Philosophia, throw much light on this, and every other branch of Eastern literature. In the 25th vol. of the Histoire de l'Academie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, may be found the first of the Memoires, which compose the Abbé Foucher's Traité Historique de la Religion des Perses; the others appeared in the subsequent volumes of that work. The year 1755-6 must be reckoned a new era in the study of Persian Theology. M. Anquetil du Perron, happening to see a fragment of one of the sacred books of the antient Persians, determined to enrich his country with a translation of it. With this design he embarked, in that year, for the East Indies: he returned to Europe in 1761. The result of his researches appeared in 1771, under the title, "Zend-Avesta, Ouv66 rage de Zoroastre, contenant les Idées Theologiques, Physiques et Morales de ce Legis"lateur; les Cérémonies du Culte Religieux

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qu'il a etabli, et plusieurs traités importans "relatifs a l'ancienne Histoire des Perses:

«Traduit en François sur l'original Zend;

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avec des Remarques et accompagné de plu"sieurs Traités propres a eclaircir les Ma"tieres, qui en sont l'objet." 2 vol. 4to, generally bound in three. The first contains an account of his voyage and travels; it is very interesting. His work was warmly attacked by Sir William Jones in his Lettre à M. A** du P***, dans laquelle est compris l'Examen de sa Traduction des livres attribués a Zoroastre, and by Mr. Richardson, in his preface to his Arabic and Persian Dictionary; both of them treat it as a contemptible forgery: but, in respect to Sir William Jones, fecit indignatio versum; M. Anquetil du Perron's very rude and petulant attack on the English nation, and particularly on the late Dr. Hunt of Oxford, Sir William Jones's preceptor in the Eastern languages, produced from him the retort, full of asperity, but wholly destitute of argument. It may be collected from his discourses before the Asiatic Society, that he thought differently

of M. Anquetil du Perron's works in his riper years: and it certainly detracts from the weight of Mr. Richardson's testimony against them, that he pretends to no knowledge of the antient Persian; and that his knowledge of the modern Persian is questioned by able scholars. M. de Sacy seems to acknowledge the importance and authenticity of the Zend-Avesta, by his frequent appeals to it and quotations of it, and it is honourably noticed by Tyschen of Rostock, Münter of Copenhagen, and Sir William Ouseley. Two interesting memoires relating to his work were published by M. Anquetil du Perron in the Journal de Sçavans, 1762-1769; and several in the Memoires de L'Academie. The subject is discussed, but not so fully as a curious reader must wish, by Sir William Jones, in his anniversary discourses. Mr. Kleuker has published a German translation of M. Anquetil du Perron's Zend-Avesta, in six volumes 4to, at Riga, 1776, 1777, 1781, 1783, a

work highly interesting to the curious in the antient theology of the Persians. It contains a German translation of the original publication of M. Anquetil du Perron, and the essays, written by him and the Abbé Foucher: but the most important part of the work, consists of the author's own historical disquisitions on the writings ascribed to Zoroaster: in them, he appreciates the claim to authenticity and antiquity, and the theological and literary merit of the Zend-Avesta. He seems to show, as far as the nature of the subject admits, that the Guebres in Persia and the Parsees in India, the supposed successors of the antient Persians, actually possess a collection of books, esteemed sacred by them, as containing the doctrines of the antient religion, and the fundamental tenets of their ancestors, and derived by them from Zoroaster, and that these are the works translated by M. Anquetil du Perron. It is much to be wished that some gentleman would favour the pub

lic with a translation of M. Kleuker's Disquisitions. From the works we have mentioned, the following compilation has been made; it may be found to give some notion, I. of the Patriarchal Faith; II. of Sabaeism, or Planetary Worship; III. of Zoroaster; IV. of the antient Language of Persia; V. of the original Code of Law promulgated by Zoroaster; VI. of the ZendAvesta, published by M. Anquetil du Per- ron; VII. of its Authenticity; VIII. of its Theology, Morality and Ceremonial; and IX. of the Revolutions of the antient Persian Creed. To distinguish them from the modern Persians, both the antient and modern professors of the doctrines of Zoroaster are called Parsees by several writers of eminence, and in these sheets are called by that name.

1. The religion of the antient Persians may be considered the first deviation from the true Patriarchal Faith. That consisted in the knowledge, love, and adoration of