him collect virtue, for the fake of fecuring an infeparable companion; fince with virtue for his guide, he will traverse a gloom, how hard to 'be traversed!

243. A man, habitually virtuous, whofe offences have been expiated by devotion, is in• ftantly conveyed after death to the higher world, with a radiant form and a body of ethereal • fubftance.

244. 'HE, who feeks to preferve an exalted rank, muft conftantly form connexions with the highest and best families, but avoid the worst and the meaneft;

245. Since a priest, who connects himself with the best and higheft of men, avoiding the loweft and worft, attains eminence; but finks, by an oppofite conduct, to the clafs of the fer• vile.

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246. HE, who perfeveres in good actions, in fubduing his paffions, in beftowing largeffes, in gentleness of manners, who bears hardships patiently, who affociates not with the malignant, who gives pain to no fentient being, obtains 'final beatitude.

247. WOOD, water, roots, fruit, and food placed before him without his requeft, he may 6 accept from all men; honey alfo, and protection from danger.

248. Gold, or other alms, voluntary brought and prefented, but unafked and unpromifed, • BRAHMA' Confidered as receivable even from a • finner :

249. Of him, who fhall difdain to accept fuch alms, neither will the manes eat the funeral oblations for fifteen years, nor will the fire convey the burnt facrifice to the gods.

250.

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250. A bed, houses, blades of cus'a, perfumes, C water, flowers, jewels, butter-milk, ground rice, fish, new milk, flesh meat, and green vegetables, • let him not proudly reject.

251. When he wishes to relieve his natural parents or spiritual father, his wife or others, whom he is bound to maintain, or when he is • preparing to honour deities or guests, he may • receive gifts from any perfon, but must not gratify himself with fuch prefents:

252. If his parents, however, be dead, or if he live without them in his own houfe, let him, when he feeks nourishment for himfelf, receive prefents invariably from good men alone.

253. A labourer in tillage, a family friend, a ⚫ herdsman, a flave, a barber, a poor ftranger offering his humble duty, are men of the fervile class, who may eat the food of their fuperiours: 254. As the nature of the poor ftranger is, as the work is, which he defires to perform, and as he may fhow moft refpect to the mafter of the boufe, even thus let him offer his fervice;

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255. For he, who defcribes himself to worthy men, in a manner contrary to truth, is the moft finful wretch in this world: he is the worst of thieves, a stealer of minds.

256. All things have their fenfe afcertained by fpeech; in fpeech they have their basis; and from fpeech they proceed: confequently, a falfi'fier of fpeech falfifies every thing.

257. WHEN he has paid, as the law directs, his debts to the fages, to the manes, and to the gods, by reading the fcripture, begetting a fon, and performing regular facrifices, he may refign all to his fon of mature age, and refide in his family,

family houfe, with no employment, but that of an umpire.

258. Alone, in fome folitary place, let him 'conftantly meditate on the divine nature of the foul, for by fuch meditation he will attain happiness.

259. THUS has been declared the mode, by which a Bráhmen, who keeps houfe, muft continually fubfift, together with the rule of de'votion ordained for a pupil returned from his preceptor; a laudable rule, which increases the beft of the three qualities.

260. A prieft, who lives always by thefe rules, who knows the ordinances of the Véda, who is freed from the bondage of fin, fhall be • abforbed in the divine effence.

CHAPTER THE FIFTH.

On Diet, Purification, and Women.

1. THE fages, having heard thofe laws delivered for the conduct of houfe-keepers, thus addreffed the high-minded BHRIGU, who proceeded, in a former birth, from the genius of fire. 2. ' How, Lord, can death prevail over Bráhmens, who know the fcriptural ordinances, and perform their duties as they have been declared ?'

3. Then he, whose difpofition was perfect virtue, even ВHRIGU, the fon of MENU, thus anfwered the great Rifbis. Hear from what 'fin proceeds the inclination of death, to destroy the chief of the twice born:

Through a neglect of reading the Véda, through a desertion of approved ufages, through fupine remiffness in performing holy rites, and ⚫ through various offences in diet, the genius of • death becomes eager to deftroy them.

5. Garlick, onions, leeks, and mushrooms, (which no twice born man must eat) and all vegetables raised in dung.

6. Red gums or refins, exuding from trees, and juices from wounded stems, the fruit félu, and the thickened milk of a cow within ten days • after her calving, a priest must avoid with great 7. 'Rice

care.

7. Rice pudding boiled with tila, frumenty, rice-milk, and baked bread, which have not • been first offered to fome deity, flesh meat also, the food of gods, and clarified butter, which have not firft been touched, while holy texts • were recited,

8. Fresh milk from a cow, whofe ten days are not paffed, the milk of a camel, or any quadruped with a hoof not cloven, that of an ewe, and that of a cow in heat, or whofe calf is dead or absent from her,

9. That of any forest beast, except the buffalo, the milk of a woman, and any thing naturally fweet but acidulated, muft all be carefully 'fhunned:

10. 'But among fuch acids, butter-milk may ⚫ be swallowed, and every preparation of buttermilk, and all acids extracted from pure flowers, roots, or fruit not cut with iron.

11. Let every twice born man avoid carnivorous birds, and fuch as live in towns, and quadrupeds with uncloven hoofs, except thofe allowed by the Véda, and the bird called tittibha ; 12. The fparrow, the water bird plava, the phenicopteros, the chacraváca, the breed of the town cock, the fárafa, the rajjuvála, the woodpecker, and the parot male and female;

13. Birds, that ftrike with their beaks, webfooted birds, the coyafhti, those who wound " with ftrong talons, and those who dive to devour fifh; let him avoid meat kept at a flaughterhoufe, and dried meat,

14. The heron, the raven, the c'banjana, all amphibious fish eaters, tame hogs, and fish of every fort, but thofe expressly permitted.

15. He,