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336
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1906.
In his essay ontitled of Vicissitudes of Things,'Bacon has mado a curious allusion to the Oxydrakai, which cannot ie explained from the writings of the historians of Alexander, and is likely to puzzle most readers. Archbishop Whately makes no attempt to expound it in Iris verbose notes on the Essays. The passage runs as follows:- The changes and vicissitudes in wars are many, but chietly in three things; in the seats or stages of the war, in the weapons and in the manner of the conduct ..... As for the weapons, it hardiy falleth under rule and observation : yet we see even they have returus and vicissitudes; for certain it is, that ordnance was known in the city of the Oxydraces in India, and was that which the Macedonians called thunder and lightning, and magic, and it is well known that the use of ordnance hath been in Chin.. above two thousand years.'
Bacon took the reference from the work by Philostratus, commonly cited as the Life of Apollonius of Tyana' (tà is tòx Tvàrea 'ATOMávov), which is regarded by modern critics as a romance, but was treated as sober history by authors of Bacon's time. Apollonius lived in the reigns of Nero, Vespasian, and Domitian, aud his biographer is believed to have been born avont 182, and to have died about 250 A,D. Truly or falsely, Apollonius was credited with having traveiledi in India, where he beheld many marvels, and heard queer stories. Among other places, he was supposed to have visited Taxila, where he was hospitably entertained for three days. The reigning king, Phraotes, is represented as amusing his visitor with an account of the adventures of his youth, and relating that he was elucated by his father in the Greek fashion till the age of twelve, when he was sent to the Brahmans, and treated by thein as a son.
"Apollonius then enquired whether the Sophoi of Alexander and these Brahmans were the same people. The king told him they were not; that Alexander's Sophoi were the Oxydracae, a free and warlike race, but rather dabblers in philosophy than philosophors; that the Brahman country lay between the Hyphasis and the Gangos; and that Alexander never invaded it - not through fear, but dissuaded by the appearance of the sacrificial victims." - And though" said Phractes, " it is true he might have crossed the Hyphasis and occupied the neighbouring lands, yet the stronghold of the Brahmans he never could have taken - no, not though every man in his army had been an Ajax or an Achilles. For these sacred and God-loving men would have driven him Lack -- not with human weapons, but with thunders and lightnings, and tempests, as they had routed the Egyptian Hercules and Bacchus, who thought with united arms to have stormel their fort."!
It will be observed that Bacou's quotation is not quite accurate, having beon made apparently from memory without verification; for the statement of Philostratus about the magic resources of the natives refers to the Bråtmans, and not to the Oxydrakai, who are merely stated to have been a free and warlike people, dabblers in philosophy, and described by the Greeks as Sophoi, or wise muen. No historical value can be attached even to these statements.
Philostratus proceeds to narrate marvellous details of the supposed visit of his hero to the stronghold of the Sophoi, a hill which rose sheer up from the plain, and was about as high as the Acropolis of Athens, and so forth. The whole story obviously is fiction, and Mr. Priaulx seems to have been right in believing that Philostratus fabricated his pretended journal from books written upon India, and tales current about India, whioh he easily collected at that great mart for Indian commodịties, and resort for Indian merchants - Alexandria.'
My quotations are taken from the reprint of the article by Mr. Osmond de Beauvoir Priaulx entitled "The Indian Travels of Apollonius of Tyana,' which was read before the Royal Asiatia Society on the 19th February, 1859. It was subsequently issued with, I think, some additions, in a Soar o separate volume, published by Quariteb, wbicb I have not at hand at present.
