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and when the pyre burnt most furiously the five infatuated atten- 
dants rushed into the midst of the fire, and shared the fate of their 
mistress. The amiable Bernier, indignant at this horrid spectacle, 
passionately exclaims against a religion which could permit such a 
sacrifice, and still more so against <6 Its demons de brahmens who 
not only encouraged these deluded females, but were the most ac- 
tive persons throughout the infernal tragedy. 
Religious prejudices are very powerful, but how they can thus 
destroy the feelings of humanity, is rather paradoxical: the cruel- 
ties of the inquisition and other mis-named Christian tribunals 
proceed from a different cause: they were originally actuated by 
the spirit of Christianity ; but bigotry has strangely perverted its 
benevolent influence. In the sacrifice of a Hindoo widow, (and 
some thousands are annually sacrificed,) religion herself incul- 
cates the horrid deed; the laws of Menu approve it; and the 
priests of Brahma, who affect to shudder at the death of an insect, 
assist at the destruction of this most lovely part of the creation. 
Well may these brahmins be called the priests of Siva, the de- 
stroying power in the Hindoo triad: who, with her sister-furies, the 
satkis, have so many votaries in Hindostan : whether they all agree 
in sanctioning this most abominable sacrifice, I cannot determine ; 
because the brahmins themselves are divided into various sects, 
who differ in many religious points which they deem essential, and 
do not eat or intermarry with each other. Although I have, in con- 
formity to the generally-received opinion among Europeans, di- 
vided the Hindoos into four grand castes, or tribes, subdivided into 
eighty-four inferior distinctions, we shall find, on a more minute 
investigation, that in the various districts of India, there is a much 
