OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

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and corrupted each other’s superstitions. The chap.

Arsacides, indeed, practised the worship of the__

Magi ; but they disgraced and polluted it with avarious mixture of foreign idolatry. The me-mory of Zoroaster , the ancient prophet and phi-losopher of the Persians, ® was still revered inthe East; but the obsolete and mysterious lan-guage in which the Zendavesta was composed, 11opened a field of dispute to seventy sects, whovariously explained the fundamental doctrinesof their religion, and were all indifferently de-rided by a crowd of infidels, who rejected thedivine mission and miracles of the prophet. Tosuppress the idolaters, reunite the schismatics,and confute the unbelievers, by the infallible de-cision of a general council, the pious Artaxerxes summoned the Magi from all parts of his domi-nions. These priests, who had so long sighedin contempt and obscurity, obeyed the welcomesummons; and on the appointed day appeared,to the number of about eighty thousand. But

8 Hyde and Prideaux, working up the Persian legends, and theirown conjectures, into a very agreeable story, represent Zoroaster as acontemporary of Darius Hystaspes . But it is sufficient to observe, thatthe Greek writers, who lived almost in the age of Darius , agree in plac-ing the era of Zoroaster many hundred, or even thousand, years beforetheir own time. The judicious criticism of Mr. Moyle perceived, andmaintained against his uncle, Dr. Prideaux, the antiquity of the Per-sian prophet. See his work, vol. ii.

h That ancient idiom was called the Zend. The language of thecommentary, the Pehlvi, though much more modern, has ceasedmany ages ago to be a Jiving tongue. This fact alone (if it is allow-ed as authentic) sufficiently warrants the antiquity of those writing*,which M. d'Anquetil has brought into Europe , and translated iutoFrench .