of the Magi_ among the Persians, changing their ancient sacred rites, and bringing in several opinions_:  and Ammianus [483] tells us, Magiam esse divinorum incorruptissimum cultum, cujus scientiae seculis priscis multa ex Chaldaeorum arcanis Bactrianus addidit Zoroastres:  deinde Hystaspes Rex prudentissimus Darii pater; qui quum superioris Indiae secreta fidentius penetraret, ad nemorosam quamdam venerat solitudinem, cujus tranquillis silentiis praecelsa Brachmanorum ingenia potiuntur; eorumque monitu rationes mundani motus & siderum, purosque sacrorum ritus quantum colligere potuit eruditus, ex his quae didicit, aliqua sensibus Magorum infudit; quae illi cum disciplinis praesentiendi futura, per suam quisque progeniem, posteris aetatibus tradunt.  Ex eo per saecula multa ad praesens, una eademque prosapia multitudo creata, Deorum cultibus dedicatur.  Feruntque, si justum est credi, etiam ignem coelitus lapsum apud se sempiternis foculis custodiri, cujus portionem exiguam ut faustam praeisse quondam Asiaticis Regibus dicunt:  Hujus originis apud veteres numerus erat exilis, ejusque mysteriis Persicae potestates in faciendis rebus divinis solemniter utebantur.  Eratque piaculum aras adire, vel hostiam contrectare, antequam Magus conceptis precationibus libamenta diffunderet praecursoria.  Verum aucti paullatim, in amplitudinem gentis solidae concesserunt & nomen:  villasque inhabitantes nulla murorum firmitudine communitas & legibus suis uti permissi, religionis respectu sunt honorati.  So this Empire was at first composed of many nations, each of which had hitherto its own religion:  but now Hystaspes and Zoroastres collected what they conceived to be best, established it by law, and taught it to others, and those to others, ’till their disciples became numerous enough for the Priesthood of the whole Empire; and instead of those various old religions, they set up their own institutions in the whole Empire, much after the manner that Numa contrived and instituted the religion of the Romans:  and this religion of the Persian Empire was composed partly of the institutions of the Chaldaeans, in which Zoroastres was well skilled; and partly of the institutions of the ancient Brachmans, who are supposed to derive even their name from the Abrahamans, or sons of Abraham, born of his second wife Keturah, instructed by their father in the worship of ONE GOD without images, and sent into the east, where Hystaspes was instructed by their successors.  About the same time with Hystapes and Zoroastres, lived also Ostanes, another eminent Magus:  Pliny places him under Darius Hystaspis, and Suidas makes him the follower of Zoroastres:  he came into Greece with Xerxes, and seems to be the Otanes of Herodotus, who discovered Smerdis, and formed the conspiracy against him, and for that service was honoured by the conspirators, and exempt from subjection to Darius.