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that his summary cannot bo hold to be final. It Professor Ball's account of the very confused is, nevertheless, well caloulated to lead the young story of the rise of Harsha's short-lived Empire is. in the right way. On p. 106, however, his refer- clear and useful, especially as he points out (p. 188) ence to Hinduism in the Far East, and it may be that it was a personal rule, and hence liable to added in the Malay Archipelago, is too slight for collapse when the commanding hand was with 80 remarkable a fact.
drawn. I may point out here that we have to His account of the Indian Renaissance of the Haraha a fair parallel in Sher Shah Sür, another 3rd to 5th centuries A.D. is good, though he seems really great man of similar type. On p. 189, how. to me to attribute a rather higher character to ever, the statement, “Ordeal by water, fire, the people than is humanly-speaking likely during weighment or poison was an effective method of the century of small local States between the ascertaining the truth," wants reconsideration. Kushans and the Guptas. I am very glad, how-On . 194, the printer has served Professor Ball ever, to note that he fully brings out the services badly by printing the same line twice and obviously of my old colleague, Dr. J. F. Fleet, the epigra leaving out one containing a useful piece of informaphist, in elucidating this and much subsequent tion at present lost. Indian history. The account of the Gupta Euro Professor Ball's account of the mediavel Rajput peans is good and he does well to point out how States is quite good as & well-informed summary great a man Samudra Gupta (o. 330—376 AD.) leading students to enter on a course of useful was in every respect. One remark of his here study: indeed & monograph on Rajputa is badly is good “teaching." "A combination of States wanted, if it be thought the time has come for one. under the hegemony of powerful kingdom has On p. 209 he alludes to the cause of the fatal quarnowhere endured. India has not been an excep-rel between Jaichand of Kanauj and Prithivi Raj tion in the mattor.... The empire [of of Ajmer owing to the latter's abduction of the Samudra Gupta) lasted so long as it was guided Kanauj princess in 1176. But I think he hardly by & strong monarch, but it fell to pieces whon makes enough of this incident. To my mind it the Central Government became weak" (pp. constituted a turning point in Indian History, as 167-168). But I would again warn him about the foud thus generated between the two great revising the idea of ancient Indian republica." Rajput rulers of the Hindu frontier of that day If the Lichchavis were a "republican" clan, they enabled Muhammad Chori to overcome Hindu could not have had "princesses" to give to Chandra
opposition and found the Sultanatu of Delhi (1193). apta in marriage (p. 100) and so help him by Professor Ball turns lastly to Southern India, marriage relations and inheritanoo to establish
16 and here again he is clear and well-informed on & "Kingdom" and thence an "Empire."
& confused subject. If he reprints his book I In the 6th century AD, the White Huns (Eph-suggest, however, that he brings out more clearly thalitee) swept down on Persis and India and during the enormous effect of pre-Hindu Southern Indis the 6th put an end to the great Gupta Empire. on Hindu ritual, even of modern times. A conThe description of these Huns is fair and well-sideration of this subject will do more than perhaps informed, and the accounts of Toramana and
anything else to explain the great divergence Mihirakula, the Hun leaders, and of their oppo between Hindu philosophical religion and Hindu ponta Pura Gupte, Baladitya, and Yabodharman, ritual observable everywhere. The reflex action are as clear as is possible at present.
of Southern Hinduism on Northern as exhibited My own idea of the division of dated Indian His. by Sankaracharys and Ramanuja and the Bhatory is: Ancient from the foundation of the Sai- gavatas generally is another and later consideration Bunga Dynasty, c. 664 B.O., to the Arab conquest altogether. of Gujarat, 766 A.D., 1.e, to the end of the Valabhi
The accounts of early 8. India and the 8. Deccan Dynasty. Medieval Hindus from the foundation will be useful to students, but I suggest that the of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty of the Deccan, 747
statement, p. 218, that Pulikasin II “sent an A.D., to Muhammad Ghori's establishment of power at Delhi in 1193. Medieval Muhammadans
embassy to the Court of Khusru II (Parvez), from 1193 to the accession of Akbar in 1666.
King of Persia, in 625-6 A.D." should be put Modern from Akbar onwards. Professor Belll the other way round. The great disturbers of closes his Ancient History with Harahavardhana's the peace of 8. India for about seven centuries Empire, 606-647 A.D., but continues the history of were the Pallavas, of whom one would like to see minor States in the north, and of Southern History, much more discovered, as they were evidently up to the days of Muhammadan supremacy at the no mean rulers. The latest research seems to show end of the 12th century.
that they were originally really a local "Rajpat "
