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328 FRANCKLIN'S NOTES ON CEYLON AND INDIA
affairs. Their religion, as far as I could gain any in-
formation, is much corrupted from the ancient worship;
they acknowledge that several Hindu forms and cere-
monies have crept in amongst them, probably in com-
A MANU8CKIPT OP THE AVE8TA WITH FAHLAVI TRANSLATION.
pliance to the natives, in order to conciliate their affec-
tions. I have heard it observed, however, that the
Hindu religion does, in itself, bear some analogy to the
ancient Persian worship. It seems that their sacred
book, the Zend, which is said to have been written by
their celebrated prophet Zerdusht (called by us Zo-
roaster), is at present only a copy of a few centuries;
