VIII. "care and diligence acquires a greater ftock € HA P. "of religious merit than he could gain by the "repetition of ten thousand prayers "." In the fpring of every year a festival was celebrated, deftined to reprefent the primitive equality, and the prefent connexion, of mankind. The stately kings of Perfia, exchanging their vain pomp for more genuine greatnefs, freely mingled with the humbleft but most useful of their fubjects. On that day the husbandmen were admitted, without distinction, to the table of the king and his fatraps. The monarch accepted their petitions, inquired into their grievances, and converfed with them on the moft equal terms. "From your labours, was he accustomed to fay (and to fay with truth, if not with fincerity), from "your labours, we receive our fubfiftence; you ८८ derive your tranquillity from our vigilance; "fince, therefore, we are mutually neceffary to *each other, let us live together like brothers "in concord and love 16 39 Such a feftival muft indeed have degenerated, in a wealthy and defpotic empire, into a theatrical reprefentation; but it was at least a comedy well worthy of a royal audience, and which might fometimes imprint a falutary leffon on the mind of a young prince. Had Zoroafter, in all his inftitutions, invariably supported this exalted character, his name " Zendavefta, tom. i. p. 224. and Precis du Syfteme de Zoroastre, tom. iii. 16 Hyde de Religione Perfarum, c. 19. Power of the Magi. VIII. CHAP. Would deferve a place with thofe of Numa and Confucius, and his fyftem would be justly entitled to all the applause, which it has pleased fome of our Divines, and even fome of our philofophers, to bestow on it. But in that motley compofition, dictated by reafon and paffion, by enthufiafin and by felfish motives, fome ufeful and fublime truths were difgraced by a mixture of the most abject and dangerous fuperftition. The Magi, or facerdotal order, were extremely numerous, fince, as we have already feen, fourfcore thousand of them were convened in a general council. Their forces were multiplied by difcipline. A regular hierarchy was diffused through all the provinces of Perfia; and the Archimagus, who refided at Balch, was refpected as the vifible head of the church, and the lawful fucceffor of Zoroafter ". The property of the Magi was very confiderable. Befides the lefs invidious poffeffion of a large tract of the moft fertile lands of Media, they levied a general tax on the fortunes and the induftry of the Perfians 9. Though your good works," fays the interested prophet, "exceed in number the leaves of the ་ "7 Hyde de Religione Perfarum, c. 28. Both Hyde and Prideaux affect to apply to the Magian the terms confecrated to the Christian hierarchy. 18 Ammian. Marcellin. xxiii. 6. He informs us (as far as we may credit him) of two curious particulars; 1. that the Magi derived fome of their most fecret doctrines from the Indian Brachmans; and, 2. that they were a tribe, or family, as well as order. 19 The divine inftitution of tythes exhibits a fingular inftance of conformity between the law of Zoroafter and that of Mofes. Thofe who cannot otherwife account for it, may fuppofe, if they please, that the Magi of the latter times inferted so useful an interpolation into the writings of their prophet. "trees, "trees, the drops of rain, the stars in the hea- CHA P. ven, or the fands on the fea-fhore, they will "all be unprofitable to you, unlefs they are accepted by the deflour, or priest. To obtain "the acceptation of this guide to falvation, you "must faithfully pay him tythes of all you pof"fefs, of your goods, of your lands, and of your money. If the deftour be fatisfied, your foul "will efcape hell tortures; you will fecure praise "in this world, and happiness in the next. For "the deftours are the teachers of religion; they "know all things, and they deliver all men "."" 20 Thefe convenient maxims of reverence and implicit faith were doubtlefs imprinted with care on the tender minds of youth; fince the Magi were the masters of education in Perfia, and to their hands the children even of the royal family were intrufted". The Perfian priefts, who were of a fpeculative genius, preferved and investigated the fecrets of Oriental philofophy; and acquired, either by fuperior knowledge or fuperior art, the reputation of being well verfed in fome occult fciences, which have derived their appellation from the Magi 22. Those of more active difpofitions mixed with the world in courts and cities; and it is obferved, that the administration of Artaxerxes was in a great measure directed by the counfels of the facerdotal order, whofe dignity, either from policy or devotion, that prince reftored to its ancient splendour 23. 20 Sadder, Art. 8. 22 21 Plato in Alcibiad. Pliny (Hift. Natur. 1. xxx. c. 1.) obferves, that magic held mankind by the triple chain of religion, of phyfic, and of aftronomy. 23 Agathias, 1. iv. p. 134. VIII. CHAP. VIII. Spirit of perfecution. The firft counfel of the Magi was agreeable to the unfociable genius of their faith, to the practice of ancient kings 25, and even to the example of their legiflator, who had fallen a victim to a religious war, excited by his own intolerant zeal 2. By an edict of Artaxerxes, the exercise of every worship, except that of Zoroafter, was feverely prohibited. The temples of the Parthians, and the ftatues of their deified monarchs, were thrown down with ignominy 27. The fword of Ariftotle (fuch was the name given by the Orientials to the polytheifin and philofophy of the Greeks) was eafily broken 28; the flames of perfecution foon reached the more ftubborn Jews and Chriftians 29; nor did they fpare the heretics of their own nation and religion. The majefty of Ormuld, who was jealous of a rival, was feconded by the defpotifm of Artaxerxes, who could not fuffer a rebel; and the fchifmatics within his vaft empire were foon reduced to the inconfiderable number of eighty thoufand 30, 14 Mr. Hume, in the Natural Hiftory of Religion, fagaciously remarks, that the most refined and philofophic fects are conftantly the most intolerant. 25 Cicero de Legibus, ii. 10. Xerxes, by the advice of the Magi, destroyed the temples of Greece. 26 Hyde de Relig. Perfar. c. 23, 24. D'Herbelot Bibliothèque Orientale Zerdught. Life of Zoroafter in tom. ii. of the Zendavefta. 27 Compare Mofes of Chorene, 1. ii. c. 74. with Ammian. Marcellin. xxiii. 6. Hereafter I shall make use of these passages. 28 Rabbi Abraham, in the Tarikh Schickard, p. 108, 109. 29 Bafnage Hiftoire des Juifs, 1. viii. c. 3. Sozomen, I. ii. c. I. Manes, who fuffered an ignominious death, may be deemed a Magian as well as a Chriftian heretic. Hyde de Rélig.one Perfar. c. 21. VIII. ment of the the pro vinces. This spirit of perfecution reflects difhonour on the C HAP, religion of Zoroafter; but as it was not productive of any civil commotion, it ferved to ftrengthen the new monarchy, by uniting all the various inhabitants of Perfia in the bands of religious zeal. II. Artaxerxes, by his valour and conduct, Eftablishhad wrefted the fceptre of the Eaft from the an- royal aucient royal family of Parthia. There ftill remained thority in the more difficult task of establishing, throughout the vast extent of Perfia, a uniform and vigorous administration. The weak indulgence of the Arfacides had refigned to their fons and brothers the principal provinces, and the greatest offices of the kingdom, in the nature of hereditary poffeffions. The vitara, or eighteen moft powerful fatraps, were permitted to affume the regal title; and the vain pride of the monarch was delighted with a nominal dominion over fo many vaffal kings. Even tribes of barbarians in their mountains, and the Greek cities of Upper Afia 3, within their walls, fcarcely acknowledged, or feldom obeyed, any fuperior; and the Parthian empire exhibited, under other names, a lively image of the feudal fyftem 32 which has fince prevailed in Europe. But the active vic 31 Thefe colonies were extremely numerous. Seleucus Nicator founded thirty-nine cities, all named from himself, or some of his relations (fee Appian in Syriac. p. 124.). The era of Seleucus (ftill in ufe among the eastern Christians) appears as late as the year 508, of Chrift 196, on the medals of the Greek cities within the Parthian empire. See Moyle's works, vol, i. p. 273, &c. and M. Freret, Mem. de l'Academie, tom. xix. 32 The modern Perfians diftinguish that period as the dynasty of the kings of the nations. See Plin. Hift. Nat. vi. 25. tor, |