nature, and the art of leading men's minds."Whom ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you," were the words of St. Paul to the people of Athens. He turned not to the temples crowded with images to expose the follies and vices of Jupiter, or to falsify the predictions of Apollo, but he seized upon the simple altar of the wisest of men, to the unknown God, and thence beginning his exposition of divine truths, he, without irritating the passions of his hearers by open defiance calling on them to defend their deities, announced the pure faith of Christ, "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch, then, as we are: the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent."

Such were the arguments of the model of preachers before the most enlightened people of ancient times. Why, then, are we harshly to denounce to the Hindû condemnation and contempt? Should not his greater ignorance de

mand greater tenderness? And if his poets, too, abound with precepts of piety and morality, why should they not also be called in aid of the doctrine we wish to preach? But the enthu siasm and the courage which are requisite to carry men through great undertakings, the learning which should baffle error, and the calmness which should refute it, are so seldom joined with that deep insight into human cha racter, necessary to produce important moral changes, under the existing circumstances of the world, that it is vain to expect much from the exertions of individuals who can be paid for those exertions, and still less could be hoped from the interference of the legislature, as it would only excite: that tenacity of opinion which all men feel when their belief is rudely attacked, and that spirit of resistance which now lies hap pily dormant. Perhaps were the church esta blishment in India better supported, and the English residents more disposed to shew respect to it both by purity of morals and decorum of manners, the natives of India might respect it also, at least they could not despise it. And if, in process of time, by the encouragement of native schools, the widening of the circle of commerce, and the consequently increasing intercourse between the natives and the Europeans, some few respectable Hindûs should be induced

to join the Christian community, they would escape the contempt into which proselytes now fall, and perhaps might attract new converts, instead of, as now, standing a melancholy warning against a change of faith, which in this world renders them miserable and ridiculous. Far be it from me to oppose the conversion of the Hindus; but I cannot but grieve that the means employed are so inadequate to the end proposed, and whether, as happens in the physical world, doing little and unskilfully in a deeprooted disorder, be worse than leaving nature to her own quiet operations, is to me not doubtful. Sooner or later these will take effect: once excite the hopes of gain, the desire of advancement, place knowledge within the reach of those not unwilling to know, they will conquer difficulties to attain their wishes, they will feel, with the conscious superiority which a vanquished obstacle inspires, courage and ambition to overcome anew, the fetters of opinion will be broken, and the Hindû, as he rises in the scale of beings, will shake off the superstitions, with the lethargy of slavery, and the long desired object of good men will be obtained by a creature worthy of enjoying it.

All this you will say is visionary: alas! I am compelled to acknowledge, that without some of those extraordinary occurrences that have oc 7

casionally changed the belief with the destiny of nations, centuries must elapse before these things can come to pass; and I can only excuse myself by saying, that certain as I am of the impossibility of the present and sudden conversion of the Hindûs, I have no resource but to build my hopes on the silent operation of ages, and the certain though remote effects of moral causes on the mind of man.

MY DEAR SIR,

LETTER XIV.

I FANCY I shall exercise your patience as much in the Letter I am now beginning as I have ever done in any I have written on the same subject, for I have to speak much of ceremonies, which to us are tedious and unmeaning, but they influence greatly the private life of the Hindûs, which passes among the higher castes in complete indolence, when not engaged in superstitious observances. The existence of the lower classes is an alternation of the greatest bodily labours, with perfect idleness; but among all, there is discernible a portion of that ingenuity which, in times of remote antiquity, rendered India the nurse if not the mother of arts

and science, and of that spirit which in all times has made the Hindûs a warlike people.

The manners of the Hindûs are proverbially mild and gentle, and among the higher orders especially it is extremely rare to see any one allow himself to be transported by passion into the slightest intemperance of word or gesture. The higher classes of women are now almost as much recluses as those of the Mussulmans, who have introduced their jealousy of the sex into India; but we have abundant proofs in the ancient poets that they formerly enjoyed perfect freedom, or at least were only subject to the restraints which among a civilized people are imposed by the laws of society and decorum. Sacontala, the adopted daughter of a holy Brahmin, received his guests and exercised all the rites of hospitality, and appears to have been restrained by no ties but those of religion and virtue. The mother of Dushmanta governed his people during his absence from his capital; women were competent witnesses in a court of justice: indeed, Menu says, that in a case concerning a woman, women are the proper witnesses. But it is needless to multiply examples, for every Hindû tale confirms the fact of the ancient polished state of India, when its splendid courts presented all the charms of literature, and all the chivalrous gallantry, which in raising

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