ther development of this position might be misplaced; but we have thought it right to say so much, fest, should the book of Miss R. be found to effect less than this lady appears to anticipate, its possessors might suspect any deficiency in its plan or execution, instead of those real and radical obstacles which it is absolutely impossible to remove. All that can be done is to find what means we can to interest the imagination, in the too earth-like story of our country; and this, in truth, is the scope of Miss R's. undertaking, and that which she has certainly done much to accomplish. Miss R. apprizes us, that the idea of her work was first suggested to her by a figure in Mr. Von Feinaigle's publication on Mne monics. The Ardai Viraf Nameh; or, the ted from the Persian and Guzerata Ver- two successive religious reformers, the later of whom new modelled the fabric of his predecessor, as the first had new modelled that of the Abadians. By some writers, the first Zoroaster appears to be mentioned under the name of Om. The second is him alone of whom the Parsees or modern worshippers of fire pretend to give a particular account; or, in their own terms, it is of his second appearance only that they speak. The date of that event they place in the reign of Kishtasp or Gushtasp, about the 486th year before the Christian era, and during the time of the Jewish captivity. The reputed father of Zeratush, as we are told by Mr. P., who repeats the verbal and fabulous tradition of the present Parsees, was a modeller or maker of the images worshipped in his time by the Persians. He was without issue, and extremely poor, when, from the uprightness of his life, God was pleased to make choice of him to be the re By J. A. Pope, 8vo, pp. 123.-London, puted father of the prophet. An Black, Parbury and Allen, 1816, ‚ ́ PERSIA has adopted, within record, at least three successive systems of religion; that of the Suppasses or Abadians; that of Zoroaster; and that of Mohammed. The theology (or mythology) of the Suppasses or Abadians appears to have been no other than that also called Sabian, or the worship of the stars. The Abadians attribute divinity to the planets, to the stars, to all terrestrial bodies, and to light and fire. The system of Zoroaster or Zeratush was no more than a modification of this, accompanied by a reformed and extended moral code. The followers of that prophet speak of two Zoroasters, and profess to be the disciples of the second in order of time. In the fabulous language of superstition, they describe the two Zoroasters as two successive incarnations, at long intervals, of the same person. They were, in reality, angel was accordingly sent to him, who presented him with a glass, which he persuaded him to drink; and, after this, his wife bore him a son. About this time, a tradition led the Persians to expect a prophet, who should be the founder of a new religion; and as the father of Zeratush had been vain enough to boast of his having received the glass of wine from the angel, the priests or wise men fixed upon his son as the prophet so expected. This coming to the ears of the king, he ordered the infant to be destroyed; but, the attempt being made, the hands that were lifted against him were arrested by divine power. The king was still unconvinced. The infant was then exposed to the fury of wild beasts; but these did him no harm. The king, still unsatisfied of the divine nature of the infant, became more enraged against it, and ordered it to be taken to a narrow pass in the mountains, where herds of cattle were driven through, in order that it might be trampled to death; but the first cow that came placed itself over the infant, and continued thus to protect it till the whole herd had passed by. It was then thrown, by the king's order, into the midst of flames; but it came out unhurt. The king, having at length become sensible of the real character of Zeratush, consented that he should live without further molestation; but God now took him up into heaven, where he kept him till he judged the king and the nation to be sufficiently punished for their obstinate impiety, when he sent him down with his laws. The law of Zeratush was adopted with avidity by the whole Persian nation, and known by the name of the Magian, or more properly, the Masdian faith.* Of the merits of the Avesta, or book of the law of Zeratush, this is not the place to speak. Cleanliness of mind and body forms a distinguished feature of its precepts. It is written in the Zend, one of the ancient dialects of Persia. The number of Sanscrit and Arabic words it contains has brought doubt upon its authenticity. The objection, according to Mr. P. is ill founded. Many Sanscrit words are met with in the Latin and Greek, as also in the Chinese; and all the Tartar (including the Cossack) dialects are full of them. The Avesta is, of course, as to its machinery, a work of imagination; and its fables abound in bold and often incongruous inventions. Their object was to circulate religious and moral truths; but their contrivance depended upon the genius and critical taste of the author, governed, as the latter necessarily was, by the taste of his age and country. Amid extravagant See other accounts of Zoroaster, and particularly one given by Mahaled and Sedli, &c. page 177. and even grotesque imagery, they frequently display the noblest and more magnificent turns of thought; and, even where this is not obvious, those familiar with that style of writing, and imbued with faith in the divinity of the text, are at no loss for a worthy interpretation. Conversing," says Mr. P. 66 6 "with one of their priests, about the Zend Avesta, I pointed out to him the dialogue between Ormuzd and Zoroaster, as a specimen of great absurdity, to which he agreed. But this,' he said, must not be taken in a literal sense: this is only meant to impress the necessity of ablution, and bodily cleanliness; and in this sense it is understood by us, and so explained to the people. There are, no doubt, he continued, great incongruities in it; but we suppose it to be the work of our prophet Zeratush.'' The work before us is a moral and religious romance, built upon the theology and commandments of Zoroaster. "The Ardai Viraf Nameh appears," says the translator," to be the same work that is mentioned by Richardson as the work of Ardeshir Babegar; which, having been improved by NashirIvan the Just, in the sixth century, was sent by him to all governors of provinces, as the invariable rule of their conduct: and, in the illus tration of this passage, he quotes a speech of Ardeshir Babegan, which appears to be taken from the Ardai Viraf." The plan and substance of the fable will be seen in the following extract :— "Ardeshir Babegan having settled the Persian monarchy by the conquering of the provinces, and the putting to death of ninety kings, who refused to acknowledge his authority: and being also desirous to establish the national religion in its wonted purity, collected together all the priests, doctors, &c. of the Magian religion, to the amount of forty thousand, and addressed them as fol lows. 66 The revolution caused by the invasion of Alexander having destroyed the evidences of our holy religion, it is my wish that proper persons be selected from out of your number to collate and collect the laws left us by our prophet Zeratus, that we may follow these laws, and get rid of the heresies that have been from time to time introduced, and of the schisms that exist amongst us; for this purpose let a selection be made out of your number, that this desirable object may be in the end obtained." According to the king's order four thousand were selected out of forty thousand, which being reported to him, he ordered another selection to be made, and out of the four thousand four hundred were chosen, men of the most approved abilities, all of them being conversant with the mysteries of the Zend Avesta. The king being farther intent on having the most able and clever men appointed to this business, ordered another selection to be made, and out of the four hundred, forty only were selected. A still farther selection being made, seven only remained out of the forty, who were men of the most holy lives, without blemish, and who had never wilfully committed the least crime or sin against God or man. These seven were taken before the king, who explained to them his wishes with respect to the laws, and the restoring the true religion of Zeratush to its ancient purity; but having himself also many doubts, he expressed a hope that these holy men would be able to convince not only himself, but the population of his empire, of the truth and sanctity of the Magian faith by some miracle. The seven holy men assented, and having pitched on one of their number, the six addressed the king as follows" Ardai Viraf, oh king! is ready to convince you of the truth of our holy religion by a miracle, and we beg leave to recommend him to your majesty as the most holy man in your vast empire; he has been devoted to the study of divine things since the age of seven years, and is infinitely our superior in every thing; 'we shall assist him to the best of our power in this grand undertaking; and for the better understanding of this, the soul of Ardai Viraf will take its flight to the presence of God, and will return with proofs that will convince the nation of the truth and sanctity of the Magian religion." Ardai Viraf assented, unto this, and explained his belief in the goodness of God, who would permit this miracle to be performed, to retrieve so many people from the sin of heresy and schism. The king being well pleased at this determination, accompanied these holy men and the forty thousand priests, with his whole court, to the Temple of Fire, and joined with them devoutly in prayer; and Ardai Viraf having performed the usual ablutions, and attired himself in garments of the purest white; also put on the Punam, and perfumed himself according to the rites of the Magian religion, again presented himself, in an attitude of prayer and humility, before the sacred fire. At this moment the sisters of Ardai Viraf, seven in number, arrived at the temple in tears, and represented to the king that Ardai Viraf was their only brother, whom they all looked up to for protection and support; they had heard of his intention of leaving them, in order to perform a miracle; that such presumption might or might not be acceptable to God, and if their brother did not return, they should be left in the world without any protector, as their parents were both dead. The king and the dustoors assured them that they had nothing to fear; that their brother was under the special protection of heaven, and that in seven days he would be restored to them; and having re-assured them of this, they were dismissed from the assembly. After this the king, with his suite, and the forty thousand priests, formed a circle round the temple, (which was given up entirely to Ardai Viraf and his six associates), for the better preventing of any kind of disturbance or molestation being given to these holy men. Ardai Viraf having finished his prayers, reposed himself on a couch prepared for him, and his associates brought him some consecrated wine in a golden cup, and besought him to drink one portion out of three in faith and truth; and the second portion, with the same fear and respect, for truth; and the third portion, with the promise of performing only good actions. After having drank the wine, he composed himself to rest, and continued in this state of repose and abstraction for seven days and seven nights, during which time his six associates continued watching and in prayer, as well as the forty thousand of the priesthood, who, with the king and his court, had formed a circle on the outside of the temple, to prevent any person approaching to disturb the holy persons on the inside. At the expiration of the seven days and nights Ardai Viraf gave some signs of animation, and after some time sat upon the couch, to the great joy of his six associates, who saluted him with great pleasure? and the king having been made acquainted with the circumstance, came also to make his congratulations, and desired that he would lose no time in informing them of what he had seen, that they might also understand. Ardai Viraf replied, "I am quite exhausted, oh king! with long fasting, but after that I have refreshed myself with food, and returned thanks to God for his goodness, I will relate to you what I have seen and heard." Refreshments having been brought, of which he partook, he ordered that a writer should be brought, who might write down what he should relate both of heaven and of hell, that all people might know the rewards for the good, and the punishments that attended the wicked doer. The four concluding paragraphs of the volume pretend to give us the general history of the faith of Zeratush from the revelation, and of Ardai Viraf till the persecution of its disciples by the Mahomedans :→→→ The king being much pleased with the narration of Ardai Viraf, and placing implicit confidence in it, ordered it to be promulgated throughout the empire; and having rewarded the good priest, by showering on him all kinds of favours, and giving him a place of honour, he ordered the relation to be written in letters of gold, and placed in the archives of the empire. The king further directed the observance of these precepts, and made known, that in the failure of their non-observance, punishment awaited: and for their more speedy promulgation, the king ordered the priests to disperse themselves throughout the empire, to instruct the people in the ways of holiness, and in the laws of the prophet Zeratush, and in their confirmation, as brought down by the holy man Ardai Viraf. By these means heresy and schism were banished, the empire was restored to tranquillity, and remained so for many years. After the demise of Ardeshir Babegan, who was succeeded by his son Shapoor, a schism, however, took place, and more than forty thousand people withdrew from the belief placed in the relation of Ardai Viraf; when one day, Aderbad Maen Asfund, a priest and holy man in great repute, presented himself, and was admitted into the presence of Shapoor, and after the customary obeisances, addressed the king in these words: "The revela tions of Ardai Viraf, oh, king! which have been so long received as comfortable truths, are now about to be doubted; a schism has arisen in our state that threatens the subversion of the Masdian religion; more than fourty thousand souls have seceded from our holy faith. But in order to convince these deluded people of the truth of the revelations handed down to us by Ardai Viraf, and promulgated throughout this vast empire by your worthy father, let oh, king! a cauldron of boiling tin be prepared, into which I will precipitate myself; when, if I escape unhurt, the probity of Ardai Viraf will be confirmed, and the laws of Zeratush be established on a firmer basis; but if I perish, the revelations may be deemed false, and I shall be punished for my presumption." The king having with much difficulty assented to the proposition made by Aderbad, ordered the cauldron to be prepared in the most public place of the city; and Aderbad having gone through this cruel, though self-proposed ordeal, in the presence of an immense multitude, assembled to witness it, and having come out unhurt, the Masdian religion was declared to be that of the nation, and became firmer established than ever, and continued in all its purity until the Mahomedan conquest dispersed its votaries, and forced those who persevered in it to abandon the tombs of their ancestors, and fly for refuge to distant countries. A small num ber fled to, and were kindly received on the shores of western India; and the present Parsees of Bombay and Surat are their descendants. The subject of the present work cannot fail to interest the intelligent reader; neither is it without beauties of thought and imagery which please the fancy; while its tendency is highly favourable to the happiness of life. Of Mr P.'s inducement to his undertaking, and of the advantageous circumstances under which he performed it, we are disposed to speak with equal respect: Of the motives that led to this translation little need be said, but that it was not mere curiosity, but a strong desire to be more intimately acquainted with the principles of a morality I admired, and of the daily exercise of benevolence that sprang from these principles. After the translation was completed, and examined by Edil Daroo, one of the most respectable of their priests, I was requested to print it; which I readily undertook, as 1 trust it will be the means of removing many an ill founded opinion with regard to the morality of this interesting tribe. While it is satisfactory to know that the translation was examined and even assisted by Mr. Pope's Parsee friends, and while we doubt not its general accuracy, we cannot suppress a wish that a work which throws so much light on the opinions of those who follow the religion to which it belongs, were before the European public in its original language; and we must add, that amid our applause of the execution of this book, and still more of the spirit in which it has been produced, we have still to desire a greater perfection in the English style, and the removal of 'many verbal blemishes. The book is dedicated to the Bombay Parsee family of Loujée. We advert to this circumstance with much pleasure; we wish to see frequent examples of these cordialities between our English and our Indian fellow-subjects; and, above all, to witness, in those who presume to meddle with matters of religion, that universal charity, that favourable construction and interpretation of all men's opinions, reasonings, and intentions, which should be the first fruit of the religious spirit, and without which, religion is not a flambeau to enlighten the world, but a brand to cover it with flames. Sketches in Flanders and Holland; with some Account of a Tour through different Parts of those Countries, shortly after the Battle of Waterloo. In a Series of Letters to a Friend. By Robert Hills. Imperial quarto, pp. 215. London: Booth, 1816. 57. 58. Thirty-six plates. THIS is a splendid and interesting addition to our information concerning modern Flanders, and the fight of Waterloo. "He has been persuaded," says the author, in a modest preface, and speaking of himself and his work, "that it may be acceptable as a faithful picture of the Low Countries, immediately after a most eventful period of their history." Our limits only permit us to add, that the pages of this beautiful volume abound in anecdote and description, delivered in clear and unaffected language; and that almost the whole of the thirty-six plates contain, at least, two or three views or figures on each, illustrating, by neat, spirited, and characteristic sketches, the buildings, landscape, costume, worship, and, we had almost said, the manners of the inhabitants of Flanders. A great proportion of the subjects belong to Waterloo; and among them is the house in which Buonaparte slept the night before the battle. What an increasing value will not the lapse of every year affix to these historical records! The typography is excellent, and we have great pleasure in subjoining |