NOTES

TO THE SECOND VOLUME

OF THE

HORE BIBLICÆ,

NOTE I. p. 142.

THE characters of the Zend, Pazend and Pahlavi languages, may be found in the work of M. Anquetil du Perron, in the second edition of Dr. Hyde's Religio Veterum Persarum, and in the Commentatio de fatis linguarum Orientalium, by Jenisch; but, by inspecting the medals preserved in the national museum at Paris, and deciphered by Mr. de Sacy, (Mémoire sur diverses Antiquités de la Perse, Paris 1793), or those deposited in the museum of the late Dr. Hunter, and deciphered by Sir Wm. Ouseley, (Observations on some Medals and Gems bearing inscriptions in the Pahlavi or antient Persick Character, quarto, London, 1801,) it appears, that the characters given by Hyde and du Perron differ from those of the Sassanian ages of the Persian monarchy. The alphabet of these medals, and of the most antient inscriptions

hitherto explained, have been found to contain but 18 letters, each of which, whether it be used in an initial, medial, or final position, retains the same form; while the Zend alphabet, as given by Mr. Anquetil du Perron, from his manuscripts, has been found to comprise not fewer than 48 characters, the Pazend 29, and the Pahlavi 26: many even of these assume different forms, according to their situations, at the beginning, middle or end of a word; others, according to their positions, receive a short or long, a hard or soft accentuation. These new distinctions seem to be innovations of the original simple alphabet, and are supposed to be engrafted on it within the last five or six centuries. The most antient Persic inscription, hitherto deciphered, does not ascend higher than the second century of our æra; that is the date of a medal which Sir William Ouseley ascribes to Vologeses, the 3d of the Arsacidan or Parthian dynasty: and no intermediate character between the Pahlavi, and the arrow-headed letters, found in the ruins of Persepolis, or the neighbourhood of them, has yet been discovered.

Thus it remains a question whether the works. of Zoroaster, were originally written in the Alphabet of the medals, or in that of the Persepolitan inscriptions; but the manuscripts,

from which M. Anquetil du Perron translated his Zend-Avesta, are written in a character totally different from that of the Persepolitan inscriptions; and they are thought to be founded upon, and in many instances to be the same with, that of the Sassanian medals, or pure Pahlavi.-For these remarks, and a valuable communication on the general subject of this article, the writer is indebted to Sir William Ouseley.

NOTE II. P. 168.

"I MAY take it upon me to pronounce, that "the service has at no period more abounded "with men of cultivated talents, of capacity "for business, and liberal knowledge. Such "studies, independently of their utility, tend, "especially when the pursuit of them is ge"neral, to diffuse a generosity of sentiment, "and a disdain of the meaner occupations as "are left nearer to the state of uncultivated

nature; and you, Sir, will believe me, when "I assure you, that it is on the virtue, not the

ability of their servants, that the company 'must rely for the permanency of their do"minion." From Mr. Hastings's Letter to Mr. Smith, prefixed to Mr. Wilkins's translation of the Bhaghat Geeta.

SIR William Jones's orthography is here adopted. Mr. Wilkins and Mr. Halhed write the word " Veds;" Col. Dow, " Bedas;" Col. Polier "Baids;" M. Anquetil du Perron, calls the four Vedas the Rak Beid, Djidir Beid, Sam Beid, and Athrban Beid.

NOTE III. p. 169.

WITH the leave of the Trustees of the British Museum, the reader is presented with a copy of the letter, with which Colonel Polier accompanied his present.

"To Sir JOSEPH BANKS, Bart. President of the Royal "Society, &c.

"SIR, ;

"SINCE the English by their conquests " and situation have become better acquainted "with India, and its aborigines-the Hindous "the men of science throughout Europe "have been very anxious of learning some"thing certain of those sacred books which "are the basis of the Hindou religion, and are "known in India and elsewhere, under the "name of the Baids: many endeavours we "know have been exerted to procure them,

"not only on the coast of Coromandel, but "also in several parts of Bengal, and even at "Bennares; but hitherto, those books could "not be had in any of those places, complete "and original, and nothing could be obtained "but various Shasters which are only commen"taries of the Baids to expound and explain "such difficult passages as occur in them:

during a long residence in the upper pro"vinces of Hindostan, I made it also my busi"ness, particularly to inquire for those books, "and the more so, as I found that doubts had "arisen in Europe of their very existence:my researches at Awd, Lucknow, Agra and Delhy were perfectly useless, and I could not "in any of those places obtain what I wanted. "Thus disappointed I thought of sending to

Jaypour for them, and was led to it from a

'knowledge, that during the persecution the "Hindous suffered throughout India, and which

began in the twelfth year of the reign of Aurengzeb (the persecution was at its height "in the year of the Hegira 1090, or of ours "1679, on account of the rebellion of Odai

pour.) The Rajah of Anbair-Ram Sing, "from the important services rendered by his "father the Great Jaysing, and his own at"tachment to the Emperor-escaped, if not

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entirely, at least a great part of that perse