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PAHLAVI TEXTS.
intended rather for the guidance of the laity than for the information of the priesthood. The almost total absence of any reference to government or national life, other than complete submission to priestly control, seems to indicate a period of subjection to men of another faith, too dangerous, or too odious, to be mentioned, unless it were to forbid all voluntary social intercourse with them, as in Chap. XXXVIII. The allusions to the existing scarcity of priests in Chap. LVIII, 12, and to a rigorous levying of poll-tax in Chap. LX, 7, might also give some clue to the period when the work was compiled, if we were better acquainted with the minute details of Parsi history. Where temporal penalties for crimes are prescribed (as in Chaps. IX, LXIV) they were, no doubt, such as were recognised by the government of the time; and, in such matters, change of government has altered the law. Some other customs have also probably changed to some extent, but by far the greater part of the rules and duties prescribed in this work are still in force, though they may not be always very strictly attended to.
Of the numerous quotations from the sacred books, which the Sad Dar contains, only a few can be identified, and nearly all of these are in the form of translations which are merely paraphrases of the original texts. Avesta passages are quoted from the Vendîdad and Yasna in Chap. XIV, 3. and from an unknown section of the Hâdokht Nask in XL, 4. The commentary of the Vendîdad is six times quoted by name, but only four of the passages have been identified; and an unknown passage is quoted from the commentary of the Hâdôkht in Chap. XXII, 3, 4, and three others from the commentary of the Avesta. Four statements are said to be declared in the good religion,' but have not been identified; and out of thirty quotations from 'revelation' only five have been identified, of which those in Chaps. LXXII, 2, 3, LXXXII, 2 belong to the Vendîdad, and those in IV, 3-11, XVI, 3, XVIII, 3 belong to the Spend Nask, which is no longer extant. The large
· Chaps. XII, 3-5, LXVII, 3-6, LXXI, 2, 3, LXXXVI, a. . Chaps. XXVIII, 4, XCIV, 3, 4, XCVII, 3.
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