1842.
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governmental regulations, and therefore the priests of superstition. receive no stipend from their rulers. There are no benefices, no tithes, no emoluments, and all religionists must get on by their own wits. They manage, however, pretty well, by some means or other to gain a living, and even contrive to get temples and monasteries endowed, much to the scandal of the grave Confucianists. A reli- gious belief being a inatter of necessity, and the government not providing for religious instruction, it is the duty of individuals as well as cominunities to make up the want, and this is done by joint subscription. Thus large and splendid temples are built, and hosts of priests maintained, who in the event of scanty supplies take to beg. ging, or turn doctors and soothsayers.
It requires great exertions, however, to maintain their influence, for government does not even confederate with such a race, as that of the priesthood. Priests are never employed in offices of trust; nor are they remarkable for their learning and high moral qualifications. The greater part of the priesthood has sprung from the dregs of the people, and it is therefore no wonder that they are little esteemed. Many of them are persons who have taken refuge in a temple to save themselves from starvation, and few have taken the profession from religious motives. Their conduct inspires no reverence, and thus being without any solid claims upon the admiration of the multitude, they must principally depend upon their idols, their jugglery, and flat- tering the prejudices of the people, in order to retain a hold upon their minds. To effect this the Budhists have imported from Hin- dostan a multitude of legendary tales, which they disseminate amongst the ignorant. These stories either exalt the power of their gods, praising the unspotted lives of the priests, and narrating the many miraculous deeds they performed; or more commonly, holding forth the dreadful punishments of hell, which will overwhelm that sinner, who pays no regard to their tencts and leads an immoral life. In every large monastery these works are for sale, and no votary goes to the temple, without buying at least one of them.
In this charlatanry the priests of Táu have been far behind those of Budha. For though they have likewise their books about genii and demons, their legendary literature is by no means frequently met with, nor are their tales as popular. It is however surprising how they maintain their sway by such lying fables, whilst the pure word of the eternal God is read with little attention, and seldom taken fo heart. Their minds being darkened, that they cannot understand the way of eternal life, they turn to anything that will quiet thei