551 
of what is laid, any more than many papifts do of their 
mafs.” See the article Language, p. 164, 5, of this 
volume. 
The Pahlavas are enumerated in the Code of Menu as 
having once belonged to the race of the CJliatriyas, or fe- 
cond clafs of Hindoos, from which, by their omilhon of 
holy rites and by feeing no Brahmins, they had gradually 
funk. See 1 11ft. of Hindoo Law, ch. x. The Pehlvi, or 
Pahlavi, was a language, in the opinion of the Parfees 
themfelves, older than the Zendifh, and its nation lituated 
between the Dilem, the Mazendran, and the Furfiftan. 
See d’Anquetil’s Preface to the Vocab. of the ancient 
Languages of Perlia, tom. ii. p. 432. Probably it was of 
even antiquity ; but fee fir William Jones’s fixth Anni- 
verfary Difcourfe. The proximity of this people to the 
country of the Brahmins renders it very probable they 
were under the fame law, or might have borrowed part 
of its cultoms; but the l;uv of the Zendavefta is more 
like that of the Chinefe, though it has a refemblance to 
both in fome things, fuch as the remembrance of departed 
anceftry. The fyftem of punilhment by ftripes redeema¬ 
ble by fine, though the former are more levere and numer¬ 
ous than the Chinefe code infliCls, accords with the lat¬ 
ter; that of prayers and expiations with the former. The 
Jews never exceeded 40 ftripes, the Chinefe never exceed 
100; but the Zendavefta (as we (hall prefently fee) may 
vie with our own military code, as it proceeds fometimes 
to 1000. 
“Zoroafter (continues Prideaux) was the greateft im- 
poftor, except Mahomet, that ever appeared in the world, 
and had all the craft and enterpriling boldnefs of that 
Arab, but much more knowledge; for he was excellently 
(killed in all the learning of the eaft that was in his time; 
whereas the other could neither write nor read ; and par¬ 
ticularly he was thoroughly verfed in the Jewiih religion, 
and in all the facred writings of the Old Teftament that 
were then extant; which makes it molt likely, that he 
was, as to his origin, a Jew. And it is generally faid that 
he had been a fervant to one of the prophets of. Ifrael, and 
that it was by this means that he came to be Co well Ikilled 
in the holy fcriptures, and all other Jewiih knowledge; 
which is a farther proof that-he was of that people; it 
not being likely, that a prophet of Ifrael fiiould entertain 
him as a fervant, or inftruCl him as a difciple, if he were 
not of the feed of Ifrael, as well as of the lame religion. 
“He did not found a new religion, as his fucceffor in 
impolture Mahomet did, but only took upon him to re¬ 
vive and.reform an old one, that of the Magians, which 
had been for many ages paft the ancient national religion 
of the Medes, as well as of the Perfians. The chief re¬ 
formation which he made in the Magian religion was in 
the Firft Principle of it; for, whereas before they had held 
the being of two firft caufes, the firft Light, or the good 
god, Oromafdes, who was the author of all good; anil the 
other Darknefs, or the evil god, Arimanius, who was the 
author of all evil; he introduced a principle fuperior to 
them both, one fupreme God, who created both light and 
darknefs, and out of thefe two, according to the pleafure 
of his own will, made all things elle, according to what 
is faid in the xlvth chapterof Ilaiah, ver. 3, 6, 7. “I am 
the Lord, and there is none elfe: there is no God befides 
me; I girded thee, though thou halt not known me; that 
they may know-, from the riling of the fun, and from the 
weft, that there is none befides me. I am the Lord, and 
there is none effe. I form the light, and create darknefs ; I 
make peace, and create evil. I the Lord do all thefe things.” 
For thefe words, being directed to Cyrus king of Perfia, 
mull be underllood as fpoken in reference to the Perfian 
feCt of the Magians, who then held light and darknefs, 
or good and evil, to be the fupreme beings, without ac¬ 
knowledging the great God who is fuperior to both. 
And I doubt not it was from hence that Zoroafter had 
the hint of mending this great abfurdity in their theolo¬ 
gy. But, to avoid making God the author of evil, his 
W 
doClrine was, that God originally and dire&ly created 
only light or good, and that darknefs or evil followed it 
by confequence, as the lhadow doth the perfon ; that light 
or good had only a real production from God, and the 
other afterwards refulted from it, as the defeCl thereof. 
In Cum, his doctrine as to this particular was, That there 
was one Supreme Being independent and felf-exilting 
from all eternity ; that under him there were two an¬ 
gels, one the angel of light, who is the author and direc¬ 
tor of all good ; and the other the angel of darknefs, who 
is the author and director of all evil ; and that thefe tw'o, 
out of the mixture of light and darknefs, made all things 
that are; that they are in a perpetual Itruggle with each 
other ; and that, udiere the angel of light prevails, there 
the moll is good ; and, where the angel of darknefs pre¬ 
vails, there the moft is evil ; that this ftruggle fliall con¬ 
tinue to the end of the world ; that then there (lrall be a 
general refurreCtion, and a day of judgment, wherein juft: 
retribution fliall be rendered to all according to their 
works ; after which the angel of darknefs, and his difci- 
ples, (hall go into a w'orld of their own, where they (hall 
fuffer in everlafting darknefs the punifhments of their evil 
deeds; and the angel of light, and his difciples, (hall alfo 
go into a world of their own, where they (hall receive in 
everlafting light the reward due unto their good deeds ; 
and that after this they (hall remain feparated for ever, 
and light and darknefs be no more mixed together to all 
eternity.” Pridcaux's Conn, book iv. 
Thus much it feemed neceifary to fay as to Zoroafter 
and his religious code, in order to clear the way for his 
civil and criminal enactments. He divided, or rather 
found, the people already clafled into four orders; the 
athornes, or facerdotal order ; the military ; the cultiva¬ 
tors of the land; and the working people. A regular 
gradation of power was eftablilhed by him ; every place, 
every ftreet, every town, every province, every clafs, had 
its chief; he who beft knew the law of the Meheftans, or 
followers of the law, was to be chief of the priefts; and 
the chief of thefe chiefs, who did molt good, was of the 
greateft veracity, the moft elevated of foul, and the moft 
intelligent; but above all thefe w'as Zoroafter himielf, 
their defour, or chief counfellor and great pontiff; and in 
this capacity he poffefled all the power, though not the 
name, of royalty. 
He taught that the obfervanceof his law infured abun¬ 
dance from the earth. Gifts of cattle to the prielt recom¬ 
mended man to the favour of Oromafdes ; and the bellow¬ 
ing of a new garment, a good piece of land, or a beauti¬ 
ful virgin in marriage, on the pure and holy man, effected 
the purification of the devout donor; the very land given 
to him rejoiced. The multitude of prayers, ceremonies, 
and purifications, required by the law, all tended to ren¬ 
der the prielt as neceifary to the fubjecl as he w'as dan¬ 
gerous to the fovereign. Darius Hyftafpes, wifer than his 
predeceffors, could not fail to obferve an order of his fub- 
jeCts ablolutely above the monarch ; he therefore, upon 
the death of their high-prieft, alfumed to himfelf the of¬ 
fice of pontiff; and his fticceffors were ever after initiated 
into the facerdotal order. 
The fame obfervances were required of all claffes. Zo¬ 
roafter prays for the king, that he may live long in health 
of body and foul, great, aClive, pure, victorious, vigi¬ 
lant, overwhelming his enemies, and exterminating liars 
and evil doers, loving the juft, reprefling the bad, and 
protecting and nourifhing the poor, beating down all op- 
pofers of the lavv. It is inculcated, that, w'hen the juft 
man complained, the earth itfelf grieved ; that to increafe 
villages, to render them abundant and rich, was an ac¬ 
tion worthy of a man of good fenfe. To the military 
was afligned the devout aCl of exterminating the enemies 
of the prophet. The armour of the warrior appears to 
have been very complete : viz. the lance, which in the 
Pahlavi is tranflated the fword ; the poignard, the club, the 
bow, the poliihed faddle ornamented with a filver pom¬ 
mel 5- 
