APPENDIX.

I.

ΠΡΟΣΠΟΙΗΘΗΝΑΙ δε αυτή τον Έρμην δεδωκεναι τέλες (τις νόμες) ὡς μεγαλων αγαθών αιτιες εσομενες καθαπερ παρ' Έλλησι ποιησαι φασι, εν μεν τη Κρήτη Μίνωα, παρα δε τοις Λακεδαιμόνιοις Λυκέργον τον μεν παρα Διος, τον δε παρ' Απόλλωνος φησανία τέλες ειληφέναι· και παρ' ἑτεροις δε πλειοσιν έθνεσι παραδεδόξαι τέλο το γενος της επίνοιας ύπαρξαι, και πολλών αγαθών αίτιον γενεσθαι τοις πεισθείσι παρα μεν γαρ τοις Αριμασποις Ζαθραύτην ίςορεσι τον αγαθον δαίμονα προστ ποιήσασθαι τες νόμες αυτῳ διδόναι, παρα δε τοις ονομαζομενοις Γεταις Ζαμολξιν ώσαυτως την κοινην Εσιαν, παρα τοις 18δαιοις Μωσην τον Ιαω επικαλέμενον θεον, είτε θαυμασην και θειαν όλως εννοιαν είναι κρινανίας την μελλέσαν ωφελησειν από θρώπων πληθος, είτε και προς υπεροχην και δυναμιν των εύρειν λεγομένων της νομες αποβλέψαντα τον όχλον μᾶλλον ὑπακςσεσθαι διαλαβονίας. Diod. Sic. i. p. 84. ed. Rho

domann.

Ούτω δε μετέωρον και τετραχυμενον δημον 2 μικράς, εδε φαυλης οιόμενος είναι πραγματειας μεταχειρίσασθαι και μετα κοσμησαι προς ειρηνην, επηγαγείο την από των θεών βοηθειαν, τα μεν πολλα θυσίαις και πομπαις και χορείαις, ὡς αυτος γιασε και κατέςησεν, άμα σεμνότητι διαγωγήν επιχαριν και φιλ ανθρωπον ήδονην εχεσαις δημαγωγών και τιθασσεύων το θυ

B

ωρά

μοειδες

μοειδες και φιλοπολεμον. Εςι δ' ότε και φοβες τινας απαγγελο λων παρα τα Θε8, και φασματα δαιμονων αλλοκοτα, και φωνας B ευμενείς, εδέλη και ταπεινην εποιει την διανοιαν αυτων υπο davidaimovies. Plutarchi Numa p. 255. ed. Reiske. δεισιδαιμονίας. See alfo Ibid. Lycurg. p. 167. 227. Middleton's Tracts, 166, 167. Warburton, Div. Leg. Works, vol. i. p. 141.

"For all the parts of their publick worship were performed before these publick facred fires, as all their private devotions were before private fires in their own houses; not that they worshipped the fire, (for this they always difowned,) but God in the fire. For Zoroaftres, among other his impostures, having feigned, that he was taken up into heaven, there to be inftructed in those doctrines which he was to deliver unto men, he pretended not (as Mahomet after did) there to have seen God, but only to have heard him speaking to him out of the midst of a great and most bright flame of fire; and therefore taught his followers, that fire was the trueft Shecinah of the divine presence: that the fun being the perfectest fire, God had there the throne of his glory, and the refidence of his divine prefence, in a more excellent manner than any where elfe, and next that, in the elementary fire with us: and for this reafon he ordered them still to direct all their worship to God, firft towards the fun, (which they called Mithra,) and next towards their facred fires, as being the things in which God chiefly dwelt; and their ordinary way of worship was to do fo toward both." Prideaux's Connection, vol. i. p. 170, 171. ed. fol.

1717.

(Zeratufht)

(Zeratufht) "Who reformed the old religion by the addition of genii, or angels, prefiding over months and days, of new ceremonies in the veneration fhown to fire, of a new work which he pretended to have received from heaven, and, above all, by establishing the actual adoration of one Supreme Being.

The reformed religion of Perfia continued in force, till that country was fubdued by the Muffelmans; and without studying the Zend, we have ample information concerning it in the modern Perfian writings of feveral who profeffed it. Bahmana always named Zeratufht with reverence: but he was in truth a pure Theift, and strongly disclaimed any adoration of the fire, or other elements: he denied that the doctrine of two coëval principles, fupremely good and fupremely bad, formed any part of his faith: and he often repeated with emphasis the verfes of Firdaufi on the proftration of Cyrus and his paternal grandfather before the blazing altar: "Think not that they were adorers of fire: for that element was only an exalted object, on the luftre of which they fixed their eyes they humbled themselves a whole week before God and if thy understanding be ever fo little exerted, thou must acknowledge thy dependance on the being fupremely pure." Sir W. Jones's 6th Anniversary Difc. Works, I. p. 89, 90.

III.

The opinions of Cicero on this fubject were probably derived from Plato. The foundation of Plato's reasoning confifts in the expediency of deceit in cer

• Perfian reader to Sir William Jones.

B 2

tain

tain cafes, for the purposes of government. Eux Tw ψεύδει και τη απατη κινδυνεύς ήμιν δεήσειν χρήσθαι της αξχοντας επ ωφελεία των αρχομένων. De Rep. lib. v. p. 459. ed. Serrani. See alfo lib. ii. p. 382. iii. 413. De Leg. ii. 663. and Mofheim de turbata per recentiores Platonicos ecclefia, cap. 43. The fame maxim, in common with the rest of the political philofophy of Plato, is adopted in the Stromata of Clemens Alexandrinus, i. §. 24. p. 417. ed. Potter.

For additional observations on the fact that religion was confidered by the heathen lawgivers, and philofophers, as a civil ordinance, fee Gibbon, chap, xvi. p. 621. 625, 626. 4to ed. and Warburton, Div. Leg. book ii. §. 6. Works, vol. i. p. 435. 439. and note II. Θεες τιμαν, και Ήρωας εγχωριες εν κοινῳ, επομένως νόμοις πατρίοις, ίδια κατα δυναμιν συν εύφημία, και απαρχαις καρπών, και πελάνοις επέτειοις. Draconis lex, citante Porphyrio. Ibid. Works, i. 146. “Quæ omnia fapiens fervabit, tamquam legibus juffa, non tamquam diis grata. Omnem iftam ignobilem Deorum turbam, quam longo ævo longa fuperftitio congeffit, fic adorabimus, ut meminerimus cultum ejus magis ad morem quam ad rem pertinere." Seneca ap. Auguftinum De Civ. Dei, vi. 10.

If, as perhaps is the cafe, Chriftianity be the only religion, between the established teachers of which numerous and inveterate diffenfions have existed, this fact is a strong prefumption for the fincerity of their belief. The harmony which fubfifted between the priests of heathenifm may fuggeft a very different conclufion.

IV.

A hiftory of Sabatai Sevi extracted from Kidder's Meffias, and apparently the fame with that related in the Impofteurs Infignes, is detailed by Jortin, Remarks, vol. ii. p. 190. &c. ed. Edin. 1805. Voltaire alfo, in fome part of his writings, has inferted a long account of him, to which I am unable at present to refer. Sabatai was of a ftudious character, and rigorously obferved the law of Mofes. He elected an apostle for each tribe, and his coadjutor Nathan Benjamin pretended to be Elias. (Impoft. Inf. 504, 506, 510.) Even after he was thrown into prifon, he met with a brother impoftor, who contended that there ought to be two Meffiahs, the one fuffering, the other triumphant. This man claimed the suffering department for himself. But even fo they could not agree. (Ibid. 531.) Sabatai, after having apoftatized, " preached at Conftantinople, and drew over many Jews to profefs Mohammedisin. At laft he was committed to prison for the reft of his days, and died A. D. 1679. La Croix faw him, and heard him preach." (Jortin, 199, 200.) The Eaftern Jews, even thirty-fix or thirty-feven years after his death, ftill continued to believe that he was alive, and that he would fhortly appear triumphant. These vifionary expectations were kept up by another impoftor of the name of Daniel Ifrael. See the conclufion to Bafnage, book vii. chap. 34. p. 757. being an extract from a letter written from Smyrna by a Mr. Cuper in 1707.