who, although of the race of Cain, never became

The last prince in Mr. Bentley's table, named Endrosobornee, is improperly placed in a list, which consisted of Menus only; and was probably introduced, to complete the number of fourteen. He appears to have been the contemporary of Noah; who, according to Berosus, never became a sovereign. But Mr. Bentley, mistaking Vaivaswata for Noah, gives his contemporary in the line of Cain; whereas the Puranas expressly name the predecessor of the prince, who was saved in the ark, Vaivaswata: saying, that when the waters of the deluge had subsided, Satyavatar was appointed a Menu by the favour of Vishnu by his patronymic of Vaaswata. That Vaivaswata, or child of the Sun, the patronymic of the Solar race, is

beyond doubt: and, if the foregoing list is correct, Sabornee was the patronymic of the Lunar race. But on this subject I cannot speak with any degree of certainty; although I am inclined to think that the foregoing were titles assumed when they became sovereigns or Menus. The following extracts, from the Institutes of Menu, prove that the correction in the table is warranted.

"From this Menu, named Swayambhuva, or sprung from the Self-existing, came six descendants, other Menus, or perfectly understanding the Scripture, each giving birth to a race of his own, all exalted in dignity, eminent in power."

"Swarochisha, Auttami, Tamasa, Raivata, likewise, and Cha'cshusha, beaming with glory, and Vaivaswata, child of the Sun."

"The seven Menus (or those first created, who are to be followed by seven more) of whom Swayambhuva is the chief, have produced and supported this world of moving and stationary beings, each in his own Antara, or the period of his reign."

The words placed in parentheses, bearing a double meaning, have led Europeans to suppose them to be fourteen Menus in succession. The words "those first created" are not intended to denote primogeniture, but first, as greatest, or perfectly understanding the Scripture; the word

following" denoting that the Antarà, or 857 years of each, or that number multiplied by 14, would be the duration of time, or the day and night of Brahma, twelve thousand years. But to prevent a possibility of their being mistaken for one race, it is expressly written that of both those lines, consisting of six Menus in each, Swayambhuva the son of the Self-Existing was the chief, making a total of thirteen; the first-created and six princes in each race: the prince saved in the ark being the fourteenth and last Menu; who, although he did not become such in the old world, was the only person in the new one, whose age could have completed an Antara, of 857 years. As I have frequently had occasion to refer to this circumstance, and as the exact coincidence of the years, assigned by the Hebrews and Hindus, is the strongest proof, that either both or neither were antediluvian, it may be worth while to compare them. The age of the patriarchs, according to the Hebrew text, is given in Table V*, and is as follows: 930 + 912 + 905 +910 + 895 +962 + 363 +969 +776+950=8574 years, which divided by 10 gives 857 years, and the fraction of fourtenths, for the average age of each patriarch; which is the precise number of years that the

* Vide page 100.

Hindus allot, as the Antara, or life of an antediluvian Menu; or 857 x 14, i. e. 11998; which is within two years of the time. For they record that the "fourteen Menus, of whom Swayambhuva is the chief, would support the world each in his own Antara," or that the period for which the Padma creation, was formed (the day and night of Brahma) would be completed, when that number of years were passed, one half of which is absorbed in the sleep of the Deity: so that it is certain according to all their predictions, that the Calpa Avatara is expected at the end of 5999 years of 360 days; when a millennium, or age of virtue, will commence. Sir William Jones alluded to the Maha Menwantara, when he informed us, "that according to the Hindus, in the year of the Christian era 1788, we were in the first day, or Calpa, of the first month of the fifty-first year of Brahma's age, and in the twenty-eighth divine age of the seventh Menwantara: of which divine age, the three first human ages were passed, and four thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight of the fourth.” The fifty years were imaginary, and only introduced to augment nominal time: the Maha

* Six thousand years, the day of Brahma, was occupied in forming the world, and all that therein is; during his night, or the second six thousand years, all will decay.

system is very seldom introduced in the Hindu cypher, being very inapplicable to dates. I will, nevertheless, endeavour to explain it. The Maha day of Brahma is equal to the hundred years of his life, a divine age, or 12000 years. For it is recorded that Brahma was employed six thousand years in forming the world, and all that therein is; which is called his great day for business, equal to the Antara of seven Menus, or seven times eight hundred and fifty-seven years. He then rests for an equal period of time; during which, nature gradually decays, and Brahma, awaking, forms a new Crita, or age of virtue. So that of the 100 years, which form his life, 50 had elapsed, when man, the last of all created beings, was produced. It is the portion of the second fifty years, or great night of Brahma, which had elapsed in the year of Christ 1788, that we are now to explain. We are, according to this system, in the first day of the first month, of the first year of the night of Brahma, which answers to the fifty-first year of his life, or day of twenty-four hours; of which, when Sir William Jones wrote, six Menwantaras and twenty-seven divine ages, three human ages, and four thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight years of the fourth human age (Cali age) of the seventh Menwantara had expired, being supposititious years 1958152888.