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THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA.
1, 2.
Unravelling all the meshes of the Suttas' net, Glittering the while with metaphors and reason
ing high. Come then! Apply your minds, and let your
hearts rejoice, And hearken to these subtle questionings, all
grounds Of doubt well fitted to resolve.
2. Thus hath it been handed down by traditionThere is in the country of the Yonakas 1 a great centre of trade?, a city that is called Sagala, situate in a delightful country well watered and hilly, abounding in parks and gardens and groves and lakes and tanks, a paradise of rivers and mountains and woods. Wise architects have laid it out, and its people know of no oppression, since all their enemies and adversaries have been put down. Brave is its defence, with many and various strong towers and ramparts, with superb gates and entrance archways; and with the royal citadel in its midst, white walled and deeply moated. Well laid out are its streets, squares, cross roads, and market places . Well displayed are the innumerable sorts of costly merchandise [2] with which its shops are filled. It is richly adorned with hundreds of alms
That is Ionians, the Pali word for Baktrian Greeks. ? Nânâ-puta-bhedanam, literally the distributing place of parcels of merchandise of many kinds.' Trenckner renders it
surrounded with a number of dependent towns,' but surely entrepôt is the idea suggested.
Sutavanta-nimmitam; which Trenckner renders' pious are its people.' But I prefer the Simhalese interpretation.
• This list recurs at pp. 34, 330 of the text. See below, p. 53.
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