and the most powerful agents of the Divine Power and Nature "3.

Every mode of religion, to make a deep and lafting impreffion on the human mind, must exercife our obedience, by enjoining practices of devotion, for which we can affign no reason; and must acquire our esteem, by inculcating moral duties analogous to the dictates of our own hearts. The religion of Zoroafter was abundantly provided with the former, and poffeffed a fufficient portion of the latter. At the age of puberty, the faithful Perfian was invefted with a myfterious girdle, the badge of the divine protection; and from that moment, all the actions of his life, even the most indifferent, or the most neceffary, were fanctified by their peculiar prayers, ejaculations, genuflexions; the omiffion of which, under any circumstances, was a grievous fin, not inferior in guilt to the violation of the moral duties. The morai duties, however, of juftice, mercy, liberality, etc. were in their turn required of the difciple of Zoroafter, who wished to escape the perfecution of Ahriman, and to live with Ormufd in a blissful eternity, where the degree of felicity will be exactly proportioned to the degree of virtue and piety

or

14

CHAP.
VIII.

Ceremo-
nies and

moral pre

cepts.

Encou

of agricul

ture.

But there are fome remarkable inftances in which Zoroafter lays afide the prophet, affumes ragement the legislator, and difcovers a liberal concern for private and public happinefs, feldom to be found among the groveling or vifionary fchemes of fuperftition. Fafting and celibacy, the common means of purchafing the divine favour, he condemns

СНАР.

VIII.

وو

دو

with abhorrence, as a criminal rejection of the best
gifts of Providence. The faint, in the Magian
religion, is obliged to beget children, to plant
ufeful trees, to deftroy noxious animals, to convey
water to the dry lands of Perfia, and to work out
his falvation by purfuing all the labours of
agriculture. We may quote from the Zendavesta
a wife and benevolent maxim, which compensates
for many an abfurdity. » He who fows the ground
with care and diligence, acquires a greater stock
» of religious merit, than he could gain by the
» repetition of ten thousand prayers "." In the
spring of every year a feftival was celebrated,
deftined to reprefent the primitive equality, and
the prefent connexion, of mankind. The ftately
kings of Perfia, exchanging their vain pomp for
more genuine greatness, freely mingled with the
humbleft but moft ufeful of their fubjects. On
that day the husbandmen were admitted, without
distinction, to the table of the king and his fatraps.
The monarch accepted their petitions, inquired
into their grievances, and converfed with them on the
most equal terms. „ From your labours, was he accu
» ftomed to say (and to fay with truth, if not with
fincerity), from your labours, we receive our
fubfiftence; you derive
your tranquillity from
» our vigilance; fince, therefore, we are mutually
neceffary to each other, let us live together like
brothers in concord and love ". "
Such a
festival muft indeed have degenerated, in a
wealthy and defpotic empire, into a theatrical
representation; but it was at least a comedy well

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worthy of a royal audience, and which might cCHAP. fometimes imprint a falutary leffon on the mind

VIII.

the Magi.

of a young prince. Had Zoroafter in all his inftitutions, invaria- Power of bly fupported this exalted character, his name would deferve a place with thofe of Numa and Confucius, and his fyftem would be justly entitled to all the applause, which it has pleased fome of our Divines, and even fome of our philofophers, to bestow on it. But in that motley compofition, dictated by reason and passion, by enthusiasm and by felfish motives, fome useful and fublime truths were difgraced by a mixture of the most abject and dangerous fuperftition. The Magi, or facerdotal order, were extremely numerous, fince, as we have already feen, fourfcore thousand of them were convened in a general council. Their forces were multiplied by difcipline. A regular hierarchy was diffused through all the provinces of Persia; and the Archimagus, who refided at Balch, was respected as the visible head of the church, and the lawful fucceffor of Zoroafter ". The property of the Magi was very confiderable. Befides the less invidious poffeffion of a large tract of the most fertile lands of Media " , they levied a general tax on the fortunes and the industry of the Persians Though your good works, fays the interested prophet, exceed in number the leaves of the trees, the drops of rain, the stars in the heaven, or the fands on the fea-shore, they will all be unprofitable to you, unless they are accepted ,, by the deftour, or prieft. To obtain the accep

دو

66

19

СНАР:
VIII.

Spirit of

on.

tation of this guide to falvation, you must faithfully pay him tythes of all you poffefs, of your goods, of your lands, and of your money. If the deftour be fatisfied, your foul will escape hell tortures; you will fecure praise in this world, and happiness in the next. For the deftours are the teachers of religion; they know all things, and they deliver all men

20 66

Thefe convenient maxims of reverence and implicit faith were doubtlefs imprinted with care on the tender minds of youth; fince the Magi were the mafters of education in Perfia, and to their hands the children even of the royal family were intrusted ". The Perfian priests, who were of a fpeculative genius, preferved and investigated the fecrets of Oriental philofophy; and acquired, either by fuperior knowledge or fuperior art, the repu tation of being well verfed in fome occult sciences, which have derived their appellation from the Magi". Those of more active difpofitions mixed with the world in courts and cities; and it is obferved, that the administration of Artaxerxes was in a great measure directed by the counfels of the facerdotal order, whofe dignity, either from policy or devotion, that prince restored to its ancient fplendour

23

24

The first counsel of the Magi was agreeable to perfecuti⚫ the unfociable genius of their faith ** to the practice of ancient kings ", and even to the example of their legislator, who had fallen a victim to a religious war, excited by his own intolerant

27

zeal". By an edict of Artaxerxes, the exercise of every worship, except that of Zoroafter was feverely prohibited. The temples of the Parthians, and the ftatues of their deified monarchs, were thrown down with ignominy ". The fword of Ariftotle (fuch was the name given by the Orientals to the polytheism and philofophy of the Greeks) was easily broken; the flames of perfecution foon reached the more stubborn Jews and Christians ; nor did they fpare the heretics of their own nation and religion. The majesty of Ormufd, who was jealous of a rival, was feconded by the defpotifm of Artaxerxes, who could not suffer a rebel; and the fchifmatics within his vaft empire were foon reduced to the inconfiderable number of eighty thousand 3° This spirit of perfecution reflects dishonour on the religion of Zoroafter; but as it was not productive of any civil commotion, it ferved to strengthen the new monarchy, by uniting all the various inhabitants of Perfia in the bands of religious zeal.

30

II. Artaxerxes, by his valour and conduct, had wrefted the fceptre of the Eaft from the ancient royal family of Parthia. There still remained the more difficult task of establishing, throughout the vaft extent of Perfia, a uniform and vigorous administration. The weak indulgence of the Arfacides, had refigned to their fons and brothers the principal provinces, and the greatest offices of the kingdom, in the nature of hereditary poffeffions. The vitaxa, or eighteen moft powerful fatraps,

СНАР.
VIII.

Eftablishment of th. thority in the pro

royal au

vinces.