No. XV.

GAURS.

AN ancient fect of the Magicians, in Perfia, They have a fuburb at Ifpahan, which is called Gaurabad, or the Town of the Gaurs, where they are employed only in the meanest and vileft drudgery; but they chiefly abound in Kerman, the barreneft province in all Perfia, where the Mahometans fuffer them to live with fcme freedom, and in the full exercife of their religion. Some years ago many of them fled into India, where their posterity remain to this day. They are a poor harmlefs fort of people, zealous in their superstition, rigorous in their morals, and exact in their dealings: they profefs the worship of

one God alone, and belief of a refurrection, and a future judgment, and utterly deteft all idolatry, though the Mahometans believe them to be the moft guilty of it. It is true they perform their worship before fire, for which they have an extraordinary veneration, as believing it to be the most perfect emblem of the deity. They have the fame veneration for Zoroafter that the Jews have for Mofes, esteeming him a prophet sent from God,

No. XVI.

AGYNANI.

THE Agynani were a fect of Heretics, that appeared in the seventh century. They condemed all carnal commerce with women, and pretended that God was not the author of marriage.

No.

No. XVII.

ALBANENSES.

THEY were a fect of Chriftian Heretics, in the reign of the emperor Conftantine the Sixth, and the Pontificate of Leo III, about the year 796: Their principal errors were as follows: They held with the Gnostics and Manichæans two principles, the one of good, the other of evil; and they afcribed the Old Teftament to the Evil God, and the New Testament to the Good God. They held with Pythagoras a tranfmigration of fouls. They denied the divinity, and even humanity of Jefus Chrift; afferting that he was not truly man, that he did not really eat, nor fuffer on the crofs, nor die, nor rife again, nor afcend into heaven. They denied a re

furrection

furrection of the body, and affirmed, that the general judgment was paft. They held that there had never been a good man in the world before Jefus Chrift, and therefore that neither Adam nor Mofes were from God. They denied that there was any virtue or efficacy in Baptifm. They faid likewife, that the bad life of prelates hurt the facraments; and that no bad man could be a bishop; that the church ought to have every thing in common and could not excommunicate any perfon, or make any conftitutions. They believed that hell torments were no other than the evils we feel and fuffer in this life. They rejected the facrament of the altar, and extreme unction; they did not admit original fin; for which reason they never administered baptifm to infants. They denied free will. They held the eternity of the world. They difallowed marriage. They faid that ufury was not prohibited, and that no one was obliged to reftitution; they held that a man gives the Holy Spirit of himself, and that it is unlawful for a Chriftian to take an oath.

No.