1813.] from ancient Sanscrit Manuscripts. the following passage: "Know ye, that to the south of Uttara-Curu, or NorthCuru, in the ocean with waves like so many garlands, at the distance of 5000 yejanas, is the Suraleyam, or abode of the gods, famous for the various sorts of deities living in it, and Chandradwipa thus called. There is the Mandalam, or sacred road of Lunus. To the west of this western island, in the Mahodadhi, or great sea, is an island called Bhadracara, where is the Bhadrasana, or throne of Vigrahavan-Vayu, who resides there in a human shape, and is worshipped as a god." Vayu, or Yah, is Æolus, and the guardian of the north-west quarter of the world. By the country to the south of Uttara-Curu, or North-Curu, we must understand here South-Cura, and which is bounded on the north, as I have shewn before, by the arctic circle; I mean the sensible one, where there are days of 24 hours, and which passes through the meridional parts of Iceland, or Pushcara; which island is declared to be in Uttara-Curu, or in the same climate. This distance from Uttara-Curu, or from the arctic circle, to Chandra-dwipa, or Swetam, is equal to nine degrees of latitude; for 5000 is the twentieth part of 100,000 yojanas, the length and breath of the superior hemisphere, answering to 180 degrees. These nine degrees will bring the White Island between the parallels of 50 and 55 degrees of north latitude. In the passage from the VARAHAPURANA, which I mentioned before, the name of Sweta is not very obvious: but its identity is ascertained from the famous Cshira tree growing there; and the river Chandra-vartta: and the passage seems to imply that the island was also called Cshira, as it is constantly denominated in the Trai-locya-derpana. "There is the Three-peak-land in the ocean; the Cshira tree and island to the west of the continent, 4000 yojanus in circumfe. rence: there is the river Chandra-vartta." To the north of the island of Cshira is the Surya-ewipa, or the Island of the Sun, called also Hiranya and Suvarna, or Ireland, and placed to the north of Britain, by Strabo and Mela. Bhadracara-dwipa Tracara-dwipa is placed to the west of Surya-dwipa erroneously. Scotland is not noticed by Strabo; otherwise he would, in all probability, have placed it also to the west of Ireland. The compiler has placed, however, the three islands in a triangle, which was his chief, if not sole, object. In the Vayu-purana there is some in accuracy with regard to the names of 4S these three peak-lands, which are said to be Hiranya, Mani, and Ratna; whilst Mani and Ratna are considered as the saime, and are really so. The White island, Sweta-dwipa, or Swetam, simply in a derivative form of the neuter gender, is called also Sucla, which is synonymous with Sweta. Cshiradwipa, or Khira-dwipa, in the spoken dialects, signifies the Milk Island, from its whiteness. All names signifying White are applicable, and occasionally. applied, to the White Island. Swetasaila, or the White Cliffs, is often used, and is literally the Leucaspetra of Homer, and Al-Fionu in Galic. It is called the Silver Island, because it is supposed to abound with that metal, and more probably from a supposed affinity between the moon and silver. Gold, says Proclus, Gold is a solar, and silver a lunar, form. Rupa and Rajata are Sanscrit names of that metal: hence the White Island is called Rajata-dwipa, or the Silver Island; Rajata-cuta, the Silverpeak-land. Raupya is used in the Bhagavata in a derivative form; and Raupyabhumi, or Silver Land. Arajata, or Arjata, in Sanscrit, implies full of silver, abounding with silver. This word is pronounced, in the west of India, Aryata; and in this manner the word argentum is pronounced aryentum in Germany; arjata, argoid, and arget, in Irish. The White Island is called Chandradwipa, or the island of Lunus, or the moon, because he was born there; and it is also the place of his residence: Chandram-Suca, as it is called, I believe, in the Bhagavata, signifies also resplendent like the moon. Sasi-chanda, the Canton or country of Sasi, another name for Lunus, is mentioned in the Vribatcatha. The White Island is called also Ratna-maya and Ratna-dwipa, the island of jewels; because, at the churning of the ocean, fourteen invaluable ratna, or jewels, were produced by the churning, and deposited there till disposed of. Gomeda and Mani, which signify jewels also, are denominations of the White Island. All these names are often met with in composition, with Saila, cliff, or cliffs; for, in composition, a noun in the singular has often the force of the plural. number. Thus, Sweta-Saila signifies the White Cliffs: Chandra-Saila, Soma Saila, the cliffs of the moon: Ratna-Saila, the cliffs abounding with jewels, &c. The third peak-land, or Scotland, is called Aya-cuta, or the Iron peak or island. It is called Ayasa in the Bhagavata, a word of the same import. In a G2 derivative derivative form we might grammatically say Ayeya, though this term be never used: but that is no reason for supposing that the term never was in use: for it is the Island of Aiaia, or Aæa, of the western mythologists. It might be called also Loha-dwipa: but this denomination is never found in the Puranas; though there is every reason to believe that it was used also formerly: and I believe that it was really the original name, as we shall see when we come to treat of that country. We have seen before that Eugland is called Chandra-canta; Ireland, Surya-canta. Scotland is likewise denominated Ayascanta. We read in Plutarch, that a certain Thespesius of Soli, was transported in the spirit to the islands of the departed, where he saw three Genii sitting in a triangle. He saw there also three lakes of melted gold, lead, and iron. The first looked like gold. The second, of lead, though in fusion, was exceedingly cold, and looked white. This was meant perhaps for white-lead or tin. The third lake, of iron, was black, and its surface very rugged, as if full of scoriæ. The three Genii were Vishnu, Brahına, Siva, or rather their Sactis, or female energies, which are the three Parce of the western mythologists. This relation of Thespesius alludes visibly to the ternary nuinber of these islands; and the three lakes have an obvious reference to the three peaks. "The famous Atlantis no longer exists," says Proclus, in his commentary on the Timæus of Plato: "but we can hardly doubt but that it did once. For Marcellus, who wrote a history of Ethiopian affairs, says, that such and so great an island once existed, is evinced by those who composed histories of things relative to the external sea. For they relate that, in their time, there were seven islands in the Atlantic Sea sacred to Proserpine: and besides these, three others of an immense magnitude; one of which was sacred to Pluto, another to Ammon (Jupiter), and the third, which is in the middle of these, and is of a thousand studia, to Neptune. And, besides this, that the inhabitants of this last island preserved the memory of the prodigious magnitude of the Atlantic Island, as related by their ancestors, and of its governing for many periods, allthe islands in the Atlantic Sea. From this isle one may pass to other large islands beyond, and which are not far from the Firm land, near which is the true sea. Whether the Atlantis ever existed or not, is immaterial; but this description of seven islands, of a great magnitude, in the external or in the Atlantic Sea, and from which one may pass to the other islands beyond, and which are not far from that Firm-land which incloses all the world, is applicable to the British Isles only, beyond which are several other islands, such as the Orkneys, Shetland, Fero, and Iceland, which last is near that famous Firm-land of which the ancients had some notion, and, with the Hindus, conceived it to be the boundary of the universe. The sea towards it, or the Atlantic, is the only true sea; for the other seas are really but gulfs and bays. These three islands constitute the seventh division of the world, according to the followers of Buddha; and the sixth only according to the Pauranics, who divide the world into seven, as the former do into eight, dwipas. The three superior deities, according to the Hindus, are Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, who preside over these three islands. To Brahma belongs Suvarneya; and it is also the abode of Yama, or Pluto, Vishnu presides over the White Island; he who is Narayana, or abiding in the waters, and consequently often mistaken for Neptune. The third island, says Marcellus, belongs to Jupiter Ammon, who is the same with Siva in the charac. ter of Barcara, or with the head of a hegoat. The word barcara was formerly used in the west for a ram and a sheep; for in the Latin of the middle ages, barcaria, or bercaria, signified a sheep-fold, bercarius, a shepherd: hence the French word berger. Besides the three principal islands, there are four inferior ones, according to the Hindus, and five, according to the followers of Buddha. Hence, in the peninsula, the islands of Lanca are called Yail-Lanca, or the seven islands of Lanca; and these are the seven islands of Jambulus. In the north-west there are either eight or sixteen, according to the Bauddhists. The Pauranics are silent on that subject'; but the mythologists in the west reckoned seven islands under the dominion of Æolus; and the British Isles are the original and real Eolian Isles of the ancients. The three islands are asserted, by the followers of Buddha, to be three and four: the three are certainly four; yet these four islands reaily make but three and with such quibbles they are highly delighted. According 1813.] 1 from ancient Sanscrit Manuscripts. cording to them, the names of the three islands are Suvarna, Rupavar, and Vajra, In the Harivansa we are told, that Vishnu, for the good of mankind, having assumed the shape of a boar, rescued the earth from the waters, and secured it on all sides. Upon it he made Meru of solid gold: towards the east he placed the Udaya mountain, with others, He made also Vaidurya, (Scotland,) Rajata, (England,) Canchana, (Ireland,) high and divine mountains. He then made the Chacravan, or Chacrainan, a very high mountain: (this is Pushcara, or Iceland, like a ring, or coit, as implied by the appellation of Chacra.) Like a shell, and abounding with shells, with a thousand peaks, is Rajata, or the silver peak; hence it is called Sancha-parvata, or the mountain of shells. The trees there are all white: the juice of the Parijata tree is like liquid gold. There is the Ghritadhara river, its waters are hke clarified butter. Prabhu, or Vishnu, made many rivers, called Varahasarita, or the streams of the boar; and these are the most holy. Thus he made a mountain, the name of which is omitted, but it is obviously Sweta, with a thousand peaks abounding with jewels; the Tamra, or Vaidurya, peak of copper; and a mountain of gold, Canchana, according to rule. Under the name of Cshira, the White Island appears to be the Scheria of Ilomer, and other ancient writers, The word Cshira, in Sanscrit, signifies milk; but it appears that its original meaning was white, pure, clear, sheer, Skirr in the Edda signifies exactly the same thing; and Xiroi in Japanese signifies white also. Skeiras, skiras, skirra, in Greek, signified white, and for that reason it became the name of chalk, There were the skiroi theoi, the white gods, or the gods of Skerr, or Scheria, mentioned by Plutarch. The White Island is well known to the inhabitants of the Philippine Isles; who believe that it is the the receptacle of good men after death. Lastly, the aborigines of Britain call it to this day Inis-Wen, or the White Island; the Inis-huna, or Inis Uina of Caledonian bards, who, by it, understand England, or at least the southern parts of it. Al-Fionn, in Galic, answers literally to Sweta-Saila, in Sanscrit, and to the Leucas-petra of Homer, or the white clifs; and Britain is called Alvion by Ptolemy, and Albion by others. Yet it is doubtful whether Britain was thus called from the appearance of the 45 country, or from a German tribe which probably invaded it under the command of Skirr, son of Niord; the Skirus, son of Neptune, mentioned by Hesychius: for Niord was Neptune among the Scandinavians. But, as this will be the subject of a separate paragraph, let us return to the White Island, the terrestrial moon, and amber-like, or Electris insula of Sotacus. The White Island is called also Chandra-dwipa, or the island of Lunus; Somaparvata, or the mountain of the moon; Sasi-chanda, or the country of the moon. In the Puranas, the White Island is called Amritcara, which in an active sense signifies producing, making, amber; but, in a neuter sense, it implies that it is made of amber. This is then the original island called Electris; and Sotacus, as cited by Pliny, asserted, that amber was produced from certain trees in Britain. This idea of Sotacus originated probably from some ancient legend concerning the first appearance of Amrit in that island. The isle of the moon was called Electris, and so was the moon itself. Lohaguru, called also Swarnaguru, or gold like Aguru, is our succinum or amber. Lohaguru, or Lohagur, was also the name of amber in the west, where it was called Logurium, Lygirion; according to Josephus, Lygurium, Lagurium, and corruptly Lyngurium, Lyncurium, &c. Hence all the western parts of Europe were called Leguria, or Lyguria, or the amber country. Sotacus, whom Pliny calls an ancient author, imsisted that amber came from Britain, which of course is the original Electris, or amber island, and Liguria. The name of Lyguria, as belonging to Britain, or at least a part of it, was formerly used in that sense; for Hintco says positively, that the inhabitants of Britain, and from the context it appears that they were aborigines, were Lygurians. Their country was of course called Lloegyr or Lyguria. In France there is the river Liger or Ligeris, now called the Loire, by dropping the qui. escent letter g; which practice is pretty general; but more particularly affected by the Celtic language, its dialects, and the modern languages partly derived from them. On the highest grounds in Lloegyr was a city of that name, called afterwards Leger-Ceaster, Ligora-Ceaster, Legra-Ceaster. It is now called Leicester, for Leir-cester. The learned Somner says, that the river which runs by by it was formerly called Lear, by the same contraction; and it is probably the river Liar of the anonymous geographer. Mr. Somuer, if I be not mistaken, places the original town of Ligora near the source of the Lear, now the Soar, on the most elevated spot in England, and in the centre of the Chandra-Mandalam, or sacred road of Lunus, called also Electris, or Lohaguru, Lygguros, Lloegyr; and I believe that Lloer, the Welsh name of the moon, is derived from Lloegyr, by a similar process congenial to that language. Thus, from the Latin lucere, or lukere, the French have made luire. As Swetam is the residence of Vishnu, and of the Supreme Being also, for they are generally considered as one, it is called his Teja-sthan, or the place of the reful gence of Vishnu; or, in other words, his Ghrita-sthan; for teja and ghrita are synonymous, and sigmfy refulgence, re. splendence. It is true that Sweta is never called ghrita; yet it is declared to be ghrita, or a resplendent place or island. As cshira, Sweta, and ghrita, are synonymous terms, it is highly probable that England was called also Ghrita, or Creta; and indeed it is declared to be Ghrita, not as a proper name, but as an epithet This probably, and vanity also, induced the Greeks to attribute to their own Creta, whatever legends belonged be to the other and original Creta. Thus Sweta is represented floating at random on the surface of the ocean, like Delos; and, in my humble opinion, it is the original Delos. Ληλά οι Δαλά, in Greek, signified originally light, a lamp, resplendent, manifest, conspicuous as light itself. The learned and ingenious Mr. Bailly was of opmion that the primeval Delos did not belong to Greece, but to the Hyperboreans; and Lucian ridicules the idea of those who asserted that Delos was a mass detached from Trinacria, or Tri-cutadri. The Cretans asserted that Jupiter was born in their island. The Pauranics insist, that the manifestation of Vishnu, in the character of Crishna, happened in Swetam, on Tri-Cuta; and the two rams, mentioned in the legends of the Cretan Jupiter, are placed, by the author of the Vrihat-Catha, in Suvarnadwipa, or Ireland. In short, Sweta was called by the Greeks and Romans, Ultima Creta, or Leuce. The White Island was also denominated Rajata, Arjata, Rupa-vara, Raupya, or the Silver Island: to these names we must also add that of Tara or Tar, which implies the same thing. The name of the whole country is Tar-desa, or silver country, and it is represented as such; and though it be not mentioned under that name in any Sanscrit book, yet from the context it is certainly admissible. The Tin Islands were certainly within the tir of Swetam and of Cachha; from that circumstance they were probably denominated Cachha-tir. Thus they say in India, Jungle-terry (Jangal-teri), or districts within the tir, or on the borders of the jungles or woods. Hence the white-lead or tin that came from those islands, was called cassiteris by the Greeks; kaster in Suio-Gothic; castira in Chaldaic and Arabic. In India, at least in Sanscrit, tin is called tiram: tirtrapu and rangam are also other names for it; but rangam is generally used in the spoken dialects; and tir-trapu signifies the tin that comes from the tir or tiram, or extremities of the world. It is declared in the Puranas, that the White Island is incapable of decay, and is never involved in the destruction and ruin which happens at each renovation of the world; except the last, when every thing will be absorbed into the Supreme Being, who will remain alone. From The White Island is also called the dwipa of Saca or Sacam, which is the same with Seaxum or Saxum, as it was pronounced by our ancestors; or, more properly, the White Island was part of Sacam, as it is positively declared in the Matsya and Varaha-puranas. these two Puranas, it is put beyond doubt, that the British Isles are to be understood by Sacam: perhaps some adjacent parts of the continent are also to be included under this denomination. According to the context of the Puranas, the White Island was called Sacam froin the Sacas, who conquered that island, and settled in it. Truly religious people transmigrate at once from Jambu, or India, into Sacain, or the British Isles in general; and, after remaining a long time there, they ulti mately go to Swetam, which is here re presented as the Ultima Creta-the wished for goal, where they are to remain, with a divine body, in the presence of the Supreme Being; never to transmigrate again till the dissolution of the world. Besides, there are three pa radises called Sweta, the celestial Sweta in the air, the terrestrial, and also the infernal one. The meaning of which is, that truly religious men go at once into Sacam, the terrestrial Swetaru; after which they are translated into the heaven 1813.] from ancient Sanscrit Manuscripts. of Vishnu, or Swetam the celestial, called the Go-locas. Swetam was denominated Sacam from the Sacas or Sacs, who conquered that island, and settled there. The fact of the Sacas being in possession of that island at an early period, is mentioned in this same Purana, called Varaha.Bhagavan, or Vishnu, says, "every one of those who attach themselves to me, and die at the Coca mandala, go to Swetadwipa, or the White Island. The inhabitants of Saca-nandana-pura, on hearing of this wonderful and miraculous account, renounced the world, and obtained mocsha, or eternal bliss. Thus ultimately the fish and the bird of prey were reunited to me. Thus I have related to you the wonderful story of king Saca. Whoever, like him, goes to the Cocamandala, obtains the eight Sidd'his." The king of the Sacas, being simply called Saca, or Maha-Saca, implies, that he was the first king of the Sacas in Swe. tam; otherwise he would have been called Saca-pati. There is no date affixed to this legend; neither is there any circumstance which might assist in fixing the time of the conquest of Swetam by the Sacas. The Sacas are often mentioned in the Puranas as a most powerful nation; their name is often introduced, but in general terms only, and any thing material or interesting is seldom recorded of them. They are spoken of in terms by no means derogatory or disrespectful; though they are considered as heretics, and ranked of course among the impure tribes. They are represented as living originally in the countries bordering on the Chacshu or Oxus. We find them afterwards spreading themselves into Persia; and in the Harivansa, section the 13th, we find that Raja Bahu was worsted by the Sacas, and the greatest part of his country taken from him by them. It was at that time, according to learned Pandits, that the Sacas began their emigrations towards the west; and this is certainly probable enough. Raja Bahu, and his son Sagara, according to the genealogical scale prefixed to my essay on the chronology of the Hindus, lived about 2000 years before the Chris. tian era. The Sacas, who lived to the north of the Danube, declared to Herodotus, that from their first settlement in that country to the invasion of Darius there were exactly 1000 years, neither more nor less. This shews that they did not speak at random, and that their 1 47 reckoning may be depended on. This places their permanent settlement in that part of the country exactly 1508 years before Christ. Though we cannot fix the time of the conquest of the White Island by the Sacas, yet we find it asserted in the Puranas, that they were in possession of it, at least of a great part of it, in the time of Crishna. Crishna lived 1370, В. С. and he was born probably 1429 before our era. He married at the age of twenty; and his son Samba was about twenty also, when eighteen families of Brahmens went from the White Island to India, and these were Sacas. This partial conquest is attested by the Pauranics: for the king of Indra-puri, whose daughter married the son of king Saca, was not a Saca or Saxon, but a native prince of the White Island. Nothing but conjecture has ever been advanced, concerning the colonization of the British Isles. The opinion of the monk of Cirencester is a mere surmise, and of course is of no weight, for he could not have had more lights on this subject than we have. I acknowledge that he had the Roman itinerary, ascribed to Antoninus, in a more perfect. state than we have it now; and we are much indebted to him for preserving that part which relates to Great Britain: but I can never believe that there ever were Memoirs of a certain Roman general, containing any thing about the first population and settlement of the British Isles. It was not customary among the Romans to notice such things: and these boasted memoirs are nothing more than the military roads through Britain, which he has preserved, and which we had before, but in a more imperfect condition. Should it appear hereafter, that the Phœacians were Goths, or Sacas, and that the island of Scheria is Britain, it may settle nearly the time of the first emigration of the Sacas, and other Gothic tribes, into the British Isles. The Pauranics consider the Romacas (Romaicoi in Greek) or Romans, and the Yavanas, as tribes of the saine family with the Sacas, being alike descended from the cow Sabala. The name of the famous cow Adumbla, or Udumbla, seems to be derived from the Sanscrit D'habala, which signifies a white cow: in Greek, Damala is a heifer; and in Sanscrit, Udd'habala signifies the most excellent and perfect cow, the famous cow Camadhenu. The next legend from the Bhavishyapurana |