tory reason for disguising the evident identity of the history of Cristna, or as he is sometimes called Heri-Cristna, with Christ, (Heri means Saviour,) by the idle pretence, as we have seen, that the Brahmins, some way or other, have got copies of part of the Apocryphal Gospels, from which they have taken the history of the birth, life, and adventures, of Cristna—these gospels being written some time, of course, after the birth of Jesus Christ. How wonderfully absurd to suppose that all the ancient emblems and idols of Cristna in the temples and caves, scattered over every part of India, and absolutely identified with them in point of antiquity, can have been copied from the Gospels about the time of Jesus! How wonderfully absurd to suppose that the Brahmins, and people of this widely-extended empire, should condescend to copy from the real or cast-away spurious Gospels, of a sect at that time almost entirely unknown even in their own country, and many thousand miles distant from these Brahmins!
12. After Mr. Maurice discovered that the truths which had been permitted to appear in the Asiatic Researches, and in his History of Hindostan and Antiquities of India, had been observed by the philosophers, he published a couple of pamphlets, the intention of which was to remedy the mischief which he had done. But they contain very little more than what he had said before. When the reader observes that the Brahminical histories not only apply to the New Testament and the Apocryphal Gospel histories, but that the Jewish histories of the creation and fall of man, as translated, not by the Romish Church only, but by Protestants, are also closely interwoven with them, he will not easily be persuaded that they are copies of these Gospels. The battle of the infant Cristna with the serpent is considered as the greatest as well as the first of all his wonderful actions. This is evidently the evil principle, the tempter of Eve, described in the sphere: it is evidently the greatest of the victories of the Romish Jesus as well as of Cristna. It is the conquests of Hercules and of Bacchus, when in their cradles. If the Brahmins had been merely interpolating from the Gospels, they would not have troubled themselves with the Old Testament.
When a person considers the vast wealth and power which are put into danger by these Indian manuscripts; the practice by Christian priests of interpolating and erasing, for the last two thousand years; the well-known forgeries practised upon Mr. Wilsford by a Brahmin; and the large export make to India of orthodox and missionary priests; he will not be surprised if some copies of the books should make their appearance wanting certain particulars in the life of Cristna: but this will hardly now be noticed by the philosophical inquirer; particularly as the figures in the temples cannot be interpolated, nor very easily erased. No doubt this observation is calculated to give pain to honourable men among the priests; but they cannot be responsible, as they cannot controul their coadjutors, too many of whom have in all ages lost sight of honesty and integrity, in things of this kind.
The Hindoos, far from labouring to make proselytes to their religion, do not admit into it those who have been born in and professed any other faith. They say that, provided men perform their moral duties in abstaining from ill, and in doing good to the utmost of their ability, it is but of little importance under what forms they worship God; that things suitable to one people may be unfit for another; and that to suppose that God prefers any one particular religion to the exclusion of others, and yet leaves numbers of his creatures ignorant of his will, is to accuse him of injustice, or to question his omnipotence.[1] I wish our priests would attend to the sound wisdom and benevolence of these people, called by our missionaries ignorant and benighted.
13. In reply to the observation of such persons as have contended that the Hindoos have made use of back-reckoning, Mr. Craufurd pertinently observes, “That to be able to do so, implies a
- ↑ Craufurd’s Researches, Ch. ii. p. 158.
