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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1909.
A spy may flatter to the Vanity of a seditious minister's son of gentle manners and dignified conduct by telling him "Though thoa art the king's son, thou art kept here in fear of enemies." The king may secretly honour this deluded person and tell him that " apprehending danger from the minister, I have put off thy installation, though thou hast attained the age of beir. apparent." Theu the spy may instigate him to murder the minister. The task being accomplished, he, too, may be put to death in the same spot under the plea that he is a parricide.
A mendicant woman, having captivated the wife of a seditious ministor by administering such medicines as excite the feelings of love, may through that wife contrive to poison the minister.
Failing these measures, the king may send & seditious minister with an army of inefficient soldiers and fiery spies to pat down & rebellious wild tribe or a village, or to set up a new so perintendent of countries or of boundaries in a locality bordering apon a wilderness, or to bring under control a highly-rebellious city, or to fetch a caravan bringing in the tribute due to the king from a neighbouring country. In an affray (that ensues in consequence of the above mission ) either by day or at night, the ffery spies, or spies ander the guise of robbers pratirodhaka ) may murder the minister and declare that he was killed in the battle.
While marching against an enemy or being engaged in sports, the king may send for his seditious ministers for an interview. While leading the ministers to the king, fiery spies with concealed wenpons shall, in the middle enclosure of the king's pavilion, offer themselves to be searched for admittance into the interior, and, when caught with their weapons by the door-keepers, declare themselves to be the accomplices of the seditious ministers. Having made this affair known to the pablic, the door-keepers shall put the ministers to death, and in the place of the fiery spies, some others are to be hanged.
While engaged in sports outside the city, the king may honour his seditious ministers with accommodation close to his own. A woman of bad character under the guise of the queen may be caught in the apartment of these ministers and steps may be taken against them as before.
A saqce-maker or a sweetment-maker may request of . seditious minister some sauce and sweetmeat by flattering him "thou alone art worthy of such things". Having mixed those two things and half a cup of water with poison, he may substitute those things in the luncheon (of the king) outside the city. Having made this event known to the public, the king may put them (the minister and the cook?) to death under the plea that they are poisoners.
If a seditious minister is addicted to witchcraft, a spy ander the guise of an accomplished wizard may make him believe that by manifesting (in witchcraft) any one of the three beautiful things, -a pot containing an alligator, or a tortoise or crab - he can attain his desired end. Wbile, with this belief, he is engaged in the act of witchcraft, a spy may murder him either by poisoning him or by striking him with an iron bar, and declare that he brought his own death by his proclivity to witchcraft.
A spy under the guise of a physician may make a seditions minister believe that he is suffering from a fatal or incurable disease and contrive to poisou him while prescribing medicine and diet to him.
Spies under the guise of sauce-makers and sweetmeat-makers may, when opportunity occurs, contrive to poison him.
• Some one deserving death seems to be substituted for the cook.
