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NOVEMBER, 1877.]
THE INDIKA OF MEGASTHENES.
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by us. By you, however, accomplice as he was in causing many evils to you all, he is honoured and worshipped, while from our society he has been contemptuously cast out as unprofitable. And why not? when everything which we trample under foot is an object of admiration to the lucre-loving Kalanos, your worthless friend, but no friend of ours.--- miserable creature, and more to be pitied than the unhappiest wretch, for by setting his heart on lucre he wrought the perdition of his soul ! Hence he seemed neither worthy of us, nor worthy of the friendship of God, and hence he neither was content to revel away life in the woods beyond all reach of care, nor was he cheered with the hope of a blessed hereafter : for by his love of money he slew the very life of his miserable soul.
“ We have, however, amongst us a sage called Dandamis, whose home is the woods, where he lies on a pallet of leaves, and where he has nigh at hand the fountain of peace, whereof he drinks, sucking, as it were, the pure breast of a mother."
King Alexander, accordingly, when he heard of all this, was desirous of learning the doctrines
of the sect, and so he sent for this Danda min, as being their teacher and president .........
Onesikratês was therefore despatched to fetch him, and when he found the great sage he said, “Hail to thee, thou teacher of the Bragmanes! The son of the mighty god Zeus, king Alexander, who is the sovereign lord of all men, asks. you to go to him, and if you comply, he will reward you with great and splendid gifts, but if you refuse will cut off your head."
Dandamis, with a complacent smile, heard him to the end, but did not so much as lift up his head from his couch of leaves, and while still retnining his recumbent attitude returned this scornful answer :-" God, the supreme king, is never the author of insolent wrong, but is the creator of light, of peace, of life, of water, of the body of man, and of souls, and these he receives when death sets them free, being in no way subject to evil desire. He alone is the god of my homage, who abhors slaughter and instigates no wars. But Alexander is not God, since he must taste of death ; and how can such as he be the world's master, who has not yet reached the further shore of the river Tiberoboas
worshipped by you; but since he is of no importance | zone of Gades, nor has beheld the course of the he is rejected by us, and those things we certainly do sun in the centre of the world! Therefore many not scek, please Calanus because of his greediness nations do not yet even know his name. If, howfor money. But he was not ours, a man such as ever, the country he possesses cannot contain him, has miserably injured and lost his soul, on which let him cross our river and he will find a soil account he is plainly unworthy to be a friend which is able to support men. All those things either of God or of ours, nor has he deserved Alexander promises would be useless to me security among the woods in this world, nor can he if he gave them: I have lcaves for a house, hope for the glory which is promised in the future. live on the herbs at hand and water to drink; other
When the emperor Alexander came to the things collected with labour, and which perish forests, he was not able to see Danda mis as he and yield nothing but sorrow to those seeking passed through. ...
them or possessing them,--these I despise. I thereWhen, therefore, the above-mentioned messenger fore now rest secure, and with closed eyes I care came to Dandamis, he addressed him thus :-"The for nothing. If I wish to keep gold, I destroy emperor Alexander, the son of the great Jupiter, my sleep; Earth supplies me with everything, as who is lord of the human race, has ordered that a mother does to her child. Wherever I wish to you should hasten to him, for if you come, he will go, I proceed, and wherever I do not wish to be, give you many gifts, but if you refuse he will be- no necessity of care can force me to go. And if he head you as a punishment for your contempt." wish to cut off my head, he cannot take my soul; When these words came to the ears of Dandamis, he will only take the fallen head, but the departhe rose not from his leaves whereon he lay, but ing soul will leave the head like a portion of some reclining and smiling he replied in this way :- garment, and will restore it to whence it received "The greatest God," he said, "can do injury, but it, namely, to the earth. But when I shall have restores again the light of life to those who have become a spirit I shall ascend to God, who has departed. Accordingly he alone is my lord who enclosed it within this flesh. When he did this forbids murder and excites no wars. But Alex- he wished to try us, how, after leaving him, we ander is no God, for he bimself will have to die. would live in this world. And afterwards, when How, then, can he be the lord of all, who has not we shall have returned to him, he will demand yet crossed the river Tyberoboas, nor has from us an account of this life. Standing by him made the whole world his abode, nor crossed the I shall see my injury, and shall contemplate his
