The Reverend Thomas Maurice in 1800 turned solely to Tavernier’s print as source material. He utilized a later iteration of the print, such as the one from 1713, since it features the two Europeans with their black triangular hats observing the scene. Maurice derided such “penances” as “fanaticism” awash with an “arrogant and presumptuous spirit to dare,” rather than a Christian sentiment of “exalted Benevolence, tender Sympathy, and generous Compassion.” Yet Maurice used sources originally created more than a century earlier, assuming that European accounts of India were accurate and timeless.
Detail: “Of the Faquirs… and of their Pennances.” Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, DS411.5.T23 E1678