for He “ only hath immortality.” It will be remembered 
that I am not speaking so much of Iranian religion generally, 
nor even of the religion of the Avesta, a woi’k of many hands 
and many years, but of the religion of Zoroaster ; and I think 
it must, upon the whole, be admitted that amongst the various 
phases of uninspired faith, his will stand almost second to 
none; and that it is distinctly and essentially monotheistic. 
Having now considered it in itself, I will next briefly view it 
in connection with Archaic, i.e. pre-Zarathustrian, Mono- 
theism, and with this feature chiefly as it appears amongst 
the eastern members of the Aryan family. 
Part II.— THE EARLY VEDIC BELIEF. 
18. Various Modern Theories respecting the Nature 
of Vedic Belief. 
As the earliest Yedic literature is admittedly nearer in 
language, style, and tone of thought to the period of Indo- 
Iranian unity than the Avesta ■ generally, or perhaps even than 
the Gdthas , it is to the Rig-Veda, the “Veda of Praise,” which 
stands at the head of the Aryan sacred literature of India, that 
we must, in the first instance, turn for information respecting 
pre-Zarathustrian faith. The Sanhita or “'Collection 3 of the 
Rih, consists of 1,017 Suldas or ‘Hymns/ containing 10,580 
Richas or ‘Vei’ses/ and is divided into ten Books called 
Mandalas or ‘ Circles/ The woi'k appears to be the production 
of some 150 writers, and its composition doubtless extended 
over several centuries. From the nature of the human mind 
and from the experience we possess of other archaic sacred 
woi’ks, we may expect to discei’n in it a gx’eat uniformity of 
tone and a genei'al method of treatment, combined with almost 
infinite variety in detail, often apparently highly conflicting, 
and a gi’adual drifting of the mind towards fresh mental stand- 
points ; a phase which shows itself in a fluctuation in the amount 
of respect paid to various divinities, who thus from time to time 
fall or rise in the estimation of their votaries. All this wo shall 
find abundantly in the Rile. There is, of coui'se, no question 
that the faith of the Aryan Indian became practically polythe- 
istic, although many theistic or even monotheistic features were 
