THIS The RELIGION in the KINGDOM of SIAM. HIS very extensive kingdom, is situated be- worshipped him. But, although he was born in such yond the Gauges, but their religion is, in a miraculous manner, yet they tell us, he had a bromany respects, the same with those already described ther named Thevatat, who being jealous of him, in that part of the world. In some things, however, conspired his downfall; but Sommona-Codom prethey differ, and these are what we must now attend vailed, and Thevatat was sent to be tormented in to. They comprise the whole of their moral law in hell. They tell us further, that the guardian angel five negative commandments, viz. "Thou shalt of the earth, whom they make a female, endeavournot kill; thou shalt not commit any manner of un-ed to prevail with the enemies of Sommona-Codom, cleanness; thou shalt not lie; thou shalt not steal; and thou shalt not drink any intoxicating liquor.' Most of these precepts are the same with what we find written in the law of Moses, which may serve to shew, that natural religion is always the same, in all ages and nations, although often debased by rites and ceremonies of human invention. to adore him as a god; but they refusing, she squeezed her watery locks, and poured forth a deluge, which destroyed them. Before Sommona-Codom began to aspire at the godhead, he had appeared five hundred and fifty times in the world, under various forms, and always assumed that which was the most beautiful at each period. He frequently laid down his life for the | good of his people, and accustomed himself so much. to mortification and penance, that he suffered a Bramin to take his son and daughter from him, and putthem to the most exquisite tortures before his face. He was so charitable, that he once gave his wife to poor man who implored charity. Whatever an European may think of this benevolent action, we are assured, that the people of Siam consider it as one of the most illustrious virtues in his life. Their priests, like those in Pegu, are called Talapoins, and they are the sole keepers of the law, of which they are so tenacious, that they refused to explain any passages in it to some French Jesuits, who visited Siam, in order to convert the people. They reproached the Jesuits for exposing to public | view, the images of their saints, and for saying mass a with irreverence, and inattention. It is probable, the Jesuits never imagined to give offence to these heathens, but the latter, not comprehending the Romish ceremonies, might probably consider that as irreverent, which the Jesuits looked upon as sacred. The grand object of worship in Siam is Sommona-Codom, of whom they give us the following account: They say he was born of a virgin, through the influence of the sun; and, that when the virgin found herself with child, she was so much affected, that she went and hid herself in a desert, in order to conceal her shame from the world. There, on the banks of a lake, she was delivered of a most beautiful child, but having no milk, wherewith to suckle him, and unwilling that he should die, she jumped into the lake, and set him upon a flower which blowed of itself, for his more commodious reception, and afterwards inclosed him in a cradle. From the moment he was born, without the assistance of a tutor, he instructed himself, and acquired a perfect knowledge of all things relating to heaven, carth, paradise and hell, with all the mysteries of nature. He taught the people to believe that angels visited him, as he sat under a tree, and that they After he had renounced the pomp and vanities of the world, he applied himself to all the austerities of of a devotee. He fasted, prayed, and performed all the religious duties common in the country, and rose to such strength of body, and perfection of mind, that he overcame, in single combat, a saint of consummate virtue. He had the power to work miracles, and he could make himself invisible, in order to know what secret things were transacting in the world. He flew as swift as the wind, from place to place, in order to preach virtue and morality, but one day forgetting himself, he killed a man, for which he was put to death. The person whom Sommona-Codom murdered, was, what the people of Siam called, a heretic; for these idolators have heretics among them, as well as we Christians. It was not long before Sommona-Codom made his appearance again in the world, and the first thing he desired was, to eat the flesh of a hog into which the soul of him whom he murdered had entered, in order to be revenged on his murderer. Accordingly, Accordingly, as he was teaching his disciples one day, a piece of the flesh of this hog was brought him, and he eat a part, but being taken ill with it, he told his disciples to build temples and altars to his memory, and then died. Ever since his death, Ever since his death, he has enjoyed perfect tranquillity, being subject to no sort of pain, trouble, or sorrow. He left the print of his feet in three different parts of the world, viz. in the kingdoms of Siam and Pegu, and in the island of Ceylon. To those places, whole crowds of pilgrims resort annually, where they offer up their prayers to him. These pilgrims are permitted to see the bones of Sommona-Codom, but they shine with such resplendant lustre, that they cannot behold them a minute at a time. Sommona-Codom had two favourite disciples, whose images stand behind him on his altars, but they are not so large as his. The one that stands on the right hand, once, at the earnest solicitation of the damned, turned the earth upside down, and he took into the hollow of his hand all the fire of hell; but notwithstanding all his endeavours, it was not in his power to extinguish it. He therefore implored Sommona-Codom to do this charitable office; but the god refused to comply with his request, telling him, that should mankind once shake off the fear of punishment, they would grow abandoned, and most abominably wicked. There is in this sentiment something in all respects consistent with natural religion, and the notions that we mortals form of right and wrong. The people of Siam have a strong persuasion, that Sommona-Codom will once more return to visit them, and they expect that he will come under the form of an idiot, for which reason, whenever they see a stupid fellow, they treat him with divine honours. They relate many strange stories concerning the jealousy that took place between Sommona-Codom and Thevatat; but they are not agreed whether they are brothers, or only near relations. Thevatat having entered into the order of priesthood, pretended he had it in his power to work miracles, and to assume whatever form he pleased. He had such an implacable hatred against Sommona Codom, that he did every thing to vex and afflict him; but the sublime virtues of Sommona-Codom were such, that Thevatat soon lost many of his followers; and thus abandoned, he resolved to make his peace with him. To effectuate this purpose, he sent the following proposals to SommonaCodom, viz. that his scholars should retire into the most solitary deserts; to live upon the charity and benevolence of well disposed persons, to be clothed in rags, to reside no more in convents, but live day and night under trees in the open air, and not to eat any sort of animal food. To this proposal, Sommona-Codom returned him this answer, that such austerities ought to be the result of freedom and choice, and that those who acted otherwise, were no better than hypocrites, and consequently he would not advise any of his disciples to follow those rules. But notwithstanding all this precaution of Sommona-Codom, Thevatat led away above five hundred of his disciples, for which, when he died, he was condemned to endure the following torments: His head was thrust into a large iron cauldron, made red hot with the fire of hell. His feet hung down into the flames, and his whole body was impaled with an iron spit lengthways, and crossed by two others. They believe that these torments are not to continue for ever, but they are to end with the regeneration of the sinner. The people of Siam observe many festivals, particularly one in honour of their rivers, from which the fertility of their country flows. At such times they have boats on their rivers illuminated, and sacrifices are offered to Sommona-Codom. This practice is in all respects, consistent with the idola. try of the ancient Egyptians, who once every year observed a festival in honour of the river Nile. And as the Greeks borrowed their religion from the Egyptians, so we find many other heathen nations imitating their example. The Chinese have their goddess Puzza, the Egyptians had their Isis, and the Greeks imitated them in the worship of that imaginary being. In the same manner, the people of Siam have an annual feast in memory of the harvest, when they offer up thanksgivings to their idols, and march in procession from one place to another accompanied by their Talapoins, or priests, who have books of sacred music, which they sing in concert with such of the people as are able to join in the harmony. They have so many pagods, that one cannot travel above a league without seeing one, and near them are always convents for their priests to reside. It is computed that there are above fourteen thousand pagods in the kingdom of Siam, but the principal, or metropolitan one, deserves a particular description. Siam, the chief city of the kingdom of that name, has a most magnificent temple, in which there is an idol, dedicated to the honour of Sommona-Codom, made of massy gold, and said to be worth upwards of five hundred thousand pounds, and the king goes there to worship, on all solemn festivals. The form of the structure resembles a pyramid, which seems to have been the custom of many of the eastern nations, during the remote ages of antiquity. They have convents among them for women, and each of these is under the direction of a priest, to whom great respect is paid. Every priest who is head of a convent, is called a Sancrat, and in some respects, has an affinity to bishops among the Europeans, for they ordain the inferior priests, and exercise all the high offices of the clerical order. When they are first advanced to that rank, which is always by order of the king, they are honoured with a new title, and receive a fine sedan, in which they are carried from place to place. But the highest mark of distinction conferred upon them is an umbrella, which they are obliged to carry along with them wherever they go. These umbrellas are made of the leaves of palm trees, and the plaits are tied with a thread near the shank, and the shank itself is twisted into the form of an S, and they are called Talapats. It is remarkable, that all these priests, are supported by the bounty of the public, and by practising many austerities, they impose upon the deluded vulgar. When they preach to the people, they take a text out of the wise sayings of SommonaCodom, of which they have a large collection, and it is called the word of God, and the perfect truth. In the sermon the priest expounds the mysteries of their religion to the people; and always concludes, by deducing some practical inferences, pointing out the nature aud obligation men are under to practise moral duties. The men sit on one side of the temple, and the women on the other, and whenever a passage is quoted from the sacred oracles, they stand up in the most reverend posture, believing that the words are delivered by the divine Being. The natives of Siam have many fasts, but particularly when their rivers overflow their banks, and on these fasts, the rule is not to eat any thing after mid-day until next morning. After the harvest is over, the priests retire to the fields, where they lie all night under huts, made of the leaves of trees, and in the morning they return to their temples, where they offer up sacrifices, and perform their devotions. Their prayers are offered up with all the appearance of the most unfeigned devotion; they sit upon the ground with their hands lifted up, and clasped together, taking no notice of any other object besides the idol whom they adore. This idol, which is the figure of Sommona-Codom, sitting cross-legged on a table before the altar, is on all such occasions, adorned with flowers, and perfumed by the priests, who consider this as one of the chief articles of their religion. A Jesuit having asked one of the priests, where their god resided, the priest answered, "That for two thousand years he had been in a state of happiness, and takes no notice of our affairs in this lower world." To this the Jesuit replied, "If your god is indulging himself wholly in pleasures, it is a seeming contradiction to suppose that he is at leisure to listen to your prayers." "God, said the Talapoin, or priest, "has commanded us to pray, and by that act of devotion, we testify our obedience to his divine will." All these priests are obliged to have their heads, lips, and eye-brows shaved, and this operation must be performed at the times of the new, and full moon. When the moon is at the full, the priests wash the images of their idols, and sprinkle them over with the richest perfumes. This ceremony is not confined to their temples, for the priests also go to the private houses of individuals, and wash and perfume both the houshold gods and the people. In all cases of that nature, modesty is forgotten, and every sort of reserve is laid aside, which may serve to shew, that the manners and customs of the people of Asia are almost the same they were three thousand years ago. It is a fixed rule with these priests. to get up in the morning, as soon as they can see the veins in their hands, lest in the dark, they should kill some insect, for they believe that all these creatures have human, rational souls within them. As soon as they get up, they meet their superior, and go with him to the temple, or pagod, where they pray upwards of two hours, and the laity sing psalms, or hymns, without the assistance of a book, having learned them by heart All the people sit cross-legged in their temples, and at going in, and coming out, they prostrate themselves three times to their idol; and this practice is attended to, both by the priests and the laity. When the morning service is over, the Talapoins, or priests, go from door to door, to collect as much money as they can procure from the people. They stand at the door, without asking for any thing, and if no notice is taken of them, they retire quietly. When they return home to their convents, they have breakfast set before them, but before they taste so much as one morsel of it, they offer up part to their idol. The remainder of the forenoon is spent in prayers and meditations, and in the afternoon they instruct their pupils in the principles of their religion. Towards evening, they retire about two hours to rest, and previous to their going to bed for the night, they sweep and cleanse the temples of their idol. Every man is at liberty to take upon him the office of a Talapoin, or priest, and he may resign it when he pleases, but a severe punishment is inflicted on every one who does any thing to oppose such as seek the sacred office. When young person desires to be admitted to the priesthood, he applies to the superior of a convent, and he, having examined him, presents him to the Sancrat for his approbation; when the young person is admitted, all his relations walk along with him in procession, singing hymns, and playing upon musical instruments. They likewise dance, and the whole is a scene of jollity, mirth, and sometimes confusion. opened, and they drink of each other's blood. Like all other superstitious persons, and consistent with the ignorance which prevails in most nations, the people of Siam pay much regard to the groans and cries of wild beasts, and always prognosticate something of importance from them. This is a species of superstition, not confined to those Indian heathens, for we have too much of it among ourselves, although it is a dishonour to our nature, and below the dignity of our religion. In all their temples or pagods, they have great numbers of images, and they bestow much time and pains in decorating them, for they consider them as endowed with Divine power, and they have likewise As they march along, they make several stops and some in their houses. When their wives laid in pauses in singing, and as soon as they come near the about a fortnight, they light a fire in the house, and gate of the temple, the young candidate is conducted smoke the walls all over, which fire is kept burning in along with the priests, but the women, and other five days together, and this is called the purification relations are prohibited from entering the place, it of the wife. This ceremony being over, all the rebeing considered as too sacred for them. When the lations are invited to a grand entertainment, and the candidate is brought into the temple, his eye-brows, child is named by one of the Talapoins, after he has head, and beard are shaved, and the Sancrat, or chief been washed clean in a river. The Siamese, like priest, gives him the habit of the order, which he the Chinese, are continually seeking out some antiputs on, having first thrown away all those robes. dote against death, for they really believe it is poswhich he wore, when a secular or layman. Onsible for some people to live always, although daily such occasions, the Sancrat, or chief priest, uses some mysterious words, which are not understood by any but the candidate, and the priests, and then the young he is to reside, accompanied by his friends and relations, who meet him at the door of the temple. A few evenings afterwards, the relations give a grand entertainment to the priests in the convent, but the young one is not permitted to be present, nor on any occasion of that nature, till at least one year after wards. novice is conducted to the convent where experience might convince them to the contrary. The Siamese imagine that elephants are perfect, rational creatures, and when the king sent a present of three of them to the king of France, a formal leave was taken of them. The king of Siam, attended by his great officers, whispered in the elephants ears, and wished them a good journey, and a successful voyage, entreated them not to be any way uneasy, but to divert themselves with the thoughts that they would soon have the honour to appear before the king, and enter into the service of a most illustrious prince, who would treat them with the greatest respect. They believe that the souls of elephants once mhabited the bodies of some illustrious heroes, and after a certain number of years, they will return to them again. Their Nuns have some privileges which the priests do not enjoy. Thus, if a priest is guilty of incontinency, he is burnt alive; but when a Nun suffers herself to be seduced, she is only sent home to her friends, and to see her severely whipped, after which she is discarded from the convent for ever. From what we can learn of these people, it appears evident, that they are much under the direction of their priests, who seem little better than a parcel of Pharisees and hypocrites; they endeavour to blind the people's understanding, and triumphing in their weakness, establish their own grandeur, promote they ought to be worshipped. There have been the interests of their families, and procure consider able emoluments. In swearing, in order to the performance of any stipulated agreement, each of the parties drink out of one glass, but if it is of a very sacred, and more than common nature, then each of them has a vein No. 5 But this is trifling to the respect they have for the white elephants, for they are fully persuaded their souls resided formerly in some of their princes; and thus we find the kings of Pegu and Siam, both stiled Kings of the White Elephant. They look upon them as saints; and some of them are of opinion many bloody battles between the kings of Siam and Pegu, concerning their rights to the title of the White Elephant, and all this seems to be owing to their belief, that the last form assumed by Sommona-Codom, was that of a white elephant. All the maidens are kept closely confined, withB b out out ever being permitted to come into the company, they bury their dead, but when the flesh is consumof the young batchelors, till their wedding day; ed by the worms they take up the bones and burn but notwithstanding all the restraints they are kept them. under, yet they will often have interviews, and frequently make a very bad use of them. In all their treaties of marriage, the relations of the man make the proposals to those of the woman, and for the most part, some discreet old matrons direct the young ones in their conduct. Three days before their marriage, the relations of both parties meet the bridegroom, and in his presence they fix what fortune he is to have with his spouse. The marriage being thus agreed upon, and the day fixed, they have a feast at the house of the bride's father, in a hall erected for that purpose, but at the expence of the bridegroom. After this, the young couple are conducted into a dark apartment adjoining the house, where they remain some days, being visited only by their relations. The men are allowed to have concubines, but never any more than one wife at a time. Divorces are permitted in Siam, when the parties cannot live happy together, but the wife's fortune must be returned, and the children are divided between them, if the number be even, but if there is an odd one, it is given to the mother. The men and women are punished with death when they commit adultery; the man is stabbed by his own relations, and the woman is strangled by hers. As soon as a man dies, they inclose his body in a wooden coffin, finely varnished over. Sometimes they make use of a leaden coffin, and it is always placed on a large table, in the middle of the house, and surrounded by the relations. In this manner the coffin is kept several days, and in the evening the Talapoins meet around it, sing hymns, and light up a great number of wax tapers. The substance of their hymns consists of moral reflections on death, and they pretend to have the power to direct the soul of the deceased in his way to everlasting glory. The body is then carried out to a field near one of their pagods, where it is burnt, and the ashes are enclosed within a fence made of small canes, embellished with figures, drawn on small slips of paper, pointing out the most remarkable actions in the life of the deceased. These funeral ceremonies are always in the morning, and the corpse is followed by the relations, all dressed in white, and shewing marks of the sincerest sorrow. When the relations return home, they begin an entertainment which lasts three days, during which time they give alms to the poor, When the plague rages among them, The Talapoins, or priests, are buried in the following manner: the coffin in which the body is inclosed, is finely decorated with a variety of figures relating to the actions of the deceased, and laid on a funeral pile, round which they erect four columns, composed of wood, and richly gilt. There are se veral lesser pillars, and the whole fenced round with a high enclosure of canes, with small images hanging to them. The processions on these occasions are by water, in a vast number of balons, or boats, filled with Talapoins, and a prodigious number of the magistrates and people of rank. It is an article in their religion, that the more costly they are in their funeral expences, the more advantageous will the soul of the deceased be situated in heaven, or in the body of one of the greatest monarchs on earth. In belief of this notion, they often ruin themselves to procure an expensive funeral. They are very sincere in their mourning, for none of them ever weep, except such as are really affected with the loss of a friend or relation. They have many romantic notions concerning spirits, and they often imagine themselves tormented by them. It is plain, that they consider the soul as immortal, but still they have some notion of it consisting of refined matter, far superior to the body, and that it has some shape or form, though they do not define what it is. They believe that when souls have passed through a vast number of bodies, they become pure from all manner of sin, and they are taken up into the mansions of everlasting happiness. They believe that there are two angels in heaven, who register all the actions of men here below, and read them over to SommonaCodom. Before we conclude this article, it is necessary to say something concerning their pagods, or temples, in which they worship their idols. The word pagoda, is Persian, and properly signifies a temple, where sacrifices are offered and idols worshipped. These pagods consist most commonly of three divisions. The first, is a large entrance under a vaulted roof, supported by stone columns, and all ranks of persons are permitted to go into it. The second part is open in the day, and shut at night; but none are permitted to go into it, except the priests. It is filled with a great number of figures of men, with many heads and arms, but the outer porch is adorned with figures of elephants and other animals. The third, which may be called the most sacred part of the temple, is shut up with a very strong gate, |