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ambition beyond. The serene and steady lustre of his character shone with greater brightness, because its rays were confined to one narrow spot, and enlightened only a privileged few.

His mode of life was temperate, even to habitual privation: his dress plain and simple, almost to peculiarity.

An ever abiding conviction of the wisdom and goodness of God tempered all his hopes and fears, his recollections and anticipations, to calm and constant complacency. For himself he never uttered a prayer that was unanswered, for he had no will but the will of heaven. Always prepared for the vicissitudes of life, he neither dreaded nor invited its awful close yet I have heard him say, that if he deemed any privilege worthy of envy, it would be to witness the glorious second coming of our Lordto be made immortal without paying the tribute of mortality.

As old age and its infirmities came on with slow and steady step, the link which bound him to earthly objects was gently loosened; and long before his removal he had ceased to interest himself even in those great changes which seem to have crowded the events of centuries into the narrow limits of years.

"The world was nought to him, nor the

world's cares :"

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Histoire de France, 4to. Tom. I. pp. 192, 193), to judge of matters of religion, and one day, in consequence of the disputes concerning Arianism, he drew up an edict, in which he or dained that henceforward in speaking of God people should no longer use the term Trinity or that of Persons, but only that of God, saying that the names of Persons which are made use of in speaking of men are unworthy of God; and this edict would have been published if the bishop of Tours (Gregory) and Salvius, bishop of Albi, had not made strong remenstrances upon the subject. There needs after this no recital of Chilperic's misdeeds to explain the epithets, which his contemporary Gre gory of Tours applies to him, "Nero nostri temporis et Herodes."

No. CCCLIII.

Little Minds.

Frivolous curiosity about trifles, and a laborious attention to little objects, which neither require nor deserve a moment's thought, (says Lord Chesterfield, lower a man; who from thence is thought, and not unjustly, incapable of greater matters. Cardinal de Retz very sagaciously marked out Cardinal Chigi for a little mind, from the moment that he told him he had wrote three years with the same pen, and that it was an ex

cellent one still.

No. CCCLIV. Soldiers and Butchers. "Boccaline has this passage of sl diers: They came to Apollo to have their profession made the eighth li beral science, which he granted. As soon as it was noised up and down, it came to the butchers, and they de sired their profession might be made the ninth, for said they, the soldiers have this honour for the killing of men; now we kill as well as they, but we kill beasts for the preserving of men, and why should not we have honour likewise doue to us? Apollo could not answer their reasons, so he reversed his sentence, and made the soldiers' trade a mystery, as the butchers' is." Old Hubert.

REVIEW.

"Still pleased to praise, yet not afraid to blame."-POPE.

The English Editor of the second Article on our list says of Rammohun Roy,

ART. I.-Translation of an Abridg these terms we cannot help congrament of the Vedant, or Resointion tulating our readers, that the impetus of all the Veds; the most celebrated by which the human mind has been and revered work of Brahminical_lately agitated in Europe has reached Theology; establishing the Unity of the remote realms of Hindoostan, and the Supreme Being; and that He begins to excite free and rational inAlone is the Object of Propitiation quiry amongst Heathens as well as and Worship. By Rammohun Roy. Christians. 4to. pp. 14 Calcutta. 1816. ART. 1.-The Same; containing likewise a Translation of the Cena Upanishad, one of the Chapters of the Sama Veda; according to the Gloss of the celebrated Shancurach arya, establishing the Unity and the "His acquirements are considerable: to Sole Omnipotence of the Supreme a thorough knowledge of the Sungscrit Being; and that He Alone is the (the language of the Brahminical ScripObject of Worship. By Rammo- tunes) he has added Persian and Arabic; bun Roy. 410. pp. 36. London. and possessing an acute understanding, he Printed for T. and J. Boitt, Upper early conceived a contempt for the reliBerkeley Street, Portman Square.gions prejudices and absurd superstitions

1817. ART. III.—Translation of the Ishopanishad, one of the Chapters of the Yajur Vedu: according to the Com mentary of the celebrated Shunkar Achárya, establishing the Unity and Incomprehensibility of the Supreme Being; and that his Worship Alone can lead to Eternal Beatitude. By Rammoliun Roy. 8vo. pp. 38. Calcutta. 1816. ART. IV.-A Defence of Hindoo Theism, in Reply to the Attack of un Advocate for Idolatry, at Madras. By Rammohun Roy. 8vo. pp. 56. Calcutta. 1817.

"He is by birth a Brahmin, of very respectable origin, in the Province of Bengal, about forty-three years of age.

of his caste.

"At the age of twenty-two, he commenced the study of the English language, which not pursuing with application, he five years afterwards, when I became acquainted with him, could merely speak it well enough to be understood upon the most common topics of discourse; but could not write it with any degree of cor

rectness.

He was afterwards employed as Dewan, or principal native officer, in the collection of the revenues, in the district of which I was for five years collector in the East India Company's civil service. By perusing all my public correspondence with diligence and attention, as well as by corresponding and conversing with European geutlemen, he acquired so correct a knowledge of the English language, as to be enabled to write and speak it with considerable accuracy. constant habit of reading the English of which the continental ponewspapers, Calcutta. lities chiefly interested him, and from thence he formed a high admiration of the RAMMOHUN ROY, the talents and prowess of the late ruler of

ART. V.-An Apology for the present System of Hindoo Worship. Written in the Bengalee Language, and accompanied by an English Translation.

1817.

8vo.

52. pp.

He was also in the

OFFRAM MOHtarian Reformier, France, and was so dazzled with the splen

some account is given in our last Volume, [XIII. 299 and 512,] which we are happy in being able to enlarge by the tracts here enumerated, which have been put to our hands by a friend. The notice that we shall give of this enlightened and worthy mau will include a relation of the Hindoo Unitarian controversy; and in using

dour of his achievements, as to become sceptical, as to the commission, if not blind to the atrocity, of his crimes, and could not withstanding the profound respect he ever help deeply lamenting his downfal, notprofessed for the English nation; but when the first transports of his sorrow had subsided, he considered that part of his po litical conduct which led to his abdication, to have been so weak and so madly ambi

tious, that he declared his future detestation of Buonaparte would be proportionate to his former admiration of him.

"In a letter I have lately received from him intimately connected with the subject before me, he says, 'I take this oppor tunity of giving you a summary account of my proceedings since the period of your departure from India.

"The consequence of my long and uninterrupted researches into religious truth has been, that I have found the doctrines of Christ more conducive to moral principles, and better adapted for the use of rational beings, than any others which have come to my knowledge; and have

also found Hindoos in general more superstitious and miserable, both in performance of their religious rites, and in their domestic concerns, than the rest of the known nations on the earth: I, therefore, with a view of making them happy and com. fortable both here and hereafter, not only employed verbal arguments against the absurdities of the idolatry practised by them, but also translated their most revered theological work, namely Vedant, into Bengallee and Hindoostance, and also several chapters of the Ved, in order to convince them, that the unity of God, and absurdity of idolatry, are evidently pointed out by their own Scriptures. I, however, in the beginning of my pursuits, met with the greatest opposition from their selfinterested leaders, the Brahmins, and was deserted by my nearest relations; I consequently felt extremely melancholy; in that critical situation, the only comfort that I had, was the consoling and rational conversation of my European friends, especially those of Scotland and England.

"I now with the greatest pleasure inform you, that several of my countrymen have risen superior to their prejudices ; many are inclined to seek for the truth; and a great number of those who dissented from me, have now coincided with me in opinion. This engagement has prevented me from proceeding to Europe as soon as I could wish; but you may depend upon my setting off for England within a short period of time and if you do not return to India before October next, you will most probably receive a letter from me, informing you of the exact time of my departure for England, and of the name of the vessel on which I shall embark.'

"This extract, which is made without alteration, will shew how well the writer has overcome the difficulties of the English language."-Pref. pp. iii.—vi.

The "Translation of an Abridgment of the Vedant" is addressed by Rammohun Roy "To the Believers of the Only True God," and this pre

fatory address is so sensible and instructive, that we cannot refrain from copying it entire :

"The greater part of Brahmins, as well as of other sects of Hindoos, are quite incapable of justifying that idolatry, which When questhey continue to practise. tioned on the subject, in place of adducing reasonable arguments in support of their conduct, they conceive it fully sufficient to quote their ancestors as positive authorities! And some of them are become very ill-disposed towards me, because I have forsaken idolatry, for the worship of the true and eternal God! In order, there

fore, to vindicate my own faith, and that of our early forefathers, I have been endeavouring, for some time past, to convince my countrymen of the true meaning of our sacred books; and to prove, that my aberration deserves not the opprobrium which some unreflecting persons have been so ready to throw upon me.

"The whole body of the Hindoo theo

logy, law and literature, is contained in the Veds, which are affirmed to be coeval

with the creation! These works are extremely voluminous; and being written in the most elevated and metaphorical style, are, as may be well supposed, in many passages seemingly confused and contradictory. Upwards of two thousand years ago, the great Byas, reflecting on the perpetual difficulty arising from these sources, composed with great discrimination a complete and compendions abstract of the whole; and also reconciled those texts, which appeared to stand at variance. This work he termed The Vedant, which, compounded of two Sungscrit words, sighas continued to be most highly revered nities The resolution of all the Veds. It by all the Hindoos; and in place of the more diffuse arguments of the Veds, is always referred to as equal authority. But, from its being concealed within the dark curtain of the Sungscrit language, and the Brahmins permitting themselves alone to interpret, or even to touch any book of the kind, the Vedant, although perpetually quoted, is little known to the public: and the practice of few Hindoos indeed bears the least accordance with its precepts!

"In pursuance of my vindication, I have, to the best of my abilities, translated this hitherto unknown work, as well as an abridgment thereof, into the Hindootributed them, free of cost, among my own stanee and Bengalee languages; and discountrymen, as widely as circumstances have possibly allowed. The present is an endeavour to render an abridgment of the same into English, by which I expect to prove to my European friends, that the

superstitious practices, which deform the Hiudoo religion, have nothing to do with the pure spirit of its dictates!

"I have observed that, both in their writings and conversation, many Europeans feel a wish to palliate and soften the features of Hindoo Idolatry; and are inclined to inculcate, that all objects of worship are considered by their votaries, as emblematical representations of the Supreme Divinity!-If this were indeed the case, I might, perhaps, be led into some examination of the subject; but the truth is, the Hindoos of the present day have no such views of the subject; but firmly believe in the real existence of innumerable gods and goddesses, who possess, in their own departments, full and independent power; and to propitiate them, and not the true God, are temples erected and ceremonies performed. There can be no doubt, however, and it is my whole design to prove, that every rite has its derivation from the allegorical adoration of the true Deity; but, at the present day all this is forgotten; and among many is even heresy to mention it!

it

"I hope it will not be presumed, that I intend to establish the preference of my faith over that of other men. The result of controversy on such a subject, however multiplied, must be ever unsatisfactory. For the reasoning faculty, which leads men to certainty in things within its reach, produces no effect on questions beyond its comprehension. I do no more than assert, that, if correct reasoning and the dictates of common sense, induce the belief of a wise, uncreated Being, who is the supporter and ruler of the boundless universe; we should also consider him the most powerful and supreme existence !far surpassing our powers of comprehension or description!-And, although men of uncultivated minds, and even some learned individuals (but in this one point blinded by prejudice) readily choose, as the object of their adoration, any thing which they can always see, and which they pretend to feed; the absurdity of such conduct is not thereby in the least degree

diminished.

"My constant reflections on the inconvenient, or rather injurious rites, introduced by the peculiar practice of Hindoo Idolatry, which, more than any other Pagan worship, destroys the texture of society; together with compassion for my countrymen, have compelled me to use every possible effort to awaken them from their dream of error: and by making them acquainted with their Scriptures, enable them to contemplate, with true devotion, the unity and omnipresence of nature's God.

66 By taking the path, which conscience and sincerity direct, I, born a Brahmun,

But these, however

have exposed myself to the complainings
and reproaches, even of some of my rela-
tions, whose prejudices are strong, and
whose temporal advantage depends upon
the present system.
accumulated, I can tranquilly bear; trust-
ing that a day will arrive when my hum-
ble endeavours will be viewed with justice
perhaps acknowledged with gratitude.
At any rate, whatever men may say, I
cannot be deprived of this consolation:
my motives are acceptable to that Being
who beholds in secret and compensates
openly !"-Pp. vii.-x.

We are not sufficiently versed in
Hindoo mythology to pronounce that
Rammohun Roy has proved his point
that the Veds are strictly Unitarian,
and that the passages which seem to
countenance polytheism are merely
allegorical; but we are struck with
admiration of some of the passages in
these ancient books, which Hindoo
superstition represents as uncreated
and eternal. For instance, "He, by
whom the birth, existence and anni-
hilation of the world is regulated, is
the Supreme Being."
"The pure

light of all lights is the Lord of all
creatures." "God is indeed one and
has no second." "He who is without
any figure and beyond the limit of
description is the Supreme Being."
"None but the Supreme Being is to
be worshiped, nothing excepting Him
should be adored by a wise man."
"He who has true faith in the Omni-
present Supreme Being may eat all
that exists," i. e. is not bound to
inquire what is his food or who pre-
pares it.

"In any place wherein
should worship God." The pure and
the mind feels itself undisturbed, men
sublime theism of these passages is a
proof of their antiquity, and of their
having had a common source with the
Jewish revelation.

The Vedant thus ends:

"The Ved begins and concludes with
the three peculiar and mysterious epithets
The first of these signifies, That Being,
of God, viz. 1st ONG, 2d TUT, 3d SUT.
which preserves, destroys and creates!"
The second implies, That only Being,
which is neither male nor female!'
collective terms simply affirm that, ONE,
third announces, The true Being! These
UNKNOWN, TRUE BEING, IS THE
CREATOR, PRESERVER AND DE-
STROYER OF THE UNIVERSE!!!"-
P. 14.

The

The Cena Upanishad" (second

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article) is one of the chapters of the Veds. Rammohun Roy states in the "Introduction" that he has translated it to establish the unity of God, and to set his countrymen free from superstitions, which deprive them of the common comforts of society, and even lead them to self-destruction or to the sacrifice of their friends and relations. He expresses his great satisfaction in seeing that many respectable Hindoos "rise superior to their original prejudices, and inquire into the truths of religion." He has turned a few chapters of the Veds into the English language, for the gratification of European gentlemen who interest themselves in the improvement of their fellow-creatures; and, he adds,

“Such benevolent people will, perhaps, rise from a perusal of them, with the conviction, that in the most ancient times the inhabitants of this part of the globe (at least the more intelligent class) were not unacquainted with metaphysical subjects; that allegorical language or description was very frequently employed to represent the attributes of the Creator, which were sometimes designated as independent existences; and that, however suitable this method might be to the refined understandings of men of learning, it had the most mischievous effect, when literature and philosophy decayed, producing all those absurdities and idolatrous notions, which have checked, or rather destroyed, every mark of reason, and darkened every beam of understanding."-Introd. p. iv.

66 a

The chapter of the " Upanishad" consists of a dialogue between Pupil" and "his Spiritual Father;" the following is the conclusion of it,

"In a battle between the Celestial † Gods and the Demons, God obtained victory over the laiter, in favour of the former

A Hindoo of caste, he says, can only eat once between sun-rise and sun-set, cannot eat dressed victuals in a boat or ship, nor clothed, nor in a tavern, nor any food that has been touched by a person of a different caste, nor if interrupted while eating can he resume his meal.

"In the Ukhaika it is said, that those powers of the Divinity, which produce agreeable effects and conduce to moral order and happiness, are represented under the figure of Celestial Gods, and those attributes, from which pain and misery flow, are called Demons and Step-Brothers of the former, with whom they are in a state of perpetual hostility."

(or properly speaking, God enabled the
former to defeat the latter); but upon
this victory being gained, the Celestial
Gods acquired their respective dignities,
and supposed that this victory and glory
The
were entirely owing to themselves
Omni-present Being having known their
boast, appeared to them with an appear-
ance beyond description.

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"They could not know what adorable appearance it was: they consequently said to Fire, or properly speaking, the God of Fire, Discover thon, O God of Fire, what adorable appearance this is? His reply was, I shall.' He proceeded fast to that adorable appearance, which asked him, Who art thou?' He then answered, I am Fire, and I am the origin of the Ved, that is, I am a well-known personage The Supreme Omnipotence upon being thus replied to, asked him again, What power is in so celebrated a person asbes all that exists in the world. The as thou art?' He replied, I can burn to Supreme Being then having laid a straw before him, said to him, Canst thou burn this straw?' The God of Fire approached the straw, but could not barn it, though he exerted all his power: he then unsuccessfully retired, and told the others, 'I have been unable to discover what adorable appearance this is Now they all said to Wind (or properly to the God of Wind), Discover thou, O God of Wind, what adorable appearance this is?' His reply was, I shall.' He proceeded fast to that adorable appearance, which asked him, Who art thou? He then answered, I am Wind, and I pervade unlimited space; that is, I am a well-known personage.' The Supreme Being upon being thus replied to, asked him again, What power is in so celebrated a person as thou art?' He replied, I can пphold all that exists in the world.' The Supreme Being then having laid a straw before him, said to him, Canst thon uphold this straw” The God of Wind approached the straw, but could not hold it up, though he ex. erted all his power. He then unsuccessfully retired, and told the others, I have been unable to discover what adorable appearance this is.' Now they all said to the God of Atmosphere, Discover thou, O revered God of Atmosphere, what aderable appearance this is? His reply was,

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I sball. He proceeded fast to that adorable appearance, which vanished from his view. He met at the same spot s woman, the Goddess of Instruction, ar rayed in golden robes, in the shape of the most beautiful Uma. He asked her,

What was that adorable appearance? She replied, It was the Supreme Being,

"The wife of Siva."

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