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chap. Confucius , and his system would be justly entit-led to all the applause, which it has pleased someof our divines, and even some of our philoso-phers, to bestow on it. But in that motley com-position, dictated by reason and passion, by en-thusiasm and by selfish motives, some useful andsublime truths were disgraced by a mixture ofthemost abject and dangerous superstition. Themagi, or sacerdotal order, were extremely nu-merous, since, as we have already seen, fourscorethousand of them were convened in a generalcouncil. Their forces were multiplied by disci-pline. A regular hierarchy was diffused throughall the provinces of Persia ; and the Archima-gus, who resided at Balch, was respected as thevisible head of the church, and the lawful suc-cessor of Zoroaster / The property of the magiwas very considerable. Besides the less invidi-ous possession of a large tract of the most fer-tile lands of Media, 3 they levied a general taxon the fortunes and the industry of the Per-sians / “ Though your good works,” says theinterested prophet, “ exceed in number the

r Hyde de Religione Persarum, c. 28. Both Hyde and Prideanxaffect to apply to the magian, the terms consecrated to the Christianhierarchy.

• Ammian. Marceliin. xxiii, G. He informs us (as far as we maycredit him) of two curious particulars : 1. That the magi derived someof their most secret doctrines from the Indian brachnians; and, 2. Thatthey were a tribe or family, as well as order.

* The divine institution of tythes exhibits a singular instance of con-formity between the law of Zoroaster and that of Moses. Those whocannot otherwise account for it, may suppose, if they please, that themagi of the latter times inserted so useful an interpolation into the writ-ings of their prophet.