C ÏIA PT E Ïl IX .
Religion o f the GeyloüeSe. ■
T h £ ïëligfesi 'iöf the dejflÓMéSë^ïs b ln eéf thé most prominéht
features îit a description of therrp and mixes, .with’ every ‘ cir-
éumÉiânce “of their' lives and maimetsi There is' no peoplè Who
labour more under the influence Of superstitious féars/" Omens
regulate their whole' conduct', and evèn'deôh^Aîjjîon thelir dés-
tiny from their birth. When a child is bbfhÿ!5 step is
to call the astrologer, and enquire of'him whether it'^SKlesIfned
to bfe fortunate or unfortunate.' I f the astrologe/1 declares that
it was born to misfortune, they frequently7 aôtrdipàté^'itfr filtüte
evils by destroying it. On going out in _à JnoMîng,\thëy anxiously
observe the first object which"’'occurs to them, ’arid1 'according
to their opinion of its good -or bad luôllpitheÿ prognosticate
whether the business they gO about shall’ beyptoipg^®
, or unsuccessful. A white man, oi~ia ',wöman with' childcare
looked upon as hmens particularly fortunate'; b u t'to meet with
a ibiggar or a deformed person, they account a grievous "mischance,
and will not proceed for -that day oii their intended
business if they can avoid it. I havé in my morning rides
seen à string of Cinglese eatitiOusly treading’ in one , another’s
footsteps, and anxiously expecting; from the omen that should
occur to the foremost, their good or bad success for that day.
I, as a h European, was'always a glad sight to' thëm.
That «excess of trembling superstition, which unhinges the
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•minds o|'vtl^|^^lon^§e} is in %!^^%|jf#eap;^ff^|o be attributed
to the climate, in. whifth- thgj?' hyp.; One might'jnjagine from
ith? frequency ; of ■ te n d e r ? storms in Ceylon that the natives
would/bedopjte g^dpid’ly ^ e c u s to ^ e d i^ j But the .,vpoisp of
the thpanJer 4s tSSl terrible* and ,thei upkeep effects of the? Kght-
uipg too dreadful;: £®r the mind?'- ©f any but those r^ h o ( know
^prpething oft the capsjes),g>f these n a tu ra l,phenomena,, ever tpigpt
completely rid of their apprehensions of them., The fpootCeylonese
.looks upon, thftsg'T’Stp.rjns. as a judgment from heaven, and
as directed; b y ; .the $giul|d ofr bad; ‘PlOp ”.who #}]$ $ept to iqrfrppit
^pd? punish him fer^hfe .sinsdo'^J^^froqiien^y, ojf4hupdef sbprn^
with them itthgy- consider as < a »propf, that their .island i^ ab an r
doned to the dominion ,®|s|#ey|te; arid repol 1 e ^
(Tfigrct that ,this «feted.- spot was once inhabited by Adapi, pud
Ate‘«Siat. iof/ Paradise. • The honds which > th§y eopeeiye tp be
hovering* «r&updn them are without^number.. Every disease,
rtrontf<hatd avails IJpppbis produced «by-? the bpmndiate .ag^hey
of the demons sent to pppish/them i while,> osCthe sother' hand,
misery’, hlessmg or1suceegs'ncomes directly fropi tbej hands of .the
«hepefieeht, and si^pretoe-rCrod, <,Tot screen themselves from .the
power of the inferior deities, wh® ar e, «11 rep^esepted ast<:wieb§d
spirits, aud whose power is; by.po .means irresistible, they wear
M | of w io u s descriptions; and. employ.« variety o f chapas
«nd spells, to wardoffsthe influence-pf witchcraft and enchant-
mepts/byrwhidte’th e y thirik : themselves beset .onfall sidje^.«;;;«.
;h$i|eh if the, hold whiGh theseschimerasbavei from their infancy,
taken« of,the d istempered bra in o f/the Ceylonese, that theyhnd
it impossible« by any extension o f thfemi knowtedge, or experience
tfeeir f<^y,/.»ver itp; «escape« frbfti' their grasp^ i,;Many, jeiembf
those who hayes/been cony^ted baiGhristianity, ..still labour under
i , e e 2