Cornell University Library BL1020 .K33 Fo, the third messenger of God by,.(circ olin 3 1924 029 165 285 PI Cornell University y Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 9240291 65285 of (§otr. BY E.V. V\,K€ntot^ ENGLISHMAN OFFICE. 1878. [All rights reserved.] LONDON : PRINTED EV S. AND J. BRAWN, 13, PRINCES STREET, LITTLE QUEEN STREET, HULBORN, W.C INTRODUCTION BUDDHIST THEOLOGY. I. The Buddhists designate God by the name of Budha, or Wisdom, and Adi-Budha, -which means An- cient, or First Wisdom, literally Grandfather Wisdom, to indicate him as Eternity. He was before all, and is not created, but is the Creator. The names of Adi-Budha are innumerable, God is again defined as the Keason which is in the whole of things, as well as in every part. Mula-Prakriti, the Primordial Agent, is the Ennoia or Prudence of the Gnostics ; Nous or Intellect, which is Indian Budhi or the Holy Spirit, otherwise called Mahat ; and At-mah, the Mighty Breath, or the Ruach Aleim of the Kabbalists. It means The Spirit of the Almighty. (See Book of God, ii. 271, 427, 433; iii. 135, 320 (Book of Enoch, i. 59, 81.) The Valentinians, or Western Buddhists call God Buthos (the Abyss) and Propator, or First Father. (See Irenseus.) Simon Magus'a Great Power of God (Acts, viii. 10) is synony- mous with Hindu Sakti. But the former term was applied, it is thought, to either sex ; whereas the other is restricted to females. (BiUio Indie, xvi. 55.) In the Pali, God is called Lok-utaro, signifying the Supreme of ii INTRODUCTION. the Universe. Scandinavian Lok is founded on this Buddha (with double d), who is the Messenger of God, signifies an Emanation from the One : the first Mes- senger of God was sometimes called Adi-Buddha. Yang means Father Uncreated, or God Eternal. The self- existent God, says one of their Puranas, is the sum of perfection, infinite, eternal, without members or pas- sions ; One with all things in the Spirit, separate from all things in the form ; infiniformed and formless ; the Essence of the Invisible and the Visible. {Swayamhhu Purana.) Yin means Mother-created, or the Holy Spirit, the Everlasting of the Heavens. The Yin is an ana- logue of Indian Yoni and Yuno. In the Sadhaya Mala we read that Yoni, from which the universe was made manifest, is the Trikonagar Yantra ; in the midst of that Trikona (triangle) is a point ; from that point Adi Prajna (the First Emanation) revealed herself by her own will. In another of the sacred writings we read : On a lotos of precious stones, like a Moon-crescent, sits Prajna Para- mita, the Universal Mother, or Spirit, who from unity became many-formed and many-named. She is also called Swabhava, which I think is Issabhava, or Issar Nature. On the summit of Soomer is a lotos of precious stones, and above the lotos a moon-crescent upon which sits, supremely exalted, this Holy Virgin Essence, under the name of Vajra, or the Pure Maiden. Swabhava and Iswara are essentially One (AO), differing only in name. In infinity it is likened to the Ethereal Expanse j it is self-subsistent and self-sustained. The reader need not be reminded that this Moon-crescent is the universal symbol of the Virgin Mary throughout the papal world, as it is of the Female Power among the lUuminati of INTEODUCTION. Ill Islam. So also is the lotos, or lily. One of the meanings of Paramita in Hindu is the arrival of the emancipated spirit on the utmost shore of beatitude ; in other words, the attainment of the Beatific Vision, or absorption into the Ocean of Love, the Queen of Heaven. She is also known by another title — -Amitabha, or the Immeasurably Splendid. She is called also Aditi, which means Father- Mother of the Gods. Eadha, which is a Brahminical name for the Holy Spirit, is an analogue of Aditi ; it means a Eay from God ; she is called Ich' cha Sakti, the Will or Wisdom, or Word of the Deity, in which name the reader will recognise the Issa of the Apocalypse, as rendered in the Book of God. 2. Some have pretended that Yin means Mother Earth ; and so they say Heaven and Earth made all things, which is a form of materialism ; but the true Chinese Word for Mother Earth is Te-Ma, which many learned scholars have conjectured to be the original of the Greek De-Meter, Ge-Meter, and Da-Mater, just as the Etruscan Minerfa is undoubtedly the Semitic Mimra, or Word of God; so the Gothic Balder is Baal-Adr, the Lord of Fire. Note that in the Eig Veda we have the Mata Prithivi (Mother Nature), Pita Dyao (Father Heaven). The latter contains the perpetually recurring AO. The Chinese Buddhists call a nun Pekewne, which is the Sanscrit word Bagini, sister; and is the papal Beguine. 3. In alluding to these curious analogies between Asia and Eiu-ope in their myths, we find a singTilar proof of the way in which the Pauranik mythology of India crept into the later mythology of the Hellenians in the identity which has been proved to exist between Bala-Eama and a 2 iv INTEODUCTION. Hercules, and so many others of the Himmalayan and Olympic goddesses and gods. The Greek notices of Mathura on the Jumna and of the kingdom of the Sura- seni and the Pandean country, evidence the prior cur- rency of the traditions which constitute the argument of the Mahabharata, and which are certainly repeated in the Puranas relating to the Pandava and Yadava races, to Krishna and his co-temporary heroes, and to the dynasties of the solar and the lunar kings. The Pau- ranik identity of God and Nature penetrated Europe, and was part of the creed of the Platonists and the Christian Gnostics. Jesus founded many of his teachings on the express doctrines of the Third and Fourth Messengers — Fo* and Brigoo, and even uses their very words ; and the Christian Ammonius in the second century copied the eremitical philosophy of Buddha and Brahma, teaching his disciples to extenuate by mortification and contem- plation the bodily restraints upon the immortal spirit ; so that even in this life they might enjoy communion with the Supreme Being, and ascend after death to the Universal Parent. (Mosheim, i. 173.) Spiritists, as I apprehend, hold the same doctrine, and are convinced that the more their Mediums are exempt from corpo- realities, the more refined and subtle will be the other- world manifestations which they receive. The fastings and mortifications to which the canonised priests and virgins of the Papal Church submitted themselves were * Phut, acoording to Genesis x. 6 ; Phout, according to Jose- plius ; and Phoud, according to the Seventy, the third son of Ham (that is, of the Sun, or of Aiuu, who is God), is the Hebrew form of Buddha and Foh. The tenth of Genesis is one of the most significant of the Jewish tracts, but it has been disguised con siderably by its transcribers- INTEODUCXION. V unquestionably one of the modes hj which they attained the power of beholding visions ; and we know that in the East asceticism in Spiritists is carried to an extreme. All these tenets originated in China with Fo. In the eso- teric religion of the high Mohammedan doctors a curious record is preserved of their identity with the religion of Fo, as the Imaum Mahidi whom the Mussulmans expect in the present age to renovate Islam is the Arimadeya and Baggava Matteio predicted by Fo, as coming for the same purpose. This Matteio, or Messenger, who was to appear in a future age, is the Comforter whom Jesus promised. The name comes from the Etruscan Matu- tinus, which is the title for the Messia, identifying him with the Arun or Morning Star. In the language of Tibet, I-oannes, or Cannes, on which our John is founded, is Argiun. This, says Higgins, is Arun, Arjoon, the coadjutor of Cristna. So Aaron is the coadjutor of Amosis, and loannes the Baptist and loannes the Evan- gelist belong to Jesus, and the first precedes him like the Morning Star. Islam means the religion of Issa and Aum. 4. God, according to the Buddhists, is Tri-Une — that is God, Spirit, Spirits. God made the Spirit first, when the Universe, or the All, consisted of Two — God and the Holy Spirit ; after this Spirits were formed, when the Universe, or All, consisted of Three. But- these three were one and the same essence. Afterwards this Tri- Une, or Tri-Sarana, was represented as God ; the Holy Spirit : and the Messia, or Messenger ; and upon this the notion of the Christian Trinity has been founded. Later still, they were worshipped as three Gods inferior in degree to the Supreme, „but this never was true Bud- dhism. VI INTEODUCTION. 5. In the plates given by Mr. Hodgson, explanatory of his sketch of Buddhism, from drawings copied from the statues in the temple of Maha Budha at Patan, in Nepal, three figures forming a Triad are placed on a level ; but Hodgson is mistaken in his notions regardmg these figures. They are analogous to the Trimurti described in the Book of God, iii, 12, 404. The centre figure is Budha, or God ; Dhai-ma,* on the right, is the Messianic Messenger ; Singa, on the left, is the Cabiric. Dharma means the Fish ; Singa the Lion. In another, Dharma, representing the Holy Spirit, is in the centre ; Buddha, or the Messia of Peace, is on her right ; and Signa on her left. Mr. Hodgson remarks that the Bauddhas differ in _ the mode of classing the three persons. According to the Aishwarikas, the male Budha, the symbol of genera^ tive power, is the first member ; the female Dharma, the type of productive power, is the second ; and Sanga, their son, is the third, deriving his origin from the union of the essences of Budha and Dharma. In the triad of Swab- harikas, the female Dharma (also called Prajna), the type of productive power, is the first member; UpSya, or Buddha, the second ; and Sanga, the third.t * In Dharma, the reader will, of course, recognise the original of Hermias and Hermes, the Messenger of Heaven. The differ- ence of sex is of no import ; all the higher gods being biune. Dharma also means Truth. Hence we find the Messenger Jesus saying, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life (John xiv. 6.) + In the transcendental and philosophic sense, says Hodgson, Budha means Mind, Dharma is Matter, and Sangha is the concre- tion of the two former in the sensible or phenomenal world, the multitudinous essence or Spirits. In a practical and religious sense, Buddha means the moral author of this religion, Dharma his law, and Sangha the congregation of the faithful. The truth is, these names have numerous meanings ; Hodgson was a very solemn trifler. He knew the anatomy of Buddhism, but never perceived its soul. INTEODTTCTION'. vii 6. The collective name, continues M. Eemusat, by whicli these three beings are commonly designated, is that of the Precious Ones, or Excellencies ; " Paon," in Chinese ; " Erdeni," in Mongol — an epithet vague enough to admit of various interpretations ; but, in the Tibetan language, the term which it is agreed to render " God," is not that which denotes precious objects, as gold, pearls, and the like (as " Paon " in Chinese), but a compound of rare, precious, inestimable and superior, supreme, excel- lent. This term has evidently a sense far more elevated than the "deva" of the Hindoos, the "cha" of Tibet, the " tagri " of the Mongols, and the " tien " (heaven) of the Chinese. All these latter words apply to beings regarded as of quite a secondary rank — superior only to men, and in no way approximating to purified Intelli- gence, much less to the Absolute or Supreme Intelli- gence. The word " God," therefore, appears most proper to render the term emphatically ; and it is worthy of re- mark that the Tibetans recognise a trinal unity; and that the Chinese Buddhists regard the three excellencies — God, the Law, and the Union — as consubstantial. " tung-ti ;" and one nature in three substances, " Suy- yeu-san-te-sing-she-yih." 7. After remarking that the word by which the Tibe- tans express the name of the first term of the Triad, namely, " Sangs-ngyas," which has been commonly, though erroneously, taken for a transcript of "Sakia," implies (according to Schroter) pure intelligence, the holy, KttT 'e^oxf, Adi-Budha, or God, he continues : " I dwell upon this point, because it is the basis of the whole Samansean theology, and has never yet been detected in the books of the Chinese. This is completely con- viii INTEODUCTION. firmed by what Mr. Hodgson has extracted from the Buddhist works at Katmandhu ; whence it appears that there is no essential difference between the opinions of the sectaries of Nepaul, Tibet, and China, respecting the principles of the esoteric doctrine ; but they all harmo- nise on this point, confessing a Triadic union of God, Spirit and Spirits ; different from the European Trinity, but in no respect repugnant to the understanding, or suggesting contradictory notions. This important mat- ter is, at the same time, very obscure, which explains why so many learned writers have so imperfectly eluci- dated it. 8. Nothing has surprised me more than to find one of the very highest arcanas of the occult theosophy, not only of Buddhism, but of the primeval creed, known to Spiritists. The secret to which I allude is profoundly mystic, and is one of those which cannot be learned from books. It has been glanced, at, indeed, but it has never been expounded in Europe. I allude to the triune com- position of the nature of man, viz., the body, soul, and spirit, which constitute the human species, as distinct from the body and soul which constitute all existences lower than man. This " terrene " triad is an analogue in miniature of the Triadic All. If the reader will turn to the Medium for July 5, 1872, he will find, in page 260, the following: — "It is only by a knowledge of the structure of man that mediumship can be understood. Man is composed of an external body, and inside of this a bright silvery one, which we denominate the spirit - body ; then within these there is the soul itself, or, as we call it, the divine spirit. It wiU thus be perceived that INTEODUCTION. ix i ■we have three distinct conditions making up the entire man — three forces forming one divine unity. It will bo further seen that between these three conditions there must be two separate connecting links. It is by means of these links that all the phases of intelligence are effected. Then, surrounding the external structure, there is a magnetic sphere or halo. For a successful control of a trance-medium, then, it is necessary to bring this ex- ternal magnetic sphere within the will-sphere of the one operating." So far, Mr. Morse. Those only who, like myself, have made the theosophy of all nations their life- long study, can recognise the recondite nature of this doctrine : it is the peculiar property of the Orient, and I should have expected to hear it in the Lamaic-conclave at Lassa, or in the innermost fane of Benares, or Saint John Lateran (or Joan, the Secret and Concealed) — certainly, not in a little bye-room, and from a person whose antecedents removed him far from those pontific circles, to which alone secrets of this nature properly belong.* 9. One of the Buddhist names for God is Wo-Wei, or I-hi-Vi : another form of universal AO. This is the Absolute, the Pure Being, without attributes, without relation, without action ; perfection, mind, void, nothing, non-entity, in opposition to what comprehends all nature, visible and invisible. It is in speaking of this Being that * " God is at once the Body, Soul and Spirit of the Universe. As of God, so of all that proceeds from Him — viz., all that exists. All and everything must partake of the nature of their Author. From the highest to the lowest, all have proceeded from God the Creator."— OM Trutlis in a New Light, by the Countess of CAriHNESS. a 3 X INTRODUCTION. the two sects of Fuh, or Fo, and Laou-tsze, employ ex- pressions which appear obscure and unintelligible, and which have provoked ridicule on the part of the so-called literati, which is, perhaps, not ill-applied to the vain efforts of the mind to graisp what eludes the understand- ing; but absurd, inasmuch as it misrepresents the opinions it persecutes. Our own authors, who have quoted with- out understanding them, have echoed from one to another that these sectaries deny the existence of the world ; that they affirm that Nothing made all things, and that every- thing was nought ; that non-entity was the sole existing cause ; and that the law of Fuh was a law of non-entity. There is not one of these reproaches which may not be applicable to mystics and quietists, framers of abstrac- tions, and dreamers of all countries, and there is not one which is not based upon profound ignorance. So far from holding such tenets, or clinging to the contradictions in theosophy which are imputed to them, those great Teachers and Seers had the loftiest elevation of thought, and an imagination sublimed by habits of most divine meditation. 10. Another of the prevalent opinions, says Colonel Sykes, involving an aspersion of the Buddhist character, and frequently applied to them by the ignorant, or the malevolent, is that their doctrine makes them atheists. But the fact is, they believe in the unity of the Godhead, and in a future state of rewards and 2}unishments, and they have heavens and hells enough of all degrees and qualities, from the lowest of the former from which they can progress by their acts into higher beatitudes, or fall from their elevated stations into the realms of suffering and woe;, and from these they can extricate themselves INTRODUCTION. XI by their repentance and aspirations after perfectability. Existence, consequently, with the Buddhists is a state of probation until perfectability be attained. Atheism can- not, therefore, be justly charged against Buddhism in its origin ; for tho belief in a future state of rewards and punishments necessarily implies the belief in the exist- ence of a Being to reward and punish. 11. Yin is sometimes called Al-Ao — that is, God-Spirit, the basis of all things. I believe She is the same as the Indian Bhaga-Vat. She presides over the Amreeta Waters : the Waters of Life and Liberation. She is called Maia, or Maya, or the Spirit, the Mighty Creatrix ; and Buddha Matra, the Mother of the Messenger. 12. Different from the Christians, says Bis'hop Bigan- det, in his Life of the Buddha, who assign several children by Joseph to their Immaculate Virgin Mary ; the Buddhists hold that a womb which has been, as it were, consecrated and sanctified by the presence of a child of so exalted a dignity as the Messenger, can never become afterwards the hidden abode of less digni- fied beings. In the birth, says Hardy, in which they become Messengers, they are always of woman born, and pass through infancy and youth like ordinary beings, until at a prescribed age they abandon the world, and retire to the wilderness, where, after a course of ascetic observance at the foot of a tree, they receive the super natural powers with which the office is endowed. This is the Buddha tree which the student finds figured in so many hundreds of those medals, which are ignorantly called Roman, or " classical," but which really are Eleu- sinian. (See Book of God, iii. 465.) 13. Another of the sacred names, is Tin-Endra-Matri, xil INTRODUCTION. which means, the Mother who is a Diamond : and Adi Prajna, or the Ancient Queen of Heaven. The Japanese Buddhists designate Yin as Issanaghi, or Issa, the Ser- pent ; and Issanami, or Issa, the Law. They call her also Ten-Sio-Dai-Dsin, which means Great Spirit of the Heavenly Effulgence, identifying her thus with the Spirit- Sun, which Swedenborg beheld in a trance, and which is alluded to in the Book of Enoch. 14. There are no two letters which play so important a part in Chinese sacred literature as A 0. They are a primitive, pre-historic title given to God and the Holy Spirit in union. On them is founded Hindu Om, or Aum ; and this latter word has superseded the original A O. When all was knowledge, says the sublime Lao, the triliteral syllable, AUM, became manifest — ineffably splendid, surrounded by all the radical letters as by a necklace. In that A U M, He who is present in all things, the formless, the passionless, was seen shining. To Him make adoration ! ' Aum, or AO, among the highest mystics of primeval religion, had the same mean- ing as the A L M prefixed to certain chapters of the Koran, which puzzles the exoteric and the multitude, but which alludes to AL-MA, and Aum-Ma ; or AO, the God- Mother of the Universe — that is, God in his creative aspect, and the Holy Spirit in her productive character. This is the same power as that which the Genesis crea- tion calls Light (i. 3), by which the universe was made orderly and beautiful. Hence we read in Fo : — Wteu all was void, perfect void, Triliteral AUM became manifest ; The first created, the ineffably splendid, Surrounded by the All, as by a necklace. INTEODUCTION. xiii Soma is the Hindu name for the moon ; but the prefix S denotes Wisdom, the Sacred Serpent of Eternity ; Om is AO ; and Oma is the Great Mother. Spelled thus, S-OM-A, we have the central Om, and SA, which signify Issa, Asa, and the Sacred Mother. Note, that S is a common prefix to an aspirated vowel ; thus Hindus and Sindus, Hipha and Sipha, AAs and sal, aWo/ji-ai and salio ; Sanscrit Naga, and Angl. Snake. 'Eirra, and seven ; 'E^, and sis : Epirto, and serpo, 'vTrep, and super : and a host of cognates. 15. This word Soma enters into the Siamese compound name of the First Messenger, Chaudama or Adama ; Soma-Mona-Chaudam, one of the interpretations of which is the Sun-Menu-Chadam, the Messenger of the Sun, Chaudama; by others, it is interpreted the Sun-Moon- Chaudam — that is, the Child of the Naronic Cycle. One of the petro-paulite missionaries, a person named Finlay- son, says : " The founder of the Siamese religion (which is Buddhism) has various names, one of which is Somona Codam, that is, 'he who steals cattle.'" Malcolm, in his " Travels in Hindustan, Siam, and China," says : How he got this interpretation, he does not say. The American ambassador, Eoberts, adopts the same mistake. He says, " Somona Kadom (or Adama) the cattle stealer, was the missionary who first propagated this religion (Buddhism) in these parts " (chap. i-*'.). Malcolm indignantly adds : Somona is merely a title, and means " priest,'' the priest Ghaddm. In this way Europe is misled. Infidels, who make a mock of everything connected with Jesus, are accustomed to say, in allusion to his last entry into Jerusalem, mounted on a donkey, " This is the man ■ffho stole the assf But what do the believers in xiv INTEODUCTION. Christianity say when they find a similar false charge is made against one of the Holy Messengers of the East by one of their own precious emissaries. 16. Though in the Eig-Veda of the Indians, says Chalmers, there are two principal deities,' Indra and Agni ; these are but different personifications of One. The same absolute perfection and supremacy are ascribed now to the one, and now to the other, in different hymns. Agni is Diu the Sun, or Heaven viewed under the aspect of fire. Indra is Diu the Permeant Spirit of the Firma- nent. They are worshipped sometimes as one ; and even the names are united into one word, Indragni. — Origin of ilie Chinese. 17. This is not quite correct, but I cite it to show that, from this word, Indragni, comes Androgyne: meaning the Bi-Une, the Male-Female, or AO, which is a tenet similar to that of the Fo-ists, from which indeed it came. This primeval word AO, is again preserved in TAO, or the Supreme Reason, which includes Kwei-Shiu, or the Spirit- Soul ; and this again includes both the small and the great in the Universe. The illustration of two breaths, used to represent these Beings, is further explained by dilution and contraction: the breath which enters the lungs, dilates, and that which goes forth from the lungs, contracts ; yet, though two, they are really but one. The Kwei-Shin are the operations of the Celestial and Sub- Celestial, in production and transformation ; that is, in the manifestation of the birth, and the change of things. They are as two breaths or Spirits ; Kwei being the Spirit essence of the Female, and Shin the Spirit essence of the Male. In fact, they constitute but one. This is called by the Chinese sages, Wuh, which is either the INTEODUCTION. XV original or a derivative from AO — the latter I think is the most probable. 18. Shang-Ti, in modern Chinese, means not only God who is the highest object of worship ; but God, who is pre-eminently the One. It means the Spirit over aU, the pre-eminently blessed. Fan is the term employed by the Chinese to signify Brahm, or God : which, when written entire, is Fan-ma, or Fan-lan-ma, signifying Most Pure — the One exempt from passion : the Triune Essence, God, Spirit, Spirits. Tath-Agatha, in which I think the reader will recognise the Greek To Kyadov, or the Good, has the same meaning as Buddha, or the Hermes of Heaven ; that is, he who has come like his predecessor. The reader will remember that this adjective was once applied to Jesus. And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit everlasting life ? And Jesus said unto him. Why callest thou me good ; none is good save one — that is God (Luke xviii. 18, 19.) They who say that Jesus is the One whom He thus distin- tinguished from Himself, ought to ponder well over this passage. I suppose I need not add that Buddha is modern Mercurius ; the same day (Wednesday) is sacred to both. One of the Buddhist sages says : — As a mighty mountain, so is Tath-Agatha ; As it rises over the earth, so is His elevation. Here again we trace the Etruscan name for the Messenger of Heaven ; Lucumon, or the Mountain of Light. In the opinion of Buddhists, all the Buddhas who appear, have all the same mission to accomplish. They are gifted with the same perfect science, and filled with similar feelings of compassion for, and benevolence towards, all beings. Hence the name of Tath or Toth-Agatha. The following XVi INTEODUCTION. is a Buddhist prayer: — Eeverence to the spotless Buddhas, who all come in the same way : to the Tathagatas of three periods — the past, the present, the future — who are in the ten spheres ; the subduers of earth, the very pure and perfect Buddhas. To them I confess my sins. Ortho- dox writers, priests, missionaries, and others, are in the habit of pretending that Jesus was the first who ever assumed to be a Divine Incarnation among men, for the purpose of teaching them the truth ; but the belief in the descent of Messiahs to elevate mortals into a high conception of religious truth, is almost coeval with the birth of mankind. The Buddha, says Hodgson, is the adept in the wisdom of Buddhism {Bodhijnan), whose first duty, so long as he remains on earth, is to communi- cate his wisdom to those who are willing to receive it. These willing learners are Bodhisatwas ; so called from their hearts being inclined to the wisdom of Buddhism ; and Sangas froni their companionship with one another — p. 89. The sandal tree freely communicates its odour to him who tears off the bark. Who is not delighted with its fragrance'! So should Buddha to his companions. The conch which is worthy of all praise — ^bright as the moon — rated first among excellent things — and which is benevolent to all sentient beings, though it be itself in- sensate, yields its sweet melody without distinction to all. In this way they illustrate the benevolence, the compassion, the pure, social love and sympathy which distinguishes the Messenger of God, while moving with mankind. This companionship is the basis of that which Jesus instituted in the Last Supper, and is the " love for one another " which He made the primal commandment. The Society of Friends seem to be the only body of Chris- INTEODUCTION. XvU tians who follow this precept : Why should not Spiritists generally carry out the same ordinance? All their teachings have this tendency. In assigning an appropriate place in the Buddhic pan- theon to Poo-sa Kwan-she-yin (who is the Hebrew and Greek Poseidon), M. Remusat enters into some curious details. It is well known, he remarks, that the Supreme Intelligence (Adi Budha), having, by his thought (prajna or dharma), produced multiplicity (sanga), from this triad sprung five Abstractions (dhyan) or Intelligences of the first order (Buddha), which procreated each an intelli- gence of the second order or son (bodhisatwa). From this denomination of bodhisatwa, the Chinese formed, by abbreviation, that of poo-sa — ^common, not only to those five secondary Intelligences, but to all the souls who have succeeded in attaining the same degree of perfec- tion. Kwan-she-yin is placed in the first rank. Padma- natrah is but another name for the same divinity. The Sanscrit title is, Padma-pSni ; to this personage is attri- buted the creation of animated beings, as the construction of the different parts of the Universe is ascribed to ViswS- pS.ni, under the name of Manu-Sri. Padma-pani, by reason of her productive power, represents, amongst the agents of creation, the second term of the Triad, Wisdom or Science (prajna) ; and, in the outward doctrine, there are appropriated to her the signs which characterise a female divinity. She has received various names, amongst others that of Avalokiteswara, or the Being who contem- plates her Lord. This name, badly analysed by trans- lators, has formed that of Kwan-she-yin, or " the Voice contemplating the age.'' This Voice represents the Holy Spirit, who is the Voice or Logos of God ; and it is the xviii INTRODUCTION. same Power as that which the Eabbis mean, when they designate her as Bth Kl, the House of the Voice, or the House of Kal, or Kali, the Invisible Queen of Heaven. This Voice is said to contemplate the age : for, according to the requirements of each age and people, is the Divine Voice of Revelation given to mortals. Hindu Kali is KaXos, the Beautiful, applied to Venus, who, in the Etruscan theology (the oldest in Europe) represented the same Power as the Chinese Kwan-she yin. As the Con- templator of the Lord, the House of His Voice, or as the Divine Voice itself, we recognise in her the Virgin Queen of Heaven — the Echo of the Mystics, the Egeria of the legendary Numa, the Spirit-Sun of Swedenborg. 19. The universal recognition of this Sacred Voice of Heaven, which descends upon mortals, by all religious teachers in all countries and in all ages, is of deep import to those who make theosophy their study. It is interest- ing to Spiritists to find that it is now acknowledged as an essential characteristic of their own creed, and that they will probably by-and-by be so happy as to see the theory of the Voice more distinctly understood. One of the trance mediums* has admirably described, under the title of the Three Voices, the mode in which the spiritual communicates with the earthly. God is the Principle of Existence ; his personality cannot be grasped by the finite understanding. His Voice can only be heard in the action of the principles of being : first as a revelation, or a com- munication to man from the Spirit-world, as illustrated in the past and present, which gave man a knowledge of a future state, and which he had no power of acquiring otherwise. This is the earliest form in which men saw * See The Medium, No. 144, for Jan. 3, 1873. INTKODUCTION. xix and knew of a future life. The second Voice belonged to a higher stage ; it was inspiration, and it brought mortals nearer to the thoughts and feelings of the angel-world. Intuition was the third Voice of God, which belonged to the highest phase of human life in which man could, by the exercise of his own faculties, dive into the depths of the Unseen, and learn for himself its choicest secrets. Mr. Morse might have added, but he probably did not know, that the last sublime quality belongs exclusively to the great Buddhas, Messias, or Messengers from God to Man, who recognise, feel, and preach truth almost in- stinctively, and almost without knowing why or how they do so. The Japanese say of Fo, that it was while he was in trance, his body remaining unmoved, and his senses unaffected by any external object, that he received those divine Revelations which he communicated to his dis- ciples. 20. Philo, the Jew, in his Treatise on Creation, speaks of the Logos or Word or Voice of God (the Holy Spirit), as the Divine Operator by whom all things were arranged, and says that the Word is pre-eminent over the Messengers and all that has been made and is the Image and Likeness of God, and that this Image of the true God was esteemed the same as God. tos avrov Qeov KaTavoovai. — (^De Leg. Alleg., V. i.) And in another place the same learned antiquary (for I think he can hardly be called by a higher title) says, This Logos, the Word of God, is superior to all the world, and is more ancient, being the Productor of all that has been produced. He therefore exhorts every person who is able to exert himself in the race which he has to run to lend his cause without remission to the Divine Word above, who is the Fountain of all XX INTEODTJCTION. Wisdom, that by drinking at this Sacred Spring he, instead of death, may obtain the reward of everlasting life. This writer, however, makes the crowning mistake which Jews and Christians have ever made, in assigning to this Divine Being the male gender exclusively. 21. Prajna, which is, in one sense, the Forming or Producing-Spirit, has the mystical meaning of Secret; the Holy Spirit of Heaven, having, in nearly all forms of religion, a Veil over her divine attributes— the Isiac or Minerval Veil, which no mortal hath drawn aside — the Veil which Bishop Warburton calls Magnum et pavendvm, mysterium. Conquer, exclaims the Buddhic adept, the importunities of the body, urge your mind to spiritual abstraction (or the spirit-trance), and you shall in time discover the Mighty Secret (Prajna) of the Universe, the Essence of the Power and Wisdom which sustain Nature and the A.11. Put off the vile necessities of the body and the paltry affections of the mind, urge your thoughts into pure Spiritism, and then, as assuredly you can, so assu- redly you shall attain the Knowledge of God, and become associated with the Eternal Unity, and rest in the Beatific Vision. Such, says Hodgson, is the esoteric doctrine of the Prajnikas. 22. The variety of names given to God and the Holy Spirit has led persons who ought to know better to assert that in ancient theology each separate name indicates a separate god or goddess, and hence they stigmatise Theism and Theists, Buddhism and Buddhists, as idolaters and image worshippers of many deities. These various names express merely the infinitely various qualities of the Divine ; and by the Northern mythologists an additional reason for them is given. In the Edda no less than INTKODUCTION. Xxi forty-nine names are given to Odin. A great many names indeed, exclaimed Gangler ; siirely that man must be very wise who knows them all distinctly, and can tell on what occasions they were given. It requires, no doubt, replied Har, a good memory to recollect readily all these names ; but I will tell in a few words what principally contributed to confer them upon him. It was the great variety of languages ; for the various nations were obliged to trans- late his name into their respective tongues in order that they might supplicate and worship Him. The reader need not be reminded that in the Jewish sacred books numbers of names are given to the Deity which appear in the Hebrew text, but are concealed from the English reader under the general title — God. 23. Phra and Buddha are two expressions, which though not having the same meaning, are used indis- criminately for designating the almost divine being (the Messenger) who, after having gone during myriads of successive existence through the practice of all s6rts of virtues, particularly self-denial and a complete abnegation of aU things, at last reaches to such a height of intellec- tual attainments that his mind becomes gifted with a perfect and universal intelligence or knowledge. Buddha or the Messiah usually descends to the earth from the heaven, which is called Az-Ara. This sacred name has entered into the Hebrew language, where it signifies, wlwm God assists ; in allusion to the mission of His Holy One. The word belongs also to the Zend or Zara- tushtian Theology, in which it signifies a Messenger from God to man. (See Book of God, i. 45.) He is thus enabled to see and fathom the misery and wants of all mortal beings ; to devise means for relieving them and xxii INTEODUCTION. filling them up. The law that he preaches is the ■whole- some balm designed to cure all moral distempers. He preaches it with unremitting zeal during a certain number of years, and commissions his chosen disciples to carry on the same benevolent and useful undertaking. Having laid on a firm basis his religious institution, he arrives at the state of Niban. Buddha means, Wise and Intelligent ; Phra is an expression conveying the highest sense of respect, which was applied originally only to the authors of Buddhism, but now, through a servile adulation, it is applied to the king, the Pharao, to his ministers, to all • great personages, and in after times by inferiors to the lowest menials of the government. The word Phra, coupled with that of Tha-King, which means Lord, is used by Christians in Burmah to express the idea of God the Supreme Being. (See Book of God, ii. 653 ; Book of Enoch, ii. 148.) 24. The mystic birth of the Ten Buddhas or Avataras is preserved among the Buddhists of Tibet, under the religious myth of Padma-pani Bodhisattva, the Son of God ; who, contemplating the-number of wretched spirits in the Hells, devoted himself to their liberation, and added the wish that his head should split into a thousand pieces if he did not succeed. After many years' labours he looked into the Hells, and found them as full as ever. This dreadful sight appalled Padma-pani : his head split into a thousand pieces. God his Father hastened to his assistance. He formed the thousand pieces into Ten Heads ; these afterwards became Messengers from Heaven to mortals. Here Padma-pani is regarded in the mascu- line aspect ; but Padma-pani really means the Mother of the Messengers. Kesolved .into its roots, it is Ad-Ma, INTRODUCTION. xxiii the God Mother, Pani of the All, in other words, the Holy Spirit, or Productive Matrix. P in the oriental is an expletive. The Mythos is the original form of the birth of Pallas from the brain of Zeus ; Pallas being the Holy Spirit, or Palaios the Ancient, or the First Emana- tion. 25. A Buddha, according to the primeval belief, is at first a being in a very imperfect state; but passing through countless existences, he frees himself by a slow progTess from some of his imperfections : he acquires merits which enable him to rise in the scale of progress, science, and perfection. They illustrate it in this way, that while imperfect he is soft, tender as an unripe thing : and when he passes to the state of perfection, they say that he is ripe, that he is blossomed and expanded. He who is progressing towards the Buddhaship, has within all the elements constitutive of a Buddha, but lying as yet concealed in himself; but when he reaches that state, all that hitherto remained in a state of unripeness bursts suddenly out of the bud, expands into a Flower of Light, and comes to full maturity and splendour. 26. According to Buddhistic notions, says the en- lightened and liberal Catholic Bishop Bigandet, Buddha labours during his mortal career for the benefit of all living beings. This benevolent and compassionate heart, free from all partiality, feels an ardent desire of opening before them the way that leads to the deliverance from the miseries of every preceding existence, and bringing them finally to the never troubled state of Niban. Such a generous and benevolent disposition constitutes the genuine characteristic of Buddha. Men in their state of probation and trial want the mighty aid of a Buddha, xxiv INTRODUCTION. who will enable them by his transcendent doctrine to advance in merits, for either arriving at once to Niban, or progressing in the way of merits thereto. Buddha's mission is that of a Healer, a Physician, a Saviour. His great object is to procure the deliverance of all the beings that will listen to his instructions, and observe the pre- cepts of the law. He is distinguished by feelings of com- passion, an ardent love for all beings, as well as by an earnest desire of labouring for their welfare. These are the true characteristics of his heart. 27. What then are the great and leading tenets of Buddhism as preached by Fo, and taught by his chief priests ? — ^but not as they are now seen or taught in Buddhist books and temples. Firstly ; the Unity of God, the Creator of all life, and the Sovereign of the Universe. Secondly ; the creation of the Holy Spirit whom the Buddhists call the Queen of Heaven. Thirdly ; the neces- sity of Virtue, Piety, and Charity ; perpetually enforced by successive Buddhas. Fourthly ; the lapse of the celes- tial into terrestrial spheres, which of course includes pre- existence and subsequent self-formation. Fifthly ; the doctrine of Metempsychosis and Metasomatosis. Sixthly ; the power which every life has to depress itself to thes lowest, or to elevate itself to the highest sphere. Seventhly ; the supreme object of all life, which is to emancipate itself from the necessity of transmigration from form to form and from sphere to sphere, and to pass from the Circle of Inchoation into the Central Sun, where it enjoys for ever the Beatific Vision called Niban, Nirwana,Mukhti, Moksha, and Pan-ni-hou-an ; this last word, being resolved into its roots, means the All-.Spirit, the God-Sun. The All-Spirit is Universal Nature, which we are accustomed to treat as INTEODUCTION. ■ XXV a Feminine Principle ; the God-Sun is Light, the Primal Emanation of God, according to Genesis — the beautiful Spirit-Sun which Swedenborg saw in Heaven. So the cognate word Niba in the cuneiform is said to mean Splendid, Beautiful, Glorious. This may well apply to the Spirit-Sun, as well as to the Beatific Vision which is in brightness an Ocean of Suns. 28. The doctrine of Pan-ni-hou-an, Nirwana, or Niban, has been more sedulously misrepresented than any other of the tenets of the Third Messenger, Fo. Nibfln truly means liberation from the necessity of repeated births, deaths, and transmigrations. It is commemorated in the Apocalyptic Waters of Liberation ; and has the same mean- ing. Those who deny Buddhism to be a revelation from God say that it means utter and complete annihilation of the individual ; and hence they argue that the creed of Buddha is Nihilism or Atheism. But this annihilation does not relate to the spirit, but only to that of the passions j when these are totally extinguished in the soul, it becomes perfect, and akin to God, and never again comes under the law of transmigration, or as Spiritists say, of re-incarnation. All the Petro-Paulite writers, however, pretend that it means absolute annihilation of the individual existence so that it no more is, or exists. This is false : the true meaning is that which I have given. I believe that Nirwana has a different root and meaning altogether from that which is popularly assigned to it ; and that it is a corruption of Narayana, or absorp- tion into the Holy Spirit, or into the Beatific Vision. 29. "We are told by Max Miiller, that Buddha himself, that is the Renovator, went through the school of the Brahmins; 'that he performed their penances, studied 6 XXvi INTEODUCTION. their philosophy, and at last claimed the 'name of the Enlightened* when he threw away the whole ceremonial, with its sacrifices, superstitions, penances, and castes, as worthless, and changed their complicated systems of philosophy into a short doctrine of salvation.t It would be difficult to prove this, though I do not care to deny it : it would not be easy to show that the Eenovator of the sixth century, B.C., ever had been imbued with Brah- minical doctrines. But leaving this as of no consequence, on what authority does Miiller say, in another place, that this doctrine of Salvation has been called pure Atheism or Nihilism, and that it no doubt was liable to both charges in its metaphysical character ? It was Atheistic, he adds, like the Sankhya philosophy, which admitted but one subjective Self, and considered creation as an illusion of that Self, imaging itself for a while in the Mirror of Nature. As there was no reality in creation, there could be no real Creator. All that seemed to exist * Thug Jesus tells hia disciples, Ye are the Light of the world, Matthew v. 14. He himself was called by Simeon, a Light to lighten the nations, Luke ii. 32, and he assumed the name of the Light that is come into the world, John iu. 19. In another place he says, I am the Light of the world, John viii. 12, and again, Yet a little while is the Light with you, xii. 35 ; I am come a Light unto the world, that whosoever believeth in me should not abide in darkness, xii. 46, &;o., &c. These passages demonstrate that Jesus had brought into Judea the same tenets as those which had immemorially prevailed in China. t Jesus did exactly the same, see Matt, xxiii., the whole of which chapter realises the description in the text, and shows how thoroughly the Syrian Hermes had mastered the high and practi- cal lore of his predecessor in China. The disappearance of Jesus from his twelfth to his thirtieth— or rather his fiftieth year (John viii. 57)— is not accounted for in the so-called gospels. The fact is, Jesus spent the intermediate period iu the high Buddhistic schools of China or Tibet. INTRODUCTION. XXVii was the result of ignorance. To remove that ignorance, was to remove the Cause of all that seemed to exist. It is difficult to guess how Miiller could have brought himself, or could have hoped to bring any one else into a belief in this reasoning. Creation never was considered an illusion of the Supreme Being. Creation is of two sorts, the Invisible and the Visible. Invisible Creation, such as that of Spirit, is everlasting, and can never pass away : Visible creation is material, finite, and perishable. This second mode of being therefore is, in the eyes of an Eternal, and even of an Everlasting Spirit, simple Illusion — a thing that has no real existence, but must eventually change into something else. This is Maya, and this is the true meaning of Orientals when they call the world Illusion. But the fallacy of Miiller's argument does not end here. Why could not a Creator create or cause a Mirage, which we know is unreal, and yet be not himself real % Why can a man not have a dream, which is purely fanciful and iUusive, and yet be not a real man ? Why cannot God exist, albeit that which He has made is but apassing vision % This is not reasoning, but the reverse, and it never was part either of the Buddhist or Brahmin creed, though a great many people who ought to know better say that it was. I do not wonder therefore that Miiller adds. How a rehgion which taught the annihilation of all existence, of aU thought, of all individuality and personality, as the highest object of all endeavours, could have laid hold of the minds of millions of human beings ; and how, at the same time, by enforcing the duties of morality, justice, kindness, and self sacrifice, it could have exercised a decidedly beneficial influence, not only on the .natives of India, but on the lowest barbarians of Central b 2 xxviii INTRODUCTION. Asia, is one of the riddles whicli no philosoplier has yet been able to solve. And it certainly ■would be so, if it were true ; but it is not true. No religion that taught the annihilation of God and Man could exist for one hour. Who among the general and rude millions by whom the earth is populated would adopt a creed which told him that the reward of virtue, of piety, of temperance, of abnegation of self, was to be annihilation — that there was nothing Eeal, here or hereafter — that there was no Heaven, and no God 1 Perhaps some metaphysical lover of excel- lence for its own sake might here and there take up such an idea, but on the general mass it would take no hold. That all we see is an illusion and must change, may well be believed ; but that all we see not, including God, and His Hosts of Splendours in the Spirit-Sphere, are equally illusive, was never taught by any Messenger of God, though the false or ignorant may propound it. 30. Buddha, says Max MiiUer, addressed himself to castes and outcasts. He promised salvation to all ;* and he commanded his disciples to preach his doctrine in all places and to aU men. A sense of duty, extending from the narrow limits of the house, the village, and the country, to the widest circle of mankind ; a feeling of sympathy and brotherhood towards all men — the idea in fact of humanity, was first pronounced by Buddha. Has Max Miiller reflected that it contradicts all experience that an Atheist should do this, or that he should trouble himself with anything beyond selfish enjoyment, like Hume?t Buddha, the Eenovator, did exactly as Jesus * So Jesus said : This evangel of the Kingdom sliall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto aU nations. Matt. xxiv. 14. jr Max MiiEer, who is a very good philologist, but by no means INTEODXrCTION. Xxix afterwards did ; lie burst the bonds of creed, and invited all tlie gentiles to his embrace. 31. MuUer does not end with his riddle, which I should have thought had puzzled him enough : he goes on, and makes it still more difficult to unravel ; indeed if it were true, it never could be disentangled from its mazes. The morality, he says, which Buddhism teaches is not a morality of expediency and rewards. Virtue is not en- joined because it necessarily leads to happiness. No : virtue is to be practised, but happiness is to be shunned, and the only reward for virtue is, that it subdues the passions, and thus prepares the human mind for that knowledge which is to end in complete annihilation. 1 may ask Max Miiller, did any one ever seriously teach that happiness was to be shunned, and, if he did so, would any sane man become his proselyte t I know not where Max Miiller found the doctrine, but if it exist anywhere in any recognised Buddhist book, it can only mean that sort of happiness which arises from sensual enjoyment; from an indulgence in those corporeal de- lights which clog the wings of the soul and spirit, and profound in the theosophy of the ancients, was like many others at the time when he wrote this, under the impression that Nir- wana means " to blow out." As the light of a candle is extin- guished, so he says is the soul, according to Buddhist belief. I prefer the opinion of the Chief Priest of the faith at Astrakhan, as given by Spottiswoode. He is asked by Mr. S., What is Mr- wana ? Nirwana, he replies, is the state to which the soul may at last attain ; it is the deliverance from evil, freedom from all excitement and change. It is derived from the negative nir and va, to blow as the wind, and thus it means calm and unruffled, or the peace and rest of a breeze which has spent itself and is still. Niban, says a writer in the Asiatic Kesearches, xvii. 275, is the place of Perfect Felicity. Surely this is not consistent with Nihilism or annihilation. XXX INTEODUCTIOK. bind them to mere eartli. But surely no one ever heard it said that the pleasures of the mind were evil, or that they should not be indulged, or that they should be shunned. The ten commandments which are imposed on the Buddhist prove this. They are forbidden to kill, to steal, to commit adultery or fornication, to lie, to get in- toxicated, to over eat, to attend public shows, to wear expensive dresses, to have large beds, to receive silver or gold. All these point to material indtdgences, but nowhere are they forbidden to abstain from those pure pleasures of the mind, which arise from a contemplation of God's works in living and unbounded Nature, in the study or pursuit of knowledge, in the heavenly act of charity, in philanthropic labour to benefit their fellow creatures, in meditation on the Sublime Infinite Being, On the contrary they are absolutely enjoined to do all these things, as alone tending to make them happy, and good, and beautiful, and as alone leading to an everlast- ing place in the Heavens of God.* 22. The Burmese in general, says Bishop Bigandet, under difiicult circumstances and sudden calamities, always use the cry Phra Kaiba, God assist me — to obtain from above assistance and protection. Whence that in- voluntary cry for assistance but from the innate con- sciousness that above man there is some one ruling over his destinies ? How is this consistent with the Atheism and Nihilism of Buddhism ? Does it not strike at the very root of all those false versions of Nib^n which Euro- * One of the Buddhist high priests, or Lamas, said to Sankara, I keep my inside pure, although my outside be impure, while you carefully purify yourself without, but are filthy within. This is identical with the teachings of Jeaus. Matt, xxiii. 25 — 29. INTKODUCTION. XXXl pean writers agree to give 1 The duties of those who embraced a religious life were severe. They were not allowed to wear any dress except rags collected in ceme- teries, and these rags they had to sew together with their own hands ; a yellow cloak was to be thrown over these rags. Their food was to be extremely simple, and they were not to possess anything except what they could get by collecting alms from door to door in their wooden bowl. They had but one meal in the morning, and were not allowed to touch any food after mid-day. They were to live in forests, not in cities, and their only shelter was to be the shadow of a tree. There they were to sit, to spread their carpet, but not to lie down even during sleep. They were allowed to enter the nearest city or village in order to beg, but they had to return to their forest before night, and the only change which was allowed, or rather prescribed, was when they had to spend some nights in the cemeteries, there to meditate on the vanity of all things. In this it will be seen that the asceticism commended to them was of a far more severe nature than that which Jesus subsequently pro- claimed : though in his teachings also, it is easy to see a large leaven of Buddhism. Yet what, says Miiller, was the object of all this asceticism 1 Simply to guide each individual towards that path which would finally bring him to Nirwana, to utter extinction or annihilation. The very definition of virtue was that it helped man to cross over to the other shore, and that other shore was not death, but cessation of all being. Thus charity was con- sidered a virtue ; modesty, patience, courage, contempla- tion and science, all were virtues, but they were practised only as a means of arriving at deliverance. Gredat XXxii INTEOUUCTIOlir. Judcewsf If Miiller, instead of "deliverance," had written "salvation," he would have been right. He proceeds, however : Buddha himself exhibited the per- fection of all these virtues. His charity knew no bounds. When he saw a tigress starved, and unable to feed her cubs, he made a charitable oblation of his body to be devoured by them. Hionenthsang visited the place on the banks of the Indus, where this miracle was supposed to have happened, and he remarks that the sofl is still red there from the blood of Buddha, and that the trees and flowers have the same colour. As to the modesty of Buddha, nothing could exceed it. One dayKingPrasenagit, the protector of Buddha, called on him to perform miracles in order to silence his adversaries. Buddha replied : Great King, I do not teach the law to my pupils, teUing them, " Go, ye saints, and before the eyes of Brahmins and householders perform miracles greater than any man can perform.'' I tell them when I teach them the law : " Live ye saints, hiding your good works and shewing your sins." And yet all this self-sacrificing charity, all this self-sacrificing humility by which the life of Buddha was distinguished throughout, and which he preached to the multitudes who came to listen to him, had but one object, and that object was final annihila- tion ! It is impossible to believe it. Fortunately, adds MUUer (and here he lets out the secret of his utter weak- ness, for it cannot be supposed that the Buddhists do not know their own religion,) the millions who embraced the doctrines of Buddha, and were saved by it from the depths of barbarism, brutality, and selfishness, were un- able to fathom the meaning of his metaphysical doctrines. With them the Nirwana to which they aspired became INTRODUCTION. XXXlll only a relative deliverance from the miseries of human life : nay, it took the bright colours of a Paradise but to be regained by the pious worshipper of Buddha. But was this the meaning of Buddha himself? In his Four Verities, he does not indeed define Nirwana, except by the cessation of all pain ; but when he traces the cause of pain, and teaches the means of destroying not only pain itself, but the cause of pain, we shall see that his Nirwana assumes a very different meaning. His Four Verities are very simple. The first asserts the existence of pain ; the second asserts that the cause of pain lies in sin ; the third asserts that pain may cease by Nirwana ; the fourth shews the way that leads to Nirwana. This way to Nirwana consists in eight things : right faith (orthodoxy) ; right judgment (logic) ; right language (veracity) ; right purpose (honesty) ; right practice (reli- gious life) ; right obedience (lawful life) ; right memory and right meditation. All these precepts might be under- stood as part of a simply moral code, closing with a kind of mystic meditation on the highest object of thought, and with a yearning after a deliverance from all worldly ties. Similar systems have prevailed in many parts of the world without denying the existence of an absolute Being, or of a something towards which the human mind tends in which it is absorbed or even annihilated. Awful as such a mysticism may appear, yet it leaves still some- thing that exists : it acknowledges a feeling of depen- dence in man. It knows of a First Cause, though it may have nothing to predicate of it except that it is to know To Kivovv aKivTjTov — the Immoveable Mover. A return is possible from that desert. The First Cause may be called to life again. It may take thp names of Creator, Pre- b 3 XXXIV INTRODUCTION. server, Ruler; and when the simplicity and helplessness of the child have re-entered the heart of man, the name of Father will come back to the lips which had uttered in vain all the names of a philosophical despair. But from the Nirwana of the Buddhist metaphysician there is no return. He starts from the idea that the highest object is to escape pain. Life in his eyes is nothing but misery : birth the cause of all evil, from which even death cannot deliver him, because he believes in an eternal* cycle of existence, or in transmigration. There is no deliverance from evil except by breaking through the prison walls, not only of life but of existence, and by extirpating the cause of existence. What then is the cause of existence ? The cause of existence, says the Buddhist metaphysician,t is attachment — an inclination towards something, and this attachment arises from thirst or desire. Desire pre- supposes perception of the object desired ; perception pre-supposes contact ; contact, at least a sentient contact, pre-supposes the senses ; and as the senses can only perform what has form and name, or what is distinct, distinction is the real cause of all the effects which end in existence, birth and pain. Now this distinction is itself the result of conception or ideas ; but these ideas, so far from being, as in Greek philosophy, the true and everlasting forms of the Absolute, are themselves mere illusions, the effects of ignorance. Ignorance, therefore, is really the primary cause of all that seems to exist. * This one word destroys the whole theory of annihilation, + Who is the Buddhist metaphysician? Does it mean the Founder of the Faith ? Certainly not : he teaches no such doc- trine. Does it mean some Tartarian or Chinese, Voltaire or Ber- keley ? But who would seek for the doctrines of Jesus at Femey ? INTRODUCTION. XXXV This is not very clear, but I will let Mr. Miiller have his ■way, and I tell him that when Ignorance is ' said to be the Cause of Existence, it is true in this respect : that Ignorance, or a want of true Knowledge and Wisdom, caused the primeval lapse of the Archangelio into a lower sphere, and thence to this material orb. In that sense Ignorance may be said to be the cause of Visible existence in men and matter ; but it is not the Primary Cause of Existence, for that alone is in God. To know that Ignorance, adds Miiller, is the root of all evil, is the same as to destroy it ; and with it all the effects that flowed from it 1 1 This is pure lunacy. If I knew that a mountain harboured wild beasts, would that knowledge destroy the mountain 1 If I know that Vice is bad, doea that knowledge exterminate Vice ? If I kno~w that God exists, does that knowledge annihilate God. Yet by the MuUerian logic it is so. I have put forth in his own words the arguments of this writer, to whom I wish, how- ever, to manifest no disrespect. In my judgment, they amount to nothing but assertion without proof, and reasoning that is absolutely wrong. The opinion of Barthelemy Saint Hillaire, to the same effect, does not help him, for that also is unsupported by any proof or by any extract from an authentic writing of the Founder of the Buddhist creed. This, indeed, is admitted by Max MiUler; for when challenged upon his proof, he was obliged to refer \o the Buddhist canon, which was settled 235 years after the death of Buddha; that is his Buddha Sakya, who was no Buddha at all, but only a priest of the faith. This is like referring us to the Papal Council, or to Calvin, or to Joe Smith, or to Spurgeon, for a defi- nition of the doctrines of Jesus. Neither do the notions xxvi INTRODUCTION. of BournoTif, or of Mr. Hardy, or of Hodgson, gleaned from a variety of writers, help him much. What could not Christianity be proved to be, if we were to take its character from the thousands of conflicting writers who have scribbled about it 'i What cannot Buddhism or any other form of religion be demonstrated to teach, if from one here and one there out of at least one hundred thou- sand treatises, we were to cull this and that to suit Euro- pean or Petro-Paulite notions, and leave them in the comfortable belief that a great part of the hvunan race is systematically taught to believe in annihilation, and dis- believe in God. 33. By torturing metaphysical obscurities and incon- gruities, says a very learned writer, those who desire it, endeavour to fix upon the Buddhists a disbelief in the existence of God in Heaven, or a soul in man ; but such beliefs are utterly incompatible with the acknowledged belief of the majority of the people in Buddhist nations in a future state of rewards and punishments — of Heavens and Hells of various degrees, necessarily involving a belief in a Judge and Dispenser of these rewards and punishments, — of a belief in transmigrations, with a power of obtaining a knowledge of the previous states of existence ; thus establishing continued identity and con- sciousness. The very fact of the pious and bloodless annual sacrifices to the manes of deceased ancestors, establishes the belief in the existence of the soul after death. But because the Buddhists also believe that it is possible for an individual (practically one in thousands of millions or billions) by perfect virtue and perfect know- ledge to escape from further transmigrations, or proba- tionary existence, and to attain Nibutti, or Nirwana, or INTEODUCTION. XXXvii final emancipation, or absorption into the First Cause, who is necessarily passionless and incapable of suflfering, the Buddhists are stigmatised as Atheists. Buddha's own hymn on his becoming a Buddha testifies to his belief in God : — Through various transmigrations I must travel if I do not discover The Buddha whom 1 seek. Painful are repeated trausmigratious ! I have seen the Architect [and said] Thou shalt not build me another house ; Thy rafters are broken, Thy root-timbers scattered ; My mind is detached [from all existing objects], I have attained to the extinction of desire. Who is the builder he must discover ere he can escape from mortal suiFering 1 Who the architect that builds up his frame anew through successive painful transmigra- tions, imtil by perfect virtue and perfect knowledge he discovers the builder, and escapes from tjie architect who keeps him in a probationary state ? The requisite de- gree of virtue and knowledge being attained, he ceases to have sublunary feelings, desires, or sufferings, has final emancipation, loses personal identity, the EFii ceases, and he becomes incorporated with the First Cause ! This may be startling to Christians, but it is not Atheism, In a sermon of Buddha's he says : On account of cleaving to existing objects, renewed existence (or reproduction after death) occurs ; on account of reproduction of exist- ence, birth ; on account of birth — decay, death, sorrow, crying, pain, disgust, and passionate discontent. But from the cessation of ignorance is the cessation of con- sciousness, body and mind, sensation, reproduction, birth, sorrow, pain, &c., &c. Can it be that the propounder of XXXVlil INTEODTJCTION. these opinions was an Atheist and disbeliever in the existence of the soul 1 These notices of Buddha's doc- trines are from translations from the Pali, by the Eev. D- J. Gogerly in The Friend ; and he elsewhere says : the Buddhists believe in supernatural agency, excepting the agency of an almighty self-existent Being, the Creator of aU ! (Journal B. A.S., vi. 377.) 34. In the introductiou to Buddagosha's Parables, Max Miiller would seem however to have altered his ideas as to the true philosophical meaning of Nirwana, as dis- tinguished from what he conceives to be its etymological one. Nirwana, he says, certainly means extinction, what- ever its latter arbitrary interpretations may have been, ' and seems therefore to imply, even etymologically, a real blowing out or passing away. But Nirwana occurs also in the Brahminic writings, as synonymous with Moksha, Nirvritti, and other words, all designating the liighest state of liberty and bliss, but not annihilation. Nirwana may mean the extinction of many things, of selfishness, desire, and sin, without going so far as the extinction of subjective consciousness. Further, if we consider that Buddha himself, after he had already seen Nirwjina, still remains on earth until his body falls a prey to death ; that in the legends, Buddha appears to his disciples even after his death, it seems to me that all these circumstances are hardly reconcileable with the orthodox metaphysical doctrine of Nirwina. But I go even further, and maintain that if we look in the Dham- mapada at every passage where Nirwana is mentioned, there is not one which would require that its meaning was annihilation, while most, if not all, would become per- fectly unintelligible if we assigned to the word Nirwana INTRODUCTION. XXXix the meaning which it has in the Abhidharma or the metaphysical portions of the canons. 35. What does it mean when Buddha, v. 21, calls re flection the path to immortality, thoughtlessness the path of death 1 Buddagosha does not hesitate to explain im- mortality by Nirwana, and that the same idea was con- nected with it in the mind of Buddha is clearly proved by a passage immediately following, v. 23, The wise people meditative, steady, always possessed of strong powers, attain to Nirwana, the highest happiness. In the last verse too of the same chapter we read : A Bhikshu who delights in reflection, who looks with fear on thoughtless- ness, will not go to destruction ; he is near the Nirwana. If the goal at which the followers of Buddha have to aim had been in the mind of Buddha, perfect annihilation, amata, i.e. immortality, would have been the very last word he could have chosen as its name. 36. In several passages of the Dhammapada, Nirw^a occurs in the purely ethical sense of rest, quietness, absence of passion, e.g. v. 134 : If like a trumpet trampled under foot thou utter not, then thou hast reached Nir- w4na ; anger is not known in thee. In verse 184, long' suffering (titiksha) is called the highest Nirwana, while in verse 202 we read that there is no happiness like rest (santi) or quietness ; we read in the next verse that the highest happiness is Nirwana. In verse 285 too, santi seems to be symonymous with Nirwana, for the way that leads to santi or peace leads also to Nirwana as shown by Buddha. In verse 369 it is said. When thou hast cut off passion and hatred thou wilt go to Nirwdna; and in verse 225 the same thought is expressed, only that in- stead of Nirwana we have the expression of imchangeable xl INTRODUCTION. place. The sages who injure nobody and who always control their body, will go to the Unchangeable Place, where, if they have gone, they will suffer no more. In other i passages Nirw^na is described as the result of right knowledge. Thus we read in verse 203, Hunger is the worst of diseases, the body the greatest of pains ; if one knows this truly, that is NirwSna, the highest happi- ness. 37. A similar thought seems contained in v. 374. As soon as a man has perceived the origin and destruction, of the elements of the body (khandha) he finds happiness and joy which belong to those who know the immortal (Nirw4na), or which is the immortality of those who know it, viz., the transitory character of the body. In V. 327, it is said that he who has knowledge and me- ditation is near unto Nirwana. 38. Nirwana is certainly more than heaven or heavenly joy. Some people are born again (on earth) says Buddha, V. 126, evil doers go to hell, righteous people go to heaven, those who are free from all worldly desires enter Nirwana. The idea that those who reached the Heaven of the Gods were still liable to birth and death, and that there is a higher state in which the power of birth and death is broken, existed clearly at the time when the verses of the Dhammapada were composed. Thus we read, v. 238 : When thy impurities are blown away, and thou art free from guilt, thou wilt not enter again into birth and decay. And in the last verse the highest state that a'' Brahmana can reach is called the end of births, Gatikshaya. 39. There are many passages in the Dhammapada where we expect Nirwana, but where, instead of it, other INTEODUCTION. xli words are used. Here, no doubt, it might be said that something different was intended, and that we have no right to use such words as throwing light on the original meaning of Nirwina. But on the other hand, these words, and the passages where they occur must mean something definite. They cannot mean heaven, or the world of the Gods, for reasons above stated ; and if they do not mean Nirwana, they would have no meaning at all. There may be some doubt whether pana, the shore, and particularly the other shore, stands always for Nir- wana, and whether those who are said to have reached the other shore are to be supposed to have entered Nir- wdna. It may possibly not have had that meaning in verses 384, and 385, but it can hardly have another in places such as vv. 85, 86, 347, 348, 355, 414. There is less doubt, however, that other words are used distinctly as synonymous of Nirwana. Such words are the quiet place (santam padam, v. 368-381), the changeless place (akyutam sthanam, v. 225, compared with v. 226), the immortal place (amatam padam, v. 114), also simply that which is immortal, v. 374. In v. 411, the expression occurs that the wise dive into the immortal. 40. Though, according to Buddha, everything that has been made, everything that was put together resolves itself again into its component parts and .passes away (v. 277, sarve samshara anityah) ; he speaks, neverthe- less, of that which is not made, i.e. the Uncreated and Eternal, and uses it, as it would seem, synonymously with Nirwana (v. 97). Nay, he says (v. 383), when you have understood the destruction of all that was made you wiU understand that which was not made. This truly shows that even for Buddha a something existed xlii INTEODUCTIOK. whioh is not made, and which, therefore, is imperishable and eternal. 41. On considering such sayings, to which many more might be added, one recognises in them a conception o Nirwana altogether irreconcilable with the Nihilism of the third part of the Buddhist cannon. 42. It is not a question of more or less, but of aut-aut. Nirwana cannot in the mind of one and the same person mean black and white, nothing and something. If these sayings, as recorded in the Dhammapada have main- tained themselves in spite of their being in open contra- diction to orthodox metaphysics, the only explanation in my opinion is, that they were too firmly fixed in the traditions which went back to Buddha and his disciples- What Bishop Bigandet and others represent as the popu- lar view of Nirwina in contradistinction to that of the Buddhist divines, was, in my opinion, the conception of Buddha and his disciples. It represented the entrance of the soul into rest, a subduing of all wishes and desires, indifference to joy and pain, to good and evil ; an absorp- tion of the soul in itself, and a freedom from the Circle of Existences (the Circle of Inchoation), from birth to deaths and death to a new birth. This is still the meaning which educated people attach to it ; whilst to the minds of the large masses, Nirwina suggests rather the idea of a Mohammendan paradise, or of blissful Elysian fields. (Buddhagosha's Parables, p. 40.) 43. Of the remaining doctrines, I need at present deal only with the fifth and seventh. It is used as an argu- ment against the faith of Transmigration, that it degrades the idea of God to suppose that he can exist in the low forms of life which we see around us ; for they argue, INTRODUCTION. xliii that if an insect is but a fallen spirit, deyeloped in that shape, it is in reality God himself, who, being invisible, must be in reality the animating principle of this insect. But this argument is wholly baseless. It may be said, says an ancient Hindu commentator on this subject, that it would not appear consistent for a Divine Omniscient Deity to wish to animate a created body, the receptacle of innumerable evils, and to undergo the fruits thereof; and it would be inconsistent that, being independent. He should cease to be so by amalgamation with a subordi- nate. In reply, I admit that it would not be consistent if the Deity were to enter a body and undergo the suffer, ings, individually, without any transformation. But such is not the case. How so ? because life is but the reflec- tion of the Supreme Biety. It is produced by its relation to Buddha or Intelligence, and other subtle elements, Ixke tlhe image of the sun in water, or of a man in a looking, glass. Entering into mundane objects in the form of a reflection, that Deity in his own self is not involved in any corporeal pleasure or pain. As a human being, or the sun by entering a mirror or water, in the form of a reflection, does not acquire the defects of a reflecting sur- face, so is the case with the Deity. Thus, in the Katha Upanishad : " As the Sun, although the eyes of the whole world, is nevertheless not aifected by the defects of the observing eye, or of external causes, so the soul, as the inner soul of all being, is not affected by mundane causes, because it is beyond them. Like unto Space, it pervades all, and is eternal." Bibleo. Ind. xxiv. 105. This reasoning is unanswerable. Note here, that "bom again," as preached by Jesus (John iii. 3, 5, 7), means transmigration, or as the Spiritists have recently called xliv INTRODUCTION. it, re-incamation. Jesus was well acquainted with all the Buddhist doctrines, and was himself a Buddha and Buddhist 44. One great principle, says Bigandet, of the systejn, is that man does not differ from animals in nature, but only in relative perfection. In animals there are souls as well as in men, but those souls, on account of the paucity of their merits and the multiplicity of their demerits, are yet in a very imperfect state. When the law of demerits gets weak, and that of merits gathers strength, the soul, though continuing to inhabit the body of animals, has the knowledge of good and evil, and can attain to a certain degree of perfection. When an animal has progressed so far in the way of merits as to be able to discern between good and bad, it is said that he is ripe, or fit to become a man. 45. Do you not, then, believe, says a Petro-Paulite inquirer to a Buddhist priest at Astrakhan, that from this life men go to their final destination of reward or punisJmient 1 No, was the reply. You Christians send your souls, still impure, from the contaminations of life into the presence of the All-Pure, and think to have them purified in a moment ; whereas nothing in the world, not even a stew-pan, is cleaned but by a gradual process. Spottiswoode's Tarantasse Journey, 227. 46. The reader must not suppose that mam was not formed, or did not form himself, until a certain stage in this earth's history. There were spirits after the primal lapse who had the nature of men, and organised human shapes for themselves. At that time this earth was not in condition to receive them : it was in a condition to receive only such existences as were suited for it. Con- INTEODUCTION. xlv sequently lapsed spirits were attracted to some of the many other earths in the Universe, and in these they organised bodies suitable to their nature. When earth became fit, they were attracted to earth ; and it, and other earths, still continue to receive them. 47. The seventh tenet seems to come under the head of Kamatan. Kamatan means the fixing the attention on one sole and supreme object, so as to investigate thoroughly all its constituent parts, its principle and origin, its existence and its final destruction. It is that part of metaphysics, says Bishop Bigandet, which treats of the beginning, nature, and end of beings. To become proficient in that science, a man must be gifted with a most extensive knowledge, and an analysing mind of no common cast. The process of Kamatan is as follows : — Let it be supposed that a man intends to contemplate ene of the four elements ; of fire, for instance. He abstracts himself from every object which is not fire, and devotes ■ aU his attention to the contemplation of that object alone : he examines the nature of fire, and finding it a compound of several distinct parts, he investigates the cause or causes that keep these parts together, and soon discovers that they are but accidental ones, the action whereof may be impeded or destroyed by the occurrence of any sudden accident. He concludes that fire has but a fictitious ephemeral existence. The same method is followed in examining the other elements, and gradually all other things he may come in contact with, and his final conclusion is that all things placed without him have no real existence, being mere illusions divested of all reality. He infers again that all things are sub- xlvi INTEODTTCTION. jected to the law of incessant change without fixity or stability. The wise man therefore can feel no attachment to objects which in his- opinion are but illusions and deception ; his mind can nowhere find rest, in the midst of all illusions always succeeding each other. Having surveyed all that is distinct from self, he applies himself to the work of investigating the origin and nature of his body. After a lengthened examination, he arrives, as a matter of course, at the same conclusion — ^his body is a mere Ulusion, without reality, subjected to changes and destruction. He feels that it is wholly distinct from self He despises his body as he does everything else, and has no concern for it. He longs for the state of Niban as the only one worthy of the wise man's desires. 48. Mr. Sheppard of Frome, the author of some devo- tional works, attempts a definition of Niban, which is not ■without merit. Do they, he asks of Rammohun Roy, believe that there may be consciousnesses, or a plurality of consciousness (indivisibly) in the One Total of Happy Being ? If that be the tenet, it appears to me to imply that the absorbed, though no longer properly an /, or human person, may still some way soliloquize, or rather think' or utter its divine'strain in the Divine Omniloquy. As thus : That which was I, but is rejoicingly not I, exists, but also fully in-exists, and has its individed being, or in-being in the Universal Mind. It meditates with the Whole, is of the Whole, is blest with and in the Whole. The interposed and dissoluble which parted the unity and continuity of the Divine Substance is gloriously removed. The substance which was I, is now not itself (though it exists) for it is continuous with the Whole iNTEODtrcTiON. xlvii Divine Self. It has no will, but a mode of the Universal Will : no thought, but a mode of the Whole Thought " I am,"* 49. Scythia, by which I mean the immense mountain plateaus of Central Asia, is the motherland of the Huns, the Tatars, the Mongols, and the Chinese ; their branches are the Mantchoos, Koreans, Japanese, and Loocheans. The Malayan Peninsular is entirely inhabited by nations whose Tatar origin is clear ; their eyes, their hair, and the contour of their hmbs, evidently belong to this race. The western parts are possessed by the Arracanese, Bur- mese, and Peguans ; the southern division by the Sia- mese; the south-east by the Kambodians; while the eastern coast is peopled by various tribes of Tsiompa, and by the Cochin Chinese and Tung-uinese, who approach near- est in their features to the inhabitants of China ; but all proceed from the same root, and nearly all are connected with this ancient mighty jjeople, and with the great pri- meval creed, which we know as Buddhism. " If there is a people in the world," says Pauthier, " who can with truth boast of their high antiquity, it is assuredly tha+ of China." While they reject the fabulous thousands of years which belong to Indian chronology, they content themselves with eras that are reasonable and true. 50. China proper is almost a square, embracing, at least, 1400 miles on every side ; with the tributary states which belong to, or are claimed by it, it occupies an area greater than Europe. From north to south, it is nearly 2300 English miles. It is not only one of the greatest empires in the world, but is one of the very greatest that has ever existed. Its frontier barriers — the Great Wall, * Last Days of Kammohun Roy. 131. xlviii INTEODUCTION. and its principal canal — are justly regarded, from their magnitude and antiquity, as being among tte wonders of the world. 51. China, says M. Klaproth, presents the spectacle of a vast and ancient empire, with a civilisation, whose principal aim has constantly been to draw closer the bonds which unite the society it formed, and to merge by its laws the interest of the individual in that of the public. As far as we can trace the organisation of society in China in the remotest antiquity, we find it established on the politico-patriarchal principle. The Emperor was considered the father of the people ; his subjects constituted his family. The prime virtue, the prime duty, was filial piety ; children were to practise it towards their parents, and subjects towards their monarch, and those who represented him. The same doctrines of polity and private morals continues to the present day. The duties of this relation, which is consi- dered to be the most important of all others, are sup- ported occasionally by arguments and illustrations drawn very unexpectedly from nature. Look, say they, at the lamb and the kid, which kneel when they are suckled by the mother. For their politics, says Du Halde, which consisted in the observation of regularity and purity of manners, ^they reduced to this simple maxim, viz., that those who eommaaid should imitate the conduct of Tien . (the King of Existence, or of Heaven) in treating their inferiors as their children ; and those who obey ought to look upon their superiors as they would upon their fathers ; in one word, every member of the empire considered himself as one of a great family, regarding and respect- ing the Sovereign as their loving parent. INTRODUCTION. xlix 52. Bounded on the south and east by a stormy sea, on the north by immense deserts, and on the -n-est by high chains of mountains, covered with perpetual snow, China was inhabited at a very remote age : its historical tradi- tions extend to more than three thousand years before our era. Nevertheless, the Chinese were not the first inhabitants of the country ; they were immigrants who found there tribes of a different race. Their empire began undoubtedly, in the north of China before that great catastrophe, the deluge of Atlantis. At that period they were only, as it were, in the morning of their age. These new inhabitants came from the north-east, if we may judge from the place where the Chinese fix the first theatre of their mythology, namely, in the snowy range, called Kwan-lun, or Koolkoon. These mountains run along the western side of Northern China, beginning at the north of the Blue Lake, and joining on the west the Tsung-ling ridge. 53. Like the Chinese in this particular, the Hindus, having descended from the Himalaya to invade Hindustan, place the residence of their gods on the mountains whence they came ; and thus preserve the tradition of their first country in the dogmas of their creed. Thus the north is sacred with the Hindus for the same reason that the west is with the Chinese, because they came from that quarter ; for it was from the snowy ridge which borders Tibet in the North, that the Chinese descended towards the east ; whilst the Hindus deserted that which limited their coimtry in the south, for the purpose of effecting their settlement in the Cis-Gangetic peninsula. (See "Book of God," Part L, 271.) Hence the ancient Chi- 1 INTRODUCTION. nese saying : " In the west the Holy One appears," mean- ing Fo * who had come to them from the west ; intending perhaps also the first Buddha. 54. Tibet, Tangout, or Se-tsang, as the Chinese deno- minate it, comprises nearly twenty-five degrees of longi- tude, and above eight of latitude. Tibet is a plateau, elevated several thousand feet above the level of the sea. The Himalaya, or Heaven-Mountains, extend in stupend- ous range along the southern and western frontiers of Tibet; the Dhawalajiri, or White Mountain, the highest * The head of Fo, inserted above, and which la taken from a Chinese manuscript of great antiquity, exhibits the two honis, or symbols of a solar descent, which the Hebrews in other ages assigned to Mosheh, or Amosis, the renovator of their creed. INTRODUCTION. li in the -world, towers far beyond the clouds. Innumerable rivers take their rise in this table land — the Irrawaddy, the Indus, the Ganges. The same ridge of mountains that gave birth to the Irrawaddy, contains also the sources of the Bramaputra, -which, after a course of 1700 mUes' mingles its -waters -with the Ganges. Everything in this vast and siiblime region is grand, colossal, titanesque ; nature sho-ws herself in her loftiest majesty. The same mighty features present themselves in their religion, ■which, amid the clouds and mists of superstition and priestcraft, shines -with the grandeur of the archan- gelic, though dimmed, indeed, by contact -with the earthly. 55. This is nearly all can be inferred from the slight hints contained in the ancient records of China respecting the first origin of that nation. It is not easy to throw any historical light on that of its first founders. Sir W. Jones, on the authority of the foUo-wing passage in the " Institutes of Menu," thought himself justified in giving to the Chinese an Indian origin ; — " Many families of the military class, having gradually abandoned the ordi- nances of the V6da, and the company of the Brahmins, lived in a state of degradation ; as the people of Pun- draca and Odra, those of Dravira and Camb6ja, the Yavanas and Sacas, the Paradas and Pahlavas, the Chinas, and some other nations. The mention of the Yavanas, or Greeks, in a Sanscrit text, -which Sir William believes to have been composed about the year B.C. 1000, or 1500, either afifords no great idea of its an- tiquity, or conclusively proves that it has been interpo- lated ; for it is very probable that the Hindus kne-w but little of the Greeks, except from chance travellers like c 2 lii INTRODUCTION. Pythagoras, before tlie expedition of Alexander. So, again, the name of Chinas, which is quoted in this pas- sage, may lead us to doubt that the text is as it came from the pen of its first author ; for the term " China," by which the Hindus call the celestial empire, is not more remote than the dynasty of Thsin, which, in the third century before the Christian era, united the whole empire under its sway. Hence Brigoo, who published the " In- stitutes of Menu,'' and who lived certainly 3000 years before Jesus, could not have known the Chinese under the name of Chinas. So in the RamSyana, where the names, which accompany that of the Chinese, are the Paramachinas (Cliinas by excellence), those of Ghand- haras (Kandahar), the Yavanas (the Greeks), the Bahlikas (Balkhs), the Kekagas, and the Kambojas. It was from this text of Menu that Sir W. Jones was led to think that the Chinese were descended from families of the military caste of Hindus, who left India and mixed with barba- rians. This text, however, by no means shows that the Chineas ever inhabited Hindustan. There are, therefore, strong grounds for believing that the passages in the laws of Brigoo, and in the RamSyana were interpolated but a short time previous to the Christian era. In that case, it would be easy to explain how the Chinese happened to be classed with the people of the north-west, such as the inhabitants of Balkh and Kandahar. It is by that way the Chinese, on their part, made the discovery of India. It was by means of the inhabitants of the plains beyond the Oxus that the first approximation was made between the two great nations of Eastern Asia. It was therefore easy for Indian authors, who were but indifferent geogra- phers, as well as for legislators and poets, to mention the INTEODUOTION. liii Chinese among the Mlechas, or barbarians, to whom they were indebted for the knowledge they had of them. The epoch we must assign to these communications would also well explain the circumstances relative to the names of Sakas, and Xacas, and Yavanas, which last designation we should find refers to the Greeks of Bactria. The Chinas of the Indian works we have quoted would then be the subjects of the Thsin dynasty, who arrived about 200 years before the present era on the banks of the Indus. 56. These passages, thus explained, bear no longer any reference to the origin of the Chinese nation ; and Sir William Jones should have considered them more care- fully before he drew any inferences from them. Indeed, there is no authority, either from historical evidence, or from the results given by the comparative study of lan- guages, for deriving the descent of the Chinese from the Hindus ; and if we take the trouble to consider the phy- sical and intellectual difference between these two peoples, we must reject the hypothesis. Let any one observe the eyes, the cheek-bones, the nose, and the square flat face of the Chinese, and then look at the physiognomy of the Hindus, in whom, excepting in respect of colour, we find the features of the European race, and compare the coun- tenance of the two nations. Let any one examine the vast ■ jeligious system of the Brahmins, with its wild poetry and gorgeous visions, and place it by the side of the simple creed of the ancient Chinese — a creed founded on love and reason alone, and which so well deserves the name of religion. The division into castes is unknown in China; the inhabitants of this empire have not, even in their language, a term proper to express this dis- liv INTRODUCTION. tinction. Can the rational and prosaic genius of the Chinese be brought into comparison with the poetic, philosophic, and speculative mind of the inhabitants of the banks of the Ganges and Jumna 1 After the harsh and grating sounds of the Chinese language, let any one listen to the harmonious accents of the Sanscrit, brought to its greatest perfection under the care of Saravati ; let him, lastly, cast a glance on the literature of the Chinese — a literature [full of interesting facts and notices, and contrast it with the philosophico-ascetic writings of the Hindus, who, by their repetitions, have imfortunately succeeded in rendering a sublime poetry tiresome. I ques- tion much whether any one after these comparisons, will be stiU inclined to ascribe a common origin to the Indians and Chinese. 57. The Chinese colonists, descending from the heights of the Kwan-lun towards the borders of the Hwang-ho, or Yellow Eiver, subdued, and perhaps exterminated, in suc- cession the barbarous clans which they found in the country. A few of these indigenous tribes have preserved themselves in the mountains of Eastern China, and are called by the general name of Miao — that is, first off- spring, first-born of AO, or God in his creative aspect ; and these peoples are properly the lineal representatives of those who received the primeval creed, cither from the Twenty-four Buddhas, or from the first Hermes. These tribes still maintain independence in their rugged country and mountain fastnesses. The ridges which they occupy are said to extend from west to east for the length of nearly 400 miles. The Chinese call them " dog-men," and " wolf-men,'' and vow that they have tails like apes and baboons. There is hardly any intercourse between the two ; consequently, little is known of their manners and habits. We have no vocabularies of their language by which to ascertain with absolute certainty the race to which they belong. Until, however, we obtain these im. portant documents, we are induced to believe from some passages of Chinese authors, that the Miao, or worshippers of AO — at least, those of the more northern countries — are of the same stock as the K'hiang, or Tibetans. 58. The first founders of the Chinese Empire did not amoimt, it is said, to more than about one hundred fami- lies. A very ancient treatise, called " Pih kea sing," has preserved their names, which are still those of the families now existing in China. It is very probable that those who came down from the Kwan-lun were no longer in a barbarous state, and had already made considerable progress in the arts necessary to social life. In fact, we find them shortly after their arrival in their new country inventing, or teaching writing, observing the course of the stars, and making a number of discoveries of consi- derable importance to a new society. The Chinese and the Hindus, says Pauthier, are the only people that we know o/" whose civilisation has originated with themselves — who have not learned from external sources. Pauthier did not Imow, I presume, that this distinction belongs to them, because of their having had Messengers of God from the era of the First, until that of Brigoo, peculiarly belonging to their own clime, and extending over a period of 2400 years : which good fortune was alone enough to have raised them to the philosophic height which they attained. 59. The Chinese and the Hindus are the only peoples also whose annals offer very ancient observations avail- Ivi INTEODUCTIOlf. able in astronomy. The first eclipses which the former mention are of use only in chronology, owing to the vague manner in which they are reported ; but they prove that in the time of Yao, more than 2300 years before the advent of Jesus, astronomy was cultivated in China as the basis of their public ceremonies. The almanack and the announcement of eclipses were important objects, for •which a mathematical tribunal was expressly formed. They then observed the meridianal shadows of gnomon at the solstices, and the passages of the stars on the meri- dian ; they measured time by clepsydras, and determined the position of the moon with respect to stars in eclipses, which gave the sidereal positions of the sun and sol- stices. They even invented instruments for measuring the angular distances of the stars. By the union of these means, the Chinese had found that the duration of the solar year exceeded 365 days by about the fourth part of a day. They began the year with the winter solstice. Their civil year was lunar ; in order to bring it up with the solar, they made use of the period of nineteen solar years, corresponding with 235 lunar months — a period exactly the'same as Calipus thirteen centuries later, intro- duced into the Greek almanack. As their months were alternately of twenty-nine and thirty days, their lunar year consisted of 354 days, and was consequently shorter by eleven days and a quarter than the solar year ; but when the amount of these differences would have ex- ceeded one moon in the year, they introduced an addi- tional month. They had divided the equator into twelve immoveable signs, and twenty-eight constellations, in which they carefully determined the position of the sol- stices. Instead of a century, the Chinese, like'the Hin- INTEODUCTION. Ivii dus, have a cycle of sixty years,* which they call Kya-tse, and a cycle of sixty days instead of a week ; but the small cycle of seven days in use throughout the East, was known to them from the remotest times. The people of Mala-Bar call the cycle of 60 by the name, " Chi-tran." Each of these nations carries back time authentically to more than 4000 years before the era of Jesus ; each of them has its cycle of cycles — a grand period of 3600 years : 60 x 60, and 600 x 6 = 3600— at the expira- tion of which a new grand period recommences. Hoang-ti, the Yellow Emperor, who lived in pre-historic times, is said to have invented this cycle. 60. The division of circumference was always regulated in China by the length of the year, so that the sun de- scribed exactly one degree every day ; but the division of the degree, of the day, of weights, and all linear mea- sures, was decimal ; and this example given, for upwards of 4000 years at least, by the most numerous nation on earth, proves that these divisions, which besides offer so many advantages, may become by practice exceedingly popular. 61. The origin of Chinese writing is lost in the abyss. of mythology : it goes back probably to the earliest ages. of man. It is a language to the eye, and it is understood^ by all the nations who have received and learned its ex- traordinary characters, however different their vernacular or spoken languages may be from the spoken languages* * How curiously the ancients symbolised in all things, is appa- rent from their idea as to the number 60 ; for, according to Aris- totle (Hist. Anim. Jib. v.) the crocodile (one of the primeval sym- bols for God) brings forth sixty eggs of a white colour, and sits on them for sixty days ; some added that it lived for sixty years. C 3 Iviii INTEODUCTION. of China. The first characters which composed it were the images of the things represented. The primitive form of representative signs became gradually obliterated, in proportion as the art of writing became extended. The strokes indicating the outlines were altered ; in order, therefore, to render writing more regular, the strokes were made stifier and more uniform. Thus the characters ceased to be images, and became conventional signs. The number of these signs seems to have been very limited at first, as it must have been found very troublesome to have a multitude of different objects ; but when the barrier of images was once overcome, and the elements of the characters were rendered more regular, and easier to trace, the groups were rapidly increased. This must have taken place during the first ages ; for the most ancient Chinese inscriptions that we know — such a,s the monuments of Yu, and those on Moimt Thae-shan, in the province of Shan-tung — offer but few genuine images, although one may without difficulty trace in the characters they contain the altered outlines of the images. The first promulgator of these symbols is said to have been Souin-gin-chi. In the first state of society, a few hundreds of stich signs were sufficient ; but new wants soon arose, and the art of writing being called into use for things not previously thought of, the Chinese were compelled to increase the number of signs, and to do this on new principles. For there could be no question about tracing new figures, which, by being too nimierous, would have ultimately led to confusion, and, moreover, the objects they had to trace were not of a nature to be depicted, since they wanted to express ideas and embody thoughts. How was it possible to distinguish by rude INTEODUCTION. IJX sketches a dog from a wolf or fox, or an oak from an apple or mulberry tree 1 How, moreover, could they have •expressed the human passions — anger, love, and pity — ■ abstract ideas, or the operations of the mind 1 The man- ner in which both these obstacles were overcome, whilst it proves, perhaps, that the progress made in civilisation was but small, does great credit to the genius of the inventors. They have done all that their position per- mitted them to do — a circumstance which is in general too little noticed to pass it over in silence. They com- bined all the primitive figures by twos or threes, and foimed by this means a multitude of compound signs, offering ingenious symbols, striking and picturesque definitions ; riddles, which are the more interesting as the solution still exists ; and we are not compelled to guess at them under the guidance of vague conjecture. They first of all classed all natural objects, and other things that could be brought within this description, into families, under the head of the respective animal, tree, or plant, which was considered as their type. Thus the wolf, the fox, the weazel, and other carnivorous animals, were referred to the dog ; the different species of goats and antelopes, to the sheep ; the roe, the deer, the musk animal, to the stag; the other ruminating quadrupeds, to the ox ; the gnawing animals, to the rat ; pachyderms, to the pig ; the hoofed animals, to the horse. In this manner the name of every creature was formed of two parts ; the one referring to the kind, and the other determining the species, by a sign indicating either the peculiarity of it or its habits, or the use to which it would be applied. By this truly ingenious system, natural families were formed which with the exception Ix INTEODUCTION. of a few anomalies, miglit even be admitted by modem naturalists. The difficulty as to the abstract notions and acts of the mind although greater, was no less ingeniously eluded. To paint " anger " they drew a heart surmounted by the sign of a slave. For " attraction " or " seduction" the image of a woman with the symbols of word and net. A hand holding the symbol of centre, designates " the historian " whose first duty it is to incline to neither side. The images of two men implied " mutual salutation '' if they looked towards one another ; " separation,'' if they turned their backs ; " following," when placed one after the other. To give the idea of a friend, they drew the two shells of a bivalve. 62. This symbolic language is most easily learned and communicated ; it is also most easily imderstood. Craw- ford in his embassy to Siam and Cochin-China, stopped at an island in the Gulf of Siam which was inhabited only by a few poor Cochin-Chinese fishermen and their families. They could not speak a word of Chinese, but they could read Chinese characters ; and when Mr. Crawford's inter- preter wrote down questions in Chinese, one of the head fishermen gave him intelligible replies in writing in the same character. Not a word, not a syllable was exchanged orally between the two, and yet our envoy obtained the information he wanted about the island. The Japanese also, by the use of symbols, continue to carry on not only correspondence, but trade with provinces, the inhabitants of which, were they to meet, would not be able to con- verse, from a total ignorance of the language of each other. This is a convincing proof that a knowledge of letters does not necessarily militate against the use of symbols. So "the characters of Cochin-China, of Tong-king, of INTEODUCTIOK. Ixi Japan, and Java, are the same with those of the Chinese, and signify the same things ; though in speaking, those nations do not express themselves in the same manner ; of consequence the language of conversation is very different, and they are not able to understand each other, while, at the same time, they understand each other's ■written language, and use all their books in common." (Ency. Brit., Art. Philology, Sect. 117.) The best prac- tical illustration of a written character common to several nations who cannot understand each other's speech, may be found in the Arabic numerals common to all Europe. An Englishman who could not understand what an Italian meant if he said venti-due, would comprehend him imme- diately if he wrote down 22. This advantage, which belongs to our numerals only, pertains to the whole lan- guage of the Chinese, and those other nations who use Che same characters, without afl&xing to them the same pronunciation. 63. Dr. Morrison, in his " Chinese Miscellany," p. 1, thus confirms this striking fact : " The Chinese language," he says, " is now read by a population of different nations, amounting to a large proportion of the human race, and over a very extensive geographical space, from the borders of Eussia on the north, throughout Chinese Tartary on the west, and in the east as far as Kamschatka, and down- wards through Corea and Japan, in the Loo Choo Islands, Cochin-China, and the islands of that archipelago, on most of which are Chinese settlers, till you come down to the equinoctial line at Penang, Malacca, Singapore, and even beyond it, in Java. Throughout all these regions, however dialects may diifer and oral languages be con- founded, the Chinese written language is understood by .Ixii INTEODUCTION. all. The voyager and the merchant, the traveller and the Christian missionary, if he can write Chinese, may jnake himself understood throughout the whole of Eastern Asia." (See Gutzlaff's Journal of Three Voyages along the Coast of China in 1831, 1832, 1833, p. 22.) " Thus," says Davis, " by knowing only how to write a few hun- dred Chinese words, a man may make himself understood over an extent of 2000 miles, in latitude from Japan in the north to Cochin-China in the south." Bearing these facts in mind, and coupling them with such other intel- lectual records as we possess concerning the Chinese people, we should hardly err if we denominated them the wisest nation on earth, and so entitled to our highest respect and regard. 64. Couplet relates that the first Chinese letters con- sisted of straight lines which ran parallel to one another, .and were of different lengths and variously combined and divided. Maitinius says the same, and they both give several specimens of the most ancient manner of writing them. These letter-lines were contained in the book called Y-King, or the Book Y, which was ascribed to Fo, a Scythian from Cataia. But although these were said to have been invented about 4200 years before Jesus, nobody undertook to explain them before Veng-Vang, a foreigner and a tributary prince who lived about 1100 years before the Christian era ; and about 500 years after him, Confucius undertook the interpretation of them, though he is a writer in" no way to be depended upon. Couplet also says, that very long before the time of Fo they had knots of lines instead of straight lines for letters, and that Hoang-Ti was the first who composed the Chinese characters which were ever after used. The knots of lines IKTEODUCTION. Ixii and the straight lined characters were most probably first used as numerals, and like the contracted Ogham, never exceeded five, the number of fingers on the hand. 65. Bayer, in his first volume of the " Museum Sinicum," observes that the common characters of the Chinese con- sist of nine simple figures, five of which were plain lines, and the other four, one, two, or three of them joined together, so that it is probable that these Chinese cha- racters or letters were originally formed by various combinations out of the old lines of the Book Y. It is also worthy of notice that the characters at Persepolis consist of a number of strokes or darts, and that the number never exceeds five, which made Monsieur Gebelin observe that there was a great resemblance between the Irish Ogham and the Persian Cuneiform. M. Bailly is of the same opinion, and he thinks all these alphabets were originally numerals. We are thus carried back to the very earliest ages, when the Oghamic, Chinese, and Cunei- form characters preceded the invention of Egyptian and Mexican hieroglyphics. 66. " The Chinese language," says Max MiLller, " stands by itself monosyllabic, the only remnant of the earliest formation of human speech " (Chips, 1, 22). If their lan- guage goes back so far, why should not their religion 1 and why should not that religion be Buddhism or Mono- theism, derived from the First and Second Messengers % This is a question more easily asked than answered ; the philologists who, like Max MUller, are forced to admit the primeval origin of the language, are, by a singular incon- sistency nevertheless, found on the side of those orthodox writers who pretend that the religion of the Chinese is comparatively modern, and that it can hardly be said to Ixiv INTEODUCTION. have existed until some few centuries before Jesus. This, however, is a mistake or a falsification of all true history. 67. In a country where writing and astronomy were known at so remote a period, history which is founded on these two arts must also be very ancient. In fact, the authentic annals of China, as I have already observed, go back to more than 3000 years anterior to our era. The early portion is filled with fables ; we there see sovereigns who invented, like those of Persia, the arts necessary to the wants of human life. However, by means of these narratives, we are led to the epoch of a great inundation which was produced by the overflowing of the rivers, and which devastated chiefly the northern provinces of China, laying bare and draining the Desert of Gobi, then covered by an inland sea : this inundation was doubtless a conse- quence of the Atlantean Deluge, whose efiects were felt all over the earth ; to the more wide and general diffusion of waters resulting from that Deluge, the white race perhaps owes its origin. 68. From the most remote periods the emperors of China kept notes of the most remarkable occurrences of their reign, as well as of the speeches delivered by them to their grandees, or those which their counsellors uttered before them. There were also collections made of the laws, of the religious and court ceremonies, of ancient poems, (fee. These writings were preserved among their most valued archives, and had they existed until now, we should possess a history of the Celestial Empire superior in interest and authenticity to the recorded annals of any other people ; but they were for the most part destroyed by the Emperor Chi-hoang-ti, the same who has rendered himself for ever famous by his erection of the Great Wall. INTEODTJCTION. Ixv This, it is said, contains materials sufficient to surround the whole earth on one of its largest circles with a wall several feet high. The loss which mankind has sustained by the destruction of these writings may be compared to that inflicted by the burning of the Alexandrian Library. 69. Of the rulers or chieftains anterior to Fo, but scant information consequently can be obtained by Euro- peans. It would almost require a lifetime passed in China to learn with exactitude their names and histories. Father de Premare has given an interesting and curious summary, tinged, however, with more mythology than the present age cares to digest. I refer the reader to these Eesearches which he will find in the Pantheon Literaire (Les Livres Sacres de I'Orient). Father Amiot cites from Hoang- sing-tchouen, who says that he has inquired into the history of those who had filled the throne between the three Hoang and Fo, and had gone over all the ancient books, and that his discoveries were these : — That there were nine Teou, five Song, fifty-nine Chee, three Ho-to, six Lien-tong, four Suming, twenty-one Sun-sei, thirteen Yu-ti, eighteen Chan-tong, and fourteen Chou-ki ; making in all ten families, who, for a very long series of years, had occupied thrones with glory before the days when Fo took upon himself the duties of legislator. More than this it would be useless to know. 70. I have already alluded to Hoang-ti, whose mother, Fou-pao, impregnated by a cloud of the most glorious brilliancy, brought him forth amid the hills of Hien-yuen. This prince is said to have discovered the use of the mariner's compass, and to have employed it as a guide while hunting in the boundless forests. The Arabs bor- rowed the invention from the Chinese, with whom they Isvi INTEODUCTIOX. traded, and from these a knowledge of its powers was in- troduced to Egypt. To his minister, Ta-Nao, he com- mitted the regulation of the cycle of 60 ; to Yong-tching the construction of a sphere and almanac ; to Yong-yuen the making of clocks. He coined moneys, which he named Kin-tao ; and even composed a treatise on medicine. His wife employed herself so much in the cultivation of fine and useful arts, and their dissemination among her ladies, that she was regarded as a species of divinity. Hoang-ti belongs no doubt to the mythologic era ; but we should £rr greatly if we therefore concluded that all that is related of him is untrue. He may not have reigned for a hundred years, and he was not the Son of a Clohd ; but all else that is connected with his name is probable, pos- sible, and perhaps actually true. I have often dreamed that it is a Chinese name for the second Buddha, Enoch. 71. Pan Kou, says Abu Said Beidawi, was the first sovereign of China, by which he means that his laws were introduced there in the earliest ages. He was the Son of Chaos, says Martinius (Hist. Sin., p. 3). But Chaos was a primitive name for AO. Pan-Kou, therefore was the Son of God. This is the name given to Adama in one of the gospels. Pan-Kou appears in Ja-Pan, where his laws also were preached, and, according to Andreas Miiller, au erudite Orientalist of the seventeenth century, the name is synonymous with Pan-Zou, whom he calls the First Man- — that is, the First Teacher of Man. He -was sur- nanied Yu-Chi, which is translated the Legislator of the JSarth. After him we read of Hwang, or Hoang-ti, which I consider, as I have said, a Chinese reading for Enoch. He had the face of a dragon, and was endowed with mar- vellous wisdom. In his days appeared five dragons (great INTRODUCTION. Ixvii missionary pontiflfs) of remarkable splendour; the heavens distilled divine dews ; the earth sent forth nectar ; the sun, the moon, and the stars shone with double bright- nees. In those days men were taught thus : That which ■man knows is as nothing in comparison with that which he knows not. These pontiffs by themselves or missionary priests carried the religion of Enoch over the world, and planted in the central cities of America the same religion whose gigantic remnants at the present day associate their past with the faith, the customs, and the peoples of Central Asia. After Enoch came Fo, who said that he received his laws from a Water-Dragon, symbolically from the Holy Spirit, the Queen or Serpent of the Waters. His mother, as she walked by the side of a river, was enveloped in the beautiful arch of the rainbow ; she con- ceived and bare a son, the third Messenger of God. The readers of the " Book of God " do not require to be told that the Rainbow means the Holy Spirit, who, ever in the due cycle of the Sun, sends the Buddha to mortals. On Fo and Lao all that is beautiful in Chinese morals and theology depends. Confucius was what is called a Secu- larist, and to the prevalence of 7m philosophy I think we may trace the decadence of all true grandeur of religious idea among so many millions of Chinese — a decadence which would have corrupted the whole empire and led it to destruction had it not been counteracted by the sub- lime force of Buddhism, as put forth in its two great representative creeds of Fo and Lao. Confucius is, in fact, the Paul of China. We are not left altogether igno- rant of the older theology of the people of China anterior to the days of Fo. I myself entertain no doubt, from the frequent recurrence of the word AO, both as a single Ixviii INTRODUCTION. name and as a termination, that the Apocalypse had reached the original inhabitants of this part of the world, and that its teachings coloured all their belief. We have other relicts also of their original religion. The Grand End of all things, who is God, was called by the Chinese the Great Unity and the Great Y- This Y is a Tri-Une ; it is a Tree ; it is a "]" = ^U sacred and symbolic significa- tions of the Creator and the Lord. Lo-Pi says that it has neither body nor form, yet that all things which possess either body or form proceed from that which has neither. Vang-Chin says of Y that we must take care not to con- sider it a letter or a sign, but that it signifies Wisdom, active and inexhaustible, which no image can represent, which no name can denominate, which is infinite and all- comprehending. Lie-tse says of Y that it means the Great One, the Immaterial Essence. Hiu-chin says — In the beginning Wisdom subsisted in Unity ; she made and divided Heavens from Earths, and formed and made all things perfect. Chou-ven calls this Unity TAO, which is the Apocalyptic AO with the prefix f' between which and the Chinese Y and the Egyptian Y, or sign of The First, there is no difference. TI, therefore, means God ; TAO the Bi-Une; and TI-EN-TSAO, the Lord in the Heavens, the Makers. They gave Him another name, Ta-gin-Tsao, which means The Grand Man, who made the heavens, the earths, their peoples, and all things. In this the reader will see a curious resemblance to the Grand Man of Swedenborg, though I very much doubt whether he had studied the theology of China. The Chinese sage, Ti-Ki, has another allusion in perfect harmony with the great Seer of Stockholm, in which he declares that the material and visible Heaven is in correspondence with INTEODUCTION. Ixix that which is invisible. The reader need not be reminded that the Buddha-Guru, or Priest, whom we call Pytha- goras, brought the sign Y to Europe, and taught his followers its mystic meaning. Such was the original name for God, not only in China, but perhaps throughout the whole of Tibet. Y> being a corruption, or an inflec- tion, as it would seem, of the primal name of God on earth, namely AO, the pronunciation of which in China and Hindustan is analogous to it. Neither are we with- out a memorial of another Apocalyptic name, Issa, which appears in Tse. I have read, says Father Premare, in an ancient Chinese author, that in the beginning, when all things were produced, they found in Tse their Source and Origin. Tse is the Principle from which all things emanated. 72. We descend now to a later period, to the days of the Third Messenger. From the foundation of the em- pire of Fo, says Du Halde, the Supreme Being was com- monly known by the name of Chang-ti and Ti-En, who was the object of public worship, and, as it were, the Soul and Prime Mover of the government of the nation ; this Supreme Power was feared, honoured, and rever- enced, and this, not only by the people, but by the grandees of the empire, and by emperors themselves ; and it wiU be sufficient to say that, according to the assertions of the canonical books, the Chinese nation, for the space of two [four] thousand years, acknowledged, reverenced and honoured a Supreme Father and Sovereign Lord of the Universe. I have already intimated that they de_ rived this doctrine from the Apocalypse of the First Messenger, Pan-kou, also called Hoen, in which, I think, the reader will find Babylonian Cannes and I-Oan, whom Ixx INTRODUCTION. I have already proved to be Chaudama, Gaudam, and Adam the First Buddha — the true I'atherofthe Faithful. He is worshipped still as the primeval Han, a mythical king and pontiff, of whom Kircher, in his curious and valuable China Ilhistrata, has given two prints, and of whom these true disciples of the Orient, our own Celtic Druids, have preserved their sacred and traditional name of Owen, or Oen, a synonym of all that is beautiful or noble on earth. Pan-Kou is represented always in a dress of leaves, herein indicating the divine husbandman and shepherd prince, the First Messenger, and connecting him with the Genesis Chaudam in his dress of fig leaves. Of Pan-Kou we read in Lo-pi that he was perfectly wise, and that in one day he took upon himself nine diffeient forms. These allude either to the Nine Messianic Messen- gers, in whose phantom shapes thjs great Buddha showed himself; or if they are taken in conjunction with his own apperance as the Hermes, they represent the Ten Indian Avatars. Many-formed Proteus, or Protos, was a Greek name for the First, and it alluded covertly not only to God, whose outward visible manifestations are without number, but also to the First Messenger as he is thus represented by the Chinese, appearing in the numer- ous forms of his successors in a transfiguration similar to which occurred to the Ninth. Pan-Kou rudimentally means All-Rule, a name of profound significance as ap- plied to the Author of the first Revelation, which ouo-ht indeed to possess universal sovereignty over mortals. In commemoration of the First, our great Chinese Hermes is said to have called his Eight Rules of Life by the name Kwa, or Koua, in which, I think, the reader will trace a mystical allusion to A.0, and to the hieratic INTRODUCTION. Ixjxi letters K and U. Those who have made matters of this kind their stndy do not need to be told that from the beginning of the age of signs, symbols, and numerals, they have ever had a secret meaning known only to the initiated, and that this observation specially applies to the letters which I have named. 73. The Sin-phos, or followers of Fo, in Assam, pre- serve traditions of their forefathers which connect them with the earliest ages, and more especially with the Apo- calypse. They are divided into twelve tribes, in comme- moration of the Twelve Messengers ; and the term, the Twelve Chiefs, is used to express the collected body of the race. They say that their forefathers were immortal, and held celestial intercourse with the planets and all the' heavenly Intelligences, following the worship of One- Supreme Being. They worship the image of Chaudama,, and are Buddhists {As. lies, xvi.) By the expression, " their forefathers were immortal," they allude to the- Twenty-four Buddhas, or Ancients, from whom all sacred truth flowed, as it were, in a pure stream, bearing the? full assurance of a future immortality. These Ancients are known in China under the name of Tin Hoang, Taf Hoang, and Ku-fang-chi. " In their days, says Vang- vang-jou, " the earth was at peace ; men had all things in abundance without the necessity of labour. There wa® but one universal language." (See Book of Enoch, i, 300 ; ii. 51, 57, 110, 150.) In their days the birds built their nests so low that one could touch them with the hand ; every animal obeyed the word of man ; the dis- tinction between thine and mine was unknown — all pos- sessions were in common. " These ancient rulers," says Kouan-tse, " carried the people, as it were, in their hearts- Ixxii INTRODUCTION. and the people looked upon them as divine." In their funeral rites they resemble the people of Otaheite ; thus carrying them back to pre-historic days. Their swords are called " Dhao Thou," another memorial of AO. 74. Mr. Gogerly, the most accomplished student of Buddhism in Ceylon, says : "Its sacred books expressly demonstrate that the doctrine had been preached by the Twenty-four Buddhas (or Ancients) who had lived prior to ',Chaudama, in periods remote, but that having disap- peared, Chaudama re-discovered tlie whole, and revived an extinguished school." (See Appendix to Lee's Transla- tion of Eebeyro, 265.) This remarkable coincidence in belief between Assam and Ceylon is deeply interesting and suggestive. But we see it also equally resembling the Buddhism of China, as it exists within the penetralia of Lassa ; or, as it is mystically designated, " the navel of Tibet." " The Y-King, or Book of Changes, is regarded," says Wylie, " with almost universal reverence, both on account of its antiquity, and also the unfathomable wisdom which is supposed to be concealed under its mysterious symbols. The authorship of these symbols (Kwa), which form the nucleus of the work, is with great confidence ascribed to Fuh. These consisted originally of eight trigrams ; but they subsequently combined in pairs, augmented to the number of 64 lexagrams. This second process has also been attributed to Fuh by some ; while others ascribe it to a later hand. These last authorities are right. The eight trigrams belong to Fo, or Fuh ; the sixty-four to his priests, at a time long subsequent. 75. In 1713, the Emperor of China directed the fol- lowing summary of the Chinese moral system to be given iNrKODucTioN. Ixxiii by his ambassadors to the Eussiaa Government : " If you are asked," he says, " what we principally esteem and reverence in China, you may thus reply : In our empire, fidelity, piety, filial piety, charity, justice, and sincerity are esteemed above all things. We revere and abide by them '' they are the ■ principles upon which we administer the empire, as well as govern ourselves. We likewise make sacrifices and oblations ; we pray for good things, and we deprecate evil things ; but if we did not act honestly, if we were not faithful, pious, charitable, and sincere, of what avail would be our prayers and sacrifices 1" It is impossible not to render our homage to such exalted sen- timents ; they are worth all the millions of silver which we have gained by opium smuggling, and such other pious virtues as we have practised in China. 76. In the book of Sacred Instructions, addressed to the people, founded on their ancient writings, and read publicly by the principal magistrates on the days that correspond to the new and full moon, the sixteen dis- courses of which it consists are /leaded by that which teaches the duties of children to parents, of juniors to elders, and (thence) of the people to the Government. The principle is extended thus, in a quotation from the Sacred Books : — "In our general conduct, not to be orderly is to fail in filial duty ; in serving our Sovereign, not to bo faithful is to fail in filial duty; in acting as a magistrate, not to be careful is to fail in filial duty ; in the intercourse of friends, not to be sincere is to fail in filial duty ; in arms and in war, not to be brave is to fail in filial duty." The claims of elders are enforced thus : — " The duty to parents and the duty to elders are indeed similar in obli- gation ; for he who can be a pious son will also prove an d Ixxiv INTRODUCTION. obedient younger brother ; and he who is both Tvill, while at home, prove an honest and orderly subject, and, in active service from home, a courageous and faithful soldier May you all, soldiers and people, conform to these our instructions, evincing your good dis- potions by your conduct and actions ; each fulfilling his duty as a son and a junior, according to the example which is left you 'by the wise and holy men of former times." The wisdom of ancient Emperors, Yaou and Shun, had its foundation in these essential ties of human society. Mencius has said, " Were all men to honour kindred, and respect their elders, the world would be at peace."* 77. But the Government does not confine itself to preaching; domestic rebellion is treated in nearly all respects as treason, being, in fact, petit treason. A special edict of the last Emperor went beyond the established law in a case which occured in one of the central pro- vinces. A man and his wife had beaten, and otherwise severely ill-used the mother of the former. This being reported by the Viceroy to Pekin, it was determined to enforce, in a signal manner, the fundamental principle of the empire. The very place where it occurred was ana- thematised, as it were, and made accurst. The principal ofienders were put to death ; the mother of the wife was bambooed, branded, an,d exiled for her daughter's crime ; the scholars of the district for three years were not per- mitted to attend the public examination, and their pro- motion thereby stopped ; the magistrates were deprived of their office and banished. The house in which the oflFenders dwelt was dug up from the foundations. " Let * Meaning China. INTEODTJCTION. IxXV the Viceroy," the edict adds, " make known this procla- mation, and let it be dispersed through the whole empire, that the people may all learn it. And if there be any rebellious children who oppose, beat, or degrade their parents, they shall be punished in like manner. If ye people, indeed, know the renovating principle, then fear and obey the imperial will, nor look on this as empty declamation. For now, according to this case Yeng-chen wherever there are the like I resolve to condemn them, and from my heart strictly charge you to beware. I instruct the magistrates of every province severely to warn the heads of families and elders of villages ; and on the- 2nd and 16th of every month to read the Sacred Instruc- tions, in order to show the importance of the relations of life, that persons may not rebel against their parents. — -fur I intend to render the empire filial." This, was addressed to a population estimated commonly at 360,000,000. 78. The vital and universally operating principle or the Chinese Government, says Sir George Staunton, is this^ duty of submission to parental authority, whether vested- in the parents themselves or in their representatives, and which, although usually described under the pleasing- appellation of filial piety, is much more properly to be- considered as a general rule of action than as the expres- sion of any particular sentiment of affection.* It maj^ • In the exercise of filial piety, says Gutzlaff, the Chinese ex-- cel. This, in fact, is the great basis iipon which their philosophers . erected their whole system of politios, the foimdation of a well- - regulated society. Yet this reverend writer is not ashamed to- add, that he is no very enthusiastic admirer of Chinese filial piety. I suppose he prefers the English system, which sends the- parents to the workhouse : or the general habit among Europeans,- of letting them shift for themselves in a great measure when thfc d 2 Ixxvi INTEODUCTION. easily be traced even in the earliest of their records ; it is inculcated with the greatest force in the writings of the first of their philosophers and legislators ; it has survived each successive dynasty, and all the various changes and revolutions which the State has undergone ; and it continues to this day powerfully enforced both by positive laws and public opinion. 79. A curious instance of that high and pure sense of honour and truth which the religion of Fo inculcates, and which, though it is not the estabUshed creed, colours aU the principles of the people, may be found in the following incident so honourSible to the Emperor of China ; so degrading to ourselves, or at least to those who represented us on that occasion : — When Lord Am- herst went on his embassy from England in 1816, he and are old, decrepit, and have no money to bequeath. The Chinese 'half worship their parents, and Gutzlaff thinks this idolatry ! It is a superstition, certainly, of the most amiable kind. The whole of Gutzlaff's work is written in the same wretched spirit. He talks of vice in China as if it were unknown in Europe ; he seeks to coun- terbalance every Chinese virtue with foibles and frailties, as if we did uot'see the same thing every day before our eyes in Europe and America, blessed as they are with the riches of Petro-Paulite Christianity. If we accept all he says, the Chinese are about on a level with ourselves ; if we weigh all he narrates, they are infinitely superior. The truth, perhaps, is, they are neither better nor worse, exeept that they believe in good works, and we in the merits of atonement. Thie poor man, in 1834, wrote as follows : — "The annals of no nation give us an account of c*eation of Heaven and Earth ; God, the Author of all things, visible and invisible, holds no place in their vain imaginations, and therefore they do not ascribe to Him the creation of all things. Sacred history alone contains a simple and satisfactory account of these subjects ! !" One might well ask, What nation does not assign the origin of all things to God ? and whether the Genesis account is either simple or satisfactory to 1873, however splendid it appeared to this reverend gentleman in the barbaric era of 1834 ? INTRODUCTION. Ixxvii his suite arrived at the palace of Yuen-Ming Yuen on the 29th of August, after travelling all night. The hour appointed by the em- peror for giving audience had already elapsed. The Tatars are early risers. Neverthless, they were hirrried unwashed and un- dressed to the door of the palace. Lord Amherst demurred to enter BUDDHA. ^^ ^^^® condition into the imperial presence; he resorted to the usual European excuse, saying that the fatigues of the night had rendered him unwell, and begged his majesty to defer seeing him that morning. This produced a gracious order, that the ambassador should retire to the house provided for him, and his majesty's physician would attend upon him. The physician came and reported, as we may assume, that the ambassador was not unwell. The emperor thought he was imposed upon ; he degraded the prime minister and some of his principal officers of State for transmitting a false message, and decreed also that the ambassador, who had been guilty of a lie, should be required to depart immediately. And so he did ; and the embassy proved to be an abortion. And the emperor sent a letter to the Prince Regent, desiring him to send no more embassies to the Celestial Empire. To save Lord Amherst and his suite from the disgrace attaching to their procedure, it was given out in England, and it is still, I suppose, believed there, that Lord Amherst was not received because of his refusal to perform the cere- Ixxviii INTEODUCIION. mony of Kotou.'^ But this, also, is not true, for Lord - Amherst, in his letter, offered to kneel upon one knee, and to bow the head, repeating this obeisance the number of times deemed most respectful; and with this the Prime Minister was satisfied. — (See the Asiatic Journal, ■vol. viii., 341.) 80. The family name of Fo is said to have been Fong, a mystical allusion to the Phcenix, or type of the Mes- senger. Fong also means the Wind, the Breath, in which we trace the identity of the Messenger with Euach Aleim, the Holy Spirit, the Breath or Emanation of God. (Book of God, ii., 271, 427, 433; iii., 135, 350.) Jesus indi- cates his Messiaship by his breath. (Book of Enoch, ii., 159.) Fo was surnamed Ching, or the Sage, dr the Child of Heaven, because, says the author of Chou-ven, the mother became impregnated by the operation of Heaven. 81. Considerable discussion has taken place among the learned as to who were the Three Hoang, who play so prominent a part in pre-historic or mythologic Chinese annals ; some say that they were three kings ; others that they signify three peoples, or races ; others that they dean the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. But what they really mean is the Three Buddhas, or Messengers of God, of whom Fo was the third, while the other two were claimed to belong to themselves by the Chinese, as most, indeed, qf the aneient peoples claimed an exclusive right in the Messengers, under whose religious teachings they • The Daily Telegraph of Jan. 23, 1873, repeats the old fable, and says, " Lord Amherst maintained the dignity of his country by declining to perform the ceremony of Ko-tou ! " Thus history is made. INTRODUCTION. Ixxix lived. Thus, the Jews say that they alone have had all the great prophets and teachers of the world. 82. Yuen-leao-fan says that Kan-a-le, in the sense of Kan, signifies the trunk of a tree ; wherefore, he adds the Ten Kan called themselves the Ten Mothers ; an(? that Tchi, in the sense of tchi, means the Branches, which is the reason why they called themselves, Che-eull_ tse, or the Twelve Children. These, says Father Amiot, form the cycle of Ten and Twelve. The student of the Book of God can alone understand the sublime mysticism which is contained in the above passage. In the arcane language they say also that Jo-mou, the Tree of Obedi- ence, has Ten Flowers, whose light illumines the world. This tree is also called Sang, which signifies a Mulberry, which has ever been considered a symbolic tree. 83. The paternal government preached and perhaps founded by Fo exists to the present moment ; the king is regarded by a docile people as a species of divinity, who has a personal regard for, and an interest in, the welfare of every individual in the empire. Dr. King considers that the word Ti, when applied to the king, has an ana- logy to the word Tien, or heavenly, importing his heavenly compassion for even the most lowly. In many languages he says, the word by which divinity in general is desig- nated is derived from another word signifying "heaven;" and I see no reason which forbids our recognising the same etymology in the Chinese words ti and tien. M Klaproth is of the same opinion. This scholar tells us, also, that in the ancient Chinese books the word Tien designates sometimes the emperor or moderator of the empire. It is, then, synonymous with te or ti. M. Klaproth cites, in support of this statement, a passage IXXX INTRODUCTION. from the ancient philosopher, Chwang-tsze, who says, Pih-sing-woo-teen, " The people are without a moderator;" the Gloss adds, woo-wang, "without king." Lastly, we find in the most ancient books the word ti employed in the sense of Shang-ti, Lord of Heaven. 84. M. Kurz infers, from the names of the earliest Chinese monarchs, that their attributes were not re- stricted to the political administration of the country, but that they were charged also with the care of religious matters. From the Shoo-king, which is a record of the most ancient traditions and customs, if appears that it is the emperor who makes sacrifices to the divinities, and by him that the Supreme Being manifests his will ; he was not only Pontifex Maximus, but an infallible pope or lama. In like manner the political attributes of the early emperors of China are clearly shown in this ancient work. They superintended the entire administration of the State ; they distributed offices ; whatever was done was considered to be done by them. All their actions were subjecjt to the control of the principal magistrates, or the great dignitaries of the State ; ' and they could confer no post without the consent of these magistrates. Two chapters furnish proofs of this fact. " If the emperor is in want of any individual to fill an of&ce, he always applies to the grandees for their advice ; he nevers offers any himself ; it is always on their presentation that he fills up offices. He had, it is true, the right of a refusal, as we perceive from a passage in the Yao-tien ; for Yao having required ' a person proper to rale according to the exigencies of the times,' he did not appoint the two who were presented to him." In this we trace a resemblance to our own constitution; but in China, men are'appointed INTKODUCTION. Ixxxi to public posts because they are fitted for them; in England, because they are not. 85. This privilege of the veto, however, appears to have been subject to a singular restriction. M. Kuiz deduces this from a passage in the Yao-tien, where Yao relates the calamities occasioned by a great flood, adding, "Is there any person who can arrest and confine the waters?" All replied, "Yes, there is Kwan." "No," returned the emperor, "he maltreats his colleagues." He was answered, " That need not prevent his being employed to see what he can do." " Well," said the emperor, " let him come, but let him take care." This proves, as M. Kurz contends, not only that the emperor could not confer offices till he had obtained the consent of the grandees, but that the right of refusal which he enjoyed did not extend so far as to contravene their views ; in short, that his veto was, after all, only a qualified one. 86. The throne was not hereditary : the emperor named his successor, but he was first proposed by the grandees. Thus Yao, setting aside his own son, nominated Shun as his successor; and Shun appointed Yu, renowned in Chinese history as the drainer of the country after the Atlantean deluge. Those who were promoted to the imperial dignity were grandees ; and it is probable that the early monarchs were chosen from amongst the grandees who elected them. The early political consti- tution of China so far as regards the throne, was similar to that which once prevailed in Poland, where the sovereignty was an elective one, dependent on the votes of the nobles from whom the new king was always chosen. So the Pope is always selected from among the cardinals, d 3 Ixxxii INTRODUCTION. wto are alone eligible to fill the mythical chair of Peter ; ■and according to the ancient theory of our own constitu- tion, the appointment even to the throne of England is not hereditary but elective; and when the sovereign succeeds he is presented to the people for their approval- What would happen if the people did not approve, the -constitution saith not ; but the fact of the presentation to the popular assembly is beyond all doubt. 87. Such is a faint and almost indistinct outline of the beginning and of the constitution of the vast empire of •China, which, for its grand and mystical obscurity, Pau- iihier compares to the long sought, hidden sources of the Nile. This author indeed combats the view which Klap- xoth has talien of the interpolation of the word Chinas, in the laws of Mann or Brigoo ; but Klaproth is perfectly ■correct in his observation, and those laws, like all other ancient religious writings, have been dabbled with in a "thousand places, by forging priestly hands. The voice of tradition is never without value or meaning ; and that -voice has always ranked the people, the creed, and the monarchy of China, as among the first, the oldest, and -the wisest in the world. 88. From the earliest times, China has assumed a superiority over all other countries. It was destined, as its sages supposed, to keep all nations in subjection, and to exercise unlimited sway. China, says GutzlafF, in the «yes of its philosophers, is like the Polar star in the fir- manent, around which the whole imiverse revolves ; like the sun in the heavens, which transfuses its light and ■warmth over the whole earth. The native writers have ■drawn a charming picture of the fertile soil, the splendid cities, beautiful canals, majestic rivers, and romantic INTEODUOTION. Ixxxiii scenery of their own land ; a complete paradise on earth. Ho-nang, with 62,000 square miles, and more than twenty -three millions of inhabitants, is considered as the first tract of land which was inhabited by the Chinese, and is fabled to be that where Fo held his court, after he had been elected to the throne. The greater part of it is a plain, which, towards the west, swells into mountains. The estimate of the whole extent of the Chinese territory is 310,400 square statute miles. The whole empire is larger than Europe ; in my judgment also it exceeds Europe in its general civilisation. Thus stands this colossus, peerless if compared with any state or empire whose greatness is recorded in ancient or modern history; and looking back upon the many centuries of its exist- ence, during which aU its contemporaries have decayed and mouldered in the dust, while China alone has stood the test of ages ; though conquered and overrun by a destructive enemy, it has never been annihilated. The Chinese nation has never amalgamated with any other, as have all the other large nations of the globe, but has been constantly extending and 'mingling with the adjacent tribes, absorbing, civilising, and educating, but not wholly eradicating the superstitions which have grown up like weeds around the stately ruins of their religion. 89. There has been no oflElcial census of China taken since the time of Kia King, forty-three years ago. Much doubt has been thrown upon the accuracy of these re- turns, which give 362,447,183 as the total number of the inhabitants of China. I think our greater knowledge of the country increases the evidence in favour of the approx- imative correctness of the oflS.cial document, and that we may with tolerable safety estimate the present population Ixxxiv INTEODUCTION. of ' the Chinese empire as between 350,000,000 and 400,000,000 of human beings. The penal laws of China make provision for a general system of registration ; and corporeal punishments, generally amounting to 100 blows of the bamboo, are to be inflicted on those who neglect to make the proper returns. The machineiy is confided to the elders of the district, and the census is required to be annually taken ; but I have no reason to believe the law is obeyed, or the neglect of it punished. 90. In the English translation of Father Aloares Se- medo's history of China, published in London, 1655, is the following passage : — " This kingdom is so exceedingly populous, that having lived there two-and-twenty years I was in no less amazement at my coming away than in the beginning at the multitude of people. Certainly the trutli exceeded all hyperboles, not only in the cities, towns, and public places, but also in the highways there is as great a concourse as is usual in Europe on some great festival. And if we will refer ourselves to the general register book wherein only the common men are enrolled, leaving out women, children, eunuchs, professors of letters and arms, there are reckoned of them to be fifty-eight millions fifty-five thousand one hundred and fourscore. The minuteness of the enumerations would seem to show that the father quoted some official docu- ment. 91.1 have no means of obtaining any satisfactory tables to show the proportions which diff'erent ages bear to one another in China, or the average mortality at different periods of human life. Yet to every decade of life the Chinese apply some special designation ; the age of 10 is called the opening degree; 20, youth expired j 30, strength INTRODUCTION. IxXXV and marriage; 40, officially apt ; 50, error knowing; 60, cycle closing ; 70, rare bird of age ; 80, rusty visaged . 90, delayed; 100, age's extremity. Among the Chinese the amount of reverence grows with the number of years. I made some years ago, says Sir John Bowring, the ac- quaintance of a Buddhist priest living in the convent of Tien Tung near ISTingpo, who was more than a century old, and whom people of rank were in the habit of visiting, in order to show their respect and obtain his autograph. He had the civility to give me a very fair specimen of his handwriting. There are not only many establishments for the reception of the aged, but the penal code provides severe punishments for those who refuse to relieve the poor in their declining years. Age may also be pleaded in extenuation of crime, and mitigation of punishment. Im- perial decrees sometimes order presents to be given to all indigent old people in the empire. I am not aware of any detailed statistics giving the number of such recipients, since a retiu-n published in the time of Kanghi (1657), Kienlung (1785) directed that all those claimants whose age exceeded 60, should receive five bushels of rice and a piece of linen ; those above 80, ten bushels of rice and two pieces of linen ; those above 90, thirty bushels of rice and two pieces of common silk ; and those above 100, fifty bushels of rice and two pieces, one of fine and one of common silk. He ordered all the elders to be enume- rated who were at the head of five generations, of whom there were 192, and, in gratitude to heaven, summoned 3,000 of the oldest men of the empire to receive imperial presents, which consisted principally of embroidered purses and badges, bearing the character shau, meaning longevity. Ixxxvi INTRODUCTION. 92. The Kangi tables, showing the numbers who en- joyed the benefit of th-e edict, are these : — Above 70 years, . . . 184,086 „ 80 „ . . . 169,250 „ 90 „ . . . 450 „ 100 „ . . . 21 Total, . . . 373,935 The marriage of children is one of the greatest concerns of families. Scarcely is a child born in the higher ranks of life ere the question of its future espousal becomes a -topic of discussion. There is a large body of professional matchmakers, whose business it istoputallthe preliminary arrangements in train, to settle questions of dowry, to accommodate differences, to report on the pros and cons of suggested alliances. There being no hereditary honours in China — except those which reckon upwards from the distinguished son to the father, the grandfather, and the whole line of ancestry, which may be ennobled by the literary or martial genius of a descendant — the distinctions of caste are unknown, and a successful student, even of the lowest origin, would be deemed a fit match for the most opulent and distinguished female in the community. The severe laws which prohibit mar- riages within certain degrees of affinity (they do not, however, interdict it with a deceased wife's sister), tend to make marriages more prolific, and to produce a healthier race of children. So strong is the objection to -the marriage of blood relations that a man or woman of the same Sing or family name cannot lawfully wed. The leligion of this great empire in its primeval condition, was undoubtedly Monotheism, the creed of AO ; that is the God INTRODUCTION. IxXXvii who manifests himself as the Bi-Une — the Sun-Moon of Swendenborg ; the Male-Female, or God and Spirit of all those people whose religion derived from pre-historic ages we can trace to its source in the remnants that sur- vive. This AO is Adi-Budha, or God, or Wisdom the most Ancient ; the Father and the Sender of the Twenty- Four, of whom we find mention made, as well in the Apocalypse as in the Jeyn Scriptures, and in the Arab traditions of the Preadamite Soldans. 93. But in Buddhism, as we now find it in China, the worship of Nats, Saints, or Spirits, has almost superseded the adoration of the Supreme, as in Europe we find more believers in Peter and Paul than in Jesus. Yet, among true believers, God in his Monad, Duad, and Triadic form is stiU invoked thus : Chinese. Sanscrit. Nan woo Fuh-to-ya. Namp Budhaya. Nan woo Ta-ma-ya. Namo Dharmaya. Nau woo Sang kea-ya. Namah Sangaya. Adoration to Budha ! adoration to Dharma ! adoration to Sanga ! Om ! These are three precoius ones, which, ac- cording to the inner or secret doctrine, viz., the doc-trine of the great revolution, are the All in the Universe, whe- ther visible or invisible, Budha or Wisdom produced Dharma (Law) as Zeus emaned Pallas ; both united com- posed Sanga, union, or the bond of many, or multipli- city. This is the same as the Chadamic Triad, God, Spirit, Spirits ; and as I have already explained in the " Book of God," is also a counterpart of the Brahman Trimourti, in one of its mysterious aspects. But notwithstanding their present superstitions, their belief in saints and angels and devils like our own, their Ixxxviii INTRODUCTIOir. nonsensical sophisms re- lative to a Trinity, founded, like our own, on an ignorant notion of true Tri-Adism, Mono- theism is the creed taught by Fo and by Lao. The latter says. Heaven is one ; how can there he more than one God there! In this pas- sage. Heaven means both the Visible and the Invisible. Though the Nat-worship or ido- latry, says Bishop Bi- gandet, is now universal among the Buddhists of all nations, it is but fair to state that it is contrary to the principles of true Bud- dhism and is repugnant to its tenets. (" Life of Gaudama," 17.) The Bishop ought to have explained that it is contrary to Buddhism only in this ; that while Buddhism, like Spi- ritism, tells us we are surrounded on all sides by spirits who are awaiting transmigration, and seeking the attrac- .tive essence or aura which incarnates them, it nowhere counsels or even hints that we should offer them, as Nat- worshippers do, divine honours, or that we should pray to them in preference to God. True Buddhism is indeed Monotheism in its purest, grandest, and most sublime form. 94. The tribes, says Bishop Bigandet, that have not INTEODUCTION. Ixxxxix as yet been converted to Buddhism have no other worship than that of the Nats, or local gods. To mention but the principal ones, such as the Karens, the Kyins, and the Singphos, they may differ in their mode of performing their religious rites and superstitious ceremonies, but the object is the same — honouring and propitiating the Nats. This worship is so deeply rooted in the minds of the wild and half-civilised tribes of Eastern Asia, that it has been to a great extent retained by the nations that have adopted Buddhism as their religious creed. The Burmans, for instance, from the king down to the lowest subject, publicly and privately indulge in Nat-worship. As to the tribes that remain without the pale of Buddhism, they also may be styled Nat-worshippers. Nat, in Pali, means Lord. Its signification is equivalent to that of Dewa, Dewata. They are said to occupy six seats' of happiness placed in rising succession above the abode of man. They have bodies of a subtle and ethereal nature, and pass through space with the utmost rapidity. Every tree, forest, fountain, village and town, has its protecting Nat, Some of these Nats have fallen from power ; they have the power of doing great evil to man ; hence it becomes necessary to propitiate them ; and this creed leads to the most grovelling species of superstition and idolatry. The reader will do well to compare Nat and saint-worship as it prevails among the avowed followers of Jesus, and when he has done so, to ask himself whether there is any real difierence between one and the other 1 whether both do not lead equally from God 1 whether Buddhism and Papal- ism do not alike need reform ? 95. These Nats, as it is'stated by the Bishop, have the power of doing great evil to men. Hence the inference XC INTEOD0CTION. is clear, that they are not celestial, but terrestrial spirits. If they were celestial they would do good ; but being ter- rene — that is evil — they do evil. Many, no doubt, are passive, and, like the spirits with which mediums communi- cate, they abstain from active participation in mortal affairs, though they communicate sometimes truth, some- times the reverse. I have asked myself, Why, if they inow secrets, they do not reveal them 1 And the only solution at which I can arrive is, that they do not know, and consequently they cannot reveal divine secrets. Being terrene and carnal in their desires and aspirations, they cleave to earth and earthly things ; they never have been able to extend their flight beyond the zone of clay ; they never have been able to penetrate into upper and higher spheres. As a man cannot fly into a star, so a spirit, which is only a man disembodied, cannot fly be- yond this human sphere until its nature grows too high for mortality. Then it takes immediate flight, and ele- -vating itself into a nobler region, it disdains to return to earth. If this be so, the spirits that communicate Avith living men and women are terrestrial spirits only, contemplation [dhydna) of A'di-Buddha, without ever in- INTRODUCTION. cliii termeddling with worldly affairs. The SrSwaka is he who devotes himself to hearing the Buddha scriptures read or reading them to others ; these are his sole occupations, and he is sustained by the small presents of his audiences . The Chailaka is he who contents himself wjth such a portion of clothes (chUaka) as barely suffices to cover his nakedness, rejecting every thing more as superfluous. The Bhikshu and the Chialaka very nearly resemble each other, and both (and the Arhan also) are bound to prac- tice celibacy. The Vajra A'chfirya is he who has a wife and children, and devotes himself to the active ministry of Buddhism. Such is the account of the five classes found in the scriptures. 164. Orthodox people, when they talk of the founder of Buddhism, call him by three names, Gaudama, Buddha, and Sakya Muni.* That the true Gaudama was Chaudama, or Adama, the First Messenger, and the revealer of the Apocalypse, is as certain as that the sun shines. The Brahmans preserve his name as Auttami, one of the Menus ; and I have already demonstrated that traces of it exist almost over all the earth. As to Buddha, it was the Tibetan, or Bot-Id, name of the Third Messenger, altered into Fo, and Fo-hi in China. But Sakya Muni is * The origin of Sakya Muni is this : The Sacques, also called Hyperboreans, inhabited Sakai, or that vast tract which we now caE Tibetan Tartary. The Sacques were masters of India and Asia. The Mongols now have the country, occupying part of the chain of the Altai Mountains, and the banks of the Sir ; others dwell between Caucasus and Imaus ; others inhabit Serica, washed by theKerlenand|SeUng3,SelLngiskoi, to the frontier of China, Tibet- India, and the Demt of Chamo. Muni means a Sage, a Menu. Fo was a native of this district ; hence, he was called the Sakaian Menu, which was changed into Sakya Muni, and finally into the imaginary founder of Buddhism, some centuries before Jesus. cliv INTEODUCTIOa'. wholly modem : I mean by this that he was some centu- ries before Lao. His admirers do not know well when he liyed. They do not deny that Buddha, Budda, Bud, Bot, Baoth, Buti, Butsdo, Bdho, Pout, Pote, Fo, Fod, Fohi, Fuh, Fuh-ti, Pet, Pta, Foot, Pthi, Phut, Pht, &c., &o., are all one and the same, as Pocsocke in his " India in Greece," has shown ; but they give us no reason whatever to satisfy us why, to all these variations of the names, they should add that of Sakya. They say that he is the First Budha; and tells us that he appeared 1200 years, 1000 years, 600 years, 500 years B.C., and sometimes also that he was contemporary with the Ninth Messenger ; but these various dates ought to awaken suspicion in their minds, and induce them to ask themselves whether they are not wrong in confounding with the Third Bud- dha, Fo, the priest Sakya, who renewed and brought back his doctrines many centuries after, and who probably took ' his name as being his disciple, and whom they therefore mistake for the real messenger, who civilized the celestial empire, and is called its king — as Jesus was also designated. Let the reader consider only for a moment the chronological contradictions.* * It is a common saying that " Fo is one, but he has three forms," the occult meaning of which is, he has three times, as they think, appeared on earth — first as Fo, the Third Messenger; second as Sakya, and third as Lao, between whom and Sakya a period of six hundred years elapsed. But this is one of the recon- dite secrets buried deep amid the sacred crypts of H'lassi. But when the Buddhists invooate Fo in his Messianic or Ai'changeHc character, they address him thus :— Fo ! existing in forms as numerous as the sands of the Heng-ho, or Yellow River, by which they indicate their belief in the almost innumerable forms through innumerable worlds and existences, which the Messenger assumes before his descent to mortals. The nine storied Pagodas sacred to Fo represent nine spheres or zones of life, which are the zones of INTEODUCTION. clV 165. In all authentic histories, as in the Kangmoo, says Nieximan, passages of the 33 immense historical collec- tions in the original works of the Chinese Buddhists, as well as their translations out of the Sanskrit, the ac- counts of the birth of Budha perfectly correspond, and are given nearly in the same words. Shakia was bom at Kapilapur (Oude), the 8th day of the 4th moon in the 24th year of Chao Wang, whose reign began in the year 1052 before Christ — that is the month of April or May of the year 1029 : he died at 74 years of age, 950 b.o., and was a contemporary of Solomon, Sesostris and The- seus. — Catechism of the Shamans. 166. The Tibetan sacred books Kan-Gyur or Transla- tion of Commandments, are said by A. C. Koroai to con- tain the doctrine of Shakya, a Buddha who is supposed to have lived about a thousand years before the Christian era {As. Res. xx. 31). Yet in another place the same writer says — The extent and contents of the Buddhist Scrip- tures show evidently that they are the works of several successive ages, although they are all referred to Shakya (^.s. Res. XX. 297). Eecent discoveries, says Hodgson, make it more and more certain that the cave temples of the western coast and its vicinity are exclusively Buddhist. Every part of India is illustrated by splendid remains of Buddhism. Hodgson writes this to prove that Buddhism is subsequent in date to Brahmanism, and is of Indian worlds mentioned in the Book of Enooli as those which the Messenger of God descends. In the' Book of Enoch that great Prophet sees the Messiah descending through sun spheres imtil he rests on the sphere of man. This is the eighth, whEe the super- celestial sphere from which he originally came is the ninth. Thus the seven and nine stories of the Pagoda represent the same mythos. elvi INTRODUCTION. growth. On the contrary, the cave temples, which are prehistoric, prove that Buddhism is of the higher anti- quity, and that it passed, soon after the days of Fo, through Tibet into Hindustan, from which it was long afterwards forcibly expelled. 167. Fa-Hian declares that in the whole of India, in- cluding Affghanistan and Bokhara, he found in the fourth century a Buddhist people and dynasty, with traditions of its endurance for the preceding thousand years. As to Hindustan itself, he says, from the time of leaving the deserts of Jesulmeer and Bikaneer, and the river Jumna to the west, all the kings of the different kingdoms in India are firmly attached to the law of Bvddha, and when they do honour to the ecclesiastics, they take off their diadems. The same writer states that Sacya was born near Lucknow ; but he had as many birth-places as Homer himself. M. Klaproth says that Buddhism was not in- troduced into China before the first century of the Chris- tian era {As. J. IT. S. vii. 31). The opinions of Fo, says Du Halde, who in many respects is worth any hundred of modem writers on China, were translated from the Indies into this empire about thirty-two years after the crucifixion of our Saviour (vol. iii. 14, 8vo.) Sakya Muni died, says Schlagintweit, after having attained an age of 80 years. The data contained in the sacred books as the year of this event differ considerably, the most distant periods mentioned being the years 2422 and 544 B.C. — Buddhism in Tibet. It is evident from the discrepancy in these dates that nothing is really chronologically known about the person who is called Sakya, or Shakia Muni. He may have been Fo ; he may have been a reformer who sprang up in later years. Westergaard calculates his death INTEODTTCTION. clvii about 370 years b.c., Lassen at 5i4: b.c. The whole is enveloped in mystery — it is as bad as Jewish chro- nology. 168. In Hamilton's Nepal it is asserted on the autho- rity of local tradition, that Sacya Sinha, the well-known apostle of the nations, still attached to the Buddha faith, existed about the beginning of the Ghrietian era, he being considered the fifth Buddha legislator, and distinct from Gaudama, who lived in the sixth century before it. Thus the same absurdities in chronology which render doubtful so many of the facts of the Old Testament,* meet us in Hindostan and Tartary, and with the same sceptical result on our minds. Hodgson says that there were six Buddhas, or Messengers, who preceeded Sakya {As. Bes. xvi. 445). If he had said seven, he might have been chronologically more correct. 169. The author of the Cambridge Key 'sa,ys that Cou- plet places the birth of Buddha 1036 years b.o. And they call him, says he, Fo, the Son of Maya. But Mr. De Guines, on the authority of four Chinese historians, assert that Fo was bom about the year 1027 b.c, in the * According to the Vulgate, only 427 years elapsed between the deluge and the call of Abraham. The Samaritan text extends the interval to 1017 years (Drummoud Origines i. 100). Consi- derable difficulty has arisen in settling the exact period of Boaz, in consequence of its being mentioned by Matthew (i. 5, 6) that and in the Septuagint this interval is further extended to ] 207 years. Salmon, the father of Boaz, was married to Eahab the harlot, who protected the spies when Joshua invaded the land of Canaan, and yet that Boaz was the grandfather of David, who, according to Bible Chronology, was bom about 360 years after the siege of Jericho, a length of time during which it is difficult to conceive that only three persons, Boaz, Obed, and Jesse, should have inter- vened between Kahab and David. Usher solves the question by a miraculous longevity bestowed on these three ! ! clviii INTEODUCTION. kingdom of Caslimir. Giorgi, or rather Cassiano, from whose papers his work is compiled, assures us by the calculations of the Tibetians, that he appeared only 959 years B.c. ; and M. Bailie, with some hesitation, places him 1031 years B.C., bui inclines to think him far more ancient (i. 95). Amid all these wild guesses, BaiUe, as might be expected from his great oriental investiga- tions, and his profound and keen intellect, is alone correct in the guess as to the remote antiquity of the founder of Chinese Buddhism. The learned writer of the work cited, says the first Buddha was Adam, the second Buddha covM heuve been no other than Enoch. Those, he adds, who have any knowledge of the worship enjoined at the Pagoda in Travai).core, or of the annual festival held there in honour of the Trimourti, cannot hesitate to pronounce that the adoration of the Deity, which is traced back for more than five thousand years, originated with Enoch (i. 120.) The third Buddha is said by this learned author to be Nuh, which we know is but the Chinese name Fuh, or Fo. The Hindus in their secret theology call him Mah-Nu, or the Great Nu ; a derivative of Menu, the Mind, the Spirit of the Universe. 170. In Hardy's Eastern Monachism, Buddha is said to have been born in Nepal, B.C. 624. The Buddha of Ceylon, who is the same person, dates from 540 b.o. The Japanese assign hip birth to 1000 years B.C. There is hardly an end to discrepancies of date as to the true era of Sacya. I am content to admit that a Sacya, a great reformer, under the name of Gaudama and Buddha, appeared several cen- turies B.C., but I say that he was not the founder, but the renewer of that ancient faith. 171. The dates of the death of Buddha, according to INTEUDTJCTION. clix the Chinese and the Japanese, differ as much as that of his birth. Hiuanthsang says, respecting the date of Buddha's death, that the accounts differ ; some fixing it at 1500, others at 1200, 900, and 1000 years before his time. Now, as he is supposed to have written a.d. 640, these dates place the death of Buddha at 860, 560, and as late as 360 b.o. (Journal R.A.IS., vi. 300). 172. It may be said that Brahmardsm is mentioned in Buddhist books, and this proves the^ superior antiquity of the former. It only proves that the books are modem ; the works of the disciples of Sakya. Remusat alludes to this, but not for the same object as myself. Mention, he says, is sometimes made of Brahmans in the traditions connected with the early ages of Buddhism ; this is be- cause, at first, the votaries of Shakia Muni were aug- mented from the ranks of the partisans of the caste sys- tem. But castes were abandoned upon conversion to Samanoeanism ; for the perfect equality of aU men, in- cluding even the saints, is a fundamental dogma amongst the Buddhists, who allow of no particular observance founded upon the birth or origin of each individual. This is a distinguishing feature of Buddhism. 173. Two gospels exist which claim the high honour of being the composition of the founder of Bud- dhism, but which are figments like the greater part of the Old Testament. These are the Dhammapada and the Lotus of the Good Law. The first has been translated into English ; the second into very diffuse and tiresome French by M. Eugene Bumouf. Neither is an inspired production, consequently, neither is the work of the Third Messenger. If they are the compositions of Sakya Muni, no further proof is required that he was only an ordinary Clx INTEODUCTION. individual. By their fruits and by their sentiments they may be known. 174. It is laid down in the Dhammapada thus : — A true Brahmana, though he has killed father and mother and two valiant kings ; though he has destroyed a king- dom with all its subjects, is free from guilt (p. 294). Perhaps no other proof may be required that this is not a Book of God. Yet it undoubtedly possesses a great many of the veritable sayings of the founder and preacher of Buddhism, and of these I have not hesitated to make use. These existed either in tradition or in books that are now irretrievably beyond our reach. 175. The Lotus of the Good Law, although in part it contains many of the holy truths of Buddhism, is inter- polated with a great deal of false and foreign matter. It sanctions idolatry and the worship of relics — things that we know were odious in the eyes of the Third Messenger, and which many of those who came after him rebuked, denounced, and condemned by precept and example. So much for those two productions. 176. I may mention a third, however, which is not destitute of believers in its sacredness. I mean the Mahawanso. This, which is one of the most ancient Sin- galese books, is nothing but a collection of mythical legends ; it makes no pretence even in its own pages to be a revelation of Divine law. It is as wild as the Puranas ; a monstrosity of myths. 177. I lay it down, therefore, as an absolute proposition and truth, that Fo was the true founder of that which is now called Buddhism, and that Sakya revived it ; the latter being to Fo what Fo himself was to the First and Second Hermes, but with this distinction, that Fo was an INTEODUCTION. clxi inspired Messenger of Heaven, while Sakya was only a priest or laic who preached what Fo had taught. 178. The admirable and learned article by Mr. Higgin- son, in the January number of Human Nature, on the " Sympathy of Eeligions," reminds me of a few coinci- dences between the teachings of one of the Indian Buddhas and those of Jesus, and some resemblances also in their lives, which may be of interest to students in theology. In the Tibetan Scripture of the life of Sakya, a hermit or sage, called Nag-Po, admonished by the great illumina- tion of the world, goes to salute the new-born child. He has a long conversation with Shuhdodana (the father), and foretells to him that his son shall not become a Chakravarti, or universal monarch, as some have foretold of him, but a Buddha — that is a Prince of Peace, a teacher of divine wisdom. He laments that, being too old, he cannot hope to see the time in which he shall teach this doctrine. (As. Res. rs. 289.) The reader may find in this the original of the Hebrew prediction or hope that the Messia would be a conquering King, and of Simon's address to the infant Jesus in the Temple (Luke ii). He will recognise in it also the mira- culous light which ushered in the birth of Jesus (Luke ii. 9), and the Star of the Magi, in Matt. ii. 2. Another illustration may be added. Shudodana, in- tending to send his son, Sakya (the Buddha), to school to learn his letters, ordered the city to be cleansed and decorated. But, when brought to the schoolmaster, Sakya showed that, without being instructed, he knew every kind of letter shown by the schoolmaster. And he himself enumerated 64 different alphabets and showed clxii INTRODUCTION. their figures. The master is astonished at his wisdom, and utters several slokas expressive of his praise. Like- wise, in arithmetic and astronomy he is more expert than all others (As. Eea. xx. 290). This, or something very- like it, is found in the Gospel of the Infancy, chapter 20, as follows : — " There was also at Jerusalem one named Zaccheus, who was a schoolmaster ; and he said to Joseph, Joseph, why dost thou not send Jesus to me, that he may learn his letters 1 Joseph agreed, and told St. Mary ; so they brought him to that master, who, as soon as he saw him, wrote out an alphabet for him. And he bade him say Aleph j and when he had said Aleph, the master bade him pronounce Beth. Then the Lord Jesus said to him. Tell me first the meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I will pronounce Beth. And when the master threatened to whip him, the Lord Jesus explained to him the meaning of the letters Aleph and Beth ; also which were the straight figures of the letters, which the oblique, and what letters had double figures ; which had points, and which had none ; why one letter went before another; and many other things he began to tell him, and explain, of which the master himself had never heard nor read in any book. The Lord Jesus farther said to the master. Take notice how I say to thee ; then he began clearly and distinctly to say Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, and so on to the end of the alphabet. At this the master was so surprised that he said, I believe this boy was bom before Noah ; and turning to Joseph, he said. Thou hast brought a boy to me to be taught, who is more learned than any master. He said also to St. Mary, This your son has no need of any learning. They brought him then to a more learned master, who when he saw him said> iNTEODtrcTiON. clxiii Say Aleph j and when he had said Aleph, the master made him pronounce Bethj to which the Lord Jesus replied, Tell me first the meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I will pronounce Beth. But this master, when he lift up his hand to whip him, had his hand presently withered, and he died. Then said Joseph to St. Mary, Henceforth we wiU not allow him to go out of the house, for every one who displeases him is killed." It is the fashion to say that the Tibetan or Indian priests have copied from the Old and New Testaments, and transferred to their deities incidents appertaining to Jehovah and Messia. But it will hardly be contended that they copied from the Apocrypha. Yet it is in one of those that we find the above. Again, we read that five of his attendants deserted him, saying. Such a glutton, and such a loose man as Gaudama is now, never can arrive at supreme wisdom. So also the Jews blamed Jesus for gluttony. See Matt. xi. 19, Luke vii. 34. Again, Sakya declares to the Geelongs, out of his own experience, that the mortification of one's body, as the ascetics do, is not the right way to obtain perfection or emancipation ; but that it is only by the right applica- tion of one's understanding to meditation and reflection that one maybe freed from the sorrows of birth, sickness, old age, and death in a future life. (As. Ees. xx. 301). So we read the speech of Jesus (Matt. xv. 11, Mark ii. 7—15). Again, there are mentioned ten maidens in the neigh- bourhood who frequently visited Sakya, and prepared his victuals {Hid). Thus we read in Luke viii. 3. of women ministering unto Jesus. Clxiv INTEODUCTION. Sakya tells to his Geelongs that, during the six years of his ascetic life, he was continually followed by the Devil or Satan, who sought every opportunity of seducing him, but that he never could succeed, although he used very sweet language, and employed every means to per- suade him to enjoy worldly pleasures and to renounce his abstinence, since it is difficult to subdue entirely one's passions (Ibid). Compare with this the temptations of Jesus (Luke iv.) Truth, says Jesus, shall make you free (John viii. 32). This is the liberation meant by the Buddhists when they speak of the means of attaining Nirwdna or Nieban — in other words, the Beatific Vision. Ignorance in their creed is the source of almost every real or fancied misery, and right knowledge of the real nature of things is the true way to emancipation ; therefore, they who desire to be freed from the miseries of future transmigrations must acquire true knowledge of the nature of divine and human things (As. B,es. xx. 308). Nieban, or the Beatific Vision, is only reached after the Waters of Liberation have been passed. There is a curious passage in Buddhaghosha's Parables which reminds one of John ix. 8 : — Then the Rahans Lord and God, how comes it that, although he is a Eahanda, he is blind 1 Para Taken replied, Rahans ! Kakupala's blindness is the consequence of sins committed in a previous state of existence. A harsh word, says Sakya Muni, uttered in past times is not lost, but returns again. Compare with this Matt xii. 36. One of the sayings of Jesus, recorded by John, or the writer who passes under his name, I have overcome this INTRODUCTION. Clxv world, is a quotation from one of the Veds. See Bibl. Indica, vol, iii., part 3, page 6. While I am on this subject, I may mention a singular fact. In the Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad we read — He thus conquers the second death — a passage founded on the Apocalypse, section 59, as given in The Book op God, p. 597, and which Sankara explains in his Commentary thus : — He conquers the second death — that is to say, once having died, he is not born again for the second death. Can it be supposed that loannes, the presumed writer of the Apocalypse, knew anything of this theosophy •? The re-incarnation creed to which so many of the higher Spiritists are now calling public attention, links them with the sublime Oriental systems of Buddhism and Brahmanism. Ee-incarnation is part of the teachings of Jesus, though singularly disguised and distorted in the Gospel tracts. Adi Buddha is mentioned in the Garden of Fo, at pp. 8, 10, 11, 40, 50, 206. The Heights of Ow mentioned in page 14, indicate the supreme Heaven. Isa-Ni and Tae and Ha-Ei and Is-wara mentioned in pp. 21, 38, 52, 124, denote the Spirit of God. Arun in the same page is the Messenger. Ar-Thor and Ari and Vai-va-swata and Mim-Ea and Vipaawi and Menu are also his names. He is called the Illuminator, page 124. Eishi Metteyyo is the Hindu name of the Twelfth Messenger, Imaum Mahidi. AUM or Om is the Hindu of AO and T'AO. Clxvi INTEODUCTION. Buddhism in England. 179. We have remains of Buddhist Temples in this country ; Stonehenge, one of the most wondrous ; the oldest Temple of Eeligion perhaps in the world; older than the Pyramids, if they indeed were Temples. Its circular form symbolizes the Holy Spirit, the Universe, and the Cycle of Ages. The sublime stupendous Trih- thorn, called D, which consisted of a single mighty stone, twenty-one and a-half feet high, symbolizes God, or the Male Power. The same symbolism is carried out in the remarkable fact, that the architect of this mysterious structure, used two kinds of stone which are totally dis- similar to each other. The stones on the outside, those composing the outward circle and its imposts, as well as the five large trilithons, are all of that species of stone called Sarsen (God's Eock), which is found in the neigh- bourhood ; whereas the inner circle of small upright stones, and those of the interior oval, are composed of granite, homstone, &c., most probably brought from De- vonshire or Cornwall : but how moved in those primseval ages, no man can tell. 180. The treatises of Cicero and other Eomans prove that the real meaning of the ancient Mysteries was as little known to them as they are at this time to us. To the devotees the priests gave something, probably non- sensical enough ; the ancient mystery was lost ; but the priest would not confess his ignorance. — Higgins, Gehic Druids, 31. 181. Mr. Davies is of opinion that the Orpheans were Druids (originally _ Buddhists, afterwards Br-ahmins), and observes that, if they were not, nobody knows what they were. The dance of trees to the Orphean harp may have INTKODUCTION. clxvii beeu an allegory of the same nature as the Welsh poem of Taliesin called The Battle of the Trees. The voyage of Ulysses to the land of the Cimmerii (or Cymry), the descent of iEneas, the branch of misletoe which is his talisman, the doctrine of metempsychosis which is ex- plained to him, and the allegory involved in the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, are some of the reasons which induce Mr. Davies to think that the Druids were the "Wise Men of the West from the first peopling of that continent. Strabo says that in an isle near to Britain, the worship of Ceres and Proserpine was celebrated with the same rites as in Samothrace. This could be nowhere but in Ire- land. — Celtic Druidg, 33, 182. A ground plan in cork of Stonehenge was made in the last century by Mr. Waltire, an old philosopher and astronomer. He encamped and remained on the ground two months in order to make himseK master of the subject ; and a model, which is now in the possession of Mr. Dalton, of York, was the fruit of his labour. He occasionally delivered a couple of lectures upon the sub- ject of this temple. After his death these written essays came into the possession of Mr. Dalton, who by some accident or other has lost them, a loss which I most ex- ceedingly regret, as I conceive they would have been very valuable ; for he was well known to be a deep-thinking man, and a man of the strictest veracity. By an atten- dant on his lectures, who made minutes of them at the time, I was informed that Mr. Waltire thought that this temple had been constructed for several uses ; and that it was peculiarly well contrived for the performance of secret rites which were practised in early times — as if a person -J"-* 1. , [ \t INTKODUCTION. clxix stood without he could not see anything that was done in the centre, provided the entrance were closed, as it might be very eflfectually by three persons standing before it. If a person stood on a large stone or altar, within the curve, which is a parabola and not an ellipse, he might be heard, when speaking, by all within the temple. Another use for which he thought this structure had been erected, was that of making astronomical observations on the heavenly bodies. By careful observations made on the spot, Mr. Waltire found that the barrows or tumuli sur- rounding this temple accurately represented the situa- tions and magnitude of the fixed stars, forming a correct and complete planesphere. Eight hundred only can be " seen by the unassisted eye, but he thought he traced fifteen hundred, the smaller representing stars too minute to be observed without some instrument similar to a telescope ; and that there are other proofs of the occu- piers of this structure having possessed something an- swering to our reflecting telescope. He thought he could prove that other barrows registered all the eclipses which had taken place within a certain number of years : that thfe trilithons are registers' of the transits of Mercury and Venus ; the meridian line had then been even with the avenue or approach, and the grand entrance or altar- stone within the innermost curve, but which is now removed seventy-five degrees from it. From the loose way in which these accounts were taken, it is evident that, though they are curious, and afford ground for future researches, yet they cannot be depended upon. But this is not the case with his model, which records his opinion of its original structure better than any writing could have done. I have, therefore, substituted a plan of it in A clxx INTRODUCTION. the plate, instead of that of Inigo Jones, which is agreed by every one who has examined it, to be wrong. 183. The next Buddhist Temple is that of Abury. Sir Colt Hoare, in his History of Wiltshire, thus describes it, commencing with an extract from the work of Dr. Stukeley. The situation of Abury is finely chosen for the purpose it was destined to, being the more elevated part of a plain, from which there is almost an imperceptible de- scent every way. But, as the religious work in Abury, though great in itself, is but a part of the whole (the avenues stretching above amilefromiteachway),the situation of the whole design is projected with great judgment in a kind of large separate plain, four or five miles in diameter. Into this you descend on all sides from higher ground. The whole temple of Abury may be considered as a pic- ture, and it really is so. Therefore the founders wisely contrived that a spectator should have an advantageous prospect of it as he approached within view.* When I frequented this place, which I did for some years toge- ther, to take an exact account of it, staying a fortnight at a time, I found out the entire work by degrees. The second time I was here an avenue was a new amusement ; the third year another. So that at length I discovered the mystery of it, properly speaking, which was that the whole represented a snake transmitted through a circle.t * Even from tlie trifling remains that now exist of the temple and ita appendages we may easily conceive the very striking effect, which an approach to the circle, through either of the avenues, must have produced on the eyes and miud of the spectator. t Dr. Stukely says that acan in the Chaldee signifies a serpent, and hac is no other than a snake. In Yorkshire they still caU snakes hags. Eistory of Abury, p. 32. In the British language pen denotes a head. ^h^K^M^f,>... , -"^ "■«* w rt \ - -i J if * *< * ' . H. i^ " "-.,*•*,• t il * ' ^ -!. • . J 1 "■ . ■•■. ' r .r 1 ' ,-.,fi CXXU INTEODUCnON. This is an hieroglyphic or symbol of highest note and antiquity. " In order to put this design in execution, the fouijders ■well studied their ground ; and, to make their represen- tation more natural, they artfully carried it over a variety of elevations and depressions, which, with the curvatures of the avenues, produces sufficiently the desired effect. To make it stUl more elegant and picture-like, the head of the snake is carried up the southern promontory of Hackpen Hill, towards the village of West Kennet ; nay, the name of the hill is derived from this circumstance, of which we may well say with Lucian, Lib. vii. — " Hinc (sir veteris custos ; famosa vetustas, Nirairvxqufi sui signavit nomine terras, Seel major a dedit cognomina collibusistis.'' " Again, the tail of the snake is conducted to the de- scending valley below Beckhampton. Thus om: antiquity divides itself into three great parts, which will be our rule in describing this work. The circle at Abury, the forepart of the snake, leading towards Kennet, which I call Kennet Avenue ; the hinder part of the snake, lead- ing towards Beckhampton, which I call Beckhampton Avenue : for they may well be looked on as avenues to the great temple at Abuiy, which part must be most emi- nently called the temple." We stand most highly indebted to the learned Doctor for this very ingenious development of the mysterious plan of the Temple at Abury, and have only to regret, that at the period when he examined this work, and when it was in a much higher state of preservation than it unfortunately is at present, he had not surveyed in a INTEODTJCIION. Clxxiii more correct and regular manner, especially with regard to the lines and course of the avenues leading to the head and tail of the serpent : no doubt would then have been left to the modern antiquary, who has now to regret the non-existing means of ascertaining with correctness, either the exact size of the snake's head, or the avenues leading from it. The most valuable part of the Doctor's plans is the record he has left us of the gradual demoli- tion of the stones that composed the Temple ; for no dependence can be placed on his general outline of the grand agger of circumvallation, as will readily be per- ceived by a comparison of his plan with the one I have engraved from actual survey by my own draughtsman. Dr. Stukely has delineated tjie vallum as a regular circle, and has drawn the two concentric temples of the same form. Although the form of a circle was aimed at by the Britons, yet they did not succeed in rendering it perfect, as wiU be seen by our grand plan. The rough sketch of Abury also makes it irregular, as well as the disposition of the stones within the area, and those of the two concentric temples. It is well known that the Serpent was held in great veneration by the ancients, who considered it a symbol of the Deity, and an emblem of eternity ; as such it has been variously expressed on ancient sculpture and medals in different parts of the globe. Temples were also con- structed in the form of that animal, and called Dracontia j and Stukely supposes that an allusion is made to a similar temple in the following passage of Pausanias : Kara Se rrjv £s TXicravTa evduav ek Qrj/SSiv XiOoi^ Kmpiov Trepit\o- jiivov XoyacTiv oc^eus KaXovtJLV oi OrjISaiot Kecf>aX.7]v — Qua Thehis necta Gliantem iter est ; regumculam videas selectia Clxxiv INTEODUCTION. lapidibus circumseptam ; serpentis caput Thebani vacant." And the same author mentions another circle of stones on the river Chumarrus : " JEst e lapidibus septum.'' Dr. Stukely then adds, " that the dracontia was a name amongst the first learned nations for the very- ancient sort of temples of which they could give no account, nor well explain their meaning upon it. The plan upon which Abury was built is that sacred hiero- gram of the Egyptians and other ancient nations, the circle and snake. The whole figure is the circle, snake, and wings. By this they meant to picture out, as well as they could, the nature of the Divinity. The circle meant the supreme fountain of all being, the Father ; the Serpent, that divine emanation from him, which was called the Son ; the wings imported that other divine emanation from them which was called the Spirit, the Anima. Mcndi.'' 184. Silbury represents the like symbolism. It, like its neighbour, was formed many centuries before the oldest Egyptian temple with its Globe and Serpent was erected. The emblem goes back indeed almost to the birth of Eeligion. It is thus described by the learned Stukely :— " Silbury, indeed, is a most astonishing collection of earth, artificially raised, worthy of Abury, worthy of the King who was the Koyal founder of Abury, as we may very plausibly afiirm. By considering the picture of Abury Temple, we may discern that as this immense body of earth was raised for the sake of the interment of this great prince, whoever he was, so the Temple of Abury was made for the sake of this tumulus ; and then I have no scruple to affirm, 'tis the most magnificent mausoleum in the world, without excepting the Egyptian pyramids. INTEODUCTION. clxXV " Silbury stands exactly south of Abury, and exactly between the extremities of the two avenues, the head and tail of the snake. The work of Abury, which is the circle, and the two avenues which represent the snake transmitted through it, are the great hierogrammaton, or sacred prophylatic character of the Divine Mind, which is to protect the depositum of the prince here interred. The Egyptians, for the very same reason, frequently pictured the same hieroglyphic upon the breast of their mummies ; and very frequently on the top and summit of Egyptian obelisks this picture of the circle and serpent is seen, and upon an infinity of their monuments. In the very same manner, this huge snake and circle, made of stones, hangs as it were brooding over Silbury Hill, in order to bring again to a new life the person there buried. For our Druids taught the expectation of a future life, both soul and body, with the greatest care, and made it no less than a certainty." For what purpose this huge pile of earth was raised, appears to be beyond the reach of conjecture; but I think there can be no doubt that it was one of the com- ponent parts of the grand temple at Abury, not a sepul- chral mound raised over the bones and ashes of a King or Arch-Druid. Its situation opposite to the temple, and nearly in the centre between the two avenues, seems in some degree to warrant this supposition. In the Welsh Triads, which may be considered the earliest records we have left, perhaps some allusions may have been made to this stately mount in the fourteenth Triad. " The three mighty labours of the island of Britain. Erecting the stone of Ketti ; constructing the work of Emrys ; and heaping the pile of Cyvrangon." Clxxvii INTEODUCTION. The stone of Ketti, upon good authority, supposed to be a great cromleh, in the district of Gower, in Glamorgan- shire, still retaining the title of Maen Cetti, and the work of Emrys, or Ambrosius,* has been applied to Stone- henge. Why may not the heaping of the pile of Cyvrangon allude to Silbury 1 The three primary circles of Britain have been named Gorsidd Beisgowen, Gorsidd Bryn Gwyddon, and Gorsidd Moel Evwr, upon which Mr. William Owen, the celebrated Welsh scholar, has sent mo the following explanation : " Cludair Cyvrangon and Gorsidd Bryn Gwyddon must have had their appellation one from the other, as the names imply as much. For Cludair Cyvrangon, the heap of congregations and assem- blies, not that the assemblies could have been held on Bryn Gwyddon or Silbury Hall, but that they were con- tiguous ; that is, in the circle of Bryn Gwyddon, or the hill of the conspicuous or men of the presence : so that each of these places took their names respectively from each other ; and it is thus that I identify Bryn Gwyddon and Cludair Cyvrangon in Silbury Hill and Abury.'' In nearly the same state of obscurity is the mysterious circle at Abury equally involved : I say nearly, because we have structures in our island of the same form, though not equal in magnitude. Every stone circle is vulgarly attributed to the Druids, who were not the rulers, but the priests of Britain ; I cannot, therefore, attribute to them the erection of such splendid monuments as Ahury and * Mr. Davies, in his Celtic Researches, Vol. I., page 191, in talking of the sacred precinct in Salisbury Plain (Stonehenge) says, that it was called Gwaith Emrys, or Emreis, the structure of the revolution, evidently that of the Sun ; not, as has been vulgarly supposed, from Emrys, or Ambrosius, the magician and prophet. INTE0DU(3TI0N. clxxvii Stonehenge, though they probably acted a prominent part in the civil or religious ceremonies that were performed within these circles. I rather think Alxiry the work of a whole nation, rude in manners, and unacquainted with the true principles of architecture ; whereas Stonehenge appears evidently the work of a more civilized people, having some ideas of symmetry, and acquainted with the use of the chisel ; for I have noticed in my History of South Wiltshire, the mortice and tenon in the impost stones, and the chiseling of the upright stones at Stone- henge. Dr. Stukely makes a similar observation. " Nothing is more manifest than that the stones of Stonehenge have been chiseled, some quite round, some on three sides, easily to be distinguished. The stones of Abury are absolutely untouched of tool. No doubt, at that time of day, the aboriginal patriarchal method from the founda- tion of the world was observed, not to admit a tool upon them. To decide upon the period of time when the works at Abury were first constructed, or to hazard even a con- jecture, would be an useless task, having no certain data to work upon. The extreme rudeness of the architecture bespeaks its veiy remote antiquity ; and when compared with Stonehenge, I may say with Stukely, " The Temple of the Druids at Abuiy is as much older than the Roman times, as since the Roman to this, time." But a stronger proof of its very early origin may be deduced from the following circumstance, recorded by Stukely : " When Lord Stawell, who owned the Manor of Abury, levelled the vallum of that side of the town next the church, where the bam now stands, the workmen came to the h .3 Clxxviii INTRODUCTION. original surface of the ground, which was easily discern- ible by a black stratum of mould upon the chalk. Here they found large quantities of buck-horns, bones, oyster- shells, and wood coals. The old man who was employed in the work says, there was a quantity of a cart-load of the horns, that they were very rotten, and there were very many burned bones among them." Upon which passage the learned author makes the pertinent remark, " That these were remains of the sacrifices that had been performed here, protably before the Temple was quite finished and the ditch made." Dilapidation op Aburt. 185. Having stated as briefly and perspicuously as the nature of the subject would allow, the original design, figure and extent of this magnificent sanctuary, the melancholy task alone remains, to trace the causes and successive progress of its decay. When we are informed by such respectable authority as that of Dr. Stukely what it was, and how wantonly and rapidly it was, in his own memory dilapidated, we shall exclaim with one accord, " dolet meminisse." Yet we may derive no inconsiderable degree of alleviation by considering that, by the persevering in- dustry and patient investigation of one learned individual, the whole plan of this stupendous Temple has been most ingeniously developed, and transmitted to the antiquaries of the present day. For although the earliest description, and I may add literary description, of Abury may be justly attributed to my countryman Mr. Aubrey, who preceded the Doctor sixty years, yet the hieroglyphic representation of the Snake was to him unknown and unobserved, and would probably have ever remained in INTRODUCTION. clxxix obscurity, had not the brilliant genius of a Stukely deciphered it at a period when, to use his own words, " he frequented this place in the very point of time when there was a possibility just left of preserving the memory of it." Now, indeed, we may say, " stat magnis nominis umhra :" for the substance is nearly gone and little remains but the shadow. Out of the six hundred and fifty stones which originally constituted this surprising work, a few only now remain as a melancholy testimony of former greatness. The stupendous agger of earth which formed the prcecinctiLS of the Temple still continues to astonish the eye of every beholder, and to attest the grand and simple design of its founders ; and to its solid bulk and worthless materials of earth, it will probably owe that preservation and continuance which its more valuable parts of stone can, after past experience, expect in vain. Before I trace the progress of gradual dilapidation which this grand work has experienced, and which the industry of Dr. Stukely has preserved, it will be necessary once more to consider the Temple in its original state ; the component parts of which were as follows : — The outward circle of the prsecinctus . 100 stones. Northern Temple, outward circle 30 „ Inner circle of the same 12 „ The Cove 3 „ Southern Temple, outward circle 30 „ Inner circle of the same 12 „ The Central Obelisk .... 1 „ The Ring Stone 1 „ The Kennet Avenue .... 200 „ clxxx INTEODirCTION. The outward circle of the hakpen or Serpent's head ...... The inner circle of the same The Beckhampton Avenue . Longstone Cove The enclosing stone of the Serpent's tail 40 stones. 18 „ 200 „ o 1 „ Total . . .650 stones This is the grand total of stones employed in the work, of which one hundred and eighty-nine belong to the grand and two concentric circles ; the remaining four hundred • and sixty-one stones constituted the two avenues, and the concentric circles, designating the head of the Serpent. The following table will show the sad dilapidations which have taken place in this work : Original temples, one hundred and eighty-eight stones. In Mr. Aubrey's time, a.d. 1663, seventy-three stones. In Dr. Stukely's time, a.d. 1722, twenty-nine stones. In my own time, a.d. 1815, seventeen stones. 186. And of the Kennet Avenue, consisting originally of two hundred stones, a few only remain in their upright position ; and of the temple, which terminated it on Overton stiU, not one stone exists ; and of the Beckhamp- ton Avenue none remain ; but two stones of the Long- stone Cove Hill testify to its former situation. Dr. Stukely informs us that, in the year 1722, when he began his researches, " above forty stones were visible of the grand outward circle ; seventeen of which were standing, and twenty-seven thrown down or reclining ; ten of the remainder, all contiguous, were at once destroyed by Tom Robinson in the year 1700, and their places per- fectly levelled for the sake of pasturage. In the north INTEODUCTION. Clxxxi entrance to the town, one of the stones, of a most enor- mous bulk, fell down and broke in the fall : nee ipso Monte minor procumhit. It measured fuU twenty-two feet long. Reuben Hor- sall, the clerk of the parish, a sensible man, and a lover of antiquity, remembers it standing ; and "when my late Lord Winchelsea (Heneage) was here with me, we saw three wooden wedges driven into it in order to break it to pieces. " Of the exterior arch of the northern temple only three stones were left standing in the time of Stukeley, and six more lying on the ground, one of which was in the street by the inn gate. People then alive remembered several standing in the middle of the street : they were burned for building in 1711. That, at the comer of the lans going to the north gate of the town, not many years since lying on the ground, was used as a stall to lay fish on when they had a kind of market there. They told us that about a dozen years ago (1710), both circles were standing and almost entire. Those in the closes behind the inn were taken up about a year ago (this was 'when I first went thither, about 1817). Farmer Treen chiefly demolished them to build his house and walls at Beck- hampton. " Of the southern temple several stones were destroyed by farmer John Fowler, twelve years ago (1710) : he owned to us that he burned five of them ; but fourteen are still left, whereof about half are standing. Some lie along in the pastures, two are let into the ground tinder a bam, others under the houses ; one lies above ground, under the corner of a house over against the inn : Clxxxii INTRODUCTION. one is buried under the earth in a little garden. The cavities left by some more are visible, in the place- whereof ash trees are set. All those in the pastures were standing within memory." In the year 1720 Dr. Stukely saw several stones taken up from that part of the Kennet Avenue near the inclo- sures, and broke for building, fragments still remaining, and their places fresh turfed over for the sake of pasture. " John Fowler, who kept the ale-house hard by, demo- lished many of these stones for burning. The ale-house (the White Hart) and the walls about it, were built nearly of one stone. " The Hackpen Temple owes its destruction to farmer Treen. Farmer Tref&n broke near twenty stones of the Beckhampton Avenue. " Thus," in the enthusiastic language of our author, '' this stupendous fabric, which for some thousand of years has braved the continual assaults of weather, and by the nature of it, when left to itself, like the pyramids of Egypt, would have lasted as long as the globe, has fallen a sacrifice to the wretched ignorance and avarice of a little village unluckily placed within it." 187. Eowldrich, in Oxfordshire, is the remnant of an- other Buddhist Temple. Stukely thus describes its ruins : It is an open temple in a circular form, made of stones set upright in the ground. The stones are rough and unhewn, and were (as I apprehend) taken from the sur- face of the ground. I saw stones lying in the field near Norton, not far off, of good bulk, and the same kind as those of our antiquity. There are such in' other places here abouts, whence the Druids took them : though in the main carried off ever since for building and other use s INTRODUCTION. clxxxiii " We observe the effect of the weather upon these works. This we are treating of stands in the corner of the hedge of the inclosure, near the northern summit of the hill — ' a great monument of antiquity,' says the ex- cellent Mr. Camden : ' a number of vastly great stones placed in a circular figure. They are of unequal height and shape, very much ragged, impaired, and decayed by time." Indeed, as from hence we must form some judg- ment of their age, we may pronounce them not inferior to any in that respect ; corroded like worm-eaten wood, by the harsh jaws of time, and that much more than Stonehenge, which is no mean argument of its being the work of the Druids. We are led to this conclusion from the name. Mr. Camden calls them EoUe-rich stones. Dr. Holland, in his notes says, in a book in the Exchequer (perhaps he means Doomsday Book) the town adjacent whence its name) is KoUindrich : if it was wrote exactly, I suppose it would be Eholdrwyg, which means the Druid's wheel or circle. Ehwyll likewise in the British is cancelli ; for these stones are set pretty near together, so as almost to become a continued wall, or cancellus. Further, the word Eoilig, in the old Irish language, signifies a church, chancel, or temple, in the first acceptation of the word. We may call this place the Gilgal of Britain, so to speak in the Oriental manner, a word equivalent to the Celtic Ehol, a wheel or circle, which gave name to that famous camp or fortress where the host of Israel first pitched their tents, in the land of Canaan, after they passed the river Jordan in a miraculous manner dry-shod, as it is described in the sublimest manner, and equal to the dig- nity of the subject, in Joshua iv. Clxxxiv INTEODUCTION. , 188. Mr. Camden writes further concerning our anti- quity, that " country people have a fond tradition that they were once men turned into stones. The highest of all, which lies out of the ring, they call King. Five larger stones which are at some distance from the circle, set close together, they pretend were knights ; the ring were common soldiers." This story the country people, for some miles round, are very fond of, and take it very- ill if any one doubts of it; nay, he is in danger of being stoned for his unbelief. They have likewise rhymes and sayings relating thereto. Such-like reports are to be met with in other like works of our Druid temples. They savour of the most ancient and heroic times. Like Per- seus turning men into stones ; like Cadmua producing men from serpents' teeth ; like Ducalion by throwing stones over his head, and such like. Hardly less won- derful is the Druidical Temple at Camack (a Hindii word) in France. 189. Davies, in hi^ Celtic Researches, says that "the antiquarians claim an alphabet of their own, which in all essential points agrees with that of the Bards in Britain. 1. It was Druidical. 2. It was a magical alphabet, and used by those Druids in their divinations and decisions by lot. 3. It consisted of the same radical sixteen letters which formed the basis of the Druidical alphabet in Britain. 4. Each of these letters received its name frbm some Tree or Plant of a certain species, regarded as being in some view or other descriptive of its power, and these names are still retained. clxxxvi INTRODUCTION. 190. Mr. Davies says there are three kinds of writing; and adds, " The third, which is said to be the remains of an old magical alphabet, is called Beth- Luis-Ni-On na Ogma, or the alphabet of magical or mysterious letters. He is of opinion that the Orpheans were Druids. The voyages of Ulysses to the land of the Cimmerii, the de- scent of ^neas (or Enoch) the branch of misletoe, which is his talisman, the doctrine of metempsychosis, which is explained to him, and the allegory involved in the tale of Orpheus and Eurydioe, are some of the reasons which induce Mr. Davies to think that the Druids were the Wise Men of the West, from the first peopling of the con- tinent. Strabo says that, in an Isle near to Britain, the worship of Ceres and Proserpine was celebrated with the same rites as the Samothrace. Scholars have agreed that this could only be Ireland. 191. Gebelin says that the primitive alphabets con- sisted of only 16 letters, and a learned Spaniard has en- deavoured to shew that the pure Phoenician alphabet (the alphabet of Phoenix or Enoch) consisted but of 1 3. 192. It is agreed by all authors that the Druids per- formed operations by means of sticks, sprigs or branches of Trees, which are commonly called magical. 193. The Irish Ogham (pronounced Owm or Oum ; the Aum of the Hindu) like the Etruscan, consists altogether of right lines in angles, so as to be easily cut on a stick with a pen-knife. 194. The Druids of Ireland did not pretend to be the inventors of those secret systems of letters ; but said that they inherited them from the most remote antiquity. The oldest Greek and Eunic in Mr. Aske's Tables are almost entirely right lines, which agrees with what Hero- INTEODUCTION. clxXXvH dotus says, that the Greeks and lonians originally had characters entirely composed of right lines. This, in principle, would differ in no way from the Irish Ogham and the Northern Eunes. There is every reason to be- lieve, adds Higgins, that all these Northern systems of secret letters descended from the secret letters or Oghams of the Druids. See section 64, ante page Ixii. The Kwa or Koua ascribed to Fo, consists of straight lines. 195. Higgins says, "Look at the Etruscan Vases in the British Museum ; at the beautiful grouping and colouring of the figures, and it will be impossible to deny to them a high degree of perfection in the arts. What can be more beautiful than the group of the Birth of Minerva, so often copied into modern cameos 1 I was surprised to discover the original of this, upon an an- tique brass plate in the Cabinet of Antiquities at Bologna, proved to be Etruscan by the names of the gods in- scribed on the figures in old Etruscan letters." — Celtic Druids, 68. These Etruscans were the earliest inhabi- tants of Italy. Their origin, however, is lost in the mists of antiquity. They had a thirteen, or probably at first, a twelve letter alphabet. 196. The writings at Persepolis bear a strong resem- blance to the Irish Ogham, Agam or Ogam in the Sans- krit, implies a mystery. Davies says, " The ancient method of using letters in Greek and Italy seems to have been by cutting them across laths, or splinters of wood, like the inscribed sticks of Ezekiel, and the peithy- nen of British Bards.'' Aulus Gellius says that "those laws of Solon, which were the most ancient at Athens, were inscribed on wooden staves or poles'' This word is usually translated " a board or table," but erroneously. • It clxxxviii INTKODUCTION. refers to the Druidical mode of writing, and shows that the old Athenian, British and Irish systems were the same. 197. Dr. Jamieson, in Hermes Scythicus, says, " It seems beyond dispute, that the Cimmerii were the pos- terity of Gomer, the eldest son of Japhet, the Japetus of th.e Greeks, and that they were the first race wlio peopled Europe. Their name is still retained by the descendants of the ancient Britains, who caU themselves Cymri. As they anciently possessed the Chersoneus Taurica, and gave their name to the Cimmerian Bosphorus, they un- doubtedly ocDupied part of the territory which afterwards pertained to the Scythians." This brings them pretty near the time, the place, and probably the tenets of Fo. Japetus in mythology is the son of Heaven or the Sun by the Earth. He married Asia. The Greeks looked on him as the Father of all mankind. This would probably indicate him as Chaudama : the First Messenger. lA or YA are divine names : and Petus may be a corruption of Ptr or Pater ; so that Japetus would be Ya the Father ; Juptr ; which, in his terrene character, would probably be the same as Adama or Gaudama. These two sacred letters, are part of the _ Buddhist name for God (see ante, section 9). In the letters of Archbishop Usher, it is stated by a Mr. Davis, who was employed by the Bishop to procure manuscripts from the East, that he learned from the Samaritans that their nation pronounced our word Jehovah, thus : Yehueh ; in Hebrew mn*- Jeiie. This would be y, as i in pine ; e as a in ale ; hu as hu in Hume, or as u in use. May not the name of the Yew, the very name of the.god Jehovah, have been giventoit,from its sup- posed longevity. If this were the case, when a person spoke INTEODUCTIOX. clxxxix of the Yew Tree, it -would be nearly the same as to say God's tree. A Welsh name for God, is I-A-Voo. This is pure Chi- nese. It is also the ancient lAO ; and this again is AO and AUM. This last is the sacred central word of the three used at dismissal from the Mysteries. Causcha, Oni, Pachsa. The reader will find thom explained in the Introduction to the Book of God. pp. 304, 306. The pri- meval Umbri and Cimmerii of Italy, were nothing but Kymbri or Kumbry, and Umbria gets its name like the river Umber and North-umber-land. 198. O'Connor, in his Chronicles of Eri, says : " The Cimmerii were the Aborigines of all the countries, from the Tanais to the German Ocean." Mr. Pinkerton seems to be of O'Connor's opinion. 199. In the Celtic language, Alh means lofty; on which account the Alps, Appenines, Mount Alborz, (fee, (fee, got their names. From the white snow-clad tops of these mountains our country might in time acquire the name of Albion or white. The Highlanders of Scotland are called Albomach, that is. People of the High Lands. Britain was called by British poets Inis Wen or the White Island ; it is caUed by Orpheus XivKaiov xepa-ov, or the White Land. AA^os is Greek for White ; Albus in Latin. Alb-ion comes from Alb. It is supposed that the British Isles were not known to the Greeks. Perhaps it might not be much known to the philosophers, but only to sea- faring people and to such as were interested in commerce. Aristotle attributes the discovery of them to the Phoeni- cians, who probably endeavoured as much as possible to conceal the route to it, on account of the great profits which they derived from its trade. Toland says there are many passages in the works of Eudoxus, Hecatseus, CXC INTEODUCTION. Hipparchus, Eratosthenes, Polybius, Posidonius, not to speak of Dicearchus and others, which prove that the Greeks really knew a good deal about them. 200. Higgins, in his Celtic Druids, page 45, says. In his treatise on the origin of the sciences in Asia, that most excellent man, a great astronomer, Baillie, has undertaken to prove that a nation possessed of profound wisdom, of elevated genius, and of an antiquity far supe- rior even to the Egyptians or Indians, immediately after the flood, inhabited the country to the north of India, between the latitudes of forty and fifty, or about fifty degrees of north latitude ; a country which would not be, as artfully represented by Mr. Maurice, to throw discredit on the doctrine which he could not refute, unhabitable from snow, but a country possessing a climate somewhat milder than that of London — than that of lat. 51J. M. Baillie endeavours to prove that some of the most cele- brated observations or inventions relating to astronomy, from their peculiar character, could have taken place only in those latitudes, and that arts and improvements gradu- ally travelled thence to the equator. The people to whom his description is most applicable, are the northern progeny of Bramins, settled near the Imaus, and in northern Thibet — a country in which very celebrated colleges of learned Indians were anciently established, particularly atNagraent and Cashmere, where it is supposed very considerable trea- sures of Sanscrit literature are deposited, but which have not yet been examined. Mr. Hastings, who is unquestion- ably an irreproachable witness, informed Mr. Maurice that an immemorial tradition prevailed at Benares, which was itself in modern times the grand emporium of Indian learning, and therefore the less likely to preserve such a INTEODUCTION. CXCl tradition, against itself, that all the learning of India came from a country situated in forty degrees of northern latitude. On this the Eev. Mr. Maurice says, " This, in fact, is the latitude of Samarcand, the metropolis of Tar- tary, and by this circumstance the position of M. Baillie should seem to be confirmed." And it is also the country where we shall see, according to the testimony of Josephus and other ancient historians, cited by the learned Abb6 Peyron, that the first Celtse are to be found. 201. Opinions of Baillie, Buffon, and Linnb, on the Earth and on Man, Chap. II., Lect. xii. About the time when M. Baillie lived, the natural philosophers of France, with M. Buffon at their head, had indulged themselves in many very curious speculations respecting the origin and formation of man, &c., &c., and M. Baillie supposed with Buffon, Linn6, and several others, that the earth, previous to the formation of the human race, had been in a state of fusion ; that it had gradually cooled, and that the cold was by very slow and impercep- tible degrees gradually increasing. From a very close attention to the nature of the ancient mythologies, all which are intimately connected with astronomy, they imagined, that man had been created, and that the arts and sciences had taken their rise, not far from the arctic circle, where the earth had first cooled — and that they had extended southwards as it by degrees became more and more cold. Many sepulchres and other very sur- prising remains of antiquity, &c., had been found in upper Tartary, about the neighbourhood of Selemginskoi, so disgracefully alluded to by Sir. W. Jones. These were supposed to be remains of an ancient world previous to the flood. This being new to the ignorant devotees CXCii INTEODXTCTIOlir. amongst the priests, they instantly took the alarm, and the outcry of Atheism, as iisual, Tvas raised ; though in all this, when the first verse of Genesis is properly explained, there is not a word either in favour of Atheism, or against the Jewish and Christian dispensa- tion. All that it opposes is, the ipse dixit of Jerom, the Monk, by whom modem divines have been misled. After the flood, as the reader will have collected from the Kev. Mr. Maurice's expression cited above (p. 46), Baillie sup- posed that the first increase of man took place between the latitudes forty and fifty, but east of the Caspian, not west of it. In his reasons for fixing the longitude here, he was guided by a great number of concurring circum- stances, all tending to produce his conviction of the fact. 202. Amongst many other things Borilly has remarked that the knowledge displayed by the ancients of the move- ments of the sun and moon in their cycle of nineteen and six hundred years — the metonic cycle and nerus prove that, long before Hipparchus, the father of astronomy, lived, who did not correct, but rather increased, the errors of his predecessors, the age of the year was known with a degree of exactitude which Hipparchus had not the means of discovering ; that the slight en-ors in these ancient cycles were not found out till after the lapse of nineteen hundred years. He observes, that these cycles could not have been the invention of an ignorant and barbarous age, and thence infers that they were part of the science of a generation far removed from us. Jose- phus has affirmed that the cycle of six hundred years was thn invention of the antediluvians. This must have come to him by tradition from the patriarchs, an'd was INTKODXJCTION. GXciii probably well known to Abraham and the Druids, as we shall soon see. 203. The circumstances attending the septennial cyck, or the week, M. Baillie thinks, show that it must have been established previously to the flood, because he finds the days dedicated to the planets by the Chinese, the Indians, the ancient and the modern Europeans — not in any order regulated by the distance, or the size, or the brilliancy of them, but arbitrarily, and in all nations alike, and all dedicated to the same gods. He thinks it is impossible that chance should have led all these nations to adopt the same arbitrary order and names ; and he can devise no way of accounting for these circumstances, except by sup- posing that the order and names existed before the flood, and were communicated, by the few that escaped, to their descendants. He also shows that the ancients had succeeded in measuring the circumference of the globe with a very great degree of correctness. After much curious and interesting reasoning, he has observed that, in Chaldea we have found rather the debris of science, than the elements of it. He asks, "When you see a house built of old capitals, of columns and other frag- m.ents of beautiful architecture, do you not conclude that a fine building has once existed?" Speaking of the situation of the first nation of the flood, he says, " Quand je parle du nord de I'Asie je ne pretend assig- nor aucun degr6 de latitude ; j'entend seulement les pays plus septentrionaux que la Chine, les Indes, la Perse, et la Chald^e." (When I speak of the north of Asia, I do not pretend to fix any certain degree of latitude ; I only mean a country more to the north than China, India, Persia, or Chaldea). cxciv INTKODUCTION. How different the representation of Sir W. Jones ! M. Baillie sums up Ms argument with the following observa- tion : — "These facts, then, unite to produce the same conclusion ; they appear to prove to us that the ancient people who brought the sciences to perfection, a people who succeeded in the great enterprise of discovering the exact measurement of the earth, dwelt under the 49th degree of latitude. If the human mind can ever flatter itself with having been successful in discovering the truth, it is when many facts, and these facts of different kinds, unite in producing the same result." 204. On this subject the following observations from the pen of the honourable and learned Sir W. Drummond are so much in point that it is impossible to omit them : — " The fact, however, is certain that, at some re- mote period, there were mathematicians and astro- nomers who knew that the sun is in the centre of the planetary system, and that the earth, itself a planet, re- volves round the central fire ; — who calculated, or like ourselves, attempted to calculate, the return of comets, and who knew that these bodies move in elliptic orbits, immensely elongated, having the sun in one of their foci ; — who indicated the number of the solar years con- tained in the great cycle, by multiplying a period (vari- ously called in the Zend, the Sanscreet, and the Chinese, ven, van, andphen) of 180 years, by another period of 144 years ; — who reckoned the sun's distance from the earth at 800,000,000 of Olympic stadia ; and who must, there- fore, have taken the parallax of that luminary by a method, not only much more perfect than that said to be invented by Hipparchus, but little inferior in exact- INTRODUCTION. CXCV ness to that now in use among the moderns ; — who could scarcely have made a mere guess, when they fixed the moon's distance from its primary planet at 59 semi-dia- meters of the earth ; — who had measured the circumfer- ence of our globle with so much exactness, that their cal- culation only differed by a few feet from that made by our modem geometricians ; — who held that the moon and the other planets were worlds like our own, and that the moon was diversified by mountains, valleys and seas ; — who asserted that there was yet a planet which revolved round the sun, beyond the orbit of Saturn : — who reckoned the planets to be sixteen in number ; — and who reckoned the length of the tropical year within three minutes of the true time ; nor, indeed, were they wrong at all, if a tradition mentioned by Plutarch be correct." And now, Sir William, may I be permitted to ask, of what nation do you think these astronomers were ? Do you' suppose they were the Indians who forgot their formula, the Egyptians or the Chaldeans who fixed the year at 360 days, or the Greeks who laughed at the stories of the comets being planets 1 Search where you will, you must go to Baillie's notion, between forty and fifty degrees of latitude. And that great man, the suc- cessor of Galileo, Bacon, and Worcester, in spite of the priests, must at last have justice done him. 205. The Eev. Mr. Ledwich is obliged to make thefollow- ing admission, which, coming from solearnedanopponentto the doctrine I advocate, is very important : — " I am free to confess that there seems to have been a very remote period, of which we have scarce a glimpse, when know- ledge had attained to its present perfection ; and this the learned M. Dutens has made more than probable in his i 2 CXCVl INTEODtrCTION. ' Eeoherches sur I'Origine des Decouvertes attribues aux Modernes,' wherein he has clearly demonstrated that our discoveries in the natural and moral world are not novel, but the same as those delivered by antiquity ; and that where the parallel fails, it is to be ascribed to the want of literary memorials, now buried amid the ruins of time. However, I refer to an epoch antecedent to the flourish- ing state of knowledge in Greece. I would seek for it in Egypt, Media, and particularly in Chaldea : I would say with Galen, that no man or age is suf&cient to perfect any art or science, and that when we behold them ad- vanced to such astonishing maturity in those ancient empires, they must have been long before known and cul- tivated. That learning visited the parched sands of Africa, and the chilling regions of the north, that it illu- minated every climate from the rising to the setting sun, is no new discovery. Besides the labours of erudition, modern travellers give proofs of this enough to convince the most incredulous." I quite agree with Mr. Ledwich that a learned nation formerly existed : but it was not in Egypt, or in Chaldea. He may search, but he will not find it in either. I am glad of the opportunity of showing that the priests are beginning to open their eyes. 206. It is now the fashion to believe that the generation for the time present is always more enlightened than the generation preceding. But is this true ? Probably for many hundred years back to the present time it may be true. But were the generations in the ninth century of Christianity more enlightened than those in the time of Augustus 1 I am inchned to think that after the flood, for many generations, man did not improve, but gradually INTEODUCTION. CXCVii fell off in science ; and that -what we find in Babylon and Egypt were the ruins of a mighty building which philo- sophers were then endeavouring to reconstruct, and amongst which Pythagoras found some beautiful spe- cimens of ancient architecture, which he brought to Greece, and which the vanity of the Greeks soon tempted them to claim as their own. The philosophic Baillie has remarked that everything in China, India, and Persia, tends to prove that these countries have been the depo- sitaries of Science, not its inventors. He says, the things alluded to, do not assimilate to the climate or the coun- tries ; or they appear in an unnatural state, like the ele- phant at Paris. He adds, " when I contemplate this gigantic beast, which with us will not propagate its kind, I instantly conclude that it is a stranger. Thus it is with many of the incidents in the systems of the Hindoos ; they suit not to the climate, nor to the heavens; they are daily dying away ; they b£),rely exist ; — hence I conclude them a race of foreign growth." 207. It has been alleged against the existence of such a people as I here contemplate in Bactriana or the neigh- bourhood, that we do not find the remains of them as we ought to do. I think there is not much weight in the objection. We know of many countries which have been highly peopled, with fine towns and cities, scarcely a rem- nant of which is now to be found. Many of the cities of the Persians, Assyrians, and Canaanites, which certainly existed, are now sought for in vain. What has become of the cities of the Pontine Marshes, described by Pliny 1 By accident we see a few old stones, by which we disoovei" where the famous Capua stood. The situation of Veil famishes a fine subject of dispute to Koman antiquarians . CXCVlll INTEODUCTION. And some persons have, tliought that they could discover the remains of the magnificent city of Nineveh. It is now quite 2,000 years since the cities of Egypt were in their glory under the beautiful Cleopatra. Alas ! where will ttey be in 2,000 years more 1 But the Eoman mis- sionaries, M. Baillie says, report that there are the re- mains of large cities in the countries here spoken of, and all the northern part of India is full of the remains of a great people. What are the caves of Elora and Salcette'! What there may be in the upper part, about Balk, we know not : nearly all the attempts of our travellers to penetrate thither have failed. Thence it is, however, the writings of thePersians informs usthatallthelearning of the world descended. There it was, they say, that Zoroaster first constructed his famous orbicular caves, and thence it is that the histories of the Bramins say, they received all "their astronomy, mythology, &c., all of which are asser- tions confirmed by researches of BaiUie. THE MAGNET. 208. On this subject the Kev. Dr. Maurice observes, — ■" The magnet is mentioned by the most ancient classical writers under the name of Lapis Heraclius, in allusion to its asserted inventor, Hercules ; and Dr. Hyde enables me to aflorm that the Chaldeans and Arabians have immemo- riaUy made use of it to guide them over the vast deserts that overspread their respective countries. According to the Chinese records also, the Emperor Ching-Vang, above a thousand years before Christ, presented the ambassa- dors of the King of Cochin China with a species of mag- netic index, which, says Martinius, ' certe monstrabat iter, sive terra iUud, sive mari facientibus.' The Chinese, INTRODUCTION. CXCix he adds, call this instrument Chinam, a name by which they at this very day denominate the sailor's compass." Mr. Maurice proceeds to argue from the laws in the most an- cient Hindoo books respecting the rate of interest allowed on money lent on adventures at sea, that the compass must have been known to the Hindoos. He then contends that the vase given by Apollo to Hercules, in which he is said to have sailed over the ocean, ought to be the vase hy which or by means of which, a-^ Al,6vva^ov ev dKTive, every village had its wise man, who governed the joyous sports of the spring, who presided at the May-day festival, and who told the wondering maidens and youth events- which were to happen in their future life. In our times, each day appears to decrease the number of these people > perhaps our children will not know that they ever existed. Already the May-pole festival begins to decline, — the fes- tivities of the first of April are confined to the boarding- school. In many places salutary laws have made procla- mation against bon-fires, once lighted in honour of Moloch and Baal. Every remain of Dmidical religion and learn, ing appears to be fast dying away. Once, but it was in times now buried with the past, this religion and this learning enlightened the world with its benign influences, its sun of glory reached its dazzling meridian ; tww it sets encircled with clouds and blackness, shorn of its beauteous beams, and leaving the world in obscurity and night. 290. The mensuration of time by a night and a day was common both to Hebrews and Britons, and was plainly of antediluvian origin. " God called the light day, and the darkness called he night ; and the evening and the morning were t}iQ first day." So the first day, which our earth ever saw, was measured in this manner. The Jews, in after times, were commanded to keep their -sabbath from even to even. Leviticus, sxxiii, 32. The Druids did the same, as Ciesar says, " Galli se omnes, ab Dite patre prognatos preedicunt, idque ab Druidibus pro- ditum dicunt. Ob eam causam, spatia omnis temporis INTRODUCTION. _ CClii non numero dierum, sed noctium finiunt, dies natales et mensium et annorum initia, sic observant ut noctem dies subsequatur." Mr. Davies has shewn, that from this very circumstance the fable of the Cimmerian darkness may be explained, and the Oriental origin of the Druids proved. 291. The burial of the dead prevailed' among both Druids and Hebrews, with one remarkable circumstance differing from the modern manner of burial, yet common to them. They never buried in cof&ns, except when they embalmed ; the bodies were arrayed in funereal clothes. The manner in which the modem Jews perform these rites, bears every mark of primeval simplicity, and resem- bles extremely that of the ancient Egyptians. After in- voking the Deity in behalf of the person deceased, they offer up prayer to him, entreating that he will raise up the dead at some future day. Then, an oration being made in praise of the person about to be buried, they, walking round the grave, repeat a prayer for the spirit of the dead ; the corpse is then laid in the tomb " in peace." All present put earth on the coffin, and then, walking backwards, they leave the tomb, throwing blades of grass or flowers on it, and saying, " Thou shalt flourish again, like the grass of the earth."* The Egyptian method was this : " When those who had the care of the dead, proceed to embalm the corpse of any person of respectable rank, they first take out the contents of the belly, and place them in a separate vessel. After the other rites for the dead have been performed, one of the embalmers, laying his hand on the vessel, addressing the Sun, utters, in behalf of the deceased, the following prayer, which * See Notes to Eameses. ccliv INTRODUCTION. Euphantus has translated from the original language into the Greek : ' thou Sun, our lord, and all ye godsj who are the givers of life to men, accept me, and receive me into the mansions of the eternal gods ; for I have worshipped piously, while I have lived in this world, those divinities whom my parents taught me to adore ; I have ever honoured those parents, who gave origin to my body ; and, of other men, I have neither killed any, nor robbed them of their, treasure, nor inflicted upon them any grievous evil : but, if I have done anything in- jurious to my own life, either by eating or drinking any- thing unlawfully, this offence has not been Committed by me, but by what is contained in this chest ;' — -meaning the intestines in the vessel, which are then thrown into the river. The body is afterwards regarded as pure, this apology having been made for its offences; and the embalmer prepares it according to the appointed rites." (See Pritchard's Analysis.) The same distinction between the body and the spirit was made by the ancient, and still exists among the modem, Jews. 292. These, then, are a small part of the arguments which may be brought to evince the identity of the Israelitish and Druidical belief. After reading these, can any doubt reasonably remain, in the mind of the most cautious, of the unity of these religions i Two nations, at a greafdistance from each other, and having no com- munication, adore a Being, to whom they ascribe the same attributes, and make him, as has been shewn, the same God. This was the foundation of their modes of worship : they both adored him in the murky gloom of primeval woods, with the same intentions, and with the same rites. Having the same ideas of his attributes, they INTEODUCTION. Cclv both worship him under the similitude of an oak. In temples exactly alike, uncovered, and without walls, they cultivated his worship. Each raised up, in thankful gratitude to their Maker, a monumental stone, and made fires to his honour on the top of the cairn. Bel and Moloch are alike adored by both. Both are given to ser- pent worship : and both celebrate the kindness of their Maker for the blessings of spring, with the same festivi- ties, on the same day of the year, and instituted at one epoch. Telesms, penates, and lares are found among both ; both believe in transmigration ; both offer the same sacrifices, whether human or animal, as burnt- offerings. Their hierarchy or priesthood are alike ; they measure their time in the same manner; their feasts coincide, and are celebrated with the same festivities and rites ; they both bury their dead. In a word, in what- ever point we regard the Jewish religion, in that the Druidical is found to represent it. 293. If the adoration of the Divine Being were to be celebrated with different rites by different people, their religion, to use the word in its common acceptation, would be different ; for difference in religion does not so much consist in the different conception of the nature of the Deity, but in the different rites, ceremonies, &c., used in the performance of his adoration. Here both parties adore the same God, and the rites of one are the same as the rites of the other ; and therefore the identity of both is proved. 294. Perhaps it might be objected that the Almighty is expressly said by sacred writers to have given to his servant Abraham a method of worship perfectly pure, and to have enlarged tlhat method when his family in- CClvi INTEODUCTION. creased, after their exit from Egypt ; therefore he must have invented (if the phrase can be used) all the different feasts and ceremonies which he gave with such magnifi- cence from Mount Sinai, and which, until that time, must have been unknown to man ; so that all the calculations concerning Tauric worship, the reasonings about the rise of the Jewish festivities, must be incorrect. This, perhaps, depends on a misconception of the case. When the Almighty gave from the heights of Sinai the Mosaic dispensation, he did not do so with the intent either of contradicting or overturning the patriarchal, except in cases where the former ceremonies had been abused and prostituted to the service of idolatry ; therefore, the festi- vals which had been celebrated in patriarchal times were not discontinued, but were given afresh in commemora- tion of new circumstances. So the feast of Tabernacles was given in commemoration of the Israelites' sojourning forty years in tents, during their passage through the wilderness ; but no one would ever deny that this same feast did not exist ages before the Israelites went down into Egypt. Among the Eomans, it was celebrated in honour of Anna Perenna ; and, indeed, prevailed almost all over the world as a Bacchic festival. The Jewish feast of Tabernacles, was merely the Tauric feast to Moloch, the Sun, with this alteration, that whereas the Tauric festival was held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the feast of tabernacles was hastened by one month, and commenced on the fifteenth of the seventh. The case is exactly the same with the feast of Pentecost, which was the feast of harvest, but was given to the Jews as a sign that they should commemorate the giving of the law. This custom; indeed, was far from INTEODUCTION. Cclvii being uncommon in ancient times. So ihe Almighty ga-ve to Noah the rainbow, as a sign that the earth should be drowned with water no more ; not that the rainbow never existed before, which was an absolute im- possibility, but that it was then, for the first time, exhi- bited as a token to man. 295. Such are the numerous and striking internal co- incidences between these ancient religions. We will now proceed to examine their external relations, which will add additional testimony to the truth of what has been stated. Indeed, by a review of the foreign connexions- of both Jews and Druids, much more explicit and clearer light may be obtained to shew in what manner both reli- gions were derived from one original, whose relics are to be found all over the world. 296. The inhabitants of the nations surrounding Judea, with whom the Israelites more particularly had commu- nication, held several opinions in common with them ; and it is our business to inquire into each of these opi- nions severally, and shew that they likewise existed among the nations surrounding Britain, the grand seat of the Druids ; thereby proving what is requisite in a more explicit manner than has hitherto been done. 297. The Egyptians believed in a Deity of whom it was said, 'Eyo) ei/xt ttolv to yEyovos, Kat ov, Kal ia-ofj,cvov (I am all that has been, is, or shall be). This Deity was called Isis ; but their supreme God was Ptha or Cneph, or Agathos daemon, to whom they ascribed every attri- bute of a great and magnificent nature. They, too, like the Druids and Israelites, raised up altars to the Deity, as acknowledgments for benefits received from him, and as solemn attestations of the truth of oaths that they swore CClviii INTRODUCTION. by. This practice -will be shewn hereafter to have been prevalent over almost all the world. In proof that the Egyptians were given to swearing by their altars, or by the eternal stability and power of the Deity, which was thereby iinderstood, it may merely be stated that the character in the hieroglyphics, or sacred language, for stability and firm endurance was "Yy^'or an altar; and, it may be observed, that the E> Chinese character ^ _)> ' i wantang, for the same word, has very much of the J3I same appearance, though this by no means should lead to the opinion that the Chinese character and the Egyp- tian hieroglyphic are in any wise similar; for, out of all the Egyptian sacred letters, whose meaning has hitherto been discovered, not above half a dozen bear the slightest similitude to the same word in Chinese. The sumptuous temples of the Egyptians shew that they fell very early from the pure theism of the Druids, though many Druidi- cal rites, no doubt, were retained among them. Accord- ingly, sacred history tells, that very soon after the times of Abraham, who had been an ignicolist, the kings of Egypt knew not the Lord. There cannot be much doubt that the pyramids, of which we have heard so much, and written so much, are remains of the worship of Bel or Moloch, and were originally cairns, on whose top, fires were lighted in honour of the Sun. It appears that they stand on the solid rock, and exactly answer to the situa- tion of the British cairns. That the Egyptians did worship the Sun, is plain from the adoration of Ammon, — or Am- ouein, as Jablonski makes it, — who was represented with lines proceeding from his head, in the shape of rays, the word meaning the beneficent effects of the equatorial Sun. Macrobius says, that the Egyptians worshipped INTRODUCTION. IJClix the Sun as the soul of the world, and represented him under various forms according to his different appear- ances. The serpent was sacred among them : from a variety of concurrent circumstances, it appears that this reptile represented the eternal existence of the Deity, or Eternity, as an hieroglyphic. At the temple of Isis, at Dendera, there is a representation of a procession of men and women bringing to Isis, and Osiris, who sits behind her, globes surrounded hy hull's horns, mitred snakes, cyno- cephali, vases, lotos flowers, little boats, graduated staves, and sphynxes. A circle placed on the back of a serpent denotes^ life : we have already stated that the grand Druidical temple at Abury was of this form, and sacred to the eternal God ; perhaps with the assistance of the knowledge of this hieroglyphic, it may be easy to shew that it was dedicated to Baal-zebub, that is, the Lord of life, the soul of the world : indeed, it was not uncommon for the ancients to build their temples in the sha,pe of some hieroglyphic; so the grand temples in India, and the cathedral of St. Paul's in England, etc., are built in the form of crosses ; not that have they the slightest allusion to the cross of Calvary, but that it has been a practice time immemorial to build temples, pagodas, &c., in the form of crosses. The crux ansata r\ of the Egyptians,* which Isis always holds in her -V- hand, as may be seen in the statues ofher at the British I Museum, was the hieroglyphic of life. And, it is said, that, when the Chris- tians were about to destroy the Serapeum in Egypt, the priests told them, in order to appease them, that it re- presented future life in another world. A serpent joined * The cross ^■ as an Egyptian Hieroglyphic, represents the uni- verse, as full of life and motion. CClx INTRODUCTION. to the cross, alludes to the immortality of the soul ; and a serpentine or spiral line represents the mystic number one hundred. Numerous other instances might be men- tioned in which the Egyptians held the serpent as a sacred animal ; but these perhaps will suffice. 298. Tauric worship, too, was much cultivated among them. Apis, as every one knows, was represented by a bull; and the globes encircled with bulls' horns, suffi- ciently attest the origin of this worship, which was cele- brated all over the world with dancing, exactly as it was in Britain. " The Egyptians dance round their idols, bow- ing towards the rising Sun. A bull with a man's arm be- neath its feet, holding the branch of a tree full of leaves, is the hieroglyphic of mighty ; and has evident allusion to the mighty influences of Tamns in causing the vege- tative powers of nature to operate and to furnish man with sustenance and food. Bulls were sacred to Osiris, the Sun ; they even carried their Tauric adoration so far as to embalm deceased bullocks, and placed their mum- mies in splendid sarcophagi, one of which may be seen in the British Museum. The Egyptian priests were great magicians, as appears from sacred writ; for we there find that they by their incantations, even dared to rival Moses, the Messenger of the Almighty ; and the fact of their having teraphim or telesms is apparent from the number of lares or household gods still in existence, which once were worshipped by them. They were firm believers in the doctrine of metempsychosis, as is attested by Herodotus, Diogenes Laertius, and Hecataeus ; but, in all probability, it was qualified in the manner before mentioned ; for, we have already seen that they believed in future life, resur- rection, and an hereafter. Diodorus Siculus reports that INTKODUCTION. Cclxi they believed the souls of good men went after death into an unknown and invisible world. 299. As to their sacrifices, they oflfered both human and animal, just as the Jews and Druids did. They offered up men on the tomb of Osiris, at Celeopolis. It is said that they used to sacrifice, once a year, a beautiful young virgin to the river Nile ; and, tra- vellers state, that this practice still continues, but in a less bloody manner, as they offer in the stead of beauty and youth, only an image of clay. In almost every respect the ancient Egyptian priests are similar to the Bonzes of India, China, and Japan, who, like them, offer human sacrifices, believe in rewards and punishments, keep Tauric festivals, adore serpents, and look for a world to come. The scarabasus, or beetle, forms one of the principal figures under which these people adored vegetative nature. Indeed, in some of their zodiacs the scarabseus occupies the place of Can- cer ; and, from the frequency of its introduction among their hieroglyphics, the sacred esteem in which it was held may be surmised. The sphynx was a representa- tion of the signs, of Leo and Virgo joined together, in commemoration of the inundation of the Nile, which occurred when the Sun was in those signs. They had always a sort of astronomical mystic reverence for the three signs of Cancer, Leo, Virgo. 300. There is a curious circumstance which, perhaps, it is worth while noticing, concerning the Sphynx wor- ahip — viz., that it must have originated much about the same time as the Tauric worship; for the Nile ceases to overflow its banks towards the latter end of August, or beginning of September. Now, it is evident cclxii INTEODUCTION. that, when the Sun entered Taurus on the first day of May, he entered Leo and Virgo in August and Sep- tember respectively : hence the origin of the worship of the sphynx, and the period of its institution. 301. That there existed a great similarity between the theology of Egypt, and that of the Druids and Israel- ites, is attested still more powerfully by two very curious circumstances. It is well known that in Egypt there are magnificent ruins of temples, fragments of pil- lars, huge blocks of stone, and amazing masses of granite, at a place called Karnac. In France, a place called. Garnac, the same sort of monuments, in the same situa- tion, and the same state, exist. Upon this strange- coincidence no comment is required. 302. "Herodotus (see Toland's Druids) says, in the second book of his History, that, near to the entrance of the magnificent temple of Minerva, at Sais, in Egypt, of which he speaks with admiration, he saw an edifice 21 cubits in length, 14 in breadth, and 8 in height, the whole consisting only of one stone ; and that it was brought thither by sea, from a place about twenty days sailing from Sais. This is my first instance, and, parallel- to it, all those who have been at Hoy, one of the Orkneys, , do affirm, without citing, or many of them without know- ing this passage in Herodotus, that there lies on a barren heath in this island an oblong stone, in a valley between, two hills, called, I suppose antiphrastically, or by way of contraries, the dwarfy stone. It is 36 feet long, 18 feet broad, and 9 feet high. No other stones are near it. 'Tis all hollowed within, or as we may say, scooped by human art and industry, having a door on the east side, two feet square, with a stone of the same dimensions, about two INTRODUCTION. Cclxiii feet from it, -which was intended, no doubt, to close the entrance. Within, at the south end of it, cut out in the form of a bed and pillow, capable to hold two persons, as at the north end there is another bed, Dr. Wallace says a couch, — both very neatly done. Above, at an equal distance from both, is a large round hole, which is sup- posed not only designed for letting in the light and air, but likewise for letting out of smoke from the fire, for which there is a place, in the middle between the two beds. The marks of the workman's tool appear every- where.'' Upon this I shall remark, as upon the last, that no comment whatever is required. 303. It is quite plain that Joseph and the Egyptians, see Gen. xl. 8, had the same God ; and again, in Gen. xli. as Pharoah himself confesses it, in verse 38 of the same chapter. But, at that time they were fast falling from the true religion ; for, when the sons of Jacob went down into Egypt, but a few years afterwards to buy bread, Joseph found it necessary to inform them that he himself feared the true God. But, from the first chap, of Exodus, it appears that they, in a very few years after, neither knew Joseph nor his God. Such are the proofs which may be iirged in defence of the opinion that the religion of the Israelites, Egyptians, and Druids, were once alike.* 304. In Canaan there appear to have been no temples * It may be here remarked, without being very irrelevant to the text, that the Egyptian hieroglyphic figures, bear a great resem- blance to those of the Greeks : the former are for 1, 2, 3, &c. 1 11 111 Jl or ^"; 10 is j-j p. 71; fo in x-i a hundred q. The latter representing the same numbers, are i ii iii llll ; 10 is A ; 100 is H, or /O &c., &c. cclxiv INTRODUCTION. before the laraelitish invasion. When the patriarch Abra- ham sojourned there, the religion and language of the country were similar to his own. But, like to their neighbours the Egyptians, in the time of Moses, they were complete idolaters, and knew nothing about the true God. From adoring the Divine Being under the solar emblem, they began to adore the Sun himself as a God. It appears from the Pentateuch, that they worshipped Moloch in exactly the same manner as the Druids, leaping through the fires which they lighted in his honour. Bel, was another especial object of their adoration : indeed, they worshipped the Sun under a complete variety of names, Bel, Moloch, Ourchad, Adonis, Tammuz ; of the last, Milton says. Paradise Lost, book i. 445 : — Tammuz came next behind, Whose annual wound in Lebanon allured The Syrian damsels to lament his fate, In amorous ditties, all a summer's day ; While smooth Adonis, from his native rock, Ean purple to the sea, supposed with blood Of Tammuz yearly wounded ; the love-tale Infected Zion's daughters with like heat. 305. These mournful ditties for Tammuz or Adonis were forbidden by the prophets to the Israelites, which shews that they were but too much inclined to perform them. The festival of Adonis was celebrated at the commencement of autumn at the same time as that of Moloch : in other countries its signification is too appa- rent to be mistaken. Plutarch says that Adonis, Tam- mus, Bacchus, Osiris, were all one Deity ; and there is no doubt but that they all represented the Sun. The feasts of Tammuz or Adonis occurred ' twice in a year ; once as mentioned above, and again at the commence- INTRODUCTION. Cclxv ment of spring ; and therefore it originated at the same time as the Tauric worship of the Druids and Israelites, to which it certainly belonged. They welcomed the spring at the festival of Bel, with dancing and joyous shouts ; they mourned the departure of the Sun in autumn, after his kindness in clothing the earth with fruits, with weeping, and mournful ditties. 306. Carthage, which was a colony from Canaan, con- tained a considerable mass of Druidical remains. Baal was the greatest of the Carthaginian gods ; his temples and altars were on eminences, upon which large fires were kindled, as on the British cairns. The people danced in wild vehemence round these fires, and human sacrifices were offered. The Carthaginians were accus- tomed to swear, like the Druids, by the eternal stability of the Deity ; so, the father of Hannibal made him swear on the altar of Bel, eternal hatred to the Romans. From the very composition of many of the Carthaginian, Tyrian, and British proper names, the adoration in which Baal was held by them may be perceived ; thus Ahibal, Hanni- bal, Baltiraore, (kc. &c. 307. The Americans, when discovered by the Spaniards, had a great many practices among them of a Punic cha- racter. Perhaps, if proper research was made into their antiquities, their Punic origin would become much more apparent. The Carthaginians had groves among them, as appears from Virgil's Eneid : so had the Mexicans. It has been reported (Moeurs de Sauvages) that a Huronnite woman, to whom a Christian missionary was describing the attributes of the Almighty God, cried out with amaze- ment, " What is it that I hear 1. I perceive that the God you are telling me of is our Areskoni ;" that is, their Cclxvi INTKODUCTIOK. supreme Deity. The Incas of Peru, the Emperors of Mexico, and the Chiefs of Chili, all pretend to be descendants of the Sun, to whom they offer human sacrifice, and whom they regard as a God. All over America the people had telesms or teraphim, called by them Man-i-tou. Both Carthaginians and Americans believed in transmigration. 308. With regard to the Persians, Pliny remarked the affinity of their religion to that of the Druids. He says ; " The Britons know so much as to be able to instruct even the Persians ;" which sentence alone is sufficient to prove the great similarity of the two, if even it were not borne out by other demonstrative arguments. The Per- sians in general have been charged as ignicolists, or adorers of fire. They kept a sacred fire constantly biun- ing in honour of Mithras, the Sun, who had neither temple nor image, for the very same reason that he had not in Britain ; Herodotus says, because they thought it ridiculous to attempt to enclose the Deity in walls, or represent him under a graven form. In this worship of fire, they were not at all singular ; Abraham, the great progenitor of the Jews, according to Eastern accounts, was an ignicolist, and dwelt at *11}^,* Ur, of the Chal- deans, until called into other lands by the Deity. An- ciently the Almighty was supposed to appear, most frequently, as a flame of fire ; so Moses saw him under that appearance when he blazed in the incombustible bush. The Lord appeared in fire on Mount Sinai. Moses himself taught that the Deity was a consuming fire. (Deut. iv. 24.) In accordance with this idea, he insti- * Ur means fire or light ; the city probably had its name from the pyropic worship there cultivated. INTEODUCTION. Cclxvii tuted that the "fire should ever be burning upon the altar, it should never go out" (Lev. vi. 13); which insti- tute was exactly the same as that of the ancient Persians, from whom the Jews had received it, through the hands of the patriarch Abraham, whose father, Terah, as ex- pressly stated by Scripture, was an idolater. In the whole of their history theynever appear to have had any objection to the worship of fire. Jacob married two idolatrous wives, — Moses married the daughter of an idolater, &c. That this worship was extremely prevalent among the Persians, there cannot be any doubt ; the whole province of Media was called I^^JJ j] (azar. bigan) by them, from the old Persic word j] (azar), which means fire. Pyrolatry seems at one time to have been prevalent all over the face of the earth. Huet says, that it was celebrated in the same manner as the orgies of Bacchus, at the feast of Mithras, and is to be found among the Jews, Chaldeans, Phrygians, Lycians, Medes, Scythians, Sarmatians, in Poijtus, Cappa- docia, India, Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya; it existed in the worship of Jupiter Ammon, and among the Gara- mantes, with the vestals, who were appointed to guard it. Every town in Greece had a pyrtanon ; Hercules was wor- shipped in Gaul under this emblem ; Vulcan on Etna, and Venus Ericyna ; and in Ireland, England, Muscovy, Tartary, China, America, Mexico, Peru, and many other places, it is to be found. 309. It has been already stated, that this worship was instituted in honour of Mithras, the Sun, to whom human sacrifices were offered, which cruel custom Commodus, the Eoman emperor, abolished. They had a festival on the day when that luminary entered the sign Taurus, which m 2 cclxviii INTRODUCTION. was celebrated by them in much the same manner as that in Britain. Several authors declare that the Mith- raitic mysteries were similar to those of Isis in Egypt, and Ceres at Eleusis. This Mithras was likewise adored by them in groves and high places, where he passed under the same denomination as in Britain, Bel, which name they frequently joined to their proper appellations (as MahaSa^, a monarch of the Mahabadian dynasty) in a very similar manner to the British and Carthaginians. Their ignicolistic, or Phcebean worship, was in honour of the Sun, who was, in their view, the most majestic type of the Almighty. That they did not worship fire itself, is plain from the words of Ferdausi, who says, according to Sir W. Jones, " Think not that they were adorers of fire, for that element was only an exalted object, on the lustre of which they fixed their eyes. They humbled themselves a whole week before God ; and if thy under- standing be ever so little exerted, thou must acknowledge thy dependence on a Being supremely pure." The Per- sians appear to have been acquainted primarily with the purest of all religions. " A firm belief that one Supreme God made the world by his power, and continually governed it by his providence ; a pious fear, love, and adoration of him ; a due reverence for parents and aged persons ; a fraternal affection for the whole human species ; and a compassionate tenderness even for the brute creation." Such was the religion of the first Per- sians, the beauties of which as far surpass both the patri- archal and Mosaic, as the blazing splendours of the noon- day sun shine dazzling beyond the submissive rays of the silver moon : in fact, it is nothing less than Christianity, extended even to the brute creation. INTEODUCTION. Cclxix 310. It may not here be amiss to exhibit a slight dif- ference between the Persic, Druidic, and Judaic religions, and to explain hovr that difference arose. When that pure religion, just referred to, ceased to exist in Persia, and when the god, who was the object of it, began to be worshipped under similitudes, the Mithraitic, Belie, or Sabean religions succeeded, and pyrolatry commenced. It was at this time that Abram was called by the Deity, from out of the land of the Chaldeans, where he had been a Sabsean priest, as the sacred writings inform us, though it does not appear why he left his brethren, the Chaldeans. No doubt, some dispute had arised concern ing the method of worship, ;n which, though differing) perhaps, but in very minute circumstances from the re- ceived faith, he was opposed by the priesthood unani- mously, and forced to fly away, with no adherents but his own family, among whom alone his method of worship descended. As a mark of divine approval of this cir- cumstance, the Almighty instituted the rite of circum- cision, which cannot be found either among the Druids or Persians, but which, nevertheless, does not affect the general proposition and inquiry. 311. The coincidence of the Persian and Druidical re- ligion is still more strikingly illustrated by the similarity of the Persepolitan arrow-headed character, and by the Druidical Ogham mysterious writing. 312. On a stone in the British Museum, taken from the ruins of Persepolis, is this inscription : cclxx INTEODUCTION. or, , I \ \ \ And the follow- i'ig( ^-A-AA ^^^ ;/\//\. IS a, specimen of I ' / 1 ' ^ the Ogliam vir- gular) : 313. Iran is the true name for the country, which we ignorantly denominate Persia, the latter being merely a province of the former empire. The oldest languages, supposed by Oriental scholars to have been spoken in Iran, were the Sanscrit and Chaldaic ; and from them the language of the Zend, the Palavi, and the Hebrew sprung, — the two latter being derived from the Chaldaic, which will sufficiently account for the fact that Abraham .spoke the Hebrew ; as to the coincidence of the Druidi- cal Ogham, and the Persepolitan arrow-headed letters, it may have been caused by the emigration of the first in- habitants of Britain from Armenia, or from the shores of the Caspian sea, as is attested by almost all British writers. Perhaps it was in this manner that the religion of the British Druids came to resemble that of the ancient Persians, being but a branch of the original stock, which, as Sir W. Jones states, spread from Iran as from a centre, and] peopled the world ; the emigrating tribes carrying with them the religion, learning, and sciences of the people from whom they sprung. 314. Arabia contains numerous specimens of Druidic remains ; and the Arabic writings of any antiquity abound with them. The Book of Job, which is, on all hands, allowed to have been an Arabic production, has frequent allusions to them. The extraordinary age of this book may be shewn from a consideration of several different circumstances; the length of this patriarch's life was such that he could not have lived at any comparatively INTEODUCTION. CClxxi modern times. And, again, from chap, sxxviii. 31 : " Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?" Where ri/DO Chimah is used for the Pleiades, and ^iQ^ Chesilfor Orion. Now, the Pleiades were denominated by the Romans, Virgilise, from their formerly rising when spring commenced ; and their sweet influences blessed the year by the beginning of spring : — ^by the American Indians Te Jeunoniakoua, that is, the Dancers, from the festivities celebrated at their vernal rise ; — by the Arabs they are denominated Sureea; so - ijj| "A IjJall tJjt*-; where Sureea is used for the Pleiades, and Aiyak for the Hyades. The Per- sians \j t ; and, they are called Chimah again in the book of Job, chap. ix. 9, HDOI 7'D3, where Chesil is again used for Orion. When the Pleiades rose at the com- m.encement of spring, Orion rose in the depth of winter ; and they were, therefore, the most proper types of spring and winter that could possibly be invented : their very name carries as much with it; for HDO means warmth, and "^'DD cold. From all this it is quite plain that an allusion is made in tlje text in question, to the Tauric worship : and, therefore, the Book of Job must have been written when Tauric worship had begun to spread. 315. In accordance with this we find many specimens of Druidic rites in this very ancient book : so in chapter 5, V. 25, &c. 'jDN-Dy 'D rnnD niu/n, which is rendered in our version, " And thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field," evidently alluding to the same custom, by which Jacob secured himself from the predatory attacks of Laban, by raising up a stone to the Lord ; and the Druids in Britain raised up their lithoi. His conceptions of the Almighty are exactly the same as Cclxxii INTEODUCTIOK. those of the Israelites. He believes in rewards and punishments in a future world, " where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest ;" in angelic influ- ence, resurrection; and, indeed, the whole of his doc- trines bear so close a resemblance to those of the Israel- ites, that modem divines have thought proper to class the poem bearing his name among the canonical books of sacred writ. 316. The ancient Arabians admit one supreme God, called Alia Talaa, or the most high God : their reli- gion was pure theism, though they soon fell into the error of adoring the Sun, as Sir W. Jones has stated. Their idol Manah, was a large upright stone, similar perhaps to the first Jupiter of the Ro- mans. Many of the sects of Arabians believed in transmigration ; and, in general, their opinions have in- clined towards the Pythagorean doctrines. Their festivals were always celebrated with dancing and joyous sport, — for they thought that tears and lamentations were dis- agreeable to the Deity. Upon the whole, however, their theology appears much purer than that of any of the neighbouring nations. 317. In Babylon the people adored Bel, the Sun ; and many of their kings were called after him, as Bel-shazzar. It was, indeed, on the evening of the grand festival to •the Sun, that this mistress of the world sunk, like Troy, beneath her own flaming ruins. Her king was slain, — the kingdcyn was taken from Belshazzar, and -given to Cyrus and the Medes. The temple of Belenus, Belus, or Bel, was once the wonder of the world, rivalling the pyra- mids of Egypt for antiquity and magnificence. In it there was a statue to the Sun, built of ivory and frag- rant wood gilded ; this statue was forty feet high, and INTRODUCTION. CCXXXiii stood on a pedestal whose elevation was fifty feet. Daniel, the most learned of all the prophets, tells how they burnt people as a punishment ; and other authors de- clare that they offered up human sacrifice to propitiate Moloch. They buried their dead. 318. The Chaldeans, who were a college of priests con- nected with the Babylonian empire, have long been cele- brated for their amazingly extensive learning. It is said, that they took their origin from Zeratusth, though no one can say who Zeratusth was : perhaps, like Thoth of the Egyptians, Hermes of the Greeks, and Mercury of the Romans, he existed but as a personification of science and learning ; and, therefore, might well be supposed to be the founder of this learned sect, whose origin was buried in oblivion. The mysteries instituted by this personage are said to have very much resembled those of Ceres Eleusinia and Isis Egyptiaoa. Like them, they were known but to a very few " initiated ;" and it was only after passing the most terrific ordeal that any one could be permitted to learn them. Eusebius has stated that they believed in one supreme lord of life, and giver of good : they likewise had another being, corresponding to the Arimanius of the Persians, VOti/ Satan of the Jews, and Devil of the Christian church ; though, like both Jews and Christians, he formed no part ot their belief. Per- haps they carried their ideal opinions much farther than in modem times. We Christians do not admit a belief of him into our creed. The Israelites seem to have con- sidered him as an imaginary personage, and to have attri buted all, both good and evil, to the Deity. So Isaiab, the Hebrew prophet, says, " I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create the darkness ; I m 3 CClxxiv INTEODUCTION. make peace, and create evil. I the Lord do all tLese things." They supposed the human soulto be an emar nation of the Deity, — a notion extremely common in the East, and as ancient as it was common : calculated to fill the soul with the most sublime ideas, and raise it to the most exalted heights of adoration of which it is capable. High places, or groves, were looked upon by these Chal- deans as the most suitable abodes for religion. They appear to have been the first, who raised temples to their gods, of iron, wood, brass, and stone. They believed in the future changes of the soul in a manner similar to that described under transmigration. The serpent was sacred among them ; and it appears, from Daniel, vi. 7, that the Chaldiac month, like that of the Jews and Druids, consisted of thirty days. The ancient Babylonian letters greatly resembled the Persepolitan arrow-headed charac- ters, and the Oghams of Ireland ; shewing that, anciently, there was some connexion in the learning and language of the East and the West, as well as in their religions. The following line, which is taken from a cylindrical brick, was found among the ruins of Babylon : — 319 The Ninevitish character resembles in a still nearer manner the Oghamic letters. INTEODUCTION. CclxxV 320. The Gymnosophists, of whom the Greeks spoke so much, and fabled still more, held the same opinions as the Brahmins of India, being firm believers both in the immortality of the soul and its transmigration after death. They celebrated the orgies of Bacchus in the most vehement manner ; and adored the Sun, to whom they prayed every morning. The Etruscans, who were the first inhabitants of Italy, coincided in most points of belief with the Gymnosophists, and held similar opinions to the Druids. The Umbrians did the same ; and this is well accounted for by Toland, who proves that they descended from the Gauls or Druids (page 11.3). They adored a trinity of divinities, called by them Cabiri, which has been explained by some " Dii potentes," the supreme or chief of them being called Jao, or Javoh. Be- neath these Cabiri they placed a host of other lesser deities, personifications and created things, as the sun, the planets, &c. They were ignicolists, being attached to the Pythagoric system of the world, looking for a future transmigration, and believing in the immortality of the soul- Their Sabsean origin is evident, both from their creed and their language, which seems to have been a sister dialect to the Phoenician. The following is an exhibition of an Etruscan alphabet ; — h^'\S'\Q0^^r'}^1 ABGD EIKL M NOPEST Cclxxvi INTRODUCTION. their corresponding letters in the Phoenician being — Both these alphabets have a very near relation to the; Samaritan, which, perhaps, is one of the most beauiful in the world. 321. The Druidical religion is very prevalent in India, as has long been remarked by learned men ; but there is no relic left of it so striking as that of the Tauric festi- vals, which still continue in their pristine glory. In a com- munication from Colonel Pearse to the Asiatic Kesearches — a work never sufficiently to be praised, and which has. thrown more light upon the recondite history of the world than thousands of other productions, — we find the following passage inserted : " I beg leave to point out to the Society that the Sunday before last was the festival of Bhavani, which is annually celebrated by the Gopas, and all other Hindus who keep horned cattle for use or profit. On this feast they visit gardens, erect a pole in the fields, and adorn it with pendants and garlands. The Sunday before last was our first of May, on which the same rites are performed by the same class of people in England, where it is well known to be a relic of ancient superstition in that country. It would seem, therefore, that the religions of the East and the old religion of Britain liad a strong offinitij. Bhavani has another festival, but that is not kept by any one set of Hindus in particular, and this is appropriated to one class of people. This is constantly held on the ninth of Baisach, which does not always fall on ov.v first of May, as it did this year. Those members of the Society who are acquainted with the INTRODUCTION. Cclxxvii rules -which regulate the festivals, may be able to give better information concerning this point. I only mean to point out the resemblance of the rites performed here and in England ; hut I must leave abler hands to investigate the matter further, if it should be thought deserving of the trouble. I find that the festival which I have men- tioned is one of the most ancient among the Hindus. 322. " During the Huli, when mirth and festivity reign among every class, one subject of diversion is to send the people on errands and expeditions that are to end in dis- appointment, and raise a laugh at the expense of the per- son sent. The Huli are always in March, and the last day is always the greatest holyday. All the Hindus, who are on that day at Jaggannuth, are entitled to certain dis- tinctions which they hold to be of such importance, that I found it expedient to stay there till the end of the festival ; and am of opinion, and so are the rest of the officers, that I saved above five hundred men by the delay. The origin of the Huli seems lost in antiquity, and I have not been able to pick up the smallest account of it. 323. " If the rites of May-day shew any affinity be- tweon the religion of England in times past and that of the Hindus in these times, may not the custom of making April-fools on the first of that month indicate some traces of the Huli ? I have not yet heard any account of the origin of the English custom, but it is unquestionably very ancient, and is still kept up, even in great towns, though less in them than in the country. With us it is chiefly confined to the lower classes of the people, but in India high and low join in it ; and the late Sujaul Dau- lah, I am told, was very fond of making Huli-fools, Clxxviii INTRODUCTION. though he was a Musselman of the highest rank. They carry it here so far as to send letters making appoint- ments in the names of persons, who it is known must be absent from their houses at the time fixed on ; and the laugh is always in proportion to the trouble given." 324. The following extract from the same volume of the same work is so very curious, and at the same time bears so much upon the hinge of this essay, that it is im- possible not to quote it at length. It is written by Mr. Keuben Burrow, under the title, " A proof that the Hin- dus had the Binomial Theorem." 325. " From the aforesaid country (Tartary) the Hindoo probably spread over the whole earth ; there are signs of it in every northern country, in almost every system of worship. In England it is obvious ; Stonehenge is evi- dently one of the temples of Boodh ; and the arithmetic, the astronomy, the astrology, the holyday games, names of the stars, and figures of the constellations, ancient monuments, laws, and even the languages of the dif- ferent nations, have the strongest marks of the same original. The worship of the Sun and fire, human and animal sacrifices, &c., have apparently once been univer" sal ; the religious ceremonies of the papists seem in many parts to be a mere servile copy of those of the Goseigns and Fakeers ; the Christian ascetics were very little dif- ferent from their filthy original, the Byraygys, &o. Even the hell of the northern nations is not at all like the hell of the Scriptures, except in some few particulars; but, it is so striking a likeness of the hell of the Hindu?,, that I should not be surprised if the story of the soldier that saw it in Saint Patrick's purgatory, described in Matthew Paris's history, should hereafter turn out INTRODUCTION. clxxix to be a mere translation from the Sanscrit, with the names changed. The different tenets of popery and deism have a great similarity to the two doctrines of Brahma and Boodh ; and, as the Bramins were the authors of the Ptolemaic system, so the Boodhists appear to have been the inventors of the ancient Philolaic, or Coperni- can, as weU as the doctrine of attraction ; and probably too the established religion of the Greeks and the Eleu- sinian mysteries, may only be varieties of the two dif- ferent sects. That the Druids of Britain were Bramins, is heyond tlie least shadow of a doubt ; but, that they were all murdered, and their sciences lost, is out of the bounds of probability : it is much more likely that they turned schoolmasters, freemasons, and fortune-tellers; and, in this way, part of their sciences might easily de- scend to posterity, as we find they have done. An old paper, said to have been found by Locke, bears a consi- derable degree of internal evidence, both of its own an- tiquity and of this idea ; and on this hypothesis it will be easy to account for many difficult matters, that perhaps cannot so clearly be done on any other, and particularly of the great similarity between the Hindu sciences and ours ; a comparison between our oldest scientific writers and those of the Hindus, will set the matter beyond dispute ; and fortunately the works of Bede carry us twelve hundred years back, which is near enough to the times of the Druids to give hopes of finding there some of their remains. I should have made the comparison myself, but Bede is not an author to be met with in this country ; however, I compared an astrolabe, in the Nagry character (brought by Dr. Mackinnon from Jynagur), with Chaucer's description, and found them to agree most CclxXX INTEODUCTION. minutely ; even the centre-pin, which Chaucer calls the Horses, has a horse's head upon it in the instrument : therefore, if Chaucer's description should happen to be a translation from Bede, it will be a strong argument in favour of the hypothesis ; for we, then, could have nothing from the Arabians." 326. If anything more were necessary to exhibit the identity of the priesthood of India and that of Britain, it might be amply supplied by a very slight consideration of the diiFerent rites and customs prevailing among each. They believed that it was a Being perfectly pure and good, who created the universe, who kindly watched over and governed it by his providence, whose beneficent hand scattered blessings on all his creatures. Yes, it was the Chreat One who directed the ponderous planets in their courses, who gave their enchanting fragrance to the san- dal tree and to the rose, who enamelled the earth with verdure, and made it a fit habitation for the peerless majesty of first of all created beings, man. As God was a spirit, he was inconceivable ; as he was invisible, he could not have form ; and, from what was beheld of his works, the conclusion was inevitable, that he was omnis- cient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and eternal. The uni- verse being his habitation, and himself so pure, so good, yet so tremendously grand (to use the words of an Hindoo), " the sun need not shine to illuminate that place, nor the moon, nor the stars ; there lightnings need not flash, nor even the fire to burn ; for God irradiates all this bright substance, and, by his effulgence the whole universe beams with glory.'' 327. The absorption doctrine, as it has vulgarly been called in Europe, was as common in India as in the rest INTEODUCTION. Cclxxxi of the East. A series of transmigrations were commonly reckoned necessary before the body was absorbed in the Deity. Sheep and bulls were sacrificed. The Cabiri, or Dii potentes, were adored in Britain, India, and Greece especially, where their mysteries were celebrated under the well-known title of " Eleusinian Mysteries." Kov^ o/i ira.^ was the concluding phrase of the sacred ceremonies of both east and west, being pure Sanscrit. Warburton has very justly guessed that these Mysteries were instituted for no other purpose than to teach the initiated the true religion, and expose to them the falsity of the idolatrous system promulgated among the people. Cicero seems very much to favour this opinion. When speaking of them he says, "neque solum cum laetitiS, Vivendi rationem accepimus, sed etiam cum spe meliori moriendi." It is not in the more modem times of Greece, when under the jurisdiction of the Roman governors, that we are. to expect to find traces of Druidic or Israelitish worship, but in the times of her Homers and Hesiods ; then we discover that the same religion and the same rites were in use among the Greeks as among Egyptians, Persians, Arabians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Gauls, Etrus- cans, Hindus, Israelites, and Druids. 328. The conceptions of the Deity among the educated in Greece have already been detailed, and their coinci- dence with those of the Britons already shewn ; it only now remains to exhibit a few of the more particular rites and opinions entertained and promulgated among them ; and, first, the sanctity in which they held the oak-tree. According to their poets, the oak was sacred to Jove ; beneath its ample branches the mystic prophecies of the cclxxxii INTEODtJCTION. Deity were half heard, as the passing breezes shook the waving leaves. " thou supreme, higli throned all height above ! O great Pelasgic* Dodonean Jove ! WUO) midst surrounding frosts and vapours chill, Presid'st on bleak Dodonas' vocal hill ; Vt hose groves the Selli, race austere, surround ; Their feet unwashed, their slumbers on the ground. Who hear from rustling oaJis thy dark decrees, And catch the fates low whispered from the breeze, — Hear as of old " 329. Dodona was not the only place in Greece -where oaks and groves were held sacred ; numerous instances occur in almost every writer, and the generality of the circumstance is quite evident. The raising up of stones for the same purposes as in Britain and Judea appears to have been prevalent in Greece. So, one was raised over the grave of Achilles and Patroclus, which Alexander the ■Great anointed with oil. Sarpedon, too, the King of the Lycians, had a stone raised upright over his tomb. -Yirvcf) Kal davdrcff Si,SviJ,aocnv o" pd fuv (oKa 0ij(7ov(rLV AvKiT] and it is only by reflection from other satellital bodies that we have the slightest knowledge of what it was. But perhaps in some future day, when men are more enlight- ened than the present race, when science and learning have reached nearer to perfection, it will again be seen to rise in prospect ; and then it will appear that the an- cient Druidical and patriarchal religions were alike. 337. In the annexed print of Zeus Olympius, or the Heavenly Life (I am the Eesicrrection and the Life, John xi. 25), we see him scattering thunders and light- nings, as described in the Old and New Testament. He directeth his lightning to the ends o^ the earth, Job xixvi. 8. Bow thy heavens, lEUE,* and come down : touch the mountains and they shall smoke. Cast forth lightning and scatter them : shoot out thine arrows and destroy them^ Ps. cxliv. 5, 6, words not applied to the Supreme God, but to the Cabiric Messenger of the Hebrews, the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts: Mai. ii. 7. And lEUE sliall he seen over them, and Ms arrows (hall go forth as the lightning. Zech. ix. 14. I am come to send f/re on the earth, Luke xii. 49. For further information on this, consult the Introduction to the Book of God, pp. 67;, 171, 179, 183, 371, 418, 536. * leue is Zeus, or Jove, or Jeliovab. Wi)i Book of 6otr» FO. CHAPTER I. In tlie name of God, the Lord of Life, Whom no thought can fathom — Who rules the Universe, On whose bounty all existences depend ; The Protector of the Sun-Spheres ; The King of the Universe, Who impels the stars and planets And the lovely wanderer of night. Supreme in beauty and grandeur ; The Infinite, All-powerful One, On whom can no eye look. How shall we approach Him : We cannot — we cannot : His glory dazzles. His majesty astounds ; Man cannot portray his Maker. He can only view Him in His works. 2 THE BOOK OF GOD. He can only know Him in His laws, In the contemplation of His love so boundless. O Man ! hearken and bow down Eeverently to the Word of God. The bright grows out of the dark ; The orderly is produced by the unseen ; Visible form originates in invisible essence ; They generate mutually by means of form. Man may attain to knowledge, But he cannot reach the summits of knowledge ; However wise and learned he may be. There will be always something that he knows not. The wise watches with respect Over that which he does not see. And thinks with fear and reverence On the thing which he hath not learned. The blade of wheat contains the ear ; The mulberry tree produces fruit ; The germ produces mortals : This transformation is a great marvel. In this way may the Law of Heaven and Earth Be expressed to all in one sentence : Its agency in the production of things is One, But its manner of production is unknown. Om! When a base man reviled the Holy Book, The venerable priest made answer : Slave of passion ! servant of the Earth, Who hath set thee up to judge 1 FO. 3 Who hath made thee pure from vice That thou shouldst censure the Word of Heaven 1 Who hath filled thy soul with light To enable thee to see and confess Truth ? There are men who do not study, or who make no progress in study ; yet let them not despair. There are men who question not, or who question un- wisely ; yet let them not despair. There are men who see not, or who see obscurely ; yet let them not despair. There are men who practice not, or who practice heed- lessly ; yet let them not despair. What another may do by one effort, some do by a hundred ; what another might do in ten times, those do in a thousand. Thou shalt not recklessly destroy life ; Thou shalt not lie ; thou shalt not steal ; Thou shalt not commit adultery ; Thou shalt not use an intoxicating thing. These are the Five Precepts Of Him whose heart is benevolence and, purity, Whose house is the Asylum of Virtue, Who wears the Diadem of Splendour. men ! I have not invented these precepts ; 1 have learned them from the Supreme Wisdom. As one who sees in darkness, By means of a beautiful lamp. AO, the Intelligent, the All-powerful, Generated the Universe through Wisdom : He is Incorporeal ; Yet did He form the AU out of nothingness. B 2 4 THE BOOK OF GOD. As a spring fills up a void space, As light goes into the place of darkness. This mighty Being is omnipresent, He hath neither beginning nor end ; He hath no morning nor night, But is eternally the Same, and One. He extends through the Heavens ; He permeates the myriad Earths ; He is diffused throughout all Space, Yet is He impalpable as the essence of Light. He comprehends the two Principles, The small and the great : Light and Darkness are in Him, The weak and the all-powerful ; From Him the stars derive their brightness, The mountains owe to Him their height. The abyss findeth its depths in Him, He is the source of motion and vitality ; He maketh the bird to fly and the beast to walk, The ocean to move and the stars to revolve. He is His own foundation ; His own root and -essence ; He is the Grand Principle ; The Lord, the Mover, the Creator. The action of the Universe is regulated by Him, The Celestial and the sub-celestial Spheres : He was One before the creation ; Now is He three essences in One. His name is the Great Unity, The Wise, the Divine, the All-containing ; He illuminates all things : He sees all things : FO. He can do all things : He thinks and knows all things. He existed before Chaos, Before the birth of the Heavens and the Earths. Immense, Silent, Immoveable, Yet always active, without any change. He is the Father, He is the Mother of all. His awful Name — verily I know it not. But I designate Him by the word Wisdom. I call Him Great ; I call Him the All-powerful, The Iimiost Essence of all things. Who hath neither beginning nor ending. The Universe tends to dissolution. But in Him there is no change : He is the Immutable : The One prior to all births. He hath no name ; He is the EternaHy-Existing-Spirit. There is no place where He is. Yet there is no place where He is not. He is Truth, because in Him is nothing false : He is the First, because He is second to none. He only is veritably The One, The earth-sustainer, the heaven-sustainer. He is Light in respect to His substance ; ' He is Eeason in respect to His creation ; He is Nature in respect to His renovation ; He is Spirit in respect to His vitality. He hath no limit and He hath no end ; He is the Sole and Self-existent. 6 THE BOOK OF GOD. He is the substance of the celestial ; We cannot hear Him ; we cannot see Him ; We cannot describe Him in words ; We cannot represent Him by images. Whatsoever we heai-, or see, or describe, or image. That verily is not God. There is no way by which to reach Him ; He hath no substance which can be represented ; He hath no form which can be taken hold of ; Thought cannot attain Him ; Words cannot penetrate to Him. The production of the All diminishes Him not ; The re-absorption of the All increases Him not. Everything is double : Everything hath its image in Heaven or Earth ; But the Eternal Lord of Light and Wisdom Alone, hath not an equal or an image. A potter makes a thousand vessels, But what vessel could make the potter t Even so Wisdom created all, But all cannot create Wisdom. A light cloud passes under the Moon, And the Star who follows her in splendour ; I sit beneath the tree of rustling leaves. In the sea of the dark mountains. But the thin, wandering mist of dews Hides not either Moon or Star : So the visible hides not God : He shines beautifully even in darkness. He is One : He comprehendeth all things, But is himself comprehended by none : FO. 7 The Head of Days, the First Father ; The Spmt of whose Spirit is the Fabricator of the Fiery, I will address my prayers to Him, Whose lotos is. the shining Moon : A Messenger of Flame cometh over the hills : I kneel upon the green sod. Lord of Heaven and Earth ! I see Thee in my soul like the Sun : Thy light is round me like a veil of incense ; I am all Thine, be Thou all mine. As an eagle soaring from his rock, So did my winged soul ascend on high ; It pierced the dark and flickering obscure : Through cloud, through sleet, through lightnings. As the mountain of Meru, with golden head. Radiant with surpassing brightness. Crowned with nine precious stones — Even so shone on me the Vision. A land as beautiful as the Heaven ; Temples brighter than the diamond gem, And the Calpa Vrixa Tree ; Whoso gazes upon it gains every wish. Fair to see are the Host of Heaven, With fiery belts of gold and flame ; They move like spirits in emerald circles ; Yet will not my soul offer up a vow before them. Their pale or ruby light is not their own. It is but the reflex of the Throne of God. And they are but His lowly servants. Who have no force or power in themselves. The clouds of night cover them : 8 THE BOOK OF GOD. The sun obscures their brightness ; And the thunder-storm veils their heads of fire ; Therefore will my soul not bow before them. Om! I make salutation to Adi-Buddha, the One, the Alone in the Universe. He is known only by those who have attained the wisdom of Truth. As in a mirror, mortals see their forms reflected, so Adi-Buddha is known and seen throughout the Universe of Worlds, and their varied existences. Adi-Buddha delights in the happiness of every sen- tient being. He tenderly loves those that serve Him. His majesty fills all with reverence and awe. He is the Lord of the Ten Heavenly Worlds ; the Sender of the Ten ; the Master of the Universe, present at all times throughout its mighty spheres ; omnipresent also in the Ten. Om! Bright and clear within my soul, I heard a silver voice ; As the bamboo rustles sweetly In the waving wind of moonlight. It was the Voice of Prajna Paramita, The Voice of the Holy Spirit of Heaven ; Like the soft whispers of the bamboo In the silent moonlight hour. Who is there among the children of men That can hear the voice of the Holy One without emotion ? Who is there that can fathom His thoughts ? Who can contemplate His workmanship in Heaven 1 Who can comprehend the mighty things of the Most High ? FO. He may behold their life, but not their spirit ; He cannot rise to that august theme. He may discourse in wisdom thereon. He may see the boundaries of all things ; He may meditate upon them all his days, Yet he cannot comprehend their hidden depths ; He cannot enter into their secret history. Who, of all the men that be. Can understand the length and breadth of the Earth 1 Or the vast dimensions of the Heavens ? What is its height ] and how is it sustained ? Who can tell the number of the stars 1 And where the luminaries do hide themselves ? Is there any man who can know these things '! Nay, there is not one living ! And a Mighty Voice made answer : What dweller on the earth is he "Who hath followed after God always ? Who hath not wandered from His commandments, But kept His ordinances like gold'! Who hath shown patience in calamity 1 Mercy in greatness, fortitude in adversity ? Wise counsel among multitudes ? And in his riches calm temperance 1 In his fame resolution to preserve it ? In his sorrows no blasphemy 1 He indeed is a man of men ; His soul is great with self-attained beauty. Unto such may the knowledge which thou seekest Perchance be given under holy auspice : Unto such the intellect that passes B S 10 THE BOOK OF GOD. Beyond the region of the Sun. He may rest upon the Chintya Mani, In whose touch the soul is purified ; That shining Stone amid a crown of jewels, Whose fragrance the Heavens inhale. Son ! read well the Book of God : Devote thyself to sacred knowledge ; Be eminent for bodily piirity, And command over the organs of sense. Perform well thy daily duties ; To thy home, thy neighbours, and thy country ; And contemplate the Divine Nature, Whose light thy spirit shall thus reflect. Hfe is everywhere : He is always : There is no moment when thou canst not feel Him : The One, the King, the Holy, Who was, and is, and is to come. In the beginniag, when all was formless, and the five elements were not ; then Adi-Budda, the stainless, re- vealed himself in a flood of light. He who is the Great Father and the Great Mother became manifest; the self-existent, the Most Ancient God, the mighty AO. He is the Cause of all existence : He formed the Uni- verse and preserves it ; Infinite without passion : all things are types of Him, and yet He has no type ; the form of all things, yet Himself a Formless Glory. He is without parts : Eternal, and yet not Eternal. Salute Him, the perfect, the pure, the Essence of Wisdom and absolute Truth ; Knower of the Past, whose word is ever the same — Adi-Buddha. He being Infinite, can produce only the unbounded ; FO. 11 He being Eternal, can produce only the everlasting : all, therefore," that thou beholdest is everlasting — ^the flower, the worm, the man, the spirit. Their visible manifesta- tion may pass : they may die, and change, and vanish from the view, but the life that is within them, being of God, can never be destroyed, can never perish. For inasmuch as God cannot perish, and God cannot be destroyed, so neither can these. His visible representa- tives, be destroyed by all the powers that be. They pass into a myriad shapes ; they assume and re-assume new appearances ; they shift from sphere to sphere, but each is an immortal thing. The flower diffuses its seed for ever : the worm is a spirit also that transmits life ; even so doth man give form to man. God can make the smallest atom beautiful everlast- ingly, with new splendours ; unlimited in manifold variety; infinite in its capacity for change. Nothing that is unhappy can proceed from God : He is the Giver of Life and Beauty and Love : like the Sun, He rejoices in diffusing joy ; the firmament of His Heaven smiles in light. Yet is Man in all his days unhappy ; he looks back with sorrow to the hour of his birth ; he is restless and wretched ; the son of many griefs. Wherefore, it is clear that he comes not straight fi'om God. His human state is not his natural condition : but having first existed in a state of Paradise, he is now a fallen, miserable crea- ture, who can be happy only when he is restored to his first place. What toil, therefore, can be too great, or what exertion too onerous to endure, that will uplift him from his earthly prostration into the glorious beauty of his primal 12 THE BOOK OF GOD. home 1 His life on earth is hke the snow which soon melt- eth ; his body is but a frail reed, but his spirit is an everlast- ing energy, bright and quick as lightning; strong as flame. Shall , he not use his great powers which God hath given to the end that he may grow pure 1 Shall he not put forth his will of vast majesty, that he may guard, restrain, and guide his spirit 1 ' Son ! thou art responsible for all thine acts ; yet there is not one of evil tendency which thou canst not control by will. Habit is a mighty thing ; its sway is great : habituate thyself to virtue, and thou art safe. God will not hear thee when thou sayest, Lord, I am not able ; for God knows that thou art able to restrain thyself. But God will turn to thee when thou sayest, Lord, I will endeavour ; for God knows that he who strives succeeds. Virtue is a constant, changeless habit of doing good and avoiding evil, which man, a voluntary agent, giveth to himself. Yea, even man can attain unto angelic virtue if he stedfastly witholds himself from mere material pictures. Pleasxu'e, so called, seduces away a man from God ; he seeks good yet knoweth not how to find it. But all pleasures are of two kinds ; the pleasures of the body and the pleasures of the spirit. The first, unreal and contemptible they are ; they pass and leave no remnant of delight j the latter, active and true, are alone worthy of a perfect man ; on these he looks with joy even to his latest day. Learn thou, then, the true philosophy of hfe, forsaking ior ever all other forms of religion, abandoning the dreams of the idol-worshippers and star-watchers; for this creed alone leadeth to God. FO. 13 CHAPTER II. From the heights of Or did God look down, The starry heavens in silence gleamed ; The Golden Spirits bare His thunderbolt, The thunderbolt of a thousand edges. Strength was deposited within their arms ; In their right hands was majesty : Music raised its soft voice, And on its wings I was upraised. O God ! thou Intellectual Fire, Whose light is everlastingly reproduced. Born again and again for evermore ; Bright with unchanging flame. Who makest the Earths produ-ctive ; Who clothest its sides with fruit : Holiest of Kings : best of Fathers, Hear the prayer of thy servant. Grief and weariness are upon me : The moments of my life are as the winds ; Light of foot as the roe are they : There is but a step between me and death. My spirit is my own witness : My spirit testifies against myself : Holiest of Fathers assist me : Uplift me from despair of soul. Son ! subjugate thy senses, Annihilate thy passions : This is better than a hecatomb of blood Or than ten thousand offerings to God. 14 THE BOOK OF GOD. Thou who art the Prince of the Kings of Earth, Write these words of mine upon thy soul ; Serve God in all things, Not only in the spirit, but in the body. God, whose power is infinite, Can produce all that it is possible to produce ; All things that do not involve a contradiction : All things that are consonant to justice. God is He who creates and is not created ; The Spirit is that which is created and produces ; Spirits are they who are created and produce not : Matter is that which was made and nurtures. God is supremely Perfect ; He is the Source of all existence and perfection ; Always willing happiness ; Always determined by justice. As the Moon shines in greater lustre When the thunder-clouds depart ; So the moonlike spirit is resplendent Triumphing over the darkness of sin. Death is but a temporary sleep : An interruption, not an end of existence ; In a future he shall live again. According to the nature of his nature. Honoured be the memory of that holy Sage, who rightly taught strangers whom to worship. For they stood before him, and he asked them : Whom, way- farer, dost thou worship 1 The first said, A God whom I see not ; the second said, A God whom I can see : the third said, A God of perfect qualities, but whom the mortal sense cannot comprehend. The Sage answered FO. 15 unto the first : Thou worshippest a non-existence ; to the second, Thou worshippest an idol ; to the third, Thou worshippest the true God. God, by reason of His Majesty, Is not known by the voice, But by a heavenly instinct of the spirit-essence Whereby He is beheld in true brightness. Those spirits who have attained this power And are confined in the fleshy cave, Perpetually pine and pant for freedom. So that they may be one with the Divine, But when they pass from the life of body, Their future lot is regulated by Law ; According to the natures they possessed, Are the spheres and forms which they join. Then was I divinely lifted in the spirit, into the glo- rious Presence of Light ; the Holy One was enthroned in the flower of fire ; the lightnings veiled Him in their darkness. And from the feet of His Throne, which was like a diamond stream, four rivers of dazzling flame came forth; they flowed into the channels of the clouds ; they rolled through the Universe. And I saw a Mountain of emerald, upon whose crest the sun did seem to couch ; so briUiant was its revolving glory j so luminous was its deep heart. The place was filled with Spirits of Heaven ; a wonder of wonders was that starry Palace ; the sky seemed one vast rainbow ; but the looks of the Spirits were indeed lovely. Of fire and sunshine were they formed; they 16 THE BOOK OF GOD. floated through the paradise-atmosphere ; they sang the glories of the Holy One with tongues of living flame. And he said : Behold the Glory of the First Cause ; and I looked ; I beheld that exquisite Light, high above all darkness, reflected in my own being ; I attained, as it were, to that God of gods, the noblest of all lights ; the Spirit-Sun, the Sovereign of the Sun-spheres ; the noblest of all lights. And in those splendid Halls of Light, with fire inter- mingled, and meteors and starbeams, I saw ten thousand thrones and seats of majesty, built upon gold and silver and precious stones ; every throne was made of diamonds and emeralds ; white diamond glittering like the rainbow, and red gold rich with gems of every colour. Without were mountains of emerald, whose length was a thousand years' journey; mountains of sapphire whose breadth was a thousand years' journey ; mountains of ruby of equal magnitude. And he said : — There is One, the First, who hath no beginning, who hath no end : He hath made all things. He governs all. He is infinitely good ; infinitely just. He illuminates ; He siistains ; He governs the Universe. And write thou over the gate of thy spirit these words, spirit ! place thou thine affections on the Creator. Put not thy trust in the kingdoms of the earth, for they who so trusted have all been destroyed. In the name of Adi Buddha, the Supreme, the Trium- phator, the Concealed Lord, the King of Mysteries, whose inner essence is as diamond : in his name I devote myself to that abstract devotion by which the supernatural is acquired. FO. , 17 thou Spirit of God, most heavenly, Keeping always the Sun in thy course, Whose garment is the rainbow of a thousand colours, May my soul grow lucid in thy love. Give unto me, O divine Spirit, Thy silver words, that I may feed on them ; Even as the bees pasture on fragrant honey ; Yet not easy is the attainment of the Beautiful. thou, from whom the orb of the Sun Draws its purest, loveliest light, May I see Thee in the Visions of God, — The most holy and divine of Visions. Star-crowned Spirit of the skies. Beneath whose feet is the crescent moon, And the moveable Universe with its vast expanse, With light illuminate my mind. Salutation to the Holy Ones : Adi Buddha and Isani ; The bright Sun in highest heaven ; The Moon shining above the pine-forest. Thou, Splendid One, art the Queen of Heaven ; the beauty of thy form illuminates all the ethereal expanse ; and sheds over the Worlds the luminous glory of ten thousand daughters of light. And he said : — That which shines lustrous above this world, above yonder heaven, and the whole world of stars, and above all worlds, whether large or small, is the same as that which shines within mankind. He ceased, and, I looked again, but I could see no 18 THE BOOK OF GOD. more ; I was lost in the overwhelming Light ; my soul died away ; my spirit fainted ; and every thought was tranced. Then said the Angel of the Lord : Behold ! Behold ! Arun ! awake ! And I looked again, and there was a Car of Fire Most wonderful and terrible to see. Twelve dragons drew it ; From their nostrils flashed lightnings ; They pawed the clouds ; they snorted proudly ; They arched their haughty necks, And on their shoulders I saw wings of sapphire, Glittering with the beauty of crystal ; And they looked at me with eyes of fire, Piercing as the sun's rays. But the chariot was a vibrating flame, Glorious and resplendent in lustre ; Living lightnings flashed therefrom ; The wheels were as the sun's orb. And in the Chariot a Spirit ; In his eyes the heavens seemed shrined ; He beckoned to me, and I was^uplifted Into the flashing seat. Then at a word we rose into space ; Into illimitable Darkness ; We saw the stars, in many myriads. Glittering like fires amid the Vast, Then we passed into a lone Sphere, A world as if without end ; A world of Glens and Mountains ; But no Waters were in that world. FO. 19 Silence sat upon those Mountains ; In silence did we pass over them ; They were as vast and hoary tombs ; An inexplicable mist of awe weighed me down. Voices like the winds of glens Seemed to sigh out of their dreary hearts ; The stars that shone over their peaks Seemed wrapped and drowned in tears. Beneath us were the great Oceans, Flowing into space illimitable ; Shining with the mingled splendour Of a myriad sims commingled. And the River of Heaven fair and lucid as the Moon, Rolling onwards with her masses of waters ; Flowing calmly in thousands of lines of waves, Through the regions of the Sun and shining Stars. From their essence the rapidly-flowing Oceans Draw the mighty dew that feeds them ; — And still I heard the Mystic Voices : I am the All. And I said : How can I fittingly declare these things 1 And he made answer : It is thine to declare them : this is thy duty. And he said : There is an old and a wise saying, Son ! They blame him who sits silent ; they blame him who speaks much ; they also blame him who speaks little. There is no one on earth who is not blamed. The mountain winds clashed. They passed like steeds of tempest, I saw their blue wings Outspread against the crystal skies. 20 THE BOOK OP GOD. In their billows were many shapes, The wanderers, the lost, the wild ; They looked at me with eager eyes Between the eddying mists. Black like the Tamala tree Were those dim and formless phantoms ; The passions, which are the lords of death. Glared in every look and movement. Sad the voice that pierced my soul ; Even my spirit grew into water ; The day — the gloomy day shall come ; It shall proclaim the deeds of darkness. The night may pass in songs, . But in the dawn there shall be sorrow. Like the moan on the beaten rock, Like the heavy sigh of the billow. Terrible in their number the spectres of death. As they float on the dusk waves ; But they who fix their eyes on the Sun Shall pass as in chariots of light. I said unto the Angel in me. Who be those Cloud-dwellers "i Borne along like wolves in torrents — How terrible axe their fierce struggles. He answered not ; he wept ; I saw his tears like large rain-drops ; And the raven-coloured clouds passed on With the wanderers, the wild, the lost. Dragon-Chief ! Thus this Angel spake ; Let no gloom be on thy brow. FO. 21 And no sorrow for the sons of sin. By their own wickedness have they fallen Into the dreary chasms ; And if they did not emerge by their own virtue, Know that they would be wicked evermore. Like cranes disporting below the clouds ; like fishes playing in the pool while the angler watches to entrap ; like gnats revolving in the twilight hour, are the vain and frivolous tribe of mortals ; such are their pursuits, and therefore are they here. But as eagles that soar in the pathways of the Sun, and mount almost to ether, the wise ascend sunward, until they reach the Golden Seats. CHAPTER III. On every vine tree grow three bunches : The first of these gives recreation ; The second inspires madness : The third brings sorrow and death. I cast my eyes earthward from the stars. And what did mine eyes behold 1 I saw fools planting poisons ; I saw them draining ofi' the venomous juice, Then they went forth to do evil ; They drew the bloody sword : They violated the home of innocence ; They spared not young or old. They overturned the altars of religion. 22 THE BOOK OP GOD. They cursed the name of God : They did all manner of wickedness, And were as madmen in their drunkenness. Nature blesses mortals in many things ; With the sun, the valleys and the seas ; With the stars and with the holy rainbow arch, But in none more than death. Man speaks of the dead who are indeed alive ; But it is man himself who is truly dead ; While the dead are in real life. And he, in flesh, but thinks he lives. He who abstracts himself from material things Is already half divine : But the dead are so abstracted, And continue so whUe of a spirit nature. The spirit transmigrating leaves the body ; It clothes itself in a watery veil of rain ; It falls again upon the earth ; It is absorbed into that with which it corresponds. The false cannot unite with the good : Nor the beautiful be joined with the evil : But the evil joineth itself to the evil. And the good goeth to the good. Wave ! wave ! have I not floated in thy bosom ] Wind ! hast thou not borne me in thine arm ? Fire ! have I not played amid thine eddying billows ? Earth ! have I not penetrated thy depths 1 Memory wanders back Amid the whirling clouds of a most deep gloom ; Back — ^baok, even unto the Star of Morning, And there it bathes and basks in light. ro. 23 I move again in many forms ; Through the myriad stages of life ; In waves, in winds, in fire, in earth ; As an arrow glides amid the air. Essence of rapid thoughts, Knowest thou what thou art ? Hasten to rejoin the One : Then only shalt thou be wise, Star ! A Voice came over the billows of flame, A Voice as of sweetest music ; A mighty soul spake within it : The caverns of ocean resounded. The Palace of the Lord of Light, Morning Star ! Is opened freely unto all : The lion may enter in : The lamb may there sojourn. I looked — I saw a roaring sea of fire ; Every wave was as a glittering sword : Flames darted, forked lightnings gleamed ; Yet in the distance I heard harps of heaven. thou Kapid Mover, Is this the hand thou offerest 1 Who can pass these waves of steel 1 Who can penetrate these darting spears 1 Soft and beautiful was the Voice That came upon the trembling winds : They lulled that lion-roar. And the harp-music alone was heard. Weave this ray of light around thy soul, Arun ! Make it fair as is the beam of the east : Be new bora unto thy Father — Then shalt thou safely pass. 24 THE BOOK OF GOD. We were borne forward on a thousand winds : The strife of flames, lightnings and tempests : Through darkling Vales and mighty Mountains, And over seas bursting out in founts of fire. The far distant plains glowed with agitated brightness ; We saw a throne and a shining Altar : And over these a Rain-bow Splendour, And the flash of a Virgin Shape. Thou who art arrayed in lotos flowers ; Beautiful as the Moon free from mists ; Bright Mirror, reflecting the Universe ; 1 see thee, like a spring morning. Salutation to the Holy Ones ! This is the Heaven called Teou-sou-tho ; A Heaven in the Virgin-sphere ; Eesplendent as the Moon when she casts her radiance From her full orb of silver. Fragrant with many odours ; Sweeter than those of the full-blown jasmine ; Here we saw celestial flower-rainers ; Beautiful in uncounted myriads. Euler of Fire, Who speakest from the four-sided ; Bright as the sun I see Thee With thy thousand thousands of the starry. , 1 see Thee lift the Sword-Sceptre Over the sacred Vase of the Nine, Warmed by the Divine Breath, AO, Shili-On and Wei : The thunder rolls in mists Amid the Shining Ones ; FO. Under the Gates of Darkness The mighty Ar-Thor gleams. He wields the Golden Sword ; But in his breast is the Sceptre, Bright as the sun in tempest Is the sheen of his dazzling light : He comes — He comes — his trumpet voice EoUs amid the sweet echoes : The Sword-Bearer — the Sword-Bearer ! , I faint away in clouds of light. Splendid is the moment of his epiphany : An incomparable Light illumes the earth ; The blind receive their sight ; The deaf hear ; the dumb speak. Those whose bodies are bent stand up ; The lame walk with ease ; The bound are made free ; Those who sit in darkness see the sun ; Abundant rains fall upon the desert ; Fountains of pure water burst forth ; The winged sing delightfully ; The five lotos flowers expand. The earth seems as it were a garden ; Lilies seem falling from heaven ; The stars dance in their circles ; The Sun and Moon shine with purer brightness ; Spirits gliding through the golden air Crown him with invisible flowers ; Enrobe him in a garment of perfumes And breathe beauty all around. Their faces shone like jewels ; Golden-coloured their lovely forms ; "'.^i 26 THE BOOK OF GOD. Thus Nature, and the divine in Nature, Hail the holy epiphany. Twelve Men of Heaven, Morning Stars, Saw I then amid the Vast ; Their faces were the faces of men. But all the rest was serpent-formed. Like the first-bom of the Invisible Father, Beauty gleamed around them ; By altars of mighty stone they stood With golden chaplets on the head. And over each I saw suspended The Winged Dragon, Wisdom : It stood emitting light, At which the sun's splendour paled. And thus I heard it speak Amid that starry Vast : I am the First ; I also am the Centre of all things : My name is He who is ; I spake : the Universe shone ; I am the All ; And I also do preserve AU. I was at first ; Even I, not any other ; I was that which existed Unperceived, supreme : Afterwards I am that which is ; And He who must remain am I : Except the First Cause, All that appears and all that appeareth not, In the mind or in the eye, Fo. 27 Is but a dream of dreams ; Darkness in the middle of light ; Darkness in light ; As the great elements are in various beings, Entering, yet not dissolving ; Thus I am in all. Yet am I not in them. Thus far mayest thou know, Who seekest to know the First Principle ; It is He who is Everywhere eternally. CHAPTER IV. And a Voice said : — Beautiful, Ari, are thy labours ; The spreading of thy strength is like fire ; Mighty are thy loins ; Before thee, the earth veils her head. Unsheathe thy golden sword. Lift it high ; brandish it in heaven ; Let its naked edge shine. And fill the wicked with dismay. Sin-Zeu ! Ari-Nar ! From the Orb of Fire-Portals I see thy chariot drawn by the flame-breathers ; Thunder rolls in their dark manes. One, mighty as the Sun, Arose ; and sings thy praises ; G 2 28 THE BOOK OF GOD. Darkness veiled thy lightning path, But thy steeds roll in terrible light ; They pass through the Sacred Circle ; Dark are the mists that veil them ; Fiery clouds ; vapours of shadowy gleam, And the stately shapes of the fire-zoned. Whose name is in thy Book 1 Amen ! I say that he shall live ; But who is in the Dark Tablets t He shall be rolled as the blast of winter. I looked ; I gazed intently ; Like a house of glass the evil glittered ; The sun gleamed ; the fire steeds thundered ; They passed ; I saw a wilderness. And he said : — By the mystery of the White Stone ; By the Stone of Black ; By the gloomy Sceptre of Terrors ; By the holiness of the Prophetic Cofier, I pray thee, I abjure, I give command ; Keveal not unto mortals this Secret of God ;* Let it be hidden in the glens of thy soul As the queen bee within the hive. Here, in a blaze of light flashing from God, Which illuminated eighty thousand worlds, I saw Eishi Metteyyo ; A shower of heavenly flowers fell over him. I bear witness ;^thus he spake : There is no God but God ; * That of the Splendid Cycle which had just beea revealed. Fo. 29 He has no partner ; Wise is lie who holds this creed ! In his hand a clqud-like Sword-Sceptre, Emitting lightnings like stars, Like the globe of the sun dispersing mist ; Like the Engyeng Tree diffusing perfume. He who worships any idol, And thinks it equal to God, Is like the fool who dug his well beside The flowing waters of the Yellow Eiver. And I heard a Sacred Voice : The Universe was produced by God, The Empyrean, Darkness, Waters and the Earths, The immortal Spirits of the spheres and stars ; — These come from His fruitful bosom. He is the First. He is the Last ; He is the Beginning, and He is the End, He is the Father and the Virgin-Mother, The Life, the Cause, the Energy, the Passive nature. From Him do all things draw their origin ; He is the One Sole Power ; The One only God ; The One and Universal King. God is neither Fire, nor Earth, nor Water, nor Air ; These are objects of the senses ; But the Spirit that is the Cause of the Universe, And the Essence and Principle of Beauty. Beware ! humanize not thy God as others do ; Assigning to the Universal the passions of a man ; Believe not that He is of man's form ; Because thou knowest not any other. 30 THE BOOK OF GOD. Eeduce Him not to thy level ; But elevate thyself to His Majesty ; He who aspireth after the mountains Shall reach their summit if he perseveres. Wouldst thou be brave ? Have valiant thoughts ; Wouldst thou be pious ? Have holy longings ; Wouldst thou know the God who is in Heaven 1 Know Him then to be the Perfect ; But ask not to see the form of God ; The form of the Formless Invisible ; Upon whose glory in its splendid flame Could no man look, and live. And he said : Show me the man or spirit, In the broad earth or in the shining he'aven. Who rightly understands what God is ; — And I wiU show thee God himself. Verily there is not any one among created beings, Who can in the least comprehend God ; Or any of His mighty lineaments or features, Or any of His transcendent faculties or attributes. God is like the Sun ; — Whosoever rashly contemplates His light, Blinded and confused by the dazzling beam. He shall not discover aught of God. The more he looks, the more he sees Darkness ; If he looks for any length of time Darkness makes him wholly blind. But he who wisely seeketh Truth, Which is the clear reflection of God's beauty, Shall behold many of her charms ; FO. 31 Though not the whole while he is bound in earth. The very inmost thoughts of man Are not so intimately known to himself As they are unto the Lord God ; Yet He himself is veiled in the Impenetrable. The wicked man sayeth in his heart, I will not believe because I cannot see ; As if God or Truth could ever be beheld By the carnal eyes of the impure. These are they who like unto worms, Crawl upon the earth all their days ; Lifting not their spirits ever unto Him Who sits enthroned in the Empyrean. God Eternal, let us give thee thanks For aU the things that we possess ; For Thou alone providest for us all, And givest unto all from thine abundance. Son ! erect not images of God ; The Pure Deity is Unseen ; He needeth not any symbols ; He asketh not for any representation. He is the all-enveloping One, Who fills all places with His presence ; He cannot be encompassed by the imagination. Nor represented by all the wit of man. Verily these devices lead to evil ; Turning away the thoughts and eyes of the ignorant From the Heavenly One of Pure Light To earthliness, mortality and corruption. Some affix tablets in their houses, Inscribed with the Holy Name of God ; '32 THE BOOK OF GOD. To these they turn when they pray ; Nor do they yet know of idols. But in process of time these tablets Are removed, and images are substituted ; Thus image-worship begins, And all is evil and confusion. If ye want an image, look upon the Sun When he walks all-glorious in the day ; If ye seek a symbol, look upon the Night, When garmented in ten thousand stars. But beware that ye worship not the Sun, When he rises in the east, or sinks into the west ; Neither pay obeisance to any of the Stara, Nor to the Moon, nor to any Planet. Neither bow ye before the Mountains, Nor address ye prayers to the Elvers, Nor kneel to Fountains or to Lakes as holy. Nor pay ye any offerings unto the Woods. All these are but idle ceremonies ; The whisperings of an irrational folly — But to the Invisible One alone pray ye. Who hath made all these. Guiding with His hand over the broad Heaven The circular dance of Time. By His will He hath formed all beautiful creations ; Images of His own perfections ; In harmony, they resemble Him, and in their lucid order; In their laws which never vary. The sun, the rainbow, and the constellations ; The angelic choirs of Spirits and Existences ; The rose-tree flowering in the wilderness ; The fountain springing from its limpid well. FO. His royal intellect is the principle of motion ; The primal source of virtue and vitality ; Which He imparts in beautiful abundance To every particle of the Universe. From His own essence He emits divine emanations, Which diffuse through all things the splendour of beauty; He guides them by an ineffable wisdom, Regulating a worm by the ordinances that rule a world. Lord of Lords ! thou art our refuge and our strength ; Thou art the Supreme Happiness of all who seek Thee ; The life and being of all Spirits ; The very soul and spirit of all that hath animation. Those change, albeit Thou changest not. For Thy Divine Nature is immutable ; The Perfect cannot vary ; The Eternal cannot alter in the least thing. May the King resemble thee in all things, Until he be bom again into pure light ; Until his spirit passes bright as iire Into the glorious heaven, Galdan. Thence may it ascend through many a zone Until it reach the Virgin-Sphere, Where all the Holy live In the sunshine of the Beatific Vision. God ! whose glory is so great, That it hath no image of its majesty. Let us all adore Thee in the contemplation of thy Divine Works, Which all bespeak their wondrous Author. Eternal One, who didst create the Universe, To Thee let the glory of the structure be ascribed ; 34 THE BOOK OF GOD. The frame itself is the most noble masterpiece ; And thou, the Architect most excellent and divine. CHAPTEK V. "We saw mighty Spheres ; The High which is the Celestial ; The Low, which is the Infernal ; The Middle, which is the Spirit-Orb, There did we learn that all are equal. There are no divisions before God ; They are all from One Father ; And all from the same Essence. The king is not different from the beggar. The outcast differs not from the high priests ; ■Chance alone operates upon human birth ; Human birth but tries men's souls. let no man be respected but for his merit ; This is the Law of God and Justice ; All honour paid to the unworthy is a lie ; Ho is a liar who gives that honour. The man who is followed because of birth or fortune Is but a hollow image of the truly noble ; The Wise behold and despise his undeservings ; But slaves fall down and worship. O thou friend and kinsman of the Sun, Set thy mind straight against this sin ; Proclaim it far and wide over the earth, That the possession of gold is no virtue. Tell and teach all mankind FO. 35 That God regards not the gold-hoarder ; But that all men and women are equal, Rich and poor, and high and low. Goodness of disposition and purity of heart Alone constitute a beautiful Spirit ; Mere lineage is not deserving of respect ; It is honourable only when dignified by virtue. A royal-born man is but a slave Whose heart is blackened by baseness ; A slave-bom man may give lustre to a throne If his heart is the seat of virtue. Until the rich cease to move in classes, While they separate themselves from the humble. Living as if they belonged to another Sphere, Without exhibiting a lively interest in the poor ; Mingling not in their circles ; Making them not their friends ; So long the Cause of God on earth Will make but tardy progress. We passed those giant Mountains, Whose name is Zach-i-a-va-la j Girding the Middle Orb all round With a barrier that no fallen Spirit can pass, They arise out of vast Oceans, Of white, of green, of yellow, and dark red ; And the Air in these Mountains Is of finest, purest Ether. They arise out of vast Oceans ; The summit is Miemmo ; There is the Magnet, Zi-la-pa-ta-vi, Of gold, of glass, of silver, and of dark-red ruby. 36 THE BOOK OF GOD. Son ! pay heed unto my words ; That which I declare is Truth ; It is like the flower of Udumbara, Not always seen, not always to be found. Not by the understanding only is Truth perceived. But by the other faculties of the mind ; As the Sun is not the object of the eye alone. But of the sense of feeling and delight. And like the solar orb also is that Truth, To shine over aU the earth of mortals ; Alike beautifiil in all places ; Alike beneficent unto all beings. We saw the sacred Trees, Zaba, Under a girdling sky of stars ; With golden blossoms and silver leaves. The Zaba Trees shine. And lambent flames of ever-changing colour Glide like birds amid their branches ; Or glittering gems from the sea-beds ; Or emeralds from the mountain Rohanachal. They are loaded with sweet fruits ; Of an odour so sweet and powerful That when the winds blow among their leaves, The fragrance travels a thousand leagues. We saw Jou-Mou, the Tree of Obedience, Beautiful with Ten Flowers ; Their light outshines the Sun ; Their glory reaches to the Worlds of Man. Streams of aromatic waters glide Through a thousand winding ways Into the great Oceans Fo. 37 That bind these mighty Mountains. And there are Gardens and Wildemosscs ; Paradise-bowers of the Padesa Trees ; Which produce all that the heart desires According to the high exalted fancy. And palaces with pillars of silver And domes of gold and pearls, And sapphires blue as the blue feathers In the peacock's shining neck. And I saw one of the Mighty — He bore the symbol of the Moon ; He came from Arupadhatu ; And in his hand Vaj-Eaynda, This is is the Sword of AVaving Flame ; Terrible as a lion in his strength ; Resplendent as the meridian Sun ; All who see it tremble and fall down. Here I saw the Water-Dragon ; Here I learned Truth and Wisdom ; And received the Sacred Eoll Which holds the Heaven-Law. And I saw the Golden Mirror, The record of good and evil ; Some of the pages diamonds ; Some were black stones. A pure and glorious Lake of Waters, Covered thickly with lotos flowers ; Odoiirs of the sweetest fragrance ; Sunshine of most dazzling splendour. In every lotos-couch a happy Spirit Gazing with delight upon the Divine Beauty : 38 THE BOOK OF GOD. While songs, and music, and. sweet echoes, Were all blended with the Lake. The water-lily faces of these beautiful ones Brightened like flowers as the cold season departs. Their garments were a field of stars Shining in heaven resplendently. A Glory whirled by me ; A flight of happy Spirits ; Light streamed from their limbs — Music breathed around. Like a forest of harps it sounded ; Peace entered the soul Through Fountains of the Stars they passed. Even still that melody echoes through me. CHAPTER VI. O, THO0, Lady of Beauty ; Tse ; Isani ; Thou Tree clothed in light, Shall I seek Thee in the silent hills When the rainbow spans the sky 1 Shall I follow Thee to the wasted Mountain Over whose brow the wind sweeps 1 Or bend before Thee by the lake When the storm-cloud rends its heart '? The Sacred Voice. They wander over the hills and waters ; They make the welkin rich with light ; Fo. 39 They breathe — they speak— they make thee tremble, thou bom in fire, seek me not in them. Go thou, Preacher, Into the land that is called Aurora of the East ;* There separate the Light from Darkness ; Breathe morning breath upon its people. Many are they who upon waves of flame. Upon surging fires waft thee beauty — They bear thy spirit into the Sanctuary ; — Tremble not, Child of Heaven ! but follow. There is a green and holy solitude In which thou mayest pray to God ; There the tempest never blows. Nor is the peal of clouds heard. star-bright Splendour of the Supreme Heavenly ; The Love-Difiuser, the Queen of Waters — The Sanctuary, the inmost Shrine, Around whose silver feet beauty flows in streams. Sovereign of the City of Shining Streams. Lotos-seat of the Supreme Being, Whose face gleams forth Lions of God, Whose smile is of the Dove. Before thy lily footstool I confess, 1 bow me down : I bend : I faint : My soul is in a rapture of devoted feeling ; Virgin-Matron be thou my Intercessor. Thou art — ^yet thou art not — a Goddess ; In fire, from thy Chair, sun-beam-life flows. Shall I worship 1 or merely venerate 1 * Chin-tan, or China-land, has this beautiful meaning. 40 THE BOOK OF GOD. The Sacred Voice. Bow thee unto Him of the Ancient Thrones ; Bow thee not to me : Veil thine heart and with snow-white feet Enter into the One Presence. AO, TAO, thou One God, The Good Spirit — the Eternal ; May I ascend before thee in the Formless World, And Thou absorb me in Niban. God Eternal, answer thou my prayer. My soul is softened with dews and hot with flame ; It longs to soar from the oppressor. As a mist flows over the mountains. It is attracted to yet touches them not, — Even so, Rainbow, with wings outspread. Would I rise in light beyond the water-lilies : A Priest of the Sun and Moon, With the sacred signet on the thigh. Adi Buddha ! Thou All-produciug, thou Eternal Fire. Most Ancient ; Thou, the All-powerful, hear me. He who is visible, yet cannot be seen. He is named I ; He who can be understood, yet is heard not. Is named HI ; He who is sense, yet cannot be touched. Is named WEI. ■In vain shalt thou seek to comprehend Him ; He is Three — Three in One. FO. 41 God, thou Holy and Eternal One — Existent before all worlds ; Present everywhere without time or place. Thou whose Throne is of emeralds ; Thou whose 'crown is the Rainbow, Streams of fire are all around Thee. Wonderftd is that rosary of thine, Whose every bead is a star ; Be it mine to reach their height. May we revere, and love, and serve Thee ; May we injure no man : Adi Buddha ! Adi Buddha! Then did I exclaim aloud : Oh ! that I could see the Form of God ! And a Voice answered, saying : Ari-ma-di-ya ! Child of the Tree of Beauty ; Son of Maia ! What finite spirit can behold the Infinite 1 or endure the mystic splendours of the Presence 1 He must de- part if he would not be lost in light : he must adore Him in the symbols of His Beauty. But let him take heed lest he err therein, or that in his adoration he may mistake the False for the True and Sacrosanct. They who behold the Vision of God Are unable to endure with permanence The splendours of the Divine and Eadiant No more than man can gaze upon the sun. And as a man, when dazzled by the sunlight, 42 THE BOOK OF GOD. Views the herbage, or flowers of the garden, Or fixes his gaze upon cool waters. Or seeks the green shade of trees ; Befreshing his wearied glance with these images Of the shining body of all pervading Nature. So Spirits dazzled in the same manner Seek out in other forms pictures of the Divine. Apart, a little while from Celestial Beauty, They solace themselves with representations ; Thus sometimes do they fall into error. Mistaking Falses for Truths. Hence evil and a train of evils : Hence sometimes even a lapse of the Spirits ; Hence the absolute necessity imposed on all beings Of knowledge guided by wisdom. Ever wary, ever prudent, As a beautiful Virgin who guards her treasure. It behoves even the Archangelio to be If they would not fall from Heaven. And he said : Spirit-Husbandman ! The denial of God by the ignorant man, Whose inner-essence is cloud. Is as if the blind denied the Light ; And said : There are no stars in heaven. And he spake thus : O Son ! askest thou the form of the Most High God 1 Or the breadth or circuit of His Thrones ? Canst thou fathom His incomprehensible glory 1 Canst thou ascend into His Holy Dwelling ? Know that the personification of the energies of God, Fo. 43 And of the mighty Powers of the Universe, Leads directly to polytheism and idolatry, — Avoid it as thou wouldst shun a plague. For as the eye of man cannot behold the Lord, Because He is a Pure Spirit of Fire, So the eye of the holy cannot behold an image, Because it is the work of earthly hands. Son ! in thine heart alone frame An idea of that Splendid Figure Who filleth all places with His Light ; Who is Fire and Ether and Sunbeams. He is Pure Flame : Flame without a particle of vapour : The Lord of Past, Present and Future, Who to-day and always, is One and the same. What symbol made by human hand Can represent this wondrous Being ? What starry sign even in the high heavens Is not darkness when contrasted with His glory 1 Son ! He is perfectly resplendent ; He fills all both within and without ; The quarters of the heavens and Time began with the suii, But God is before the sun. He is all that hath been, and all that is ; He is all that shall be ; and all are in His being ; He hath neither back nor side ; He is all face, and all are face to face with Him ; He is the type of Light ; He is invincible and hath no equal or second ; He is Justice and everlasting Bliss — Seek these things therefore or their likes. God is the AU-powerful, the All-Knowing ; 44 THE BOOK OF GOD. The sentient Cause of the Universe ; He is the brilliant golden Essence Seen within the Solar Orb. He is the Eternal Happiness and Light ; The Ethereal Element of all things ; The breath from which all beings emerge, And to which they all return. He is the Lord of all ; the Spirit of all ; Who hath no equal and no second ; He is the Light which shines in Heaven, And in all places high and low. Everywhere throughout the Universe, And within the animated being ; The Spirit-Soul, the Self-Intelligent. Eternal and eternally beneficent. God calls man to universal brotherhood ; Wherefore God's religion is also universal ; Eeason not of His designs from what thou seest j I'or on the earth all is imperfect. Wouldst thou judge of a temple by its wreck ? Neither shouldst thou of the spirit of man, For that,- verily, is not what it was ; But it has faUen down into a ruin. Like a wandering leaf blown hither and thither. It rests in no place, nor for any time ; Seeking peace, the repose of heaven. In a thousand conflicting systems. When all was void — perfect void — Triliteral AUM became manifest ; The First-created, the IneiFably Splendid, FO. 45 Surrounded by the All as by a necklace. He bedecked the firmament with stars ; He ennobled the Spheres with existences ; He placed the Moon, a pearl in the sky, An amulet on the breast of a virgin. He wove the sunbeams of pure light, Making them finer than air, And formed the fair rainbow To overarch the broad hemisphere. Son ! write upon thy soul These Visions which I now make manifest ; Write them, and forget them not ; If thou prize the knowledge which thou seekest. All the things of earth and mortals That shine the brightest are least to be desired ; The unwise covet them night and day ; They gain them and curse their lost labour. Go forth and preach, Morning Star ! Renew the fading form of the Beautiful ; Numerous are the nations of the unreasonable Who want the Sun and Moon for their cart wheels. Teach them to abandon false religion. The worship of the elements and of idols ; To put their faith in Him alone Who made the elements to be His servants. Let them look upward and see the Sun Going his round every day like a servant ; Doing as his master biddeth : Seeing this let them adore God. Sovereign Creator of all Worlds ; Lord of the Heavens and the Earths ; 46 THE BOOK OF GOD. Before whom shall man bow If thou, his Father, dost abandon him ? God ! thou art a Spirit upon a boundless Ocean ; They who would approach Thee, must lull the waves ; They must appease the agitated waters, All around must be serene light. In mind tranquil : in temper steady ; Absorbed in beautiful thoughts ; In thoughts reposing only on the Supreme — Thus may they reach the Idea of the Holy One. And the Spirit said : Whoso places his reliance on the rich, On kinsmen, or on children, or on lands, * Or any other transitory thing, Cannot with propriety be called happy. God is the surest dependence ; He alone supports a man ; Not indeed with carnal things. But with the food that keeps his spirit bright. What, though to men he seemed to perish ; To be an outcast and a miserable wanderer ; If thou couldst see his inner nature, Thou wouldst behold it crowned with flowers. The many, who are grossly ignorant, Are captivated by the false and fleeting ; They judge of all things by externals ; With them gold hides all rotteimess. If the star-bright Seven were on earth, And did not wear purple robes, The vain multitude would despise them, And foUow after gain with greed. Fo. 47 The wicked abound in wealth While the Sons of God want many things ; Yet sooner would I dwell among these Than be crowned the ruler of the undeserving, God suflfereth the sinner a long time ; He endureth the days of the evil-doer ; He does not smite the evil with his thunders : But in His mercy He spares him still. How shall such a one be if he repenteth not 1 If he tumeth away from his Father in Heaven ? Shall he not fear to look upon himself Lest he sees his obduracy graven on his brow ? An Act of Devotion Now have I devoted myself unto the Lord God ; I have dedicated my whole life to His behests ; I have vowed a vow to follow Truth ; And to reveal the light of Wisdom to mankind. Scarcely have I risen from my knees, when lo ! The sense of my own unworthiness presses on me like night ; I am filled with deep humiliation ; I am smitten in mine inmost heart. Mine eyes are filled with tears ; I tremble like a young pine-tree in the blast ; My knees totter ; I am affrighted and afilicted j I am loaded with a sense of mine unworthiness Beautiful AO, dweller in the dark place ; Thou Swan careering in the Sun ; I see Thee borne on by lions ; Eed their eyes with living flame. A Silver Cloud of splendid light Is over, under, and around Thee ; 48 THE BOOK OF GOD. And thou, with wings outspread, Art borne amid the Heavenly ether ; Daughter of Fire, give me thy blessing ! Sadness creeps over my human nature ; How can I endure the chain of life If thou, Child of Loveliness, soothest me not 1 In a Glory she flashed, Waving wings innumerable ; The Universe seemed on fire. So quick, so wondrous was the Glory. She gave me a Pearl-Book, Blazing with the light of a thousand moons ; From her Sun-bosom it came ; Men ! this is its transcript. My spirit rose in splendid aspiration ; The Sun, the Moon were beneath my feet : 1 soared through an illimitable Infinite ; I was all fire and ether. What is the gleam that sparkles in the gem ? Is it animated, or a reflection only 1 Into such a gleam I was transfused, Million-coloured like Ti-o-so-to.* CHAPTER VII. Then I saw an Angel of the Lord, He rode through heaven on a Dragon, The name of one of the Paradise-Spheres. FO. 49 Tast were its golden wings, And bright as fires its flashing eyes ; Clouds of flame were over him ; And olouds of flame beneath his feet ; But he rode undismayed and without harm ; They touched not the Dragon nor its Rider. And through the Oceans of Light they passed, And through the isle-like Stars ; And thunders sounded, and trumpets clanged, And great was the majesty of their going forth. Like flashing meteors Over the dark violet of the skies. Was the quick and fiery flight Of the Dragon-borne Angel of God. Then entered he into the body of the Sun, And into its heart of living lightnings, And the Sun received him, as the sea opens Her emerald gates when the Sun sinks. And I said unto the Angel : Sir, who is this ] He answered : The Messenger of God, Who, when the cycle cometh, Passeth through the Fire-fountains. There doth he make his spirit strong, And girds it with living flame ; For his journey is beset with toil. With sorrows, snares, and tribulations ; Nevertheless he fainteth not, For he is the Minister of the Supreme ; Yet wears he not the diadem of thorns Or the robe of death without regret. Music from the dark clouds, D 50 THE BOOK OP GOD. Slowly sailing over the mountains ; Music from the flame-mists, That rose out of the far-ofif waters ; God be with thee, Viswabhu ! Thus they seemed to say. My spirit rushed upon that stream of song. And was borne in its mystic eddies. Om. Behold, I reveal unto thee sacred conceptions of the Deity ! man, receive them not with mockery. There is a secret influence in the spirits of all beings, which teaches them to venerate the Great God, their Lord, their Father, and their Guardian. Herein they follow that in- effable impression of Divinity and Love which He hath stamped on existences, so that they may confess His high transcendency, and may always desire to be reunited to Him, whose brightness, purity, and j)aradise they have quitted. This is that solemn indication of God's pre- sence, which every spirit hath that emanates from Him. Reverence be unto Thee, Adi Buddha ! Again and again, reverence, Thou who art all in all. Great is thy power, and great is tliy glory ; Thou art the Father of all things ; Therefore do I bow down and crave thy love. Bear with me as a Father with a son ; A friend with a friend ; A lover with the beloved. Amen. Adoration to the Blessed-Perfect ; Adoration to the Most Wise. Through various transmigrations I must travel, if I do not discover FO. 51 Adi Buddha, -whom I seek. Painful are repeated transmigrations ! I have seen the Architect, and said, Thou shalt not build me another house. Thy rafters are broken. Thy roof timbers scattered. Thy mind is detached from all existing objects, I have attained to the extinction of desire. Storm was on the face of the sky The glorious Stars were hidden ; There was no Moon ; A sea-like mist loomed in pale vapour. I heard a Spirit- Voice, Clear as from a crystal tube ; It came ; a sunbeam ; It filled my soul with splendours. The Being of beings is the only God, Eternal, Everywhere present. Who comprises all things. There is no God but He. He comprehends all ; He is not comprehended ; — Blessed be His Holy Name. Sea-mew with thy burning wings. What dost thou say 1 — • reed breathing music. Let thy holy spirit enter mine. — Seek the Sacred Sanctuary of Waters ; Nor bow in fear before the searwolves ; D 2 52 THE BOOK OF GOD. Every man would be a Child of Light, If he did not pander to the Children of Earth. I see that face of golden brightness, That form, -pure as moonlight ; Ha-Ri, Spirit of the Universe ; Bless thy Vai-va-swa-ta. Then She showed me a mighty multitude, Wandering spirits lost in Darkness ; They cried out for Light, but found it not ; They lifted' them to Heaven, but could not ascend. All these do I give thee, said the Spirit, That they may become thy followers in the faith ; Those who live according to thy precepts Shall wander no more through Chaos. Light, surpassing Light shone upon them Like descending flowers as She spake ; They raised their eyes in sadness ; We are not ashamed to learn wisdom. CHAPTER VIIL And there was a Divine Silence ; And I listened ; And I heard another Voice, as of Waters, As of the solemn sacred Thunders. Blessed is he who can refresh his spirit with Nature ; Who maketh to himself friends in forest and stream ; Wb-O clasps the mountains to his heart ; And feels the ocean-echo in his soul. FO. Son ! walk thou forth hefore me, And delight thyself with her unbounded vistas. Opening ever to the living and the dead In one perpetual Dream of Beauty. If to the limited eye of mortals Her loveliness is so transcendent, What must it not be when as Winged Essences They are able to mingle amid the All 1 Nature ! how sacred is thy loveliness ! What a divine teacher of the soul art thou • Methinks I hear thee whisper to my spirit In words of song like these : God who hath so adorned the Universe, En-rying to no creature the beauty that is in it. Framing all things in perfect order, Bringing to pass all that is desirable. Is herein demonstrated unto every mind To be entire Goodness, Wisdom and Power ; Truth also, because He is the Principle of Truth, Even as the Sun is the Central Light There is no man in all the earth Who can know the nature of the Messenger ; Though the wise were many as the trees of the forest. Still they oould not comprehend him. And the Law which he brings from Light ; Even this they can but know in part ; It hath a soul and spirit hidden within it Which it would take years and years to understand. Does this invalidate the Law ? Nay, it but makes it stronger and more beautifiil ; It is a mine in which you may dig for ever, And for ever find the rarest Jewels. 54 THE BOOK OF GOD. I saw a Flame of Fire unspeakable Issue from the four ends of the Cloudy Mist ; It struck the whirling earth, The Waters rolled and raged ; They ran away from the immense steppes, They split the mountains and the rocks, The Golden City rose on high, And then it sank for ever. The four directing Angels, White, black, red and blue Eaised their high and solemn voices, Which passed through the divine Universe. Fire, Air, Water, Earth, And in the centre the Tower of God, And the light of the fire-formed Ether — These things seemed gifted with life. And numerous as the stars of heaven Were the showers of fiery light ; And rivers with a flaming mouth And the eagle-winged serpents. But the Spirit of Peace arose. Wearing the impress of the Eternal, The pale abstraction of the Beautiful, Mantled in the Veil of moonbeams. And in her holy hand she bare The Laws of God on the Tablets of Heaven ; They were as diamonds exquisitely polished. Gleaming as in solar fires. Then cried out unto me another Voice, It came from amid the Seven : God ! be merciful ! FO. ijS God ! be merciful ! The sinful have said in their hearts, No eye sees \is : God sees them : Yea, their own spirits see, and cry out against them; OiFend not that conscious spirit. The pure interior witness of men ; Bear in mind that it watches thee ever ; That thy sins are written in its book. It watches thee in sleep ; It sees thee in thy walsing hours ; It registers thy very thoughts ; It makes record of all thy words, It whispers within thee at all times. Study Universal Nature ; That which accords with her laws Agrees always with the true. The Great Unity comprehends Three, The Three are One ; The One is Three- Spirit, Soul, Matter. Who shall resist him Whom God leadeth by the hand ] Whose heart is breathed upon into lotos flowers By the lotos-breath of the Most High 1 He shall in all things preside ; He shall administer public justice ; Let him be honoured by old and young ; Let his tongue interpret truth. He shall not meddle with blood, He shall not mix in wars ; 56 THE BOOK OF GOD. He shall pray in secret to the Secret To beautify his soul with wisdom. And as I heard those words, behold, the fires flashed I the lightnings quiyered ! the thunders rolled through the trembling atmosphere. And Voices were heard, and the sound of trumpets ; the very Universe seemed rent and shaken. The clouds of tempest ; the hiss of the storm ; The fire of night rolled in many currents ; Darkness entered into my soul ; God ! Most High, where am I ? Thunders echoed round me. Like the roll of the terrible ocean, Be thou in heart like steel ; Strong as the lion's rock. 1 saw an Image ; a waving Eagle ; From his eyes an eclipse of light and dark ; Follow thou that Mountain Bird ; He is the Splendid Soarer. And I looked, and lo ! there were Seven, and they were arrayed in the sun, and the stars of heaven crowned their brows, and they spake with tongues of fire : Arise ! array thee in the priestly robe, and put upon thine head the mitre of godliness ; and take the stole of faith and the breastplate of truth. And they clothed me, saying : Be thou henceforth ths clothed of heaven ; go forth and teach, even as thou hast been commanded. And I looked, and behold, a ladder of light; it seemed let down into a deep Abyss ; it was of the purest light that ever shone. "■ Fo. 57 The top of the ladder was above the height of heaven ; but the bottom was lost in the horror of darkness. And we descended the ladder, quicklier than the light- ning shoots across the sky ; and lo ! we were in the horror of darkness ; and it was the Earth of man. CHAPTER IX. / worship the God, who is worthy of homage Who possesses an intuitive knowledge of Good. ■ Son ! God ceaseth not at any moment to emanate spirit-life ; He is a Creator ; He never is at rest. The body is a dead thing ; it is pure matter ; it is all clay ; but the spirit giveth life ; it animates the dull clod with true vitality. The body is the servant ; the spirit is the king and ruler. Whatsoever is most ancient is most noble, as being more nearly allied to the Eternal ; but spirit is more noble than irrational body ; therefore spirit is more ancient and existed before it. For though the body is a combination of various matter, only not eternal in respect of deep antiquity, yet is the vital spirit, which is a nobler thing, older still, which proves it to be the direct emanation from the Father. And as it brought life into the body it is immortal ; for that which giveth life cannot receive death ; wherefore being immortal, it is indestructible also, and from One Almighty Fountain it has flowed. For men would not be able to communicate together if the spirit that is within them were not one 58 THE BOOK OF GOD. and the same, any more than those tribes could converse ■with cue another whose languages or dialects were widely different. And if the spirit be one and the same, then indeed it can only come from One Fountain, and not from diiFerent or several Fountains : and this One Fountain is God. The things we learn are those which not only all may know. But which indeed it is incumbent upon all to know ; For no man can live well But lie who knows and regulates his life by these. Myriadfold is the spiritual condition. None but God who knoweth all, knoweth this. They are disseminated through the Circles whose vast circumferences form the All-Sphere. The wildernesses of Space are legioned with life ; with self-impelling essences and natures that have being. They possess wiU, thought, judgment, fear and love, and all the passions that are in animated form. In essence they are more swift than lightning. In force more terrible than thunder ; brighter than the flashing rays of the sun in his strength, and everlasting in their energy and fire. The very bodies that to the senses seem inanimate are instinct with this essence of vitality. The amber draws the thread, the magnet attracts the steel. This inner moving force of theirs is spirit — ^the spirit is circumfused amid the All. Even so the sun feeds upon the waters, and the moon upon the splendour of the sun. Thus the Universe is ensouled by the aU-pervading Soul of the Spirit of God, who animates it with everlasting fire j whose moving vktue makes it a divine thing. Fo. 59 The over-ruling influence of the Supreme' Father Is felt throughout the mighty universe ; From Him flows all the good that mortal men possess ; Light, Beauty, Truth, Reason, Love and Justice. This Spirit is everlasting, immaterial and indivisible ; resembling Grod from whom it came ; unaffected by the passions of desire ; a perfume of pure light. It is con- joined to the body by a vital soul ; a subtle essence dif- fused through animated life. In this desire exists — ^for the body is matter and hath no passion. And as the spirit hath affinity to the soul, so hath the soul affinity to the body. If each did not imperceptibly link with each, there could be no union of the three in representa- tive life. If, therefore, the soul becomes subject to the spirit, and beautifully obeys its pure and sacred precepts, both ascend into the Celestial Splendour, like rays of light or strains of music. But if the soul becomes sub- ject to the body ; using the body for the purposes of desire, then it descends into terrestrial places ; darkness sinking into utter darkness. And the spirit also which is its immortal principle, assimilating itself to the corrupt and sensualized soul, whereof it was impure enough to become the servant, changes and descends with the soul into lower existence. I worship the Adorable, who is worthy of aU homage : who is radiant with the Twelve Glories, and who possesses all wisdom. O Thou, who art the Supreme Being, Hear me; Thou, the Principle of Truth, Guide me. O Thou, who art the Spirit of Wisdom, 60 THE BOOK OF GOD. Teach me. Thou, the Universal Soul who pervadest and dost penetrate all things, Fill my heart with love. Man ! make thy dwelling with God, And in thy temple let His image be iiplifted That He may receive thee to Himself; To Him alone shalt thou in all things look. He is the Divine Creator ; The Lord, the Judge, the Beautiful for ever ; He is the Sole Good and the True One ; The Intellect and the Being throughout eternity. He is the great Legislator, Whose laws are universal and immutable ; He is the Fabricator and Father of the Universe, The Only Essence to whom all should bow. From Him, as from a Fountain of Light, Flow beauty, harmony and order : To soul and spirit He giveth their subsistence, And to all life throughout the million-starred firmament. From His essence He hath generated Time, The eldest-born offspring of Eternity ; By the radiancy of His splendour also He did enkindle the dazzling sun, That it might be as a king over all the planets. And be the centre of their self-moving orbits ; That it might regulate the order and procession of the spheres With the accuracy of the finest mechanism. He fabricated the celestial essences and natures To be in themselves true images of Him ; FO. 61 Ever attracting them as by a spell Unto his own magnetic lustre. O Son ! go thou after this living God ; After Him unto whom there can be no image ; Who hath made the Universe to be His temple, And the heart of man to be the altar of His worship. CHAPTER X. In the name of God, the One, the Most Holy ; The Lord and Maker of Heavens and the Earths ; Upon whose breath the Sun hangs ; In whose hand are all the stars of splendour ; I, his Son, have written this Book. The Message of the Lord of Truth to Man, Eevealing the first things, And making manifest that which is hidden. O men, reverence the Lord God, Who is the Universal Spirit of Universal knowledge ; He liveth neither in Void Space nor in the Air, Nor in Light, nor in Nature, nor in the Earths. He dwells not in the Sun of ever-revolving glory. But in aU that is He hath fixed his mansion ; He hath no figure that is comprehensible by man ; Nor can language describe the myriad wonders of His formation ; He is all that exists, And all that lives existeth but in Him ; In Him are all Power and all Beauty; (52 THE BOOK OP GOD. He is the ever-resplendent ThoUglit of the Universe. More easily shall thou grasp the air, Or hold the shining sunbeam in thine hand, Than understand the Lord God, Or comprehend even the least of His properties. For neither the Sun of ever-beaming brightness ; Nor the Moon, nor the stars can throw their light on God ; The all-illuminating lightning cannot illustrate Him ; Nor Fire, nor Air, nor Water, nor the full Heavens. Tet all do borrow majesty from Him, And all do celebrate His wondrous power ; They sing His praise perpetually before Him ; They do His bidding day and night. But unto those who give their thoughts to Him, He shineth in proportion to their purity ; Albeit they shall not know Him, Until, they are again united to His Heavenly Spirit. For as the air confined in a Vase Is re-absorbed into the universal air When the vase is broken and its strength destroyed. So is the soul embosomed when the body passes. O God, thou sacred and Divine One, With whom the Lovely and the Pure participate ; Who art all Loveliness and all Purity, Bestow thy blessing upon these leaves ; Thou art an ever-living Flame ; May we look unto Thee with eyes of the spirit ; May we see Thee in thy shining Truth : May we acknowledge thy venerable providence. Thou lookest from thy Thrones through all the spheres ; Thou knowest the hearts of the truthful. Whose prayers are music from their souls, PO. 63 As well as those who invoke thee but with the lip. Thousand thousand ministers Thou hast ; Who are thy Messengers throughout the Circles ; "Who are thine Angels through the Worlds ; — May we be placed among their Choirs. May we fulfil our days with Thee ; May we minister before Thy Thrones of Flame ; Restored unto the glorious order From which by sin we fell. God, recount imto me the beginning — The primal record of the days of man : God, unveil the Past That thy sons may know their fathers. And as I prayed a Voice came to me ; A Voice celestial in its sweetness ; And, as the Voice spake, I wrote. And these are the words it spake. The Universe was produced by God, The Empyrean and the dark Abyss, The celestial spheres, thestarry-beaming worlds of Paradise^ Oceans of light and spirit-orbs also did He fabricate. He formed from light Immortal Spirits, And emanated their Essence from His splendid breasts ; All that is, that has been, and shall ever be. Lived originally in the bosom of God. He is the First and the Last ; He is the Beginning and the Final ; He is the Primitive and Primaeval Father : He is the Eternal Virgin of Beauty. He is the Life, the Cause, the Energy of all things, 64 THE BOOK OP GOD. And all derive their origin from Him ; There is but One only Power ; There is but One only God ; He is the Sole and Universal Being Dwelling everlastingly in Paradise : Unto Him bow down, and unto Him alone, Devote the worship of soul, spirit, and heart. He in His hand sustains the Sceptre of the Universe ; Enthroned aloft upon sublime places : Around Him and before Him dwell His holy Spirits, Through whose bright forms He emits his splendours. They were in the first day of His creation ; Illuminated by wisdom and celestial beauty ; They were the splendid masterpieces of His hand. And the crown and flower of His Intellectual Universe. Paradise was their home ; The celestial mansions were their inheritance. They dwelt in the Palaces of the Most High, And in His Gardens made their habitation. They were clothed in most divine light ; In majesty and in innocence ; They outshone all the pearls of the Universe ; In the reflected glory of God. And all around and within them was harmony ; The divine music of corresponding virtues, And God rejoiced when He beheld those Beautiful Intelli- gences Peopling the Sphere of Heaven which He had formed. The Universe is perpetual in duration. But was only a dream until God formed it ; He who thinks that it is the child of chance — A fool is wiser in his foolishness than he. FO. 65 All things existed before they found form in matter. Yea, everything hath had a spirit Jife ; The flowers open and close their blossoms — Could they do so if they were not sensitive ? As the flower is unfolded from the seed, As the oak arises out of the acorn, So was the Splendid Universe developed From the scattered fragments of elements. The spirit of man is fire, and is immortal ; It is like the pure-white sun : Or as a golden chariot in the battle field Amid the cloud of resplendent hosts. son ! conceive not of aerial beings by the beings whom thou seest around thee ; for scarcely any analogy exists between the Lapsed Spirit and the Spirit that is with God. For as light in a dari lantern so is the spirit within the mortal frame, and as earth is changed into crystal or diamond so is the pure spirit into something brighter and purer still. Material life- is threefold ; body, soul and spirit ; An- gels are twofold, and have but soul and spirit ; but Celestials are an unity, and consist of spirit only, which is a radiant lustre more beautiful than fire. But the soul is an aerial body in which the Spirit dwells, even as the Soul itself dwelleth in the corporeal body j and the Spirit is immortal, luminous and star-like, glowing through the clear nimbus of the lucid Soul. And the mortal body is the case of the Spirit in mate- rial spheres, and the Soul is its aerial vestment in the .66 THE BOOK OF GOD. Angelical spheres ; but in the Celestial Spheres the Spirit itself is manifested, needing neither body nor soul therein. And in the Supra-Celestial Mansions of Paradise the Spirit itself is enlarged into a sun-like magnificence ; more bright and glorious than the solar ray, though it were magnified seventy and seven times. Such in the primeval day were the great Intelligences Who danced around the beaming Thrones of God, And God rejoiced when he beheld those Beautiful Ones Filling the Spheres of Heaven which He had formed. In that day nought else existed before God But the Supra-Celestial Spheres of Paradise, Whose lucid mansions were the home of Spirits Floating in the refulgence of the Beatific Vision. The boundless treasures of the transcendent Wisdom ; The infinite and ever-flowing Majesty of the Divine, Were revealed and opened unto these Mighty Ones, And they participated in the Light of God. And ages and ages rolled into the Sea of Ages ; And ages and ages vanished into the Abyss of Time ; But yet their glorious Paradise was as in the first day : Vernant and immortal with ambrosial youth. And Love and Beauty, and Innocence and Knowledge, Were round them as an ethereal atmosphere In whose luminous essence they lived and drew their life; Sunbeams flowing from, and conjoined with, God. In that day the Universe of Space Was an Infinite Ocean of Light ; There were no stars or suns or planets ; But all was a shining Mirror of God's splendour. FO. 67 The Beatific Vision was made manifest in essence only ; To those who were the present essence of beauty, Developed in a million semblances of transcendency, Such as no mortal thought can comprehend. And in this Silver Ocean of resplendent Beauty The Spirits whom God had formed, floated in delight, And from the Fountains of the Eternal Love in Heaven Drew youth and happiness and joy aud wisdom. All that could satisfy the craving spirit Was provided by the Supreme Lord : Yet were there certain and bright ones That felt a pang of discontent. In the days of innocence there was no need of Sun, or Moon, or planets, or stars ; The light of the Celestial hosts Filled the Universe with splendours. From every face and form gleamed A divine, a holy, a heavenly beam ; But when they conceived darkness of thought, Then the Universe seemed night itself. God saw the impending Cloud : Small at first as the black bee ; An atom in the Universe ; And yet the Universe was disturbed. God said unto the Sacred Spirit of God, In thy bosom is the Heaven : In thy bosom is the Sun : In thy bosom are all things hidden. Go, produce the Beautiful : As the tree puts forth the bud. Let all lovely things appear Like flowers from thy splendid breasts. 68 THE BOOK OF GOD. And when a million ages passed away like a dream That bathes the spirit of the sleeper in ecstacy, Then God arose, and with a breath created The fixed stars which are the suns of the Universe. And behold, they magnified the light which then existed, Seventy and seven times more than it had been. And the all-splendid Ocean of the Universe of Space Outshone all that had ever been conceived before that day. And when certains ones saw the Suns that God had made They longed to participate in their splendour, And they departed away from the Paradise-Spheres, And sought to pass into the Spheres of the Suns. But those indeed were material spheres ; » Wherefore it was not possible for Spirits to pass into them, And they besought of God to give them power To pass into the Spheres of the Suns. Then God shrouded himself in triple darkness When the prayer of the Spirits rose before Him ; They sought Him, but they found Him not ; The Beatific Vision had departed. And many of the Beautiful Ones who had lapsed in thought, And desired to become conjoined with the Suns, Bewailed their error, and again uplifted themselves Into the luminous Ether of Paradise : But ages rolled into the Ages of Ages, Before they were again worthy to behold God, Or to penetrate the Mystic Darkness which concealed The Majesty of the Divine Light from their understand- ing; FO. 69 And they wlio bewailed not, nor wished to re-ascend Unto the Celestial Heights from which they had wan- dered ; Aspired still after the Solar Spheres, And sought to be united to their precincts. Then God formed for these Spirits, souls Which were a lucid vehicle for their spirits, And without these they could not abide in the Solar Spheres ; Any more than man without a body could abide on earth. Thus the Soul became the winged chariot of the Spirit To bear it into the Solar Worlds ; Accompanying it through all its phases of existence, In its descent from the Celestial and the Supra-Celestial; But into these the soul ascends not ; For spirit only can exist there : But in the infra-celestial, soul and spirit abide, And in the terrestrial, body soul and spirit. Thus the Suns became inhabited By the splendid Intelligences that had lapsed ; And in the Solar Beauty they sought forgetfulness Of the magnificence of Heaven which they had lost. And ages and ages rolled into the Sea of Ages, And ages and ages vanished into the Abyss of Time ; And many millions of these glorious Existences Ascended from the Solar into the Celestial Spheres ; And elevating themselves yet higher by grand aspirations After Him who is the Light of Lights, They rose again into the Supra-Celestial, And were immersed in the Beatific Vision. But they who sighed not after the Sole Beauty, TO THE BOOK OF GOD. But were contented with the solar pictures, Abided with the Sun ; — spirits ensouled ; Pure and happy as those can be Who dwell not in the Celestial, and feel not God. And of these also many lapsed in thought. And grew discontented with a Finite Sphere, Sighing after new habitations and new pictures Of the Beautiful whom they were content to see in pictures. Unhappy they, and foolish unto destruction, Who fixed their thoughts upon material images, Which are but a faint semblance of the Bright One, Who gives himself unto all who seek Him. Even as men who &x their hearts upon the earth. Gathering unto themselves earthly treasure, Heed not, nor aspire after Heavenly Beauty, But pass their days in foolishness and perish. Then God, seeing that they sought Him not. But longed after material pictures and attractions. Sent forth His Edict unto each one of the Suns, And commanded them to emane Worlds. And when the Suns heard the Edict of God, They prepared themselves to do His bidding ; And every Sun that was in the Universe Sent forth from his bosom a Choir of Planets. Thus began the Solar Systems that exist. Each sun being the centre of the Planets which he evolved. And every Planet revolving around that centre, From whose glowing bosom he had birth. And many and various were the Planets evolved. According to the nature of the Suns from which they came According also to the manifold existences Which God foresaw would be produced thenceforth. FO. 71 Wherefore the Earth-Sun is called parent of the earth of man, For from the body of the Sun man's earth came ; And into the body of the Sun it shall be absorbed, When the consummation of all things cometh. And all the Planets that are in the Solar system are accommodated to the Existences that fill them ; and some of these are greater than man, and some are less ; but all are threefold, Body, Soul, and Spirit. And everything that hath life, from the grass of the field, and the worm, and the insect, and the fish, and the beast, and the bird that flies, even to the wisest man, was once a Spirit before the Most High God, and may once again become a. Spirit before Him. And when the Planets were evolved from the Sun, they were sent forth at first in gaseous vapour, immense revolving Spheres, projected into Space, but bound by laws unto the Parent-Star. And the vapour subsided and condensed ; and they became mighty Spheres of Water, whirling ever in their appointed circles, and. dancing along their regulated roads. And God allowed Existences in the waters, correspondent to the natures of Lapsed Spirits, permitting unto these Spirits to assume bodies, and weave unto themselves forms of life. For these Spirits had gradually corrupted themselves, and had lost all their primal splendour ; wherefore they were but mere shadows of life, devoid of all that made them, beautiful at the first. A fallen spirit loses in its fall all the strength and majesty which it once had; it resembles a great fire which dwindles down into the merest speck of living flame. But as this flame is from the Eternal Essence of God, it cannot die, but is immortal ; wherefore 72 THE BOOK OF GOD. a body becomes necessary to its existence ; and being humble, a humble body suffices. Thus for those Spirits who are farthest fallen from God, retaining but a minute apark of His Eternal Fire, the most minute corpuscle will suffice ; nor is it in its lapsed condition worthy of any other development. Thus the Globes of Waters became animated with innumerable forms of animated matter, which lived and died and decayed, and in the course of ages produced solids. And when ages and ages rolled into the Gulf of Ages, and ages and ages vanished into the Abyss of Time, the Sphere became solidified with earthly particles, and ceased to be a Watery Globe. And thus as years revolved on years, and the forces of nature exercised their powers, and hot contended with cold, and vapour with solid, there were volcanic changes, and fiery revolutions, and many deluges. And the earth gradually assumed its present shape, having been the grave of successive generations, until the races that now exist upon it assumed unto themselves living developments. Every herb was once a spirit ; every tree was once a spirit ; every creature was once a spirit ; every man was once a spirit. The outward form and manifestation of its existence is in correspon- dence with its inner essence ; for all Spirits develope themselves in shapes accordant with their nature, which is their power. An evil-hearted spirit would assume a powerful manifestation, whereby it might work out its evil, if it could ; but all evil being impotent, it is con- strained to develope itself according to its actual power, not its corrupt desire. Every wicked thought which a spirit conceives trans- ports it stiJl farther away from God ; and as it recedes Fo. 73 from Him, the Primal Fire, so the Fire that animates it grows cold and dim. Thus as it increases in wickedness, it loses strength ; as it hardens itself in yice, it diminishes in power ; if it were not so, the Universe would be over- come by mighty Spirits perpetrating all evil. It is not possible, nor would it be just, that wickedness and power should co-exist for any time ; for all wickedness destroys itself, being as a cancer that kills when it is fully grown. And as the evil are perpetually receding from God, and losing power by every new retrocession, so the good are perpetually advancing towards God, and gaining power by every new approach. For as the vital fire which is their spirit draws nearer to the Primal Fiery Splendour, it imbibes new heat and brilliancy, and becomes too sub- limated to dwell in matter. Thus the pure in their progress heaven-ward first abandon mortal and corporeal things j they rise from threefold into twofold nature, and from the twofold gradually into pure Spirit. Thus are they restored to the Celestial, step by step growing stronger as they progress ; but the evil, who approximate to the mortal, step by step grow weaker as they subside. Thus God fabricated the Sphere of Earth, and filled it with existence, vegetable and animal, and the sun shone upon it, and ages passed into the Gulf of Time. And spirits descended upon it, assuming souls and bodies, and spirits ascended from it, abandoning bodies, and the Celestial transformed themselves into Earthliness. and Earthliness elevated itself to Celestial nature. As a body dies when it is enveloped in the earth, so a spirit is said to die when it is condemned to a body : and as a body lives when it is animated by a Spirit, so a Spirit is said to live only when it is exempt from body. For the E 74 THE BOOK OF GOD. Spirit becometh not embodied in Matter until it hath grown cold to the Divine Love ; until it wisheth, loveth and questeth after Matter, and longs to take its flight from pure Essence. Wherefore, as the nature of the ensouled spirit is, so also is the body which it assumeth to itself; and as the nature of the three when blended is so is the future form of life in which it is developed. men ! strangers and fugitives from God, having sinned, ye have fallen into mortal bodies ; the Sun hath cast ye from his Circle into the brilliant Ether, and Ether into Air, and Air into the Waters, and they upon the Earth, and Earth again shall bear ye into Heaven, through the golden gleaming Gates of the Sun, if ye indeed grow worthy of the Eternal. A mighty stair extends between the Heaven and the Earth, and upon the stair are myriad passengers perpetually ascending, perpetually descending, as each one purifies or sensualizes his spirit. He who would become a god let him cease to be an animal ; he who would become an animal let him cease to be a god ; he cannot be both at the same moment : this is the Eter- nal Ordinance of the Most High. For a Spirit united with Matter never can contem- plate the transcendent glories of the Beatific Vision ; and a Spirit exempt from Matter never can exist in the corporeal worlds, which are indeed but sepulchres. Nectar and ambrosia, perfumed light, are the food of the Celestials ; but of the Supra-Celestials God alone is their banquet, and of the infra-celestials according to their several degrees — ether and earth are the corrupt sustenance. And unto the Holy Intelligences who dwell in Heaven, and who circle in the divine Spheres of Paradise, the FO. 75 Sacred and Ineffable Name of God is revealed, so that they exercise all dominion within those splendid places ; they transport themselves in a moment of thought from Spheres removed apart millions of miles ; they fabricate for themselves gorgeous pictures and representations, symbols of the Supreme on which they love to look. But, when from the Supra-Celestial they lapse to the Celestial, they can no longer traverse the Paradise Ee- gion ; they are restricted to the Celestial Spheres, and lose a portion of their heavenly powers. And, when they subside into the infra-celestial, and: become denizens of the Sun, or Ether, or Air, or subside still lower into Water or Earth, then are they wholly fettered by corporeal chains. They lose their splendid recollection of the Past ; they forget the transcendent glories in which they once moved — and must again,, if they desire it — by slow and painful steps advance themselves to the primal heights from which they lapsed. And when the whirling Sphere of Earth had gradually cooled, and had become fitted for the development of human life, God sent forth his Edict, and some who wan- dered assumed unto themselves corporeal forms upon the earth, and the earth began to be peopled with new ani- mals and with mankind, and its various continents to be filled. But in the fertile valleys of the North-Eastern Mountains there first was the cradle of the human race. In those days spring and harvest alternated j the tempe- rature of the whole earth was mild and equable ; a soft dew ascended from the waters, descending again imper- ceptibly : and com grew, and the trees put forth theitr fruit, without the labour of mankind or heart-corroding- B 2 76 THE BOOK OF GOD. care. In those ages laws , were almost needless ; the human race was like one innocent brotherhood ; the earth produced all things abundantly ; there were neither crimes, nor rapacity nor bloodshed. The genial climate attuned the minds of all to gentleness and love like a divine harmony ; the worship of self had not then com- menced ; but all were linked in garlands of fraternity. The patriarchal rule prevailed in every family, and the sanctity of old age was revered ; it was the Golden Period of the Human Eace, and the days of men were pleasant. CHAPTER XI. In the high North-East did God first place Man ; And in that land taught He him ; From thence hath come all wisdom. And unto that place shall it return. ■God was with Man at his first birth ; Leading him by the hand like a child ; Fostering him like a fond father. And instructing him in holy knowledge. For the race of Man, like all other beings. Emanated from God's light. And God was the Progenitor of Man, As He is of all existences that be. Therefore God gave him light and wisdom That he might govern his life by purity ; So that living like a Child of Heaven on the earth He might be absorbed into the glorious flame of God. Fo. 77 Nothing that is impure can reach Him ; He is all-penetrating and all-consuming Fire ; Only perfect Essences of Light Can pass unscathed through that all-searching Flame; But those that are impure cannot pass ; They depart away, and fall and wander, Until from an angelic lustre and divineness They sink into a brutal dulness. The Eternal Spirit — ^the Supreme One. He was First : The Spirit of God was second. By whom as an intermediate Agent all Spirits were developed. These grew corrupt and fell. Until these spirits rested on the earth of Man, Having assumed unto themselves in their descent The dense nature of mortality : Wherefore that tliey might not sink still lower God gave them glimpses of eternal things ; Teaching them the doctrine of Emanations That they should know themselves to be God's own essence. The Divine Master of the Universe also, Who guides and rules the Heaven and the Earth, Inscribed on every spirit on the earth A consciousness of right and wrong. Like a Celestial page of writing, Traced within the shrine of the spirit, Man looks upon it and knows In a moment that which he should do. This consciousness abides for ever. And is at no time wholly obliterated ; 78 THE BOOK OF GOD. However low or fallen man be The traces of God's writing still remain. It is not any public law among mankind WHoli makes right things good, or wrong things evil, But the consciences of men knowing well the true dis- tinction, Gave expression to public law. This celestial law within the spirit. Which is called the consciousness of right and wrong, Is to be obeyed before all other laws Which have been enacted by human wisdom. It is more powerful than lords or statutes ; Than constitutions, dynasties or states ; These indeed are the work of man. But conscience comes direct from God. He who heareth not his conscience Heareth not the Voice of Heaven ; For conscience is the silent sacred Voice Of God himself within the deep soul. Sacrosanct it is as the Divine Word ; Sacrosanct it is as the Most Holy of Holies ; Deride it not, nor disobey its Voice ; The heavens themselves are not more true. This consciousness of right and wrong Is in all things regulated by reason. As the star directs the wayfarer over the desert ; As the rudder steers a ship. For as no man putteth a rudder to his ship, That it may not be used by the ship's crew. Even so God did not implant reason. But with the intent that reason should be used. Fo. 79 Unto this end, therefore, was it given That man might know things needful ; Which, if he knew not, his life will be but useless, And all his days a wandering after foUy. It was not given to be laid aside, Or to be surrendered blindly to another man ; But that each may use it in his own need. For his own purposes, and his own wants. He who throws away the gift of God Abuses the gift and Him who gave it : Even so doth he who tramples out his own reason, And liveth by the reason of another man. In those days the earth was most productive ; The com gi-ew wild in the vast plains ; For the central fires of the earth were stiU powerful And the soil needed not labour. And men lived without hard toil. On strawberries and bread, and figs and apples ; Their lives were as a lake in summer, Tranquil, beautiful and clear. They were harmless in their days as children are, And surrendered not their hearts to sin ; But, passing by easy transitions into a higher Sphere, They gave their Spirits back to God purified. Those early races of mankind, Compared with those which now are. Were as the worth and brilliancy of blooming trees When contrasted with withered twigs. Pure and without grief they lived ; They meditated on the Universal Beauty ; Their simple food preserved their bodies healthful ; 80 THE BOOK OF GOD. Their minds were free from crude desire. Dissension disturbed not their repose. But everywhere was peace and plenty ; They sat beneath their own trees and sheds With minds serene as the stars of morning. And children were bom to them in great numbers, And in five hundred years the woods were thickly populated ; And when fifty other years passed into time. Then the first colony went forth. They crossed the cradling mountains And settled in the fruitful lands that lie beyond, And bore the simple customs of their fathers With them as holy memorials. And the number of their tribes increased beyond com- putation, and they sent forth colonies along the banks of rivers, and crossed lakes and great waters ; men and women and children, and flocks and dogs; and they spread themselves far and away, and peopled the plains and crossed the mountains ; and they gave their names to vast provinces, and to the mountains and the rivers also, and the government of each tribe was patriarchal ; but many of the smaller tribes were under one, and the Chief was lord and priest, their legislator, father and protector. These earliest dwellers of the earth Advanced but by slow degrees to knowledge ; They were as children in the form of men. But God gave them gleams of illumination. And now knowledge began to be extended, Having originally begun in simple rudiments ; Numbers first they learned — FO. 81 Five and ten and seven. They counted trees and stars and the revolutions of day and night, And the families of birds and beasts ; They measured distances and made calculations, And marked their records on a piece of wood ; That which lay before them they called the East ; But that which was behind their backs they called the West; On their right hand they fixed the South, And on their left they named it the North. Then they observed the Moon ; They watched her growth until she grew full ; They viewed her wane again into a thin line, And counted the days of her life. Thus from the various phases in the sky They divided time into seven days, And counting from the weeks they calculated the months ; Which in the first they denominated rings of years ; They learned also to watch the duration of the day ; The space betjveen the rising and the setting of the sun ; The period of the moon's journey in the night. And the interval between sunset and sunrise. And the periodic revolutions of the planets, And the seasons of the twelve months, And the dry and wet, the vernal and the wintry ; Without which all their knowledge would be vain. In the first days every man Was chief and priest in his own family ; He taught the simple laws of duty and obedience To his sons and daughters as they grew. E 3 82 THE BOOK OF GOD. He indeed was head over the sons, And his wife was head over the daughters ; But all the household venerated him As chief and teacher of them all. The rules of life were few and simple ; There were no subjects for dispute ; Private property was then unknown, And there was no cupidity to lead to evil. The first servants of heaven built not temples ; iSTeither did they construct altars unto God ; They worshipped Him in open places, And in the unbounded beauty of Nature. They confined not the Infinite within walls ; They imaged not the Spiritual One by representations, But lifted up their prayers on the mountains, And under the sacred shade of forests. They prayed in the silent grandeur of the woods, ■Or by the mighty rivers of the land ; Never was there a more sublime worship Than that which prevailed among the first. men ! and ye chosen ones ! Upon whom the light of wisdom hath descended Know this, that the silent veneration of the heart Is not less sweet to God than open prayer; And the most beautiful temple to the Supreme Boing Is in the sacred solitude of woods and forests ; Approach them not with an irreverent foot. Neither lop ye a single venerable leaf. The flowers, the turf, the shadowy trees Are all consecrated to the Most High ; There is life in every one ; FO. 83 They are silent worshippers of God also. Mountains too are holy ; They elevate the soul and spirit to august meditation ; By the banks of flowing rivers it is good to wander ; They soothe the mind into sublime tranquility ; Nor less venerable are pure lakes. They are as the spirit that embosoms itself in God ; He is as the surrounding mountains ; The waters are as the reposing child. And a thousand years were gone, And men had increased greatly, And new colonies again went forth into new lands, And sought productive gardens for themselves. They appointed chiefs and patriarchs, And founded and gave a name to tribes ; They passed through new and different climates, And journeyed farther and farther on. They learned the first arts of civilized life ; To muzzle cattle, to sow corn ; To clear the sylvan wilderness, And cross the rivers and lakes, And this law Y proclaimed. Who was the most ancient father of the emigrants. The veil of a woman is a sacred thing. Let no man touch if with profane hand. Y also instituted marriage. And proclaimed it to be a holy thing. And ordained that every parent of a child Should protect and love it all his days. And that there might be no dissension among families He ordered that the father should be head and ruler, 84 THE BOOK OF GOD. And after him the mother of the household, And after her the eldest son, And after him the next in years among the sons ; And over the daughters the eldest born daughter. Governing in subjection to her mother. Until all the family were distributed in their places. And this ordinance Y instituted : When a child is born let it be bathed in warm water j When the viother is strong enough to take tlie air Let both be bathed in a running stream. The first day of the month the first men had set apart to the Sovereign Lord whom they adored ; hence they assembled twelve times in the year to celebrate the King and Father God. And when they had offered up their prayers They discussed public matters ; The most ancient men were seated as counsellors To whose advice they left all things. On these occasions also they celebrated marriages. And gave their children names ; They led forth colonies, And transacted all important ceremonies. Here they first began to institute laws, And to establish ordinances of discipline ; To regulate the rights of districts and departments. And to repress all that tended to insubordination. Here also questions were propounded That tended to elevate or instruct the mind, And intellect first began to display its energies. And science to unfold her manifestations. Here also were decided all controversies FO. 85 That had a tendency to provoke discussion ; Justice was rigidly administered By the Twelve Counsellors whom they had chosen. The ggvernment was wholly patriarchal, And was venerable from its mild equity ; Every man guarded the public right As if it were his own private possession. But Yu, in the days of Ya, first compiled the laws which from the days of Y had been instituted, and ap- pointed public guardians of the laws ; choosing out the wisest and most experienced men, and these indeed were ordained to administer justice; for now the tribes of men had become numerous, and to keep records, and to pos- sess annals, and to make hymns and songs for the festivals. Then were public teachers appointed, and these indeed kept schools for the children; here they taught useful arts, and inducted them into knowledge step by step. No man insulted these venerable teachers, or treated their admonitions with disdain ; the Chief Euler scrupled not to bend the head when any of the more learned came before him. To these also they taught the primary laws which are the fundamental basis of all societies ; making them commit to memory all things, needful for their advancement in knowledge and vir- tuousness. And unto every man was apportioned a piece of land to be his during his life-time only, and when he died it was granted to his son, for him also to hold it during life ; but no man was permitted to sell or pawn the land thus 8Q THE BOOK OF GOD. given to him out of the public stock ; or if he did so, it was immediately reclaimed by the venerable administra- tors of the commonwealth. And large poles or stones were placed to distinguish each one's boundary from another's; and no man was permitted to enter on another's land unless he received the permission of the owner. Great was the honour of the husbandman ; the proudest in the tribe did not disdain agrestic arts ; and when the soil failed they enriched it with manure, and cut canals in all direc- tions through the fields. Next they taught themselves to build houses and dwellings ; twisting the branches of trees together so as to form roofs ; these again they covered with leaves and reeds, and cut wood, and finally with thin layers of flat stone. But when they first began to wander in colonies, they made themselves tents of skin and cloth ; they wove camel's hair and fastened it on poles, and drove their flocks into the central open space. And they drank out of shells or stitched hides, and wooden vessels curiously carved by the hand ; the acacia, the palm, the sycamore, and the almug tree, were fashioned into a thousand use- ful implements. But when they dried the corn they ground it in hand-mills, and baked it in ovens of stone heated by the sun ; thus also they found out the art of making bricks and tiles ; using first the sun and after- wards fire. And having discovered fire, and the art of making fire, they fabricated flambeaus, which they fed with oil ; and after these lamps of earth and stone and brass, to cheer the loneliness of the tent at night. And when they tarried over the unbounded plains, they set Fo. 87 apart wells and fountains for each division ; and, taught by experience of the desolating heats, they dug cisterns, and planted trees over them. Then first also they bur- thened the swiftly traversing beasts, and reclaimed the wise elephant to their use ; they passed in summer time into the shade of mountains, and in the winter sheltered them in warm valleys. They clothed themselves in woollen skins, and began to fabricate cloth rudely ; great was th-e festivity of the sheep-shearing, and pleasant the gathering in of the sheaves. They feasted on milk and honey and cheese, and the fruit went round on wooden platters, and songs and dances were instituted as they penetrated the secrets of the starry laws. For seven weeks the harvest feast was prolonged ; the whole household reaped and helped to bind; they beat the grain with cudgels, or extracted it from the husk by the hoofs of oxen. But the cultivated fields they guarded well by watch- men, whose seats were in the lofty trees ; thus they kept off birds, beasts and prowlers who might be disposed to encroach on private property, and others tended vine- yards which flourished abundantly, guarding them from foxes and thieves ; joyful was the vintage season, with vesper dance and song and story. No man exceeded moderation in those ancient sober days ; a small measure of wine and water was all that those primitive men en- joyed. And they divided each day into six watches ; the first began at daybreak ; the second at sunrise ; the third in the heat of morning ; the fourth was counted from the mid-day ; the fifth from the cool of the evening ; the sixth in the hour of night. And they counted the hours of the day by the gnomon, and in the night by a sand 88 THE BOOK OF GOD. watch ; the water watch was next invented — the art of fusing metals followed. And for the night they had three separate watches ; the first watch from night to midnight ; the second from midnight to cock-crow ; the third from cock-crow to sun- rise. And it was commanded : If a man hold himself dear, let him watch himself carefully; during one at least of these watches a wise man should be watchful. In those days camels were first used for burthen ; The plough was invented and carts and bells ; They painted their horses, oxen and asses, and goats, And guarded their flocks by means of dogs. The bow, the arrow, the lance, the sword, the javelin, Were used in hunting and afterwards in conflict ; They made nets and gins, and snares and pitfalls, To capture birds and beasts. The sharpened stakes which they had before used for digging Were laid aside for spades and shovels ; They invented the wine press also. And multiplied trees by seeds and shoots. In those days they learned to catch fish with hooks. Having formerly used only nets. And began to trace letters on tiles and stones. And to cut names on seals. They kept records of families and intermarriages On bark, on wood, on parchment, on linen, on lead ; They summoned their assembles with horns, And after these with sUver trumpets ; They measured lands — they scanned the firmament ; They built large observatories of the stars ; FO. 89 They discovered the arts of healing, And with boiled herbs cured many diseases. Then they begun to wear parti-coloured robes ; Yellow and purple, and scarlet and dark blue ; They embroidered with painted threads, And stitched gold and silver, and precious stores on their dresses. And some began to paint the eyebrows, And to wear ornaments on the neck and ancle, And to bore the ears for rings. And to brace the wrists and arms with gold and silver. Pottery also was invented, And aU the arts that civilize society; And a ritual for religious ceremonies was drawn up, And there were ranks and orders among the people. CHAPTER XII. In those days letters had been long invented to pre- serve the records of what had been discovered ; they called each letter by the name of a tree, according to supposed resemblances. Then they graved inscriptions on rocks, on stone, on lead, on copper, on gold and silver ; they made bricks and burned writings on them, and chased memorials on precious minerals ; they made astro- nomical instruments of stone — great in size, perfect in proportion — with dials and circles to measure the pace of time, erected on high terraces of vast extent. Then also did they find out the sun's distance from the earth, and 90 THE BOOK OF GOD. the moon's from her primary planet, and the moat exact measurement of Time, and marked the year with three hundred and sixty days. They observed also how the earth revolves ever in. a circle around the central fire, and how the vapours ascend, until the sun distils them into rain, and how they fall in spheres back to the earth, whence also they deduced the sphere-like shape of all things, and reasoning by analogy discovered that the other planets were orbs inhabited like the earth of man. And after this they learned abstract ideas, and what the terms which expressed them signified. Time and Space, and Being and Substance, Spirit and Matter, and God and Heaven. Then descending over the plains they builded houses and formed cities ; they invented metal- lurgy and framed musical instruments, and found the magnet and crossed oceans. They extracted from flowers and fruits and leaves, and from the fibres of trees ali- mentary substances, medicinal compounds and beverages, and learned the art of healing ; they spun, they wove, they sewed together ; they dug into the earth for gems, and some descended into the deep waters for shells and pearls and corals. Then did they observe the sun ; its going forths and its returns ; its periodical changes and annual revolutions, and the number of the rings through which he ran. They traced the Zodiack on the firmament, dividing it into twelve mansions, to be a Palace for the Sun in each of the rings; and they imagined lunar mansions also. They watched the Con- stellations of the Spheres; they noted the stars that rise and set ; the planets and the orbs that are fixed in heaven; the mysterious comet and eclipse. FO. 91 The Apologues op Ab. These ai-e the wise Apologues of ancient Ab, As they were dehvered unto me by my fathers, Read, reflect, venerate their counsels; They are the flower of thought and reason. The Night Owl chided the Sun : How horrible are thy dark rays ; The Svm answered : Blame me not. Blame rather thine own eyes, that cannot see me. To the sick Horse came a Dog, Which had accustomed herself to devour the dead ; How art thou, my friend ? The Horse answered, Better than thou wouldst have me be. The Lamb, looking from a high tower, Saw a Wolf, and loaded him with reproaches ; The Wolf looked upward from the plain, and said, Thy place, and not thy strength, protects thee. The File said to the Viper that gnawed it : Bitest thou me, who bite the hardest iron ? A report was spread that a Mountain was in labour ; The country people collected from all places ; The Mountain groaned ; the Mountain opened ; A miserable Mouse came forth. The Ass clothed himself in the skin of a Lion', And went among the herd, which he put to flight ; His master came and caught him by the ears ; Deceive strangers, but not me who know you. 92 THE BOOK OF GOD. A Dog crossed the plank over a stream, Bearing in his mouth a dead bird ; He saw his image reflected in the river ; He snapped, and lost the reality for the seeming. The Cranes and Geese went into a field to steal ; The husbandmen arose against them enraged ; The Cranes flew ofi' on light wings ; But the heavy Geese were seized and put to death. Every man beareth two bags about him ; One is on his breast ; the other on his back ; His neighbour's faults he puts in the first ; His own behind, so that he never sees them. An Emmet came to a well to drink. And eager in its thirst fell into the water ; A Dove sitting on a bough dropped a leaf. And saved the Emmet from being drowned. A Hunter came with bow and arrow. And aimed at the heart of the Dove ; But the Emmet stung him at the moment in the heel ; His arrow missed and the Dove escaped. The She-goats prayed to heaven for long beards : The He-goats were filled with indignation ; Suffer them, said the god, to imitate your outside. Their hearts will be as timid as before. The Lion fell sick ; all the beasts came to see him ; But the Fox only remained away ; The Lion sent a message to the Fox, Expressing a desire for his attendance. The Fox sent a civil answer : FO. 93 King ! delighted shall I be when thou art well ; But I can see only the footmarks of those ^Vho went to visit thee — but never returned. A Wild Boar sharpened his teeth against an oak, The Fox inquired, Why throw away this labour 1 The Wild Boar said, It is not labour lost, When I am attacked, my tusks are ready sharpened. In the summer time the Grasshopper danced and sang ; The laborious Ant gathered in her food for winter ; When the frost raged, and the rains fell. The Grasshopper had nothing in her bouse. She went and asked the Ant to give her food, But the thrifty housewife answered thus : They who sing and dance in summer time Must needs be hungry in the winter. A Thief bent on robbing a mansion Tempted the Watch Dog with a bone ; But he barked more vigorously, saying. Not for my sake but thine own thou art generous. The summer heat dried up a marsh Where two Frogs had long lived ; They went to seek a new habitation. And lighted on a deep well. Let us jump in, said one, here is plenty ; This well is deep beyond all other weUs. But the other said : What if it should dry up, How should we then get out ? A Wolf was sorely wounded by a Dog ; He called to a Sheep : I perish with thirst ; * 94 THE BOOK OF GOD. Bring me a draught of water from the brook, I will not trouble you to get me meat. The Sheep thought over the thing in her mind, And came to this conclusion : If I fetch mine ancient enemy drink How know I that he will not make meat of myself ? The Dog lay in a manger filled with grass ; The Ox came ; the Dog barked him away ; The Ox said : Evil be thy destiny, Who feedest not thyself, nor sufferest me to feed. A Child slumbered on the edge of a deep pit ; Fortune came and roused him up : Depart hence, my child, for if thou lose thy life, Thy parents will condemn me, not thee. The Tortoise said to the Eagle, Teach me to fly ; The Eagle answered : It is not the course of nature : Nevertheless the Tortoise still besought him. The Eagle bare the Tortoise high in heaven ; The Tortoise said. Let go — let me fly back to earth ; But the Tortoise fell and was dashed to pieces. When first the Lion heard the Bull-frog croak. He hung his tail between his legs in fear ; But when the crawling wretch came forth in pride, The Lion saw, and crushed him in the dust. An Eagle found an Oyster on the sea-shore. But knew not how to draw out the fish ; A wily Crow came by and said. Ascend on high : break it on the rocks. The Eagle rose aloft into the clouds, Fo. 95 And dropped the Oyster from its talons ; The Crow stood by and ate the Oyster, Leaving to the Eagle only broken shells. The Panther and the Fox met together ; How beautiful is my spotted coat of many colours ; How mean thine hide. The Fox answered, Thy beauty is outside ; my excellence is within. The Dormice met in counsel and deliberated. How they could most easily get acorns ; One arose, and said : Let us gnaw down yonder oak. We shall then have plenty without trouble. An older one arose and said : The advice of my brother is without reason ; For if we cut down all our oak trees, On what will our posterity feed 1 The Hawk chasing a Dove fell into a net ; He implored the Husbandman to spare his life ; Spare me, for I have not sought to injure thee : — And what wrong didst thou receive from the Dove 1 A Wolf disguising himself in a sheep's skin Went among the flock, and ate one daily ; The Shepherd found the cheat and hanged him High on a tree in the sheep's skin. Neighbour, said his friends, dost thou hang sheep ? But he answered : No, truly ; This is but a sheep in seeming ; It has the heart and wickedness of the Wolf. The dying Hawk implored his mother To pray the gods to forgive his rapines ; 96 THE BOOK OF GOD. But she replied : How canst thou expect That they will pardon whose altars thou hast robbed t When Thieves broke into a great man's house, They found it empty ; there was only a Cock ; He begged that they would spare his life, For I awaken men, he said, to labour. But they : The reason which thou now givest That thy life should not be taken is the worst ; By awaking men thou puttest them on guard, And so deprivest us of livelihood. A Boy who tended sheep mocked the farmers By crying frequently : Wolf ! Wolf ! At last the Wolf came, and when he called for aid. They disbelieved and came not — so the sheep were devoured. To the Lark that he had fed the Boy spake, Why will you not return to the cage ? The Lark answered : Because it is more pleasing To live at my own will, rather than at yours. A Deer flying from the hunters hid herself Beneath the spreading branches of some trees ; The hunters saw not, and pasSed by ; The Deer began to browse on the young leaves. The rustling noise was noticed by the hunters. Who shot their arrows into the trees : The Deer fell dying, and exclaimed : I perish justly, for I spared not that which saved me. A Crab that came out of the Waters Was seized and eaten by a hungry Fox : Fo. 97 I deserve to die, exclaimed the Crab, Who left my native place for one that did not suit me. The Lizard said to the Tortoise, Much I pity your misfortune, friend ; Where thou goest, thou must carry thine house : But the Tortoise said. The useful never is a load. The Peacock boasted of his fine feathers to the Crane ; The Crane confessed the Peacock's beauty ; But while the Peacock hardly fled over a hedge. The Crane soared into the clouds of heaven. The Cock found a jewel on a dunghill ; If a man found thee great would be his joy ; But as for me, so little do I prize thee. That I would rather have a barleycorn. When the Birds assembled to elect a King, The Peacock demanded to be chosen for his fine feathers ; The Birds applauded his beauty, And were about to raise him to the throne. But a Jackdaw said, Pause, my friends, For if the Eagle happens to attack us, I fear me that the Peacock's beautiful tail Will avail us nothing for our defence. The Pigeons wearied with their wars against the Kite, Elected a Hawk to be their general ; The Kite was beaten, but the Hawk remained. And he devoured his Pigeons rapidly. Then did the Pigeons repent them of their foolishness. Saying to each other, when it was too late : We could guard against the enmity of the Kite, But there is no safety in the protection of the Hawk. 98 THE BOOK OP GOD. The Crab-mother said unto her son, My son, walk straightforward ; The son answered : Mother^ I will do so ; Lead the way, and I will follow. I saw four Bulls feeding in one pasture ; A hungry Lion saw them, but he was afraid ; He said : While they abide together in concord They will unite and gore me to death. He spake to each one therefore with false speeches ; He led them away into separate places ; He devoured them one by one ; They were disunited and unable to resist. The Vulture celebrated his birthday ; He asked the birds of heaven to the banquet ; Those who came he received hospitably, And very hospitably devoured them. CHAPTER XIII. God gave unto the first races A divine knowledge of his Beins : But this knowledge did not prevail Always and in all places. It flourished in the central cradle ; But as colonies went forth it grew faint, And men fell away into superstition, And into the worship of the False. FO. 99 As they advanced further from the primal seat Where the Ancients had developed Truth. The memory of their first faith was lost, And they prayed to new deities. And first they began to adore the Sun, Believing it to be the Maker of the World ; It was the most splendid object in nature. Hence they adored it as the Supreme. They found the Sun ripened all fruit ; That his genial influence caused productiveness ; That nature seemed to gladden in his presence. And to sit in sorrow when he was gone. Sun ! they said, thou art our preserver ; Sun ! thou art our deliverer from darkness ; Thou redeemest the earth from night ; Thou comest to make all things beautiful. This was their first prayer ; They called their God BAL, And from that time for many hundred years They worshipped the Sun as God. They danced before him and rejoiced, And covered themselves with fruits and flowers ; They sang hymns in his praise, And ordained festivals on days sacred to Him. Three series of commandments did the Ancients give, and of these five were to be observed by all men : — Thou Shalt not kill ; thou shalt not steal ; thou shalt not speak any manner of falsehood ; thou shalt not be im- pure with woman even in thought ; thou shalt not use an intoxicating thing. Blessed shall be he who obeyeth these P 2 100 THE BOOK OF GOD. laws, and maketh tliem to be obeyed in his tents. Three more in addition to these five did the Ancients institute and proclaim to be observed by the first order of holy persons, who were set apart especially for divine pur- poses. Priest of Heaven, be these thy laws : Thou shalt not eat at unpermitted hours ; thou shalt not dance, or sing, or play; thou shalt not use high seats. Two more in addition to these they did institute to be observed by the second order of holy persons who were not worthy to be admitted of the first : Thou shalt not oflfer sacrifices ; There is no sacrifice but of the heart to God ; Thou shalt abstain from hoarding gold or silver. The blood of man is upon every piece thereof. And this crowning ordinance they gave, that those who worshipped the God of Heaven should neither desire to do sin in their hearts nor project in thought the means of sin. Sin not in act ; sin not even in thought. Thus the Ancients did command. And they said : Let the mother be a god to thee ; let the teacher be a god to thee ; let the guest be a god to thee. And the Ancients and their chosen ones prayed publicly every day, on a hill shaded by venerable trees ; and in the sight of all adored God. At sunrise they went forth to worship ; they offered prayer at sunset also ; and after the mid-day meal they rendered thanks to the Supreme NU-MEN whom all adore. And they forbade the use of magic signs which until FO. 101 then certain priests had practised. Every priest wore seven rings, and these they ordered to be laid aside. And these Laws were decreed : It is forbidden to close the Temple of the Most High ; Let the door be open all the day. Let some holy man be always in the place, To minister to all who are disposed to holiness. A closed door is an abomination, Barring up the entrance to the sacred place ; EepeUing the approach of the wanderer, Who should be received with open arms. Sun-coloured shall be the robe of a priest ; Let him take heed lest his spirit beneath it is in darkness ; And on his head let him wear a crown. To signify that there is his most noble part. Let his robe extend below his knees. And let it be girt with a golden girdle ; And in his hand let him bear a staiF ; And on the breast of the Chief a plate of twelve jewels. Let the presence of a priest be holy ; And let him be proficient in deep wisdom ; Let each one know the healing art. And the signs and seasons of the heavens ; Let twelve pure virgins be consecrated to holy works ; Let them bear the name of Vestals ; Let them guard the fire in the temple, Which shall be kept perpetually burning. Let them be both high and noble ; Their bodies free from all imperfection ; Let them be chosen and set apart for God j Immaculate, and free from all defect. She who transgresses her chaste vows 102 THE BOOK OP GOD. Shall be expelled with shame, and punished with death ; She is not worthy to minister in the temple ; She is no longer the bride of Heaven. And let those Vestals be clothed in robes Whose purity shall outshine the snow ; And let them be girt with golden girdles, And have golden necklaces and bracelets. Let them be deeply veiled in public, So that no man shall look upon their faces ; Let them sing hymns and burn perfumes, But use no wine as libations. Let the prayer on the Sabbath be from the high place Set apart for sacred rites ; Unto this let no layman ascend ; But let all assemble round it at the base. Then the priest going upward Shall pray in the presence of all ; A prayer which all can understand, And for which no man can mock the speaker. Let the dead be buried in dry places ; In the solitary vale apart from men ; They must not occupy ground that will produce fruit ; Why should the dead usurp that which might feed the living ■? In the Cities of the Silent where they repose, Let no unhallowed thing be done ; Revere their memory, but worship not their images, For they are no longer partakers of earthly things. O men ! the spirits of the dead hover not near their tombs ; They haunt not their old places on the earth ; Wherefore invoke them not, FO. Nor offer sacrifice iu tiie place of tlieir repose. They glide not near the green trees, Or limpid fountains in which they once delighted, But are with God, or in the Land of Shadow, According to the works which they have done. Let no horses be used for holy purposes But those that are of a pure white ; But when the body is carried to the grave. Dark as night shall the horses be. And over the graves of the dead Let no stately monument be raised ; But a simple mark large enough to contain , The record of his name, his birth, and his departure. CHAPTER XIV. It was commanded unto these leaders That they should pray twice, daily in a public place ; In the morning when they had broken fast ; In the evening before they retired to rest. To confess their faults to one another ; To discourage every evil thought ; To speak not to females alone ; Nor look after any whom they passed in public. They were not permitted to think of dainties. Nor to aflFect a friendship which they felt not ; Nor to hunt after the rich and great, With praises to procure gain. They were sincere in all their dealings. Cherishing not at any time a treacherous thought ; 104 THE BOOK OF GOD. And when they affirmed, thej' but said, It i^ ; And when they denied, they said, It is not. They did not yield their hearts to anger. Nor were they moved so as to strike any ; But they were gentle in their speech and manner, And kind and compassionate to all. They did not have weapons of war. Nor did they pronounce a judgment upon any ; Not for them was it to declare. He is good ; Or that other is an evil man. They did not look on any with contempt. Nor laugh at any so as to make him ridiculous ; They did not ever pass a comment On the comeliness or deformity of others. They did not frighten or alarm any, Neither did they provoke any to contention ; But they endeavoured to accommodate quarrels By diffusing friendliness among the disputants. They did not boast of birth or learning ; They meddled not with public affairs, They did not drink spirituous liquor. Nor did they have more than one dress. They did not sleep out of their own homes, Nor did they turn to sleep again when once awake. They did not eat out of gold or silver. Nor did they play at any game of chance ; They envied not any his possessions ; They did not lie on the same bed with any ; They were not in anger, nor did they retain anger — I would that all were like to them ! Exalting above all things are the prayers of the FO. 105 Ancients ; and full of glory are the visions that were seen by the old. Give thy thought wholly to these, pupil, when thou Imeelest at the lotos-feet of the Divine Narayan. Meditate in this wise : Oh ! how beautiful would the earth of mortals be, if it were ruled by the Good Law that at the first prevailed. Lovely to behold, perfectly pure, a garden of flowers; reposing, as it were, amid walls of lapis lazuli. Its tribes would be as a chess-board, with blended chequers of gold and ivory ; and every tree that grew upon it would glitter as with diamond. Thus two thousand years passed, and in the first cradle there was little deviation from patriarchal virtue ; but as the colonists extended farther and farther into the bound- less Cuthian plains, and men began to spill the blood of wild beasts in defence of themselves, their herds and flocks, and to clear the forest of destructive animals, with which the globe was almost overrun; private pro- perty exerted its destructive influence, and great hunters began to subdue men ; and the fruits and flowers which they had hitherto ofiered to the Sun and to the Lights of heaven, and to the Elements, the I'ire, the Air, the Winds, the Waters, and even the Earth on which they lived, and the Mountains and Lakes, were gradually aban- doned for ofierings of animals which they slew. Then did a fierce thirst of blood burn within them like fire, and contests arose, and men were first slain ; and the great began to oppress the feeble ; and brute strength was seen to overawe justice. And stringent laws became neces- sary to repress undue violence. But the laws themselves were disregarded by those who were strong enough to defy them. And the centuries passed, and crime grew 106 THE BOOK OF GOD. common among men ; and rapine, cruelty, and robbery and death were indiscriminately resorted to by giants. And justice seemed no longer on the earth ; and every man did as he thought fit ; and many denied the exist- ence of God, and said that the Sun was but a fire. And chiefs of great tribes arose, and tribe fought with tribe even unto death. And certain artful men set themselves up as the sole ministers of public prayer. Then all began to be in confusion, and primitive peace was gone. The strong hand governed all things, and the cunning head made a slave of the strong hand. Thus first began Tauric worship. And the Sun was symbolized by the Bull ; They placed him on a high mound, And oSered him divine honours. And the priests taught that the Sun descended Into the body of the Bull ; And witnessed in person the homage paid By those who sought to do him reverence. The A¥hite Bull was the emblem of the Sun by day, And the Black Bull of the Sun by night ; And thus idolatry by slow degrees Crept over the hearts of men. And after Tauric worship arose the adoration of the Moon'; For they said she was the spouse of the Sun ; That she was the fertile womb of all things ; And they symbolized this planet by a Cow. Therefore they assembled to worship her also On the first day of the new Moon ; And in the middle of the month when she had increasec!, And :n the end when she was at her full. Fo. 107 And tlio men gave their chief homage to the Sun ; And the women gave their chief homage to the Moon : And in time religious feuds began Between the priests of the Sun and Moon. Each claimed precedency and the chief honour ; And their votaries mshed to slaughter ; And they invented legends and fables and miracles To magnify the glory of their divinity. Yet some there were who abhorred all image-worship, Thinking it derogatory to the Supreme One ; They feared to symbolize the Splendid Lord By the likeness of any earthly creature. Therefore did they bow themselves to Fire alone As a symbol of Him who is Pure Flame ; The sacred tj'pe of the bright Ethereal One, In whom can no conniption dwell. And some confessed their sins to the Sun, and bathed in the running stream, saying. Receive our sins which we have confessed, and bear them with thee to the sea. And some worshipped thunders and lightnings ; and sought to conciliate the eclipse ; they burned perfumes, and consulted birds of augury, and bowed towards the East to salute its Star. But vain are these, and vain are astrologers ; there are no lucky or unlucky days ; the cries of birds, or the howling of animals — all these' things are foolishness. And they instituted dances in honoiu- of the heavenly choirs ; they divided the people into castes, to imitate the Kingdom of the Spheres, where all are placed according to their rank. And they who wandered over the immense plains, placed themselves under the protection of the Stars, each tribe selecting a 108 THE BOOK OF GOD. particular Star, to which it offered up its homage. Thus from Star-worship astrology began ; and from astrology oracles and divination. And some dedicated fountains to the Sun, and others pillars and altars of fire ; and the Signs of the Zodiack were worshipped as astronomical knowledge increased, and rivers and seas were called sacred, and victims were offered to them in sacrifice. The Elements, the Stars, Animals, and even plants, — all the distinguishing features of Nature, which bear im- printed on them the idea of the Divine, became the symbols of His splendid attributes. They built mighty cromlechs ; stones of weight immense evenly balanced. Then also began slavery upon the earth, the most abomi- nable before high heaven ; for the captives taken in war they enslaved, and putting ov;t their eyes, compelled them to works of toil : to till the earth, to reclaim wild cattle, to erect gigantic works in stone ; thousands were sacrificed at these works ; they fell dead upon the plains. Hospitable they were to all strangers ; each man's dwell- ing was an open house. Boldness was in every heart, and fearlessness of death, and love of freedom. They loved justice also ; but were cruel, fierce, and super- stitious. Hence they began to be called Giants by those' whom they had bound in slavery ; and with slavery began almost every vice that can degrade and brutify mankind. And when they wholly cast away God, and began to sacrifice to idols, then did they scale heaven, and sought to dethrone the Lord. The Laws of the Ancients were the first religious guide, And those indeed were followed for many years ; But when they perverted them to evil purposes, FO. 109 Then a Revealed Law became necessary. For the first Law symbolized the Supreme, Until the types usurped the place of God ; And the Bull, the Cow, the Eam, and the Fire, And the Horse began to be deemed sacred. Those at first were regarded but as signs Of the high attributes of certain Powers ; But in course of time they began to be worshipped In place of the god whom they represented. CHAPTER XV. The Lord looked upon the earth and pitied the earth, He spake unto the Holy Spirit ; He proclaimed the Hour of the Messenger Who was to reveal the Law of Heaven to man. God spake unto the Holy Spirit — Beautiful One, the hour is come : The races of mankind have grown impure ; They have fallen away into darkness. In the Sacred Cycle Let the Advent of the Comforter be ; On him thy dove-like spirit shall descend, He shall bring the Wanderers to reason. He shall be a MIM-RA of Heavenly Truth, And shall unseal the Heaven before the Earth : He shall open the Celestial Gates of Wisdom, And shall renew light among men. Then it was the Messenger of God First descended upon the earth. 110 THE BOOK OF GOD. To bring back the sons of earth to Heaven, And to make old things new. O Vipaswi ! 'Treasure of holy knowledge, Teacher of all degrees of men. Endowed with ten powers, ■Go ! descend ! proclaim ! A.Aore not rivers ; Worship not the Sun or Fire, Fear not spirits. Bow not to Moon or Planets ; Venerate not the manes ; Put no faith in lucky or unlucky. Or in phantoms, or dreams. This did the First Menu declare : It is unlawful to make an image of God In the shape of man, or woman, or beast, Or to set up any symbol of the Supreme One — Behold the Heavens, and let that be His symbol. •O men, pray not to the Sim, For the Sun is not all-present ; He cannot hear your oaths ; Neither can he bear testimony to the words ye latter. Bow not before the Moon in adoration ; For the Moon is only a sphere of darkness, "Which images the sunlight as in a mirror, But hath neither life, nor strength, nor power. Kiss not the hand, or bend the knee Before the Stars of evening or morning : They also fulfil their appointed duties ; They are the servants of God even as ye are. FO. Ill Worship not the Aerolite which some have made a God, Pretending that it was an image sent from Heaven ; Verily it is nothing better than a stone Discharged from some volcanic cave. Offer not lambs, or kids, or calves. Or sheep, or cakes, or fishes before God ; Xeither sacrifice ye horses, nor children, But offer up your own hearts of purity. The Sun hears not, nor does the Moon avert evil ; There is no power in her cat-headed statues ; She tastes not the fragrant food Which ye offer when her new orb appears. men ! there is no god in the thunders, Xeither doth any god preside over the lightnings of the sphere ; The sea is impelled not by a Power, but by the winds ; The rivers flow not at the bidding of any. Vain is all adoration of the Star of Day ; Vain is the tauriform symbol of his splendour ; For this is not a god, nor hath this power, The God of Heaven alone is the Most Mighty ; To Him all causes and effects are referable ; He moves in thunders and in lightnings ; By His Eternal Hand is Ocean guided, And winds sent forth and rivers are restrained. He is the Mighty One who doeth all things ; He is the All-Conquering and All-Powerful ; The solar star is but a speck before Him : The constellations arc but drops of dew. He hath imposed transcendent Laws Upon all those elemental forces ; They yield to Him, and pay Him homage. 112 THE BOOK OF GOD. But of themselves they possess no energy. Some there be who sacrifice animals, As if the Holy One of Heaven rejoiced in blood God rejoices only in the pure of heart ; In those whose spirits are snow-white. His religion is of the spirit, spiritual ; His worship is heavenly, not corporeal : Like water flowing brightly through a rock Is the stainless spirit of the Child of Heaven. And sweet and like unto a heavenly thing Is the pure treasure which it bringeth : But like water flowing through a stagnant marsh Is the spirit of the child of earth ; And equally impure is the offering which he bringeth ; Think ye that the God of Brightness wiU accept it 1 ye Heavens bear witness of my words ; And thou starry firmament stand forth ; Arise to testify the truths that I proclaim ; That man may not be ignorant of the One. That he may not bow him down and worship Before the gods of his own creation. Whom he hath made to be divine in his fancy ; But know the One Mighty Lord of Heaven, Who may be seen as plainly as the sun ; For Man may learn much of the Divine If he chooses to seek Him out : God reveals himself to those who seek Him ; He flashes in light upon their hearts ; But they who never have sought out God Declare that nothing can be known of Him ; But that He is veiled in darkness for ever : — Verily they have not desired to know. FO. 113 Those who know Him, who is greater than the Universe, the Great One, the Infinite, who is Concealed in all beings, the only Pervader of the All, the Ruler— become immortal. Know thou that Perfect, Infinite Spirit, who is like the sun after darkness : He who knows Him overcomes death : there is no other road. By Him, than whom nothing is greater ; than whom nothing is more subtle ; nothing more ancient ; who Alone stands in the Heavens, an unshaken tree ; by Him, the Perfect, is the All pervaded. He is the Almighty, the Lord of Truth, the Lord in Truth ; the Impeller of all that is ; the King of purest happiness; the Light; the Eternal. Those who know Him become immortal. The Spirit of a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet : present everywhere : his hands and feet everywhere : his eyes and face everywhere : his ears everywhere, everywhere ; with all the senses, yet devoid of the senses. Those who know Him become immortal. May He bestow on us His Divine Auspice. God, thou art One, thou art Many ; thou art Fire ; thou art Ether ; thou art the Wind ; thou art the Waters ; thou art the Sun ; thou art the Moon ; thou art the Stars. AO ! Thou art woman, thou art man, thou art the youth ; thou art the Virgin ; thou art the old man trembling on his staff; thy face is the Universe. AO ! Thou art the black bee ; the green bird with the red- coloured eye ; the cloud in whose womb the lightnings sleep ; the seasons ; the seas ; without beginning Thou embracest all ; for by Thee are all worlds created. AO ! ll-i THE BOOK OF GOD. To the God, who is the Lord of the Gods, in whom the -worlds have their support, let us bring our hearts. AO ! Whoever knows Him, who in due time is the Pre- server of the Universe, who concealed in all beings is the Sovereign Lord of all : with whom the gods are ever- lastingly united ; who knows this gets liberated from all bonds. AO ! O men ! ye have learned of your forefathers To destroy your female children ; But this indeed is a murder before God, As great as is the murder of a full-grown man. For ye roar the innocent ones till they be six years old, ■Then ye say unto your wives. Dress them. Perfume their clothes, array their hair. Behold I carry them to their mothers. .And when ye have done so, ye lead her forth. Ye lead her to the pit which ye have dug ; Ye say unto her. Look in — cast thine eyes down ; And when she doeth this ye cast her headlong. •0 Men ! this is murder ; Ye shall answer for it to the Lord of Heaven, Who sendeth children that they may live and be happy. Not that they may be killed by their own parents. God, whoso work is the Universe ; thou Supreme Spirit-Soul who art always dwelling in the hearts of all; hy the feeling, by knowledge, by meditation Thou art revealed. Those who know Thee become immortal. AO ! When all ignorance has disappeared, when there is no darkness, then there is neither day nor night ; all-blessed- ness alone prevails. The Spirit of the Sun-Spheres FO. 115 shines in -n-isdom. All partake of that boundless Ocean. AO! Not one is capable to comprehend Thee, neither in Space above, nor in Space below, nor in the Space be- tween. For Thee, whose name is the glory of the Universe, there is no likeness. ,A0 ! Not in the sight abides Thy splendid form ; none be- holds Thee by the eye. They who feel and see and recognize and know Thee as dwelling in the ether oi the heart, by pure intellect become immortal. AO ! May Thy face shine upon us for ever. May Thy Divine Auspice illuminate and preserve us. Some there be who fear the sun's eclipse, Who tremble when a shadow steals over him ; Let them not be faint of heart, nor white with terror, For this is but a sign in the firmament. The darkness shall pass away from the bright disc ; The twilight veil shall be uplifted ; The glorious orb of beauty shall re-ascend Before the eyes of all in ancient majesty. The gloom shall pass from the face of Nature, The birds that hid themselves shall come forth, They shall emerge again into the happy sunshine From the leafy covert of their fear. The four-footed creatures of the forest Shall exult and be glad when the light cometh again. They buried themselves in their dark houses. But they rejoice when his beam re-appears. child of truth shalt thou be apprehensive At a shadow stealing over the sun ] Know that God is wakeful ever. 116 THE BOOK OF GOD. That He will protect the least of His works. He watcheth over the splendid planet ; He will not quench its glory in gloom ; But shall uplift him in the high heavens, The beacon and the cheering light of all. But the sun himself is powerless, He cannot command the shadow to depart ; Were he a god, or had he aught of godlike power, Think ye that he would suffer his body to be darkened ? As the Sun, manifesting all parts of Space, above, between, and below, shines resplendent, so overrules the All-glorious, Adorable God ; the One who is Alone ; the All that exists in likeness of the All. AO. He is not woman ; He is not man ; but He is each, and all, and everything. AO. The soul embodied is to be thought of like the hun- dredth part of the point of a hair, divided into ten thou- sand parts ; but He is Infinite. AO. Whoever knows Him, who is greater than the multi- form Universe ; greater than Time ; upon whom the Universe turns round ; who is the establisher of Light, the destroyer of Darkness, the Lord of all Glory ; he shall be as one of the immortals. AO. He is the Manifester by whom the All becomes mani- fest ; the One in the midst of Fire and Water and Ether and Earth ; knowing Him we shall overcome death ; there is no other way. AO. Son of Man ; thou art commanded by thy Lord To be stedfast in- the practice of devotion ; That thou mayest make manifest before other men How ardent is thy love of God. FO. 117 Son of Man ! thou art commanded by thy King To pursue Truth above all things ; That thou mayest enrich thy soul -with wisdom, And make thyself worthy of the Father. God is the All-Beautiful Whom thou shouldest not cease at any time to adore ; God is the AJl-Embraoing, Whose arms are ever open to the Spirit that communes with Him. Askest thou how shall I commune with God ■? By prayer thou shalt stand face to face with Him ; Askest thou, how shall I perceive His beauty ? By learning Truth which is His shining Image. Many there be, virtuous in their own conceit, Who say aloud, I have not blasphemed God ; I have not rebelled against His pure commandment ; Why then do I need prayer 1 Amen, I say unto thee, thou lost one, If thy life be not in accordance with God's Law, Thou art a blasphemer against His pure Word ; Thou art a rebel all the moments of thy days. Kuowest thou, where this Word is to be found f Verily hi the Book of God ; Knowest thou where this Law exists 1 Verily in this Book, and in no other. If therefore thou knowest not this Book, How shalt thou know the Law of God 1 If then thou errest against this Truth, How shalt thou avoid to be a rebel against Him 1 Tranquil, holy, without parts, without spots, , the last bridge to immortality ; brilliant as fire when it consumes 118 THE BOOK OF GOD. the wood — to Him let us, who desire liberation and im- mortality, reverently and virtuously make approach. All that is visible on this earth is to be enveloped, wrapped up and lost, as it were, in the one absorbing thought of God the Euler. He who renounces the world shall save his soul ; but he who clings to the world shall lose it. Do not covet the riches of any one. To him who abandons all thought of the world, nothing is left but the soul ; this only becomes his thought. The visible is um-eal, is fleeting, is finite ; do not desire any- thing which thine eye can see. To the godless worlds, covered thick with gloomy darkness, with ignorance, with the transient, with the unsatisfying, go all those when they have departed from this earth who have been slayers of their own souls. Those who worship ignorance enter into gloom aud darkness and confusion ; but into still greater darkness and confusion those who are contented with a half- knowledge. Those who worship uncreated nature, enter into gloomy and chaotic darkness ; but into still darker chaos do they pass who are devoted to created nature. These truths have I learned from most holy Saints and Sages. men ! my duty is truth ; my life is truth ; my words are truth. God is concealed within the brilliant disc. If thou wouldest see Him, learn of me. Spirit of the Sun-Spheres, disperse thy rays ; dis- pense thy splendid light. Let us behold thy form of ' splendid lustre. That which Thou art, are we. Thy sons. Om ! my mind remember thine acts ; remember. FO. 119 remember. God knoweth all acts. Remember, remembw. My son, iUimiinate thee with divine knowledge, And seek inspiration from on hio-h ; For these remove thee away from avarice ; They subdue the passions and excite to virtue ; Let thy pace be orderly and venerable ; Let thine aspect be grave and sedate ; Let thy words be soft and well-weighed, And if thou smilest let it be with saoredness. Pollute not thy face with laughter ; For this is the disease of a fool ; Reverence also those things Which the vulgar deem of little worth. Foresee trouble, that thou mayest prevent it ; But, if it comes, endure with equanimity ; Speak not harshly of the dead ; Be silent also of the living. For a long abasement follows arrogance. And on the heels of conceit disgi-ace treads. Engage not in a controversy with the ignorant, For thou shalt not gain by thy victory over him A common stone will break a diamond ; A piece of lead will bruise a golden cup. Worthy of honour is the cow ; Worthy of honour is the horse, He who gives them not their due food Shall meet with public reprobation. And the camel that labours for thee, And every bird and beast that gives thee joy. Unto these let all attention be given — Food and water, and light and shelter. 120 THE BOOK OF GOD. Let the life of a dog be held in honour ; He is the friend of men and cattle ; He defends the sleeper ; He drives away the wolf ; He watches the thief Who prowls about the fold at night ; He hears his footstep afar off ; He awaits his coming and seizes him. How patient is the dog — how watchful ; How friendly, brave and temperate ; How he cleaveth to his own household ; How grateful for his master's greeting. He rejoices with you in prosperity ; He deserts you not in trouble ; He offers his life for his master — Let him be held in honour. The ignorant man is like the dull earth That hath no seed within its cold embrace ; The winds of heaven blow upon it, And the sun shines over its hard surface ; The dews descend upon it in the night ; The soft rains moistens its dark bosom, But it is still a clod of mere clay Producing nothing fair and useful. But the wise man is like the virgin mould Wherein is set the seed of a beautiful tree, And the winds breathe, and the dews descend, And the sunbeams warm its breast. And in the spring a young plant buds forth, Lovely in its verdure as an angel ; And the birds sing above its green branches, And the breath of heaven plays amid its leaves. FO. 121 Who is he that prefers the darkness to light '! Or the whirlwind to the splendour of the sun ? He is like the dull and seedless earth ; And he shaU generate nothing good in all his days. Who is he that prefers the mist of twilight To the soft and shining brightness of the morning 1 Dark and diseased are the eyes of that man ; His spirit is obscured by the flesh. For the Truths of God are as the morning sunbeam That wafts delight and freshness from its heart ; But the Falses of the Unholy are a glimmering vapour That mislead the wanderer to his ruin. The world of man, the mighty Universe, la nothing in the eyes of Him who made it ; Behold these glorious Palaces of Heaven, They are but sparks of light in the eyes of God. Within their circles meet without distinction All the spirits of the innumerable ranks — Kings and slaves, masters and servants — Yet aU are nothing before God. If, then, these mighty organizations Are but as small grains of dust before Him, How much less are mundane things 1 Or the trifling incidents of the deeds of mortals 1 My son, in all thy varied passages through life, remember thy God who made thee ; He is the Parent and Universal Guardian ; He is the spirit of Perfectness and Love. To all spirits He hath given free will, so that they may choose between Him and the Earth j He who chooseth the Earth shall have gold and estate, but he 122 THE BOOK OF GOD shall never dwell with God in Heaved. He who ehooseth God shall have only spiritual wealth, but he shall dwell everlastingly in the Paradise of Light. Remember well, I beseech thee, this truth, and deviate not from it in the least, though all the influences of Earth impel thee; for whatsoever thou shall gain on Earth by cleaving to the Earth, thou shalt lose an hundred fold in that Eter- nal Land which is God's bright Garden. In all things be just ; for justice is more beautiful, and more worthy to be followed, than parent or friend, or brother or lover. For all these are of the Earth ; but justice is the divine breath of God. He who goeth away from her goethaway from the Father. God is the Universal Spirit in the midst of all things ; He is the Beginning and the End ; if that indeed can be called either, which never had beginning, and never shall have an end. He is Incomprehensible by human intellect ; He is Invisible by the human eye ; but of all that is visible or com- prehensible in the Universe God alone is the Divine Author. Man knowing not His Sublime Unity falleth into vain polytheism, and is excluded from his heritage of happiness ; but T say. Thou shalt not worship any other than God; for in the heavens are neither god nor goddesses ; there is only one God there. Our Lord. Let no man pray to any other. He who adores any other but the One True God, maketh in his heart an equal to that God ; he is an idolater ; he is no true believer ; nor will his Lord own him as a worshipper. Know that there are two Everlasting Mirrors in which thou mayest behold the Face of God; the first is in the Universe of Beauty about thee — ^the second is in the Book of God. Whoso- ever readeth these aright shall not go astray. When ro. 123 thy passions tempt thee, fly to this Book ; meditate on it with faith, and thou shalt be saved. Yet follow not its "Word because of custom, or the fashion of society, or example set before thee ; but because thou makest it a vital part of thy life. Neither seek thou to find God far or near ; at home or abroad, in temple or in man ; for God verily is in this Book and in no other. Let every line thereof be unto thee a Law : Behold it is the Ever- lasting Ordinance of Heaven. Its wisdom shall increase thy purity ; its knowledge shall .teach thee innocence ;, its voice is the music of the spheres ; it is a symphony of beautiful sounds that follows the Divine. Its strength shall uplift thy spirit in a golden chariot upward even unto the Heaven of Heavens. There is a reward for every species of obedience to it ; there is a punishment also for every act of disobedience ; and these are administered in perfect justice without regard to the places of indi- viduals. For God the Legislator will not permit His Law to be broken with impunity by the wicked. Think not that He reserves His justice for another state ; in every state of being He exercises it and shews it; as well in the Earth of Man, as in the Heaven of Spirits, His Laws exist, and regulate all places ; wherever they are transgressed punishment follows, whether it be in the body, or in spirit existence. This also did he teach : — Mother of the Universe, Goddess of Life, more dear than life, Before thy lotos-feet we bow In lowly veneration. Thou art the Great Goddess — G 2 124 THE BOOK OF GOD. The parent of the visible All ; The Effect from the Mighty Cause ; — Boodh is thy Lord. Clothed with beauty everlasting, We give thee reverence ; Queen of Gopis and Apsaras ; — Boodh is thy Lord. Beautiful thou art as the Sun ; As the Moon star-surrounded Yet we pray not to Sun or Moon ; — We pray to Boodh thy Lord. Beneficent, Adi-Bhavani ; Divine, Achal-Eswara. splendid and perfect Orb ; Sun newly risen ; Moon calm in loveliness ; — Boodh is thy Lord. CHAPTEE XVI. Thus arose the Illuminator, the Giver of Light, who gave eyes to him that was grown blind, so as to cast away the burden of sins. All his virtues were perfect. He satisfied many with good things. In all the three worlds there was none like him — the eminent. To this world sleeping for a long time im- mersed in thick darkness, he caused the Light to shine. FO. 125 The prince of physicians came to cure them from all diseases. They who having his instruction grew wise and sound, feared not the destruction of the body. His instruction was without fault ; exempt from all confusion ; free from principles of darkness,- and full of the precepts of immortality. It is worthy to be honoured both in heaven and on earth. Eeverence be to him ; Reverence be to him. And after the First there came a Second Menu. OSikhi'! OKapirila! Thou supreme Sage, Who didst pass the boundaries of the world j Honoured be thy pure name. He also was Aditya-Bandhu ; he also was a Messenger of God ; and he appointed priests and missionaries, and they carried the sacred words into the dwellings of all men. And they traversed great lands, and crossed de- serts and mountains, and despised all dangers, bearing Truth. And their holy preachings perished not, because they were the flame of heaven ; yea, they were transmitted from father to son until this very day wherein I preach. But in the lapse of years, and in the change of customs, and in the departure of colonies, and in the separation of men, and in the growth of vice, and in the decay of vir- tue, great were the revolutions that took place. For vast possessions gave rise to contests, and from the lust and habit of gain selfishness arose. Hence injustice, battles, and ambition ; poisonings and luxury, and false- hood and misery. Equity, mildness, the influence of religion, the gentleness of piety, were of no effect ; and the worship of the Divine degenerated into a depraved idola- trous superstition. The ways of the Children of Earth 126 THE BOOK OF GOD. became dark, depraved and wandering ; they rioted in the orgies of wickedness, and gave themselves up to all impurity. Through every land was virtue depressed; through every tribe was vice encouraged ; and priests, and hoary patriarchs became the teachers of every kind of sin and foolishness. And they who beheld virtuous actions imitated them not in their own lives ; but held them up to the laughter of the unthinking, as the enthu- siasm of fools and fanatics. And this, Son ! has been the condition of the Earth for many hundred years ; wherefore the Cycle of the Sun hath dawned, so that a new race may now be taught in wisdom. Om 1 To him, whose virtue was immaculate, whose imder- standing was clear and brilliant, who had all the sacred characteristic signs ; who possessed foreknowledge ; re- verence be to him. To him who was clean and pure from the taint of sin — the spotless ; the celebrated through three worlds ; the sage of the three sciences ; who gave eyes to know the degrees of emancipation ; reverence be to him. To him, who with tranquil mind did clear up the trou- bles of evil times ; who did instruct with loving kindness all moving beings in their destination ; reverence be to him. Muni ! whose heart is at rest ; who delightest much in explaining every doubt; who hast undergone rigorous suffering on account of moving beings ; thy intentions are pure ; thy practices are perfect. Teacher of truths who, being liberated, didst desire to set free others also ; rever- ence be to thee. FO. 127 O Son of Man ! answer me and say What wilt thou declare unto thy God When the sleep of life hath passed, And thy spirit meeteth the Master ? Not by gifts or legacies or sacrifice. Canst thou prevail over his all-perfect justice ; Not by offerings at shrine or altar Canst thou bribe thine Everlasting Judge.- These things add not to the glory Of the glorious Mng of Heaven ; But they are all vain and useless Before the tribunal of the Most High. God will not demand from thee, On that awful Day of Judgment, Who was thy father 1 or who were thy kindred 1 What was thy fame ? or where were thy possessions 1 He will ask thee to declare thy good works ; To make manifest the piety of thy spirit ; To recount thy deeds of beneficence to man ; To reveal the holiness of thine heart. What wilt thou answer, Child of Earth, When God will so demand of thee t Or what will it then avail thee to have known Duties which thou didst never fulfil 1 Thou wilt resemble him who ploughed But set not seed in the earth ; And when the time of reaping came, Behold he had nothing but weeds. Son ! not for thy personal reformation alone labour, But for the reformation of all thine erring brethren ; Purify thyself first and then go forth, 128 THE BOOK OF GOD. To deliver them from the evils that oppress. These evils are the result of institutes Invented by wicked rulers ; But there are no laws that, bind men, Save only the Immutable Laws of God. All the tyrannies of the earth shall perish When the moral nature of man is made beautiful ; For no power of evil can overthrow The majestic march of virtue. Then shall universal brotherhood prevail, And all shall be at peace as in heaven. And great shall be the force of love ; It shall accomplish all things noble. Fear doeth nothing well ; But Love can accomplish all things ; Love is the natural offspring of the heart ; But fear and hatred dwell together. They abide where tyranny exists ; They are its natural and base production ; They are like a sore disease in the spirit, Keducing man to a wild beast. Darkly-false therefore are all creeds Which teach not love but hatred ; Which minister to the pomp of priests And enjoin not practice but profession. There is only one true love ; The love of God and of each other ; And there is only one true religion ; The religion which is founded on love like this. The religion of God consists not in mere belief in God But in fulfilling that which God ordains ; Fo. 129 The wicked may have faith as strongly as the good ; But if his faith be dead, and produce not fruit, It will avail him nothing in the end. Amen, I say unto ye, That if ye will be saved by religious faith, Then so do, that faith may enter into your lives. And sanctify your daily actions. For mere religious belief without good works Will pass no man into the Heaven of God : There is no faith where there is no charity ; God alone is Divine Truth and Divine Good ; He who believeth in this Divine Truth hath faith ; And he who likens himself unto this Divine Good He indeed hath perfect love. So faith and love are the perfection of man's life, And charity is the life of faith in God ; Many are there upon the earth who do good, Not for the sake of good or God ; But because it conduceth unto an earthly profit ; These are they who love themselves not God ; And who love the earth more than the Heavens, Whereof virtuous charity is a living type. Walk not in the footsteps of these men. For thy spirit is an angel of light ; And even as the angels of light should it do. Man spiritualizes his nature by benevolence ; By making love the end of all his actions ; For the spirit is not subject to the organs of the body. Nor is it influenced or controlled by them; But these organs are symbols or manifestations Of the spirit that is within and moves them ; They are fleshly types of its faculties, G 3 130 THE BOOK OF GOD. Changing as the spirit changes ; ImproTing with its improvement in religion And growing brutalized by its debasement in evil. CHAPTER XVII. Adoration to Hon, the Creator, the Most Holy ; the Omniscient and Supreme God. Creator, Ehe, Om, En, Amen, Amen, As thou wiliest be it ever done. 1 see Thee rolling in clouds. And in the vivid flash amid the forest ; I hear Thy voice in the dark gloomy waves ; — Like a sword of fire it enters into my heart. Let me hymn to Thee a song of praise Ascending like a pillar of fire ; Sovereign Euler of the Power of Air, The sun trembles when it sees Thee. Oh ! that thy Day of Light were come. When we shall reach the star of our desire ; When the universal lights that now glitter Shall grow faint, and feeble and dim. Night shall rush upon them ; But in that mystic Night shalt Thou be wrapped. And all the gleaming orbs that shone like spears Shall melt away in mists. ro. 131 But thou, Judge of Circles, The light, the golden-hued Protector, Shalt appear amid the fire-clouda With the Princes of the sapphire belt. Om! The Earth of Man assumed its present form After it had been changed fourteen times ; Seven times by fire ; Seven times by water. But when the races of mankind first began (Hearken ye, unto this golden palm leaf from Heaven) The waters retreated into their deep beds ; The lotos-bearing Earth was separated into continents. Then sprang forth the Mystic Tree Crowned with Twelve resplendent Flowers ; Emblems of the Gods who were to appear on earth, In whose light and fragrance all things should be renewed. The Sun with an interior of resplendent gold-flame Shone full from behind the Eastern Moimtains ; When he had completed his allotted cycle He sank into the west beneath the blue waters. Then the Moon with an interior of ruby set in silver, Shining with serene light amid the constellations, Arose in the opposite side of the heaven. Biding in her car drawn by thirteen stars. Thus the Sun and Moon and radiant Lights Were manifested unto the primeval people ; The hills, the four oceans, the -forest wilds. The lakes, the rivers, were produced, And the races of men, strong and pure-bodied,. Lived upon the earth and the fruits of the earth ; 132 THE BOOK OF GOD. And the energy of the rude and headstrong passions That gave birth to viciousness wassail unknown. The whole earth, so far as it was peopled, Was a garden cultivated as if by one family : Yielding from ten thousand trees ten thousand fruits, Which each one took according to his pleasure. No man said unto his brother, This is mine ; Therefore you shall not taste of that which is another's ; But every man said, All is thine. And thine is mine, and mine is every one's own. Thus in these golden-lotos years of peace and purity ; Happiness was diffused over the whole land ; Truth, justice, excellence, good will. Animated the minds and hearts of all. Years revolved into many years, And the days of innocence departed ; Covetousness began to hoard for itself; Private possessions were then claimed. Laws were enacted by the wisest To restrain the strong, the lawless, the all-grasping ; And to pronoiince the Laws judges were appointed Whose decisions should be supported by the community. There are the first Twelve Decisions Which were pronounced by the Wise and Holy : Let them be graven on the golden palrn-leaf ; Let them be remembered by all mankind. 1. Two^men came before the Chief Judge, Each claiming certain lands for himself ; You have taken my land, said the complainant ; I have only kept my own, answered the defendant ; FO. 133 You have beaten me and my family, said the com- plainant ; It was in defence of my possession, upheld the defendant. It has been mine for years, said the complainant ; It has never been thine, rejoined the defendant. The Chief Judge said. This quarrel must not be ; It arises from the want of land-marks ; Let persons be elected out of each community, Who shall assign to each that which is his right. Let every ten choose a man ; Let them engage to abide by his decisions ; Let him mark out, on due inquiry. The true boundaries that belong to every one. Let the marks of a boundaries be these ; Hills, houses, wells, tanks, lakes, caves, rivers, Zayats, large trees, stones, piUars, heads of cattle, Bones, chaff, ashes, charcoal, sand. Broken chatties, streams, channels, ridges, posts and clumps of brushwood. Let these be the land-mark for all boundaries ; Thus there shall be no more disputed titles ; — All applauded his decision. And from that day forth laud-marks were set up. IL Certain persons who had a covetous disposition. And desired to appropriate to themselves the lands of others, Went and destroyed the land-marks ; They were brought before the Chief Judge. The Chief Judge said. Let the community be divided 134) THE BOOK OP GOD. Into hoindreda, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands ; Let magistrates be placed over each division, To -whom shall be referred these present strifes. Let each district, judge as well as it may. Strictly within the limits of its own jurisdiction ; Set dykes, trees, bamboos, mounds and pillars, To indicate the boundaries of every man's land. If, after this is done, any one district Shall interfere with or destroy the land-marks of another, Or if the inhabitants shaU wrest them from each other, The magistrates shall hear and shall adjudge. If the land-marks be destroyed wilfully of malice^ Let the offender be' buried to the neck In the very place where he destroyed the land-mark. And let him be kept there for seven whole days. If he be an old offender let him be kept there for half a month. Or banished out of the bounds of the village ; Or fined one hundred tickals of gold ; Or set to clean stables or sweep out sheds. These are the penalties which the law affixes ; Let the magistrates choose which they will impose, According to the guilt and condition of the offender ; From their judgment there shall be no appeal. But if the land-^nark be destroyed unwittingly. Or without any guilty intent, The penalty shall only be its replacement In the very state in which it was when broken. And that no man may allege in his defence That he destroyed land-marks not knowing them to be such. FO. 135 Let all be taught, even from their first years, The names and owners of the appointed land-marks. III. A certain man was brought before the Chief Judge Charged with stealing a sheaf of paddy ; He confessed his guilt ; the Chief Judge asked When he stole it 1 He answ^ered in the night. The Judge decided that for the sheaf stolen He must give five by way of restitution ; He warned him that if he again committed theft The restitution he should make would be much larger. IV. Another man was brought before the Chief Judge, Charged with forcibly taking a sheaf of paddy : The Judge asked, whether it was in the day or in the night 1 It was answered that it was taken in the day. The Chief Judge commanded that he should restore the paddy, But warned him against acts of the same kind ; If he should again offend the punishment imposed "Would be of a severe and exemplary nature. There was a certain man who owned a piece of laud ; Another to his knowledge cultivated it ; For ten whole years he laboured on the soil. And then he claimed to have it from the owner. The Chief Judge said. In the days of old 136 THE BOOK OF GOD. There was a yendik tree in whicli a pigeon dwelt ; On this yendik tree a pepul tree sprang up, And another pigeon came and lived in it. In time the pepul tree grew round the yendik, Until it perished from lack of air ; Then the first pigeon expelled the second. Saying the dwelling was originally his. The pigeons came before the king of the place. And each pleaded his own cause ; The king said to the first pigeon. Why did you not pull up the pepul tree 1 Why did you not give warning to the second pigeon That he must not make his dwelling there ? The pepul grows and has destroyed the yendik — Your habitation therefore is no more ; I order you to go away, and resign possession Of the whole place to the pigeon of the pepul tree. VI. A kingdik sat upon a tree, and sang Certain notes that were not properly his own, When the hill falls and the grass is trodden down, In those days there shall he disputes. A squirrel sitting on the branch of a tree Listened to the strange but pleasant song ; The branch broke on which he leaned, and falling Broke the back of a frog that was beneath. The frog, the squirrel, and the kingdik came To plead the matter before the Chief Judge : The judge said. The kingdik is in fault. Who sang notes that were not properly his own ; The squirrel also is without excuse ; Fo. 137 Why did he loiter listening to the kingdik i He had other business ; but, if he loiters, It is right that he should do so on a stout branch. But the branch on which he leaned was dead. And this dead branch was broken by his weight, Therefore was the frog's back broken ; The squirrel must pay thirty tickals. The kingdik who led the squirrel into the act Must pay a fine of fifteen tickals ; These sums must be given to the frog As recompense for the injury he has sustained. VII. One person bred rats, and another squirrels ; The owner of the rats complained to a magistrate That a squirrel had beaten one of his rats Whereby he lost a litter of which she was pregnant. The owner of the squirrel said, It was a quarrel Between themselves ; he had not set them on : This was proved, and the magistrate decided Not to interfere or award compensation. The complainant appealed to the Chief Judge, Who asked the time and place of the occurrence ; The owners both agreed that it was in the night, And that it occurred on the branch of a tree. The Chief Judge said, The branch is the squirrel's place. But then it is at night that the rat comes forth ; It will not venture to seek food by day. But the squirrel feeds whenever he pleases. If we judge by the time night is the rat's time ; If we judge by the branch, it is_also the rat's place. Proper only because it was in the night : 138 THE BOOK OF GOD.| The owner of the squirrel must pay the price of three litters. On this occasion the Chief Judge laid down The principles of justice from the first daysi As they relate to time and place ; As they relate to prices and things. There are eight divisions of time ; Of place there are twelve divisions ; Of price and things there are four divisions each. Let us mark out their indrvidual properties. Of the eight divisions of time there are first, JNight ; Second, the time of war ; third, the time of famine ; i'ourth, the time of pestileiice ; fifth, when the king's power is small ; Sixth, the daytime ; seventh, the time of prosperity ; JEighth, the time when a village is founded : Xet all such times as these be noted. In addition to these must be observed also ■Certain festivals, catastrophies and physical changes in the world. Now, of the twelve divisions of place ; The first a kingdom, the second a county. The third a city, the fourth a district. The fifth a village, the sixth a hamlet, The seventh a few huts, the eighth a market, The ninth a festal meeting, the tenth a wharf. The eleventh a ferry, the twelfth a hut. Let all such places as these be. noted. In addition to these it would be well to take heed Of posts for collecting duties and guard posts ; Town gates ; public meetings of the people ; Porests also and desert plages. po. 139 Now of the four prices, or modes of fixing value ; These are first of things not animate ; Such as elephants, horses and men : Second of things that are animate. Gems, gold, silver, according to their quaUties. And these are nine, twelve, and four. Third of things again that are animate ; Bufialoes, oxen and the like. Fourth of inferior inanimate things ; Four prices are there for four things : And these must be regulated by the magistrate. As it was in the case of the rat and squirrel. VIII. There were two men who disputed the possession of a wife : When they came before the Chief Judge, he heard them ; Both the men. claimed the woman : She alleged that one was her lawful husband. The Chief Judge said. On the first consideration I should have thought that the man whom the woman claimed Was indeed her husband and no other ; But the woman's claim is not supported by evidence. Then he separated them and examined them apart; But as they all came from one village. Their statements as to forefathers, names and property Agreed exactly without any contradiction. The Chief Judge said. This is a difficult matter ; He summoned their parents, relations and connections ; He called the neighbours also and examined them ; All agreed that one of the men was her husband. The Chief Judge said, Let this man have her 140 THE BOOK OF GOD. Whom all agree to be her lawful husband ; But he who has claimed her is liable by law To have his head cut off for his offence. He may redeem his neck for thirty ingots ; Let the husband now depart with his wife. But the wife would not consent to go ; She declared she would not live with the husband. The Chief Judge said, Let her be fined twenty-five ingots ; Let this be the price of her body ; But, as she and the other disgrace the community, Let them be banished and deprived of all rights of inheritance. They are destroyers of family respect ; They are breakers of solemn engagements. IX. Two persons quarrelled and fought ; They were taken before the Chief Judge ; One was found under the responsible age, Though he was the offender he was acquitted ; But as the grown man died by means of this youth. The latter was condemned in the expenses of his funeral And ordered also to make good all the loss Which had been incurred by the family of the deceased. This was adjudged that parents might be warned To bring up their children virtuously ; To give them knowledge from the earliest years. And not to train them to be public enemies. X. A certain person borrowed paddy from another ; The lender said, After the first harvest, FO. 141 For these ten baskets twenty shall be returned ; And the borrower agreed to the covenant. But the borrower was not able to repay The twenty baskets after the first harvest ; So the lender forbore him till the second harvest, And then demanded a fourth of the whole crop. The borrower said, I agreed to give twenty baskets ; But the lender answered, The season is past ; The paddy that I lent was seed paddy ; From one basket many are returned. The borrower rejoined. When I made the agreement. Only double the quantity lent was named ; Why should I give one-fourth of the whole t So they referred it to the Chief Judge. The Judge said, My friends, ye are covetous ; Govetousness produces all crime ; In the whole year there is a certain number of crops Favourable or unfavourable as it is wet or dry. If favourable there is an abundant return ; If unfavourable there is but scanty produce ; Let both proposals be treated as unjust : For the ten baskets repay him fourfold. Beyond fourfold there shall never be a claim On accounj; of any length of time : Fourfold shall be a full remuneration For the seven kinds of grain and all edible vegetables. XI. One borrowed from another an ingot of silver ; The borrower was not seen for many years : When he returned the lender demanded Full interest for the whole time elapsed. 142 THE BOOK OF GOD. The borrower offered to pay back the silver Twofold in discharge of his claim ; The lender demanded the silver twofold, Together also with interest for the years elapsed. The Chief Judge said, It was silver not merchandize : Let him pay it twofold, but without interest. This also he declared to be the law For lead, tin, copper and brass. XII. There were four men who by charity had gained One hundred pieces of silver money ; But they wished to collect four hundred pieces, Wherefore three of them went forth again to beg. They left the. hundred pieces with the youngest ; But he, meeting four bee-hunters in the forest, Consulted with them how they should defraud the others, And divide the hundred pieces among themselves. And when they had devised a plan, and the other returned Bringing with them three hundred other pieces, They said to him, who had been left in charge of the silver. Keep that which we left with thee — we will share the rest. But, the other said, Ye must divide with me, For the silver which ye deposited with me is gone j A dog ran away with the bundle into the wood ; I followed him with four bee-hunters, but he outran us. So they all came before the magistrate. And the four bee-hunters said as had been agreed upon. Wherefore the magistrate decided that the silver was lost. And ordered the others to divide with the youngest. Fo. 143 They were much dissatisfied, and went again To a higher magistrate, and finally to the king ; But the four bee-hunters, repeating still the same story. The decision of the magistrate was confirmed. Finally, they went before the Chief Judge. Who heard the allegations of both pai-ties. He said unto the four silver getters, Stay ye here ; And to the bee-hunters, Go ye into four separate places. He then went to the first bee-hunter, Exhorting him in the name of God to speak only truth ; He inquired the colour of the dog ? And in what direction the dog ran ? The bee-hunter said, My lord it was a white dog ; He ran with the bundle eastward. The Chief put the same question to the second, who said. It was a grey dog, and he ran to the south. The Chief questioned the third bee-hunter, Who said it was a black dog, and that he ran westward j He put the same questions, and the fourth replied, It was a spotted dog, and he ran to the north. In this way the Judge ascertained the truth, And made known the guilty device of the men ; He ordered them a severe punishment — Their mouths were slit for perjury. CHAPTER XVIII These words spake the Chief Judge to aU the Princes of the people : and to the people. 144 THE BOOK OF GOD. The Universe was Darkness — It was one vast solitude ; The Suns arose and set, The Moons waxed and waned, The stars and constellations shone. Governed by fixed laws. Darkness was no longer ; The Universe was peopled. Heat and cold alternately prevailed ; The fruits of the earth were gathered in autumn, They were stored up for winter :] This the first men learned. The Sun is red : He is the essence of Yang ; The Moon is white ; She is the essence of Yin. The azure, the bright, the mournful, the upper heaven Are governed throughout the year by these ; According to their revolutions and changes ; In their cycles are the fruits. AU physical existence is an evil : for birth originates sorrow, pain, decay and death. The present life is not the first ; it is but one of many : innumerable births have preceded it in previous ages, in previous worlds, in previous cycles. The reproduction of a new physical or material exist- €nce, results from a desire for material objects. Hence the source of transmigration : hence the cause <)f all the evils to which the infra-celestial existences are fiubjected. Firmness of resolution and steadiness of purpose will certainly be rewarded. i-o. ]45 Tlie ancient emperors sitting in their palaces examined the principles of good government, and without effort ruled the empire in tranquillity. They lived and nur- tured the people, and foreigners from every part came aaver to them. They ruled their subjects, whether distant or near with equal kindness, and the people of other countries acknowledged their sovereignty. When men are made acquainted with their errors they ought to reform : having made attainments in virtue they ought not to lose them. The palaces of those kings were arranged in curved form. The galleries were lofty, commanding awe. Splendid apartments on each side were thrown open: rows of pillars supported lofty edifices. On the right was the way to the inner apartments ; on the left was the royal library. The king having collected all the books and records, next assembled the literati of the empire. The king obeyed the laws which the people agreed to establish. The foundation of .good government lies in agriculture. The main business of useful life consists in sowing and reaping. Bequeath virtuous plans to posterity. Exert your- selves with reverence to plant good principles. Examine yourselves with fear and caution. If favours increase ^uard against excesses. Let your duty to your parents, and your service to jour prince, be equally distinguished by reverence and respect. In the offices of filial piety exhaust all your energies ; H 146 THE BOOK OF GOD. in those of fidelity to your prince do not regard your life. Tread carefully in the presence of your parents, as- •when on the verge of an abyss ; as soon as you rise in the morning attend to the wishes of your parents. Such conduct is fragrant as the epidendrum, and luxu- riant as the foliage of the pine. Filial piety in constant progression is like an uninter- rupted stream, or like deep water which reflects objects by its purity. Among relations of blood, deference is due to age. It is equally unbecoming to speak of the defects of others, and to boast of your own excellenoies. The wife ought to take care of her spinning, and t* attend to the wants of her husband in the curtained apartment. There are silken fans of a circular shape, and of the purest whiteness like the eifulgence of the moon. During the day enjoy a short repose on blue bamboa mats, and in the evening retire to sleep. The eldest son succeeds to the office of priest of the family, and oifers up the prayers in season. Literature was first cultivated in the days of Ke-Pih. Men of eminent talents for good government were re- tained in the palace. Many virtuous scholars flourished, and the empire enjoyed a profound peace. In those days men refused thrones, and shrank from the responsibility of governing the kingdom. To imitate the conduct of the ancients constitutes a superior man ; but he who uninterruptedly meditates on their doctrines is a sage. He who expels in learning is entitled to an official sta- Fo. .14T tion, and is competent to discharge the most responsible duties of government. Strictness and integrity, uncorruptness and humility, are duties in which you ought not to fail in times of greatest confusion. Hold fast the truth and your inclinations mil always be gratified. If you pursue inordinate propensities, the intentions of the mind will be frustrated. Preserve with reverence and care the body which has been given to you, and has been nurtured by your parents. It is not yours to injure it. Act with siacerity and then you will be trusted. Your capacity ought to be difficult to measure. Where there is established virtue there will be a solid reputation : when the deportment is correct the example will be bene- ficial. Misery is caused by an accumulation of vices : happi- ness results from abounding virtue. Let young females guard their chastity and purity : let yoimg men imitate the talented and the virtuous. Let your deportment be grave and dignified. Be calm and decided in your conversation. Respectful assiduity .in commencing your studies will ensure to you the elegancies of scholarship : diligent attention to the ends of learning will render your attain • ments useful. When superiors live in harmony inferiors will be cor- dially attached to them : when the husband sings the wife joins in chorus. The children of uncles and aunts ought to be esteemed as your own sons and daughters. H 2 148 THE BOOK OF GOD. Brothers ! think ye of each other with much affection : ye are of one breath and branches of the same stem. Benevolence and tenderness, commiseration and sympa- thy must not be neglected even under the most urgent circumstances. When the disposition is gentle, the passions wiU be tranquil : when the mind is agitated the spirits will be exhausted. Be cautious and fearful even in small affairs. Walls have ears. Let of&cial documents or letters be concise and to the point. Give answers with discretion and perspicuity. In old age retire to an unfrequented place to dwell ; deeply meditate in solitude and silence. Investigate the ancients and examine their discussions. Dissipate anxious thoughts and indulge in innocent amuse- ments. In preparing plain food for your meals, you wiU both please your palate, and satisfy your appetite. Rich viands cause satiety. Hunger will not disdain husks. Cultivate happiness by high meditation on God, and the result will be constant peace. CHAPTER XIX. After these things, the Chief Judge decided Seven other legal questions. FO. 149 Let them be graven on the golden palm-leaf, And remembered ever among the sons of men. I. Two men were carrying paddy ; They met on a plank over a deep river : Neither would go back ; they jostled against each other ; The paddy of both fell into the water and was lost. They went before the local magistrate ; He inquired which of them first came on the plank ; It was found that they both came on together ; The magistrate would not decide for either. He said, Ye have both acted with folly ; One should have given notice that he would pass first : Each ran against the other mischievously. The paddy of both was lost : blame only yourselves. The two men were much dissatisfied ; They appealed their case to the Chief Judge. He found that both were equally in a hurry. And that both had acted under feelings of anger. He then inquired as to the nature of the paddy ; That of one man was old — of the other new ; The Chief Judge then gave his decision : That the owner of the old paddy should make good the new. The old paddy will not grow ; It is fit only to be beaten out for food ; But the new paddy will grow and produce manifold, Therefore it is more valuable as property. When men quarrel the person of lower rank (Though both be equally in the wrong) Should first make submission to the higher ; 150 * THE BOOK OF GOD. So also shall it be in this case. So the owner of the old paddy replaced the new ; Nor was he dissatisfied with this just decision ; And all the people applauded, And the case' ended to the satisfaction of both. ir. A bull and cow belonged to diiferent owners ; The bull approached the cow without the knowledge of either ; The cow calved ; she produced male and female ; The owner of the bull laid claim to half. They brought the case before the Chief Judge. The owner of the bull spake first : Without my bull there were no young, Therefore it is just that I should get something. The owner of the cow made answer, saying, These are the progeny of my cow : Why should I give them up to this man 1 I claim all, both male and female. The Chief Judge gave his decision : If the owner of the bull had made an agreement With the owner of the cow, to divide would have been just: But here was no agreement or even knowledge : The bull followed his natural instincts. In a case like this therefore between animals It would not be just that there should be division; The owner of the bull shall have no part. III. A certain man went before the local magistrate. FO. 151 He made his complaint in due form. My neighbour has a fierce young cock ; He flew at my old cock and put his eye out. The magistrate decided that the complaint was good. And ordered restitution to be made ; The defendant appealed to the Chief Judge, Who examined, and decided the case. In communities it ia meet that for fowls and pigeons There should be pens and houses set apart : As cattle, buffaloes and goats are folded ; So too should other creatures be enclosed. If one animal chooses to come To the proper feeding place of the other and fight, The owner of the feeding place should not be mulcted For any injury which the intruder may have sustained. If the animal that is in its proper feeding place Receive injury from the animal that intrudes. The owner of the animal that has thus intruded Must make restitution for the injury sustained ; But, in the present case, it has been proved clearly That both animals used the same feeding place : There was no intrusion by one upon the other ; And, when they fought, they were equally matched. If they choose to fight, and one should be hurt, I do not see why the owner of the victor Should pay damages for a thing he saw not. Nor encouraged, nor was engaged in any way. IV. Four people went to the jungle to seek adventures. And each was to have share of the profit. They pursued a snake, and in his den foimd 152 THE BOOK OF GOD. A pot of gold, but one of them -was bitten and died. The wife of him who was killed claimed half. The case came before the local magistrate. He decided that, as the man had lost his life. His wife ought to get one-half of the gold. The others appealed to the Chief Judge, "Who gave his decision in these words : When the four started for the jungle. They went to share good and bad equally. If one were killed by a tiger Was his wife bound to provide a substitute for him ? It was only his misfortune : The others must perform his funeral rites. But death is a calamity incident to all men ; This man did not die by means of the other three : He died being bitten by a snake — The other three killed the snake. Of the pot of gold that has been found Let the wife of the dead man have her fourth share : It is like plunder taken in battle By the mutual co-operation of all engaged. In a small village there were two men Who had gardens closely adjoining : They were separated only by a prickly fence. And in the garden of one a cucumber tree grew ; But being a creeper it increased and ran Over the hedge into the garden of the other ; It bore fruit, and the owner of the garden Plucked the fruit and carried it away. They brought the case before the Chief Judge ; FO. 153 Both parties were heard. The owner of the cucumber tree said, The root was mine. The other answered, The fruit was in my garden. The Chief Judge gave his decision ; The tree cannot grow without the seed : The owner of the seed is therefore the true owner : The owner of the garden did wrong to pluck the fruit. Two men came before the Chief Judge ; one of them had found a hive of honey ; the other, who was his com- panion, though not present when the hive was found, claimed part, and when it was refused scolded the finder. The Chief Judge decided that he had no claim, and that he should be slightly fined for what he had spoken in anger. And as they were going away, he called them back, and said : Quarrel not for the honeycomb, my friends. Nor be moved to wrath for its possession ; But let him who first findeth a treasure of honey. In the fields, or in the green woods. Straight go, and acquaint his friends. And distribute the treasure which he hath found, Constituting himself the giver of the feast. But dividing equally among all his brethren. Let him not covetously keep it. Let him not selfishly secrete it for himself; But give freely in equal portions To those of his brethren who need it. And if men of evil tongue speak evil against thee. Answer them not in their own language ; But rather say : If ye speak truth, may God forgive me If ye speak falsehood, may God forgive ye ! H 3 154 THE BOOK OF GOD. A certain man went to a hermit, and proposed three questions. The first was : Why do they say that God is omnipresent 1 I do not see Him in any place : shew me where He is. The second was : Why is man punished for his crimes, since, whatever he does, proceeds from God ] Man has no free will, for he cannot do anything contrary to the will of God-; and if he had power he would do everything for his own good. The third was : How can God punish the soul in fire, since the soul is fire ; and what impression can fire make on itself? ■ The hermit made no answer to this man ; but 'taking up a heavy clod of earth, he struck him on the head with it. The man went to the Chief Judge, and said : I pro- posed three questions to such a hermit, who flung such a clod of earth at me as has made my head ache. The Chief Judge sent for the hermit : Why did you throw such a clod of earth at his head, instead of answering his questions t The hermit made answer : The clod of earth was an answer to his questions. The Chief Judge said : Explain this. The hermit made answer : He says he has a pain in his head ; let him shew where it is ; then I will make God visible to him. And why does he make a complaint against me? Whatever I did was the act of God. I did not strike him without the will of God. What power have 1 1 And he is compounded of earth : how can earth suifer pain from earth t And what impression can earth make on earth ] ro. 155 The Chief Judge said to the complainant : Canst thou answer this t And he could not. So the charge was dismissed. Then spake unto the Chief Judge one who had heard this decision : This judgment proves nothing ; it was no real answer whioh the hermit gave to the man who ques- tioned him. The Chief Judge said : Art thou also a doubter. Hearken now unto me : Hast thou seen a Moon arise without cause 1 Or a Sun, or a Mountain come without cause ] Or a tree, or a flower, or a river '! Why then should the Universe be without cause 1 If the smallest insect comes not without cause, Much more the Unbounded Universe requires one ; If the least requires a cause ere it exists, Much more the All of all Things. Wherefore, if this doubt be not founded on reason, Or probability, or likelihood, or experience. It cannot be a true or a wise doubt. Nor is it worthy of an understanding man. And he said : — Didst thou, my son, produce thyself 'i Or did the millions who are around thee do so 1 Did thy father produce himself] Or did the fathers of these millions do so 1 Thou answerest. No ! How then began the first 1 Why do not new stars this moment produce themselves 1 Why do not new suns and moons 1 Why does not thy garden produce trees and fruits 156 THE BOOK OF GOD. Ere thou hast sown the seed t Why does not thy land produce a house Ere thou hast gathered bricks and mortar ? What Power then produced this All 1 What Energy called it into being 1 God, who is the Creator, He made all things ; How knowest thou that He exists 1 Hast thou seen Him or stood by Him 1 Hast thou beheld Him when he fabricated ? Or did He take thee into His counsels ] Verily, I answer No. But in His mighty works I have seen God, Beholding the Universe, I know that it had a Maker, An all-wise Fabricator, and He is God. And he said : — My son, knowest thou who made the Heavens ? Or the wondrous system of the starry spheres 1 The sun and moon, the glories of the sea and air 1 The beauty and the riches of the Universe i Who can look upon these mighty things. And ask not of his heart. Who created them ] From what Almighty Causer did they come ? And who fabricated their various mechanism t Came they into existence without a cause 1 If so, why come not others daily into existence 1 Why didst not thou thyself so come 1 Why did not thy father before thee, and all other men so come? Verily all these things are dreams, They are the delusions of the unreasoning. FO. 157 The operations and effects of the Universe, Their ends, and laws, that proclaim wisdorn, Their uniform regulation according to the truest Science, Their adaptation to an all-knowing Intelligence, All negative self-creation, and self-existence, By that which of itself is but mere matter. Can the Unreasoning produce Eeasoii ? Can the Unintelligent generate Intelligence ? If the smallest unit requires wisdom to produce it. Much more must the Universe demand it. Learn thou this therefore, my son, from a contem- plation of these truths, that God exists ; that He is the Creator ; that He is Infinite, and therefore Omnipresent j that He is Good, and therefore Just ; a Legislator who makes Laws, and who will have His Laws obeyed j and that being All-Powerful, He is able, though man perceive it not, to inflict punishment on such as disobey. CHAPTER XX. The Wise Man said : Whoever in the King's presence utters a word contrary to the covenants of the Law, or persuades him to do contrary to those covenants, the King may rest assured that the object of that person is to throw the kingdom into confusion. He added : May the pure judge as he will ; May the impure never judge. To purify oneself, and be neat, To wear clean apparel, and be decorous. These are indications of good sense. 158 THE BOOK OP GOD. To repel flatterers, to shun, pleasures, To despise riches, and esteem virtue ; These indicate wisdom and goodness. The way of the wise is arduous and obscure ; To be unknown of men, and yet not to be vexed ; Is it not the part of a hero ■? I know why the way of virtue is so little known ; Enlightened men overpass it ; The ignorant do not reach it. Let the room in which a mortal dies Be fumigated with the flame of odoriferous trees ; Let the body be consigned to fire, Until every particle is ashes. The Chief Judge also enunciated these Laws ; Four things shall increase in him Who gives reverence and honour to old age ; Length of years, and shining beauty, A sense of happiness, a sense of power. But length of years is not always good. Unless it be accompanied by knowledge ; Unless it be illuminated by Him, The Uncreated — the Eternal Being. He who lives a hundred years In vice, in ignorance, in folly : — Is not one day of a virtuous man Better than this dark century t And he who lives a hundred years, And sees not once the Immortal Place, Is not one day of the illuminated Better than this gloomy dream 1 ' And he who lives a hundred years FO. 159 And never has seen the Holy Law : Is not one day of the wise in soul Better than all his blind wandering 1 Not to commit any sin, To do good. To purify the mind — This is the doctrine of the Awakened. Happy is the arising of the Awakened ; Happy is the teaching of the Good Law ; Happy is peace in the Church ; Happy is the devotion of those who are at peace. And he said : — To see things truly as they are. Is a great secret of Wisdom ; But the multitude seal up their eyes, Lest any light should penetrate their natures. Partake not of the sense-destroyer, So as to lose or weaken judgment ; This indeed will make thee blind ; Even sober thou canst not see clearly. On this earth, to attain to be a man. With a mind free from the mirage of gold. With a heart like warbling flowery spring ; This indeed is hard. Son, even the avaricious is conquered by generosity; the liar by truth ; the passionate of tongue by silence. Give, if thou art asked, from the little thou possessest — this is the straight path to the Golden Seats. He who is vigilant to do nothing to others. Which he would not that they shoxild do to him. Walks in the lotos-path of the Law ; He is not far from Heaven. 160 THE BOOK OF GOD. And he said : — In all things labour to be just ; He who is so, is most like the Father ; This attained, thou shalt have peace of mind ; He who hath this, hath acquired all things. Pious, and beloved of God is that mortal Who turns with abhorrence from wrongful thoughts ; And having made virtue to be his study, Not only knows, but practises what is good. The good delights not in alleviating pain only. Not merely in relieving the wants of the necessitous, But in adding to the enjoyment of all beings, Whether they be in joy or sorrow. Pain follows every evil thought and deed. As surely as the wheel follows the drawing hand ; Conquer thine evil thought therefore, As the wind throws down the feeble tree. God formed not any portion of the Universe, For His own glory, or its own sake ; But that it might throughout all time Contribute, of its store to the general good. Thou also, Son of Mortals, Art a portion of that living Mighty All ; Take heed that thou oppose not the purpose For which God made thee at the first. All ye who have the poor in your midst. Beware that none perishes of hunger ; Verily their blood shall cry out In wTath to the Seven Spirits. Give alms, for God is always giving ; Give shelter, for whom does not God shelter ? FO. 161 With kindliness, with soft words, Make smooth the pillow of affliction. And if private charity does not suffice, Let the very poor be fed at the public cost ; Better is it that money should be scarce. Than that charity should die out of the land. Let every man who is able plant a palm ; — To clothe the earth with trees is a beautiful work ; A tree is a spirit ; Whoso loveth it, his soul shall be better. How fair it looks amid the green, Opening its life to light and air ; Drinking in the heavenly dews ; Bowing down its head to the Supreme. And the Earth, the nourisher of youthful life, Rejoices when she sees her offspring ; Beautiful mother, bestower of all gifts, How gratefully she answers to thine offices. Postpone not, thou, those deeds of charity, Which shall profit thee in this life ; And which shaU strew the way before thee to another, With roses, light, and incense. And he said : — Things have a beginning and an end ; all actions have first principles, and ultimate consequences. He who understands the regular order of things, has nearly approached perfection. The ancient princes who desired that the brilliancy of virtue should shine resplendently through the whole empire, first promoted good in their own provinces. Wishing to establish order in their own provinces, they rst regulated their own families. 162 THE BOOK OF GOD. In order to effect the regulation of their own families, they first adorned their persons with virtue. In order that they might adorn their persons with ■virtue, they first purified their own hearts. Wishing to purify their hearts, they first made pure every motive. In order to make pure every motive, they first extended their knowledge to the utmost. When knowledge is perfect, it rectifies the motives ; single motives regulate the inclinations ; virtuous incli- nations lead to exemplary personal conduct ; such con- duct in the head of the family leads to domestic order ; when the family of the Prince exhibits an example of domestic order, good order -will prevail throughout the whole province ; when good order prevails in individual provinces, the whole empire will enjoy peace and plenty. For all, from the Son of Heaven to the meanest sub- ject, there is but one rule, which is to make personal virtue the root. That the root should be disordered, and the branches in good condition, cannot be ; for no man, if he treat lightly what is of most importance, will attend properly to what is secondary. CHAPTER XXI. Then spake the King unto the Chief Judge : Declare tmto me in brief the great principles on which a monarch should base his actions. Then answered him, the Chief Judge : Superior learning, King, consists in clearly manifest- FO. 163 ing brilliant virtue, in renovating the people, and resting only on the summit of excellence. The summit of excellence once being ascertained, the mind determines to attain it; the determination once fixed, the mind becomes stable ; being stable, it feels at ease ; being at ease, it can fully investigate ; having fully investigated, it attains its object. Behold, on yonder banks of the ke, how luxuriant is the green bamboo. Thus elegantly adorned with virtue is the superior man. As we carve and smooth the ivory; as we cut and file the precious gem, so does he model his conduct. How majestic ! how commanding is the learned Prince. To the latest ages he will not be forgotten. As we carve and smooth the ivory, so does he cultivate his mind by the study of divine principles ; as we cut and polish the precious gem, so does he adorn his person with virtue. As a Prince, he rests in benevolence ; as a minister, in respect ; as a son, in filial piety; as a father, in paternal tenderness ; and as a member of society, in faithfulness. My son ! if thou affix thy thoughts upon the firmament, and contemplate that wondrous sphere but for a short moment, it seems to thee then but an arch confined in space ; glittering, it is true, with many sparkling lights ; but if thou strivest to uplift thy glorious spirit to its mighty comprehension, thou shalt find it to be Immensity without limit. The pathway of the Sun and Moon, and of the Stars and Planets, which seem suspended by a thread ; all the glories of the Universe and of Existence are behind its dark and starry veil of splendours. The Thrones of God are in its cycles, and the Spheres of Spirits are within its mazes infinite. Even so and in like 164 THE BOOK OF GOD. manner he who meditates upon the earth of human kind fancies that he can wield its shining orb a,lmost within the hollow of his hand. But he wakens from a dream when he puts forth his strength, and seeks to grasp the unattainable ; he perceives that even the earth is to him without a limit, and is too gigantic for his possession. It bears up the lofty chain of mountains, and faints not ; neither do its knees bend beneath the load ; seas and rivers and oceans flow forth from it, yet are they again enveloped in its bosom. It rolls onward, and is not dis- turbed ; in vigour, it continues its mighty march ; the lightnings impede not its course ; nor does the' strong hand of tempests prevail against it. Yu perfected knowledge by ascertaining with exact- ness the true nature of things. If mortals wish to make their knowledge exact, they should examine to the utmost the laws of existing things ; for the human mind is capable of acquiring profound knowledge ; and among all things under heaven there is nothing without fixed laws. But if these laws be not thoroughly investigated by man, his knowledge must be incomplete. Hence the student of virtue must examine all things under heaven, that by reasoning from what he already knows, he may extend his knowledge to the utmost limit. When the mind has thus for a long time exerted its energies, it becomes at last expanded, and attains a perfect comprehension of all things, so that there is nothing either exoteric or esoteric, in the more subtle, or more obvious principles of things to which its knowledge will not extend. Thus the whole powers of the mind will be completely illumi- nated. Askest thou, what means rectitude of heart 1 It is FO. 165 thia : Do not deceive yourself. Hate vice as you do an ofifensive smell ; love virtue as you love beauty. This is called self-enjoyment. Hence the' superior man will care- fully watch over his secret moments. The worthless man, when in secret, practises vice : nay, there is no length of wickedness to which he does not proceed ; but when he observes the superior man, he attempts to conceal his vices, and puts on the appearance of virtue. Men who observe him see as it were his very heart and reins : what then does he profit himself t What is really within shews itself without : hence the superior man must be careful over his conduct when no human eye sees him. That which ten eyes gaze upon,, and ten fingers point to, requires rigorous watchfulness. As riches adorn a man- sion, so, when the mind is expanded, the body is at ease. Hence the superior man studies rectitude of heart. A father knows not the faults of his children, and the husbandman knows not the growth of his com. This shews that if a man does not cultivate personal virtue, he caimot properly regulate his family. But a man who is incapable of instructing his own family cannot possibly instruct a nation. Wherefore the superior man goes not beyond his own family to learn a system of instruction suf&cient for a nation; for filial piety is that by which a Prince should be served; fraternal affection is that by which superiors should be served ; and paternal tendernees is that by which all the people should be treated. The Sage of ancient days said : Nourish the people, as a mother does her tender offspring. If a mother really seeks to know the wants of her child, although she may not exactly hit upon them, yet she will not be far mis- taken. 166 THE BOOK OF GOD. If the family of the Prince be Tirtuous, then the whole nation will flourish in virtue. If they be polite and con- descending the whole nation will delight in politeness and courtesy. But, if they be avaricious, confusion will pre- vail throughout the whole kingdom. Of such import- ance is the prime mover, which confirms the adage. One word will ruin an affair, and one word will establish a nation. But if the mind be under the influence of passion, it cannot obtain this rectitude ; if it be dis- tracted by fear it cannot obtain a proper medium ; if it be lifted up by excessive joy, it cannot obtain the proper medium; and, if it be depressed with grief, it cannot attain the due equilibrium. If the mind be absent, we may look without seeing ; we may listen without hearing, and eat without relish. What is meant by domestic order in the family is this : some men in loving their rela- tives are partial : in hating the worthless they are illiberal ; in revering superiors they are servile ; in compassionat- ing the distressed they are over-indulgent; in their treatment of inferiors they are proud and haughty. Wherefore to love a man, and yet be sensible of his faults, and to dislike a man and yet acknowledge jhis excellencies are rare things under heaven. Hence the common adage. CHAPTER XXII. King ! why art thou a king 1 Is it not to be a father and a mother to thy people 1 So should thy vice- Fo. 167 roy be the father of his province ; so should thy manda- rin be the father of his city. In thy time wisdom, good, ness, and profound knowledge, should be the only passports to place or power. King ! grave this upon thy heart : write it there in resplendent light: he who gains the people's hearts secures the throne ; but he who loses the people's heart loses with them the safety of his throne. King ! humility is of the nature of the skies which, though in loveliness excelling all things, yet it does not disdain to descend to earth, and blend its brightness with the most lowly. In a king prudence, penetration, honesty, and de- cent modesty are the four virtues : let him be grave and devoid of pride ; let him study justice and be just. Let his countenance wear the light of peace, and all his officers respect his words : let him feel that God is King over all, and that he is no higher in God's eye than is the meanest. He should inquire diligently into the cha- racter of the magistrates who serve him ; he should reward the good for their justice ; he should depose and punish the hasty, the prejudiced, the unjust. When a monarch wisely governs the state then his ministers also are just : the empire is well ruled : the people walk in tho way of excellence. As a prince is so will his ministers be : foolish is that ruler who employs fools : but the wise hath men of understanding. Let moderation be thy rule in all things. But when thou sittest on the throne let thy thoughts be noble. Let the grandeur of a pure and mighty heart break forth in all thine actions. Punish not the child for the sins of the father j but reward even the descendants for the nobleness of their sires. Let 168 THE BOOK OF GOD. pardon wait upon involuntary errors ; whether they he great or small forgive them. Where the heart is free from malice or corrupt design it is not meet that punish- ment should fall. Better also is it that even the wicked should escape than that one innocent man should perish. A wise prince busies himself not with, pleasures, but in administering justice to his people. When honours are conferred upon the vicious, they disgrace the giver and receiver also. Therefore do I say unto thee, give not any employment to the slave of passion who considers firstly his own selfish ends ; but upon him bestow it who hath a wise head, and a heart to feel for the public good. A wicked king is the ruin of his people ; his example corrupts even the most excellent. The king who is not the father and mother of his people is unworthy to reign over them. How despicable is he who in debauchery or wine squanders the hours that belong to justice. Kings and sages are ministers of God whose duty is to preserve, to guide, and to teach. Worthy to be lashed by a whip of living serpents is that king who extorts money from his people by torture. O King ! Command thine anger, or it wiU rise against thee, And thy tongue that it speak not foolishly ; For if thy spirit knows not wisdom It will become the bonded servant of thy flesh. Contemplate truth ; Follow Nature ; Imitate God ; Let reason be the rule of all thine actions. Open thy mind to knowledge ; And let thy mind be exalted to the Most High ;' FO. 169 Remember that thy Heavenly Father is always near thee, And that to those who seek Him he giveth strength. As the image of the Sun upon the Ocean Is God mirrored in the pure of heart ; As by the footprints you trace cattle, So by his good works is the King known. To the All-Wise give adoration ; Let him shine upon thy pure spirit ; As the Moon upon the nectarine sea : Let no hour pass without thy thought being fixed on Him. He governs the Universe like a true King ; He hath generated and given life to all things. More sublime than all other men Is the great legislator, or wise theologist ; The victor benefits his country only once, But the former for all time. I have seen a king upon his throne dispensing justice, The moon in her fourteenth day was not more lovely: I have seen a Judge upon his seat dispensing equity, A nest of rats was not more loathsome. And he said : — There was a certain man of the lowest class who was employed in the household of a great lord, and the duty of this man was to sweep away the dust day by day. And it came to pass that he saw the great lord's daughter, and, when he saw he loved her much, and he re- solved in his mind not to leave the place until he had obtained her ; and thus resolving he still endured great misery. The great lord beat and cuffed him, and shame- fully misused the man, yet he would not depart j but, still wishing to obtain the daughter, he endured much misery. The great lord still beat him ; but his daughter spake to I 170 THE BOOK OF GOD. him saying, Of a surety this man will die at thine hands, and if he do, thy penalty will be in hell ; would it not be better that thou shouldst give me to the man in marriage, than that thou shouldst come to this punishment 'i So the great lord consented, and she was married to the man, and the man sought knowledge and became even a Yahan in his wisdom and obtained Zan. The great lord seeing this, in time made obeisance to him. Bearing this in mind know thou that all men, even those of the lowest class, are worthy to be raised to rank and honour if their morals be praiseworthy. And he said to one of the Princes of the Earth : Request not of the Holy One that which is perishable, For the Holy One cannot bestow a mortal gift : But the celestial, the ever-abiding, and the beautiful ; — These are the things of God, and such only can He bestow. When therefore thou prayest for wealth. Or fame, or good fortune, or lands, or women, Not one of these things can God give thee. For they are not with Him in His Heavenly Home. But all that abideth there before Him ; That He can give, for that is His to give. And whatsoever abideth not with Him there. That He giveth not, for He hath it not give. For all merely tangible and visible things, Such as banquets, palaces and glittering robes, Are apparent only, and have no real existence ; In the revolution of time they perish utterly ; But Truth and Virtue and the Sacred Sciences Are the immortal images of The Eternal One ; Which appear not palpable to the vain eye. FO. 171 But are neverthess the only true existences. And let no man be willingly a slave, In the belief that God has made him so, And will reward him in another life Because of his contentment with his lot on earth. But let him labour to fill his spirit with light — To aspire from his base condition — That he may ascend from his chains To the station of a man made free by knowledge. Remember that the pure fell not From the heavenly places till they grew dark ; Then impurity followed, And with impurity all weakness. And the spirit that had before gleamed As the bright offspring of the Morning, Was hurled from the Realms of Light Into spheres where Light entered not. King ! despair of no man ; neither abandon thou any as though he were utterly lost. He who formerly was reckless, and afterwards became sober, brightens up this earth like the Moon when freed from clouds. He whose evil deeds are covered by good deeds brightens up this earth like the Moon when the clouds have passed away. The wise regardeth the spirit of a man ; He knoweth that it is a part of God. He hath compassion upon human weakness ; Ah me, hath not his own natm-e erred also 1 But the wicked is harder than steel, Within his soul is no mercy. I 2 172 THE BOOK OF GOD. He forgets also that he is fallible : That he falls seven times a day. He who opposes good actions to a committed crime may shine even in this world like the sun and moon after having escaped from a cloud. Yea, even a matricide ascended in a new birth, from the deepest hell into one of the highest heavens, by virtuous inclinations and a series of holy deeds. CHAPTER XXIII. Adoration to the A^ncient, the Invisible : Surrounding the Universe with the beauty of religion ; Boodh, Holiness, Priesthood, Past, Present and Future. In the name of God — the Most Just — the Merciful. In the beginning of all things, ere yet the fabric of the Universe revolved, darkness brooded from ages back unknown ; a dense dark gloom covered thickly over the illimitable spaces, and all was solemn silence ; for Light illuminated not the Abyss. The visible, beautiful Uni- verse existed only in the Divine Idea shrouded in the cloudless Majesty of Him who is the Light of Lights. Lord ! thou art a Light heyond all conception of the intellect, A thrice Unknown and Wondrous Light, WJwse sacred lustre is ineffable. Then He, the Mighty, the Unknown, himself unseen, but making all things seen, who lives from all Eter- nity, and will subsist through all Eternity, fired with the m. 173 love of His own principles, appeared in the Animating Spirit, Prajni, pervading all Space, to interfuse with the wild essence of the elements the fountains and the seeds. Lord ! thou art the Father and the Architect of all things : More ancient than the heavens and the solar fires ; More wise than TinvC and Eternity. He came in light from deepest shadow. He shaped that great Idea. The Sun burst forth ; the Stars shone ; the Earths, the Ether, and the boundless Spheres ap- peared. And from the mingled flame of fiery light, thunders, tempests and the meteors fell, whose motion raised as if from trance the slumbering fragments of the All. Lord ! in thee doth primarily subsist Life and Law, and Love and Beauty ; And Lntellect more splendid than all Brightness. Then did He circumscribe Time and its divisions, the Stars and the wandering Planets ; the Oceans and the life that is in them ; the Lightnings and the Spirit of the Lightnings. Lord ! thou art the Celestial and Mysterious Silence ; The self-existing and all-disposing Beholder of the whole, Who seest all things hui art thyself Unseen. But the Animating Spirit is the Spirit of Life per- vading the Universe, which causes it to continue to be; without this it were nothing but a mass ; inert, shape- less and confused. This Spirit was united to the Uni- verse by God, without which all were death-like and chaotic. Lnvisible and intangible in the depths of light, Lord ! Thy luminous essence is the Profound of Darkness, 174 THE BOOK OF GOD. For no eye that ever was can look upon its Instre. Mind therefore, and not Matter, was the primary Cause, and all things were thus developed by Mind. There is no cloud that passes over the sky which bears not in itself a picture of the Supreme ; there is no flower that blossoms in the field which holds not in its cup a repre- sentation of the Divine One. Lord ! thy home is in the most remote distance, Where no pollution from the earthly ever cometh ; But all indeed is holy and incorrupt. And as the Sun and Stars are material images of God, so Divine Spirits are His immaterial images ; the bodily Universe is His shadow, but the Celestial Spirit-Universe is His form. In these unseen ethereal regions Thou, God, art Lord and King ; Giving unto the childlike and innocent spirit, A vision of thy shining Beauty. Herein confound not God with Nature ; both are dis- tinct and separate Powers. God is the Father of the Creation. Nature is the first Emanation from God. Yet though distinct Powers there is but One Spirit ; there are not two separate forms of Spirit. Thou art He before whom we now live ; Our Ruler, Judge and Heavenly Father ; Thou art AGHAZ the Immutable ; Tlum art the Sovereign God. As the air contained in a vessel is the surrounditig air of heaven, thus the Spirit which animates God, and that which animates any spirit from God, is one and the same spirit, though excluded for the time from Divine participation. FO. 175 All things in the Universe are hut one with Thee ; As all numbers are hut One and the same Unity repeated^ Thou art all things prior to all, And dost transcend all multitude. Hymn. In the beginning there arose the Golden ; He was the One Lord of all that is ; He made the heavens, the earths ; He is the God to whom we pray. He gives life, He gives strength ; The Celestials obey His word ; His image is immortality ; He is the God to whom we pray. He is the One, the King of Might ; He breathes — the Universe awakens ; He governs all, animate and inanimate ; He is the God to whom we pray. The snowy mountains proclaim His majesty ; The seas, the rivers, do declare it ; Night and Day are his two' arms — He is the God to whom we pray. Who illuminates heaven and earth ; The light of the highest heaven ; Who blends space with splendours ; He is the God to whom we pray. To whom the heavenly and the earthly Look with awe, and own for master ; Whose lamp is the rising Sun ; He is the God to whom we pray. 176 THE BOOK OF GOD. Wherever the mighty Water-Clouds went ; Wherever they placed seed and fire ; There arose the life of the blessed — He is their God to whom we pray. He whose might commanded the Water-Clouds ; The Clouds which gave strength and fire ; He alone is God above gods ; This is the God to whom we pray. Preserver ! Maker of all ; The Beautiful, the Lord of Heaven ; Breather of the bright and powerful Waters — Thou art the God to whom we pray. Glory be to God ! Keverence also unto Him the Most Holy, the Divine, the Omniscient, the Supreme Boodh. Listen ye men of the Snowy Mountains ; listen ye unto the voice of Wisdom ; let it sink into the searlike spirit ; ' let it abide therein as a pure gem. The first Principle of Beings is not the splendid Universe ; it is above the Universe and before it ; and far transcends the fire thereof. It is the First, the Principle, the Eoot which is rootless ; the Source from which all things arise ; the Fountain of immortal being : yet itself incapable of division or in- crease. This is the Sire of Intellectual life ; this is the Cause of Essence and Existence. It is One and hath no place ; it knows not motion ; nor hath it repose. It is Infinite — not merely because of its immensity and gran- deur, but because it is that Energy which nought that is, or ever can be, can comprehend or fathom or limit. It is the Best and Most Divine. It made all things ; but none so beautiful, orpi^-e, or perfect as itself; wherefore it transcends all in magnificence. Fo. 177 So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last, For it is the written Word of the Most Holy One. God is the most beautiful in essence — the fairest Flower of Light ; Lovely and the Generator of all loveliness ; most sacred and the Father of all that is most sacred. Thou canst not paint Him ; thou canst not image or explain Him ; thou art absolutely forbidden to make any likeness of Him or His. He is inexplicably fair ; bright and holy beyond expression. His nature high and awful can be comprehended only by solemn, sacred, silent meditation ; it cannot be compassed by any art of the understanding; for the understanding of the greatest creature is too limited to enfold the Idea of God. So long as the Moimtains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give Ms light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the written Word of the Most Holy One. From this First Principle emanes Wisdom, like a beam of light ; a Child, a Virgin and a Mother ; a com- pound Splendour. And from the brightly-beaming form of Wisdom Spirit proceeds. The Primarily Bright is the Centre ; Wisdom is the Ray emerging from it ; Spirit is the medium of the effused Wisdom ; Body is the sub- stance which Spirit renders vital. The First hath always been perfect ; the Second is inferior to its Creator, but is superior to all other essences, Spirits, Souls or Beings. So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in thefirmament ; So long shall this Truth last; For it is the written Word of the Most Holy One. I 3 178 THE BOOK OF GOD. The First hath no image or antetype ; but the Second is the beaming likeness of the First ; as hght is hke the the sun ; as the flower is like the light. It is the Energy of the First ; it produces the fair Universe ; it gives being to all the Intelligences that people that lovely Uni- verse. Contemplate the whole by numbers. The First is the Divine Monad ; the Second is the Holy Duad ; the Third comprehends all other things. So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in thejirtnament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the written Word of tlis Most Holy One. From the energy of this Celestial Spirit all other Spirits are emanated, and in the union of spirit with form, Soul is the active agent. Spirits subsist in the Holy Duad, as Souls subsist in spirit ; but spirit is celestial, while Soul is only mundane. Spirit peoples the supernal spheres with life ; soul is the vital principal of the mimdane spheres ; Spirit is direct from God, but souls are emana- tions of the Spirit. So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun ^hall give his light in tlie firmament ; So long shall this I'ruth last ; For it is the written Word of tlve Most Holy One. Spirits are atom-like germs endued with all the virtues of life ; they are wandering atoms until placed in proper receptacles, when they become moving active embryos. They are indivisible and everlasting ; they cannot be de- stroyed ; they are ten thousand times smaller than the motes which move in the sunbeam. Yea, like these very motes are their vehicles to earth, for spirit cannot blend with the terrene unless conveyed in matter. ro. 179 So long as the Mountains shall etidure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the toritten Word of tlie Most Holy One. Matter is the plastic mould of form, but has in itself no fiery energy ; it exists, but only as a medium, for spirit and soul to be developed. It is not regulated by Chance, but hath been formed by wisdom — the Wisdom which is the Holy Monad-Duad, and the efficient Agent of the Supreme. And the Mundane Spheres of matter are but representatives of the Supramundane, and the Supramundane of the Celestial, and the Celestial of the Supra-Celestial, beyond which in Blessed Light is God. So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the writen Word of tlie Most Holy One. There never was a time when the Universe bare not in it the seeds of life ; Chaos or Chance formed it not. It was a rolling mass imaging at times the gorgeous pat- tern of the Intelligible Immaterial Spheres ; -i varying phantom gifted with shape and motion, and animation, by the All-illuminating hand of the Divine. It was divided ; but it was in time formed into many regions for the multitudinous orders of being ; there is nought else into which it can be changed save only its original condition. So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the written Word of the Most Holy One. 180 THE BOOK OF GOD. The spirit that vivifies Man comes from the Supramun- dane and Celestial Spirit which, emanating from the First Principle, connects aU existences with the Divine One. Spirits are in the body — not indeed as in their proper place, but as a temporary dwelling-house on earth — they are not subject to the body, nor are they part of the body ; neither are they united to it but as an animating fire. Spirit is diffused in every portion of the body ; but it principally energizes through the brain j it is Immu- table, Incorporeal and Everlasting j a moving Essence which causes motion. aS^ long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the written Word of the Most Holy One. Spirits in dream, or fantasy, or in a mist, separate themselves from the Splendid Fountain ; they lapse into the lower Spheres ; they clothe themselves with an ethe- real vehicle. They subside into animal bodies as into a cave or dark sepulchre. There, as a dim lamp, they flicker in vapoury gloom. But they awaken from dream and fantasy and mist ; they arise again to recollection of the glorious places from which they fell ; they regain a love for their heavenly liberty, and passionately love and labour to reunite themselves to the Fountain of Splen- dour. So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the written Word of (he Most Holy One. Finite Spirits cannot always contemplate the Divine Essence that emanates from God without interruption ; FO. 181 their nature, however exalted it may be, enables them not to endure the blaze of light. The constant irradiations of the Absolute Infinite which flash ever and ever from God ; the joys and raptures of His Presence overpower their bounded faculties. They cannot endure the excess of bliss, nor support the immensity of His Glory. Pre- sent before the Beatific Vision, received into the Divine Essence, immersed as it were in that immense Sea of Joys, illuminated as the beams of the moon illuminate the milky sea, they are unable to endure the radiant splendours. They abide therein as long as possible ; but Infinite is too large for the Finite. They veil their eyes from the transcendant Beauty, and recede from the centre to the circumference. Thus it is when they are without the Vision of God that they become liable to peccability and error. In this way sin often begins ; in this way spirits lapse from primal Glory. So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the written Word of the Most Holy One. At the time that spirit obtains a body, or when migrat- ing it abandons a body, it takes with it all its longings and desires, as the wind wafts the perfume of the flowers. But the spirit encases itself in a soul, and the soul is encased in a succession of sheaths ; the first or inner is the intellectual one, composed of pure and simple element joined with the five senses ; the next is the mental sheath, in which mind is joined with the preceding ; a third sheath comprises the organs of action and the vital faculties. And these three sheaths constitute the rudimental body which attends the soul in its transmigrations. 182 THE BOOK OF GOD. So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is t/ie written Word of the Most Holy One. All spirits fabricate for themselves a body suitable to their desires. The spirit that delights in blood or cunning makes for itself the body of a wolf, or a tiger, or a hyena; the spirit that delights in love or faithfulness makes for itself the form of a dog, or a dove, or an elephant ; the spirit that delights in industry and foresight becomes an ant, a beaver, or a bee ; and so on perpetually throughout the human or the animal or insect world. So long as the Mountains sJiall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long sluxll this Truth last ; For it is the written Word of the Most Holy One. An evil spirit dare not face God ; it is overwhelmed with shame and guilt ; it slinks in darkness and abomi- nation ; it ventures not to enter into pure light. It calls upon the night to cover it, and the mist to conceal its loathsomeness from being seen ; and when night or mist come not at its call, it goes into their gloomy regions. Thus it is not merely the Law of Heaven which thrusts it out from among the pure, but the mighty force of its own guilt, the overwhelming power of its own conscience, which binds it as if with an iron chain. So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the wi-itten, Word of tlie Most Holy One. In the Name of Adi Buddha. Once as I passed through Space, I heard a fallen Spirit FO, 183 ■say : Accursed be God who made me not perfect ; then I should never have fallen here. I said unto him : God is perfect ; God is alon-e perfect ; there cannot be two perfects in the Universe. He is Infinite ; wouldst thou be Infinite 1 He is Omnipotent ; wouldst thou be Omni- potent 1 He is Omniscient ; wouldst thou be Omniscient 1 Thou complainest because thou art not God — so also might complain the million millions that exist. Wouldst thou have a million millions of Infinite and all-powerful Gods 1 This could not possibly be. Know thou this, falkn Spirit : God did for thee all that it was possible to do. He could not make thee as great as himself : that was impossible. God cannot do what is impossible. But he made thee with a free and boundless will ; so that if thy heart desired it, thou couldst possess all that was truly beautiful, pure and blessed in the boundless worlds to which thou wert heir. And to attain this, God gave thee freedom of will. Freedom of the will was not a gift which God might have vrithheld or granted at discretion to the Spirits that He created. Freedom of will is an inseparable adjunct of happiness ; it is an essential attribute of intelligent natures. Therefore, when God made mighty Essences, He made them free, because they must be free. If He had restrained or bounded their liberty of thought, they would not, neither could they be Intelli- gences worthy of Heaven. Happiness for everlasting would have been theirs if they had remained obedient. Happiness is a divine dream which arises only from obedience to the Most High. 184 THE BOOK OF GOD. How can that Spirit be happy who says : I will make a paradise for myself, apart from God. I will live in a sphere of my own, exempt from law. I will go away from God, and be my own god for ever. Miserable are they who act on this principle; their own conscience upbraids them everlastingly ; they brood perpetually over a knowledge of their fooUshness and dis- obedience ; they own it at length to be guilt and atheism. If it were possible for them to reach the highest Heaven, know that even in that Heaven they would repine. The glorious aspect of God, serene in holy and innocent beauty, would be torture to their thoughts and would remind them perpetually of their rebellion and their sin. Therefore they are constrained to leave that Divine Presence, and to "go forth to other places, where that Visible Beauty shines not, as if in silent rebuke of their want of fealty. May God be merciful to them ! May God be merciful to them ! But even still the recollection of the Celestial haunts their souls and spirits, however fallen ; hence that mys- terious longing of even fallen mortals after the Beautiful and the Immortal. A divine instinct makes them sigh for the Past ; in many a waking dream they have glimpses of the lost and vanished Paradise. Their flame-winged Essence longs once more to have communion with the gods and daimons of light. Though you cover them with gold and purple, they are un- happy. Fo. 185 God hath permitted to them this power ; but it must be a power springing from within. They cannot rise to Him through any other than their own purificatory sacri- fice of self The Voice of God hath said : Hath proclaimed through farthest space, In words as strong as lightning ; In laws that shall outlast the mountains ; Every one shall possess in beauty That beauty which he possessed in life j Every one shall hold in darkness That darkness to which he clung in life. Every one shall ascend to me Who truly willeth to ascend to me ; I have given him wing's ; But if he clips those wings, who is in fault ? Neither in the highest heavens; Nor in the earth, nor in the waters, nor in the air ; Nor in fire, nor in any element ; Can the spirit escape the consequences of its acts. It cannot be forgiven ; It must purify itself ; It cannot be atoned for or redeemed ; It must purify itself; it must purify itself. Sacrifice cannot make it beautiful ; It must purify itself. Offerings or prayers brighten it not ; It must purify itself; it must purify itself. As a goldsmith taking a piece of gold, forms another shape, which is more new and agreeable, so throwing oft' this body, and obtaining knowledge, the Soul forms a 186 THE BOOK OF GOD. shape which is more new and agreeable, either suited to the World of Fathers, or of the Celestials, or of the Gods, or of Isani ; or of Darkness, if it cleave to ignorance and earth. He who is now the most degraded of existences, may one day glitter in the highest of the heavens : he who is at present seated amid the Celestial Thrones before the Supreme One, may one day writhe in darkness and in pain ; and the worm that we crush beneath our feet may in the coarse of ages become an Anchangelic Messenger of God to one of the spheres of life. Man ! thou mayest become a god. Man ! thou mayest become a worm. If the first, thou mayest purify thyself ; thou must purify thyself ; if the last, thou hast only to cling to earth, and the earthly, and brutify thyself. Six things are there which please God ; the first, to subdue anger ; the second, to improve the mind ; the third, to bestow in charity ; the fourth, to study religious matters ; the fifth, to assert one's right with boldness ; the sixth, to contemplate the Eternal. So long as the Mountains shall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in the firmament ; So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the written Word of the Most Holy One. The attributes of God are eight. First, He is Omni- science ; second. He is Omnipotence ; third, He is Provi- dence ; fourth. He is Unity ; fifth. He is Immensity ; sixth, He is Analysis ; seventh. He is Comprehension ; eighth. He is Divinity. The first six belonged to Him from Eternity — the last two were produced afterwards. So long as the Mountains sJiall endure ; So long as the Sun shall give his light in, the firmament ; FO. 187 So long shall this Truth last ; For it is the written Word of the Most Holy One. Ah ! how watchful should we be over ourselves ! CHAPTER XXIV. ISANI. The First Principle is the One and Perfect, But the Second is inferior, Yet exceeds in perfection all other created powers. From the Eternal, through eternal cycles of eternity, Came Spirit emanating like light ; The intellectual Wisdom that emanes all things. And from this next emerged in beauty. Soul, which is a beam from Light intellectual ; And Body, or the substance that combines soul with spirit. All things existed before they found form in matter ; Yea, everything hath had a spirit-life, In the boundless spirit-spheres. And all things are renewed for ever and ever, In the Life of the Eternal Wisdom ; The first beginning — the final goal. And all existences are equal before God ; And all are entitled to the same rights ; And all are heirs of Universal Nature. And all existences know their duties ; And they who fulfil them not are unworthy ; Wherefore they sink into a lower condition. 188 , THE BOOK OF GOD. And all spirit is consubstantial witli God ; And all souls with the Spirit of God ; And all matter with the elements. God, though the Suprpme Fountain of Existence, Cannot himself grow greater than He is ; Cannot himself grow lesser than He is. He is Perfect, and incapable of increase ; He is Perfect, and incapable of division ; Without Him can nothing be. God is Infinite, and embraces Space ; What indeed can place a limit to Him ; Who can say '! Thus far. God moves the Universe not by labour ; But by the force of His essential will ; As the will moves the body of man. Thought is of the essence of the Divine ; By this, and not by hand or toil, Are the operations of Nature perfected. God confined not within himself the Flame, But emaned it through innumerable rays ; These were the Primal Existences of Paradise. The Spirit of God was the first-bom. Brighter than the Sun in glory. More vast than all the Spheres. But whe.n the Universe at first revolved. And the Light of God shone beautifully over it, Five and three were born. And those three are one : Spirit, soul, body ; Dependent on the five of God. Fo. 189 Then came the Immortal and Incorporeal, The golden-shining dwellers ; Each a store of light ; greater than any star. These dwelled in the Supra-Celestial, Dancing in the Luminous and Unbounded ; Bathed in the Beatific Vision, And after these God formed the Celestial, And made it to be the Sphere of fair spirits. Immortal, flame-like, of many ranks. And after these he made the suns and planets ; And reduced the elements to laws ; And fabricated the Kosmos. And commanded force to give its force. And established harmony and cycles. And assigned to each place and power. One inquired : Why did He do so ? Why did He not remain inactive 1 Who called on Him to create. If creation leads to misery t ISANI. The Divine One would have dwelt alone for ever, did He not feel delight in surrounding Himself with happy Spirits. They were created by Him ; and this their Essence : to know and to love God constitutes supreme happiness. God commanded not, nor does He ever command the Impossible : these Spirits might have continued happy and innocent for ever. 190 THE BOOK OF GOD, They were not Perfect ; for the Finite cannot be Per- fect : only the Infinite and Eternal is Perfect. He made them free as the four Winds that sweep like eagles through the Universe. They were not as Mountains covered with everlasting snows, which remain white and stainless for ever. But He clothed them with a thousand wants and wishes : He filled them with desires after the Beautiful, the Divine, the Holy. If they perverted those desires, God is not answerable ; God himself cannot restrain the wandering fancy, so long as it is free. And they did pervert their desires, and sought in other courses than those which the Divine One taught a mode of happiness for themselves. Wherefore they abandoned the Celestial Mansions, and in other and lower Spheres quested after bliss. God be merciful to them ! God be merciful to them ! ISANI. All things have emanated from One, He is the Principle ; This is the Divine Unity; God, the Lord and Father ; Who, forming an Image unto Himself, Gave it life and heavenly energy, Whereby it fabricated Spirits of divine beauty, To fill the Universe of Heaven. Thus Three Powers filled the World — God, his Image, and Spirits of Light ; Each of these a Mirror of the Supreme, So long as in their natures they were pure. FO. ]91 The old tradition of a Chaos Was the confusion introduced by sin, By the lapse of the splendid spirits Who wandered out of light into darkness. Beautiful would all the spheres of life be If God were known and loved in all ; Each particular star and planet • Would then be a Paradise of Light. The Beautiful is that which harmonizes with Nature ; It is the true and just in all things ; He who seeks it dwells in tranquil joy ; He longs to be reunited with the Fountain, Follow Nature and her golden laws-, Not less obligatory than revealed truth ; Every contradiction of Nature is a crime. To be assuredly followed by punishment. Life is the gift of God, And must not be violated by the sei-vants of God ; Every embodied spirit is the same in essence As the Supreme Spirit of the Heavens. The human spirit is a beam from God ; Wherefore it always desires to be again with Him ; There is in Nature a periodical revolution. When all things return to their sources. Worship the Lord, thy God ; Abstain from evil things ; Exercise thy patience under sorrows ; And despise the hand of Death. Many are the orders among celestial natures ; Beautiful each according to his nature ; 192 THE BOOK OF GOD. The "Word of God puts forth blossoms ; Its fruit fills the varied Universe. Kuowest thou how unwearied is God f How his active energy never ceases ? He alone, the Animating Power, Sustains the Universe in being. TBehold ! in these words, which are God's Book, I open the Heavens before thee ; May they transform thee into an essence of fire, In which all evil may be consumed. blue-eyed ! fairest amid splendours, 1 feel thy Voice, as the voice of waters ; It penetrates my mournful soul ; It says : May peace be upon thy heart. As snow melts into the earth, Even so thine essence glides and gladdens ; The glowing Eastern Star rises. But it is not beautiful like Thee. I lay myself on the silver earth ; I lie, and listen for thine advent ; Let me hear thy harp-like footsteps On the river of the wandering winds. She comes, she comes, in beams of light ; The Rainbow kisses my mouth ; She comes, she comes ; my spirit is entranced ; It dies upon her foam-white feet. FO. 1&3 CHAPTER XXV. In the name of God, the Giver of Knowledge, The Divine Revealer of Truth. Thou Supreme Being, who art absorbed in all beauty, who knowest not any sin, but who art wholly luminous and pure; thou Absolute Mystery, who art hidden from thy very brightness j who art wrapt in the excessive lustre of thine own splendours ; thou who hast thy thrones in the very primal light; Wisdom, Goodness, Pure Intelligence, give me of thy loveliness while I speak. Sovereign Lord of all that is most excellent, Grant that we may remain faithful. 1 lift my prayers before Thee, that Thou mayest bless all the earth, and give beautifiilness to all my brethren ; whereby illuminated they may shine celestially, even as thy servant the Sun shineth. For as he also is a reilec- tion of thy glorious light, of the transcendent lustre of the Spirit-Sun, so hath it been ordained that man his fellow should be thine image and thy mirror, in calm purity and excellence. Sovereign Lord of all thai is most holy, Grant that we may remain faithful. God ! behold I lay open before thee the inmost wishes of my soul ; that all dark places may be made resplendent with thy beauty ; that they who are in sin may become as white as snow ; that they who have grown corrupt may be like angels of heaven ; that thy people may enjoy happiness in their cities and their homes ; in the abundance of necessary things and in the healthful- ness around them. That the number of theitr years may 194 THE BOOK OF GOD. be increased in pleasure ; that knowledge and justice may enlighten their understandings ; that they may walk perpetually in the way of heaven — the way of innocence which leadeth unto Thee. Sovereign Lord of all that is most pure, Grant that we may remain faithful. Baghavat ! hearken thou. Behold I do disclose to thee the Origin, from the first unto the second and the third. How Light arose from Darkness, and the Celestial Spheres were formed. The origin of God none can know — ■ except himself, who can comprehend it ? He is without beginning and without end. He hath no associate nor any like unto Him. He is loving, wise, and powerful ; just and independent of all. His knowledge extendeth over all that is heard, over all that is seen, and over all that is. All is visible to Him at once, and from Him there is nothing hidden. thou Infinite One, Thou art the First, The Mighty Principle of the Universe. He maketh not evil ; He abideth not with the evil of thought ; whatever He hath done is good ; whatever He hath constituted is perfect. His essence and attributes are most divine ; H« is the Lord of all abundance ; the Sovereign King of Life. He hath emanated intellect; He hath moulded life ; binding together into one the body and the spirit and the soul. God t thou art like the Sun, And no man can lay his hand on Thee. He is the Fabricator of existence and the Fountain of being ; the One who is alone in the Universe of Splen- dours. He made the elements, and all the various orders that be in them ; the ever-revolving Heaven, and FO. 195 the sphere-like globe of man ; the firmament blazoned with a million stars of glory ; and the Nine Orders of the Celestial Choirs. ye I who hearken unto these words, Venerate in your inmost spirits the most glorious God. God is the First ; Incorruptible, Eternal, and Indivi- sible ; unlike to everything that is ; the Head or Master of all good. Not to be changed from his purposes ; not to be corrupted by offerings ; He is the best of the good ; He is the wisest of the wise. He is the Father of Law and Justice ; self-taught, self-subsistent, and wholly per- fect ; the only Inventor of the naturally holy — the One Fire from whom all things flow. The Most Beautiful — the Most Emxellent One ; He gave their currents to the ocean ; Hefioied the mountains on their deep foundations ; And elevated the Heaven above all things. First of all beings was the Eternal and Supreme God; the God who hath existed from eternity ; He is Essential Light, Spirit and Intelligence. God looks through the veiled recesses ; He loves the just, but punishes the wicked man ; The heart, that is a pure dwelling. That is unstained by sin, and lit by goodness. Is the Temple that delights Him most. It is the duty of a good man to abstain from sin ; and he who dieth in transgression shall grievously suffer ; for the pure splendour of the Most Holy Heavens endureth not a particle of the darkness of earth. For in that time it shall be to every man according to the works which he hath done. The just man, though he sins sometimes, never commits the same sin twice. K 2 'HP' 196 THE BOOK OF GOD. Let us make ourselves to he the servants of God, In the summer q/ our youthful days ; Lest mayhap winter steal over us ; Then shall we be indeed desolate. If sin prevails, whither shall the spirit go, but into the terrible Darkness of those who have rebelled 1 If good works prevail, whither shall the spirit go, if not into the Star-bright land of God's Paradise ? Nothing that is im- pure can enter into that place ; as nothing that is pure can abide in Darkness. Neither shall any man, however pure on earth, be admitted, until he hath made himself like the Sun. The punishment and downfall of pride on earth Is a lesson unto all men, that this is a sin ; If it be punished thus in life, Shall it not be punished after death also ? If among men it is abased unto dirt, Shall it not see shame also among the Holy Ones ? He, therefore, who seeketh happiness, can find it only by abstinence from sin, and in that perfect contentment of the placid spirit which represses all desire of things that are not needful. Even on the earth a sinner attains no felicity ; neither does he whose treasure comes from any false source ; nor he who takes a joy in mischief ; nor he who serves himself by other's ruin. Man advances from evil to evil ; He marches onward from sin to sin ; He decks himself with gold and silver ; He weareth jewels and fine raiment ; He dies, and is gathered into corruption ; Where now are all his vanities ? They are buried with the worm ; They are strewn like dung upon the field. po, 197 Son ! deliver not thy mind to Unrighteousness though penury oppress thee beneath her heel ; for never yet saw I the iniquitous or sinful man who was not overthrown in the end. His tongue is as a bent how ; His falsehoods are shot forth lihe a/rrows ; He feeds on sin, which is as wormwood ; He is filled with intemperance as with gall. In truth, in justice, in purity, in benevolence — in these alone let Man take pleasure. Let him keep his tongue within the rein. Let him put a bridle on his me^lber^ and his appetites. Wealth obtained by forgetfulness of God's law — that let him avoid like a tiger in his path. Nay, let him even shun lawful acts, if they cause pain to the feelings of another. Proud art thou, vain man I Thou art proud as the ceda/r ; Stately as the palm-tree of the garden ; But the storm will smite thee in thy strength. Though thy gold be thickly heaped, As the corn-ears in autumn. Thy life shall not be prolonged a moTnent When the hour of death hath come. Many there be who stray away from virtue : who hear her music, but abide not within its circle ; yet are they not without the deep imprint of that which is Divine engraven on their spirits. Hast thou not seen a tree of the forest, withered, dry, and almost dead 1 Yet is there within it a principle of life which causes it to put forth a green shoot. He who valueth this withered tree, who cultivates it, nourishes it, waters it, and prunes away its dead branches, shall live perhaps to see it revive in 198 THE BOOK OF GOD. beauty, the pride and flower of all other trees. So also is it with the withered spirit, which, guarded well by industry and love, will revive beneath the genial influence of light with all its primal innocence and purity. There- fore do I say, let no man despair ! Neither despair thou of any man. The ship that was abandoned to the wild waters, the winds wafted safely into port. God, ihou Lord and Father ! Eternal Wisdom, we beseech thee, hear us ; 'Most great, most gloriom Spirit of the Ages, Strengthen in our hearts obedience to thy laws. CHAPTEK XXVI. Adoration to Him, the Creator; the Holy One; the Omniscient amd Supreme God. Son of man, and Child of Heaven, Let thy worship be to God in all places ; There is no fixed hour, nor is there any fixed place In which only thy prayer shall be accepted. The temple of the true God is everywhere, On the land, and on the spectral sea ; In the mountain vales beneath the star-lit arch of heaven. On the rocky heights beneath his blue sky. In the green meads and in the leafy forests He is worshipped more honourably than in cave-temples; On the far-extending ocean of the desert The prayer to the Divine resounds more sweetly than in the cell. God has lighted up this temple of magnificence FO. 199 With the stars, the moon, and the sun ; His altar is in the pure souls of men ; They are the priests who pray to him in hourly adoration. To those who seek Him he giveth the brightness Of essential light more beautiful than the day-star ; With myriad myriads of His Angels He surrounds them. That they may be strengthened in the purity which they love. Earthly treasures wean them not away from Him ; Temptations blind them not to the loveliness of virtue ; Sweeter than the song of music is the Word of God, Which soundeth through their hearts in living harmony. Son of Man, and Child of Heaven, Fly from the enchantments of the daughters of earth ; Avoid the noxious glittering of the Night-watchers ; They are but snakes with shining skins. From the old, they take away their life ; And from the young, the fountain of their reason ; Enticing are their songs and dances. But all these are preludes to destruction. The souls of mortals are their food, Whom they make drunk with their melodious timbrels ; Venom is in the wine-cup which they offer ; Their gifts of gold and silver are delusion. Make not of these thine images or thy gods, Or thy spirit will be led by them into dark places. Where gloom and ruin shall await thee. And thine idols shall appear but slime or ashes. When the wise man lay with his feet towards the Temple, a votary, regarding not his infirmity, cried out in anger : Wretch ! why tumest thou thine impious fett iiOO THE BOOK OF GOD. in the direction of the hallowed House of God 1 The wise man answered calmly to his reproach : Tell me \hen, brother, how I should lie ? i'or whithersoever I turn them, there also wiU be found the Holy Dwelling of the Most High. thou who hearest this Word, Know that it is the Sacred Word of God, And knowing, do it, or thou art lost for ever, On the Earth of Man, and in the Sphere of Spirits ; And grave its holy ordinances on stone ; Let them be graved on pillars and tablets ; In everlasting memory of the duties enjoined ; In universal testimony of the rites commanded. And celebrate the praise of God in hymns, At stated hours in every day ; The rest devote to knowledge and beneficence. And to an exposition of sacred Truth. Be grave in thine attire and manners ; And modest in discourse as a pure virgin ; And purify thy body with clean waters -y For a bright spirit dwells not in a foul lodging. Thus shall it come to pass that there will be a day, When nation shall unite with nation, and man with man; When rivalry shall cease, and enmity shall perish ; And each rejoice in the prosperity of each. Then shall temples to God be built in high places j They shall shine like the sun above the tops of the moun- tains ; They shall ascend like the Star of Day above the ocean ; And the people of all kingdoms shall rejoice in light. They shall bow down and offer homage ; FO. 201 They sliall go forth in brightness and be glad of heart ; The old man shall rejoice, and the youth and the tender virgin ; The child shall bring his offering to the throne of the Holy One. CHAPTEE XXVII. In the Name of Adi Buddha, I worship the God who is worthy of homage; Who possesses an intuitive knowledge of Good. Hearken to my words, Son ! They shall be salutary to thy soul as the plant Jin Seng unto thy body. They •are not my words, but the words of the Supreme Being, •of whose divine, transcendent, and most lustrous splen- dour the sunlit, starry Universe is only a momentary gleam. As soldiers bear the scars of battle, so does the spirit of man when it goeth before God shine with the brightness of its trials. Hearken to my words, and thou shalt know how thou mayest best endure thy trials on the earth. thou many-formed One, Almighty,. Image thou Thyself in our glass4ike being. Hear the words of Heaven, ! The spirit that is in man is an immortal essence ; descended on to earth, shall it not represent its Maker's beauty 1 He who liveth well there, shall ascend from dust into the Paradise-Light ; he shall become one among the Ethereal Intelligences ; he shall be blended with the pure Flame that pervades and animates all things. But he who liveth in evil there, K 3 202 THE BOOK or GOD, shall pass into the life of baser natures, whose grovelling appetites drag them into brutishness. His heart hath turned itself away from those Stars, which should have been its guiding light in life ; he hath abandoned Jus- tice, Truth and Purity ; and hath chainpd his being to their opposites. Holy One I may our spirits he fMed with love of Thee I May we think of nothing but thine Heaven of Light ; May we regard the earth as unworthy of our love. God is Almighty, and hath been for ever ; God is Almighty, and shall endure for ever ; He had no begin- ning, and He shaU have no end. He hath no growth, and He hath no decay. He is Alone : He is One. He is most perfect Essence. In form He is a Sphere ; He hath no parts, but is alike throughout ; all-hearing ; all- seeing ; all-thinking ; all-feeling ; aU-impeUing. He is not like to man in shape ; he resembles him not in form, nor in soul, nor in spirit ; but is as a bright, crystalline, ethe- real Flame and Flower of Splendour, which dominates the Universe by prescience, love and wisdom. Not from the first did He reveal himself to Earth ; but only as time revolved, and as necessity required, did He develope all His wondrous qualities. Be thou always with us, our God ! Let thy presence he a/round us like Light ; Let it guard us with its holy brightness. By the mind alone can the beauty of the Divine be com- prehended ; it is not perceptible to the erring senses ; it is not visible to him whose whole employment of reason is' on earthly purposes, and merely carnal ends. But to the pure, illuminated, high-ascending spirit, which medi- tates silently on the transcendent properties of the FO. 203 Supreme, a ray of light descends which makes the One intelligible even to lowly mortals. How little do men heed spiritual things ! How slight is their knowledge of God ! They pass from earth as ignorant as children , They have no true insight into the Divine. A II their religion is taken on trust from, others ; They are too indolent to examine for themselves ; Therefore they live and die in darkness. It is from the mind exercising her own powers that true knowledge cometh ; it flows in upon her like a stream of lustre ; it enables her in part to understand the nature of the Beautiful One. But from the senses mere shadows and appearances come, as false as the pictures on the desert, or the fading forms that float across the sky's surface. They are not knowledge, though they may seem to bear the outward shape of, knowledge ; they are more bodiless than those fallacious dreams, which bom of darkness and unrest, mislead the spirit for a moment. Knowledge is indeed attainable by most persons ; Bui few are they who seek its sacred mansion ; May we seek it as we would the Supreme Excellence. TJnto all mankind, therefore, is an imperative command given, which he shall not disobey without proving recreant to God ; — and this command is from the lips of Wisdom. Let man exercise his reason ; let him use the mind he has received ; let him think freely, having fed his soul with fruits of knowledge and calm reflection. Let no man say, I am not free to think ; I am not free to reason ; herein he doth accuse God of the most cruel tyranny. If the race of mortals was not free of will, then indeed would all 204 THE BOOK OF GOD. crime be justifiable. Not the murderer would slay — but God; not the adulterer would pollute — but God. Be- think ye well of this blasphemy. Yet this is the sin of those who deny freedom of thought to man. What shall be the ten-fold crime of such as instil this poison into others 1 They who deceive themsehies are indeed unhappy. For the deceiving power is ever present ; It is within them ever, leading them astray ; But most miserable are the deceivers oj" others. All evil Cometh indeed of free will, but free will is an absolute necessity from God ; it is the absolute right of every one of His creatures. Without it there were no beauty, no happiness, no virtue ; without it the Heavens themselves were but a dresuy prison-house, and God their gloomy Jailor. Without it man could do nothing ; he would in no wise differ from a stone which lies where it has fallen, until it is impelled by another's hand. He would not be an individual existence at all but a mere clod of earth, such as the Divine Father could not, and indeed ought not to have made. Yet the exist- ence of evil, though it be deplorable, is only temporary ; the divine justice of God sets all right in the future life ; even as in many cases man sees it do so in the present. Could he behold and comprehend all, he would confess that in every case retribution falls even on the earth upon the heads of sinners. Short-sighted are they who argue within themselves. Evil triumphs on the earth, and is not punished ; why should it not triumph in the future life, and go unpunished also? Verily they have not penetrated the breasts, nor scanned the consciences of evil men ! If they could do so, how differently would FO. 205 hey judge ! Within the heart of the blooming fruit they would have found the wasp or worm living ; within the inner life of the guilty man they would have seen the stinging serpent. He who hath not reason, hath no respect, Neither doth he merit any from men. Reason, therefore, is the chief jewel of a man ; Let Mm use this reason, and not bury it in clay. O God ! thou Primal Life, Supreme in brightness ; Lord of all creatures ; On bended kiiees be thou adored, By all whose minds are holy. Let our tongues celebrate thy majesty !' Everlasting be thy worship, Exalted One ; Let it be universal, as thy light and power be ; Let it extend through all places ; Thou art the God of Truth, whose power is without limit ; In purity thy throne is reared ; Thy glory is transcendent and never-failing ; As atoms of the dust are we before Thee ; Clement, mild, and merciful Thou art; The Guardian God of all the Faithful ; Magnificent and Wise ; Sovereign and Holy ; Omniscient and All-beholding. Thou rulest in the Heavens above ; And in the earths that spread themselves beneath ; Thy countenance is serene beauty ; Thou hast no rival in thy boundless empire ; He who puts his faith in Thee, faileth not ; Neither shall thine acolyte stumble ever ; Lord ! thou art the greatest of all Kings ; 206 THE BOOK OF GOD. Thou hast no Past, and thou hast no Future. Thy form is incomparable, and changes not ; Thy light shines, peculiar to thyself alone ; The splendour of thy Majesty hath no limit ; The all-dififusing circle of thy Love hath no bound; Thou art all Light ; Thou art all Beauty ; Thou art Love, Justice, and Benignity ; Thy names are Majesty and God the Greatest. Thy mightiness can none withstand ; Thy grandeur can no one measure ; Thou, Lord, art First of all ; The Ruler of the Hosts of Heaven. CHAPTER XXVIII. I MAKE salutation to Adi Buddha, who is the One, the Sole in the Universe. Adi Buddha is without beginning : He is without second. He is Omnipresent- OSon! Thou must court the friendship and society of learned men, taking delight in their conversation. Men are to be honoured in the gradation following : in respect of learning, conduct, years, family, property. Thou must not pluck before it is ripe ; taking example from the fruits of the earth. Rice taken at its season is excellent ; but if collected before its time, it is devoid of nourishment. So also the fruits which ripen on the tree are well flavoured and pleasant; but when they are m. 207 plucked before they have ripened, they are tasteless, sour, and bitter. Thou must not shut up the doors of thy kingdom, but aUow to foreign merchants free entrance, and encourage their commerce with thy people. Fire is not the only thing that bums and causes death. Water also, which is cold, is mortal to those who are plunged beneath it. In your endeavours to destroy your enemies, lay aside the impetuosity of fire, and imitate the slowness and coolness ol water. In the world, he who speaks sweetly and with affability will have many friends, but he whose words are bitter will have few or none. In this thou must learn from the sun and moon. The sun, by reason of its strong light, drives away every star and planet from the heavens while it is above the horizon, and is thus obliged to run its course solitary and unattended ; but the moon, shed- ding only a soft and tender light, moves on in the midst of the stars and constellations, escorted by a numerous company. Every man in his earthly state hath two parents : God, from whom his spirit is emaned ; Matter, which is the covering of his spirit. But the first alone is the real, living, and Eternal Parent ; the last but carnal, mortal, and evanescent. Honour all men, therefore, whatever be their condition; they are the sons of God, and thine own brothers. Despise not the humble or the weak, nor be puffed up with pride beyond other men. A gnat pierced the eye of a lion. ' King ! who art now upon the Throne, 208 THE BOOK OF GOD. Remember that thou shalt soon lie low ; And many shall walk over thy head j Thy kingdom shall depart from thee. As it passed from those who went before, So also shall it slip from thy hands ; And the grave and dust shail be thy dwelling ; Thy pride shall sit beside corruption. Take heed that no man's blood be upon thee ; Let the book of thine account be white ; Blest if thou shalt have spared thy subjects, Holding their blood as though it were thine own. No accusing hand shall rise against thee. Nor shall an enemy be heard before the Thrones ; He healed not his pain at the cost of others ; He looked upon himself but as a man among men. When the monarch Ml from his high place, And the meanest kicked him in the road, No man had compassion on him, The cur dogs barked in his face. A Sage passing by, inquired : How is this ? Hath not, this man even one friend ] To soothe his anguish in adversity ; To make clean, his path through sorrows. A voice answered : He is punished for his pride ; He who spared not man or woman ; Who thought the earth was his footstool ; And the sky but made to be his canopy. His hands were hands of iron ; His voice was the roar of a wild beast ; He had no sympathy for aught that lived j Therefore hath he come to be the mock of all. King, minister kingdom, castle, treasury, army, and FO, 209 allies, are known to form the seven constituents of a government. They contribute to each other's weal, and the loss of even a single one of them renders the whole imperfect. He who wishes to keep a government perfect should study well their natures. The first object of a King is to attain royal qualities ; and having attained them he should look for them in others. A flourishing sovereignty cannot well be obtained by the worthless ; he only who has qualified himself is fit to be a King. Eoyal prosperity, so difiicult to be obtained, and more so to retain, and which depends on the good will of mul- titudes, rests steadily only on moral purity, as water in a fixed vessel. Son, learn beneficence from Lu, Who, as he contemplated God in the forest, ■ Saw a man lay hold of another, And load his aged back with a burthen. But the heart of the king melted j He cried out to the oppressor : Son, withdraw thine hand, And I will bear the burthen for this old man. Then Lu, going to the father. Lifted the burthen from his shoulders ; He bare it to the door of the oppressor. And the oppressor was converted to God. It is the duty of a king to be the living'image of a god on earth, and to dispense law to all men, in justice and in divine clemency. It is his duty also to be the Father of his people, and to regard every individual in the em- pire as his child ; he shoiJd consider that he is made for 210 THE BOOK OF GOD. their advantage ; but that they are not created for hife pleasure or caprice. That sovereign who is the Shepherd of his people is honoured and revered above all sore- reigns ; while that ruler who is the Hunter of his people should be detested and despised above aU other crea- tures. When honour is lost all is gone, Even from him who has many troops ; As when the nave of a wheel is broken, The spokes are of no use. A king who, regardless of the law, shall, from a desire to possess a man's wife, contrive the death of the hus- band, shall come to destruction, and his country to ruin and disorder. When King Wai prayed that he might for ever be able to confine his desires to one wife, showers of gold and gems fell repeatedly in the palace as deep as the ancles, and sometimes even to the knees, as is recorded in the books. King, they who are ashamed of what they ought not to be ashamed of, and who are not ashamed of what they ought to be ashamed of ; such men embracing false doc- trines enter the Dark Path. Those who fear when they ought not to fear, and fear not when they ought to fear ; such men embracing false doctrines enter the Dark Path. They who forbid when there is nothing to be forbidden, and forbid not when there is something to be forbidden ; such men embracing false doctrines enter the Dark Path. To defend the injured, and to restrain the proud. Is the act of a god upon the earth ; The hovel of the peasant is sacred ; FO. 211 As sacred as the palace of the King. The object of all laws Is to establish equality of rights among men ; If any one be more favoured than others, Then injustice begins. Wherefore by this rule thou shalt well know Whether thy laws be good or evil, If thou lookest to the condition of those subject to them When they come before the King's court. God governeth, and giveth His laws Not for priests, or rulers, or tribes, But for the whole race of mortal creatures. Without distinction between high and low. All are the same in His eye ; There are no chosen ones with Him ; So also should it be with men ; Justice should be for aU equally and alike. Many are the partitions of the pomegranate. But the seed in all is equally red j Numerous also are the races of mortals. But the blood is equally red in them all. In olden time there lived a great King, and he made unto himself fair gardens He bought the estates of many, and joined their lands unto his own. The beauty of his gardens was his delight, and he added to them every day ; and passed his time in bowers, forgetting that justice was the business of a King. Now there was a Widow living nigh, and she also had a small garden, inherited from her father ; and the Widow rejoiced in its possession. And the King saw it, and desired to add this also to his own gardens. And he offered the woman a large sum in gold, but she would not depart from her 212 THE BOOK OF GOD. possession, nor surrender to the King tlie land of her fathers. Then the King's steward expelled her by force, and her garden was added to the king's garden. But the Widow complained to the Chief Magistrate, and besought him to do justice. And the Chief Magistrate was a just man, who feared God ; yet did he scruple to decide by open mandate of the law. But taking a large sack, he saddled his mule, and went into the presence of the King. And he found the King disporting in a pavilion which he had built for himself in the Widow's garden. Then the Magistrate fell upon his knees, and he besought the king to let him fill his sack with earth taken from the very spot. And the King commanding it, he filled his sack. And it came to pass, when the sack was fuU, that he was unable to raise it on the mule ; wherefore he besought the King to help him. And the King disdained not. And they sought to lift it, but it was still too heavy, and the King cried out, I cannot lift it. And the Chief Magistrate said : Sir, if this sack, which oontaineth only a small portion of the land which thy steward ex- torted from the Widow, be indeed too heavy for thee now, how wilt thou bear the burthen of the whole in the Day of the Final Judgment 1 And the King was smitten ; and he restored the garden to the Widow together with the pavilion which he had built thereon. O King 1 When life and kingdom are in danger Regard life first : You may obtain another kingdom But not another life. King ! The whole power of the state may be used in war FO. 213 To repress the obstinate and rebellious ; Who despise justice, and spit at wisdom ; Who mock the virtues of the ruling power. But let the Ruler beware of God, That he use not his power unrighteously ; Let him be clothed in modesty and moderation, That he may subdue his people by love : Making them his friends by liberality, And by the generous splendour of his deeds ; For these are mightier than swords ; They are stronger than armed soldiers. Only therefore where these have failed. And the lawless and wicked are contumacious, Scorning the persuasions 6f virtue. Is it lawful to use force. That king will not easily err Who, while he is so exalted as to be above all, Bears himself with gentleness towards all. And remembers that he is only a trustee. Never will he transgress the laws ; Never will he overstep reason : He is not content with an outer piety, Or with being only a picture. Wicked are they who rule only for themelves, Who repress tnjth and knowledge for selfish ends ; Who cramp the energies of the spirit, And favour the sway of ignorance. These are the real enemies of God ; Their authority is based on guiltiness ; No man should rule another Contrary to the laws of right and reason. Yang sat upon the royal throne when only twenty 214 THE BOOK OP GOD. years had passed over his head ; his heart was as a young lion ; he despised danger ; he was generous and noble. He chained his temper with a golden rein ; he spared no labour to instruct his mind ; he sought to banish preju- duce from his soul, and to elevate the lowly who had merit. When his father first looked upon his cradle, he distributed a ball of sweetly smelling perfume. Thus, said he, may the good name of the newly-born be diffused among mankind in fragrance. Yang forgot not his father's prayer ; he laboured to be a great king. He did not pass his youthful years in slothfulness, but with the wise and the skilled in knowledge. When a rebellious prince was brought in chains before him, one whispered to the young monarch : Strike the traitor ! Yang answered : It becometh not a man to aim a blow at the downfaUen. No man was punished in the days of this king for holding an opinion contrary to that of the state. No man was honoured in his day for holding an opinion in harmony with that of the mighty. He adhered not blindly to an- cient systems, honouring antiquity because only of its years, but inquired after new wisdom, and gathered around him the skilled in different opinions. He sought to know that he might honour God, believing that the Divine is not restricted in his operations, but that even in dark- ness there is light. He commanded all men to pay homage to God, nor would he allow any temple to be dishonoured. He cried aloud, If any is ignorant of The One, I, even I, am to be blamed. For the vices of the people are an infamy to kings who should teach and rule the people for their benefit ; who should mingle in all things as God does, and not seclude themselves in palaces of ivory. On his death-bead he gave a single gold coin to FO. 215 his son the successor to his throne. This, said Yang, and this alone shall suffice to bury my dead body. Of all my treasures, and of all my provinces, behold ! I cannot carry with me one atom. Let my flesh be mingled with the dust, nor be converted in its last moment into a symbol of vanity. I saw upon the palace gate Of the greatest king of the earth. These words written, so that all should see them. The princes who rode in and the poorest man : He who dies upon the throne, lie who dies upon a rag, Shall ascend equally with the greatest lord. And stand beside him before the Great Judge. CHAPTER XXIX. The king who administers the laws in person Needs the aid of the learned and the good ; Let his ministers and officers be near To execute the decree of the judge. Let justice be administered to all men ; To the dwellers in the forest, in the forest ; To the soldiers of the state in the camp ; To the inhabitants of the towns, in the town. Let it be brought to every man's door So that he may have justice without delay or cost ; So it was in the days of Mah Bad, Who was the first king of the whole earth. 216 THE BOOK OF GOD. Me-Dah, the king's counseller when lie gave advice, Considered not the wishes, but the wants of the king ; He asked not of his heart ; Will this please my lord 1 But of his judgment : Will this serve the kingdom ? true and noble-hearted in thy wisdom, Were all the king's counsellers like unto thee ; Never would the throne be cast headlong, Nor the people led in chains to ruin. Vile is the writer who perverts truth ; Who seeks to please by falsehood : By such as he are courts attended. And kings deluded into self-worship. 1 knew one, who was in the king's palace, And as they sailed upon the lake together. He read a book, in which his royal master Was ranked a hero above all other men. Thus and thus, said he, did the king fight ; He marched on foot against the enemy ; He struck their leader from his elephant ; He compelled him to sue for mercy. Hearing these things, the king grew angry : Vile flatterer, why hast thou dared To insert falsehood in thy false book ] To make me a partner in thy lies ? There was no elephant : he did not sue : I desired and we agreed on peace : Let thy volume perish for ever. And he cast it down into the waves. Let a king make himself acquainted with wisdom ; Let him know the five orders of mankind ; — Fo. 217 And first, he is most to be commended Who chooses the most befitting time for business ; Whose goodness benefits all others ; Whose life is guided by pure justice ; Let that man stand before the Throne, That the king may consult him in his need. Second is he who hath all the virtues of the first. But who laboureth not in aught for others : Let him be respected for the treasure of his knowledge, But place him not in any confidential post. Third is he who doeth neither good nor cyiI ; But spends his days in simple indolence. This man is not worthy of greatness ; But he deserves protection, and to live at ease. Fourth is the thoughless man of wind Who injures himself without hurting others ; Him the king should disappoint in his hopes ; He merits censure and good counsel. Fifth is he, who is vicious in his desires ; Who injures others by his daily actions ; If censure and good counsel amend him not Let him be separated from the rest of men ; If he still be hardened, let him be banished ; If he be still a rock, let him be imprisoned ; But it is not lawful to take his life From any, but from him who hath taken life. King ! God asketh not man to do good without reward ; The heaven of purest light shall be his reward : God saith not to a man : Do this, for I command it : But as a father he saith : Do this for thine own benefit. L 218 THE BOOK OF GOD. God giveth no hard or impossible precepts ; For thus only tyrants do to slaves : But his Laws are perfect and delightful, Even the wicked own their goodness. No act of man that is repugnant to those Laws Can be aught than foolish and evil; For the perfection of all law and morals, Is to be as like God as possible. Man never feels pain without reason ; He has violated some law of God ; God loves all whom He has formed : If they suffer it is solely for their own good. Labour, my son, to command thyself : Pleasure always accompanies goodness ; May God give thee of the Waters of Immortality, That thou mayest enjoy everlasting youth. There is One Law paramount above all ; This is the Law of the Most High God ; The laws of men are broken with impunity ; The great bxirst through, the crafty evade them ; But no man ever yet brake a Law of God Who did not suffer the penalty thereof : These no man or spirit, can escape ; Mortal, read them in the Book of God. To say that God pardons criminals Is to declare that he connives at disobedience to His Laws ; That He holds out a hope to all offenders. However criminal they may be to forgive them in the end. PO. 219 Hence they who hold these notions Practically make God a pardoner of sin ; A patron or a partner in the guilt Of the murderer, the adulterer and the thief. They -who, knowing God, shall go from Earth, enjoy the full fruition of their desires in all the worlds throxigh which they pass. And into whatsoever Sphere of Life they desire to enter, they are transported thither in the very moment of their wish. The gates of Heaven itself are not closed against any being : they lie open for ever to those who are worthy. But, if thou seekest to enter Heaven and art not wor- thy, it were better for thee to fall headlong into fire. The Spirits of the Celestials pass themselves through pure flame at every revolution of the heavens ; so that th«y may remain wholly beautiful, nor contract a single stain of the corrupt. The Vestals also of the whitely-shining Lands bathe in Fountains where they renew all that is divine, and in Waters of Lnmortality wash away every trace of darkness. O King ! Morality is at the root of all politicSj Nor is it possible to govern well withotit virtue ; Yet power is deposited in the hands of statesmen. Who profess to disregard the laws of morals, Governing according to rules of statecraft Which they prefer to true virtue : Hence the multitudinous wars and calamities L 2 220 THE BOOK OF GOD. Which befal the countries that have such statesmen. Know this that it is not possible to govern Unless the Laws of God be consulted and obeyed : A blasphemy also is it against the Supreme To say that He sends evils on an empire. Men charge their wickedness on fate ; They lay their sins at God's door. Separate thyself, my son, from these fictions : And accuse God of no evil. Mere political changes do not save nations ; Their own purity alone can do so : What matters wealth, or walls, or soldiers If self-instruction and virtue be wanting ? In the kingdoms of those kings, who are indeed just, and who do not needlessly inflict the' punishment of death, j^bribes must not be taken, nor violence be com- mitted ; but the true welfare of the people of the country must be studied, and must be advanced by means of salutary laws. If by unlawful and violent means, the duties and taxes be enforced, or bribes be taken, the lords, the servants and judges of such a king will, in fol- lowing his example, by violent measures, oppress each other ; and, when they do this, all is ruin. For this reason Kings who do not avoid bad deeds, are like a ship which sinks at sea in a storm with many goods and the merchant also. Kings mu^t watch and firmly guard the Ten Laws. If kings do not abide by the laws, the lords will not ; and, if they do not, the people of the country will also disregard them, and the country will go to ruin. If the king \N atches over the Laws, the lords do tlie same j and, if FO. 221 they abide by and watch over the laws, so do the people of the country; and, in the time of that king, the country being happy, the people will obtain beatitude. Kings may do a great amount of good or evil. King ! In every kingdom there should be Teachers and Priests who perform the religious duties, and ministers who are perfect in knowledge and wisdom. There should be large and remarkable pepul trees and zayats. There should be no robbers, thieves or wicked men, nor any who trust- ing to their strength, oppress the weak or resist the authority of the lord of the land and water, or his Ministers. The king of every country should plant, transplant, and take care of fields and gardens, and see to the repairs of the royal granaries and other property. In all large and small villages, deceitful men, who are thieves by habit and repute ; all men of broken cha- racter ; should be corrected according to their faults ; and all men of knowledge and wisdom be treated respectfully; and the king should not resist the instructions of ar- yeahs and good men, but behave with the greatest cor- rectness. CHAPTEE XXX. King, the sovereign belongs to all ; he must belong to no party in his kingdom. He is nominated by all and for all ; and so must his rule of government be. When the monarch rises after the night's repose, hav- 222 THE BOOK OF GOD. ing inquired of the general safety, he shall himself inspect the account of revenue and disbursements; he shall then adjucate law suits in their order with his judges around him j after which, having bathed, he may at his pleasure, take his meal. May God preserve him, and grant him welfare. But let the monarch never seek repose at night without remembering those words written on the tomb of Hou. mortal ! yesterday thou wert mighty ; ten thousand camels bent under thy treasure. To-day thou art de- prived of all things ; the beggar is richer than thee, dust of dust. Of a newly-subjugated territory the monarch shall preserve the social and religious usages ; also the judicial systeni, and the order of things as they already obtain. Let him punish all who are guilty of a violation of law. Even a son, a brother, a father-in-law, an uncle, if he transgress is not to go unpimished by the monarch. He shall appoint as judges men who speak trulii and bear themselves alike to friend and foe. If from press of other business he cannot adjudicate, he shall appoint a priest versed in the whole law to pre- side with the judges. If a judge from partiality, or love of gain, or from fear, act in any wise contrary to law or ustige, he shall be amerced in double the value of the suit. When one who is aggrieved by others in any way con- trary to law or usag6, makes a representation to the monarch, this is matter for a law suit. The representation, as made by the plaintiff, is to be in writing in the presence of the defendant ; the cause, year, day, names being given. FO. 223 The answer of the defendant to what he has heard read is then put in writing in presence of him who made the first representation, and then the latter shall at once bring forth his proof of what he has asserted. This being established, he succeeds in his suit : other- wise the reverse. Let not a coimter complaint be pre- ferred until the original complaint is disposed of; nor let a third person sue him against whom a complaint is pending. The statement of the cause of suit is not to be varied. One who has made a false complaint shall forfeit double the amount of his claim. Let the judge, rejecting subtleties, conduct the trial of suits upon the merits : even merits in the absence of proof, must fail of success in the suit. If two texts of the law appear to be opposed to each other, an argument founded on usage is of force. Any person may be a witness for any person ; but the man who withholds his testimony shall pay the entire debt, as well as a fine equivalent to a tenth of the amount. That party whose assertions the witnesses have verified succeeds ; that one whose assertion the witnesses have disproved is defeated. In case of conflicting testimony, what is stated by the majority of the witnesses must be credited ; if the number be equal, then those of the witnesses who are of distin- guished qualities must be credited ; if again they are in coQtradiction, then the most distinguished shall be cre- dited. As well they who suborn, as they who give false tes- timony, are to be severally fined in double the value of the suit. 224 I'HE BOOK OP GOD. When a priest or person in high position, being pro- - duced as a witness between two parties, does not speak the truth, but gives false evidence, let him be made to ■ beg for ten or fifteen days at the house of the person who has suffered from his false testimony, with his face black- ened, his body whitened with lime, naked, and with a broken pot in his hand ; and, after this, let him be banished from the country ; he is to be called a degraded person. The monarch shall annul decisions of suits which have been brought about by force or fraud. Such law suits as have been decided unrighteously shall be reinvestigated by the monarch ; in case of rever- sal of the judgment, the judges and the winning party shall be amerced in double the amount of the fine decreed in the suit. King ! wide are thy dominions, and thou canst not hear all complaints. Thou must appoint Judges and cause thy Governors to appoint them. There is naught higher than Justice : depending on justice even the weak will oppose the Idng. Justice is true. Let such as those therefore be the Judges whom the king chooses and ap- points, because of their excellence. There are four descriptions of men who are proper to be made Judges. 1st. The judge who, abiding by the Ten Laws, gives his decisions in accordance with them. 2nd. The judge who, abiding by the public statutes, gives his ' decision so as to avoid incurring hell. 3rd. The judge who decides like a blind man, who feels his way with his staff, and takes the waythat is best. 4th. The judge who decides impartially like the index of a pair of scales. These four should be appointed Judges. FO. 225 CHAPTER XXXI. Every court is the house of the king, Who is supposed to preside and judge in person : Before him all are equal : He is the sovereign protector of his family. A judge should be truthful as God ; Impartial to friend and foe ; He should be honest, wise, disinterested ; Incorruptible as a Spirit of Heaven. Attentive to duty, uninfluenced by passion, Devoid of avarice or anger ; Patient, calm, learned, and experienced In the ways of men and things. Let the Unjust Judge be fined and imprisoned ; Let him be punished according to his crime ; Let him be degraded from the post he has disgraced As a warning and example to all. There is no man in whom vice is blacker Than in the chosen representative of justice ; Confiscation of his estate is not too severe For him who perverts the law to wrong. Let the judge be compose.d and grave ; Let his demeanour be sedate and holy ; Let his dress be simple — his voice mild — And justice sit upon his lips. Let him be seated aloft ; Let him not decide standing or walking to and fro ; Let him exhibit the most perfect patience, And hear both sides impartially. L 3 226 THE BOOK OF GOD. He shauld know the law in all its branches. He should be master of logic and the sciences : He should study the Books of God And the various arts of jurisprudence. If ill his soul he loves wisdom He shall be honoured above the sons of kings ; Thou canst more readily separate a sunbeam from the sun Than him from the paradise of justice. The wise learn of the blind, Who put not their foot forward in the^ road Until they shall have felt their way ; So do the wise in all things. The wise speaketh so as to preserve life ; The wicked so as to destroy it. The wise is calm and merciful, But the wicked is hasty and a tyrant. Judge ! All that liveth is susceptible of love ; Because out of love life floweth ; This is true love which loveth not itself, But is immersed in the happiness of others. It is not enough to be good in thine own household, And to observe the laws of justice there ; This is a great advance to excellence ; But thou must be good and just to all others likewise. No being can be perfectly happy Until it acquires the proper perfection of its nature ; And as love is the basis of all celestial excellence It never can be perfect until principled in love. They who in Heaven attain this exalted love Are called the Stars of Morning ; Fa 227 For thus in that divine Sphere of God, They typify the loveliness of those who love. A fool is he who does harm to the innocent ; his sin recoils upon himself. Like water thrown against a strong- wind, his evil comes back upon him. But the soul of the wise and juat is too great to do wrong even to a worm. If the orphan cry will not God hear him 1 Yea, his moan shall be heard in heaven ; The voice of his lamentation shall ascend ; He hath a Father who lives in Heaven. God will comfort the child of desolation ; He will stretch forth his hand to raise him ; He will not suffer him to perish wholly ; Or if he should, he shall not be forgotten. He that begat him is cold in the grave, And the mother who brought him forth is in the earth ; But God, the Lord and Peirent of all. Shall be as father and as mother to the orphan. CHAPTER XXXII. And the Chief Justice said to one of the multitude, Close up the five windows of thine house, if thou wouldst have light. Then spake unto him one of his disciples : Sir, what meanest thou by this t For if I close my windows, do I not obscure the light, and cover all within in darkness. 228 THE BOOK OP GOD. Then the Chief Judge made answer : Verily thy five windows are the five senses -of thv sonl. He who closeth them, and admits not the light ef the world, shall enjoy the light of his soul. But he who openeth them to all the outside world, shall sit in darkness, letting not his spirit put forth any of her own glorious internal light. And he said : King ! The Kuler must first have virtue in himself, and then he may call for it in others ; he must first be free from vice himself, then he may reprove it in others. If we ourselves cherish and practise what we do not wish in others, we cannot possibly enlighten them. Hence the good government of a kingdom depends upon the proper regulation of the family. The Sage of old says : The peach-tree, how beautiful ! its foliage, how luxuriant ! Such is the bride when she enters the house of her husband, and duly regulates the family. Let a man first regulate his family : then he may instruct a nation. Again, the Sage of old says : Perform aright the duties of elder and younger brothers : then you may instruct a nation. The conduct of a Prince, as father, son, an older or a younger brother, being worthy of imitation, the people will follow his ex- ample. Thus it is that the good government of a kingdom depends upon the due regulation of the family. When the Sovereign ven'erates the old, the people will take delight in filial piety ; when he honours his parents and elders, the people will delight in showing due respect to parents and seniors ; when superiors compassionate the destitute, the people will not rebel. That which you hate in superiors, do not practise in FO. 229 your condiict towards inferiors ; tliat which joii dislike in inferiors do not practise towards stiperiors ; that which you hate in those before you, do not exhibit to tliose who are behind you ; that wliicli you hate in those behind you, do not manifest to those before you. That which you hate in those on your right, do not manifest to those on your left ; and that which you hate in those on your left, do not manifest to those on your right. This is the doctrine of measuring others by ourselves. He who gains the hearts of the people, gains the throne ; he who loses the people, loses the throne. Hence the good Prince first pays serious attention to virtue ; having virtue, he obtains men ; having men, he obtains territory ; having territory, he obtains revenue ; having revenue, he has sufficient supplies for all useful purposes. Virtue is the root ; revenue the branches. If you lightly esteem the root, and attend principally to the branches, you excite disorder and rapine among the people. Hence it is that by accumulating wealth you scatter the people ; and by liberally diffusing wealth, you unite the people. The Sage of old said : The decree of heaven is not fixed on one man, or one reigning family ; it says, that Virtue gains, and Vice loses a throne. The Book of Purity says ; The nation that is pure does not esteem gems valuable; it esteems nothing as precious but virtue. Had I a minister of unbending fidelity, although he micht appear to possess no other talent, yet were his mind enlarged and generous, when he saw a man of eminent talents he would view those talents as if they were his own. The man of enlarged intelligence and virtue would not merely praise with his lips, but would 230 THE BOOK OF GOD. really love him in his heart and embrace him in his regards. Such a man would preserve my children and my people. Would he not be a treasure in the king- dom'! But if a minister is jealous of men of talents ; if he opposes and keeps from notice those who possess eminent ability and virtue, not being able out of envy to bear with them, such a man is incapable of protecting my children and my people. Would he not be most dan- gerous in the kingdom 1 , To see a man of eminent virtue and talents, and not to promote him ; to promote him, and not raise him to a high station, shows disrespect for him and virtue. To see a base man, and not to dismiss him ; to dismiss him, and not to send him to a great distance, is an error — nay, it is a crime. The Prince who promotes those who are the objects of general detestation, and disregards those who are generally respected, does an outrage to human nature. The Judgment of God will certainly fall on such a man. There is one great principle by which revenue may be produced : let those who raise it be many, and those who spend it few ; let the producers be perfectly free, and the consumers practise economy. Thus there will ever be a sufficiency of revenue. The virtuous Prince, by his wealth, raises his character ; but the vicious man de- grades his character by heaping up wealth. It has never happened that when the Prince loved benevolence, the people did not love justice ; nor have the people when they loved justice ever neglected the public service ; and in such circumstances it has never been seen that there was not a sufficient supply in the FO. 231 public treasury. It is by equity, not by riches, that a nation is benefited. When the Sovereign bends his whole mind to the accumulation of wealth, he must be led by a worthless niinister, although the Prince may esteem him virtuous. The administration of such a worthless Minister will at once call down upon the government divine justice and the vengeance of the people. When affairs arrive at this height, although a minister of talent and virtue be em- ployed, what can he do 1 This shows that the prosperity of a nation depends upon equity, not on riches. Dark shall be the doom of the bloody hand Of those who have tasted blood ; They shouted in the hour of victory. But God heard them, and He murmured. They tasted the currents of gore ; They leaped with joy, they exulted — But they did not heed the Law of God ; Man was made to bless man. CHAPTER XXXIII. Thou, the many-titled One, Who hast a thousand splendid names ; Hear me as I approach thy Throne ; As I bow in spirit before Thee. Thou art The First Cause ; Thou art the Circle of the Universe ; Thou dost control its Unity ; 232 THE BOOK OF GOD. As the work is one, so is its ilaker. Who can enumerate the blessings which thou givest ? Diffused like sunshine through innumerable worlds ; A hundred thousand tongues would fail ; A hundred thousand pens would not suffice. CHAPTER XXXIV. And when the Chief Judge was asked by the King in what manner further he should act, so as to render his kingdom flourishing and populous, he made answer thus : Above all things, King ! and at all times, and in all places, and under all circumstances, bear this in mind, that thou art the father of thy people, and that every one of thy people, even down to the poorest and meanest man in thy wide dominions, is thy child, and must be treated as thy child. Thou must have the welfare of all thy people as fondly in thine heart as if it were thine own. Thou must make as mild and low as possible all the public taxes, and have consideration in their collection. Thou must have regard to the ability of the people to pay such imposts as thou commandest. Thou must have a liberal hand ; and in all things, and at all times, be nobly generous and kind. Thou must not be remiss to inquire into the affairs of thy kingdom, but must know them well, and have them at thy fingers' ends. Thou must be polite and courteous to all persons, so that the affability of the king may be as a proverb. Fo. 233 Thou must behaye with prudence, temperance, and firmness, so that the neighbouring states may hold thee in respect. Thou must not destroy the rich by confiscation ; but encourage industry and commerce and agriculture ; not envying thy lords for their wealth. Son ! if thy nature allowed thee always to contem- plate and to meditate as well, on God the Supreme, never shouldst thou be led astray into sin, or be diverted into the paths of passion. But since thou art a man with flesh and blood, and thy star-like spirit is enwrapped in clouds, wonder not that thou canst not walk ever in its pure and paradise light. Be indulgent, therefore, unto human failing, but be rigidly severe upon thyself; for if thou once thinkest sin is allowable, which of the forbidden laws wilt thou not break ? Nami, a Spirit of the Virgin- Spheres, looked forth from his Paradise of Light ; he saw a thousand wandering spirits, and he said unto himself : O lost ones, ye are indeed lost., Lo ! in every heart there is a nest of vices ; and under every tongue a scorpion ; and poison in the palm of every hand ; and a serpent hidden beneath the eyelid. Then did God say unto Nami : Why judgest thou those Wanderers with a harsh judgment 1 Behold, I will unseal thine eyes, so that thou mayest see into the soul of every one. And Nami looked as God had spoken ; and he saw not there the things he had surmised, but much good with some evil ; and the good in all was greater than the evil. And Nami looked into himself also, and he trembled when he saw his heart, and he fell abashed and stricken with shame before the feet of those whom he had condemned. God ! how wickedly have I judged thy servants ; and, God, how 234 THE BOOK OF GOD. blindly have I viewed myself ; a thousand years in dark- ness and remorse do I deserve for so misjudging in my sin. In this thing most of all, Monarch, art thou respon- sible to God; namely, in thy choice of Judges to administer public justice. The seven men who should not be made Judges are as .follows : — 1. The man who decides in favour of the party who ought to lose, because he is of high family. 2. The man who takes bribes and decides in favour of the party who ought to lose. 3. The man who decides in favour of the party who should lose, because he is his relative. 4. The man who, from fear of death or other evil, decides in favour of the party who should lose. 5. The man who decides against the party who should gain his cause because he is his enemy. 6. The man who decides with- out ascertaining the facts of the case. 7. The man who knows the facts, but, because he has the power, decides unjustly. These seven men, whose decisions are influ- enced by inclination, enmity, fear or folly, the King, taking counsel with his ministers, shall dismiss from their situations, and oblige them to return all expenses incurred by reason of their decisions. Then will the country be happy and flourishing. If the first four shall not follow the dictates of inclination, enmity, fear, or folly, but in their decisions follow the old-established road, and a suitor shall accuse one of them of wrong-doing, and on inquiry he shall be found to have decided according to law, let the accuser pay in damage double the amount of the property originally in dispute. And let the King command each of his Judges : — Yield not to the suggestions of anger or hatred. FO. 235 Nor be blinded by the fascinations of litigants, Nor propose the ruin of any in your judgment, But fulfil the honest disposition of the Law. Know the statutes and the decisions Before you attempt to sit as Judge ; So shall the honour of men await you, And the approbation of your own conscience. Show not regard to the wealth or dignity of suitors. But give impartial ear to all ; Be not angry if they use harsh words, But hear themselves and their advocates. Heaven sees and hears ; Purify your thoughts in heaven ; And as you judge on earth May you also be judged in the hereafter. O Judge ! the law cannot vary the thickness of a hair ; f it could vary, it would no longer be law. Thus has ruled that Sacred Unity, The Lord and Judge of the Universe. Let the Law be made public before all. That none may transgress unknowingly ; He who expounds it, without justice. Is a traitor to God and the King. Be not filled with thine own self, So as to hate or despise all other people ; The meanest are capable of good ; There is none who may not do a good deed. There was a certain king, who, after prayers offered up, fell into a dream ; and he saw a blind man led by his staff along the proper road by one who could see. He a^ain dreamed and saw a blind man whose staff had been let go by the person who had been leading, and not know- 236 THE BOOK OF GOD. ing east from west or north from south, he could not go on his way. He reflected on these dreams, and told them to his teacher, who interpreted them thus. All men, and even Rahans, till their passions are subdued, are like the blind man ; he who was led by the one who could see, and going the proper road, reached the place he wished to go to, is emblematic of the man who understands the Institutes and decides in accordance with them ; and he who was abandoned by his guide and did not know east from west, or north from south, is emblematic of the man who gives a decision without having studied or understood the case. Thus, having interpreted the dream, the King became alarmed at the words of his teacher, seeing that only decisions given in accordance with precedent and the Institutes are just ; — so he ordered that the manner of deciding practised by the above-mentioned seven Judges should be avoided; and that of the four who followed not desire, enmity, fear or folly, should be followed ; and using his authority, he sent round the gong within and beyond the city, and ordered the one hundred and one kings bearing white umbrellas, all Rahans, and the in- habitants of the whole earth, to conform to the above order. CHAPTER XXXV. Two golden Gates there are which lead to Heaven ; The Gate of Innocence and the Gate of Repentance ; Happy are they found who do ascend through either, FO. 237 But most blessed are they who enter through the first, Who have retained their purity and light and truthful- ness, Eepenting not, nor needing to repent ; They have lapsed to earth ; but have grown up in beauty. And sullied not their spirits by a single sin. My son, there is no other way to God Throughout the broad Universe but these two ; Neither by offerings, nor sacrifice, nor incense, nor gifts. Nor libations poiured upon the altar. By love alone, and a life made beautiful by truth ; Is God in Heaven worshipped ; For He is a pure Spirit, And delighteth not in things of earth. The works of mercy, love and charity, The diffusion among men of that which is divine. The exercise of justice and humanity to all creatures, These are the offerings dear to God. Follow thou, therefore, after that man Who liveth after the dictates of the Spirit of God, And go not after him who, whatever he pretends. Is obedient only to his carnal appetites. For the beam of wisdom sliineth over the first With a radiant light from the Divine ; But the body and the earth corrupt and render ignorant The heart and reason of the last. 238 THE BOOK OF GOD. CHAPTER XXXVI. And these words the Judge spake As a further advice to Kings and Rulers. And the King wrote them in his mind, And in all things followed he the Law. When a man thinketh of the earth Then indeed he has forgotten God, And when his thoughts are wrapped in the Supreme Then indeed he has forgotten the base. The road to God hes not amid roses But amid thorns, troubles and temptations ; Think not that God will lay them — Man must do so by his own energy. My son, if any reprove thee for thy sins Hear patiently, and thank him for his advice ; Heed not if he be sincere in his rebuke ; The remedy he applies will do thee service. It is one thing indeed to hear the language of a friend Whose heart is pure as water ; It is another to hear a dissembler's words — Yet may the reproof of the false be useful. Let your salutation to him be, Peace be with you ; Let your answer be, Peace be with you ; Give him thanks and go thy way. And bear his words in mind for thy benefit. Only wild beasts pursue revenge. Or men with the mark of the Wild Beast ; The moth that lives but for a day Is more honourable than the revengeful man. son ! who art the servant of God, FO. 239 Doest thou the commandments of thy Master ? If thou woiildst, in all thine acts Repay evil with good. And he said : — Fraud wears an honest face, But all her hidden parts are serpent-like ; Therefore when she cometh forth among men, She hides all her parts except the head. Rapine and Fraud would prevail over the earth If truth were not taught by ministers of God ; Pious and beloved of heaven are they Who set their faces against these powers. Woe be unto him, who saith in his soul, I have not broken the written laws. I have conformed to all that is prescribed, And so he continues in sin. Verily he hath broken the Eternal Laws, Which began from the first, and remain for ever, And by these Laws shall he be judged As surely as by the written laws of man. All earthly laws are but the image of that Law Which is the reason and the decree of Gkid ; And which subsisting shall subsist for ever While the governance of God endures. heavenly Truth how beautiful thou art : Venerable, pure and sacred ; There is no real pleasure but in thee ; Evil always tortures its servants. Nothing is Law unless it be founded on Justice, And this became necessary when spirits first lapsed ; Had they for ever abided in the ways of Light 240 THE BOOK OP GOD. No statutes had been needed. Justice can never wrong him who practises it ; But the unjust is -perpetually disquieted ; Without it no' community can live, Nor can happiness be where justice is not. Sympathise with the wants and sorrows of others As if they were thine own calamity ; If they be in want relieve them ; If they be in prison visit them ; If they be sick see and comfort them ; If they be in sorrow go and soothe them. Whenever misfortune falleth on their heads Be thou at hand to make their burden light. Whoever is indifferent to the sufferings of others Or who wantonly makes them his enjoyment, Such a man is cruel and unmerciful ; Neither can he expect mercy from the Judge. There is sympathy through every link of creation, Connecting the highest with the most lowly ; The pure Celestials are not devoid of it ; But feel a sensibility in every fibre. He who pronounces judgment according to the Law of God Shall be famed for justice among men. He is a living truth ; all shall celebrate him, Because he speaks according to this Law. Nothing is superior to the Law For governing the earth and all the things of earth : By its strength the weak shall overcome the mighty When any flagrant wrong is perpetrated. FO. 241 Yet will it profit the naught to have thee Law of God In thine house. or tent if thou read it not ; Nor will the Judge who is set over the people Be aught but evil, if he knoweth it not by heart. men ! be careful in your filial duties ; honour ye your fathers and mothers with all honour. Let the younger treat the elder with deference ; bearing in mind ever the duties which youth owes to age. And as ye hold your parents in veneration take heed that ye forget not ■the glories of your ancestors. The .man who forgets the virtues of his forefathers ^yho are dead, how can he be .supposed to hold in due esteem the virtues of the living t Let all towns and villages be united happily, like the members of one loving household ; let not the breath of quarrel blow over their peaceful souls, nor the blast of discord ever pass their walls. Ever let them hold in due and distinguished veneration the honourable employment of the tiller of the earth. The man who plants mulberry ■trees, and makes them grow abundantly, so that the silk worms may thrive, deserves great commendation. Yet not with praise alone shall such a man be rewarded ; he shall be as one who confers a benefit on the whole cam- munity. Food shall be multiplied, and his neighbours wiU be well fed ; silk shall be plentiful, and they shall all be well clothed. It is the duty of the wise to 'be. economical in all things; in eating, in drinking, in dress, in speech, in time. He who values these and would enjoy them most, will be careful not to indulge in idle show and vain expense. Public schools are public seminaries of excellence. Here the young are trained to a knowledge of civil and ; social virtue. Let it be the care of the King and of all good citizens to foster them liberally, so that the state may M 242 THE BOOK OF GOD. never want a supply of hopeful students. Let all good people diligently apply their understandings only to their own proper business ; thus shall they be contented. Let false sects and errors be nipped in the bud ; thus shall heavenly Truth remain pure and uncorrupted. Let the people be brought up in veneration of the Laws ; thus shall the rude be restrained within the bounds of pro- priety. CHAPTER XXXVII. And he said : Men are of small account when compared with the requirements of Justice. Though the mighty flatter thee, or the wealthy smile, or the beautiful put forth her charms to entice thee from the right road, say unto them. Begone tempters ; cease to allure ; I hold ye but as dirt when compared to Eight and Truth. And a certain man rebuked him, saying, Master, you seem to scorn men : hear what hath been written. With what nice and perfect skill man is made ; The organs exquisitely adapted for food ; For inhaling the fresh and fragrant air ; For drawing in the delightful sun. The lungs diiluse it through the whole body, Nourishing the nerves, the veins, and arteries ; The remotest parts suck in new life From each of the four elements. The heart sends forth blood as frpm a fountain ; The brain like a palace contains divine reason ; FO. 243 The eyes as from a watch tower gaze on heaven, So that the House of God may never be unseen. His ears, how perfectly suited to their purpose, In their hollow windings the smallest sound is heard ; How keen and fine his touch ; How full of art his hand. The bones, how well adapted to their uses ; Hollow for lightness ; but well fenced around ; Absorbent like the young and tender herb, Yet clothed with strength and power, O Infinite Being, how wonderful is thy wisdom ! By thy skill were these things fashioned; Thou gavest of it unto every spirit That it may work out its own manifestation. The lion forms his vast organism With bones and sinews of iron ; The gnat makes a dwelling for the vital force Which seeks development in the terrestrial. Then did the Chief Judge arise : he led him to the jpublic tombs. He showed unto him the dead body of One who had been famed throughout the whole kingdom for comli- mess : — And he said .: Manifold are the conditions of man ; Palsy, decrepitude and death ; How great his misery in the first two ; How pitiable he appears in the last. Swollen, black or green, He is the food of aU loathsome things ; They who loved him most, reject with horror Even a sight of the decaying body. M 2 244 THE BOOK OF GOD. And he said : Consider beauty what it is : and the body how perish- able it is, It is full of intestines, phlegm and mucous ; from nine different apertures disgusting matter is disohauged : foul perspiration exudes from all its pores ; Yet are there people so unwise, as not merely to Egyptians, ccUi. Huron woman on her Deitj cclxv. Hyades and Pleiades of the Book of Job, colxx. lEUE, cclxxxvii. Iliad cited on Sarpedon, cclxxxii; on mountain worship, cclxxxiii. Imaum Mahidi, v. Internal purity, xxx. Iran, the true name for Persia, cclxx ; Sir W. Jones on, cclxx. Irriwady, li. Isaic veU, xx. 326 INDEX TO THE INTRODUCTION. Isaiah cited, cclxxiv. Issabhava, Issa nature, ii. Islam, Issa and Aum, v. jAPETns, cljocxviii. Jehovah, Yeue, Yew, clxxxviii. Jesus used the words of Fo and Brigoo, iv; travelled in Thibet, cxxxii ; Jesus and Zaocheus, clxii; compared with Gaudama, clxiii ; on Truth, olxiv. Job, Book of, antiquity of the, colxx ; Druids rites in, colxxi ; Job cited, oclxxxvii. John, xliii. Journal E. A.S., cited, clviii. Jones, Sir W. , li, lii, liii. Jupiter worshipped under the oak symbol, ooxiv. Kainites, Buddhists, cxi. Kal Kali, xviii. , evil. Kamatan, xlv. Karnac of France and Egypt, cclxii. Kathu TJpanishad, xliii. Karz, M., cited, Ixxviii. Kisogotami, parable of, cxxxix. Klaproth, M., xlviii, Ixxvii, Ixxx. Kwan-lun, xlix. Kwei-shin, xiv. Lactantius on the God ef Py- thagoras, ccix. Language symbolic, cv. Last Supper, xvi. Ledwich, Rev. Mr., ou an un- known nation, cxovi. Lethe, coxlv. Leviticus cited on animal sacri- fice, coxlviii. Lok-utaro, i. Lotus, cradle of the Messenger, cxiv. Lotus of the Good Law, clx. Lucumon, xv. Luke cited, vii, xxvi, cxv. Magnet, The, Dr. Maurice on, cxcxiii; Mr. Playfair on cxcix ; Lapis HeracUus, cci ; Jacobus Vitraious on, co ; Her- wart on the Egyptian know- ledge of, cc ; Fuller ou the Phcenician knowledge of, cc; Hercules sailed by means of, ccii ; Vallency ou, cciii. Magus, Simon, i. Maia or Maya, xi, Mahawenso, clx. Malcolm, xiii. Mantchoos Koreans, Japanese Loocheans, xlvii. Manu-sri, xvii. Martinius onChinese letter-lines, Ixii. Marcellinus, cxxiii. Matthew cited, xxx, xxvi, clxi. Mayday festival of the Druids, ccxxv. Medium, The, cited, ciii. Messenger in his Paradise, cxlrii ; birth of the, exiv. Metaphysician, xxxiv. Metempsychosis, xxxiv; believed in Greece, cclxxxiii ; of Py- thagoras and the Druids, coxSii ; Virgil ou, ccxlv ; of the Egyptians, cclx. Mithraic mysteries similar to those of Egypt, cclxviii. Mithras, hymn to, ccxxxiv ; Ko- man Mithras, coxxxv. Moloch, a false Hebrew god. ccxxvi ; another name for Baal, ccxxvii. Mosaic and patriarchal religions alike, ccxxiv. Moses built a temple, ccxvi. Morse, Mr., on the Triune Na- ture of soul, viii. Morrison, Dr., cited, Ixv. Mukti and Moksha, cH. Mula Prakritu, i. MuUer, Max cited, xxv, xxvii, xxviii, xxxii, xxxviii ; on the Chinese language, Ixiii ; cited, ci, cii. Nat worship, Ixxxvii. — ix, xc, xci. Niban, xlvi. INDEX TO THE INTEODUCTION. 327 Nibutti, xxivi. Night-watehers, cix. Nihilism, xxv, xxvi. Nirvana, or Nirwana, xxv, xxvi, xxviii— ix, xli, xlii, cxxiii. Nous, the Holy Spirit, i. Nu, Puh, or Fo, clviii. Numa, xviii. Numbers, Book of, cited, ccxxix. Oak, The, sacred alike to Druid and Hebrew, ccxiii ; Gen., Jcsh., and Judges cited on the, ccxiii. Odes, Book of, xcv. Ogham, the Aum of the Hindu, clxxxvi ; writings at Persepo- lis resemble the, olxxxvii. Otaheite, people of, Ixxii. Owen, Mr., on the circles of Bri- tain, clxxxiii. Padma-pani, xvii. Pallas, xxiii. Pamphlet on Ancient Religions cited, ccvii. Pan-Kou, Ixvi. Pan-ni-hou-an, xxv. Pantheon Literaire, Ixv. Pauthier cited, Iv. Paon. vii. Paradise Lost cited, cclxiv. Parents, Duty to, Ixxiii ; Men- cius on, Ixxxiv ; example of the Government, Ixxxiv. Patriotism of the Chinese, Ixxx. Persian fire-worship, cclxvi. Petro-paulite ignorance, cvi. Philo, xix. Phra-Kaiba, xxx. Phut, iv. Pih-ken-sing, liv. Pillars of Adam and Hermes, czxiii. Plate of writing on stone from the ruins of Persepolis, cclxix. Pliny, on the Mountain Soracte, ccxxviii; Silius Italicus on the same, ccxxviii. Pliny, on the Persians, cclxvi. Poo-sa-kwan-she-yin, xvii. Prajua Paramita, Iswara, Anu- taba, Aditi Eadha, Tchcha Sakti, Demeter,Minerfa, Mata Prithivi, Pita Dyao, names for the Holy Spirit, iii. Psalm of Hang-su-tsen-en, xciii. Pwan-Kio, xciv. Rammohun Eoy, xlvi. Remusat, M., vii. Rig Veda, xlv. Rishi Mettayo, the Twelfth Messenger, clxv. Rowldrioh, a Temple in Oxford- shire, described by Stukeley, clxxxii ; called the Gilgal of Britain, clxxxiii. Saceifices, bloodless, xxxvi. Sautampadam, xli. Sanscrit language compared with Chinese, liv. Soythia, xlvii. Second Death of the Apocalypse, clxv. Semedo's History of China cited, Ixxxiv. Sermon of Fo, cxxxvii ; on the Mount, cxl. Serpent of Moses, ccxxix ; Ser- pent sacred to the Druids, ccxxx ; also to the Egyptians, cclviii. Serranus and Ficinus on the metempsychosis, ccxhii. Seven Pagodas, cxx. Shang-Ti, xv. Shelley's, Mrs., notes cited, cviii. Sheppard, Mr., xlvi Shun, xcvii. Silbury described by Stukeley, clxxiv. Sin-phos, Ixxi. Soma, Somona, xiii. Soomer, i. Sphinx, Leo and Virgo, cclxi ; ■worship of the, cclxi ; still continued in India, colxxvi. Spirit-Sun, xxv. Spirit-sphere vision, cxliv — vi. . Spirit- lights and Faces, xci. 328 INDEX TO THE INTEODUCTION. Square mystic, ex, xliv. Spottiswoode's Journey, xKv. Sramana, cxxvii, or Chadama and Fo, cxxx. Stonehenge, clxvi ; model of by Mr. Waltire, clxvii ; descrip- tion of, clxix ; like a Jewish Temple, ccxvii. Stones or pillars found in Scot- land and Ireland, coxix ; Mr. Brand on, ocxx; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Balaam, Gideon, Samuel and Saul raised them, ccxxi ; the Bacchus of the Hebrews and Jupiter of the Romans, a stone pillar, coxxvii. Btrabo on an island where Ceres and Proserpine were wor- shipped, clxvii. Summary of Druid and Hebrew- worship, cclii. Sun, the, enters the sign Taurus on May Day, hence the festi- val, ccxxxviii ; Druids and Hebrews kept it, ccxxxviii. Sun-Menu-Chadam, xiii. Swedenborg, xii ; Grand Man of, Ixviii ; cited, xci. Swedenborg, visfon of, similar to an eastern one, cxliv. T, a Tree, Ixviii. Talapoins, or Kahans, their his- tory, cxxx — ii. Tartars, Moguls, Chinese, xlvii. Tath-AgathA, xv. Tauric-worship of the Hebrews, coxxx ; of tho Romans, cclxxxvi ; a golden calf wor- shipped by them, ccxxxi ; on the first of May, ccxxxiv ; of the Egyptians, cclx ; still continued in India, colxxv. Telescope, The, Diodorus Sicu- lus on, ociv ; Triads on, cciv. Temples of stone, oldest records of, coxvi ; Joshua cited on, ccxvii — viii. Ten Maidens serve Sakya, clxiii; Ten Buddhations, clxiv maudmens, xxii; ten com- ts, XXX. Tennant, Sir E., cited, cvi. Teraphim, or image-worship, ccxl ; golden telesras of the Philistines, ccxli ; were amu- lets, coxli ; nearly allied to the Penates, coxU; seipent's eggs of the Druids, ccxUi. Three Labours of Britain, clxxvi. Tibet, Tangout, or Se-tsang, 1. TIEN TSAO, vii, Ixviii. Tibetan sacred books cited, civ; their scriptures cited, clxi. Ti-hoang, oix. Tin-Bndra Matri, xi. Tranquillity, Kingdom of, a vision, cxlvi. Transmigration, xlii. Tri-une, Tri-Serana, v. Unchangeable Place, xl. Unity of God known to the old Philosophers, ccxliii. Vajea, or pure maiden, L Verities, Four, xxxiii. Viveka, cxxii. Wabburton cited, xx. Waters of Life, xi. Welsh Triad, clxxv. Wang, or Enoch, cix. Wo-Wei, ix. Writing, symbolic, Iviii, lix, be; in China and Japan, Ixi. Y, a Triune, Ixviii. Yang, i. Yavanas, or Greeks, li. Year, the, of 366 days, ccxxxvii. Yin-hoang, cix. 'Sin Youi,'i. Y-King, or Book of Changes, Ixxii. Yu-clii, same as Chaudama, oix. Yu, monuments of, Iviii ; dis- covered a Book, cxxiii. Zend, xxi. Zeratusht, mysteries of, ccxxxiii; cited, cxx. 329 INDEX TO THE BOOK OF FO. Ab, Apologues of, 91. Fable of the Night Owl ; the Sick Horse and Dog; Lamb and Wolf; Viper aud File; Moun- tain in Labour; Ass in the Lion's Skin, 91. Dog and Bird;' Cranes and Geese ; Two Bags; Dove and Emmet ; the He and She Goats; Lion aud Fox, 92 ; Wild Boar and Fox ; Ant and Grasshopper ; Watch Dog and Thief ; Two Frogs ; Wolf and Sheep, 93. Dog in the Manger ; Child aud For- tune; Tortoise and the Eagle; Lion and Bull -frog ; Eagle and Crow, 94. Panther and Fox ; The Dormice ; Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, 95. Dying Hawk; Thieves and Cock; Boy and Wolf ; Lark and the Boy ; Deer and Hunters ; Crab and Fox ; Lizard and Tortoise, 96. Peacock and Crane; Peacock and his Tail ; Kite and Pigeons, 97. The Crab and her Son ; The Four Bulls; The Vulture's Biithday, •86 Achal-Eswara, 124. Aohaz, a Name of God, 174. Act of Devotion, 47. Adi-Bhavani, the All-Mother, 124. Adi-Buddha, the All-Father, 8 and Isani, 21, 40, 41, 50, 51. Aditya Bhandii, the Second Menu, 125. Address of the Chief Judge, 143. ^ ' Address to a King, 166, 169,219, 221, 232. Amber, 58. Animals, care of, enjoined, 119, 120. AO. God and the Holy Spirit, 3,40. Ari-ma-di-Ya, Son of Maia, 41. Ari-nar, 27. Ar-thor, 25. Aran, 21. Astronomical Instruments made of Stone invented, 89. Sun and Moon's distance from the Earth discovered ; Zodiac di- vided into twelve signs ; Stars, Planets. Comets, and Eclipses noted, 90. Aum, 44. Aurora of the East, a name for China, 39. Baghavat, 194. Bal, or Sun-worship, a lapse from primeval faith, 99. Beatific Vision, 17, 67. Bee-hunters, 319, 320. Beginning, 'The, 10. Birth, or physical Existence, Origin of Evil, 144. Black Stone, 28. 330 INDEX TO PO. Blind Man, parable of the, 233. Body, power given by God to Man, 243 ; Dead Body, its deformity, 244. Body, the Human, its Beauty and Corruption, 242. Boodh, 124. Book of God cited, 117, 122, 218. Breast-plate of Jewels, 101. Buddha, the awakened, 269. Bull-worship, White Bull em- blem of the Sun, 122. Calpa-Vrixa Tree, 7. Camels used for burthens, 88. Car of Fire drawn by Twelve Dragons, 21. Castes, division of People into, 107. Cattle, Law as to, 312. Chastity and Honesty enjoined to Priests, 150. Chintya Mani, 10. Cloud-dwellers, 24. Commandments of the Ancients, 99, 100. Cromlechs built, 108. Cycle of the Sun, the advent of the Messenger, 126. Darkness, primeval, 172. Debts, Laws as to, 304. Chil- dren to pay their parents, 314. Degeneration of Man, 125, 128, 130. Devotion, act of, 47. Divine Wisdom addresses a Spirit, 266, 268. Division, of Cattle, 137. Of ■ Time, of Property, of Land 138. Earth, seven changes of the, 131. Economy enjoined, 241. Entsia and the Ping, 300. Faith, 129. EaUen Spirit, The, 183. Filial duties enjoined, 241. Fire-worship, 107. Five Precepts, 3. Flame of Fire. 54. Flattery, a King averse to, 216. Fool, A, his Sins fall on himself, 227. Gardener and the King, 289. Giants, 118. Giant Mountains, 35. Gifts, Six, 311. Gifts, Laws as to, 311. God, the Creator, 15, 18, 57. Attributes of, 63 ; the All, 113, 114, 116; the Legislator, 123. Good Works our only Heritage, 127. Golden Gates of Heaven, 236 ; open to all, 219. Gopis and Apsaras, Queen of, 124. Hermit and Chief Judge, 154, 157. Holy Spirit, 98. Household Government, 83. Hou, the Creator, 130. Hou, inscription on the tomb of, 222. Hymn, 175. Ignorance, the taint of, 257. Illuminator, name for the Mes- senger, 124. Indestructibility, 11. Inventions, writing on Tiles and Stones; Fish caught with Hooks ; Land mea- sured ; Observatories built, etc., etc., 89. Invocation to the Supreme, 1, 8, 172, 193, 198 ; to Adi-Bud- dha, 201. Isani, 21, 38, 187, 192. Judge, advice to a, 225 ; to a King, 238, 240. Judge's, The, address to the King, 163, 238. INDEX TO FO. ?31 Judgment in the case of a Wife, 139 ; as to Bee-hun- tera and Beggars, 143 ; The Three, 289. Judgments, Twelve, 132, 143. Judgments of the Chief Judge, 289. Ke-Pih, 146. King and the Chief Judge, 162; advice to a, 166, 169, 238, 240; House of a, 225; Wise King, 228; a King's command to Judges, 234, 235. King and the just Magistrate, 211. King, duties of a, 209. King and the Priest, 264, 321. King and the Widow, 211. Knowledge of early Races de- rived from God, 80. Li, parable of, 209. Land, seven kinds of right to, 296. Landmarks first made, 133. Lapsed Spirits, 65, 71, 72, 73. Laws of God, breakers of punished, 218 ; various, 29S, 300. Laws of the Ancients ; to keep the Temple always open. Priests' dress. Twelve Jewels, twelve vestal Virgins, 101; Vow of Chastity, 102 ; No Monuments to Dead ; to Pray and Confess Faults, 103 ; to be kind to all ; to be tempe- rate, etc., 104 ; for Priests, 245 ; as to Madmen, 310. Laws for Priests, 245; four Virtues ; four Cleanlinesses, 246 ; to meditate and confess Sins, 247; as to Children, 309; as to Herdsmen, 312. Law-suits, rules for, 222, 224, 232, 234, Letters invented, 89. Letters called by names of trees, 89. Life for life, 217. Love, all-powerful, 128 ; all capable of, 226. Lu, Parable of, 209. Magnet, 35. Mah-Bad, the first King, 218. Maia, Son of, 41. Man, unhappy, 11. Marriage laws, 288, 289. Mansions of Paradise, 66. Matricide, », 172. Matter formed, 179. Menu, his protest against idola- try, 110, 112, Messenger of Flame, 7. Messenger proclaimed, 1 09. Miemmo, 35. Mim-ra, 109. Mind, the primary cause, 174. Mirror, Everlasting, 122. Moon-worship, 106. Monad-duad, 179. Mountains, holy places, 82. Muni, a Messianic name, 126. Murder of female children, 114. Murderer, his doom, 231. Mystic tree, 131. Niban, the most perfeat condi- tion, 278. Night- watchers, 190. Nirwana, 248, 258 ; four steps to, 259. North-Eastem Mountains the cradle of man, 75, 76. Nu-men, the Supreme, 100. Om, a sacred name of God, 2, 8, 50, 265. Orange-coloured robe, 262. Orphan, God will hear him, 227. Orr, Heaven, 14. Palaces of Ancient Kings, 145. Parables, Pigeon and Pepui Tree, 135 : Squirrel and Frog, 136 : Hats and Squirrels, 137. Parents, reverence for, 145, 287. 332 INDEX TO FO. Peach-tree, a bride compared to a, 228. Pearl-book, 48. Planets, formation of, 71. Pleasure, 12, 19. Prajna Paramita, 8. Prajni, the animating spirit, 8, 21, 38, 173. Prayer, 245. Precepts of the Chief Judge, 144, 148, 270 ; of the Wise Man, 157. Precepts to be engraved on a golden palm-leaf, 270. Priest and the Gardener, 290, 294. Priest, address to a, 254, 262. Purity of the first people, 135. Quarrels between two men, 140; borrowed grain, 141; bor- rowed silver, 142 ; two men quarrel. Chief Judge decides, 149 ; bull and cow, 150 ; the cock, 151 ; pot of gold, 152 ; the cucumber, 152 ; the honeycomb, 153. Queen of Heaven, 21. Queen of Waters, 39. Eahan and the monkey, 295. Kahan and the packet of gold, 295. Kiches not to be asked of God, 170. Responsibility of Man, 12, 19. Eings worn by priests, 101. Kishi Metteyyo, 28. Eiver of Heaven, 23. Sacred voice, 29, 38, 40. Sage, The, and the King, 252, 254. Sage of Old, hia sayings, 228, 231. Secret of God, 28. Senses, five, symbolized, 228. Seven men unworthy to be judges, 234. Seven decisions, 149, 157. Shama, 251. Sheath,a namefor the body, 181. Slaves, God made no men, 171 ; laws as to. 308, 315. Speech, affability of, makes Friends, 207. Spirit-husbandman, 42. Spirit of God invoked, 20. Spirits' development, 72. Spirit of peace, 54. Spheres, division of, 34. Statesmen make' war who go- vern withoutvirtue, 219. Story of a poor man who married a rich man's daugh- ter, 169. Tamala-Tree, 23. Tauric worship, 106. Ten Laws, 220. Ten Heavenly Worlds, 8. Theft, punishment for, 135, 307 ; laws as to, 308. Threefold-life, 65. Three principles, 255. Ti-o-so-to, a paradise sphere, 48. Trade, laws as to, 317, 318. True worship, 16. Twelve councillors, 85. Twelve decisions, 132. Twelve men of heaven, 26. Twelve flowers, 131. Vegetable diet conducive to purity, 249. Vestal Virgins, 101. Virgin-Matron, 39. Vision of God, 17. Vision of the wanderers, 23. Voice of God, 185 ; attributes of, 186 ; God everywhere, 187. Udumbara, flower of, 36. Wai-king, parable of the, 210. War began among the early people, 105. Waters of Immortality, 218, 219. Water Dragon, 37. W. E, I., Three in One, 40. White stone, 28. Wife, judgment in case of a, 139 ; qualities for a, 272. INDEX TO FO. 333 Wives, seven kinds of, 276 ; five faults of, 277 ; of anger, 286. Winged Dragon, 26. Withered tree, parable of the, 197. Wise Man, sayings of the 159, 162. Wisdom em aned from God, 177. Women, 273. Worship beneath trees, 100. y, a prehistoric name for a primeval lawgiver, 83. Yang, the wise and good King, 214. You-mon, tree of obedience, 36. Yu, compiled laws, choose wise men to keep records, invented numerous arts and sciences, counted time by a gnomen, fused metals, 85, 86, 87, 88, 164. Zaba, a sacred tree, 36. Zodiac, signs of the, 108. London S. AND J. Brawn, Printers, 13, Princes Street Little Queen Street, Holborn. 1^