They Say That There Are Seven Orbs, Above Which Is The
Seat Of God; And They Hold That God Knoweth Not Of Petty Things, Or, If
He Doth, Regardeth Them Not.
They circumscribe God in place or
dimensions, alleging that he may be seen, but far off as in a mist, and
not near or clearly.
They believe in the existence of devils or evil
spirits; but that they are so bound in chains, as to be incapable of
doing hurt. They call man Adam, from the first man of that name; whose
wife, as they say, when tempted with the forbidden fruit, swallowed it
down; but, as her husband was about to do the same, it was stopped in
his throat by the hand of God: Whence men have a protuberance in that
part, which we call the pomum adami, which women have not.
[Footnote 239: By Terry, the Hindoos are uniformly denominated the
Gentiles, a word of vague and general meaning, merely signifying
idolaters, or unbelievers, literally the nations, as contradistinguished
from the Jews. By some authors, the natives of Hindoostan are called
Gentoos, a word of uncertain origin. The term of Hindoo seems the more
appropriate name; at least it has now become universal. - E.]
As anciently among the Jews, the priesthood is hereditary with this
people; every son of a Bramin being a priest, and marries with the
daughter of a Bramin. So also among all the Hindoos, the men take their
wives among the daughters of those who are of the same tribe, sect, and
occupation, with their own fathers.
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