History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

240 HISTORY OF THE PARSIS. [CHAP. Vv.

“From the Reformation to the eighteenth century, in the course of which period most of the chief questions have been settled, our books are full of collisions of this kind between the spiritual and temporal courts in England. But it is manifest that they would be more frequent and more harassing here. We are very sensible of the value of that highly respectable body the Parsi Panchayet, but we fear that a total change of its character from an assembly qualified to administrate a liberal system of arbitration to one cramped on every side in its operations by the necessity of administering, with the rigour of law, a system (if it amount to one) only calculated to guide the discretion of arbitrators, must be the result of giving it coercive authority.”

This opinion of Her Majesty’s judges was fatal to the petition, and from that time down to the present day all hope of obtaining Government sanction for the Panchayet has been abandoned. Thus disappointed, that body tried to assume by itself the power over the people which was refused it by the authorities, and, almost as a matter of course, it failed.

For the last fifty years the body known among the Parsis as the Panchayet has not possessed the slichtest authority over the people. It dare not pass upon any one, be he rich or poor, the sentence of excommunication which the Parsis of old ereatly dreaded for any breach of their social laws. To attempt it would simply be to expose itself to ridicule, as the excommunicated person would be sure to retain the sympathy and continued friendship of his associates even if he did not have