mankind, and to be raised to life again. This Myrrha is Mary,-this Adonis is Lord, in Hebrew. Page 109-119. [He is the Tammuz of Ezekiel, chap. viii. 14.]

"In the open temples of the Druids, they had an obeliskal stone set upright, for the Kebla, or three stones set nich-wise, symbolical of the divine presence. In a grove they chose out a handsome oak, with two cross-like branches. On the stem of the tree they inscribed the word TARAN, which signifies God Supreme; above and below, the word THAV, which signifies Deity; on the cross arm to the right, the word BELEN, equivalent to the all-healing Saviour; on the left arm, the word HES, meaning the Divine Spirit. Thus they endeavoured to picture out the Godhead, and as we Christians, they worshipped the three personalities in one Deity."-Dr. William Stukeley's Palæographia Sacra, p. 16, edit. London, 1763.

"The Egyptian mythology is less beclouded than that of Greece. The philosophers and priests of that nation did not so readily fall in with the superstitions of idolatry, as other nations, but preserved the true knowledge of a triune God, to a much longer period. Professor Michaelis of Gottingen gives us the following ideas of their ancient belief: They worshipped one Supreme and first God, whom they called in Greek EIZ, the one. Iamblicus* says of this deity, that Before all things that existed, and before the first original beings, [meaning the spirits that created the world] there is One God [θεος ΕΙΣ, which ΕΙΣ is perpe* De Mysteris Ægyptiorum, sect. viii. cap. 2.

his death has written, in two volumes, the history of the literature and religion of the Hindoos. From the excellence of his English compositions, we must regard him as a person qualified to penetrate the depths of the Indian Mythology. He gives the faith of the Brahmins in these words, from their ancient books:

"God is invisible, independent, ever-living, glorious, incorruptible, all-wise: the ever-blessed, the Almighty his perfections are indescribable and past finding out.

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He now assumes visible forms for the sake of engaging the minds of men. The different gods are parts of God, though his essence remains undiminished, as the rays of light leave the sun his undiminished splendour. He created the Gods to perform those things in the world of which man was incapable.

"The gods of the Hindoos are 330,000,000; yet all these gods and goddesses may be resolved into three principal ones: Vishnoo, Shivů, and Brùmhă; the elements; - the three females, Doorga, Lukshmēē, and Sŭrůswůtēē.

"VISHNOO is represented by the form of a black man with four arms, in one he holds a club, in another a shell, in the third a chukru, or iron wheel of destruction, in the fourth a water-lily; he rides on an animal, half bird and half man.

""The Shastrus, [sacred books] give account of ten of his appearances or incarnations, nine of which are said to be past."

"The first incarnation is called mutsyŭ, when Brumhǎ or the one god, resolved to create the universe.

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"2. When Vishnoo carried the new created world on his back.

"3. When the earth sunk into the waters at one of the periodical destructions of the world.

4. When Dukshŭ the first man was created by Brùmhă; and among his descendants was Kushyuha, and his four wives, Ditee, Uditee, Vinuta, and Kůdroo: from Ditee sprang the giants, &c.

"The fifth incarnation was, when Průdhadu, grandson of Bulee, followed the steps of his great grandfather, and committed every kind of violence.

"The sixth incarnation was when the earth was become very corrupt to punish the wicked heroes. "The seventh was to destroy the great giant Ramayǎnǎ.

"The eighth incarnation was to destroy Průlămbu, and other giants.

“The ninth is Boodhu's [Budhu] incarnation in which Vishnoo appeared as Budhů to destroy the power of the giants.

"The tenth incarnation is still expected under the name of Kulkee Uvůtarů.

"SHIVǎ is represented in various ways: in the form of meditation, as a silver coloured man with five faces, and three eyes, with a half moon to grace each forehead.

"Brumhă, Vishnoo, and Shivů, derive their existence from the one Brůmhă. The pundits do not admit these to be creatures, but contend that they are emanations or parts of the one Brùmhă. He is represented with four faces of a gold colour,

dressed white. He is called the father of gods and men.'

"The above transcripts of Mr. Ward merit the comments of the antiquary. For the present be content with the following attempt:

"1. Vishnoo is here represented with a wheel of destruction. David saw the Messiah ascend with twenty thousand chariots of angels. Ezekiel saw the wheels move without rolling. These angels attend as ministers of vengeance on the incorrigible.

"2. Vishnoo carried the world on his back; I would say, as Saint Paul, upholdeth all things by the word of his power. Thus Homer also regards Atlas as carrying the world on his shoulders.

"3. The phrase 'first man,' is here used. So is the import of the Greek word, Protogonus, first begotten, which Eusebius transcribes or translates from Sanchoniatho, who gives this name to Adam.

"4. From Ditee sprang the giants. Moses mentions the Nephilim, Gen. vi. 4; that is, the Titanes of the poets, or the giants of modern times; huge in stature, and monsters in crimes. These were washed from the tops of the mountains by the deluge, after having long made war against the gods, allegorically against religion. The ladders which they erected, and the huge rocks which they are said to have piled against heaven, were of no avail." One of the periodical destructions of the world." We know but of two; the deluge of Noah, and the inundation of Ogyges, about 500 years after the flood, which drowned the city of Thebes, with Ogyges the king, and laid all the

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low country of Thessalia under water.-Vide Eu seb. De Præp. Whitehurst, in his History of Derbyshire, gives us plates of a subsidence of the coal-strata of one hundred and twenty yards. Dr. Edward Clarke, our learned traveller, thinks that all the bog timber was deposited at the time of this inundation.

"5. Bulee is a name not very dissimilar from Belus, to check the licentiousness of whose age the tower of Babel was confounded.

"The 6th, 7th, and 8th, incarnation had reference also to the giants.

"The ninth incarnation is, that when Vishnoo appeared in the person or character of Budhu, an idol worshipped in Ceylon, and in nearly the whole of Indostan. The temples of Budhu have three divisions, like the Hebrew tabernacle; his religion is illustrated by twenty-seven sacred books; but George Nadoris, a converted priest, says, that they have no records older than two thousand three hundred and fifty years. When the Danish missionary objected to the different figures of this idol in different temples, a Brahmin replied, 'that his god had appeared eleven times, and that his statue was made in one temple as he had appeared at one time; and in another temple as he had appeared at another.' The Hebrew scriptures mention a greater number of the Messiah's appearances to the patriarchs.

"The tenth incarnation of Vishnoo is still expected, under the name of Kulkee Uvŭtarů The whole primitive world had the same expectation. It were to have been wished that Mr.