tween him and the firft o f his people, it may not, perhaps, be
much amifs in fuppofing it to have originated in fome religious
opinion. Indeed he ftill continues to prepare himfelf for the
folemn occafion, by devoting three days entirely to pious ceremonies
and rigid devotion. On the day appointed by the tribunal
o f mathematics, a cow is facrificed in the Tee-tan, or
or temple dedicated to the earth ; and on the fame day, in fome
o f the provinces, the figure o f a cow o f baked clay, o f an im-
menfe fize, is carried in proceffion by a number o f the peafan-
try, followed by the principal officers o f government and the
other inhabitants. The horns and the hoofs are gilded and ornamented
with filken ribbons. The proftrations being made
and the offerings placed on the altar, the earthen cow is broken
in pieces and diftributed among the people. In like manner
the body o f Ofiris, worihipped afterwards .under tl\e form o f
an ox, was diftributed by Jfis among the priefts; and the Ifia *
were long celebrated in Egypt in the fame manner as the fefti-
val o f holding the plough is at this day obferved in. China,
both being intended, no doubt, to commemorate the perfons
* No feftivals, perhaps, -were fo univerfally adopted and fo far extended, as thofe
in honour of Ifis- They not only found their way into every part of the Eaftj: but;
from Greece they were alio received by the Romans, and from thefe they paffed into
Gaul. It has even been conjeaured, that the modern name of Paris has its derivation
from a temple.that was dedicated to this goddefs, not very diftant
from this ancient capital o f Gaul. The city arms are a (hip, which Ifts was d.cpifted
to hold in her hand, as the patronefs of navigation. In fail, a ftatue o f I/is f is faid
to have been preferved with great care in the church o f Saint Germain until the beginning
o f the fifteenth century, when the zeal o f a bigotted cardinal caufed it to
he demoliihed as an unfanftified reliek of pagan fuperftition.
f E n cy c lo ped ic des Connoiffances Humamej.
who
who had rendered the moft folid advantages to the ftate, b y the
encouragement they had held out for the cultivation o f the
• ground.
The difputes, quarrels, perfecutions and maffacres, that have
happened at various times among the different feds o f Chrifti-
anity in Europe, have not been much lefs violent, nor productive
o f lefs dreadful confequences, between the fe d jof immortals
and that o f Fo, in China, whenever the court, or rather the
intriguing eunuchs, feemed to favour the opinions o f one fed: in
preference to thofe o f the other. Perfecutions never failed to
begin whenever either party was fortunate enough to gain over
to its fide the chief o f the eunuchs, who had always fufficient
influence with the reigning monarch to prevail upon him to
efpoufe the fame caufe. T h e y were, however, wars o f priefts
alone in which the people remained neutral, or took no adive
part. Whole monafteries have been levelled with the ground,
and thoufands o f priefts put to death on both fides. Since,
however, the acceflion o f the prefent Tartar dynafty, they have
met with no particular marks o f favour or d iftind ion ; and, on
that account, are apparently reconciled to each other ; indeed,
they are fcarcely diftinguifhable either b y their temples or by
their drefs. The predidion o f future events being beft fuited
to the minds o f the multitude, and moft fought after, the oracle
o f fate may be confulted in any temple, whether o f Fo or o f
Tao-tze. The government interferes not in religious opinions,
and it gives no fupport to any particular fe d , except that o f the
Lama, wliofe priefts are paid and maintained as a part o f the
Imperial