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the form of the heavens, and covered with Sapphire ,which is a stone of an azure colour, resembling the sky.Under this canopy were suspended the images of their re-puted deities, wrought in gold, and shedding a light as iffrom heaven. Here it is, where the King sits in judgment-Four birds* in gold hung from the roof, which appearedin the act of denouncing vengeance on the King, if hedid wrong, and at the same time of admonishing him, notto exalt himself above what is mortal. The Magi, whosef

* Rather four golden figures, in shape like birds, called HecatineStrophali, or Hecatine Sphaerulse; in the midst of each was inclosed asapphire, and about each of them was folded a leather thong, besetall over with characters. These sphaernlae they whipped about, whilstthey made their invocations, and called them Jynges, their appellationin the text. Stanley says they used to call them Jynges, whether theywere round, or triangular, or any other figure, and whilst they weredoing thus, they made insignificant or brutish cries, and lashed the airwith their whips, Jynx is also the bird, motacilla, or wag-tail, and thefigures were called Hecatine, from being dedicated to Hecate , a Chal-dean goddess, who has at her right side the fountain of virtues.

t Ammianus Marcellinus has a long account of the Magi, which Ithink not amiss to transcribe here. Plato, a most celebrated author , ofsingular opinions, informs us, that Magia, in a mystical sense, is no-thing but Machagistia, which signifies the most incorrupt worship andpure observance of divine ceremonies, to which knowledge Zoroaster the Bactrian added many things out of the secrets of the Chaldeans;and after him, that most wise prince Hystaspes , the fattier of DariHs,who whilst he was traversing the interior parts of upper India , arrivedat a deep forest, the peaceful retreat of the Brachmans, men of themost sublime knowledge, from whom he learnt as far as he was capable,the system of the world, the motions of the stars, and the most purerites of their religion; and from what he collected there, he communi-cated part to the Magi, who transmitted it to their descendants, to-gether with the art of foreseeing things to come. From that time tothe present, one and the same unmixed class of men is dedicated tothe worship of the Gods . It is also said (if it is right to believe it)that there is kept a fire, which fell from heaven, perpetually burningon their hearths, of which a small portion in former times went beforethe Kings of Asia, as an auspicious sign of good fortune. Thesepriests were few in number, and were the people employed by the