more vociferous clamour of crowded congregations, joined with a full
choral band; left me no room to doubt, that I was close to the scene,
of some of the most solemn and mysterious ceremonies of their religion.__
I lost little time in endeavouring to ascertain the truth of my conjectures
; but I trod upon tender . ground., Any indication pf yptS%-
ord|t®ry-cjwiosity, jgsgogi in. the common aflaifs of,fife, f (s .sufficient to
pise, in an instant, an host of suspicions, agaipst which, f should have
been compelled eternally to combat; and religion, especiaMy«aPS>ng
a people so bigottpd to its forms, was ;a subject,to which I^dyigjtpd»
with still more scrupulous caution.
.From various inquiries;; however, at length I collected, that,the
chapel in which the Gylongs met, to-. ©Her up their daily prayers?* pas
but a short distance from us. Their stated periods of devotion.were
the rising of the sun, noon, and sunset. Among twtt thousandjljye
hundred .Gylongs, appointed for the service, of the .monastery,,'(the
greater part were expected, to he present on eaclv'Ocqasi.on. On eyery
third day, the morning was devoted to proclaiming aloud the attributes
and praises of the Supreme Being; a service which was performed
with a vehemence of vociferation perfectly astonishing, and, as I
thought, altogether inconsistent with the decorum of a well regulated
assembly.
The object of this solemn meeting, as far as I could collect, was lor
every individual present to repeat, and enforce with all his powers of
utterance, the praises of the Deity; and we need not wonder that
from such a cpngregation, who had attained by long practice to a
Stentorian strength ofi'Wn^s/lHere' shoufillkrase the most-i surprising disK-
cord/; the very; eounterpaFidofi that which, itepiiidubelb Hyi the vociferais»
tidns-iofnan enraged-: ’and-'-h’os tile ^multitude.' iBut allibhisvwas^’im'fact,'
nothing more thani a piaus token ©jf-Mae. r S I s t ^ d e m t f o f
contest faBit&ihpal®, ©'‘Sfruggiey whilh-rshoiiiM.- honour
todii'si'supreme and4 tutelary- gods.1 ■> ■ ” '' - * ’ ‘' •
Toitheipubbc li^efrt'is^ofttheir 'foith,’ must-i»5®’ ’ad^ed^het(j5hi^afe
prayesrS>irf the' apartmeptsudS thunipfeRio*]» i^m'as,fiwfhic'h (are; I always
aeeorrfpanied ly: nfiisi^ogdtter wi*b«he»' Stflemn pngeaMtiyiUfrpitnfe^.,
sions moving ■’ctlmost eyery dayiaifeiMdJtbi^nyirdrls $r<fKP mWasAf}?'
All these, taken together, soon sU>fhciently^0fi^fecl'dtmidf,^t B wasifi
the midst of men, who made religion thm’silfi'buabiss bf
With, the errors , of’their opiniqris, or .their, pr^cSices(tI%^®:;h'o>' cpn-
eern. The immediate advaniages^TesuItingffrom'tfiemah^y^teiselves
daily? experience. Having volujitdrily devOtexif.theinsieiVG^;to Ihe^fe^ri-
ties.and:the duties of their religion-, they obtain*© large,portions of grates-
ful respect;from their-countrymen, whose wor)dlyiS\4)cafions4'exempt
them from thetsame particular services; Botbpunr^ech in op'eicommon
bond of union, the one part to lahoprythe other^tQipray^ ’enjoy impd^fe
and harmony, the fruits of their industry,; and find it unnecessary to
supppst. a single man in ttunns,! either or
maintainj their, rights. Plaeing thei§ §p\&-refianqe in the mediation-of
the sacred Ls^ai the immaculate yigggerept t^ie)s *malT
gine, I hat he covers, them w/it-h- the br.qadest shield,,from-thej encroach^
ments of others; anj^the. benign.ipfluence of hjs'dqpti^^t®a.A,es,thein
to fehgfane, .*0 aU arpqnd |pfm.^$'