426 Hamilton’s account of the east indies;

numbers of temples built in this country, but mod of wood, becaufe that material isplentifuleft and cheapeft, and takes varnilh and gilding beft, being gawdily painted bothwithin and without. Every one has free liberty to build a baw or temple, and when itis finilhed, purchafes or bellows a few acres of ground to maintain a certain number ofpriefts and novices, who manure and cultivate the ground for their own fuftenance, andin the garden the priefts and novices have a convent built for their conveniency oflodgings and ftudy, and thofe are their fettled benefices; for they are no charge to thelaity, but by their induftrious labour in managing their garden, they have enough forihemfelves, and fomething to fpare to the poor indigent of the laity ; but if their gardenis too fmall or fterile for the fubfiftence of their family, then they fend fome novicesabroad with a large orange-coloured mantle about their bodies, with a balket hangingon their left arm, a little drum in the left hand, and a little ftick in the right, and whenthey come to the people’s doors they beat three ftrokes with the ftick on the drum, andif none come to anfwer, they beat again, and fo on to the third time, and then if noneanfwer, they proceed to the next houfe without fpeaking a word ; but they are feldomfent away without an alms of rice, pulfe, fruits, or roots, which is their only food, andwhat they receive more than they have prefent occafion for, they diftribute to the poor,for they never take care for to-morrow, living all their days in celibacy, they have noneof the anxiety of thinking about provifion for a widow and children. Their innocentexemplary lives procure them many free-will offerings from the well difpofed laity, andwhat is faved after providing their convents, of eatables and clothing, returns to themaintenance of the djftreffed laity, who, through age, ficknefs, or other accidents,cannot maintain themfelves by labour; but none who are able to work, partake of theircharity.

They preach or lefture frequently, and have a numerous auditory. Their religionis Paganifm, and their fyftem of divinity Polytheifm. They have images in all theirtemples or baws, of inferior gods, fuch as Somma Cuddom, Samfay, and Prawpout,but they cannot form an idea of the image of the great God , whofe adoration is left totheir tallapoies or priefts.

Thofe tallapoies or priefts, teach, that charity is the moft fublime virtue, and there-fore ought to be extenfive enough to reach not only to the human fpecies, but even toanimals, wherefore they neither kill nor eat any, and they are fo benevolent to man-kind, that they cherilh all alike without diftinction, for the fake of religion. They holdall religions to be good that teach men to be good, and that the deities are pleafed withvariety of worlhip, but with none that is hurtful to men, becaufe cruelty mull be difagree-able to the nature of a deity : fo being all agreed in that fundamental, they have butfew polemicks, and no perfecutions, for they fay that our minds are free agents, andought neither to be forced nor fettered.

The images in their temples are placed in domes, in a fitting pofture, with their legsacrofs, their toes all alike long, their arms and hands very fmall in proportion to theirbodies, their faces longer than human, and their ears large, and the lappets very thick.The congregation bows to them when they come in and go out, and that is all the ob-lation they receive.

They never repair an old baw, nor is there any occafion for that piety or expence ; forin every September there is an old cuftom for gentlemen of fortune to make Iky-rockets,and fet them a flying in the air, and if any fly any great height, that is a certain fig nthat the owner is in favour with the gods; but if it comes to the ground, and fpends itsfire without riling, the owner is much dejected, and believes that the gods are angrywith him; but the happy man, whofe rocket makes him in the gods favour, never fails